Life Just Got Busy!

Well, how embarassing! There I was in the last post, congratulating myself on keeping up with the Day2Day theme and promptly missed the next 2 weeks! Oops! Well I do have a good few reasons - straight after that last post, I found out the following week would be my last on my current temporary assignment. Lots of calls to various employment agencies, talking things over with hubby, trying to work out what to do and obviously, a daily photography challenge that didn't rank very high in my priorities.

The week ended quietly after one of the busiest weeks I can remember and the lovely people I have been working with for the last year bought me a huge bouquet of flowers and got me a lovely funny card - one of the noisy ones - which made me jump out of my skin when I opened it!

The following day, I had arranged with the lovely ladies of School House Arts to try to teach them how to photograph their products and projects. I loaded my studio kit into the car, charged camera and laptop batteries and tried to think of everything else that we might need and then set off for a day of playing with my camera. We're all fairly outgoing so although I don't really know them very well, chatting and explaining camera stuff took care of any nerves I had.

Nickie has the most amazing quilted, handpainted, embroidered artwork thingies (not sure of the correct technical term, sorry) I've ever seen, Debs does wonderful things with fabric including little felt doggie brooches, Sharne had a beautiful quilt which she said has a minor imperfection so it just sits in her attic (!!!) and Margaret quilts, patchworks, character dolls and makes bags too. So much talent in one small old village school - and they all managed to get some improvement in their product photos at the end of the day, except Margaret who definitely needs a new camera (are you listening Margarets' hubby?? LOL).

I also showed them some basic photoshop bits that would help once they got home to practice but I've a feeling we were all a bit tired by then so I don't know how much sunk in. I know Debs has been having a go at home, keep going Debs, it just takes a bit of practice :)

So for the last week, I have been at home all day - not lazing around, eating sweeties and watching daytime TV - oh no! My to-do list has grown considerably over the last few weeks so I have been working my way through that.

I've written and submitted 3 blog feature interview questionnaires, ordered new cards and envelopes (square this time), printed 40 mini cards and a pile of bookmarks for promo items, ordered card display stands, designed and ordered new business cards, taken a couple of orders on Etsy (yay!!), started work on my tax return, organised my stock photo records and had lunch with Mum several times.

I've also been working on Technorati ratings and getting links organised for a new project I'm involved with (details coming soon) and for several other things that are going on behind the scenes, as it were.


What I haven't done, is take any photos (of anything), written any blog posts, listed any new items on Etsy, written anything for the UK Etsy Street Team blog, done any housework or tidying, got dressed everyday or done any gardening!

Oh well, nothing has turned up for next week so it looks like I'm going to have to make a start on the housework :( but I have promised myself to get some new photos up on Etsy but also to print a load of cards and re-photograph them for existing listing - good practise for easy listing in future.