Procrastination - Self Appointed Expert

I could probably lecture on the finer points of procrastination - it's something I have mastered to the point of excellence.

Plans to sort out the jumble are now delayed until the weekend at the earliest so I actually have somewhere to put my newly organised chaos.

I am enabled in this feat by the acquisition of a husband and more recently a stepson whose presence has bought more 'stuff' and less space to store it! A solution is in the works but until that happens I find I'm just moving clutter from one space to another without actually accomplishing anything. Even the search for the medallions in my last post is suspended since I can't get into the attic where I suspect they are hiding - there is no room to bring down and secure the stairs to the aforementioned attic so for now that space is a desert island. Hopefully by the weekend that will be rectified and it will be full steam ahead.

In other news, I did take steps to remove one excuse for not getting on with my business. My digital camera refused to cooperate and would only function if actually plugged into the wall rather than relying on battery power so I was tethered by the length of the extension cord. That situation didn't lend itself to taking decent pictures of what I want to sell so I treated myself to a spiffy new camera (couch cushion economics be damned!) and there's now no excuse not to get busy. Of course, it could be well into the new year before I figure out how to work the thing and get photos uploaded.

And now

These medallion stickers (fashioned out of craft papers) have inspired me to get my butt in gear, strange but true! They are embellishments designed to adorn cards, packages, scrapbook pages and I was reminded today that last Christmas I bought them but never used them to make the decorations I planned. Problem is, as usual, I don't have the remotest idea where they are......in a box with a wealth of Christmas decorations, mixed in with the thousands of other stickers I have or.........honestly, I have no idea........

But, in the spirit of couch cushion crafting, I intend to find them rather than buy more. So, it's time to seriously attack the clutter and detritus and bring order....and hope I find them sooner rather than later.

This year, against all odds and breaking a tradition of last minute panic, I intend to be ready for the holidays as soon as Black Friday rolls around (a day when I refuse to leave the house) , and that includes decorations, several trees and the like. We are hosting a large but informal family gathering between Christmas and New Years and I plan on decorating every single surface and lighting up the house (on the inside at least) like an inferno! And no, for safety's sake there will be no candles lit, just strings of fairy lights wherever I can hang them.

So, it's November and the cleaning and de-cluttering begins...........

Wired...or not

This little doodad is now mine - one of the newfangled netbooks, you know, a laptop that fits in the glove compartment. It's part of my new 'plan' to get myself back on track and who knows, maybe even join the modern world - no matter how much I treasure all things vintage. I have been dragged kicking and screaming in the 21st century. Now, all I need is for the rest to arrive - a neat little gizmo that'll give me internet access 24/7 reagrdless of where I am. OK, so I may need a magnifying glass to use it (or at least make that appointment for an eye exam I've been putting off) but making the most of every moment seems key. Right now, with my sons not driving yet, I spend time in the car waiting and it seems pointless not to get busy somehow.

Now I just have to embrace all the possibilities...........Twitter seems a good place to start.

Scribbling

I have several blogs that I read with some regularity, one in particular, not because I have any interest in what they have to say or the day to day happenings they write about, but because they seem to have found a successful formula for branding and social marketing....in short, not so subtle (to me) selling themselves and their product to adoring sycophants under the guise of a daily journal about their lives.

One comes to mind as a perfect example (name withheld to avoid giving her even more traffic to her blog).

The premise is that of a single mother struggling to raise her son alone (if you look past the family support). Months, if not years, spent garnering sympathetic and loyal readers and then, being the cynic I am, the real purpose.........and the result.......an epic failure.

I strongly suspect it was all an effort to build a brand for herself and use her 'notoriety' in the blogging community; to translate it into a 'personality' that would generate enough income through advertising and endorsements so she wouldn't have to work a 9-5 job. In my mind, the scheme has backfired, but even now she is furiously backpedaling and trying to play victim as her grand plan founders.

Let's consider....the premise for her blog in the first place is no longer valid now that her dating exploits have given way to a committed relationship, so what could she possibly write about now that is juicy and interesting? Her schemes to generate traffic to her blog to attract advertisers don't seem to be working (readers often left hanging for the end of a story so they visit repeatedly in the hopes of reading the happy ending, in the process artificially inflating her traffic). The most recent of these devices - taking a week away from writing but promising to return with 'big news' - kept her loyal sheep repeatedly coming back and leaving ever increasingly impatient comments, until she came back and announced.............not an engagement as many had speculated but a new job, four short months after quitting her old one in an effort to be..in her words...a full time blogger....guess that didn't work out as planned.

In the interim she had been plugging an E-book she wrote about her life, as if a lot of people cared enough to pay $15 to download it - another failure, and selling (or least trying to) an overpriced jewellry collection supposedly she designed - as if her fanbase of single moms could reasonably afford such things! Lesson learned.....If you're going to whore yourself out in the hopes of selling things then at least consider your target demographic and keep the price point within their reach.

Latest turn is to play the 'poor me, people are picking on me' card. Supposedly a family member wrote a scathing email criticising her lifestyle and parenting skills and now she's second guessing whether writing about her life is such a good idea after all. Well, duh! You put yourself out there, that's what you get (and note the odd reader comment questioning her way of doing things has always been soundly pounded on by her simpering sycophant followers). Of course this is followed by a threat to close the blog for good.....personally I think this is just her way of exiting stage right without admitting her plan failed, and blaming someone else for her blog's demise. The truth is for all intents and purposes she is no longer a single mom 'doing it' on her own (if indeed she ever truly was) and she has nothing of interest to contribute any more and her hopes of raking in money and freebies have all but disappeared.

Cynical? Without a doubt , but some of the stunts she pulled in the hopes of increasing her readership were pretty transparent - and the hopes of translating her traffic into $ pretty clear. Even so though, I guess it helps on a resume - she did a job in marketing after all.

So, I need to get busy here I guess......what am I an expert on and what can I sell? well, all that comes to mind is being well versed in 'running with scissors", living an unconventional life, and I suppose now is the time to start branding and marketing my curiousities.

November

Time is passing so fast....November already, clocks turned back for an extra hour of precious sleep...or not, if you're an early riser like me. Instead, 60 more minutes to contemplate the universe..or at least my little piece of it. I really need to gather my ideas and get things on track.

I'm hoping the business will reflect my sense of eclectic eccentricity (flowery language for 'misfit'!). We talked of this yesterday and I was told they broke the mold when they made me......my response? no, there wasn't even a mold! I'm unconventional, living a blessed but strange life that hardly conforms to even the remotest definition of 'normal'......whatever that is ~~~~~I am comfortable with that notion so long as those who matter to me are accepting of it. What the rest of the world thinks is pretty much of no consequence.....live and let live, without judgment, so long as no-one gets hurt.

Variation on Halloween

So, here we are again.....Halloween already, although without the attendant chaos now that the kids are older and less inclined to dress up, let alone go trick or treating. We have assorted family members stopping by for a BBQ...yes, on halloween, in New Jersey, where it's damp, breezy but warm for the time of year. Of course, it should be noted that the forecast mentioned wet stuff later in the day, regardless of the fact it was already raining when we woke up...and yes, I checked online, and I guess they hadn't looked out the window...no mention of even the possibility of anything falling from the sky until 4pm soonest (I want their job - where else do you get paid for being completely wrong so much of the time?).

Anyhow, to dress up or not? The first answer was yes, but now, our gathering has dwindled to just a few guests but I suppose I still will. The idea is a variation on the outfit I wore for Victorian Day this year in Belvidere only with the addition of a rather snazzy witches hat and hoop underneath the skirt, just for the hell of it...........

Found Treasures

Proudly sharing one corner of my home that I especially like. It's a vignette composed mostly of things either gathered for free or ridiculously cheap prices and happily reflects my taste for now.

Pride of place is given to the 1920's wardrobe trunk snagged for $10 which displays various knick knacks including a collection of old Winnie the Pooh and Beatrix Potter books (bottom left) bought in pristine condition for less than $1 each from the used book store run by a local hospital (i love that place so, even though it's in an old draughty barn with no heat through the winter). Hanging on the rail is some delicate vintage lingerie which can best be described as a 'chemisette', opposite shelves holding smaller things like earrings, embroidered napkins (from days long gone when paper serviettes weren't invented), various gloves and my favorite....a pair of shoes with uppers that look like tapestry (which sadly are a touch too tight, even for my small feet). On the wall above is a rather large (and heavy) mirror with a delicious gilded frame that I bought for my now defunct retail store and one of the many bouquets of dried roses that I have hanging around the place.

The other focal point is the children's rocker, rescued from the curb before the garbage truck claimed it, refinished and now home to a favorite teddy bear who holds a vintage book entitled 'Gallery of Women'. I have every intention of taking the book, altering it and repurposing it as a photo album but for now it stays nestled in teddy's lap!