So excited to be back with another fabulous entrepreneur today! Jessica Albers is an incredibly talented calligrapher, and the lovely artist behind my logo! (more things with my logo coming soon! *wink wink*)
I got the chance to meet this gal at the Bloom Workshop in September and loved her immediately! She is so kind and I love reading her blog and staring at her beautiful work! Now lets have brunch, shall we?
Introduce yourself! Who are you and what do you do?
Hello! I’m Jessica and I am a wife, mom of two, lettering artist, designer and blogger at studioalbers.com. I do wedding and event calligraphy, custom wedding invitation design and custom artwork. This is my second full year in business, although I have been doing freelance design work here and there for the last ten years. I love creating beautiful, truly unique design and art pieces for my clients and am looking forward to what 2015 has in store for my business.
What are some of your favorite brunch foods? Any recipes to share?
My favorite brunch recipe would have to be my sausage and blueberry bake. I know it sounds like a weird combination but it is out-of-this-world amazing. Covered in a homemade blueberry syrup, this sweet and savory bake has become a regular feature at my family’s Sunday brunches. I also can’t get enough of Pioneer Woman’s Best Parfait Ever. I also LOVE quiche. My favorite would have to be spinach and feta. The list of favorites is extensive so I will just stop myself right there.
What does an average day look like for you?
Having two young kids means that no day looks the same. I do try to maintain routines for everybody’s peace of mind, but there are days when one kid needs more of my attention or another when I need to spend most of my day in my office finishing up a big project. That’s life. We go with the flow around here. An average day in our house looks something like this:
I get up early. My days start at 4:30 am. Working from home with two little ones running around presents quite a few challenges and having quiet time is issue Number 1. I get up early to start my day in peace so that my mind can focus and prepare for the day ahead. I drink my coffee and journal, head to the gym for a workout, shower and get myself dressed and take a glance at my planner all before my family starts stirring around 7:00.
I get my kids dressed and fed and then take my son to school. Back at home, I do some housework and spend some one-on-one time with my baby girl. During these morning hours, I usually answer emails, post on my blog and social media, and if I have time I will work on whatever orders I have pending. My son finishes school at noon and I like to spend some time with him when he gets home. We usually play a game, read through the stack of library books that we check out every week, or do some sort of fun activity. While baby girl naps in the afternoon, my son plays quietly either in his room or in my office (he likes to bring his Legos in and build by me) and I work for a couple of hours. When my daughter wakes up we head outside to play and burn off some energy.
Dinner prep begins around 5:00p. This is also when I pack lunches for the next day, do a quick tidy around the house, lay out clothes for the morning and make sure my son’s backpack is ready to go. Doing these little things makes our mornings smooth and relatively chaos-free.
Dinner is at 6:00p and is a big deal in the Albers’ house. Daddy comes home, which is the highlight of the day for the kids (and for me too). We talk about our day around the table and always end our meal by saying what we’re thankful for. After dinner, Nick takes over kid-duty and I get back to work. I take a break to give bedtime kisses and say prayers with the kids and then I head back into my office for a couple more hours of work.
Bedtime for me is usually around 10:00pm and I am always ready for sleep when this hour rolls around.
What is your favorite part of running Studio Albers
I love the freedom of running my own business. There is a rush that comes with making decisions that could literally make or break your business. The sense of accomplishment that comes with seeing what you have built on your own is priceless. I have also enjoyed making friends with other women who are building their creative businesses and pursuing their dreams. It’s truly empowering.
What 3 things do you always have with you?
I said this question out loud and my husband responded, “The Bag!” ‘The Bag’ is a large purse that contains everything I might need during the day. You will find my planner/binder, a spare phone charger, small first aid kit, highlighters, sharpies, pens, pencils, washi tape, erasers, a small tape measure, a spare diaper or two, wipes, and doodle pads for the kids…..it’s a mom bag at it’s finest. It goes with me to business meetings, on grocery store trips and to church on Sunday. I am rarely without it.
Chelsea Davis PhotographyAny guilty pleasures?
Potato chips with ranch dip and books. I LOVE to read and I classify purchases at Barnes and Noble in the ‘Need’ or sometimes the ‘Must Have Or I Will Die’ category. Can’t do the Nook/Kindle thing, I need pages to turn.
If you could have brunch with anybody who would it be?
My best friend, Keri! Her kids are the same ages as mine, so brunch…alone….sans children….would be appreciated down to the second and crumb. In fact, we could probably find a way to make brunch last through til dinner. She is one of the few people who just ‘gets’ me and I can always count on her to make me laugh, to listen when I just need to vent and to make me jealous with her latest thrifty find. She is precious to me and I love any time that we are able to spend together.
Thank you so much Jessica for having brunch with us this morning! You are so talented!
Drooling over her work? You’re in luck! She happens to be teaching several workshops over the next year that you can snag a seat at! Find them here, here, and here!
Be sure to check out Jessica and her awesome work!
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