I Can’t Find a Darn Thing!

First, sorry for the long lapses between posts.  I’ve returned to work and LIFE has gotten in the way of my blogging.  Well, LIFE, Swaps, Family, you name it, it’s parked it’s rear in front of me.

Okay, so here’s my question.  How in the world do you organize your digital images so you can find what you are looking for (or might need)?

I have TONS of images stored on my computer, in some semblance of order.  However, when I’m designing an ATC, Tag, Inchie, whatever, I can NEVER seem to find what I’m looking for.

We aren’t talking looking for specific pictures here, but ones in general.  See, I may need a background, a foreground, words, images of people, images of inanimate objects, etc.  But when I go to my trusty laptop, I draw a blank.  I guess what I’m saying is, “IS THERE ANY WAY TO CATALOG THESE DARN IMAGES”.

I’m begging, pleading, cajoling, down on hands and knees asking if anyone knows a good way to handle this. 

I tried printing thumbnails of the files.  You guessed it!  The MINUTE I get ONE file printed, I add another image.  AAAARRRGGHHH!

 

So HELP!  PLEASE!

 

I Know I’ve Been Absent…..Again

Okay, I went MIA.  This time, it was for Carpal Tunnel surgery on my right hand.  I’m still recovering and since typing is slightly painful, I’ll keep this short and sweet.
For all of you who have hung around here through thick and thin (lately, a LOT of thin!), here’s a nice Halloween postcard print for you.

Hopefully, I uploaded it correctly and you can view and download by first clicking on the image then right click and choose Save As.

I Must Be Out of My Mind

Warning:  Few Pictures and Lots of Rambling!
Okay, ever had one of those “What in the he** have I just done” moments?  One that gives you anxiety attacks and keeps you up at night?  Well, I think I had mine today.
All I did was open a business account at my bank.  Yep, that’s it.  However, that’s the elephant everything else is hiding behind.
I now have a Federal Tax ID, a State Tax ID, and am in the process of getting a Parish Tax ID & Occupational License.  Have a lost my ever-lovin’ mind?  I think I have.
This means I have to file State sales taxes every month (well for six months until the State sees I’m doing less than $500 a month in sales tax fees, then it goes quarterly) or be fined & I also have to file “occasionally” with the Parish (whatever OCCASIONALLY means).
I now need a website/on-line store & email address.  “Official” ones.  Not an online store where I’m selling my personal odds & ends.  One were I’m actually selling a product I have purchased wholesale, tax-free, and with the sole intention of reselling for profit. 

I now need suppliers.

I now need RECORDKEEPING – AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!

And did I mention, I have a 40 HOUR PER WEEK JOB!!!!!
Yes, on top of this Sole Proprietorship I’m starting, I work full-time.  Weekends are devoted to playing around with my hobbies, spending time with my family, and trying to get my business started.
I set November 1st as my official anticipated start date of doing business, at least for State tax purposes.  If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I’ve been a vendor at an antique mall since July.  However, the owner of that mall collects and pays all sales tax for me.   No worries there as I am an “employee” for tax-keeping purposes. 
BUT, I have to file that income on my personal income tax return.

SO, to offset that additional, no-tax-withheld income, I need to file expenses.  Ergo, I’m a business.  I have income and expenses.  Therefore, I need a method of keeping up with everything, therefore I need a checking account, and a “official” business.  What a viscous cycle – and I WANTED this!  That’s the why of all the tax ids I now have.  WARNING:  It starts small and then EXPLODES on you.  All because I wanted I little “vintage” business & maybe a little “craft supply” business. 
So, all THAT necessitated the above mentioned Business Checking Account at my bank.  Which started this entire “I’m out of my every-lovin’ mind” mess.
All this for a business that doesn’t even have a net worth!  I’m doing this for zero dollars and am in the hole now.
Oh, and did I mention that while my official start date is November 1, I’m having carpal tunnel surgery in a week, basically incapacitating my right hand for 6 weeks and when that is healed I’m having the same thing done to my left hand?   So I will be virtually useless for 12 weeks.  How can you sort & stock incoming supplies and mail outgoing orders if you are limited to one hand?  Ain’t happening.
So it boils down to this:  Yeah, I AM crazy & out of my mind.  Wish me luck!
Wonder if it’s too late to stop the entire mess.  I’ll pray on it – really.  It’s going into God’s hands (as fast and as hard as I can give it up to HIM).  Say a prayer for me please.  I have no clue what I’m doing.

PS.  If anyone can offer direction, sympathy, etc., it would be GRATEFULLY appreciated.  I can't be the only one that has ever felt this way.

The Seven Deadly Sins ATC Swap–Gluttony

The next swap I’m participating in is a continuation of the Seven Deadly Sins swap on Swap-Bot.  The theme this time is Gluttony.  Easy huh, just like the Lust ATC huh? 

NO!  Neither one was easy.  Sounds easy though, right?  And Gluttony, well everyone knows what that is, so should be easy to find clippies to use.  Well, it was a middling hard hunt.  Just so hard to find what I was looking for.  To top it off, I’ve been “blocked” for the last week or so. 

My artistic abilities aren’t firing on all cylinders and now I’ve committed myself to doing not only the Seven Deadly Sins, but I also have a BIG Christmas ATC swap in November, a Tag Swap in November, and both ATC & Inchie swaps due in December.

But, back to this card.  So, ready to see what I sort of came up with?  I say sort of because this is my digital card, not a picture of what the actual card will look like when it’s finished.

Yeah, it’s missing something (& there’s a big copyright symbol in the middle LOL).  That’s why I like to draft it out in Photoshop (love-hate relationship there) to see how it will look and what kind of tweaking needs to be done. 

Maybe tomorrow, I’ll be more “on” with my artistic abilities and be able to come up with something.  Wish me luck!