MY PERFECT 6 YEAR OLD

I say perfect... He's perfect to me anyway.  And he's Sebastian, and he's six.

Six years ago, I'd just given birth to a healthy baby boy at home.  His legs were long and his hands & feet were huge.  But he was still a tiny bundle of loveliness that had me besotted from day one.

Over the years, Seb has been your typical little monster *cough!* boy.  He's had me rocking on the stairs pleading on the phone for my husband to return home before I go completely bonkers.  He's also been my little ray of sunshine.  Yes, even on the bad days.

He's sharp and witty and to the point with an uncanny sense of humour.  He has all of our friends and family in hysterics with the bizarre things he says and for a recent talent show activity at his school, it was really no surprise his choice of entertainment was to be a comedian.

I've worried at times that my dear son could be regressing.  We seemed to hit the 'terrible twos' during the 'frantic fives' and when concern got the better of me, I made a trip to our local GP.  Seb is now undergoing tests for suspected Obstructed Sleep Apnea.

But what truly defines Sebastian is his loving, generous nature.  He's there with open arms for cuddles when he senses something is wrong and he has a special way with words that makes everything ok again.   

I wanted this year to be special.  Last year we had a quiet birthday.  So Sunday he will be celebrating with all of his friends at the local indoor play & bowling centre.  But yesterday we had our own private little party.

When he walked in from school, he was greeted by Stevie Wonder's 'Happy Birthday' song blasting out of the speakers and was given a birthday hat and a child-friendly sparkling drinks reception.  Our daughter, Madi, promptly spat hers back in the cup.  Apparently she's not a fan of apple & cranberry.  

After the children got changed out of their school uniform, we tucked into the cards and gifts.  Such a grateful little boy - he was thrilled with everything he received.  

And finally, after a buffet of burgers and salad, everybody enjoyed cake and got stuck into playing with Seb's new Lego.

In all, it was a lovely celebration & I couldn't be prouder of my six year old son.

WEDDING WEEKEND FUN

Last Saturday, I had my first wedding of 2013 to photograph.  

The lovely Louise & Andrew tied the knot in the wooded area of Chaucer Barn, a beautiful venue & home in the countryside of Holt, UK.

The day started with a morning alarm set at 6am and lots of sunshine.  But worrisome clouds were looming overhead as the day progressed and that could not happen on this spectacular day.  Luck was on our side, and the gorgeous bride and groom narrowly escaped the rain that eventually poured down only seconds after the the outdoors ceremony ended.  Good old England!

But the day was not in the slightest ruined because of it.  By the time the ceremony was replicated indoors to legally bound the happy newly weds, the sunshine was back and we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon in the beautiful gardens.

Not only were the bride & groom show-stoppingly-stunning, their guests were also looking radiant and all of them were full of smiles.

Never have I worked with such a relaxed, anxiety-free couple on the biggest day of their lives.  It was truly an honour to be a part of such an intimate affair.

I arrived home late that evening, eager to see the results of my photography & I was super happy with every photograph!

Of course, suffering with chronic illness, my 16 hour Saturday would not go unpunished.  Sunday was spent in a dream-like state whilst I painfully tried to rest.  I am almost fully recovered.  It has been so worth it though.  I wish this illness wasn't so crippling.  I had decided at the start of the year that my photography business would soon come to an end, but it saddens me deeply.  I'm not ready to say goodbye to a job I love so much, but my body rebels and I am not sure how many more weddings I'll have the pleasure to photograph.

For now, here are just a very small collection of Louise & Andrew's amazing day.

MERGING BLOGS

I mentioned in my intro post for my new blog 'Oh My Daze' that I had many blogs here, there and everywhere for all my different interests.  I've found it difficult to keep on top of all of them so today I imported some of the posts from my book reviewing blog, 'Paper Dreams'.

It seems a shame to be moving it all over to my new blog because I really loved the way I designed my Paper Dreams blog template! It was sickeningly cute and proved quite popular with my readers.  Let's hope they follow me over here too!

So, now you can find all of my book related posts on this blog by scrolling through my posts or by clicking the Reading & Writing link in the navigation menu.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

So this is it...  I have designed and began the start of my personal blogging experience.  I've dabbled with the idea for a few years, but with many other failed blogs in other areas of my life, I have felt a little daunted by starting yet another.

I need a space on the web that isn't business related though.  I need somewhere for me to settle in, reach out to others and connect with all of you.  I need somewhere for me to simply be me.

Suffering with chronic illness is lonesome and frustrating.  I hope that my health doesn't define who I am through-out this blog, but I do hope to share my experiences with those of you who understand.  So firstly, I am a wife & mother.  I'm a photographer & designer and own a small online boutique selling personalised and premade printables, stationery and blogger templates as well as a local photography business.  And I also love to read & write.  

Wish me luck...

Lonely & lost in Cyberspace: An Indie Author's Return to Networking

A year ago I was announcing the nearing launch of my first Young Adult novel, 'Units'.  Unfortunately there was a huge delay in my commitments to finish the book and at one point I wondered if I would ever look at it again.  And for a long time, I didn't.  But you know how a good story grips you and you simply can't put it out of your mind?  'Units' was exactly that.

I have fallen back into my text editor, where life around me stops for a short time whilst I indulge in the life of my protagonist, Pearl.  I have finally found the new journey in which the book is about to embark on and I can't wait, myself, to find out what happens in the end for my girl.  I've somehow connected with the characters in a way that actually surprises me.  They are clearly figments of my own imagination and yet I feel that I know them as beings in their own rights.

What's been hugely difficult for me since returning to writing is not so much the story.  In fact, that part is refreshing and growing more mature as the recent days pass.  It's networking that i'm struggling with now.  I had already began building a small audience for the release of my first dystopian works and have since lost them over my long drawn out break.

Returning to Twitter, I am seeing the same familiar Twitterers I remember from a year ago, but I'm now feeling somewhat like a ghost, unable to reach out to them and I'm afraid I'm already forgotten.

It's not a good sign for my book, which last year had people excited, curious and waiting patiently to be the first to read my dark & daunting book.  When I started networking about my upcoming novel, I was surprised to see the level of interest.  It confirmed I was on the right track, that perhaps I could release a story that would be loved by readers all over the world.  Queue celebratory music.  I imagined the potential future of 'Units' being a success after seeing several people had added it to their 'to-read' list on Goodreads and few had already commented expressing their interest in what I had to offer.  Tweeting a sneak peek into the first chapter of the book had quickly escalated into more than few re-tweets and here I am now, desperately hoping it can pick up again.

I wonder now how I pick back up with all of this, finding it increasingly difficult to find a spot in cyberspace to lay down the roots of my future as an indie author.  I'm conflicted by which face to address my fans.  Should I blog and tweet from here, my blog that's all book related, or do I start a blog for my book alone and network from there?  Do I tweet as myself or as 'Units'?

So for now I feel that whilst I regain my audience, I'm best to stay put here, where it all began with a love of reading and connecting with other like minded people.

I'm here *waves* and waiting for my welcome back parade, but until then, i'll settle for a cup of tea and a natter.

Blog Me Beautiful

Print Me Prettiful primarily sells printable wall decor and stationery.  But you'll find on my Etsy store, that I also make and sell Blogger templates and elements too!

With prices starting at just £12.00, you'll find the start of a small collection of affordable templates that are perfect for everybody over at my Etsy store.

My Blog kits are full of pretty elements with most of my templates include the following:

> XML Template File
> Customised Header
> 4 Page Navigation Links (e.g Home, Contact, About, Links etc.)
> 4 Customised 'Follow' Labels (e.g Facebook, Twitter; Pinterest, Instagram etc.)
> 5 Customised Sidebar Labels
> Blog Background
> Customised 'About' Image
> Installation Tutorial (psst... It's super easy to do!)
> Blog Post Title Icon

I absolutely love designing blogs. Our online webspace is something that's personal to us and the use of design is what sets our blogs apart from the rest so it's important to really enjoy the look and feel of the space in which you use to reach out to others.

Don't be worried if you have no knowledge of blog design.  All of my templates are super easy to install and come with a complete tutorial on how to do this.

So if you're in the market for a blog template that's affordable, pretty & easy to set up, do stop by the Blog Me Beautiful section of my Etsy store and feel free to contact me for something a little more customised if this is something you would prefer.

Print vs Printable

It's been an exciting start to business.  Since launching the store last month i've been busily creating new items, networking with other seller's, bloggers & fans and experimenting with what works best for my customers.

When Print Me Prettiful was launched, the immediate plan was that i'd sell my designs digitally, enabling my customers to print their items at home.  The reason I chose to do it this way were simply because it kept costs low for my shoppers, especially those who live over seas.

After some reflecting, I decided half way into my first month of business that I actually wanted to sell my designs as physical prints.  I rearranged my Etsy Store first, changing prices accordingly, adding postage and feeling content that my shoppers simply ordered and received their prints with no hassle.
But I noticed shortly after doing this that my listing views lowered & sales stopped.  Working from the UK, it became evident that many of my customers were from the USA and my hefty postage costs were putting buyers off.

See, ordering a digital printable isn't actually a big task at all.  Once your order is complete, you have two easy, affordable options.  Most computer users have a printer so home printing is great and there's no waiting. Once you click to print, it's instant.  I always recommend premium weight paper is used (minimum of 200gsm) but majority of printers are capable of printing my designs in a beautiful way and you've saved many weeks waiting for your print to arrive in the post.

There is another option too.  You can take your digital file to a local printer and have your artwork printed professionally and quickly too whilst still saving money.  Alternatively, you can even upload your digital file to an online printing site that delivers locally and again, you're saving money and time compared to the costs and waiting times for me to deliver the print to you in a physical form.

So being true to the original idea of print Me Prettiful, I have changed my listings again. My prints will continue to be sold as printables and stay affordable for everybody.