Day in the Life - Tuesday July 12th...

Thank you all for the AMAZING response on here, Twitter and Facebook to the lockets yesterday! I am so pleased that you like them...if you haven't seen them yet, then have a look see HERE! Thank you!

So, I was having a look on Twitter the other day and spied that my Twitter pal, @mooosh aka Claire of Miso Funky, was advertising another round of her Day in the Life series where people who blog make a post about anything of note that happens on a certain day. I thought I would take part this time around, so here is what I got up to by the hour on the nominated day of Tuesday 12th July 2011:

(I tried to take some photos throughout the day but forgot quite a lot...but here are a few for you anyway!)

First thing and between 7 & 8am: I wake at some ridiculous hour that is still the middle of the night to me but morning to Mark when he gets up to go cycling. I go back to sleep.
I wake again when he wakes me to tell me that he's going. I go back to sleep for what feels like 5 minutes and then wake again when my alarm goes off at 7:30. I press snooze, and wake again at 7:40. I press snooze and wake again at 7:50. I press what I think is snooze.

8 to 9am: I wake up having been lying on my arm at 8:30 with lots of pins and needles. Late already! I make the bed while I am still in it (a lazy habit of mine!) and finally get up and don my dressing gown and go downstairs. I turn on my computer and make breakfast of Dorset Cereals muesli (lush) and a lemon squeezed into some water and a bit of barley squash to make it taste decent, it's re-hydration, a hit of vitamin C and a morning ritual.
I eat breakfast in front of my computer and spy a beetle walking across the floor, the third in a week! I can't decide if we are infested or if it is the same one coming back in. I grab a glass and some paper and get it outside. Make a mental note to tell Mark not to drink from that glass. In hindsight I can't remember if I did this or not. Sorry Mark.
I finish breakfast and switch on the pre-prepared and brand new 'Lockets' section of the shop. Woo!

9 to 10am: I sort some emails and then decide I should wash my face and make myself a bit more presentable before Mark gets home. He gets back while I am mid fringe wash. Never mind. Then the big decision while getting dressed: Shorts or jeans??? Decide on jeans and then go back downstairs to finish updating the website which involves editing images in Photoshop and juggling products around in the shop.
I am also sending out a newsletter today so I log into Mailchimp and check that the email I wrote yesterday is correct and that all of the links work and schedule it to go out later today (then I have a quick gander on Facebook)

10 to 11am: I ponder what I am meant to be doing for a minute and faff a bit looking for jewellery findings online. Turns out I can do this for an entire hour and not buy anything! I have made some decisions about what I need to buy when I have worked out quantities etc though, not an entirely wasted hour.

11 to 12 noon: The email goes out, yay! I make some lunch to take to the studio - salad with lots of feta and beetroot, yum. I eat lots of Philadelphia oatcakes while I do this, probably more than is healthy...
I glaze a batch of the new lockets, gather all of my stuff together, press refresh on the Mailchimp report too many times and at the last minute before I leave remember that I have to print out lots of cards for a wholesale order.

12 to 1pm: Finally get up to the studio and then begin the order processing, printing out invoices and addresses. I am pleased to see that I am making good headway on my to do list despite my needless procrastination earlier!

1 to 2pm: I sort out some more emails and call through an order and payment to American Apparel. My mum and dad are about so I have a chat to them and eat my lunch. Dad remarks that my colourful salad looks like a big bowl of sweets. Once upon a time it would have been just that, or a big pile of pancakes, but unfortunately I can't get away with that kind of lunch these days...

2 to 3pm: I go back into the studio and pack up the orders and fold and pack a load of cards...all the while listening to The Archers (always enjoy a bit of The Archers) and then a Torchwood play on radio 4, which isn't really my kind of thing but I was surprised to find that I quite enjoyed it!

3 to 4pm: Back to the computer and I have a quick read of Creative Boom's '100 inspiring ways to market your business', I am always fascinated by stuff like this! Then I hem some scarves that I printed last week. In between the rattling of my sewing machine I listen to snippets of a program about Red Kites.

4 to 5pm: I carry on hemming scarves and then check my emails for orders again in time to get them ready to post today. There is some more so I process them and pack them up then set off for the post office in Tregony. I get there dead on 5pm. I am relieved as I am usually told off by the postman if I get there later than that...He doesn't like it if I turn up with loads of post to process too late in the day, which is fair enough!

5 to 6pm: The postman is in a bit of a flap because his main computer has had a power cut, he switches to the other one though and the day is saved and all of the post is sent through. Hurrah!
After the post office I head over the road to the shop and bump into a lady I know, we have a little chat and I buy two Euro Millions tickets on Mark's instruction (£160 million jackpot tonight dontcha know?!) Adele's 'Someone Like You' is on the stereo in the shop which then replaces the song I have had in my head all day (Jamie Woon's 'Night Air') and I sing it badly in the car on the way back to the studio.

6 to 7pm: I check my emails again and send all of the order confirmation emails and tidy up. Then I put on some fitness wear and head to the gym where I was a bit lazy and didn't do my last stint on the crosstrainer. I remind myself that I am riding in the morning so needn't feel too bad about it. I am good at talking myself out of doing stuff in the gym.
I drive home and see Mark briefly before de-sweating myself in the shower. I turn the oven on in preparation for dinner...so HUNGRY!

7 to 8pm: I chop loads of vegetables to roast. We are having roasted vegetable pasta with pesto...an easy favorite in this household. Then I sit down to watch my guilty pleasure: Eastenders. Oh the shame!!! It's so bad it's good...

8 to 9pm: The food is finally ready so we eat at last. I thought the carrots were a little flavourless but on the whole it was delish! then Mark and I had our usual post dinner flop on the sofa having eaten too much and find ourselves watching 4 rooms for the first time. I don't think I will be wasting time watching that again, so boring! We both whinged all the way through it but didn't change the channel.

9 to 10pm: Mark washes up and I watch a documentary about perfume on the recommendation of our friend Rob. It is very enjoyable and I learn that there is such a scent called Civet which comes from a wild cat's anus. Lovely stuff.
I check my emails again and am pleased to see that there has been some more locket love, such a great response today! Then Mark comes back in and we start working on the new Bonbi Forest trade website.

10 to 11pm: I check the Euro Millions results. We haven't won...boo. As consolation I cut us both a slice of Lemon Half Moon cake and make Mark a cup of tea and me some barley squash (I don't drink hot drinks) we eat that, work a bit more and then decide to call it a day just before 11. Bedtime!

So there you have it, my day on Tuesday the 12th! Not the most creative or inspiring of days but then again days like this are a necessity to keep things running smoothly...answering queries and emails, tidying up half made things and sourcing new materials are all part and parcel of running a creative business. Back to painting and creating later in the week for me!