50% Off Sale

Don't miss a chance to save big on select items in our Etsy shop ~ sale ends today! Visit the "On Sale" section in our shop to view.

Enjoy~

Birthday Time

I know I've been really MIA lately, what with finishing up custom orders, starting a new job and housing a busy high school grad,  life has just been w-a-a-y too busy to get in here and post. Work continues on the website though and we're nearly ready to go live, so that's super exciting too!

In the meantime, it's my birthday today and so I'm just popping in to give a shout out for our free birthday theme, "Birthday Bash".

It's chalk full of free goodies to help you celebrate your own special day and you can view those by clicking the title or image above.  And if you're looking for a special button to spread the word then we have several to fit the day ~ I've included a few below or you can view the entire selection by visiting our "Blog Buttons" page.

<center> <a href="http://www.plumroselane.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.prl-images.com/images/prefab/buttons/PrL-BlowWish.png" alt="It's my Birthday" /></a></center>

<center> <a href="http://www.plumroselane.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.prl-images.com/images/prefab/buttons/PrL-WishmeHappy.png" alt="My Birthday" /></a></center>

                

Enjoy~

The Roles We Play

In the midst of a busy work schedule I've also been playing mom to a high school senior this year. My son's life has been filled with all sorts of extra activities from Community Dramatics and Youth and Government to  GSA and church choir. All of these make for a pretty full week but coupled with a recent day visit to his future college and preparing for his upcoming Latin Convention, it's a wonder we've had time to breath let alone shop for Prom.

But Prom night finally came last night and I got to play several roles including proud parent, florist, and photographer...

The florist came with the creation of my son's boutonniere and corsage for his date. Since her dress was aqua blue we went with fresh hydrangeas and small white orchids. I chose a selection of white feathers, stemmed pearls, and delicate white ribbon to add depth, whimsy and elegance. I'm sorry I didn't capture better close-ups but they were both happy with the end results and that's what matters most.

The photographer came into play when I captured a few shots of them before they headed off for dinner and the Prom.  I love the natural setting by the wall and how beautiful (and handsome) they all look.  It was such fun to see how proud (and nervous) they all were.

The proud parent comes into play through every step of the journey.  It's amazing to see the years blur by as you can't help but reminisce about where they've gone.  You think about your own prom, watch them grow in your mind's eye, and marvel at how they've arrived at this day. You feel this amazing combination of sadness for past years you can never get back, coupled with a heart full of joy for the futures that lay ahead of them.

I know this is just one of many steps along life's journey but what an amazing time we live in ~ that I can not only share it with my son, his friends, and our family but all of you as well.  I hope you're all making your own memories this weekend ~ whether it's watching a little one take steps or reminiscing about your own journey ~ life is filled with countless moments to be treasured.

Enjoy~

Thank You~

I just wanted to say thanks so much for all the supportive comments I received in followup to my "A Few Bad Apples" post.  It's easy to forget that we're really not alone in this crazy world and that if we're going through something, chances are a lot of others are too.

Sure it's disenchanting to hear about each other's trials, and some even make us feel our own woes are "less than", but I like to tell myself it's the friendship and support that brings us all together and that is the truest treasure of all.

So thanks so much to everyone!  You sure make this little corner of blogland a brighter place to be!

Best,

A Few Bad Apples

It's crazy how much time I've had to spend on copyright issues lately. I find the whole thing entirely exhausting and nothing can sap my creative juices faster.  Sadly this seems to have become a regular part of my work these days. From customers using blog banners for other purposes, to bloggers removing my logo from blog images ~ these type of issues just seem to be popping up everywhere.

Of course I'd rather be creating new imagery than writing messages filled with legal jargon. Explaining the do's and don'ts about using someone else's work isn't my idea of a fun time, but it seems a portion of the general public has suddenly become clueless on what's ok to do with other people's creations (!?).

The other part that's frustrating is that I truly like and want to keep things "upbeat" and "positive", so writing about this is not among my top choices for blogging topics. Still it is an aspect of running a business, and sadly negativity is part of this world we share, both online and off, so I guess it's bound to seep in every now and then. And since this little blog of mine is about the business I might as well use it to share all of it ~ the good and the not so.

So there's my little rant ~ which really wasn't much of one, but at least I've gotten it off my chest. I think that's a better approach than having to go the route of a "Wall of Shame" or some other random  thought that pops into my head during weaker moments of frustration.

Best,

Customer Shout Outs

Gee it feels like forever since I last wrote a customer shout-out. It's not that I haven't been swamped with work it just seems that so much of it has been related more to Helping Hands projects and helping customers set up their blogs.  The custom projects I've been working on have also taken longer lately as my creative envelope gets stretched further with each new theme.  Still, writing these shout-outs is always such fun because not only do I get to share some of my creative work but I get to introduce you to a great group of customers. So here's a smattering of some recent work and customers...

Snips and Threads

This theme took nearly a year ~ yes, it's tough to believe but some projects do take that long. We bounced a  lot of ideas back and forth and finally wound up with the perfect combination for this blog about quilting and other crafty projects.

Strange Vellum

This project was filled with fantastical imagery as we dove into the world of the macabre and supernatural.  The ogre was loads of fun to create as well as the other intricate details (note the swimming koi under spyglass) in this truly unique theme.
On a personal note, I feel bad as the customer took ill shortly after finishing the theme and hasn't had a chance to enjoy her blog yet.  I do hope she recovers quickly and am asking that you all send her some healing energy.

Crystal Tree

 This return customer was in need of an appointment card to coordinate with the business card I created for her a few months back so we wound up with this energizing set, just perfect for her Reiki sessions.

Glitter Tart Designs
This custom project involved creating two original images, the first was this social links bar with a vintage flair.  I chose to create what looks like a lovely piece of vintage jewelry to host her social networking links.

 The second piece was her custom blog badge which includes the customer's own artwork incorporated into some other images.

Green Witch with Sprinkles

I don't usually do shout outs for smaller image projects but this one was especially fun since we included one of her actual products in this custom post divider. It's always a challenge working with actual product images but the results can be so fantastic!


Oracle Reading by Kawehi
Language barriers can often prove a bit complicated and while several of my recent customers have not spoken English I thought I'd give a special shout out to this extended theme project.

 Kawehi began with one of my prefab themes and then selected to have me created a custom blog badge and coordinating business images including a business card and thank you card.  

She provide the text for her custom badge so her local visitors could understand and share.

So that's a sampling of some of the recent projects I've worked on ~ I do hope you'll take the time to click through some of the titles and images to discover some wonderful indie businesses and even make some new friends.  Meeting other bloggers and online indie venues is simply the best part of this online world we all share!

Enjoy~