Well, Hello There August

It's a hundred and two here. And I am hot and soggy. You know, the kind of hot where you go the whole day with that band of sweaty brasserie? You feel gross all day long even in the air conditioner. Ugh.

What have you been up to? Are you getting a child ready for school? We are. Pinky LOVES to collect her school supplies and she is insisting on a bunch of jeans to wear with cute and frilly shirts. She wants her hair done up in 5 face framing piggy tails and she has asked for pink, red and purple eyeshadow. Whu!?!?!
She is going into first grade, where does she think eyeshadow is going to put her on the social ladder?
It's good to see her focusing on the academics though... :)

Mike and I have been working on a database to help us stay on top of inventory. No more re-listing something I thought I had more of and then scrambling to re-make it to match the picture when it sells. Yay for getting organized!

I have also been writing a tutorial for patinas. This will be the nuts and bolts of the process, the tried and true solution compared to the stuff that just doesn't work. I am really excited to share this but making sure everything is explained in detail requires me to focus and I need quiet! It is not quite here, we usually have about 4 to 5 kids in and out and Mike is a chatter box. Seriously, he talks constantly. It would be cute if it wasn't so distracting.

I am torn between these 2 possibilities for the cover, which one do you like?

 I am setting up a photo shoot next week for the stepped out instructions and then the editing begins! That's how I put myself to sleep. Snore. As the photos are edited and placed in the document where the corresponding steps are I have my mama, the editor, proof read for me and I go back to make corrections.     
 Once the draft has been finalized, I send it to a few friends and have them try it out. Depending on their reactions, sometimes I have to re-do a page or two or find a new resource but usually at that point it is done! 
 Then and only then can I make it available to the public.
 As I was telling my friend Laura, anybody can dunk something into a solution, but taking the time to seal it properly will set you apart as a professional. I've learned a few things over the past 14 months that will help you apply the patinas, protect and use the patinas in your hand crafted artisan jewelry. I am so excited to have this out there! The book is still a ways away but it will remain project focused and include color recipes in addition to suppliers of raw metal.

I am looking forward to visiting blogs again. I think I have a better attitude now and can be a more positive and supportive commenter for my blogging buddies!