End of The Year Already?

I can't believe how much has happened in the last year - quit my job of 5 years, moved to a new state and bought a house, got married, started a craft business and began the process of starting a photography business. Those are the big points, anyway, haha. All of them, I never would've foreseen, 2 or 3 years ago. I am grateful for all the life events and people along the way who have made them all possible - even my injury, last year, a little bit. It has forced me to take better care of myself and slow down, even when it drives me crazy to do so. It also forces me to rely on other people more and God, too, which has changed my attitude a little bit. I've never been one to ask for help until I absolutely could not do something on my own and a little humility never hurt anyone.
This last month, I've been hard at work, attempting to get myself in a better place, physically. Waiting around for worker's comp to re-open my claim, much less pay for any treatment, is only making things worse. So, I contacted a lawyer with high reviews to hopefully end that drama in my life and joined a great gym in the area, to attempt to at least stop myself from gaining more weight. I can't really do much that doesn't hurt my back more, but the aquatic exercise is great and the strength training is okay enough to do. I also have been going, to try something new, for back adjustments at a chiropractor who has been treating various members of my husband's family for years. Aquatic aerobics have been the only thing that provides relief thus far, but I do notice a slight change in the nerve pain since starting adjustments. I don't know if the arthritis pain will ever go away, but at least I know I can push through that, having arthritis in my feet, ankles, and chest for over 15 years now. Never thought I'd be partially grateful for having juvenile arthritis, as it was a pretty rough time in my life, as a teen!
I have also been busy with crafty things this month, as well as working on photography skills.
First, I finally started working on cork pendants:

Cork Seashell-Printed Silver Necklace and Earrings
https://www.etsy.com/listing/173639207/cork-seashell-print-silver-necklace-and

I kept this one for myself, since I personalized it.

Once I finish the necklace, I will be putting these up on Etsy, too!

Then, I made this sign for a maternity shoot for my friends:

I will be posting pictures from the shoot as soon as my friends are ready to tell the world about their happy news. :)
I also worked on a Christmas sign, based on a block set I remember having, growing up, and a pin on Pinterest.

I also made these fun sock snowmen:

I hope to also imitate this ornament once the pitch dries on the trunk slices we cut from our Christmas tree. However, they are taking forever to do so, so we will probably not have that ornament till next year, haha.

I have always had issues with winter, in general, with all the lack of color and bitter cold that makes it hurt to go outside. I decided that, to get through this winter, I will start looking for the little things that make me wonder and bring me joy and try to make those things last, through photos. After our first real snow, I went outside with my t3i and captured anything that stood out to me.

a random leaf with great red hues on the white snow

Some bittersweet berries that are still hanging around - no wonder why these vines spread so easily!

a cocoon leftover from the spring and summer

one of our fences

Our Christmas was nice and relaxing and our cats thoroughly enjoyed the toys I got them, last minute, at Target!

 

Lucy, looking "fierce", as usual

Both cats really like this fake measuring tape toy, but I think it's Jack's favorite, haha. (Although, this is Lucy enjoying it. ;) Jack still freaks out and acts fearful with Jon in the room, even though Jon has never done anything "scary" around him, so when we brought the toys up to the cats, it wasn't any different.)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Happy late Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, as well! Until next year - I can't believe it's almost 2014 - where does the time go?!

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

I am grateful for the opportunity to have my own craft business and the path I'm taking to begin my photography business, too. I was very happy in my old job, going to sea and playing with fish, and loved working for that company, so when I was injured, I was pretty lost for a while. This has provided me with the opportunity to make an income on my own schedule!
If my back is flaring up because I've been upright too long, I don't have to tell my boss I have to go lie down or suffer until my scheduled break. If I do something to aggravate my back somehow and I'm out of commission for a couple days, I don't have to forgo a commitment I made to a company. The only commitment I have is to my customers and most of my products don't require me to work for 8+ hours at a time, with minimal breaks. I can also craft in the comfort of my own home, where I have access to ice packs and heating pads and a place to rest comfortably, when I take breaks.
I am also grateful for those who have been supportive by purchasing items and sharing Funny Paws with others! It is a good feeling to know my work is appreciated by others - handmade items are one of those things that people either relate to or they don't. There are many artists whom I respect for doing what they love and putting their heart and soul into their work, but their work just doesn't resonate with me. I'm sure it's the same way with some people and my work!
I am in my last week of my Photography Business class online and can't wait to really get the ball rolling after the holidays. I have already put up a facebook page to display some of my work so far and hope to get at least two more couple shoots in before making it official. It is always more difficult to convince the males, it seems, when it comes to couple shoots. I am so happy my husband and I had my sister follow us around while I directed poses, for an engagement shoot. Why? Because my husband really got comfortable with the idea after the first 10 minutes and we now have nice pictures of the two of us, newly engaged, and looking naturally ourselves and happy. I feel like any noteworthy time in a family's life should be recorded - not for "likes" and popularity on social networking sites, but for the family itself to look back and recall the joy of that day, even if there was a little bit of stress involved! How long does a newborn stay a newborn before they are already in the next stage of life? How long after their wedding does a couple remember how happy that day was? How long does it take for a new college student to forget how much they've accomplished already, by graduating high school? We get so tied up in the hustle of life, it is good to reminisce at times. Pictures just make that memory more vivid! That's why I bring my point-and-shoot wherever I go - I never know when inspiration will strike, with a bright blue flower blooming when all other flowers have succumbed to the wintery frost or a tiny chipmunk chattering away from a tree at a bird that's gotten too close to its nest. And then sometimes, one of my cats is being particularly cute that day or I'm sitting next to my very shy nephew who has decided to give a big bear hug to his cousin, once-removed. If I don't have my camera, I almost feel as if a very valuable moment has been lost! Okay, so I'm a little sentimental, haha.
One of my biggest problems with setting up a photography business was that it would be so much easier to combine both talents into one company...however, "Funny Paws" does not sound like a business that does photography of anything other than animals. I got to thinking that, while I take pictures of animals in nature and of my cats and the occasional one of my friends' pets, I have never really considered myself much of a pet photographer. So, when my friend asked me to bring her new little furballs in to get their booster vaccines, I brought my camera along to use after the appointment. It's one thing to take photos of your own two cats, who know you and you know their personalities. It's a totally different task to photograph four cats who don't know you as well and you vaguely know their personalities. I had some frustration at first, trying to get them to look where I wanted them to look and wondered why these beautiful creatures looked like blurry monsters on my camera's preview screen. So, I just decided to follow them around, while they did their typical cat activities - I got down on the floor with them and rewarded them with play and scratches behind the ears. Of course! Why didn't I do that in the first place? The end result was this:

This was a perfect example of their personalities, when they are together. Link is the dominant male, at the forefront; Peach always wants to do what Link is doing, but is a good "sister" to Luma; Luma is a very playful kitten, but at 16 weeks, she still gets tired out very quickly; Zelda is a very sweet kitty, but stays aloof, when they are all together.

Not bad for my first official pet portraits, I thought. So, who knows? Maybe I will do people shoots, but specialize in pet photography. I don't think I will necessarily find my niche until I work with people I don't know as well or at all! But, regardless, I choose to keep the two businesses separate for now.

Colder Months = More Productivity?

The temperature has dropped significantly in the last couple months and we have run the pellet stove pretty consistently for the last 3 weeks. During the day, it is still warm enough outside to spend time doing outside chores. However, those outside chores decreased significantly when most of the dead foliage dropped and was cleaned up, most of our outdoor plants stopped growing and/or died, and the number of birds at our feeders dropped. I was excited, a couple weeks ago, to see flowers like this:

And this:

They are now gone, but it was nice to get one last glimpse of color before the impending whiteout. Winter is fast approaching! So, I should have more time during the day to work on projects for Funny Paws and my photography, right?
Somehow, the month of November is here now and I find myself busier than ever without any clue how that happened, haha. It's a good thing - I remember a year ago, when I was finally diagnosed with a bulging disc in my back, but waited another month and half to find out how to treat it, due to worker's comp. I was so bored, but so scared to do anything that could make it worse! I was still on call 24/7 to drive coworkers from port to port in New England, but increasingly dreading the day I knew was coming, when I would have to quit the company I had been with for almost 5 years. They offered very little in the way of light duty work and working less than 8 hours every couple of weeks with no pay compensation was not going to cut it for very long. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, some might say.
I, thankfully, had another thing to draw my focus away from the stress and physical pain - my upcoming wedding day! Today, we celebrate 6 months of marital bliss and I couldn't ask for a more generous, more loving husband. I am a strong believer, especially as I get older, that God puts certain people in our lives exactly when we need them, even if it's just for a quick conversation in the grocery store or a smile from a child, after a tough day at work.
So what HAVE I been up to in the last month? I finished up my Portrait Photography course with 3 more photo shoots, each increasing in the work it took to set them up and run them, but all of them fun! The second week, they asked that we take a self-portrait. I figured that would be easier - no one else with whom to try and collaborate schedules and no one else to have to direct or position in the way my mind sees them. However, it became quite the challenge without anyone else involved. I decided auto-focus (which I generally hate using) was the easiest way to get the focus right, but it generally stayed focused on whatever was behind me or focused on something else altogether, when I used the timer. Finding sturdy places to put it on, when it was so windy, was also a challenge. The poses themselves ended up very awkward and I erased all but 29 of the 200+ photos I took in the shoot, haha. It was probably the most difficult shoot I did all month!

Finally, I found that the "selfies" taken with the camera at arm's length were coming out the best, and I settled on the picture above to submit. Definitely something to work on in the future!
The third week, I had 2 possible photo shoots and ended up with none, so my aforementioned loving husband agreed to stand in at the last minute. We learned how to give direction and tips on achieving great candid shots. They also gave us information on what settings and lenses worked best for portraits.

I think he did a pretty great job, as a last-minute model, but then again, I am slightly biased. ;)
The last week, we learned tips on how to prep for a photo shoot and more about lenses. It made me want to run out and buy another lens, if only they weren't so pricey! I was able to get together with my friend and her husband, who were so great in front of the camera. It helped that they are easy on the eyes, but moreso, so many of the shots captured the love they share and I couldn't have been happier with them! It was also an incredibly stormy day literally up until the time I got to the park to prep my camera settings.

As you can see, the lighting was amazing for a shoot and the ground was completely dry. Pretty awesome. I also liked these two shots for the more creative and private feel:

Hopefully this month's class of Photography Business will help me figure out if I want to add this to Funny Paws, for more possibilities!
I did finish my Halloween costume, the day before we celebrated with family, haha. It was fun and I can probably alter it a little for a costume next year. I made the vest and a gun holster and added a band to the foam hat I bought at Michael's.

Not too shabby! And I, of course, wore Halloween knee-high socks with ankle boots I found at Payless. I figured I am more likely to wear ankle boots in the future, as I've never been much of a boot person.
I also finally made my sample baby hangers:

And I got my first sale of one, as well! I will say the personalized hangers are definitely the most popular, as they are the only sales I've made, so far. I've gotten likes on other items in my shop, but nothing has come of those. Makes sense, as I like a lot of creative projects on Etsy, but I either have no need for the item at the time or I figure it's something I can make, too. I'm hoping my next post will include the baby blanket I have been meaning to make for months now, as well as at least one more painting! I haven't painted since the summertime and my sea life alphabet is severely lacking. I also had the idea to do a triptych painting and bought the canvas forever ago!
Perhaps the coldest months will bring more creativity than the colder months. :)

Another Month, Another Class!

I really enjoyed last month's class of Creative Composition, as it was right up my alley. This month's Portrait Photography has been more of a challenge. I don't know why - I like taking pictures of people. Maybe it's moreso that I've grown sensitive to people who don't like their picture taken. I don't entirely understand it - I don't like my picture to be taken if I'm lounging in my home and haven't showered, but if I am presentable enough to go out in public, I don't mind my picture being taken. Funny enough, this second week, my assignment is a self-portrait, haha. Too bad my head feels like it's floating away with this head cold!
So, my final two assignment submissions for last month's course were these:

Macro and Perspective

Reflection, Perspective, Horizon, and Symmetry

The last assignment was to submit a photo that included as much as I learned during the course as possible - kind of like a final.
This last week, I got to take photos of my nephews and niece for my assignment on location and props. They were great to shoot, because they knew how to pose on cue, haha. My final submission was this one:

This last week, I also worked on getting a different color wire for my new try at making personalized baby/toddler/child hangers. The hangers I ordered are padded muslin, but the wire hook at the top is brass. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the hanger with me to Michael's and didn't have it to match the color, so I ended up picking up copper wire. Guess I'll just have to go back to Michael's and exchange or return it. How sad. :P
I haven't worked on much else this month, as far as crafts, but that will change soon, as I am making my Halloween costume! Nothing too crazy and most of it is regular clothes. My husband dressed up as a cowboy this summer for a family camping event (not his choice, but he willingly went along with it, haha), so I am just making a cowgirl costume to go with it. I'm not normally one to dress as a cowgirl and I am far from country, but it will be easy enough! I just need to sew the vest out of the fabric I got from Michael's and decorate the hat...and figure out shoes. I'm not getting cowgirl boots just for the costume - maybe I can work around it with modernized boots - I always wanted to see how I would look in something like this. Maybe a trip to Marshall's or TJ Maxx is in order...I do have $10 to spend there!
Until next time!

Three Months In

It's hard to believe Funny Paws is a quarter-year old already! Thanks to those who have been supporting me along the way - especially my husband. :)
With this anniversary mark comes another opportunity for learning and growth. I am considering adding photography to the mix, as something that allows me to work short, flexible hours, for my back. I was given the last push I needed from a new friend and professional photographer, Michelle, when she overheard my other new, but dear friend, Barb, compliment me on my photos of nature before we began our Bible study. After finding this Groupon for Flying School Photography that I had seen before on the site, I signed up for 3 of their online photography courses, to better my skills with a camera, before I pursue working with it professionally. I am currently taking "Creative Composition" and learning so much, even just in the second week. Last week, I posted this picture:

Using simplicity and rule of thirds and almost leading lines.

 This week, I need to post a picture on the assignment board that includes either or all blurred, framed, silhouette, and horizon views. I'm considering this one:

framed and blurred (also his head is at the "crash point", using rule of thirds)

I wish I had Photoshop to get rid of the car in the background, haha. I love that it was completely candid and relaxed, because he had been posing very awkwardly before this. :P
I'm having a lot of fun with the class and can't wait to take "Portrait Photography" and finally, "Starting A Photography Business". I think the last one will be the most challenging, as it will probably be less creative and more, well, business. I decided, with the approval of my husband, to invest in a more professional camera, too. In his words, "Even if you don't make any money with it, at least we'll have a nice camera.
Along the same line, I decided to make blank greeting cards with the photos I've taken in the past year or so, with my almost-as-good Canon Powershot, and put them up on Etsy in themed packs of 10!

"No Need For Flowery Words"

"For The Birds"

"Six-Legged Beauties"

"Back To Nature"

I need to get back to working on my Sea Life Alphabet, too. I have 22 letters to go! :)
Thanks for reading!
P.S. Here's the final result of the 2 paintings I showed you in the last post that weren't quite finished!

Walrus

Super Moon