Creative business

So my husband and I started a side business a couple of months ago called Captured Memories. We do not have too much extra time right now to get into heavy marketing. We pretty much create them for family and friends and get new clients by word of mouth. We have been accepting cash or checks but I know it is a good idea to look into a merchant account. Merchant fees can be pretty high so I can't really set it up right now but it is worth looking into for the future when I feel I can handle more sales. Paypal is also a cheaper option to accept credit cards through.

New Jersey leaves me uninspired

Living in NJ is getting ridiculous. The cost of living is rising while the economy is still in a recession. Our homeowners dues just went up again per month and our property taxes went up as well. It is very frustrating to be working just to pay bills especially with a baby on the way. Luckily we are optimistic and tell ourselves everything will work out :) We would love to refinancebut we have only lived in our house for 2 years so it wouldn't be worth it. We are starting to think the best idea is to get of NJ. We always loved PA and would like to live in Bucks County someday. The beauty of PA would definitely be more inspiring.

Silk Screening

I'm still teaching myself Illustrator..when I find the time..lol :) The tools are similar to photoshop so it has been easy for me to navigate so far. My goal is to make a design to print out on a t-shirt. I have signed up for a silk-screening class. So far it does not seem that too many have signed up so I am getting worried it will be cancelled.

I did find a article on screen printing at home. It got a lot of good reviews and it seems like a cheap process. So if anything I guess I can teach myself this too. I think it would be so great to learn how to print my own designs on t-shirts or hoodies.

Learning Illustrator

I decided to start teaching myself Illustrator since I have a pretty good knowledge of photoshop at this point. I only have the CS2 version at the moment but I'm sure one day I will get the upgraded version. I ordered the Adobe Illustrator book from Amazon and was happy how cheap it was with the CD included:) I am really ready to learn about vector art and to start creating designs for print. I hope to create my own graphic tee's and hoodies one day. Even if it is just for myself;) I am going to sign up for a silk screening class so I can learn about the process some more and get some actual hands on experience. .

Please share any resources that are great for learning Illustrator. Share your designs as well!

Vegas Trip!

NY NY Casino

I went to Vegas for the first time for work but still had some time for play :) It was a very exciting town and I found there was no way you can see everything in one trip. We stayed at the Rio which is about five minutes from the new strip and it has a great venue on the roof called the Vodoo Lounge. I was very happy I was able to dance on the roof and get such a great view of the strip. My favorite site has to have been the water show in front of the Bellagio. It was so beautiful. They had one every fifteen minutes. From the street you get a great view of the Bellagio casino and if you watch from the front of the Bellagio casino you have a great view of the casino Paris which includes a mini Effiel tower.

View from the plane

M&M Factory

View of Paris from Bellagio

Create your personalized gift

My husband and I decided to start a new side business for some extra income. He has made this beautiful priceless personalized creations for family members for a couple of years now and he decided to start marketing it. A lot of people loved the idea and we have already have a couple of jobs lined up! I am so happy that I know the programs now to create them as well. These captured memories are great to give to anyone for any occasion. All you need is to gather a bunch of photos and think of a word that sums up your memory and you have a priceless personalized gift to give. Please check it out and feel free to leave feedback!!

Top Ten Favorite Holiday Songs

I love holiday music. It brings back many memories of childhood and all of the holiday traditions that brought me so much happiness. Here are my top 10 favorite holiday songs:

• The Christmas Song
• Baby it's Cold Outside
• Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
• Sleigh Ride
• Dominic the Donkey
• Jingle Bell Rock
• Santa Baby
• Winter Wonderland
• I'll Be Home For Christmas
• All I Want For Christmas is You

I like to play carols on the piano while my husband joins in with his guitar. We don't have to much time to practice these days but we appreciate anytime we do get to play together. We had our holiday party this past weekend and had the pleasure of some friends entertaining us with music. I could never imagine life without music.

Please share your favorite holiday tunes with me.