Rachel Kelley is a perfectly ambitious woman currently residing in Southern Pines, North Carolina. She is the owner and operator of Adore Planners, where she makes planner accessories: clips, charms, tassels, pen bands, dividers, dashboards, and inserts!

Adore Planners originally came about when Rachel discovered the planner community on Instagram and Pinterest. She has always had a love of planners and organization, and she was inspired to start making her planner really "her own" with handmade accessories.

When she is not working on her business, she is working as part of the management team for a non-profit nursing organization. She also has a blog titled For the Love of Planners. These three things tend to keep Rachel busy, but when she gets free time she likes to relax with her three cats and her boyfriend. They usually curl up and watch Top Chef or cook dinner together.

Q & A with Rachel

Q: Have you ever been told you were too ambitious?

A: Funny enough, I was always somewhat of a slacker in my early twenties; it wasn't until I embraced my love for crafting and DIY that I started to come into my own and see exactly what I could achieve through hard work and a little patience.

Q: How do you define perfectly ambitious?

A: To me, perfectly ambitious -- or perfectly anything, really -- means setting goals on your own terms, and not basing your ideas of success on someone else's journey.

Q: What makes you perfectly ambitious?

A: I've learned over time that it's okay to take things slowly, and to trust my own definition of success. The most important thing I've learned in my time as a blogger and a crafter is that comparing yourself and your work to that of other's is the fastest way to kill the joy in what you love to do -- the only comparison that matters for me is comparing myself now, to myself then, and seeing how much I've learned and how far I've come.

Q: What inspires you?

A: In my crafting, I'm inspired most often when I'm browsing through Hobby Lobby or Michael's and I see a supply that sparks an idea in my mind of "that could make the cutest planner accessory." Whether it's paper or yarn or beads, I love immersing myself in my materials and seeing what comes out of them. I'm inspired most by colors, and I have a special love for pastels and soft golds together.

Q: What music do you like to have playing while creating?
A: I usually like to have quiet music in the background when I'm writing or working, and I often feel most inspired listening to Mumford & Sons, Florence + the Machine, Amy Winehouse, Lindsey Stirling, and Zella Day.

Q: What is your creative process?
A: I surround myself with materials that inspire me, like patterned scrapbook paper or yarn or beads that I love, and I try to start creating without a finished picture in mind and see what comes of it. I've found that when I put expectations on a project, I'm more likely to be overly critical of my work and end up disappointed. I try to create without expectations, and if I make a mistake I try my hardest to move forward without being discouraged!

Q: What are your future goals?

A: At this point, both my blog and my Etsy shop are still very new, so my immediate goals are to keep working hard and to stay focused -- for the long term, I would just like to create my own vision of a successful blog and shop and maintain the level of love and dedication that I have for them now.

Fun Facts about Rachel

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