food and friends

Went over for a meal and a few drinkies with some friends last night. F and A have been together like forever and it had been way too long since we had seen each other. They knew about the probs between hub & I, but it didn't make a difference to the evening at all (just carefully avoided the subject! HAH) and A does cook the most amazing food!! We all had a lot to catch up on in the YEAR yes YEAR since we'd seen each other!!

A and I got chatting about photography and he showed me his new camera - he's a Nikon man! LOL I had to smile, I can't help it, I love my Canon camera! HAH Anyway ... he agreed with me that there is nothing better than going out for a day and just taking photographs of things that interest you!! The upshot of it is that we're going to get together for the day again - hub is going to take F out on his bike all day and A and I are going snapping!! Can't wait!

Website Schmebsite!!

I've been working hard at the workshop during the day both Saturday & today over the weekend and there were a lot of new orders that came through too - always good! HAH!

And, wanna hear about my new project? I gotta revamp the website!!! Yep, bang slap in the middle of "Silly Season" - my busiest time of year for pouring, I have to start working on the re-launch for January!! I need to have my January Sale pretty much ready to go, as well as the launch of my brand new design!! All of this involves a COMPLETE re-vamp of the website. It needs a face lift and a new look. I do love how it is now, but I spent a couple of hours this afternoon brainstorming with a friend about ideas for it (and funnily enough had started working on it last night!!!) and have come away full of ideas.

So yeah, my website is great as it is, but I need a better online presence. I need a professionally designed website rather than one I build myself in notepad, but finances simply don't permit that right now! Soooo in the meantime I need a fresh and funky new look for 2008 and I have about 4 weeks to complete it in!!! Best get cracking eh!!!!!

Okay, so my new line of candles! I haven't come up with a final name for them yet, but for now they are called "Just Say it" and feature original (ie written by yours truly!) funny poems in 8 different designs (with candles poured in complimentary colours/scents) and I will be launching them in January!! I've already made up a prototype label and figured out the packaging ... just gotta finalise the label, but PLENTY of time to do that!!

I also need much better photography on the website to suggest the impression of "lifestyle" with my products. I asked my mum this evening if I could use her house (as it's recently all redecorated and usually immaculate!!!) for a photo shoot in return for the candles used and she jumped at it!!! I did a "rekkie" of the rooms I want to use this evening while I was over there for dinner (yummy!) and made a list of the things I need to make. I'll be aiming to do a photo shoot within 2 weeks so I can have proper photos to work with for the new website!!!

So yes ... lots to do! Busy, busy, busy!!!!!!!

Friday Five - 23rd November 2007

Oooooh what a really good set of questions this week!!! I love photography so this will be a good set to answer!!

If a really, really good photographer — the kind who always makes you look good and still look like you — were to take your photo right now, what would be a good title for it? - It would be called something like "Just Being Dee" because right now I am sat on my sofa with my laptop having just finished website updates... I am wearing "comfy" clothes and my fluffy slippers (ie definitely not looking fabulous!!) have a glass of wine on one side and a smoke on the other ... this is typical me when I am working on the website or computer stuff in the evenings!! So yes, it would be called "Just Being Dee"

If that photo were so good it belonged on the cover of a magazine, what would be a good choice, based on where you are and what you’re doing? LOL probably something like "Struggling Business Owner's Weekly" HAH I'm here on a Friday night working on the website instead of out on the town!!

If you took an interesting or aesthetically pleasing photo of something in your view right now, what might it be, and what would its title be? Ummmm, errrr (desperately looking around the front room for inspiration!!!) It couldn't be done with one photograph, but a series of pictures representing the family way of life and the fact that every one of us in the house has our nose in a computer at this exact moment!!!

Among people you know, who seems to have a knack for taking great shots of people? My sister & brother in law. They are both excellent photographers and if I ever need to hand my own camera over to someone to take a shot of me ... I'd choose either of them in an instant!!

Are you usually happier with candid photos of you, or photos you’ve posed for? Definitely candid without a doubt. I do like posed shots when it's representing something ie a trip somewhere, or posing with a friend ... but to me the whole point of taking a photograph is to capture a snapshot of time .... to pause life for that split second and capture it absolutely. The ONLY way to do that is with candid shots.