Time For A Catch Up

So I realised that I haven't posted to this blog in a while, but I'm back now and staying for good! I've sorted myself out with a diary with planned days for updating this blog, so you'll be hearing from me regularly now! 

So much has happened since I first made this blog. For starters, Alfie has grown. LOTS. He's 4 months now, and has been on his official first walk (he got very muddy), and has really come into his own.

But we'll get to that another time, for now I want to update you on, well everything.

I've made a Facebook page for The Paper Maid (as many of you have already guessed, if not, you can find it here) but I actually have likers. You know what that means right? People. Yep! Real people, liking and checking out my page when I post my late night ramblings while cutting out tiny letters...People!

Speaking of people, I've had quite a few orders too! I honestly didn't expect to get any custom for a while considering that there's so many wonderfully talented paper-cutters already but I'm so grateful that I have. *Happy dance*

My business cards have been made too, which means that any person who asks or orders from me or even just knows me has been given one!! My lovely uncle who works for a printing company printed them for me after I was happy with how I designed it.

I've got quite a few more orders to do before the month is up, so I better get back to it. How has everyone else's month gone?

                       

Tweaking and Twerking Logo's

I knew even before I left my previous work place that I wanted to live that dream. You know which one I'm talking about, the one where you work for yourself and live happily ever after. Be it opening a small Bakery, training and becoming a mobile dog groomers or like me, crafting. It's not all peaches and cream 24/7, you have to work full time to make it happen and watch as people will doubt you every step of the way.

So it's time to pick ourselves up and start making things happen instead of just imagining them.

But first, it's time to 'imagine' a name and a logo for my baby business. Should be easy right? Yeah, I thought so too. I knew that I wanted it to reflect who I am and what I do but I didn't want it sounding childish. Heading onto the interwebs I searched for articles on naming business', what to do and what not to, how to inspire yourself and how to get inspiration. 

'The Red Paper', 'Paper Love' and 'Paper Parrot' all made it into my top 3 but none were quite right. Paper Parrot sounded too much like the wonderful Paper Panda (check out her papercuts, they're out of this world!) Paper Love turned out to be an e-course and The Red Paper just didn't click. I came up with The Paper Maid after thinking of using The Paper Lady and googleing other words for Lady.

Thank God for maids eh?!

Right, so we have a name right? Now I need a logo. Originally I was going to use the beautiful pre-made logo's from Mia Charro and was pleasently surprised when all the elements came neatly arranged so you can make your own. (It does say that it does, but I was too excited that I didn't read it and just clicked 'buy'.)

I was so overwhelmed with all the beautiful flowers and feathers there were that I didn't really have a design to work from, I just wanted to use as much as possible to make it as pretty as possible. No matter where I placed that leaf or layered those flowers nothing was working, and I was quickly beginning to doubt the whole thing.

So I went back to square one. I moved away from the computer and grabbed a notebook and a pencil and began doodling. I set myself a time of 10 minutes to draw and then I would look and decide what to develop further.

Can you see it? Hint: she's on the left! I really liked a little pixie face that I'd doodled, so much that I quickly booted up the computer and set up the drawing tablet in Illustrator.

I decided to start off with the same design but with some differences and then branch off from there. I began drawing with the pencil tool, (I have no idea if this is the correct way to draw in Illustrator, but it's how I prefer to) and then used the live bucket tool to fill in anything that needed colour. After adding and removing certain aspects such as skin and eyebrows and then changing the eyes from being open to closed and smiling, I was left with 8 varying designs.

Cute isn't she? I asked for feedback from my partner who is a multimedia designer so is used to giving constructive criticism and occasionally, logo design. He really liked the idea of using negative space such as numbers 2, 3, 7 & 8, but also really liked the skin version too. Ok, so he likes both? Useful? Yes, because he likes it. Alot.

Next stage: tweaking. No not twerking. I developed them further, adding in elements from Mia Charro's download but less full on. Instead I used only the flowers and rationed myself to one per design which helped keep it classy and uncluttered.

It was finally coming together. I'd decided to use the font Lane Narrow for the thin lettering and Rochester for the word 'paper'; Both are free fonts that I downloaded from Font Squirrel. After asking again, we both decided that they both worked well and it was down to personal preference; that and that the mustard flower was the cutest. I also added in some shadows to see what that would look like for some of them.

I muted down the hair colour since my hair isn't that vibrant, and I think it looks a lot better for it. Now that I had four final designs I asked family members as well as friends for their opinions and which one they preferred as a logo. Some voted for C, but most voted for B; both of which had the flowers.

I decided that I preferred the design with skin as I thought that it was a bit more versatile with expression. For example, if I ever wanted to get stickers printed for packaging I could order different expressions to 'mix it up' so to speak. For example...

Both are the same logo, just a different expression. Have any of you tried your hand at making your own logo? Or perhaps you're starting your own business or just love crafting? Let me know!

 

Why I Quit My Job With Only An Idea And It Felt Great

I'm usually very careful about what I do; I make impulsive decisions, (by which I mean that I've spent at least a week talking myself around in a circle), try on at least 5 different outfits before deciding on the very first one, order from the same Chinese place and yes, I know my make-up was fine before but that eye's eyeliner was just a millimeter thicker than the other side. I don't like confrontations, I don't like small talk with people you get abandoned with at parties, and I despise the taste of tea.

 I could go on, but you're probably wondering why I'm getting off tangent and what this all all bout huh?

 To put it bluntly, I don't like not knowing, and the thought of the future scares me as it is. Which is why when someone suggested that I quit my job I was surprised to feel relieved and excited. Without another job lined up, I debated it for what seemed like forever. The thoughts of not having a monthly income was enough to make me start hyperventilating, let alone the idea that I just wouldn't be working.

Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

My limit had been reached, and if I'd listened to what people had been telling me for a long time I might have quit a long time ago. As the days where I came home and broke down became more and more frequent, and the weekly panic attacks became daily, I knew that I'd had enough.

Waking up on the day that I'd decided would be the last, I began to worry and put it off. I kept finding little things to mess with, things to tidy and clean...I was so nervous. I could feel a panic attack coming just from thinking about what they were going to say at work; would they hate me? Would they think I'm stupid? What if they don't let me leave? 

The days crept by, and I didn't tell anyone until the notice was handed in, that way there could be no gossiping or people trying to talk me out of it. Saying my goodbyes, I began to worry and fret over whether I'd made the right decision and whether I'd regret leaving. But being only 20 without any commitments and a fair amount of money saved up I decided that for once I wouldn't doubt myself and just go with it. 

I began playing it over in my head, thinking about what it felt like walking out of there knowing that what had been done couldn't be undone. I'd been looking for another job for months, and having decided to leave a job where I saw no future I decided to not jump right into another one.

Instead, I decided to try doing what I love; crafting and design.

There are a lot of people, some close to me and some who don't know me at all, who think that I'm foolish for not going to college or university to get a degree to get a 'proper job'. But the way I see it is that now I do have a proper job. I don't feel ashamed to tell people about what I do any more, I don't have panic attacks from stress and I can honestly say that I've slept better recently than I have in a long time.

I don't know what the future holds, and I don't know how successful The Paper Maid will be, but I'd rather say that I tried and failed than wake up 20 years from now in a job I don't want to be in, wondering 'what if?'. 

So this is me, Charlie, a quiet girl from a small city who loves dogs and reading, who is British but doesn't like tea, trying to make her way in life doing what she loves best.