The Wedding Collection

Leen Machine was started all because of the DIY pocketfold invitations that I did for our October wedding. It was truly a labor of love but it was then that my love and appreciation for paper began. From the very beginning of Leen Machine, I dreamed of having a wedding collection with simply modern, yet colorful pocketfold wedding invitations. 

Fast forward over 3 years of dreaming, starting, stopping, lots of doubting, researching like crazy and here I am, I finally have a small wedding collection! Let me tell you, I've never hustled so hard to get everything launched but I'm excited to keep working on it and expanding it. For now, I am enjoying this dream coming true and I look forward to working with my first bride!

Check out Leen Machine's first wedding collection!

Free Mother's Day Card Printable

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This year, I knew I wanted to create a Mother's Day card for my mom. I knew I wanted to put to use what I've learned so far from taking hand lettering and calligraphy classes online. Also, since my goal every year is to make her cry happy, I-feel-loved tears, I knew I wanted to declare my love for my mom. Besides, I don't say I love you enough to her.

Download the file here and don't forget to say I love you to your mom this Mother's Day or any other day for that matter!

Terms of Use: The Mother's Day Card printable is for personal use only and not for commercial use. © Leen Machine Paperie

Chase Your Dreams

"When you are small and failing, nobody gets mad at you. But as your business grows, you'll run into haters. When you chase your dreams, it reminds other people they aren't chasing theirs. Your loud, bright life is a reminder they're not doing anything with theirs. It stirs up shame. You didn't cause it, but your success stirs the waters in their hearts." - Jon Acuff

I read that quote on my instagram feed and boom, everything made sense to me. How many of us compare ourselves to others? Feeling as though we'll never do enough or be good enough? Their lives seem so much easier and brighter. They always seem to have ALL the success in the world. With me, when I feel any sort of pang of jealousy towards someone's success, I admit, I sometimes think, what did they do to deserve all this success? Then, I look at my life and feel less than stellar about it.

That quote from Jon Acuff was a lightbulb moment for me. He is totally right. When I dig deep in my heart, I don't really want the success of others. Their dreams are not my dreams. Their goals are not my goals. But something stirs within me because they are out there making things happen...and I was currently not.

THAT is the only thing that had to change. We all have what it takes.

We have to chase after our own dreams because it is the only way for us to find our own version of contentment. Looking at others will not get us one step closer to our goals unless we use their success as momentum. Don't lose focus. We must pave our own paths towards our dreams.

Whole 30 Results and Wrap Up

April 30th marked the end of my first Whole30 and let me tell you, it is a game changer.


RESULTS

• No more after meal sugar cravings or binges. Not even a desire to stuff my face with chocolate and sweets after Whole30!! This was so huge for me! There are even days where I would think of sugar and feel indifferent. As silly as it may sound, I feel free from sugar!
• 11 pounds down!! I've never lost that much in a month. I am back to my weight before the holidays/Christmas hit. My stomach has some abs poking out and it has never looked or felt this flat.
• Stable energy levels throughout the day. I woke up refreshed, hardly any 2pm slumps and my energy levels were fairly stable throughout the day and into the evening.
• Sleeping like a baby. This lovely side effect didn't kick in till towards the end. It's been so glorious to the point that I've slept through some of my morning workouts. I didn't feel guilty about it either.
• Being more adventurous and having better understanding and appreciation of food. I've never cooked this much or tried this many recipes and new spices. I savored food more instead of mindlessly eating it.

WHAT I LEARNED

• Set yourself up for success and plan plan, plan! Cooking meals and preparing snacks for the week really helped me. I quickly learned preparation goes a long way and makes everything less stressful.
• Sign up for the Whole30 daily newsletter. It is only $14.95 and it was a great companion for 30 days. At times, I felt as though it was reading my mind. It knew exactly I was going through and gave advice on how to get through it. It is jam-packed with advice, information, resources, recipes and success stories along the way.
• Food is just that. Food. It is not meant to be abused but enjoyed.
• Not everything will be perfect with Whole30 and I believe that's okay. However, determine where you will draw the line between slipping up and starting over or to keep going.
• Whole30 taught me to really focus on my goal. It helped me not to get distracted by the temptations and obstacles along the way. I never felt discouraged during the 30 days. Every day completed made me feel stronger.

LIFE AFTER WHOLE30
Now what? I have decided to continue to eat clean, avoid processed foods as best I can and keep trying out paleo recipes. I'm very excited to try out some paleo treats! I want to find some sort of balance, indulge a little but I want to continue with this lifestyle. I want to continue to feel good and to continue to be in control of my food.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND WHOLE30
Whole30 is for anyone who is ready and committed to changing their eating habits and lifestyle. It is a challenge. It is hard but it is not impossible. You will learn a lot about yourself and food. Don't be intimidated like I was. It'll be fun!

May 2013 Desktop Calendar

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This month's calendar reflects the current colorful and floral kick I'm on. I think I'm finally getting to the point where I'm no longer shying away from bold colors and pattern - two things I love and two things I'm very cautious to mix.

I can't believe May is here! That means I need to get a Mother's Day card soon. I need to come up with a birthday gift for my husband. I also need to get my butt in gear because I have exactly 20 days for an exciting launch for Leen Machine. I sure hope May takes its time. This year is going by too fast and I just can't keep up.