Christmas cheer

I'm officially on vacation in just a few hours. It's been such a busy year that I'm not sure if I even remember what "vacation mode" feels like...what should I do? Or more importantly, what should I NOT do? When you live/work in the same space, it can be difficult to draw the line between the two. I'm sure that a "KEEP OUT" sign on my office door would help, although I'm hoping it won't come to that. I've got lots of festive, holiday tasks to keep me busy.

I also plan on working on my resolutions for 2010. Granted, I've never made and kept any resolution thus far, but that won't stop me from trying. The one resolution that I'd love to keep is to STAY CONNECTED with my loved ones. Seems simple when I read the words in black and white, but with a crazy workload and the regular stresses of life weighing me down, it's been a real challenge for me. I'm already trying to kickstart that resolution by contacting old friends that I haven't seen in ages, so that's gotta be worth at least 10 bonus points? Let's hope I can keep it up.

So, as Christmas approaches I'd like to wish everyone a happy and restful holiday with an extra dose of good cheer!

Just another Thursday

Finally replaced my card reader only to find out that my photo woes weren't caused by a faulty card reader. I think the problem was actually stemming from my computer itself...maybe the USB port? Maybe pirates? Who knows. Hopefully my techie husband can diagnose it for me.

In the meantime, I managed to copy over a couple of photos that I took last Friday...my "this is what's on my work table today" photos. I was going to take new photos this morning, but interestingly enough, my work table looks exactly the same as it did a week ago. I swear I've been busier than ever...guess I just didn't have much assembly work to finish up.

So without further ado, this is what's STILL on my work table today:

The last of my 2010 desk calendars anxiously awaiting a new home...

And this "e"...

It was supposed to be the start of a new sign for my Emi Ink booth for the wedding expos. I covered the top surface in paper flowers and Swarovski crystals and intended to move onto the interior and exterior edges next. Turned out to be too much work for the limited time that I had so I pitched the idea. I still love my "e" though and recently dusted it off when I showed it to one of my customers.

Photo-less

Why, oh why, do bad things happen to good card readers??

I've been dealing with a finicky card reader for a couple of weeks now and need to find a replacement asap so I can download all the photos I've taken. I even took some pics this morning in hopes that I could miraculously post some on my blog. No such luck.

I came up with a silly idea of posting random "this is what's on my work table today" photos. Thought it might be fun...or weird. Now I'll never know because I probably won't be in the mood to post these photos on Monday. Mondays are like that for me. It's the day that I reset my brain and focus on all the deadlines for the coming week, update my production schedule and catch up on any lingering emails from the previous week. Fridays, on the other hand, usually consist of an odd mix of work + cleaning up + play + creative endeavors (aka playing, but for business purposes).

Oh well. Photos have an unbelievable shelf life (unlike the milk in my fridge) so maybe I'll post them on Monday.

Shifting gears a bit...

It's as if Santa Claus himself declared my office a satellite workshop for a dozen of his elves. Paper strewn about, scraps of ribbon scattered on the floor, a colorful explosion of holiday goodness. No elves here, though...just me. I made this mess all by myself.

Last week I participated in the annual fair at the East-West Center on the UH Manoa campus. Did I panic when I only had ONE notecard set ready to sell just a week prior to the fair? Yeah, a little. I knew that I had to work at the speed of light following the Thanksgiving holiday and my clean-ish office space suffered for it. No time to properly organize my supplies or even put my tools away after I used them. As my mom told me many times in my youth, it looked as if a hurricane had blown through my room.

But after the storm...

I was happy with the notecards, calendars and gift tags that I created for the show. A different assortment of goodies than in previous years and most of my inventory sold well. It was a nice two-day break from wedding invitations and event stationery, but now back to our regular programming.

hello December

:: hello Christmas trees freshly unpacked from the Matson containers.

:: hello shopping mall Santas (you're finally growing on me).

:: hello Salvation Army bell ringers.

:: hello hot chocolate and marshmallow samples at Williams-Sonoma.

:: hello wrapping paper and your coordinating ribbon and tags.

:: hello low-fat eggnog (we cleared out a space in our refrigerator door just for you).

:: hello free-shipping deals.

:: hello holiday movie marathon

:: hello vacation and precious time with family and friends (oh, how I've missed you).