Learning how to be cool

My husband is a photographer from way back in the 70's.  He used to take wonderful black and white shots and develop them himself.  Back then it was quite expensive to have anything developed professionally, as film was time consuming, and fully manual.  Now we have a digital camera and photo setup and have the photo available online within seconds.

The photos he has taken for our website are just as good as any photo I have seen on long-standing company websites.  Take a look at this:

Len does all the technical taking of the shot, while I do the photoshopping to size and re-colour the background.  Getting a white background is actually very difficult, even with a light tent etc. the shots come out with a greyish background.  Thank god for google and Youtube!  As well as the generosity of many people who post online.  I found out about the quick select tool, and how to use the bucket tool in photoshop, and be the end of the day this:

Turned into this:

Not bad hey?

I was not really into nor did I understand the power of Youtube until my lovely nephew started doing movies (ie acting in them) and I found out he has his own Youtube channel.  Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialKarlBeattie/videos?view=0

He will be famous one day.

I leave with this quote, its kind of how I feel right now.

“Kids on the Youtube, learning how to be cool.”
― Toby Keith

Hospitalpacks.com.au is getting closer

Hospital Packs progresses well, the website only needs photos now.  Sounds so easy doesn't it?

Not so easy in real life. It took me a day to put together the photos for just one page of categories, even though the photos did not have to be taken, just downloaded.  A note here about a good website with millions of photos - istock.com.   These are photos taken by professional photographers who put them up on the site for use by anyone who buys them.  I have seen them used in lots of websites, and now mine.  This is how the first cut  (well, actually the third cut!) looked:

 

 

I think the bobby pins need some work, but am happy with the other shots.  My website is quite colourful, which suits the 50+ demographic that I am aiming for - I hope!  But I do think visuals are important.

 

 

An update on the light tent - check out the boys setting it up below

 

My husband will start taking the product shots for real today.  Can't wait to see how they turn out.  Meanwhile, I am tidying up the site and the descritptions of products.

I still have "happy packs" in the back of my mind, but of course, you have to learn first before launching site number 2!



A little weirdness goes a long way.

So happy for a friend of mine, who is going online, she has just set up a website for her celebrant business at : http://gailmcguckin.com.au/

Here is a sneak preview of her website:

Go Gail!

My favourite quote about marriage is

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love." -Robert Fulghum

Now I'm a writer too?

So my new business, Hospital Packs, is  one step closer.  The room downstairs has been turned into an office, new computer etc. and I have done a stocktake.  Feb is a very busy month, as there are 3 supplier fairs that I need to attend, at one of them, which I was not really intending to go to, there is a company that has lovely baby clothes and wraps.  Have to look them up and talk to them about starting an account.

Ive been through the Reed Gift Fair book, and made a list of the 50 or so companies I need to see.  I'm waiting on some money to come through from my superannuation to pay off the mortgage and fund the business a bit more for some stock and advertising.  Meantime, I am trying to learn how to do a PR campaign.  I found this site which has been most helpful : http://www.getthewordout.com.au/articles/mediareleasetemplate.htm
and google have templates: https://drive.google.com/templates?q=press+release&start=1&sort=hottest&view=public

This was a good example http://www.lunareclipse.net/press-release-example-new-business.htm


I think my husband will be able to assist - after all he has 20 plus years in a news room!

Wish me luck!

Oh, and its different for social media - of course!

Never pay retail..#2

Really, NEVER PAY RETAIL.
I organised my son and husband to come the Matt Blatt sale with me, I was looking for some dining chairs, I knew my son was also looking for a chair for his bedroom.  He found the chair below, but in lovely Black leather.  Its a Rioco Lounge Chair, priced at $998. 

He bought it for $150!  What a bargain, and it is a chair he can put anywhere, in any decor, because it is fantastic design. 

 

On the way to the sale, browsing ozbargain, came across an offer from Microsoft to upgrade to Office 12 for FREE if you had bought Office 10 in the last year.   Of course we had!  So we upgraded the office computer for free.

 

 

Really, NEVER PAY RETAIL...........




Sydney breaks all records

Oh my! Yesterday we had record heat wave of 47 degrees C. 

Of course, we had the air conditioner on all day, but it has now given up the ghost.  First indication was that smoke started coming into the house, and a very bad acrid smell.  Oh well, at least we survived until the southerly winds arrived and the cool weather.

So, this morning it is a phone call the the aircon company and go out and buy some fans to try to keep as cool as we can until it is fixed.

A minor thing really, as many people lost their homes in bushfires yesterday. My father taught me one thing about bushfires, and that was "get out and get out early".  The silly advice of stay and defend your home was proven to be very bad advice recently when over 100 people died in Victoria. Fortunately the fire dept has revised its processes and is now telling people to leave when bushfires are heading their way.  The problem is, if you leave it too late the smoke and embers make it almost impossible to leave, and in a bushfire with lots of fuel behind it you cannot defend your house with a hose.

I remember driving through areas where fires were close to the road when we were staying with my grandmother in Scotts Head.  Very scary, but dad was insistent everyone leave.  He was right.

So, if you are ever in Australia in a bushfire - go to safety early, do not wait and get trapped.

NEVER EVER pay retail

So, on the advice of my son I did not purchase Office software for the new computer from Dell at a price of around $400.  Or from Microsoft at $499.

No, instead we used one of his favourite sites http://www.ozbargain.com.au/  This is a site where lots of people post bargains they find online.  Anything from cheap soft drinks to pedestal fans, to buffet lunches!  Its quite a site, and you can search, which we did.  (I just saw a trip to Bali for less than $300 on ozbargain)

We found an offer that was put on a couple of months ago for Microsoft Office for $15!  Yes, a saving of over $400.  To take up the offer, you needed an email address at one of the participating companies, so I used my old company, and a friends email address.  When I rang him to tell he was about to receive an email, he could not believe the price.  I only left the company a short time ago, and I knew nothing about the offer, neither had he heard of it.  Yet it must be available to all staff.

Anyway, the moral of the story is SHOP AROUND and NEVER PAY RETAIL.

I found the full kit my husband needed for taking photos at $600 less than he was able to get it, simply by using some nifty searching.  I usually search "buy XYZ online" as the first choice, then look for the shopping engines like http://www.myshopping.com.au/ who do the hard work for you, and list a whole lot of companies selling the one thing.

This is how I found the light box kit, pictured below and bought from http://www.fotogenic.com.au/index.php?route=common/home  they seem to have some great photogrphy stuff.

Thanks Will for the good advice, and thanks Nemia for the use of the email.

Thanks to Cynthia Nelms for the final word :
 “If men liked shopping, they'd call it research.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serious is a word that must be entirely avoided when it comes to decoration

Its past new year, past xmas and is my husbands birthday.  So this means it is time to take down the final xmas decorations.  But I feel sad, as they do add some cheer to the lounge room.  So i think it is time to brighten up the room a bit!

I have been purchasing for my new business, Hospital Packs, a new server is on the way, printer arrived yesterday and the photography equipment is ordered, so I hope it is up and running be the end of the month.  I will blog the trials and tribulations along the way. 

On this note, have you ever tried to buy a reasonably priced round meeting table?  Nightmare, they are all very expensive, not particularly attractive, and rather depressing all round.  My next step is to go onto gumtrees, and see what I can find 2nd hand, that might be painted for instance.  Ikea is the fall back, and that table is $300.

The back office area is going to have a beachy/hamptons feel about it.  I want to work in an area that makes me feel good, so lots of white mixed with nature, and splashes of blue here and there.  It wont look quite as good as this, but I will try:

 

 

By the way, here is a good site about this type of decorating http://www.designingthehamptons.com/
It has some good tips and links, I particularly love the light:

 

 



Hamptons Beach style comes from the Hamptons region of Long Island in New York - a popular destination among the affluent. It embodies the best of classic decorating with rustic influences. Think of the gorgeous home featured in the film 'Somethings Gotta Give' with Diane Keaton. If you haven't seen this film I highly recommend it (for the house alone!)

 

If you are wanting to inject some of this classic decorating style into your home, we have some easy tips that you can follow...

Use Light Colors
If you're looking for a classic Hamptons beach style feel, start with color. The idea is to keep things light, breezy and natural. Choose rustic wood flooring that has a sun-bleached look. Stick with white or neutral colored walls. Linen upholstery looks natural and casual, perfect for relaxing after a day in the sun. If you like the look of wicker, choose high-end pieces that don't feel cheap and tacky - white wicker looks especially chic in Hamptons Beach inspired homes.

Create a Style Balance
Interior designer, John Barman, suggests balancing contemporary styles with rustic touches like barn wood elements, original hardware and bead board walls. Using all rustic elements would make the space seem dated and overwhelmingly antique. If all contemporary touches were used, the house wouldn't feel like it was at the beach. Combining these styles is what makes everything come together. It is all about achieving that ideal mix of clean and contemporary pieces with rustic, imperfect touches.

Get Creative with Vintage Finds
Furniture that is interesting and unique doesn't need to cost a fortune! Become an expert at scouring local garage sales, discount furniture stores and local charity shops for distinctive pieces that embody the style you are after. Often these pieces are still in fairly good condition - all that you need to do is give the piece a little TLC to bring it back to life. Sand back your piece, re-paint it in a gorgeous white or duck egg blue and change fixtures such as handles by sourcing these from your local hardware store such as Bunnings. Schots Home Emporium has great antique inspired fixtures also! Thinking about re-upholstering those dining room chairs? DIY the job and save by getting a staple gun, some quality linen at your nearest Spotlight or Lincraft store in a French toil pattern or beach stripe pattern and fix the material to your dining room chairs for a quick and pocket friendly boost to your room!

Incorporate Natural Elements
Bring the outdoors inside by including plenty of living things into the décor of your home. The most important and easiest way to do this is by using plants and shells for decorating. Inexpensive and always beautiful, live plants mimic the lush plant life of the beach and add some color to the décor. Live plants also purify the air, making your home fresher. Items like driftwood, seashells and sun-bleached sand dollars are great ways to incorporate elements of nature. Display them in clear glass jars and as table centerpieces.

Natural Light
Light is one of the greatest decorating elements available. Huge windows that let sunlight wash into the rooms are a great investment. All the light colors can look drab without the sun illuminating them. Consider installing a skylight for more light exposure.

 

The above advice is from http://www.thehamptonshouse.com.au/blog/blog/howtodecoratehamptonsbeachstyle

 

Looks like a great blog to follow.  This link also has a list of great websites on the hampton style.  Thanks guys.

Well here is a first picture, rather messy at present, please note the tiffany's bag that now holds the pens and markers.  (thanks to my friends at Suncorp).

 

 



Singer Sewing Machine 502 Manual.

I searched the house, but could not find my Singer Sewing Machine Manual so that I could do some sewing - take up my son's new jeans!  No luck however, and after extensive searches online, could not find it.  So I decided to take my 3 sewing boxes, with various bits in them and put them into one, there it was at the bottom of the large box!  So in the interest of other who are probably searching for the same thing - here it is:

 

If this has been of help, please leave a comment below.  I would love to know.

 

 

Who (or whom) are you?

I just received a Christmas card from....well, that's the problem, I can't read the writing!  The address is neatly written on the back, as coming from Shoal Bay, but I cannot for the life of me remember knowing anyone from that area!  I googled the address, no avail.

This has started a process of elimination, not one of the cousins, the name has 3 "i"'s in it, who can it be?  It brings back to memory a previous occasion when I received a lovely printed wedding invitation, a very swish one I might add, that would mean us travelling about 300 kms. to the wedding, staying overnight, and of course the wedding present (present list & accommodation options kindly included).  I rang my husband, no knowledge, I rang my dad, was it a long lost cousin I had forgotten about? No luck there either.  Finally my husband realised it was a person he spoke to occasionally across the lines at work (he works in radio), whom he had never actually met.  As it was going to be quite an expense, and we did not even know the bride in any way, we declined.  At least we finally figured out who it was though.

I am trying to find names with 3 i's in them, and worked out it is Virginia.  Of course!  This is also a colleague of my husbands.  I don't know how I can keep up with them!

Let the last word on this subject go to Sherlock Holmes:

"My dear fellow," said Sherlock Holmes as we sat on either side of the fire in his lodgings at Baker Street, "life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We would not dare to conceive the things which are really mere commonplaces of existence. If we could fly out of that window hand in hand, hover over this great city, gently remove the roofs, and peep in at the queer things which are going on, the strange coincidences, the plannings, the cross-purposes, the wonderful chains of events, working through generations, and leading to the most outré results, it would make all fiction with its conventionalities and foreseen conclusions most stale and unprofitable"