Mug Marvels // Pumpkin Spice Latte

fiveplumsdesigns.etsy.com
"I Love Coffee Mug"



I love coffee. Give me one of those fancy, flavored ones from Starbucks and I'll be one happy girl. I am equally a fan of anything Pumpkin Spice - and I love it even more when I can make it from home. You too?

 

Here's my own "at home" Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe...enjoy!

 

 

First, heat 1 cup of milk in saucepan on a medium-high heat on the stove.

 

Add in 2 tablespoons of canned pumpkin puree (yes, you read that right...) along with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a pinch of pumpkin-pie spice.

 

Stir, and allow this mixture to sit and 'simmer' for about 5 minutes.

 

Now, here comes the fun part!...

 

To give this a real "coffeehouse" feel, we are going to froth the pumpkin-spice milk mixture. Now, I don't have a steamer laying around but I know of something that works just as well, that I'm sure many of you already own...

 

A BLENDER! Yep! Take the mixture off of the stove and slowly pour it into your blender. "Froth" your mixture for about 5 minutes.

Pour your pumpkin-spice flavored milk mixture into a mug and add 1-2 shots of espresso. (For me, espresso is too strong - so I just add a little bit of pumpkin-spice flavored coffee...and its just as good, if not better!)

 

Stir, and add a sprinkle of pumpkin-pie spice on top! Yum! I cannot get enough of this stuff and its so easy to make.

 

Cheers to Pumpkin Spice Lattes, friends! Have a great day!

 



Go-Getter Girls

 

Being a 'go-getter'. Easier said than done, right? Wrong! The key: asking for your own opportunities. Now, you may ask, "...what's the first step?" I'll tell you.


Have the right mind-set // You will be blown away at the doors that will open and the opportunities that will just fall into your lap if you simply have an open mind.

Initiative and Drive // Needs no explanation. With these, it is limitless what you can achieve.

Be flexible // Go with the flow. Bend with the wind. Be flexible with what life throws your way. When you have the ability to spring back into action after setbacks, that is a serious asset.

Knowledge and Expertise // Be the best you can be at your craft. Work hard every single day on getting increasingly better and learning more. As you and your business grow, opportunities for fantastic experiences will come.

Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help // Everybody starts out somewhere. Never be afraid to ask for assistance and advice from those that have gone before you.


Zoe
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Being Your Own Boss

 



 

In honor of Bosses' Day (which is this Thursday, October 16) I wanted to write a post about being your own boss...and why its just so awesome! About a week ago, I posted this quote on Instagram:

 

"Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won't, so you can spend the rest of your life living like most people can't." - Unknown.  

 

I found this quote to really apply to my own entrepreneurial endeavors. All the time and effort I have ever spent towards growing FivePlumsDesigns has been 100% worth it - and I wouldn't change anything!

 

Along with the same post on Instagram, I asked:  "What does being an Entrepreneur mean to you?" and I absolutely agreed with each of the responses I received and could relate personally to all of them as well.

 

 





(Go follow each of these sweet ladies! ^^^)



A few reasons being my own "boss" has been such a unique and rewarding experience:

(1) You always get to see Your Business Growing and Changing: The sky is the limit as you grow and develop your business.

(2) You are in Charge of Decisions: No one else is persuading you take one path over the other - you choose!

(3) You set your Own Hours: There is such immense flexibility that you gain when you work for yourself. You have a huge control over your own schedule.

I'd like to know...for you all who also work for yourselves (especially my fellow Etsy shop owners!) what else do you think being an Entrepreneur means? And how has being your own Boss impacted your life?

Leave it in the Comments!

Zoe :)













 

The Importance of Thank-You Notes

Need something to do on this rainy Sunday afternoon? Write a thank-you note.

So important yet so overlooked. When I was younger, it was such a tedious task for me...to go sit at my desk and crank out 20+ notes at once for gifts I had received at a Birthday or Christmas party.

But now...I LOVE thank-you notes, and I truly appreciate them. I love giving and receiving them equally. There is just something so special about a handwritten note...knowing someone took time out of their hectic day; seems so thoughtful. These notes don't have to be elaborate. All they require is genuine appreciation. Acknowledgement of the seemingly small things that make such a big difference.

I encourage you to take five minutes - just five! - to write a thank-you note to someone who needs it!

Happy Sunday (and note writing!)

Zoe 

Balancing School with Running a Business

 

Balancing school (or work) with running and maintaining your own business can be incredibly challenging without some sort of organization. Here are some tips and techniques that have worked for me:

 

 

(1) Set Priorities and Boundaries: This is the most helpful tip I can give you! It is imperative that you set your priorities first - and this is different for everybody. For me, studying and homework comes before blogging, creating new products for my Etsy shop, etcetera. However, managing FivePlumsDesigns is truly a passion of mine...so I still set aside a great deal of time to devote to it, which leads me to my next piece of advice...

 

(2) Do Business on the Weekends: I devote the majority of my time on week-days to schoolwork, leaving week-ends for me to devote to FivePlumsDesigns! This is a schedule that works perfectly for me!

 

(3) Smart Multitask: This is the most abstract idea, but I think it can be equally as insightful as the other points! Smart multitask. An example of this is actually combining school with your business. Are there courses you can take at school that would benefit your business in some way? Besides core courses, I enjoy taking art classes which cover the creative aspect, and business-oriented classes such as economics, personal finance, or e-Commerce classes. Not only are you doing schoolwork, but you are learning concepts that you can directly implement into your business!

 

(4) Work Ahead: For me, this is mostly referring to blog posts! I will write them on the weekend (my time devoted to the blog & shop) and post them throughout the week! Whatever you can do ahead of time...DO it!! It will benefit you later on.

 

 

If you have any other tips or tricks for balancing your to-do's...leave them in the Comments! I would love to read them! Have a fantastic Wednesday!!

 

Zoe



Pros to Selling on Etsy

 

 

Happy Monday!

 

Since I opened my Etsy shop 'FivePlumsDesigns' this past summer, I have gained so much in terms of marketing, manufacturing, as well as small business and entrepreneurial experience! I want to share with you today the benefits to selling your products on Etsy - and there are many!

 

(1) Constant Sales: An amazing thing about selling online is that you never have to be personally present. Sales happen while your life still keeps going, whether you are at class, work, or wherever!

 

(2) Low Fees: By comparison to any other sales venue, Etsy is very inexpensive, seeing as Etsy allows you to keep so much of what you earn - which is great!

 

(3) Broad Audience: When selling on Etsy, you get to experience targeted traffic. People that visit Etsy's website are already interested in crafty, hand-made goods. All you have to do is have your items listed and ready!

 

(4) Well-Known Site: For a site that only houses specific products, Etsy has a rather large following - with a whopping 15 million + members, and all those members could potentially be viewing your product!

 

 

If you have been pondering starting an Etsy shop, I highly encourage it! Take the plunge! The most important piece of advice is simply to do your research first. After you have the dirty work finished you can enjoy the incredibly fun things involved in running your own business!

 

 

Zoe 

Welcome

Hi friends! Welcome to the Five Plums Designs Blog - Inspiring Girls with Goals & Female Entrepreneurs! I'm glad you are here. To celebrate, enjoy a discount on anything in the shop with the coupon code: '5PDblog'!