Motivation Problems

It's been a few months since I've posted to this blog. I'm having serious motivational issues. There is so much to do...and 95% of it is tedious and boring. Focusing on the business aspect of my Zazzling has really sucked the fun out of what I'm trying to do! This summer has not been a good season to be trying to squeeze in massive amounts of designing, site updates, and a total site transfer, not to mention several time-consuming freelance projects. The freelance projects have been fun and educational, and will hopefully pay off one day as a great addition to my portfolio....but every time I get into my Zazzle groove something knocks me out of it.

Do I always sound this whiny? Rereading what I just wrote, I come off pretty pathetic. It's time to put up or shut up. Well, maybe I shouldn't shut up, because then I wouldn't have a blog, but you know what I mean. I'm just in a funk. I had so many goals for my stores by this time of the year, and now the holiday season is looming and frankly I'm starting to panic just a bit. So here are some of my unaccomplished goals. We'll see what I can get done in the next few months:

• Figure out some graceful way to keep my old Mug USA products with ratings without spamming the marketplace, migrate most of those products to the Phete First store, and still maintain the Mug USA store in some sort of capacity. If I didn't have a conscience, I would just duplicate the products and be done...but I don't want to be that person. Every one else is doing it, though, maybe I should too. That's A LOT of products...
  
• The fall holidays will be here before I know it...Halloween, Thanksgiving, Autumn in general...and I have nothing designed, no ideas, no time to create!
  
• My PFG domain needs to catch up with my Zazzle store. I still have 4 state designs that don't exist on the PFG site yet. Which leads to my next point...
• Integrate the Zazzle Store builder function into my PFG domain. Yes, I've already done all that html coding....but now I know php a little better, and theoretically this would help drive my own traffic. I guess. I may have to backburner this.
• I have an idea for a new homepage design (don't know if I can get it to work on Zazzle since it involves javascript and cycling images) that gets more info and more product ideas in front of viewers higher up on the page. I got a good start with the new sidebar/header, but stopped.
• Christmas. It's too soon to think about Christmas and New Year's! But I have several designs that need freshening and updating for the new year.
  
• Social Networking - blog more, facebook more...thanks to some helpful tips on the forums I have learned how to email products directly from Zazzle and they will magically appear as posts on Blogger. It's pretty cool and will save a ton of time. Using a service like Posterous I can post to Blogger and Facebook simultaneously. Eventually, once I get to it.
  

You can see that I have a lot on my plate...so does everyone....but I can't move forward until these get resolved! My creative drive is being blocked by my stupid need to get this stuff figured out. At least I was able to cross one thing off my list - I finally transferred most of my image links from their old photobucket hosting to the PFG domain. Took forever, but it was worth it. One thing down, a million more to go! Wish me luck...

Mother's Day Blue Calla Lily Bouquet Cards and Gifts

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Need a special gift for that amazing mom in your life? Give her a Mother’s Day Blue Calla Lily Bouquet product from Phete First. Three elegant calla lilies in shades of blue and turquoise make a bouquet of artistic swirls. Below them are two lovely bold lilies and ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ in script. The interior of the greeting card says 'Happy Mother's Day' on a single lily. Whether your mother is traditional or contemporary, she will love the pretty, modern look of this design--available on shirts, cards, invitations, mugs, and more.

My wonderful mother requested this design - hand-drawn, stylistic flower shapes in a bouquet - so I obliged. I have no idea if this is what she had in mind, but this is what I came up with. There is also a pink version. It reminds me of the colorful, vibrant lilies and morning glories that grow at my parents' house every spring. I like the abstract quality of the flowers, the bold outlines, and the feminine colors. It makes for an elegant design. Flowers are beautiful to begin with, so it wasn't hard to capture that beauty and apply it to a Mother's Day design.

MOTHER'S DAY CARDS AND GIFTS AT PHETE FIRST GRAPHICS

Mother's Day Pink Calla Lily Bouquet Cards and Gifts

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Need a special gift for that amazing mom in your life? Give her a Mother’s Day Pink Calla Lily Bouquet product from Phete First. Three elegant calla lilies in shades of pink, coral, and orange make a bouquet of artistic swirls. Below them are two lovely bold lilies and ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ in script. The interior of the greeting card says 'Happy Mother's Day' on a single lily. Whether your mother is traditional or contemporary, she will love the pretty, modern look of this design--available on shirts, cards, invitations, mugs, and more.

My wonderful mother requested this design - hand-drawn, stylistic flower shapes in a bouquet - so I obliged. I have no idea if this is what she had in mind, but this is what I came up with. There is also a blue version. It reminds me of the colorful, vibrant lilies and morning glories that grow at my parents' house every spring. I like the abstract quality of the flowers, the bold outlines, and the feminine colors. It makes for an elegant design. Flowers are beautiful to begin with, so it wasn't hard to capture that beauty and apply it to a Mother's Day design.

MOTHER'S DAY CARDS AND GIFTS AT PHETE FIRST GRAPHICS

Mother's Day Pink 'Live Laugh Love' Cards and Gifts

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Need a special gift for that amazing mom in your life? Live, Laugh, and Love this Mother’s Day with a trendy Pink Striped Mother’s Day product from Phete First. Vertical lines in shades of pink, magenta, and red criss-cross in retro style, with a banner that proclaims ‘Live, Laugh, Love’ or 'Happy Mother's Day' in yellow. Available on shirts, cards, invitations, mugs, and more. This design is funky and fun; your mom will love the modern styling and the sweet sentiment of a wise old saying. I love it because the lines are dynamic and create interesting movement, while the solid banner with yellow text grounds the design and centers the message. The energetic pink tones harmonize with the activity in the background.

MOTHER'S DAY CARDS AND GIFTS AT PHETE FIRST GRAPHICS

Mother's Day Blue 'Live Laugh Love' Cards and Gifts

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Need a special gift for that amazing mom in your life? Live, Laugh, and Love this Mother’s Day with a trendy Blue Striped Mother’s Day product from Phete First. Vertical lines in shades of blue, purple, and turquoise criss-cross in retro style, with a banner that proclaims ‘Live, Laugh, Love’ or 'Happy Mother's Day' in yellow. Available on shirts, cards, invitations, mugs, and more. This design is funky and fun; your mom will love the modern styling and the sweet sentiment of a wise old saying. I love it because the lines are dynamic and create interesting movement, while the solid banner with yellow text grounds the design and centers the message. The soothing blue tones contrast with the activity in the background.

MOTHER'S DAY CARDS AND GIFTS AT PHETE FIRST GRAPHICS

Mother's Day Blue Spring Flowers Cards and Gifts

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Need a special gift for that amazing mom in your life? Give her a Mother’s Day Blue Spring Flowers product from Phete First. One simple, bright green daisy flower takes the place of the ‘O’ in ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ or 'Mom' written in a clean, modern blue font. A delightful collection of blue and green daisies and springtime fun is on a baby blue background. The interior of greeting cards continues the same theme, saying either 'Mom' or 'Happy Mother's Day'. Whether your mother is traditional or contemporary, she will love the cute, whimsical look of this design--available on shirts, cards, invitations, mugs, and more.

This was the third and last 'Spring Flowers' color combo I created. I wanted a combination that wasn't super girly, but still fun and playful. Normally blue and green is used for boys' baby showers...but this was just the right mix of bright, bold, and beautiful to be used on a mother's Day design. The background baby blue is so pale and pretty, it really lets the vivid greens and blues stand out. It has a fresh calming feeling, like you get when you're gardening on a warm spring morning when the flowers are blooming and the sun is out. It's cheery like a blue sky.

MOTHER'S DAY CARDS AND GIFTS AT PHETE FIRST GRAPHICS

Mother's Day Purple Spring Flowers Cards and Gifts

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Need a special gift for that amazing mom in your life? Give her a Mother’s Day Purple Spring Flowers product from Phete First. One simple, bright turquoise daisy flower takes the place of the ‘O’ in ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ or 'Mom' written in a clean, modern purple font. A delightful collection of lavender and teal daisies and springtime fun is on a pale lilac background. The interior of greeting cards continues the same theme, saying either 'Mom' or 'Happy Mother's Day'. Whether your mother is traditional or contemporary, she will love the cute, whimsical look of this design--available on shirts, cards, invitations, mugs, and more.

This was the second 'Spring Flowers' color combo I created. I love how soothing and tranquil turquoise on purple is. The background lavender is so pale and pretty. It has this dainty, feminine feeling, without any fanciful pinks; it reminds me of a hot cup of tea on a cool spring morning when the flowers are blooming and the sun is peeking out.

MOTHER'S DAY CARDS AND GIFTS AT PHETE FIRST GRAPHICS