Happy Valentine’s Day! Yep, I’m a stationer, but a Valentine card alone is just not going to cut it for my family. Been there. Done that. Earlier in the week I saw this fabulous recipe on Bakerella. Woo hoo! Valentine dilemma solved.
I don’t own a heart shaped pan and there is no way I was going to drag two kids around town to look for one on February 13th. Instead I used a 12 inch spring form pan. It worked flawlessly. We won’t eat it until later today, but we all loved the batter and decorating with the kids was a kick.
Wishing you a sweet Valentine’s day!
Week six was great for my Project365 on Flickr. I choose to focus (hee hee) on Depth of Field and framing my image so minimal or better yet, no cropping was needed. I worked in my manual and aperture priority settings. Several wonderful things came out of playing with these settings.
First, instead of worrying about what to photograph, I simply shot what was around me. The people and objects in my everyday life. While these are the things that surround me everyday, they are also the things that bring me daily joy. Second, learning to adjust my aperture really helped me with the focus and lighting of my product photos. Being thoughtful of these details helped me create images that required minimal post production. Yeah!
Kate strutting her stuff at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe on Super Bowl Sunday. I was excited because the forecast was for zero wind, unfortunately we needed some wind to blow out the pea-soup-fog that rolled in shortly after this photo was taken. I love the DOF in this image.
A Juniper in our front yard sporting some melting snowflakes. This is the only image I did some post production on. I added an unsharp mask and a cooling filter.
Jack working diligently on his homework.
While this was a terrific week for me, I did have one photo I absolutely hate. The lighting was wrong. I tried to salvage the image by adding copious filters and effects, but alas, it’s still a terrible photo! Some days are like that.
This morning, I sent Jack off to school with a backpack filled with Valentine’s to exchange with his classmates. It’s a yearly ritual my kids covet as much as Halloween costumes or decorating the Christmas tree. This year I asked them to help design their classroom Valentines. Jack wanted a space shuttle. Kate butterflies. They even wrote their own text. Beaming with pride over the final product, they never once complained about addressing and signing 32 Valentines (yes, that’s a Valentine’s Day miracle!).
I am considering offering Classroom Valentines for purchase on my website and in my Etsy Shop next year. I’ve created a quick survey to learn what you, my trusted readers, are looking for when you buy Valentines. Please take a moment to fill out my survey and one lucky reader will win a set of my brand new Butterfly Thank You Notes. The winner will be picked randomly on Monday. Yes, I’m bribing you to participate because I genuinely value your opinion!
Click here to take my quick survey.
If you would like to enter to win the note cards, please leave your name and email in the demographic information. If you prefer to remain anonymous just leave question eight blank.
Thank you! I look forward to reading your answers. Have a fantastic Valentine’s Day or as Kate, age 4, says, “Valentines Day: The celebration of candy!”
Last week I received a request from a local bride-to-be who needed to rush order wedding invitations for her upcoming Valentine’s Day wedding. She had chosen the cake, knew she liked vibrant colors and scrolls, and, well, was getting married on that iconic day of love. Traditionally, I like to spend several days to a week working on a custom design to play with my ideas, the wishes of the bride and groom and doing print trials, but this needed to be done on the double with papers I had in stock.
Above is the final invitation inspired by the wedding cake and designed, printed and delivered in record time. Congratulations Lori & Brian,* wishing you a joyful happily ever after!
*Last names and contact information has been changed for client privacy.
Somehow I managed to stay on track with my Project365 on Flickr this week. I gave myself the assignment of learning the speedlight my husband gave me for my birthday, but my brain was not up for that. The above photos and my pencil photo are the only images I shot while using the speedlight.
For the marshmallow photo, I used natural light then bounced the flash off the ceiling to illuminate the surface of the marshmallow. The oranges were shot late in the evening in a dark kitchen (I was packing lunches for kids and desperate for a photo). I aimed the flash at a 45 degree angle and this is what I got. I shot everything with an automatic flash setting, so I still have no clue how to manipulate the amount of light coming from the flash or what other magical things it can do.
Next week is going to be packed with orders to fill, taxes, custom design, homework, kid events and my mom’s birthday (yay!), so my only assignment will be to take my camera with me every time I leave the house. For you daily photographers out there, how do you approach your Project365 when you have a packed week?
Click image to see more details on Flickr
As many of you know, I’m taking Holly Becker’s Blogging Your Way e-class to help find direction and voice for this blog. It’s been an eye opening experience. There is so much I want to do and this class is helping me define my focus and find my voice. I won’t go into the gory details, but I do want to share this week’s homework with you.
The assignment was to create a mood board that hones in on my interests and taste. No digital manipulation was allowed. Technically, I may be cheating by including a human being, but as I’ve said before, separating family from work is impossible.
To give you a taste of who I am and what I love within the sphere of my work world, I’ll list the details in the photo. Roughly clockwise from the upper left corner here goes:
- Kid art. My children’s artwork brings me great joy.
- My “To Do List” notebook. A daily to do list keeps me on track and calms my brain.
- Pantone swatchbook. Tattered and loved. I use this all day, everyday.
- Succulents and garden flowers make me happy.
- Font book. I love a good font.
- My journal where I write ideas, take notes, sketch and use for general brain babble.
- Kate. She’s always underfoot, which I love (on most days).
- Jack. My first born and my logo.
- Patterns. My newest fascination.
- The Wedding Invitation Handbook. A beloved reference book.
- My 85 mm Nikon lens. It rocks.
- My own work. Some note cards I created today.
- Scotch ATG 714. A must have for any stationer.
So that’s me in a nutshell (as of Friday, February 5th at 2:30 p.m.). If I did it again tomorrow, who knows!
Our Valentine’s Day greetings are available in our Etsy Shop. Same day shipping for orders placed by noon PST now through Wednesday, February 10th.
I bumbled around a bit in January. Many of my goals took a left turn, but all in all, I’ve still got forward momentum. Here is a quick review of last month’s goals:
{Goals for January 2010}
- Send out first press release on January 18 :: Ack. Temporarily sidetracked. I ended up focusing on improvements to my photography and product staging, a fall out from this goal. The release will be delayed by a month, but I believe it will be worth the wait. Photos are my storefront. I need to get it right. An excuse? Perhaps.
- Eliminate riff – raff from Etsy shop :: Yeah! I feel so much better.
- Close 1000 Markets Shop :: Done.
- Begin Blogging Class January 18 :: I started taking a blogging class taught by Holly Becker of Decor8. After the first two weeks, I’ve gained unexpected perspective about who I am as a blogger and an artist as well as great insight about the direction I want to take the blog. It’s very exciting.
- Create nine stationery lines from existing artwork :: Started working to streamline 9 stationery lines. Each line will include a thank you note set, personalized note card, invitation and photo announcement. I’m amped to have a bit more structure in my product lines.
- Meet with one boutique owner :: I chickened out. Will wo-man up and just do it.
- Begin documenting sales/expenses via spreadsheet :: Still learning, but the structure is in place.
{Goals for February 2010}
- Send out first press release
- Write a business plan :: Taking Bakery’s e-course Six Weeks to a Tastier Business which starts today. Thankfully a business plan is first on the curriculum. I’m going to need some hand holding to get it done.
- Continue Blogging Class :: Started. It’s fabulous.
- Complete nine stationery lines from existing artwork :: 50% done with this.
- Meet with one boutique owner :: Any words of wisdom or pep talks are welcome.
- Do my taxes :: Meh.
It’s going to be a big month. I’ve sharpened my pencils and I’m ready to learn. Lately I feel I’m in over my head when it comes to the business end of things. I stress over how best to manage my books, approach PR, wholesaling and a myriad of other things. It’s officially time for me to address the issues I’ve been avoiding. Wish me luck!
The Monthly Goal Meetup happens every month over at Athena Dreams. Come check it out!
It’s hard to believe I’ve nearly completed a whole month of Project365 on Flickr. I’ve enjoyed the process more than I ever imagined. The magnitude of it hit me today when I was driving up the Mount Rose Highway and noticed the most amazing cloud formations hovering over the mountains. I instinctually pulled off the road just past a set of power lines when I realized I didn’t have my camera with me. I can’t repeat what I said, but I’m sure you can fill in the blank. I plan to go back tomorrow afternoon, but you know it won’t be the nearly as magnificent.
My assignment for Week 4 was “Gratitude”. It was my birthday and I’ve been overwhelmed by the many joys in my life. Of course I’m thankful for my family and my health, but it’s the little things that make my life so great. From the sweetest little brown dog to the chocolate cherry cake my mom makes, it was fun to look at my world through a grateful lens.
For week 5, I plan to work with my new speed light, a birthday gift from my husband. I have no idea how to use it, so it will be an adventure. I’ve already veered off course with this image of my son at the fire station, but sometimes that’s how it goes.
Below are a few images from the week:
Last week I decided to give myself a weekly assignment for my Project365 on Flickr. My first assignment was to explore the macro setting on my camera with my 35 mm lens. It was a great way to get me thinking about ordinary, everyday items as art or potential art. It’s amazing how quickly my brain switched gears and started overanalyzing everything I touched. Not ideal for a relaxing day with the family, otherwise, it was great.
Below are a few images from the week:
16/365 Postage
17/365 Elvis: Jack's Beloved Friend
19/365 Eye of the Needle: Divine Twine from WiskerGraphics*
21/365 Steel Strings
I learned my macro setting works best on inanimate objects. I had it in my brain that it would be a great way to capture my children’s hands, which I’m fascinated with, but to my disappointment, it was a bust. Anything with movement lacked the clarity I was hoping for. I consider this a successful discovery since knowing what NOT to do is often as important as knowing what to do (or so I tell myself).
For Week 4, my assignment is to document “Gratitude”. My birthday is next week and I’ve been overwhelmed with just how much I have to be thankful for in my life so far. I look forward to sharing with you in the coming week.
*If you love Divine Twine please visit Whisker Graphics on Etsy. Whitney has several fab colors to choose from.
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