The Other Side of the Camera...

Taking pictures is so much fun as long as I'm not on the other side of the camera. Two babies, a dysfunctional relationship with the gym, and a few dozen hang ups don't make it easy for me to get in front of a camera these days. I am more than happy to be behind one. Of course, my Mom was much the same way and now that she's gone we don't have very many pictures of her....my Dad reminds me of this a lot. *sigh*

Anyway , I wanted to try and get a new headshot for my blog and business and these were some of the results. The first two, I did try to edit a bit but I'm not sure how "correct" they are.



This was one of the first I took. I was feeling pretty silly standing there taking pics of myself in the bathroom. What?! I needed the extra light!



By the time this one was taken, I think the Hubs had me laughing at something.....


You just had to know that there were outtakes, right? Here's just one of them. Lovely.

Which one do you like? Should I keep trying? Suggestions?

Family before Blog~

I've been feeling a pull lately (for the last couple of months, really). A pull to take Everyday Occasions in a different direction. After reading this beautiful post by Darcy (who designed my blog, by the way) about her business bringing more exposure to her personal blog and, as a result, her family, I knew I had to share my feelings with you all.

With the advent of my business, Anna K. Originals, getting underway (just waiting for licenses to be approved) my contact information will be floating around for anyone to see. This leaves my boys and the Hubs vulnerable.

I, as a wife and a mom, have to think of their safety and dignity and, ultimately, their happiness.

The Hubs, who is going through some health problems right now, needs to be left some semblance of privacy and dignity. The Bubs, who is getting older, is becoming increasingly aware of what I post about him...with that awareness comes the very real potential for him to be uncomfortable or embarrassed. They are all so precious to me and nothing is worth them being made to feel uncomfortable or put on display just so I can have a blog post.

Does that mean Everyday Occasions is going away?

No.

It's just time to take it in a slightly different direction...maybe a photoblog, of sorts. I'm still working on ideas but, come what may in the next few months, I hope y'all will continue to stop by and share with me. I know you'll understand that this decision comes from a mother's prayerful heart.

Anna K. Originals

Forms, fees, paperwork and tax stuff - Oh, My!

That's right, y'all, I'm starting a business (insert nervous gulp here).

It will be called Anna K. Originals. I'll be selling original art pieces along with prints and stationery. I'll probably do some decor and accessory items, as well. Right now things are in the very early stages of start up. I know I'll be doing some local arts and crafts shows and I'm aiming to do some online business, too. In fact, if I can get my hands on some funds, there might be a few changes around the blog...who knows?

I'm very nervous yet I feel like I need to try. Honey, life is too short for me not to!

In the company of artists and crafters~

I attended my first artist's and crafter's guild meeting recently. I didn't even know that we had such a thing in our local area and was delighted when I stumbled across an ad on our newspaper's website.

The meeting was informative and the members were supportive and very open in giving advice and support. The president herself was like an excited little fairy with glasses....I loved it! I did notice, however, that there was a streak of no-nonsense steel underneath her fairy-like demeanor...loved that, too.

It was invigorating to be in the company of such creative ladies and gentleman. Some of them have been running their own creative businesses since the 70's and others, like me, were complete newbies. There were photographers, farmers who make their own natural beauty/health products, crafters, jewelry makers and even artists who use found objects to make signs or home decor, knitters and the list goes on.

About 15 minutes into the meeting I made up my mind to join...y'know, when payday rolls around! They were organized, supportive and had access to a lot of different resources.

I did get pretty nervous when we went around the room and introduced ourselves and our artistic/crafty pursuits. Eek! Some people had brought samples of their art to pass around and were eager to explain their pursuits...they were quite eloquent, dang it. I felt a bit like an idiot after I gave my rather vague introduction, but I'll just have to gird my loins and get better at talking about what I do. I'm going to be doing plenty of that when I start showing my work at shows/festivals, right?

What did I learn? Having a good product is paramount, advertise whenever possible (websites were mentioned a lot) and be passionate about your creations.

By the way, my sincere apologies for not posting a lot lately (baby, house business, chores -yuck). You were all in my thoughts...even on those days that I wasn't able to hop on the computer!