Fail Again. Fail Better.

Since I've started my business' on Etsy I've gotten really good at failing.  I didn't mean that in "I'm a loser slash failure" sort of way.  I meant it in a "I don't give up when things don't work out quite the way I meant them" kind of way.  My life has become all about taking chances and sometimes succeeding and, more often than not, failing and then getting back up and trying again.  And trying again as many times as I need to in order to  succeed.  It's a lot of work and I'm not saying that I don't get frustrated or discouraged, because I do.  However, my desire to succeed is a driving force in my life - and failure is not an option. I know that successful people have their failures - but what sets them apart from others  is that they don't quit.

I'm always looking for ways to promote my shop.  I  just know that it's all about numbers - the more people who know I exist - the better chances of making sales - I know I have a customer base out there - we just haven't connected...yets.  Tonight I tried Tophatter for the first time.  Tophatter is an on-line, virtual auction house.  According to their website "Every day, buyers and sellers from all over the world gather for live auctions that are fun, fast, and feature fabulous items at exclusive prices."  So...I set up my account, I chose the lovely photograph of the tulip to auction off, I set a reserve price of $5.00, submitted it to an upcoming auction...and didn't get one bid and no one bought my photograph.  What I did get is exposure.  I got thirty views on Tophatter - so there are thirty more people who know about my shop tonight than knew about it a day ago.

So what are my plans?  I'm going to do it again.  I've submitted four more of my photos for other auctions.  What the hell...it didn't cost me anything but a little time...which I have plenty of.  And I refuse to be defeated - I will sell a photo if it kills me (and even if it's a loss).  That's just how I roll.

Blog Feature Monday! Kayann Short of Stonebridge Works

Photo Courtesy of Stonebridge Works

This week the photographer I’m featuring is Kayann Short of Stonebridge Works – a collaborative of local artisans who farm, teach, write and create at Stonebridge Farm in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Her shop features many hand-crafted items that are stunning and beautifully made, butit's her hand-made farm photography cards that have capture my attention. Kayann has an eye for capturing life around the farm in such an exquisite way - the light is soft and beautiful and the compositions are simple and elegant.   I can't help but think that she's found a little bit of heaven on earth. With Kayann's permission I'm sharing some my favorite images from her shop with you. If you want to learn more about this incredibly talented photographer please read on...

1. Tell me about your photography. Where do you find your inspiration?

What is your favorite subject to shoot? I love to shoot pictures on our farm, Stonebridge, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. I like the iconic objects on the farm like our John Deere B tractor and our hundred-year-old barn, but I also love to shoot my flowers because their beauty astonishes me. I like to tell stories with my photography, both in the image itself and by putting them together in digital storytelling form. Some of my favorite farm images can be seen in my piece Stonebridge Farmgiving. I’d like to shoot more narrative photos and have been experimenting with that on trips to cities like Portland, OR, and Denver, CO. I guess I’m saying that I find inspiration just about everywhere I look.

2. Do you shoot film, digital or both?

I primarily shoot digital these days except when I’m focusing on black and white. Then I use my old 35mm camera because I like the look of the photos I get on black and white film, especially for portraits.

3. Who is your favorite photographer? It can be anyone - famous, obscure, on Etsy, a friend.

I love how Dorothea Lange took photographs in difficult and desperate situations but gave great dignity to her subjects, expressing their humanity in the midst of their pain. I also love Edward Weston’s work with still life. I recently saw exhibits of both these photographers and realized how much they’d influenced my work without my even knowing it.

Photo Courtesy of Stonebridge Works

4. Describe what would be the perfect day of shooting for you.

I’m really captivated by the right light so my perfect day would begin and end with soft light and some clouds in the sky to make colors more intense. Then I’d like a background that helps tell the story, maybe at the ocean or maybe a street fair. I am always careful about taking photos of people in identifiable ways so I try for angles that obscure faces. My perfect day would include finding some unpredictable shots or finding a strategy to show something familiar in an unfamiliar way.

5. What venues do you use to sell your photography?

I sell my photographs at an art gallery in our small town of Lyons, CO, and my photography cards on Etsy. I’m hoping to expand to prints soon.

If you want to learn more about Kayann and the Stonebridge Farm, please check out the following links:

Etsy shop:  Stonebridge Works
Blog:  Pearlmoonplenty

Online Portfolio:  Stonebridge Farm Album

Other: Information regarding the Stonebridge Farm and Community Support Agriculture

It's all about the photographs!

Forget-Me-Nots - growing in my garden

With all the promoting I've been doing for my shop Dragonfly Photography, it's real easy to lose sight why I started this little adventure - my love of photography.  Somehow, carving out time to go out and take photographs takes a back seat to the day job (that pays the bills), my activities of daily living (aka:  housework, yard work, cooking dinner, sleep and paying attention to the cats), maintaining relationships with friends and family (Facebook can only take you so far).  I have mentioned my other shop, Dancing Monkey Jewelry, which has been sorely neglected, along with it's blog, The Dancing Monkey Jewelry Chronicles.  My husband thinks I have too many irons in the fire, and I'm inclined to agree with him but I don't want to give up any momentum I've gained by stopping now.  And then I've been toying around with the idea of starting a life-style portrait business.  Why am I doing this?  I want to start living my dream life - the one that currently exists in my mind.  

Cherry Blossoms - from the cherry tree in my front yard

I've been laid off three times in the last three years - I'm now in a secure position and have no fear of being laid off - the job is demanding and the hours are long. Factor in a substantial pay cut and there are days where the stress meter is through the roof.  I would love to make enough money through my photography and jewelry  to quit the day job in Seattle (and get rid of the 3 hour daily round trip commute), and get a part-time job in Tacoma that has benefits.  It's a work/life balance thing - and it's not as easy as it sounds to achieve.  

I'm hoping that I'll be able to get back out in the field and take some photographs soon.  Right now I'm preparing for a visit by family, a baby shower, and a fundraiser in August where I'll be selling both my jewelry and photography, and I'll be shooting my first Wedding in September. So with that I'm going to sign off for now and accomplish some things off line.  Wish me luck.

Blog Feature Monday! Susan Hughes of King Happy Creations

Needing a little inspiration for my blog I decided to fall back on one my favorite things to do - feature other artists that sell on Etsy. Being that this is a photography blog I decided to feature artists who share a love of mine:  Photography!  My first photographer is Susan Hughes (no relation) of King Happy Creations. Susan is an incredibly talented photographer who creates lovely, vibrant nature images that I can't stop looking at - they are absolutely stunning.  Susan has allowed me to share a couple of her favorite images with you - but you really should mosey on over to her store to check out the rest.  I guarantee you will not be disappointed. 

Susan  Hughes - King Happy Creations

Do you want to know more about this talented photographer? Well…read on:

1. Tell me about your photography. Where do you find your inspiration? What is your favorite subject to shoot?

My inspiration is in the quiet moments provided by nature. I love the smell, feel, and bright colours found in the garden, woods, and sea. I love getting close to something others may have passed by, like a new blossom, a strawberry ripe for the picking, or a butterfly taking a breather on a leaf. I do dabble in portraits from time to time, but I find myself drawn to photographing nature more than anything else.

2. Do you shoot film, digital or both?

Professionally I shoot digital, and for fun I love to play with film. If I had my own space for film processing, I'm sure I would do it much, much more!

3. Who is your favorite photographer? It can be anyone - famous, obscure, on Etsy, a friend.

Susan Hughes - King Happy Creation

My favorite photographer. Hmm. That is a toughie. I think I'm going to have to go totally typical and say Richard Avedon. His ability to create art out of a moment is uncanny, and he essentially created a new genre, permanently changing the way fashion is shot.

4. Describe what would be the perfect day of shooting for you.

 

My perfect day of shooting would begin shortly after sunrise in a nearby woods. I would spend the morning frolicking around shooting this and that until the harsh noon light caught up with me. I'd then eat a picnic lunch with a friend and spend the afternoon posing and playing with my Nikon. Then we'd drive out to the beach, and I would capture the sunset dipping down behind the California coast with the camera in my right hand and a glass of wine in the other. Wow. Now that I see that all written out, I need to make it happen.

5. What venues do you use to sell your photography?

My primary venue at this time is Etsy - I've just re-opened my shop and getting it up and running is quite time consuming! However I have sold my work in street fairs and craft shows, and plan on pursuing getting exhibited and involved in my local art community later this year!

6. If you're as big a fan of Susan's work as I am, please check out her links:

Etsy : www.etsy.com/shop/KingHappyCreations?ref=pr_shop_more

Twitter: www.twitter.com/KHCreations

Facebook: www.facebook.com/KHCreations

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/khcreations/

Blog: www.kinghappyblog.wordpress.com/

If you know of any talented photographer that sells on Etsy that you think would a) benefit by being featured on a blog and b) would like to be featured on a blog, please let them know about my blog features.  I would love to make this an ongoing feature for my blog. 

Happy 4th of July!

I'm sitting here contemplating what I'm going to do today.  Will it be yardwork or will it be grabbing my camera and heading down to the waterfront and taking in the Freedom Fair?  What I do know is that I wish you all a safe and happy 4th of July!

Welcome to the "Nifty 50's"!

Your's truly turned 50 years old yesterday.  I spent the day celebrating with too much food, just enough drink and most of my favorite people in the world (friends and family).  It was a good day.  To celebrate turning 50 I decided to have a 50% off sale in my shop on Etsy  - Dragonfly Photography.  I'm trying to make some big changes in my life - one of them being creating a successful lifestyle photography business in Tacoma, Washington and creating a vibrant and successful shop on Etsy - and what better time to start working on making the life  that currently only exists in your dreams are reality than your 50th birthday?  Now my sale is turning into a fundraiser of sorts.



Bruce and me enjoying a day at the beach in Westport, Washington

My loveable pooch, Bruce, who I've had since he was a young pup, had a couple of seizures on Saturday and we spent a good amount of time at an emergency animal hospital that night.  The prognosis is either mild epilepsy or a brain tumor.  He's doing fine now but he's not bouncing back like he should so we'll be going in for a follow up with our regular vet later on this week.  I'm hoping it's just mild epilepsy but I'm a realist and I'm sure it's more serious as all his symptoms are indicating a brain tumor as the emergency vet doctor cautioned me it could be.

I've decided to extend my birthday celebration sale until the end of the month - hoping that I will be able to raise some extra money to help with Bruce's vet bills.  Finances are tight and the added unexpected cost of Bruce's vet bills is a little stressful (ok - a lot stressful).  So I'm reaching out and asking for help.  It's really a win/win situation for me and you:  if you purchase a photograph from my shop, you get a lovely photograph (at 50% off) and I get a little help with the vet bills and perhaps a little more time with my dog.  If you can't help out with a purchase perhaps you could spread the word via your blog that would be great.  Thank you for any help you can provide. 

The coupon code for my promotion is "HappyBirthday".

Changes at Dragonfly Photography

Last weekend I had the honor of taking the engagment photographs of a very dear friend, Lizzie aand and her fiance, Angel.  I've known Lizzie (or Liz as she is called now) since she was a little girl, I've watched her daughters grow up to fine young women and I'm so happy that she is marrying a wonderful guy. 
With that news I'd like to introduce you to my new business "Dragonfly Lifestyle Photography".  We're not just about fine art and home decor photography anymore!!!  If you follow me on Facebook you'll know that I've been a little discouraged that with all the effort I'm putting into my shop the results have been a bit under whelming.   It's understandable - Etsy is a very big site and there's tons of competition and I'm starting from square one again.  It's my hope that having a local business will help to generate sales in my Etsy shop or even provide income outside of Etsy.

And the changes keep coming.  I've been investigating new venues to sell my photography and have chosen Fine Art America.  It's similiar yet different than Etsy so it will be interesting to see what results this web site yields.

I'm back and I hope you missed me...

I know I was gone a long time but now I'm back and I'm trying to pick-up where I left off.  The past 3 years have been very interesting and haven't been conducive to my blogging life.  However, I'm on the cusp of turning 50  years old and I want to start living that life that lives in my head - instead of it being a hope and a dream I want it to be a reality. I'm trying to balance the demands of my job as the assistant to the director/principal investigator for a cancer research at in a prominent university, my personal life (without alienating the affections of my husband, 2 cats and my dog) and this shop.  It's a lot of work - much more than I remember it being.

I've quietly started working and promoting my photography shop on Etsy - Dragonfly Photography.  I've added new items to store, spruced up the listings to optimize SEO searches (I'm not totally sure what that means - but it seems to be important), and I've spent an inordinate amount of time promoting my shop on Facebook, have created my wholesale sheet on Trunkt, and, I have a couple of blog features happening in April and May.  All this to drive traffic to my shop, in the hopes that all this work will generate some sales.

One thing I've noticed working on my store for the last month is how much I missed my on-line community and all the connections I made.  It feels good to be back.  Knowing that I'm not typing my heart out and not getting lost out there somewhere really makes me feel good.

It's good to be back and I hope you'll be here to keep me company.

What To Do, What To Do...

I like winter for a whole lot of reasons but none having to do with photography.  It's one of those fallow times of the year for me.  The winters here are a gray, and broody.  The perfect recipe for curling up on the couch with a good book and a hot cup of tea but not very interesting for photography.  But that's just me - I'm sure others will disagree with me and I'm alright with that.  Winter is just not my Muse.

The other day I went to the beach with Amar (my husband) and Bruce (my dog) and took more than few photographs of them, the beach, driftwood, the trees, boats, people, sand - you name it - if it stood still for me I shot it.  However, I was more than sorely disappointed when I downloaded them last night.  None of them excited me, matter of fact, they were downright boring (how can a beach be boring?).   I'm sure when I look at them again I'll see a few things that I missed and after a little (or a lot) post-photo editing there will be an an image or two that I like. 

I wish that weren't the case - I wish I could turn out a photograph that I liked "Straight Out of the Camera".  To me it would be fantastic to have developed my skills well enough to not have to rely on photo editing - it would make me feel like a "real photographer" and not someone who sort of "Forrest Gumps" her way through photography.  So, that will be a goal that I'm working towards - developing my skills.  Hopefully, I'll find a photography class that fits my schedule soon.  Until then I'll be perusing the photography tutorials on this blog "The Pioneer Woman Photography".  If her photographs and those who have participated in her tutorials are any indication of her ability to teach then pretty soon I'll be back at it with my camera turning out one stunning photograph after another. 

I'll keep you posted.  

Hello!

Hopefully, this post finds you in good form and good health.  I've been pretty busy lately with a full-time job, a three hour daily commute during the week, household responsibilities, writing for three blogs, running two on-line business' and leading a life off-line.  There are times when I just need to step away from my on-line life and recharge my batteries.  Last weekend I took a 3 day break from the computer - it was absolutely lovely - but now I'm behind schedule and I'll be working at getting back on schedule.  Lately, I've been concentrating on my BellaFaire blog.  If you're into gardening please visit it - I'm working on gathering all sorts of resources for gardeners.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know about this great web-site I found called zenhabits - simple productivity.  The author is Leo Babuta and here is what he has to say about his blog:

"Zen Habits is about finding simplicity in the daily chaos of our lives. It’s about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what’s important, create something amazing, find happiness. It also happens to be one of the Top 100 blogs in the world, is uncopyrighted, and goes well with anything chocolate. Zen Habits features three powerful articles a week on: simplicity, health & fitness, motivation and inspiration, frugality, family life, happiness, goals, getting great things done, and living in the moment."

My favorite post so far is about how to motivate yourself when you're in a slump "Get Off Your Butt:  16 Ways to Get Motivated When You're in a Slump".   Take a moment to check out this great blog, you'll be glad you did!

Photographs from my collection

A flower vendor and her flowers at Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington.

I'm on a quest...

What does yogurt have to do with photography. Nothing really.  I've only just resumed my blogging and I'm already hitting a brick wall in regards to scintillating photographic topics.  Heck, I'm even plagarizing myself as most of the contents from this post are lifted directly from my Dancing Monkey Jewelry Chronicles blog.  So, what's up with me?  Nothing, just general fatigure due to lots of late nights and early mornings. 

However, I digress and let's get back to the subject at hand:  Spega Yogurt -  Here's what's really on my mind right now - Spega Yogurt - specifically the little jars it comes in. How many of you are still with me? 

I'm on a mission (read: obsessed with) to find some empty jars. I just know there's this little cult following that buys this yogurt and either has kept the jars (because they're so cute but haven't a clue what to do with them) or have kept them because they know exactly what they want to do with them. Then there's the group that I fall into: I haven't bought the yogurt because no one sells it in Washington State and I would know what to do with those little jars once I consumed my yogurt. I have a little project in mind and those little jars would work quite nicely. If had some. Which I don't. Do you?

I'm willing to trade some hand-crafted sterling silver artisan earrings or a photography for some of these little yogurt jars - no matter the brand - French, Italian, England - it doesn't matter. Can somebody help me?  Let me know.

Perfection...

I believe a blog should be as much as a visual treat as it is a good read. I'm not sure if I'm there or not - but that's the great thing about progess - you can always move forward. I'm trying to keep this blog about photography but I'm going to go off on a different path with this post. I believe it will serve my readers because I think I've found one of the prettiest blogs that ever - the photography is sublime and it's one that I actually read and not skim.

If you were to ask me what are my favorite things to do in the world are I would tell you the following: Eat, cook, read (especially "food memoirs" and cookbooks), photography (either looking or taking) and mucking about on the computer. Where am I going with this post? Well...let me tell you - I think I've found the perfect blog - Orangette. Really. This one combines many of my favorites: Eating, cooking, photography and it's a good read (there's a book - of course). The author of the blog is Molly Wizenberg - she and her husband have just opened a little restaurant in Seattle called "Delancey". I was familiar with the restaurant before I knew about the blog and book because a good friend of mine lives around the corner from the restaurant. I haven't been there - yet. I can't vouch for quality of the food and describe the restaurant experience. But I will visit the next time I get together with my friend.

In the end, if I can raise the quality of my blog to the level of this blog I will have considered myself successful. Which means I've got a lot of work to do: improve my writing skills and my photography, create an interesting life and establish a strong presence on the web.

Gotta go! Lot's to do.

Inspiration

Blogs. You either love them or you hate them. But do you read them? If you're like me, you probably have several that you visit frequently and every now and then you actually stop and read what has been posted but mostly you are attracted to the photographs. After all, something has got to get your attention and a good photograph will do the trick. Every now and then I come across a blog that I actually do read and enjoy immensely - it all has to do with good writing and if your style speaks to me I'll return time after time after time. People write blogs to have an outlet to express their opinion, a way of creative expression or to promote themselves. You name it and I'll bet there's a blog about it.

One of my favorite blogs is Exit133 - a local blog focusing on the doings in the where I live, Tacoma, Washington or as it's described on the home page "Exit133 is about Tacoma. It's about Politics, Civic Involvement, Urban Development, the Arts, and the many interests of our readers."

When ever I visit this blog I make a bee-line to the blog posts of "Mise en Place" written by John Idstrom. He writes about one of my great passions: food. His writing style is engaging and clever - and it conveys a wicked sense of humor and is a joy to read. In short, I'm in love with his writing and jealous of his skills.

Here's a passage from one of my favorite posts - it begins like this:

"Norman Maclean opens his full-of-grace novella “A River Runs Through It” with the beguiling line “in our family there was no clear line between religion and fly-fishing.” Having recently driven Route 200 in western Montana, skirting the Big Blackfoot River that was Maclean’s spiritual inspiration, I had the opportunity to consider that opening line, as well as his summary judgment “I am haunted by waters."

and then ends like this:

"Salvation is a tricky issue and if you are like me, the lines are seldom clear. We all find our own road to get there and some of us take a more circuitous route than others. But we’re all saved by grace one way or another, however that may find us. I am haunted by food." -- John Idstrom from "Mise en Place: Confessions of a Food-ophile"

If only my writing skills were on par with Mr. Idstrom - the words I could write, the ideas I could express, the stories I could tell. That is my dream.

Our Summer Vacation

Amar's sister and her family spent their summer vacation with last year. We really enjoyed spending time with them and I was there with my trusty camera to document just about every waking moment we had with them. I hope this video goes beyond your ordinary, average vacation photo album.

IPhone Because I Can

After putting my on-line life on hiatus I've decided it's time to return and get down to the business of blogging. (Yeah!!!) In my last post I talked about being laid off from the university where I worked for 15 years and was feeling a bit anxious about "being cast out in a sea of uncertainty". My emotions were all over the place - one day I felt fine, then there were times I would curse the managers that laid me off and wish nothing but ill will towards them and then there were the dark moments of almost despair (I wobbled on the brink but never went over the edge). Of course there were days where I was happy to have some time to myself and actually enjoyed being unemployed. Oh, I had plans, glorious plans on how I was going to spend my time: such as working on my blogs and my online shops, networking with all my contacts, creating fabulous jewelry, improving on my photographic skills - becoming a very successful photographer, and just so I had company I wanted to a part-time job at Starbucks - good plans. Aside from the two craft shows I participated in I accomplished NOTHING! I've learned that I'm the type of girl who doesn't like to be alone and needs the structure of an office and an employer. Thankfully, three and half weeks later I was back at work, back at the university and I'm quite happy to be employed again.

Now I can relax and get down to the business of spending some serious time indulging in my hobbies - like photography. Lately I've been having lots of fun with my iPhone camera and all the various iPhone photography apps. Nothing like being able to take a great photograph, edit and upload to Facebook or Flickr - it's fun! My favorite is Lo-Mob - it give a retro look to your digital photographs. My favorite is the TTV filters. For me it's easier than using Photoshop or the camera/contraption for real TTV photography. One of these days I'll break out the DSLR and take myself on a proper photo safari. Also, I'll start packing my point and shoot with me when the days get longer and I have time before and after work to take photographs on the campus - but until then my iPhone is providing me with a pleasant photographic diversion.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

With the changing of the seasons my life is entering into a new chapter in this book called "Life". Unfortunately, I'm not the author - matter of fact - it's being ghost written by an author I did not choose.

On September 9, 2009 I was given my "60-Day Lay Off" Notice. I'd like to say that I didn't see it coming but I did - it didn't make it any easier to accept the news but I wasn't surprised (upset, yes.) I've had time to digest the news and have decided that "being cast out in a sea of uncertainty" is not the end of the world. I'll be able to get unemployment and will be able to make my mortgage and pay my bills , my husband has his job and he didn't remove me from his insurance program, I've got a 6 weeks of vacation pay and, most importantly, I've got options. To be honest, it will be nice to have some time to think about where I want to go and what I want to do with my life.

So...if I don't have a job before my the last day of my job (very unlikely) I'll start looking for a job to tide me over until a) I get a full-time position or b) all of a sudden there's a huge demand for my jewelry and photography and I don't have to return to full-time work and will be able to work part-time at Starbucks. Option "A" is more likely, but it doesn't hurt to have a dream - which would be option "B".

Hopefully, this time next month, I'll will have been able to maintain my positive out-look on life. As I like to tell people "Where other's see adversity, I see opportunity."

Chamomile

Chamomile, originally uploaded by Martha {Dancing Monkey Jewelry}.

Sometimes I get caught up in capturing the perfect image and will reject every photograph that I have taken during a particular outing. Even during a successful photo outing I'd say only about 25% of my photographs turn out. This would be a real problem if I were shooting with film as the cost would be prohibitive with the cost of developing. With digital photography there a certain freedom knowing you can take as many photos as you want and it doesn't cost you thing to "develop" them. I love that.

Sometimes though, I embrace "The Blur" and am taken with a particular image such as this one. I don't know what I was trying to accomplish when I took this photograph - but I like the results.

Vacation Myth #1: They're relaxing

What do you do when everything seems to be going wrong for you? Me? Well, I can't seem to hold back and next thing you know I'm calling my family, texting my friends, posting on my social network sites and writing about it in my blog. For some reason it's very therapeutic for me - let's me work out my angst and get words of encouragement from those who know and love me. The problems don't go away but it's nice to know that other's have similar experiences and have come through relatively unscathed.

I've been on vacation for the last week. We have family visiting from England - Amar's sister and her family. For the most part it's been quite nice getting to spend time with them. Throw in a couple of illnesses, a cranky old dog (as seen on the left) who isn't tolerating small children and the transmission going out in my car in the middle of an outing and I'm telling you I'm seriously considering not taking a vacation for a very long time.

What's even more stressful is that I've got one week left of vacation and I don't think I'll be able to survive week two if it is like week one.What are my plans? Well...I'll be relying on public transit to get to work and home for the new few weeks. Transmissions repairs are quite expensive my web research has told me - so there will be a fair amount of scrimping and saving. And then I'll be trying to generate some sales in my on-line shops (hint, hint). All in all, this hasn't been a banner year for me (along with a lot of other people) so I'll be happy when 2010 rolls around - I just want to be done with 2009.

So...if you want to help out a fellow crafts person/photographer/blogger and make a purchase from one of my shops (or even leave some words of encouragement on my blog) I'd be most appreciative. Right now I feel like I'm standing in the middle of a swamp and I've lost my path to land in front of me and there are alligators snapping behind me. Not the best position to be in but at least I'm still standing.

What to do with all those photos??

I have so many photos in my collection - it's hard to display them all. That's why I love Animoto videos - you choose the photos and the music and Animoto does the rest. Take a look at my latest video.