Okay, we admit it..we're guilty as charged...we are blog evaders. We have been really horrible about the up keep on this blog with posts lately and we apologize. Not only has our blog suffered but our spring & summer collection has suffered the same fate.
So what's going on you might ask? Well lots.....
When we started Swirly Designs it was just Lianne and myself spending a few nights and weekends here and there working on these fun ornaments for Christmas, and maybe doing a few craft shows...BUT we were still working our full time jobs—Lianne's design job and my illustration work—and it was just the two of us.
Jump to present day....we're still juggling the jobs and now we've added two kids to the mix. We don't have the luxury of daycare or nannies, so I have assumed the role of stay at home dad for now. We've also moved into a new house, well new to us, it's actually a 150 year old house!
Let's just say that the last few months have been difficult with trying to create 5 new ornament collections a year, website upkeep, booking shows, getting PR for Swirly, ordering supplies...I am going to stop here my head is spinning just writing this!!
Yes, I know what you're thinking...this is our world and we created it...suck it up and just do it! With us being two self proclaimed micro managers and wanting/needing to do it all ourselves we realize we've brought most of this on ourselves. Don't get us wrong, we love what we do and we aren't complaining, but we are slowly overcoming these hurdles and trying to find the perfect balance for everything and everyone.
At dinner recently I proclaimed to the family that I wanted the world to stop for a bit so we could all catch up. Even our 5 year old understood this simple statement, and agreed. Is that too much to ask??
So the point of all this is that we are still working away on a new collection for Halloween and Christmas for this coming season. We have lots of exciting marketing coming up too, so stay tuned!
I hope that you all enjoy Father's Day this weekend, I know I will relish all that I have and hope that I can catch up with life!
P.S. Check out my contribution to our friends new blog
The Papa Post, in honor of Father's Day. (scroll down to see my post and a few funny pictures)
-Paul
We mention a few weeks ago that Matthew Mead will be coming out with a new Holiday magazine in 2010.
A while back we were approached from a fellow tweeter from twitter who has an online shop called My Shopping Connection, which is an online Galleria filled with unique and interesting product finds. They locate small businesses offering quality merchandise and showcase a few of their finest offerings in a "Our Finds."
Over the weekend we got a nice shout out from one of our favorite sites that we visit called Everyday House Blend. It's a site dedicated for everything you ever wanted to know about Martha Stewart Omnimedia (we don't know if it has any official connection with the company but if you want to know about special MSO products hitting the market, events, or just to view the new magazine covers before they hit the newsstands... they have it first). An off shoot of that site is the Friends of Martha Blog Network. A place where you can network with other creative bloggers. We are this month's spotlight, with a cute little write up. Check it out here or click the image to read.
