Other Dreams

I vacuumed today. Nothing unusual about that. What was unusual was I smelled what seemed to be the odor of burning rubber coming from my vacuum while vacuuming our bedroom.

I flipped the vacuum over to inspect the beater bar and discovered - to my horror - it was completely filled with hair. To be specific, my long hair was wrapped in layers around the beater bar prohibiting it from freely turning.

I had wondered in the past why it wasn't picking up as well as it could. But it didn't take long for me to cut the hair with scissors and pull wad after wad out of the brushes and from around the bar. The vacuum picks up like a champ now.

What's this got to do with dreams? Nothing, really... But I liken it to a semi-bad dream. Like a dream I have periodically when sleeping about not being able to find a class I enrolled in when I was in high school. I haven't been in high school since 1974! Or, I sometimes dream I have to go to the bathroom really bad then finally find a bathroom only to discover that it hasn't been cleaned and there's feces all over the rim and on the floor.

I sometimes forget to check things creating my own semi-bad dreams. Motor oil is another example I forget. Some may call it neglect but I honestly forget. Oh, I occasionally remember as I'm driving a long distance but I can't pull over on the highway to check it. What's the point? I don't have another bottle of oil in the trunk although I probably should keep a spare. Forgetting to check the oil causes me to worry (dream or imagine) my engine blowing.

One day my shoes seemed to small for my feet. The shoes hurt the end of my toes. I had forgotten to check my toe nails which had grown to such a length as to cause the pain. Gross? I don't think so but my brother, Jim, thought it was when I told the story.

I do a pretty good job of checking my face for over long eye brows, chin and nose hairs. (Sorry, girls but when you reach my age - mid-fifties - estrogen dips allowing testosterone to be more active.) But my close range eyesight isn't what it used to be and I managed to miss a hair. While inspecting my face in a mirror that magnifies out the wazoo, I saw what I thought to be a long hair from my head on my neck. I tried brushing it toward the back but it wouldn't budge so I pulled at it. The one inch long hair was actually attached to my neck. How could I have missed that? I missed it because my eyesight isn't what it once was and it was baby fine; nearly invisible.

These incidents make me wonder if I will now have bad dreams about overly long toe nails and hairs growing out of my neck.

More Dreams to Dream

I had an idea the other day since having removed the virus that continually redirected my computer to unwanted websites.

The idea came on the heels of reading an article about how to save money spent toward doctors and dentists. I'm in need of a hair cut and style. My long hair is the length of my back reaching to where my spine nearly ends. The lady across the street is a full time hair dresser at a swanky salon in downtown Lawrence.

I flagged her down one day when she got home during her lunch hour and asked if she did freelance work. Yes, she said, she does. I asked if she would consider an exchange; she cut and style my hair and I would clean her bathroom or any room she chose. She replied that she would think about it.

This got me to thinking about other things I could barter. I bartered house cleaning for a self-propelled lawn mower. Okay, it cost us $100 to have the fuel tank replaced after using it three or four times but we couldn't have gotten a self-propelled lawn mower for $100.

I'm going to dream up other barters for us. What a great way to get needed or wanted stuff!

Removing the Virus Cootie

It's been a horrific several days since my last post.

As you know, a virus infected my computer. After spending what seemed forever perusing help forums and downloading experts' free virus removal software recommendations, I was still infected.

Oh, the software was finding the viruses all right but I was continually getting infected visiting Google websites. I thought I was going to have to wipe my harddrive clean and begin afresh.

I backed up my entire C drive which took three discs until finally out of desperation I headed toward Microsoft (tm) who said to down load Windows Essentials; another free virus removal program. I did not want to wipe my harddrive.

I've had it on my computer for several days now. I didn't think it was going to get all the cooties that had invaded my computer. But - alas - it has! I have not had one problem today being redirected to another website.

If you're having problems, have a legit Window OS, head toward their site and download the Essentials and let it do its thing.

Infected with Trojan Virus - Redirects Computer

My computer got a cooty, a virus that irritatingly redirects my computer to another website other than the one I chose.

I have a feeling I know where the infection occurred. I mean, I don't remember the name of the website but I do remember what I was doing when it happened and what the website looked like.

I was innocently looking for a particular piece of music and clicked on a link which took me to the source. Once I had clicked through looking for the piece, wham! I was struck. I spent the better part of yesterday working to rid my computer of the nasty infection.

I did a search using the words "spy ware redirects my computer". Sure enough, many... MANY others were having the same problem. I ended up at a website called Techspot.com. They were extremely helpful; had already posted steps to take to (hopefully) remove the virus.

My computer still isn't right and I still have work to do in order to get rid of the pesky bug but I do want to take a moment to thank those kind people at Techspot.com. Without helpful people and free spy ware removal programs, people like me would be would be wiping our hard drives which - if anyone has ever done it - is a pain in the behind.

If your computer has been infected with this Trojan virus visit http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic58138.html. Hopefully, this will help.

Finding Inspiration in the House & Copyrights

I look around the house for things to scan to use in my candy wrapper designs.

I've scanned things like western place mats, old family pictures, bits of lace from my grandmother's handkerchiefs and even part of a sand painting. Of course, with things like the place mat and the sand painting I have to alter them as to not infringe on the copyrights of the piece.

This has been done in advertising through the ages. But it doesn't stop with advertising. Songs writers get inspiration from other songs, alter and change one up. Writers get inspired by other writings; use ideas and change them up. It's against the law to use another's work in verbatim and with its (basic) inception, the copyright begins. That's not technically true but it's something I try and live by.

Were I to come up with an idea and voice it someone before I even have it on paper I would be pretty upset if they used my idea. If they had asked if they could use my idea I might say yes. This would give them permission. I might put restrictions on their use of my idea.

However, the moment my idea is on paper it is copyrighted. Usage of other people's work without their permission is a no-no. That is to say unless they have given specific permission and have given specific instructions on how the piece can be used.

There are many clipart artists out there who do just that. Yet there are many artists who merely ask that you provide a link on your website to their website. Others will ask you to simply give them credit.

It's touchy and it's tricky. But if you understand their rights as well as your own, you should be okay. It's just a matter of a little research and reading.

Plodding Toward the Dream

Below: A jar label I designed for my husband's Pico de Gallo. Did I mention he's a wonderful cook?

Getting organized, having enough in my portfolio to show and keeping the website updated all takes time. In order to sell my goods - for that matter - anyone who has goods to sell has to have the goods. It's not any good to walk in to a place cold calling and tell them about your wonderful product if you don't have anything to show. Or that you have a website but there are very few items on it to look at.

Not only do I need a portfolio of designs but I need - as well - samples, lots of wrapped samples. All the candy bar wrappers simply show better if they're wrapped around something. Because I don't want to carry around chocolate bars I cut out cardboard fakes. Yes, they are fake but they show off the product and the customer gets a grand idea of how the end product will look.

And I have to have pages of clipart. Pages and pages of clip art. Although it's easy enough to print out all of these necessities, it's still time consuming and the printer wants ink. Lots of ink. I also have to do a lot of cutting out of things. Then there's the gluing or taping to make the end result look professional.

It all takes time and I'm an impatient person. I want to get out there to begin showing my stuff. I also want to get all the "no" responses behind me. But I've had enough experience - life experience - to know it does no good to get impatient. I know that if I keep plodding forward - as slow as it may be - I will eventually be on the road stopping into places and marketing my candy wrappers.

Sometimes it's just a slow process to see out a dream.

To Dream or Do Chores...

Yesterday's day off was not entirely without some work. I'm still cleaning places that haven't seen a dust rag or cleaning solution for years. That's what happens if you work full time and don't want to spend time off working more.

I'm back at work designing more wrappers this morning and managed to come up with a couple of wedding designs. But with Valentines Day looming just a little over a month away, I feel driven to continue designing Valentine wrappers.

Along with designing, maintaining cleanliness in the house, feeding the dog, supervising ferrets during their release from cages for play time, and feeding guinea pigs I have taken on additional tasks. While my mother and father enjoy a lengthy vacation in Texas, I receive and pay their bills. This is not without problems. It seems the electronic payment I made through the bank has not yet been received by the recipient. Of course it's Daddy's credit card bill. They use this credit card almost exclusively for purchases. The bank tells me it could be another two days before the company receives the check.

I also promised my husband I would look into medical insurance for him. He got a new job in October that doesn't offer insurance. Instead they pay him insurance allowance. I am not looking forward to this. I hate insurance companies and their personnel. I can never truly understand what they're talking about.

Let's see... Do I want to continue designing or do I want to begin calling health insurance companies? Gee, I think I need more Valentine wrappers.

Take a Day Off

Left: Zinnia I grew in my garden the summer of 2009
I've been working steadily for two weeks cleaning in spots that haven't seen daylight in years; re-arranging congested rooms too small to hold the stuff we have; designing, designing, and designing candy wrappers.

However, today I decided to take a day off. When I held a full time job I often had many unused sick days. I never got sick! So, I would use them as mental health days.

"I've got a crappy mental 'tude. I'm taking a day off!" I sometimes told the managing editor who understood and knew I hadn't had a day off in quite some time.

Today I decided to take a mental health day and make old fashioned, homemade fudge. It's setting to harden enough to eat as I type. What better joy is there than to lick the pot the fudge was boiled in? I sat in my recliner with the large pot in my lap while alternating a spatula and soup spoon to scoop and dig out the yummies.

Ah, the taste of chocolate! But it wasn't just chocolate, you see. I included Mexican spiced chocolate and zest from an orange. By the time I finished I had chocolate on the front of my sweatshirt but hardly any remnant of remains in the pan. Such sweet delight...

I put the pan into the dishwater to soak then went into the bathroom. As I stood gazing into the medicine cabinet mirror while washing my hands I noted a mole on my chin.

"What the... Egads!" I think to myself. I grabbed up the super-duper magnifying mirror brother Jim says is scary because you can see stuff in and on your face you can't normally see just looking in a regular mirror.

"Lord, am I going to have a witch mole on my chin now?" I silently lament toward Heaven. "DOH! You goof-ball, it's chocolate!"

Wonder if that pan of fudge is ready to eat?

Getting the Ball Rolling

I finished up a few more designs for kid's Valentines, attached a couple to an email that I have begun emailing to my friends and family.

The message was a simple request to order some wrappers or refer me to someone they may know who needs something unique to give.

It's all about networking. To get known, networking is one of the most popular yet simple ways of doing so.

Yet so many won't. The reason - I believe - is the feeling of taking advantage or being rejected. No, it's not taking advantage because family and friends want to help. Wouldn't you want to help family or friends? You deserve just as much as they.

Rejection: Nobody likes it but it's part of sales. Look at it this way, the more "no" responses you put behind you the sooner a "yes" response will follow. It's all about the numbers. It's all about the amount of contacts you make. So, get those "no" responses behind you and don't bother trying to resell them.

Every company I contacted while I was selling coffee products here in Lawrence told me "no". I decided that was perfectly fine and took my products elsewhere; took my products to another market outside of Lawrence. Lo and behold, I began getting "yes" responses.

This tactic is good for anything you are marketing including yourself.

And remember, you are the only one who can get the ball rolling.

Marketing a Dream... at some point

I'm still working on personalized candy bar wrappers for Valentines Day to put into my portfolio. Once I add a few children themed designs I'll be ready to rock and roll.

There was a frenzy of work the past two days here at the computer as I worked designs until I realized, "I can't really go any where. There's fricking a foot and a half of snow out there! The roads will be a mess and dangerous to boot!" Why, I had to shovel snow just to get to my car to run a short-distance errand and even then I could only shovel the six inch top layer. There's still another six inches beneath.

What's the next best thing? All the contacts in my email address book. Most of my contacts are out of state but there isn't any reason why I can't promote the candy wrappers through email. I will attach a couple of samples and direct everyone to my website. Shoot, maybe I'll even give some away.

The Bad Dreams

I don't want all of my dreams to come true. Those infrequent bad dreams I have while I sleep I would just as soon forget.

Two nights ago, I dreamt John, my husband, ordered me to get back to work. He didn't simply order me, he screamed at me to get back to work. You would have to know John to know that he would never do that. He might quietly suggest I go back to work. Or he might point out a job suited to me. More than likely he would say nothing.

But that dream haunted me throughout the day. I heard his loud, demanding voice which really was nothing more than my own guilt hollering at me to find some way to help with financial income. Naturally, I set about working to ignore the voice in my head and sat in front of the computer working on custom candy bar wrappers.

This helped tremendously as I felt I was doing something toward my candy wrapping business. The two wrappers I designed I posted to my website: Miller's Wrapped Expression. Once I completed that I worked to find ways to get the crud out of the textured linoleum in our kitchen since vinegar and water wasn't doing the trick.

Know what did? Greased Lightning (TM) did it. The floor now looks really clean. I held the nearly empty bottle eye level working to come up with another use for it. Sure enough, with bottle and rag in hand I cleaned dirty smudges and finger prints from the doors in the house.

Now I'm out of Greased Lightning (TM) and have to go out today in the bitter winter cold (it's minus one as I type) to buy more. This also means I will have to shovel the end of the driveway so my small car won't get high centered leaving me stuck half way in the street.

But I managed to quiet that stupid voice in my head yesterday!

Building Inventory of Dreams

Rather than spending the day creating faux candy bars out of cardboard to wrap in custom Valentine Day wrappers for samples, I found myself imagining and creating egg shell Valentine votive holders. Before I knew it, the day had passed and it was time to feed, walk the dog, prepare guinea pig salad and let out my boys (ferrets), Ponc and Poncho.

Well, I did manage to print a few custom wrappers out but that was it. I was consumed with the egg shell designs and searching the house for something out of which to make stands for them.

I did finally find a nice thick cardboard tube from a roll of aluminum foil. I measured and marked around the perimeter then using a serrated knife cut them to a decent length. I wrapped some with glittering gold ribbon, some I simply painted with black acrylic and added polka dots. Later I will seal them with Mod Podge (TM) which will also make them shine.

Mod Podge (TM) is what I use to seal the egg shells. After painting the designs with acrylic paint I use the Mod Podge (TM) again to give them a glossy look.

I don't particularly like to spend money on craft supplies unless I absolutely have to. I'm a huge fan of turning the house upside down looking for materials to reuse, recycle. I suggested to my husband, John, I'd like to have some copper wire because I like the looks of it.

Did you know that cables for the TV and stereo contain a core of copper wire? John knew this and because he loves to save money just as much as I gave me this bit of information.

Yesterday, not only did I design and paint egg shells but I striped unused cable wire down to the copper wire core. After measuring and bending the wire into circles, I glued them onto the seed beads around the rim of the shell.

I also used the wire to bend into heart shapes which hang on the rim wire used to somewhat conceal the ragged shell edge. All that remains to do to them is add a wick, melt and pour wax.

Pictures will be added to my portfolio of candy wrappers. You never can tell. Someone just might want to buy one!

Latest Creation

I thought I had an original idea but come to find out - after searching on the Internet for something - my idea wasn't original.

I had taken discarded egg shells and made votive candles out of them. But first I sealed the shells then painted them with acrylic paints. After inserting wicks, melting and pouring the wax into the shells, I let them rest and waited impatiently for the wax to harden.

I was finally able to light them and was happily surprised to see the shell color glow with the acrylic colors. I won't let the fact that the idea wasn't original stop me from marketing them (along with the personalized custom candy bar wrappers I have created) to gift shops. If they will allow me, I will leave samples for their customers as well as my business cards. Retailers love freebies to give out so there shouldn't be any problems in placing the samples.


Now whether or not consumers will find the egg shell votives and candy wrappers worthy of purchase is the question yet to be answered. But my marketing experience tells me the more I place the better chance of someone buying one or the other or both. After all, it's all about the numbers. The more people or businesses you introduce yourself to the better of success.

With that, I need to finish up all my votive samples I have created for Valentines Day along with my portfolio of candy bar wrappers.

Start Dreaming

What is it you want to do? What would you like to spend the rest of your life producing? You don't know? You mean you have nothing you enjoy doing?

Well, that's a challenge, isn't it? It's not easy to take a step back to analyze yourself to determine that one exciting-beyond-measure-goal. And, if you do know; have decided what it is you'd like to spend the remainder of your life producing, creating, living, doubt popped up its ugly head convincing you there is no way to attain the desire.

It's common. That happens more than it should and it's a crying shame to be stopped by your own brain. I can not tell you how many times I have mentally flogged my brain for its doubt; how many times I mentally screamed at it to shut up. In the end, I find that if I simply ignore it to continue forward, the action of moving forward in itself takes care of nagging, negative thoughts. This may or may not work for you. All I know is it works for me.

In my early years, I was a bookkeeper working under the thumbs of self-important office managers. It was back in the day when having five minutes of fun - despite how productive we had been - was frowned upon. Admonishment would follow then (my) self-esteem plummeted after initial anger at being called out for having a wee bit of fun.

That's what drove me to find that which I wanted to do as a career. I couldn't stand the thought of working for the sake of work. Why do that? So, I went to a seminar designed to help individuals decide what career best suited them. I was given a test which determined that I'm very artistic. Okay, so what? I asked my classmates what I should do with the information. They concluded I should pursue Commercial Art. That's exactly what I did. I enrolled in a Junior College and began taking classes.

How simple does that sound? I can hardly believe the act of enrolling in a career seminar led me down the path, through open doors of employers looking for layout and graphic artists then finally Operations Manager of a publishing company.

I know I repeat myself but I can not help it. I feel so fortunate to have done exactly what I set out to do. I pat myself on the back for having the courage to dream the impossible.