My life has been touched by some uber amazing women whose passion for life and the way they choose to live it have really inspired me. Some are bloggers, some are not, their lives are all different and they are all special. I feel honoured and privileged that they are sharing their stories and sprinkling a little bit of their awesome right here. May you be wom-inspired!
Meet Sarah Preston.
I’m so excited to introduce you to Sarah. I had the good fortune to cross paths with her in real life last year and since then every week I’ve popped on over to her blog to get super inspired. I really look forward to my weekly visits. Sarah inspires me not just because she’s insanely talented in the crafty/arty/design department but because she follows her dreams (even if they don’t always come true) and has the most magical outlook on life. She always shares her skillz (and boy, has she got skillz,) her work (yay to free printables – there’s one for you too! ) and there’s always a neat little take away message; like some very delicious food for thought. As if all that wasn’t inspiring enough, this woman can make a sea change like a boss. Meet Sarah, she’s just so inspiring!
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Lisa Wright but some of you may know me as Sarah Preston over at Tomfo.com
I’m a graphic designer and I’ve run Beyond Creative since 2005 designing brochures, signage and logos for various businesses. In 2013 I started Tomfo, a blog with easy DIY ideas, free printables and coming soon, a new shop featuring my Yamba Scandi Collection inspired by our big move to Yamba. It’s a place that I hope encourages others to do what they love, create pieces for their homes or buy mine and be inspired along the way. It’s inspired by my beautiful cousin Tom.
I’m a crafter and artist from way back, even though someone once told me that maybe I should do something other than art and designI never believed them and I still don’t.
We moved to a small country town about a year ago. It began in Dec 2015 and by 2016 we were having Christmas in a totally new house with friends, new and old. It was the beginning of a whole new life.
Tell us 3 things you are and 3 things you’re not.
I am a believer.
I’ve tried about 3 major business ventures that never got off the ground,
but I believed in them so I did them.
They made me stronger.
I believe the best is yet to come.
I am a maker.
I love making and creating things to fill our home and showing others how I did it
so they can do it too.
I love it even more when there is a story behind it and it resonates with my readers.
I am a praiser.
I love it when people give praise
Who doesn’t?
This quote from Mary Kay says it all…
Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from their neck saying…
“Make me feel important”
PLUS
If you give praise, you sometimes get even more in return…
like making someone’s day
for free!
I am not into coffee.
But I love a coffee martini {go figure, must be the added ingredients}
I am not into complainers.
If you don’t like something, make a change to be happy.
{sometimes that takes a while to learn, it took me 6 years, but it was totally worth it)
I am not into riding bikes up hills.
Enough said.
Complete this sentence, ____________________ changed my life. How and why?
Having a MASSIVE mortgage changed my life.
It drained me.
And my husband
and our family.
It nearly broke us.
But,
It changed our lives,
WHEN
we let it go…
And moved 675.9km
To a simpler life.
To create manageable dreams,
and find ourselves,
and do all the things we could only find time for in our sleeping hours.
Our new sea change has become the inspiration in my designs and I love that.
{Thank you old mortgage}
What has been life’s greatest lesson?
Keep believing in yourself
and
never let anyone tell you otherwise.
What is your biggest achievement?
Moving to Yamba and building our dream home and sharing the process with all my readers.
It’s been such a fabulous experience and we feel like we are part of our new community already. It’s opened up a whole new line of opportunity. Right now I’m designing a new shopfront for a business in our town, it’s exciting to help someone else’s dreams come to life, as we speak it’s being painted and new signage is being made and then we will style the rooms and reception, how cool is that? I’d like to think there are even more opportunities working in the building industry helping people create their dream homes just around the corner.
What has been your toughest obstacle and how have you overcome it?
Doubting myself.
I do this too much, when it happens I gravitate to people that inspire me to keep moving forward.
Viktor Frankl says “Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how.” Everyone needs a purpose, what’s yours?
My why is to inspire people to live an amazing life and be happy.
Like my cousin Tom did for me.
I used to think
that…
having a million dollars would make me happy.
but, now I know,
to have a million dollars
you need to help a million people.
{and, it’s actually not the money that you need, it’s the experiences}
My blog Tomfo has half a million website views to date
and I’m thinking if…
that inspires people to chase their dreams,
or make a sea change for a better life,
or create a home with their own personal touch,
or help them make a tassel garland for a party,
…inspired from a girl who was once told to look for a new career,
then I’m halfway there.
What are your words to live by?
“Just love.”
It’s simple.
my dad said that one day,
when everything was going wrong
and it’s totally true.
If you could have any mentor, alive or dead, who would you choose and why?
I’m a pretty big fan of Oprah, she’s so inspiring, she has a story to tell and I reckon I could share a meal and a few beverages with her and talk for hours like long lost friends.
I love this quote from her… “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
If you could play hookie for a day what would be on your list to do?
Jump in a car and just drive, with the music up loud, then stop somewhere with a view, for a long lunch with friends and let someone else do school pickup.
You give so much to others, what do you do to take care of yourself?
I like to see the sunrise. I take our dog for a walk every morning, it helps keep me fit and affords me that beautiful view, it’s good for your soul, I reckon.
John Lennon said this…
“When you do something noble and beautiful and nobody noticed, don’t be sad. For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle and yet most of it’s audience still sleeps.”
And that’s not all, Sarah has designed this beautiful “Just Love” printable just for you guys. It’s true what they say, the best things in life really are free!
Thank you for sharing, Sarah
Let Sarah inspire you a little bit more…
on the blog
on facebook
on pinterest
and on instagram
