TGIF

This was the carousel in Seaside. This photo will get lots of editing before it gets listed, but I do love the busy-ness of the raw image.

Yesterday, I was visited by two very good friends. Girl friends. In my world, where I'm surrounded by truck drivers all day at work, surrounded by males at home... it is a rare treat to visit with my girl friends. I am not a social person. When I am not at work, I prefer to be at home, creating. Or out taking photos. But my one friend called me and we visited for quite awhile, the other stopped in at my work. Both recharged me in ways that I didn't even know that I *needed* to be recharged!

In the constant quest for balance, I have never figured out how to work in time for friends. My best friend and I used to meet for happy hour once a week. That time became difficult at some point and we stopped. And now, I think happy hour is not the right place for us... but how do we make the time? We could have crafting time... I could go over and sew journals while she paints. Or I could take my laptop and edit photos while she paints. Nah, I wouldn't be able to concentrate on editing, but it would be nice to bounce ideas off of her. Perhaps we'll each open up our hearts and our minds again.

The other friend... we have an amazing connection and we've never made time for each other. Only once outside of work or phone have we gotten together. Our lives are vastly different, but we are kindred. Hopefully at some point we will be able to be part of each other's lives as well.

Do any of you have a hard time incorporating others into your lives? I often find that I'm such a more 'out there' and 'accessible' person online.

Time

I took this photo on my day in Newport a few weekends ago. I love clocks. They have an impossible job... to measure time. Time, I think, is completely subjective. Like if you have had 3 cups of coffee and you're waiting for your boss to get out of the bathroom, time crawls. Or if you're working on a big project and the deadline is in two hours, time literally flies. In both circumstances, we watch that clock... and yes, it goes slower or faster. Or so it seems.

Long ago, I decided that I worked best under pressure. That fed my want to procrastinate. So I put things off til there's a real time crunch. Then I work like mad to get it done. What a lot of stress I'm putting on myself!

This weekend, I'm going to work on sorting through some more photos. I have tons that I need to organize. No deadline, just a want to get it done. But, if I really have a need to get it done, I'll create a deadline, then when that's near, I'll just buckle down and do it.

I'll also be working on more journals and listing them. I will keep you posted on that.

So... are you a procrastinator? A deadline maker? A list maker? What tools do you use to get things done in a timely manner?

After such a long weekend

After such a long, productive weekend, I had forgotten the time vampire that was work. I forgot how little I can actually get done on work days. I had forgotten what a huge chunk of time my 10 hour work day actually is, and how exhausted I am afterwards. Oh how I envy those with jobs at schools who have the summer off!

The picture today is one in my new line of journals where I utilize the photos I've taken. I took that picture on a drive up to Multnomah Falls... just a curve in the road, but it meant so much more for me. To me, so much of life is about the journey. Honestly, I think 10% of life or less is about the actual destination. It's all about what you learn along the way.

To me this journal would be perfect for everyday journaling, but it would also make a really wonderful trip journal.

I have something in my psyche that makes me need to run away. When I was married to my first husband, his mother and I shared that. So, about once a year or so, we would take off on a trip. And we would keep journals, and write through our feelings. We would pour everything out on the paper, wander through towns aimlessly, absorb all around us and go back home days later recharged.

Soon, it is time for another journey... this time alone. And I will be taking my journal with me!

If you'd like more info, click on the journal above.

A productive weekend

Everytime I am given a three day weekend, I feel as if I've been given a gift! A whole extra day to create! Saturday we did some shopping and I listed a couple of journals. Sunday I finished and listed a couple more before we went to spend the day in Seaside and Cannon Beach! Monday I made and listed five more gorgeous journals! I was busy! While in Seaside, I took a few photos of their carousel as well. I will be editing and listing those soon.

I've become obsessed with making journals... for a couple of reasons. One because I want to get ahead of the game to free up time this summer with my boys. And two, because I've been getting a lot of special requests for custom journals.

I distributed a small stack of my rack cards at a gallery area in Cannon Beach. I also enquired at a gallery recommended by a friend... to submit work, I must make a photo cd and mail it to them. They don't even have an email address. It was an amazingly funky cool gallery, and I will submit a cd... if only for the experience of doing so.

Today it's back to work. Hopefully I can keep the momentum going with my shop. I did discover last week that on slow days I can sew journals if I have all the stuff with me. And I have put some basic photo editing programs on my computer at work.

I hope that this wonderful four day week fits each of you perfectly!

Looking forward to a long weekend

I am so glad that it's Friday! And the Friday before a 3 day weekend! There's a road trip planned for this weekend, just a one day trip to the coast. And besides that trip, I'll probably be cleaning and making journals! I am working on two custom journals right now. One will have a photo of my Daisy Duo on the cover. The other will have a green cover, and my blue tree will be featured. I also got a shipment of new paper, so that is coming up as well! I'm moving in a million new directions, with both my journals and my photography!

It's still my goal to get tons of journals made now so there's not a real mad dash to create this summer. Lots of photos will be being posted this summer though. My oldest son is turning 17 this summer, so I want to really enjoy the time we have, and be as present as possible. It's astounding to think the boys are that old.

Happy Friday Everyone! Please have a safe weekend!

Exhaustion, an interrupted schedule...

This morning I have to go in for a fasting blood draw... just for a thyroid level check and cholesterol screen. That means no coffee for me this morning. Ugh!!

Life has been stressful lately. You know, even change that will end up being good is hard on a person! There's been lots of drama. And I don't like drama!

On a good note, business has been good. I'm now at 67 sales and am enjoying making quite a few custom journals. Today I'm working on one with my Daisy Duet photo on the cover. This weekend I'll be working on another with thick green paper as the cover and my Blue Tree photo on it. I even sold one of my jellyfish photos last night! I love having my etsy shop! It gives me such a wonderful outlet and I have made lots of new friends.

A long weekend is definitely in order. I will try to get caught up on everything etsy-wise, and have time to relax.

My blood draw is about 8 my time (that's when the lab opens)... so, Dad, I'll be calling you around that time.

There's a Long Weekend Coming up

I am beyond thrilled at the prospect of a 3-day weekend! Ideally, I would stay home and create journals. I'm trying to build up stock to free up more time for my children this summer. However, there is most likely a road trip in the plans. I love road trips! My camera battery is charged... I am ready!

I took the above photo while visiting a friend. He has these all along the pathway leading to his backyard. In life, it's so nice to have a light to guide you....

That tutorial I promised is underway, and I will be posting it soon.

You know, that's a lesson that is taking me the longest. I have self-imposed deadlines and I get all stressed out over them. In a way, that's good... it leads to getting things done. But oftentimes life gets in the way, and the deadline becomes impossible. I need to learn that life happens and it's ok. So... let me try that. Life right now, for several reasons, is very hectic. I am working on the Etsy Account Tutorial, but will finish when I once again have a big block of time that I can dedicate to it.

I have a million thoughts zipping through my head... I'm sure they will form themselves into something cohesive soon. Happy Wednesday to you all!

Just photos today....

Coming down off a Glorious Weekend

The weather this weekend was amazing. Sunny all weekend, yesterday the temps were in the 80's. Saturday we cleaned. Moved some stuff out... made 5 trips to the dumpster. Organized. Just one area really, but every little bit helps. During the week, I'll be cleaning my craft area, and cutting paper for more journals. Trying to get enough ahead that I can basically pack away my creating area prior to the summer. But still being able to create this summer, you know?

Yesterday we went to the Portland Saturday Market. I love this town! There was so much going on down there... people milling about everywhere, everyone enjoying the sunshine! And there are amazing items for sale there too! I bought a small piece of art for my walls... not that I needed it, it was just so beautiful!

Today I should be listing 2 new journals. One is a special order for a friend who wanted graph paper instead of the white paper, so she can write straight in her journal. The other is an 8X10 dragonfly journal. I've been on a paper buying spree lately, so there are many more to come! I'll be creating throughout the week.

I'm working up my tutorial on creating an etsy account. If there are any questions, or things you'd like me to make sure I cover, please list them in the comments! I hope for the most wonderful week for all of you!

Creating an Etsy Account... the Preamble

I have been browsing the shops on Etsy quite a bit lately, and there is some astounding talent out there! I find so many treasures every single day. Someone asked the other day if I had a 'normal' website to purchase from. You see, Etsy requires you to login in order to purchase. All you have to do is input an email address, a login and a password, plus paypal or other payment info. It's not difficult. But apparently that deters some people. Those people will miss out on so many treasures.

I think I will have a friend create an Etsy account over the weekend and put a step-by-step tutorial on here, in case any of you need help creating an etsy account. Before doing that though, what have you thought or heard? What is holding people back from creating an account even though they want stuff on Etsy? I'd like my tutorial to be as thorough as possible, so any and all questions and concerns will be researched prior to posting the tutorial.

Please leave comments about the account setup process, or why any of it would deter people. What you've thought, what you've heard...

Another Poem... I wrote for a friend.

I think about how it seems
that our lives parallel.
How often we must be thinking the same thing,
or doing the same thing.

And I think…maybe it’s not just us.
Maybe it’s every woman,
always the same pusuits—
love
family
friends
a career.

With each endeavor,
we hope beyond all other hope
to not have to sell our soul
like we’ve been asked to do
so many times before.

We’ve sold our souls
for men
for jobs
for our children
and each time that our soul
is the price, things end badly.

Perhaps all of those times
only strengthen us—
get us to the point
where we know exactly what we want
because we now know everything
we don’t want,
everything we will no longer do.

Once we meet
people worthy of us,
who don’t demand a sacrifice,
who will accept who we are
only then can our fractured soul fully repair.

A poem I wrote

I wrote this poem a few years ago. It's titled "They Learn"

I think of the children,
three amazing boys.

I wish I could sit them down
and tell them how to live.
Be true to yourself,
always do the right thing.

I wish I could build a dam
against any pain that might come their way.
But I know better,
everything happens for a reason.

Sometimes pain is a catalyst for growth.
I know that any pain they feel,
we will also feel,
that can’t be helped.

We will continue to feel pride in their growth,
we will hold them when they stumble,
worry when they are faced with difficult times
and always we will teach them,
teach them to own up to their mistakes
and to right their wrongs.

We will show them how to find the good in others
and support them when they realize
that sometimes the best thing is to give someone space.

We will continue to show them how to love,
because we know that even when no words are spoken,
perhaps especially then,
they see and they learn.

Editing photos... and evolving

These were part of my Mother's Day bouquet! Today I'm going to play with my photo editing software and see what I can learn. I think I'll start with this photo... want a more dreamy feel to it.

I love raw photography... but I'm beginning to think a little differently about what I may want to convey. It all started with a photo that I listed in my shop... I edited the people out of the foreground on the beach. And now... I want to try other things. I've always held fast to the idea that life is about learning, about evolving. Now is the time for my editing skills to evolve.

I had a friend stop by work yesterday and she brought me some gorgeous paper to use as journal covers. I was so touched! So... more and more designs coming soon. Currently, I'm working on a custom order journal, but will have that completed soon and I'll move on to the new paper.

I hope that life continues to evolve for the rest of you... and that you never settle for being stagnant.

Monday Randomness

I took this photo on Friday night at a friend's house. This is their african serval, and his name is Simba. He is a sweetie. They also have a lynx, but my battery died before I could capture him. It was an unplanned trip out there, or I would've been prepared, had been trying to run my battery down so I could charge it for my marathon of picture taking that I had planned for this weekend.

Saturday morning I set up the light box and re-took all of my journal photos. When you are selling online, the picture is probably more than half of the battle. I took my time and took over 100 photos. Take a look at my improved "We'll Always Have Paris Journal" photos. I love the close-ups of the details, the pictures on the map, the stitching. And I believe I got the lighting correct. If you have any critiques, please do let me know. I'm striving to improve!

So, Saturday was spent retaking photos and we took a couple of mommies out to a late lunch. Sunday morning was spent tweaking a bit more in my shop, then we went to a Titanic exhibit that was traveling through town. Then we went to a friend's house who makes fused glass pendants. I met him through Etsy, and we quickly became friends. We had gone there a couple of weeks ago and I tried my hand at his craft. I picked my pendant up yesterday and it's absolutely gorgeous!! I'll take a photo of it soon and put it on here, in the meantime, to get an idea of what he does, check his shop out! After we got a little glass time in, we all went out to one of his neighborhood chinese restaurants. It was delicious!

Wonderful weekend... I hope all of you mother's had a great day yesterday!

To Accomodate a Request

These are the promotional items that I received. Wonderful pictures she took, huh? And quite honestly, they are more amazing in person. She also sent me a free gift-- a keychain with my etsy logo on it. She will be listing those in her shop soon! If you'd like to see what PromoPixie has available, click on any of the photos to be taken to her shop! The magnetic car decals are really tempting me now...

A real business

The surgery went well. My oldest son now has a plate and four screws in his right hand. It was a very long day though, and I was up for 20 hours. Hence my absence yesterday.

I received my promotional materials yesterday. The rack cards, business cards, and t-shirt along with a couple of surprises. I feel so 'real' now... well, like my business is real. Now, it's time to put all of those items to good use!

This will be the last month for free shipping in my shop. I've done some cost analysis and my profit is being almost completely consumed by postage. So... if you'd like to take advantage of the free shipping, do it prior to Saturday!

This weekend I hope to get some more journals made and listed. And I will begin researching local venues once again. Possibly a place to do consignment. We will see what doors are opened up for me. I do know that doors do not just open. I have to find the door, and I have to knock.
So, that is what I will do. I am considering approaching the local wineries to put my rack cards in.

Always planning... that's me. Planning, doing, and moving forward. That's the game plan.

Surgery...

My oldest son is going in for surgery today. He broke his hand. He keeps telling me it's no big deal, but I will be pacing all the while, I'm sure. It's going to be a long day, and your healing thoughts will be appreciated.

What a Weekend!

In the past weeks, I have just not been feeling the photography thing. I've listed some new photos here and there in my shop, but they were ones I already had stored on my hard drive. Sunday, however, a trip to Newport, Oregon remedied that! I have an online friend who wants to collect photos of all the Oregon lighthouses. So, lighthouse hunting we went! The one pictured above is called the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. It is the tallest one in Oregon. There is another one in Newport as well, that's a lighthouse on top of a house, and it was decommissioned in 1874. I have several of the Yaquina Head Lighthouse in my shop now. The ones I took of the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse (on the house) will be in my shop soon. The really pleasant surprise was that the house had been restored to the time period, and I got pictures of different things. You can see the beginning of my series "From Days Gone By" in my shop now. More to come as I edit them.

Right down the beach from the Yaquina (pronounced ya-kwin-ah) Head Lighthouse is a huge tidepool area. We spent an hour there, and I snapped away! My love of photography has been reaffirmed!

I listed 7 new photos last night, and there are many more to come. Please let me know what you think of them! I also listed my friendship journals. And at least one other journal will be listed today, then hopefully another tomorrow. It sounds like I've been busy. Well, I have, but the kind of busy that makes me happy and keeps me alive. I have re-discovered my bliss. What a feeling! I wish the same for all of you!

A rewarding week, but a week of exhaustion too

I am exhausted. I've slept so much this week (well, the extra 8 hours on Wednesday), but I went to work for a full day yesterday and today I'm exhausted. I am going to relax this weekend. And sleep in. Heaven.

I'm no longer creating for nothing... creating and listing with no sales. I'm selling, I'm relisting, I'm making more. It's awesome. I can't believe all the places I've mailed my items off to! I love when I address the packages... "oooh, this one's going to Tennessee :-)". And I'm starting to see repeat customers, so that's really cool too!

I will be working on the friendship journals this weekend. Or Mother/Daughter, Brother/Sister, Sisters.... and hopefully will be debuting them next week! Along with some others, and hopefully some more photos. I have so many stored, just haven't listed them yet!

Another thing I've been doing is stocking up for Christmas. All through Etsy! There's such a wide variety of items on there. In fact, I've even started buying bubble mailers for my business on there! And I have some amazing promotional items on order. I just have to show you something amazing... I have a wonderful friend now, she goes by PromoPixie on etsy... and look what she created for me!!!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24353277 I can't wait to receive it! Now if I do craft shows, I'll wear that, and I'll also have lots of other promo materials for it! All thanks to such a smart little pixie!

It's really beginning to feel like a real business now! It's evolving every single day! It's been very rewarding!