-S

I signed up with Twitter months ago… but never really got into it. Lack of time I guess. I have not recently gained any extra time (LMK if you know how i can add about 5 hours to the day) but I realize that Twitter is a very powerful networking tool! So I thought I should get my butt in gear and start using Twitter. Follow me if you feel so inclined. And if you are one of my customers… hurry up and get yourself a Twitter account… you won’t regret it. See ya around Tweeps!

-S

First, the facts:

Yes, I have 7 kids
Yes, I am expecting number 8 in July 2009
Yes, I work a full time job (from home) during the day
Yes, we homeschool our children

So yeah, if you weren’t wondering ‘how does she do it?” before, I am sure you are now. So, how do i do it?? Well, it starts with the most amazing hubby. Seriously, he rocks. He works just as much as I do and helps out whenever he can. No worries though, I let him get some downtime here and there.

Funny thing about having (almost) 8 kids… the tend to keep themselves entertained. It’s like they have a constant playgroup going on. And if 2 are not getting along, they just split up and go play with another sibling. So, simply put, I do very much enjoy playing with my kids, but I also get some time to myself to do what I love.. Design.

I do work FT from home… as in 40 hours a week.. during the day. This is why you will find most of my email replies coming in the evenings and the wee hours of the morning. This is why I am usually not available to talk on the phone. But rest assured, i work on Sitesquared projects just as hard… and just as many hours… only during whacko hours! (eves, early morns, and weekends!)

And on top of all of that, we homeschool.. crazy right? Well, we cheat a little.. we have a teacher come to our house M-Th for 4 hours in the mornings. She makes sure the kids stay on track, etc and fields all the questions, etc. So, yes, we homeschool, BUT we have help!

A few other things…

I do not enjoy talking on the phone… unless it’s my mom or my hubby. Why you ask? B/c as you have probably figured out, i stay constantly busy… talking on the phone is just a major distraction and while I am a queen in the multi tasking department, this does not include while i am on the phone. Hehe.

When I am working on a project, I like to give it my full attention.. so communication through email is VERY important b/c i frequently reference emails for details, etc. Believe me, it is rarely quiet at my house, and I know that email is the way to go when it comes to details about a specific project.

Just because I work strange hours does not mean that I do not work hard on a project. Every project is unique… and while I provide an estimated timeline, this does not mean that in exactly that period of time. Sometimes it’s sooner and sometimes it’s a bit longer. I do not like to rush a project… that results in mediocre and like every project I do to be amazing!

So… there’s your glimpse… life in the studio at Sitesquared!

Happy Saturday!

-S

So, why did I port everything to Wordpress? Well, working in the design industry, I don’t have a lot of time to work on my own site. Before, I had my HTML pages that I would edit and upload when needed, my checkout system for design payments and Wordpress for my blog. It made sense to try and consolidate. So i installed an ecommerce plugin for design payments, and ported all my HTML pages to WP. It makes my life so much easier… and i can spend a bunch of time on customer sites. I also have to admit.. Wordpress has some amazing plugins.

Anyway.. still the same old me.. just some small updates here and there.

talk soon…
-S

Below we have a few examples of some amazing product photography. We made sure to choose from some of the amazing Boutique websites that Amy from Simply Creative and I have each designed. We hope you enjoy them!

Dabney Lee at Home
http://www.dabneyleeathome.com

Talk about amazing pictures. Creative positioning and excellent lighting. Absolutely wonderful presentation! These pictures certainly make you want to browse around and see what else she has to offer!

Crib Rock Couture
http://cribrockcouture.com

Tracy’s pictures are all very neat, clean, no distractions. Absolutely perfect for her website. Another excellent presentation.

Mama-La
http://www.mama-la.com

Amazing presentation here… another site with clean, neat pictures. (totally loving these stroller covers too!) The pictures are large enough to get a good feel for the products and complimentary to the site design.

Francie Pants
http://francie-pants.com

Here we have a website that sells the same product in several different colors/pattterns. They have a Virtual Dressing room using an illustrated girl to show you what the product looks like, then for the actual product photography, they have close up swatches. Perfect! You get a good look at the fabric choices and you can play a bit in the Virtual Dressing room if you want.

Urban Youngster
http://urbanyoungster.com

Check out these pictures! They have added a grungy urban frame around each of their pictures to match the look of their website! These pictures flow with the whole look and feel of their site.

Chatti Patti
http://chattipatti.com

A mixture of model shots and product only pictures here… perfect for her site. It’s nice sometimes to see clothing being worn if you have the right set up for pictures. All of these pictures are high key, using a pure white background. No shadows… the pics look awesome.

Oh Sew Adorable
http://www.ohsewadorable.com

Great model shots on this site! The kids are adorable, and you get a great feel for what you are buying.

Mamapatrice
http://mamapatrice.com

Talk about being transported into a Fairy Tale! Not only does Patrice make the most beautiful clothing, she also takes the most beautiful pictures. She spends a lot of time planning the picture, scene, etc around the outfit. Each picture makes you want to look at more!

Cherry on Top
http://cherrybows.com

Another excellent presentation. Crisp clean presentation of the products. Close up shots, so you know just what you are purchasing, and everything neatly displayed on their hang cards… great for branding!

Baby Petunia
http://babypetunia.com

The Baby Petunia team spends a lot of time making sure their pictures look good.
They stick with the clean white backgrounds for the most part as well. It really helps keep the site flowing!

Thanks for stopping by… hope you enjoyed the pictures.. pop by their websites to find some more great examples of excellent product photography.

-S