It’s still raining here as it is around most of north America it seems. It rained all day yesterday and through the night and I am beginning to wonder if we are going to have a white Christmas after all. I suppose that makes most people happy, but I would much prefer the white stuff to cold, wet rain.
So what else is new?
I received the other five boxes of my shipment yesterday and once again marveled at the waste. The combination of both boxes and packaging materials that were used for just a handful of small items once again astonished me. Whether it was to save costs in the long run, or whatever other possible reason, it was still a huge waste of resources. I suppose that my only consolation was that I intend to reuse the boxes as well as the packaging for future shipments.
I used to be teased when saving not only the boxes but also the packaging materials from shipments I received, but I honestly can’t remember when the last time was that I needed to purchase packaging supplies. Those huge wads of thick paper fold completely flat and if you take the time to flatten them and re-roll them, they actually take up only a very small amount of space. I also fold the boxes themselves flat and they store very neatly behind the dressers in the bedroom. I always feel good to have a nice variety on hand because I am always shipping out something. It comes in handy.
I spent the rest of the day working on my gifts and then doing some much needed catching up on book work. With the end of the year quickly approaching, I want to be prepared with all of my figures that I will need to have to calculate my taxes. While I haven’t been perfect about keeping up with things, I have done far better this year than in previous years, and for the most part I have kept up pretty well with posting my receipts. It is however time once again to spend a couple of hours and catch up with the past few weeks of expenses, and I will be right back on top of it again. As the business grows, I am happy that I have been getting somewhat into the habit of regularly posting things and keeping records up to date. It wasn’t always like that, as I would frequently wait until the end of the year to do so. But as the business gets larger, doing things at the end of the year only is quite a daunting task and I find it far preferable to keep up throughout the year. A little work now and then makes a huge difference in the end.
I also needed to submit my projects to DecoArt for my endorsements. DecoArt has a wonderful program called the Helping Artist Program which not only provides a great deal of information on the wide variety of products that they carry, but also compensates designers for using their products in their publications. I have been in the program for over fifteen years now and as most of you who read realize, I truly love their products and use them frequently in my designing. They are reasonably priced, easy to obtain and most importantly high quality. I love the variety of paints and mediums that they carry too, as they have such a wide array of specialty products and paints that are very versatile with all types of painting.
Today I am going to work on my email. There is much in my mail box that needs attending. As was noted yesterday, it is nearly impossible for me to keep up with things as they arrive. Of course the orders and questions from customers are attended to immediately, but there are lots of other things that aren’t urgent and simply need to wait. Otherwise I would do nothing but that for the day. Sometimes that is exactly what it turns out to be.
I hope to get back to actually drawing and designing soon. I feel as if my time away has been productive, and the absence from drawing causes me to miss it even more. I am getting there though, and soon I will be heading in some new directions that will bring excitement to my day. This short time away is needed, and with Christmas in just a few days, I still have several things that I have to complete for my own friends and family. Being able to take my time and enjoy the day makes a big difference and I am glad that I am doing things this way.
I wish you all a good day today. Hopefully at some point this rain will change to snow. Until then, we will take it as it comes. Rainy days always seem to bet great days to stay in and accomplish something.
Happy Wednesday.