Oops and Daisies

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Oops, Daisies, and Dreams: Kathy Osgood of Little Bear Photography

February 4, 2026 by Liz SanFilippo Hall

We might talk a lot about writing on Oops and Daisies, but, as the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” A beautiful photograph is a work of art and an act of creativity in and of itself, but those photographs wouldn’t be possible without creative-minded individuals behind them, like Kathy Osgood of Little Bear Photography. Here Kathy, who helped me update my headshots and photos … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Interviews with Creative Moms, Work From Home Tagged With: art, creative moms, creativity, interview, interviews with creative moms, photography

My 10 Favorite Books From the 59 I Read in 2025

January 1, 2026 by Liz SanFilippo Hall

Favorite Books of 2025

I almost hit my Goodreads reading challenge in 2025: 60 books read in 2025! (I was only one shy, and I blame the fact that I typically read two to three books at a time). Even so, as usual, I read a huge variety of books, from middle-grade fiction with my kids to lengthy fantasy books based on incredible worlds.  So, out of these 59, which were my favorites? Keep reading for a round-up and why … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Uncategorized, Writing, Books, & Resources Tagged With: book reviews, books, historical fiction, inspiration, middle grade fiction, young adult fiction

Oops, Daisies, and Dreams: Interview with Author J.M. Guilfoyle

December 3, 2025 by Liz SanFilippo Hall

J.M. Guilfoyle

A supportive writing community can make a world of difference in an author’s journey, and that’s precisely where I met Jenn, who publishes under J.M. Guilfoyle. Our local writing group hosts more than just educational monthly meetings; the group features a number of “paths,” based around interests. From a critiquing group to a tech path (which Jenn leads), there are an incredible amount of ways to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Interviews with Creative Moms, More than Mama, Work From Home, Writing tips Tagged With: author, creativity, interview, interviews with creative moms, j.m. guilfoyle, types of writing, writing advice, writing community

5 Gift Ideas to Encourage Creativity in Kids

November 28, 2025 by Liz SanFilippo Hall

5 Gift Ideas to Encourage Creativity in Kids

One corner of our house is bursting with art supplies, the drawers full of colored pencils, markers, beads, pipe cleaners, construction paper, and oh so many odds and ends. The kids use all of our random art supplies when they just want to explore and experiment. That alone can be an incredible way to encourage creativity in kids.  But sometimes kids just want a project to play with, or to test … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: art set, arts and crafts, Christmas, creativity, drawing, gift guide, gift ideas, life with kids, sensory kits, stem kits

Network Marketing was a Mistake… But I Don’t Regret It (Completely)

November 7, 2025 by Liz SanFilippo Hall

I used to sell makeup through network marketing.  Oof, that felt a bit hard to admit! The industry as a whole is controversial, and I get that. To some, it seems scammy and annoying. To others, it feels empowering and a great way to earn financial freedom on your own terms.  It was that second part that got me. When my first was born, money was tight. I had gone from working full-time to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Inspiration, Journaling, Network Marketing, WAHM Life, Work From Home Tagged With: creativity, direct sales, energy, freelance writing, journal, mindset, network marketing, work from home, work from home jobs

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Recent Posts

  • Join Me on My Personal Writing Journey August 25, 2026
  • The Kids Are Back in School! Here’s My Work-From-Home Schedule August 22, 2026
  • How Can Anyone Be Bored? August 13, 2026
  • I Want to Bring ‘Michigan’ Home With Me August 10, 2026
  • How I Use My Bullet Journal Every Month July 31, 2026

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authorlizsanfilippohall

Multi-genre author. 📚BECOMING CHARLOTTE CORDAY, a YA historical fantasy coming 4/27/2027 from Apprentice House Press

It kind of feels like I lived in two different wor It kind of feels like I lived in two different worlds in August: we wrapped up our final Michigan vacation of the year and finished summer with a series of huge thunderstorms… and then the kids returned to school, and all of us have been acclimating to our new routine ever since.Given how much time I took “off” in August, let’s just say this: I’m pretty proud of all that I accomplished. Every single baby step on a creative project takes me one step closer to sharing it with the world.What I worked on:🌸 Finished final line edits on my YA historical fantasy, Becoming Charlotte Corday, and sent the manuscript over to some authors I admire for their blurbs/testimonials🌸 Worked on some ghostwriting projects and wrote about topics like brand management and orthodontics.🌸Wrapped up my online Summer Writing Momentum workshop series and left feeling inspired by my students and their progress on their stories🌸 Exchanged feedback with a writing partner on her YA gothic paranormal book and my NA contemporary🌸 Published 4 blog posts to OopsAndDaisies.com🌸 Continued publishing weekly to my Substack, Where Daisies Grow🌸 Created a waitlist for a new creative community I’m launching later this year. (Check my bio for more info about Open Window Lit)🌸 Networked and learned from some amazing individuals through Jenni Gritters’ World Builders Collective, including Lindsey Galloway, Bailey Lang, PhD, and Sara Strese🌸 Held my weekly online Creative Writing Accountability Club… and officially renamed it to “Creative Writing Cowriting Club!”🌸 Hosted a free reflective writing session focused on writing letters to ourselves. I’m thinking I’ll be hosting free sessions like this on the regular… stay tuned!🌸 Decided to launch a weekly video sharing updates on my writing, because people keep asking about my process and what it’s “like” to write and publish a book.And through it all, I, of course, toyed with some new story ideas, journaled a ton, and let myself enjoy some creative playtime!#WritingUpdates #WorkLife #WhatIDo #WritingLife
What I’m working on this week… but before I share What I’m working on this week… but before I share my creative writing updates, I give a quick glimpse into my work days and how I juggle my freelance work with my creative endeavors — because making time for my creative writing is important! I may just share a hint of something new that’s coming too. 🥳#CreativeWriting #WritingLife #TimeBlocking Follow along as I share my journey as I head toward the publication of my debut novel with #LizsWritingJourneyNab the first chapter of my book when you join my author newsletter linked in my bio.
We’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting for the We’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting for the huge raspberry patch to burst in our yard… and it’s finally happening! Normally, our raspberries come in two big batches: early June and mid-August. With this year’s extreme weather, we’ve only had one handful ALL summer. Who knew, sometimes you just need to wait for your seeds/plants to be ready on their own time. We can tell that a whole bunch are about to burst! 💖#GardenMetaphors #StoriesFromMyGarden #WritingLife #SummerLiving
For me, Sundays are for organizing and figuring ou For me, Sundays are for organizing and figuring out my week. It’s also the end of August, so it’s also time to figure out my September priorities. I took a hot mess pile of papers and started sorting… and ended up with 12 piles! Some were story ideas, some were workshop notes, some were notes from networking and business meetings. You get the idea… fortunately I managed to group some things together, because 12 felt way too overwhelming 🤣#HowIWork #AuthorLife #CreativeCommunity #AuthorAugust26
I can’t wait until I can share it with everyone!!! I can’t wait until I can share it with everyone!!! In the meantime, go on and grab the first chapter by signing up for my author newsletter in my bio. 💖#YAReads #AuthorAugust26 #HistoricalFantasy #Bookstagram
Every time I work on an idea: a book, a workshop, Every time I work on an idea: a book, a workshop, a story, etc… another (few) ideas always seem to show up! #WeeklyUpdate #WritingLife #TheCreativeLife
Proofreading: the final step in writing/editing a Proofreading: the final step in writing/editing a book before it’s formatted!Since I’m working with a small press, I decided to make my own “proofreading guide” for Becoming Charlotte Corday to give to my proofreader. It includes everything from how names and places are spelled to character details, like eye and hair color. In my case, I also include the spelling of major events and places in and around Paris.This is the first time I’m handing my “own” proofreading guide to someone else. Usually it’s the other way around… a publisher/client gives me their manuscript along with their proofreading guide and style notes.It feels weird to be on the other side of the equation! But let’s be honest, I love it, and I’m totally geeking out over assessing/double-checking everything in my manuscript, from formatting rules to punctuation preferences!Since proofreading is a “final” step, you might think I’m just about done, right?Well, close. After this round of proofreading, my press will format the book… and there will be another chance to proofread, because formatting can impact surface errors, like splitting words between pages.Writers, please don’t skip the proofreading stage! When you’ve looked at/reviewed/edited your manuscript a ton, it’s so easy to miss small things that might catch your reader’s attention (and not in a good way). That’s why I’m so thankful to have an “outside” proofreader who hasn’t seen my book before give it a look.#Proofreading #WritingCommunity #WritingLife
I used to think I had “too many ideas”… now I real I used to think I had “too many ideas”… now I realize it’s a superpower, because it means I’ll never run out of things to write about! But… writer beware: we still need to be cautious of shiny-object syndrome.Read the full post via my story or through my bio! #WritingAdvice #Brainstorming #Superpower #WritingLife
I’ve always wanted to be like Dolly… fearless, bra I’ve always wanted to be like Dolly… fearless, brave, strong, unafraid of speaking out, an advocate for so many things. Never stop chasing your dreams. Be unapologetically you. We’ll miss you, Dolly.
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