talentdatabase and colourlovers and ego, oh my!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween, dear Internets!

It's been a happy day, indeed, because I was featured not once, not twice, but three times on TalentDatabase.com! Three times! Why? Because I'm addictive, like crack. Being that I'm so irresistible, I can't blame you for you clicking that big ol' banner to your right and getting your fix. Nor would I blame you for, say, buying out my entire shop. But I digress.

If you're not familiar with it, TalentDatabase is a great resource for artists and designers who are looking to network with other like-minded indie folks, and it's a good place to get your work out there. So humor me, indulge my narcissism and be my friend!

And if that wasn't enough to make my head swell to the size of a small city, I also spied a photo of my very own on the front page of Etsy this morning. It also happens that I am rapidly approaching 900 hearts there. 900! That's a very big number! I'm thinking I should do something special for my 1,000th heart. Maybe a signed photo of yours truly. Hey, what do you mean, "conceited?" ;)

Even ThisNext honored me with a 2007 Maven award this week. What does it mean? That I know how to spend money, and that I spend far too much time on the Internet - two of my most enviable talents. They're so good to me!

I've also been hanging out more at ColourLovers lately. This site has been in my top 10 for a long time, but I hadn't worked up the nerve to start creating my own palettes until recently. I'm not as terrible at the whole color thing as I'd originally thought. If you have an eye for color or you're in need of some inspiration, please come join me!

Aside from all that excitement, the hubs and I stepped out last night (past 7 p.m., even! Amazing! We're such old farts) to do some impromptu Christmas shopping. Normally we're not on the ball with these things this early in the season (as far as I'm concerned, "Christmas" doesn't qualify as a word in the human vocabulary until at least December), but Tim got an idea in his head and I think it's a good one.

It also has something to do with this pledge you've been hearing a lot about these days - namely, to avoid Wal-Mart (and others of their ilk) like the plague this holiday season. Except we're not really buying handmade, we're making things, which I think is just as good, right? I'd tell you what we're making, but there are people reading this blog who will eventually benefit from our scheming, so I have to keep it secret.

OK, time to pass out treats to the local ghoulies and ghosties, lest our house be egged and covered with toilet paper!

Labels: etsy, photography, self

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out with a bang and a flourish
Friday, October 26, 2007

Well Fall, it's been fun, but now we're watching the leaves drop like flies and I'm certain that means Winter is around the corner. That's right, Winter, I'm lookin' at you - I know you're out there, biding your time, ready to strike. I can smell hints of you in the morning, when the ground is covered with frost and the air bites your nose like a rabid chihuahua (does that make me the queen of bad analogies? It totally should).

Ah well. I'm just thankful you've waited until now to show up... any year that I don't have to turn on the heat before November is a good year. And at least Fall gets to go down in flames, so to speak--just look at those leaves!

I'm busybusy with photo geekery this week. Yesterday evening I matted a bunch of prints for a December solo show at The Shiny Squirrel. The prints will be packed up and shipped to New York this weekend. It's not looking so good for a photo shoot tomorrow, though... we're expecting rain. The only rainy day of the entire week, of course. Le sigh. Maybe I can reschedule for Sunday.

It's been so busy that I've neglected the poor DVR, but that's no problem. I intend to spend a portion of the weekend sitting on my butt and catching up on my favorite shows - there are new episodes of Ghost Hunters and Scrubs to be had, as well as a slew of Halloween-related Food Network specials.

Other plans for the weekend include some super-secret crafty Christmas gift projects, a relaxing bubble bath with my new best friend, some light reading, and hopefully I can squeeze a warm cup of cocoa in there somewhere. Maybe the oven and I will square off again and try another apple crisp, this time without the burnt part.

Boy, life's rough sometimes! ;)

Labels: photography, self

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where she wandered
Thursday, October 25, 2007

For someone who's been down on herself for not doing enough photography this year... I've certainly done more than I expected to! And the year's not over yet. I have a tentative shoot scheduled for this weekend, provided the weather holds.

I have a shameless self-promotion thing I'd like to share. If you're an artist, designer, or craftsy-person, you should apply to Trunkt.org, a juried showcase of lookbooks from talented indie artists. A basic account is free (if you're accepted), and it's good exposure for your work and your shop--every little bit helps, right?

More to the point: If you use Sixhours Photography as a referral, you can help me to get an upgraded account--something I'd love to have, but can't really afford. So, if you've been thinking about applying but haven't yet, why not give it a try?

OK, that's my spiel. Back to your regularly scheduled programming!

Labels: photography

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her story will never be written
Monday, October 15, 2007

Cripes, I kept busy this weekend!

Saturday I had a photo shoot with the lovely Naomi, though I apologize that you cannot see just how lovely she is in this particular photograph. She appears to have a case of typewriter-head. In any case, it was a fun shoot, and I'm so glad I can share the results with you today--not six months from now!

I also baked an apple crisp and didn't burn it! Much! OK, well, I did burn it, but only a little. It was still edible (and delicious, if I do say so myself) once you scraped off the top layer of black crud... and this is why I don't bake much. Thankfully the S.O. is much better with the oven than me. They have a special relationship. Maybe the oven is jealous of me? Aha, that's it! Burning my crisp was just the first step in an elaborate plan to deliberately come between my husband and me... I knew it!

(Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention. That could be it, too. The S.O. calls them my "ooh shiny" moments.)

Moving on.

It was also a busy weekend for the shop. Two of my photos landed on the front page of Etsy this weekend as part of two separate treasuries. My work was also featured by Anything Indie and Roadside Scholar, very hip and happenin' blogs (a wonderful surprise, considering that I am neither hip nor happenin'). All the extra attention netted me two sales! Hurrah!

So many good things. We also visited with family friends, did a bit of tidying up, and I continue to scheme and dream about things I want to do with the house. The to-do list gets bigger and bigger, while the checkbook, curiously enough, gets smaller and smaller. A mystery, indeed.

Labels: etsy, photography, self

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sixhours.net has a new look!
Sunday, October 7, 2007

I finally broke down and decided to make good use of the one MySQL database my Web host provides and learn PHP. I decided that I can't call myself a Web geek without knowing one of the most popular Web programming languages. This little project captured my attention for a good part of the week.

The result is a Web site that is 500 times easier to update and maintain, and for you, dear Internets, there are new RSS feeds to subscribe to. As soon as I realized how useful RSS is for reading my favorite blogs, I realized it would be doubly useful for my own Web site!

A lot of credit goes to the S.O., the resident PHP guru, for patiently answering my questions and, at points, just coding the darned thing for me. I still can't quite get my head around nested "for" loops, but I'm working on it.

Now I just need to get working on some new stuff to fill it up!

Labels: design, photography

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random things
Wednesday, October 3, 2007

I've posted a bunch of new photos at Flickr! This was a very fun shoot, from wayyyy back in April.

I'm going to try to devote one day this weekend to working on a new Web site design. The current one is grating on my nerves.

I am wondering if I should start offering custom Etsy banner designs in my shop. It would mean extra money and extra practice with Illustrator. Hmmm. Going to think on that some more.

And finally, many thanks to Little Splurge and Poof You're a Frog for the recent mentions!

Labels: photography

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squirrels, shiny
Monday, October 1, 2007

I've been waiting for this day for weeks, and it's finally here! Jess Goldfond (with help from her boyfriend, of Spray Glue fame) launches The Shiny Squirrel online boutique!

There you'll find a beautifully-curated selection of artists and designers showcasing a variety of gifts and goodies.

And yes, I'm there, too! Presenting five new prints from the dollfood series that I've been sitting on not-so-patiently for just about ever.

So go see, and support independent artists and designers! Go go go!

Labels: photography, self, shopping

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choir boy and the pantsless wonder
Tuesday, September 25, 2007

In our old neighborhood, it was quite common to be woken up by the sounds of yelling and shouting, but usually the yells and shouts were death threats. Yeah, it was that kind of neighborhood.

Now we live in a college town, which means we're surrounded by intellectuals and intelligent minds, ambitious young men and women who love learning and seek to expand their horizons and open their minds...

... usually with drugs. Yay! With that in mind, I present to you -

Things one shouldn't have to wake up to early on a Saturday morning:

1. The sound of a drunken college kid belting out "Heyyyyyy guyyyyys!" in perfect show-tune singsong at ample volume.

My first reaction? Jazz hands, everyone! Vaudeville has finally come for me!

My second reaction? Death to the drunken frat boys on my lawn! DEATH!

2. Drunken college kid number 2, shouting at an equally loud volume, "I never thought I'd be walking around with you guys, WITHOUT PANTS, at 4 in the morning!"

Emphasis on the part about no pants. And hey, now I know what time it is.

Of course, I immediately went for a look-see, but alas, it was too dark. Which makes sense, because it was, ahem, four-o'clock in the morning. On a Saturday.

Did I mention the part about death?

I considered yelling at them from the balcony of our bedroom, but then I figured that a completely naked lady screaming at the half-naked drunken frat boys for disturbing the peace... let's just say, the irony didn't escape me.

Intellectuals and intelligent minds, indeed!

Anywho, the above doodle has absolutely nothing to do with pantsless, showtunes-lovin' drunk people. Thank the stars for that!

No, actually, three really cool things happened yesterday:

1) I won a contest at the ThisNext blog! If the prize is as cool as my Tovolo goodies are, I'm excited.

2) One of my photos made the front page at Etsy! Yay!

3) Finally, the cupcake girl doodle above was a runner-up in Hey Pretty Cupcake's artist collaboration contest! So keep an eye out for her there in the upcoming weeks.

So, Internets, it's been nearly a month! S'up with you?

Labels: design, etsy, illustration, photography, self

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so sexy it hurts
Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Where have I been? Moving and marrying, that's where! The proof is in the Flickr pudding.

To answer your most pressing questions: The new house is great, the new "well-loved" hubby is great, and diet Barq's is also great. Mmmm, root beer for the calorie-conscious.

This afternoon I looked down at my lap and realized my inseam was missing. As in, ripped. As in, I unknowingly spent a good portion of the morning flashing a whole lotta pasty-white inner thigh at my co-workers.

I'm obviously too sexy for my pants!

(And yes, I did go home to change.)

There was impromptu photo shoot good-ness this weekend, courtesy of the lovely Hannah. We headed to the local ornamental gardens and braved the god-awful-humid-sticky-muggy-gross weather. Oh yes, there was ample sweat involved, but the results are fantastic. I think they're my final set for the gallery/boutique show, which means (again) you have to wait to see them. I break your heart time and time again, dear Internets, I know this. Bear with me.

Labels: photography, self

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we are all handmade
Saturday, July 28, 2007

I've decided that if I can't photograph an idea for the time being, I can at least make an attempt to doodle it, so this is a photo-idea-turned-doodle. Eventually I'd love to make it into a photograph, provided I can find an antique sewing machine that won't break the bank. That's one of the many things on my "random photography props" wish list, right up there with finding a beautiful abandoned home in the middle of the woods that a) won't cave in on me mid-shoot and b) doesn't mind if I trespass a bit.

My last photography professor insisted that we sketch our photo ideas out in a notebook before we attempted photographs, but there is no such thing as a "sketch" to a perfectionist. If I can't illustrate the concept in detail, I'd rather not bother. That's why I use a camera, after all!

The one thing I can draw to my satisfaction are cartoons. Realism evades me, but if you need a goofy, bug-eyed chicken with stick legs and a fat head, I'm there.

So here are these two girls who got a little carried away in their crafting one day, and you'd do well not to mention it, but yes, their heads might be a little fat. At least they're a far cry from chickens.

Labels: illustration, photography

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geekylicious
Saturday, July 14, 2007

I spent a few evenings this week working on a new design for sixhours.net. It used to be that I'd change Web site layouts "as often as I changed underwear" (according to a former college classmate), but now that I do Web development for a living, the magic is mostly gone. However, once in a while I still enjoy sitting down with Photoshop and Dreamweaver and giving the site a makeover. Or I get sick of looking at whatever I've had up there for the last few months and bang something out out of disgust... whichever comes first!

Thankfully, this was a case of the former. This is actually my first foray into building a layout that is almost entirely based in CSS, as opposed to straight HTML. I'd been stuck in the Web design dark ages and figured it was time for a change. Dreamweaver CS3 made the conversion easier. I will never be able to remember all the six-billion different style properties you can apply to a single block of text - just give me drop-down menus with all my options, please.

To give credit where credit is due, the title font I used is "Chelsea's Handwriting" from fontgarden.com, and the color palette is a tweaked version of "i like to read" by legs at my favoritest design site ever, colourlovers.com. I'm not color blind, but I'm a bit color stupid... colourlovers helps with that problem.

Oh! And you may notice some new work in this year's portfolio - that's not a fluke, I swear! There are three shots from some through-the-viewfinder experiments with the lovely Hannah, taken at the same time as the teapot stalker shot. I'm definitely going to use that technique more in the future.

Speaking of which, I had a lovely photo shoot with my friend Kathe and her hubby Dan last weekend. They asked me to take some portraits of them together, so they'd have something for family and friends. I'm not usually very good with these things, but they were so comfortable and natural in front of the camera that they made it really easy. I forgot to ask permission to post one or two of their photos in the blog, though.

And finally, we're closing on the new place next Tuesday. Wish us luck!

Labels: design, photography

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sale!
Monday, July 9, 2007

I'm going to try the sale thing for a week!

From now until the 17th, you can receive 10% off your purchase at my Etsy shop by typing "6hours" in the message to seller box at checkout! Just wait to pay and I'll send a revised invoice.

So what're you waiting for? Gogogo! :)

Also, thanks heaps to So Sweet & So Cold for featuring my "curiosity's little sister" print on their blog earlier this month!

Labels: etsy, photography, shopping

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the teapot stalker
Monday, June 18, 2007

Oh, dear Internets, it was a crazy weekend. Even Monday Morning Syndrome is preferable to such drama, the likes of which a Sunday should never see. No one should ever wake me up before 8 on a Sunday morning unless someone I love is missing or dead, and this was a case of the former. Thankfully it was a false alarm, but so many hours of worrying takes its toll... I'm beat.

On a happier note, the weekend before last was Photo Shoot Weekend! And I was almost entirely unprepared!

Solution: Take every photo shoot prop I own from my closet, drag everything (with help from Hannah, the wonderful model) to one of the local parks, and just play it by ear. This technique usually doesn't work to my advantage... I'm a bit on the, err, anal retentive side. And I'm picky. And anxious. Did I mention anal?

It's probably appropriate that I am so, because I totally pulled this one outta you-know-where. It's all good, and I loved what came from it... love love. Once again, the photos may or may not be spoken for, so I can't reveal the whole shoot just yet. Too bad, so sad.

Oh, and once again, I'm the owner of one of those dreadful cell phone things. I don't know quite how this happened, but there you have it. It's shiny, it's pink, and it plays a Joshua Radin ring tone ("Closer", for the nosy), so I forgive it... for now. And I promise to practice common cell phone courtesy.

Labels: photography, self

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from one troll to another
Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Ahhhh. Today is the kind of day where I can't find a single thing to complain about.

No, really.

Really!

OK, I suppose I could complain about the lack of being able to complain about something, but that's it! I swear!

Over the last week I've written several blog entries, but I think I will keep them to myself. They're overly long and probably not as funny to you, dear Internets, as they are to me. Sooo....

What is Caro thinking right now? aka abi tagged me, so ten items this round!

• My office looks like, and I quote, "a troll's cave" according to one campus VIP. I've been charged with putting more of myself into it, but I don't know how to do that without bringing in a pillow and blanket and sleeping there. Tips on office decor are much appreciated!
• The S.O. and I spent last weekend watching a lot of movies about death, death, and more death, thanks to a mix-up with our cable company and my infallible* bookkeeping skills (read: I paid two of our bills twice, but forgot to pay the cable company - hence, it was a movie rental weekend). Said movies were quite good, but very death-y.
  
• Ooh! I've found something to complain about! It's a beautiful day outside, but I can't open my office window because the constant drone of weed whackers/lawn mowers/other landscape beautification devices will drive me insane. It's a short trip.
  
• Also, the toilet paper in the bathroom? Way too flimsy. Toilet paper should not dissolve entirely on contact with wet skin. University, please take note: What money you save on cheap toilet paper will be swiftly used for the extra soap and paper towels I need to get the pee off my hands.
  
• While I'm at it, why do people feel it necessary to turn on the lights in the bathroom, where there is a big window and plenty of natural light? Is it entirely necessary to see yourself pee in such well-lit detail? Do you really need to examine every minutia* of dirt on the bathroom floor? Energy conservation, people! Let's all pee in the semi-dark and save a tree/whale/rain forest/your-choice-of-endangered-species-goes-here.
  
• A week ago, I canceled my Warcrack account. Today, I un-canceled it. Normally I'm not this indecisive. Or maybe I am. I don't know - I can't decide!
  
• I want a button making machine. All the cool kids have them. Hmmph.
• I'm sticking this one at the bottom in hopes that people won't read this far. Hah. May's photo shoot is a no-go. I have no excuse, dear Internets. The only thing I can offer are these jaunty flower photos. The good news is, I have a shoot scheduled for early June!
• ... I got nothin'.
  
• *I had to look infallible up, to make sure I was using it correctly. I was. Also, minutia** to make sure I was spelling it correctly. I wasn't.
• ** Now used correctly! Thanks Jack!
  

Labels: photography, self

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moo
Monday, May 14, 2007

Phew, what a busy weekend.

On Friday, we saw 28 Weeks Later, which was about as good as I expected it to be. It was scary in that "something's going to jump out at me any second I just know it" sense, but was weak in character development and plot... unlike the first movie, which did it all, and so very well. But the sequel did leave an impression... I didn't sleep much on Friday night!

On Saturday the S.O. and I got off our lazy arses and checked out the Orono Bog Boardwalk, which is exactly what it sounds like - a 1-mile-long boardwalk through a local bog. We mostly went for the exercise, but if you're into hiking and nature walks and being a damn dirty hippy, this is a fun and educational way to spend the afternoon. I'd love to go back in the evening... photos are better when the sun isn't high in the sky. But I did upload a few to flickr, nonetheless.

Saturday was also the day of my younger brother's college graduation, so kudos to him! He graduated from the New England School of Communications with a B.S. in (you guessed it!) Communications. Now I can tease him about having a degree in bs, 'cause I'm mature like that! Hah!

Sunday, we visited a friend and had delicious turkey chili and watched Notes on a Scandal. Great movie, great food, great company - what more could you ask?

And now we're back to Monday, and I'm spent. Someone at the office just brought around a box of mini ice cream sandwiches. Summer vacation has officially begun, which means campus is empty, just the way I like it. It's spring, the sun is out, and life is good!

Labels: photography, self

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shameless self-promotion
Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Once in a while, people publish my stuff, and that feels nice.

You can find my photos in the latest editions of:
Milk Bar Magazine
F-Stop Magazine

My Etsy shop has also been highlighted in the latest issue of Designer Scoop, by Smitherman and Barnwell.

I've also submitted a photo to JPG Magazine, and you can vote for it if you like. Please? I cannot promise sexual favors, but you will have my gratitude, which is worth millions in the respective currencies of yet-to-be-discovered foreign lands, I'm sure.

The theme is Dreamscapes, and the photo in question is this:

Labels: etsy, photography, self

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items of disinterest
Monday, April 23, 2007

Item: Business is booming at the Etsy shop. And by "booming," I mean I've made more than one sale in the month since I opened! I am pleased, especially since I opened the shop on a whim, not actually believing that people might, you know, buy stuff. I've even gone so far as to order some custom business cards, in hopes that I can continue to spread the word.

Item: This weekend was April's photo shoot weekend. Unfortunately, I have little to offer you in the way of proof of said photo shoot, because the results may or may not be part of a gallery/boutique opening in October. The best I can do is this test shot in the ever-popular "bloody egg" motif. The rest of the series has absolutely nothing to do with cheap fake blood, so don't think I'm giving anything away. I shot this solely to prove that I did pick up a camera this month!

If the photos aren't accepted, you will see them soon. If they are, you can congratulate me, and I will debut the series on my Web site in October. Ooh, secrets!

What I can do is talk a little bit about the shoot itself. I didn't arrange anything with any of the girls (aka the models) this month, because it's getting very close to finals time, and everyone is scrambling to finish the semester, and I'm feeling a wee bit antisocial (what else is new?). As a result, April was "Still Life Month," which meant two whole days of fighting with my studio lights and bending/kneeling over my not-so-ergonomically-correct studio setup. It's not ergonomically correct because it's an overturned laundry basket covered with a white sheet. Makeshift what? And why is my back throbbing? Oh, right.

I really love the new photos, despite the back strain, so you'll have to trust me when I say it kills me to keep them from you, dear Internets! It really does! I'm already itching to upload them to my new flickr account. Bear with me, please.

Item: It's 80 degrees outside. 80 degrees! How do we go from snow, ice, and rain to 80 degrees in the span of a week? We live in Maine, that's how. Not that I'm complaining... it just seems wrong to be enjoying 80-degree weather when the trees haven't even shown buds, and the grass is still an unpleasant greenish-brown baby poo color.

Labels: etsy, photography

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