Today I turn the big 25. I’v been kind of freaked out about this one for some reason. All the others were easy, carefree, and passed quickly. This time around it feels like I’ve suddenly been put on a timeline…hurry, get this done..go, go go. I suppose today is no different from yesterday, but I’m predicting big things happening this year.

Instead of making another list for myself of things that need to be accomplished by a certain date (ex: 26 things I’d like to do before I turn 26) I’m going to write down 24 things that I accomplished during my 24th year. Looking back and compiling this list has made me realize that I really did get a lot done this year. Go me!

1. Brought a puppy into our household and made it through the puppy woes.
2. I started to read more books. About a book a month seems about right. (that’s good for me and my short attention span)
3. I grew my vintage collection and tossed out a lot of old “placeholder” items.
4. I started this blog half way through the year. I must say I’m hooked and I won’t be going anywhere any time soon.
5. I’ve taken on several freelance project and gained some extra cash in the process!
6. I got a promotion at my day job. I’m no longer considered “entry level”.
7. I’ve gained a few pen pals, some from across the globe.
8. Through blogging I’ve been able to meets so many great people. I’m amazed at the expanse of the blogging community.
9. Crazy me has even started my own small business. Who knew THAT was going to happen!
10. I started my first quilting project. I’ve somewhat lost momentum, but hope to jump back on it soon.
11. Grew my hair out. I will NEVER cut it short again.
12. I stopped caring about being tan. All the years leading up to this past year have been spend soaking up as much rays as I could. No time for that anymore and surprisingly, I don’t mind.
13. This is going to sound weird, but I took off my toe ring. I had the same exact toe ring on for 9 years, and the only reason I wore it was to see how long I could go. OMG!
14. I started going to yoga to try and relieve my regular headaches. It’s been working.
15. I started going to a chiropractor on a regular basis to also help with headaches. It’s been working.
16. I bought my digital SLR camera and re-taught myself the basics of good photography.
17. yes…I read the twilight series and liked it.
18. I’ve been growing my record collection and it now contains some classics from my grandparents basement and my father’s childhood.
19. I tried eating green peppers and cucumbers, two things I’ve never liked, and somehow my taste buds have evolved enough to make them taste good now.
20. I’ve completed more entire television series than I’d like to admit.
21. I’ve carried the same purse for the whole year. This is an accomplishment for me considering I’m kind of a bag lady.
22. Found a crazy amount of ‘heads-up’ pennies. Still waiting to see if it meant anything.
23. Made some really great friends through my job at the advertising agency. You know you’ve made good friends when you miss them while they are out on vacation.
24. Got to know St. Louis on a real personal level. We’ve been here for 2 years now, and it’s finally feeling like home.

I have a feeling 25 is going to be life changing!

* Yes that above image was my birthday cake…that I bought for myself…because I can….and I wanted ice cream, lots of it.

As I create more and more content to be shared in the digital space, I’m becoming more sensitive to how my work is being shared amongst the community. In today’s digital space, where almost everything is sharable it is EXTREMELY important to make sure all original work is properly sourced. This may seem like a no-brainer, but I’m noticing  a lot of lackadaisical behavior going on. Are people being lazy, do they just not care, or are they simply unaware?

With a heighten sensitivity to “giving credit where credit is due”, I’ve been supporting Link with Love. This movement/website provides an abundance of information on the act of “linking with love” protecting  your intellectual property as a creator of online content. You can go HERE to learn more about how it works. You can even grab a blogger badge to place on your blog to show that you support the act of linking with love.

I suggest you follow @linkwithlove on twitter because there are some thoughtful conversations going on about this topic. For instance, if you can’t find the original sourcing, do you post it anyway?

Also check out the story behind Linkwithlove.

PHIL.HOSSACK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA Winnipeg artist Kal Barteski found out her artwork has been stolen online and appears on coffee cups, tote bags, necklaces and has been downloaded more than 1.5 million times. She had no idea it was a hit.

Photo via Julia

Today was rough, horrible, completely memorable in a not so great way. Today was one of those days where you are the fly and life is the car windshield; ugly, graphic and hard to clear away. I do have to admit that all the blame shouldn’t be placed on this single glorious day, but on all the recent days leading up to it.

Today’s awful, not so great day was a culmination of all of life’s recent pressures, coming together at a peak and them completely blowing up in my face. Today was the day that I needed a pair of boxing gloves just to make it through the work day and a day when I didn’t have enough energy to fight. Today was the day that the pressure of opening my online shop by the end of June became to much, and things needed to be reassessed. Today was the day that I was temporarily convinced I shouldn’t be a blogger because I’m boring, the stuff I write about is bland, I don’t have a “voice” and the content I put out there is just plain shit. Today was also the day that my to-do list exceeded what was physically possible to achieve, not today…maybe not in this lifetime. Last but not least, today was the day the laundry piled way too high, the living room rug became an award-winning collector of dog fur, the refrigerator became completely empty, and I still haven’t had a chance to get my butt to a salon an get my hair dyed. Yeah…that was today.

I’m feeling completely defeated and living on the edge of insanity is just not my cup of tea. I need to take a BIG deep yoga breath (maybe 5,000 would be good), take a little time for me, and come up with a game plan to make life a little more manageable. I’m not one to let life defeat me and when it makes a really great attempt, I make lists. Lots and lots of lists. (predictable) I brainstormed in a hot bath tub filled with aloe bubbles until my toes were embarrassingly wrinkly. Of course I cried…a lot, and I whined that there would never be a solution. After coming back down to reality I think I managed to come up with a 6-step plan. (or at least a start of something solid)

Step one is to eat something. Stat. Step two is to make lists (DUH) of things that are absolutely crucial. I’m talking about “What’s absolutely necessary to get done in the next 30 min?”, and work from there. Small baby steps are the way to go. Step three is to reach out to the people I’m closest to and bloggers who I value their opinions, and see if they have any insights about some of the things I’m struggling with. My hope is to gain perspective from doing this. Step four is to come up with a blogging schedule that will give me something to plan my weekly posts against. More structure and less flying by the seat of my pants kind of thing.  Step five is to extend my shop launch deadline to be less concrete. Instead of it opening at the end of June, it will be opening “this summer”.  This allows me to produce a product that I’m 100% invested in and completely passionate about. I’ll also be removing the lookbook from my immediate tasks to accomplish. The lookbook is a want and not a need at this point. Step six is one of the most important. It’s time to get inspired again. I’m talking uber inspired.

So that’s the plan, the immediate plan. Things may be adjusted as I work things out, but right now things are feeling a bit more manageable. By the end of this month, when I reach the beginning of my 25th year, I’ll be ready to take on anything that comes flying my way. Bring it on. Bring it on.

Post referring to Thursday, June 9th

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, my weekend was spent at my parent house back in Indiana. My Dad and I spent the majority of the weekend tag teaming product photography for my online shop, market203. I’d shoot all the image and he’d help me weigh all the product and jot down their dimensions for shipping purposes. We got a system going and even though it took a large amount of time to complete, I’m thrilled with the outcome. I also got to spend some quality time with my dad and bond over a project that gets us both excited.

10 Things I learned about shooting product:
1. A tripod might not be the best idea. I ended up moving around a lot and shooting things at different angles. A tripod would of been a hassle.
2. No matter how hard you try to keep your natural lighting consistent throughout the shoot, it will ALWAYS be changing. I had to constantly readjust my camera’s setting to accommodate the different lighting throughout the day.
3. Carting product up and down stairs is a big pain. I’d try to have all stored product and the place you are shooting on the same floor.
4. Take more breaks than I did. At the end of the whole shabang my arms and shoulders were so sore. I know that sounds wimpy, but holding a camera up in portrait position for a weekend is tough!
5. Come up with a VERY organized inventory list that can easily be updated. We had to reference our inventory list several times and anytime something was out of place, we were scrambling to find things.
6. Gather up a bunch of optional props that have a variety of colors in them. Make sure these props stand out from the color of the surface you are shooting on.
7. For consistency sake, shoot all products in one orientation. Choose either portrait or landscape from the beginning and stick with it.
8.  Know your products well. If there is a special detail on the product that makes your product unique or more valuable, make sure you get a photo of it!
9. Wash hands often. This not only keeps your products photo ready and your camera clean, but it also helps prevent a sneeze attack. Working with old/dusty product can be harsh on the nose and eyes.
10. Lastly. After shooting an item, make sure the item is stored in a place where it can be easily accessed in the future. I’d hate to have to unbury a product at the bottom of the stack if that item sells first.

Some of these things may be no brainers, but since this was my first solo product photoshoot, I learned a lot, FAST. Let me know if you have any questions about the process.

Hello Everyone! I’m back!
This past weekend the boy and I traveled back “home” to Indiana to spend the holiday weekend with family that we haven’t seen in 6 months. It was really nice to be home and to catch up with all our family members. I spent the majority of my weekend “working” (photographing product for market203), but I’ll blog about that tomorrow.

Today I thought I’d share some snapshots from our lake house. We spent the entire day on Sunday soaking up some much needed sun, cruising on the speedboat, visiting with extended family, watching the pup play in the freezing cold water, and even hunker down for a strong afternoon storm.

There isn’t a single thing that I dislike about the lake. My grandparents have lived in the lake cottage ever since I was born, and it’s a place where I used to spend all the warm sunny summer days of my childhood. A lot of my favorite memories come from being up there and being around all the family that tends to gather.

It’s always hard to leave at the end of the day, especially when the date of the next time I’ll be visiting is unknown. Let’s just hope it’s sometime soon!

Wowzers. Time is flying by and fortunately things are getting done in a timely manner. This weekend I’ll be traveling home to Indiana ( a 7 hour drive) to spend time with family and to shoot half of market203 product. We’ve gathered over 200 products, so we definitely have a lot to do. I’m hoping for decent weather because I will only be photographing in natural light because I feel it produces the best photos.

I’ve been gathering props to accompany the products and the images above are just a few of the items. Finding props is actually really fun, but keeping things simple is key. I look forward to seeing family and getting the daunting task of photographing hundreds of products started.

1^ OMG what a crazy week at work. It was one of the busiest weeks I’ve had in while. It’s odd to be crazier than my normal crazy.
2^ I’ve moved onto the 3rd book of the Hunger Games. I really enjoyed book two 2 and think it is going to be my favorite. Do you have a favorite?
3^ I will most likely be going “HOME” over memorial day weekend. Haven’t been home since Christmas. Should be a good time and who doesn’t love extended holiday weekends?
4^ Side note: I really need to start working out regularly.
5^ Side side note: Yoga classes are cancelled all next week. #pissed #offtoagoodstart
6^ I made banana bread for the very first time this weekend. Recipe on the blog tomorrow!

Happy Sunday!
*Have you jumped on the Google Friend Connect bandwagon? This is one of my favorite ways to find new bloggers to follow, so check it out!

I wanted to send a little inventory update your way. I think I’m finally getting close to having the right amount of product to open up the shop for the first time at the end of JUNE. (still my goal) My tasks this week are to continue to work with my developer on the market203 digital store site, update my inventory records, design and order business cards, and finish my product hang tags, and gather inspiration images for the lookbook.

It’s going to be a busy week, but if those things get done, it will be a successful week. Looking forward to making it all happen! Stay tuned, because later in the week I’ll be showing you my hand made product hang tags. Oh, are you urious about anything you see in the pictures above? I’ve been gathering over 200 products this past month and I’ve been researching them all along the way, which has been my favorite part so far.

Hope you guys are as excited as I am. I think this might call for some kind of party…..hmmmm

All I have to say about these photos is – who knew weeds could be so beautiful??

Welcome to the first vertical format sunday portrait. We’re breaking the rules over here. Also, as you can tell from the black coat and the “geez it’s cold out” face, that the weather has decided to turn on us again. The weatherman is starting to put a sour taste in my mouth.

Let’s recap!

1^ I had to give headaches the middle finger twice this week. A year ago that would of been a good week, but recently this is more than the norm. Screw headaches.
2^ You know your busy when the week flashes by you. My market203 inventory is piling up and I’m so excited. It’s fun to see piles of goodies after days of pounding the pavement. Check back soon for some photo updates.
3^ Found out that my best friend who moved to Seattle was in a car total style car wreck on her BIRTHDAY! Thank goodness nobody was hurt. I told her that her goal for her 24th year should be to stay alive.
4^ It’s my dad’s birthday on Monday. He’s been my partner in crime in collecting product for my shop, so everyone send his good wishes and thank you messages on Monday.
5^ I scored a huge old metal fan at an antique mall for $17 dollars. If you’ve been out looking for one you’ll know this is a killer deal.
6^ Plant update: the succulents are still alive. It’s almost been a month now. Going for a record breaker.

Happy Sunday!
*Have you jumped on the Google Friend Connect bandwagon? This is one of my favorite ways to find new bloggers to follow, so check it out!