Christmas here we come - already!

If I ever see another robin.. Spent a few late nights preparing mini canvases to hang on the tree (and sell in Purity and Obolensky's in Farnham), and sold a few at the School Christmas Shopping Night also! Met a local competitor of sorts who also offers murals and canvases, but not the personalised name variety which seem to be the biggest seller for Cloud Nine Art! If only there were more hours int eh day to run this little biz and do the day job. Oh and be some sort of decent parent/wife/friend etc etc! Oops..

Anyway, I'm particular fond of the robins, whatever I said previously...

Personalised canvases a go-go!

Just delivered another canvas to Obolensky's - slowly but surely building up a trade there! I hope ECW likes it!

So I got my second order from Obolensky's, which was a name painting for a newborn called Eva.. her initials are ELM, hence the Elm Tree on her 'E' but I'm not sure...but they seemed happy! And I know its sideways.. the hiccups of uploading from your iphone!

And I'm thinking I'll pop along and see Purity in Farnham, as the lovely owner Paula has opened a gifty upstairs bit.. fingers crossed! Also signed up today for the Christmas shopping night at school - it sounds small fry, but boy is it mobbed! Need to get busy turning out (note - not churning out) little paintings to hang on the tree.. come along on 18 November to Badshot Lea Village Infant School near Farnham!

What a treasure!

Now here's a name that's not heard very often.. Maybe this canvas will set a trend! It had to have a pearl on it of course.. Although I think the angel looks like she's been in the gin!

Jasper's unique canvas!

I'm proud of this one and really enjoyed painting it. It's a busy time as ever, but Jasper's unique watercolour will I hope be a special present for him and his parents to celebrate his birth. I've also just delivered a 'Luke' to Paula at Purity in Farnham but rushed it off the drawing board! Finishing the Weybridge mural project tomorrow.. Phew!

Etsy here we come?

Oh and by the way, I am SO going to 'storque' Etsy - log on here and you'll know what I mean! http://www.etsy.com/storque/

Building the business

Hey fans, of limited number, I've decide enough's enough. If one is going to be a mumpreneur, one needs to apply oneself a bit more, in spite of the day job. Y'see, the ole PR (and earnings therein) took over, needs must, and here I am with an art business that could go global (well, surrey - wide) and I'm just not pushing it. The Mum bit of being a 'preneur is oh so time consuming, not to mention having Another Job. So I decided to write down the Big Plan, and now feel much better, and on delivering a birthday canvas to Purity's owner Paula yesterday, who told me she would be opening a gifty boutique upstairs, I felt more optimistic, and decided I really should advertise for Christmas gift stuff etc and take this all a bit more seriously! I'd love it all to work hand in glove (now there's a good song) with the PR freelancing. Don't we all hanker for a portfolio career these days? So prepare for the end of Phase One The Dabbling, and get set for Phase Two, Proper Business. Amen to that (and no sleep!).

Terrifying Pteranodon

Actually he's quite the gentle bedside companion for the child who
sleeps in this bedroom!

Watch Out-there's a T Rex about!

Today's work on child's bedroom in weybridge... Still a pteranodon to
go! Phew!

Surrey Steggie!

The Surrey Stegasaurus!

Here is part two of the Weybridge Children's bedroom murals.. Well,
dinosaur number one, anyway! Not quite happy with him yet but tomorrow
he gets finished off, and work begins on T Rex and Pteranodon! Thank
goodness for patient husband and children. All this whilst securing
interviews on the Beeb for one's PR client. No rest for the wicked..
And boy was the steggie hard to get right!

Triceratops to arrive in Weybridge!

The next children's bedroom mural has been commissioned - all go! Three dinosaurs on the wall, with the rocks and trees to boot. Got to knock that one out in Weybridge over bank holiday weekend... watch this space!

The ultimate little girl's castle...

..and here it is! Drawn in an evening and painted on Sunday for a baby girl due any day soon! I'd love to see my own kids! Bank holiday weekend is dominated by dinosaurs.. bring it on!

Fairy Castle - every little girl's dream (I hope!)

So the biggest commission to date begins - and I'll be taking photos for the blog all the way through! Here's the design on paper, and its now on the wall in pencil form, to be painted by my own fair hand this Sunday. It should be good stress relief from my other life as a PR consultant, which is equally hectic! Tomorrow I go in search of wondrous gold paints and glow-in-the-dark materials and...oo I may get carried away - that's having boys for you!

Latest commission-it's tricky fitting in all those dates!

Mural-ista!

Today represents a turning point. I've completed various commissions thus far, in the main name paintings that everyone loves and can afford, but I got a big commission today for three rooms in a house - a boy's, girl's and playroom murals... and maybe even interior design of the whole shebang. I've had to neglect this business for a while to 'work', so its great to be back with a bang. Pictures naturally will follow. The road to mumpreneur-dom isn't paved with gold, but it's certainly interesting and challenging!

A new order!

..And despite it being Election Fever, I'm not talking about that.. merely as it says on the tin - a new order. Hurrah! Been a bit quiet of late, so I fully intend to inject more energy into this little business of mine, and it was great to fill out an order form for an initial painting with dates...

I had the audacity to get sidetracked by real life lately, and real earnings by doing some PR, so I hope I can be forgiven for being a sporadic blogger. New photo to follow once the order is completed!

The other letter as per last blog-

I love painting sandcastles and sweeties-what fun!

One letter wonders

So Obolensky's gift boutique asked for individual letter canvases;
here are the first two for the wall of the shop. Fingers crossed
orders abound. I'm very proud of these two-I think they're my faves!

Sometimes it's hard..to be a blogger..

Well now, isn't it tricky to update one's blog when one is trying to
start a business, which is kind of ironic, don't ya think?! It being
part of it and all.
Anyway, here we are having delivered a book to Obolensky's and
awaiting my first order via the shop. Also made it to her window for a
christening display! And the current copy of Families magazine carries
my press release and photos. Hurray! What with this, the day job,
raising boys and oh deciding to move house, life is never dull!

I think its called a portfolio career...

So today I got a call from a lovely lady who'd seen the postcards..(that's the first totally 'cold' call), and Obolensky's put a painting into the window, and we agreed a 'deal' of sorts for commissions, and I'm in Families magazine! Thank goodness I have a break from my 'other' work next week and can paint. its all great, I just hope I don't drop any plates.. or children!

How on earth I am going to get a picture done this week I don't know. Serves me right for taking on a 'proper job', but one has to fund one's entrepreneurial tendencies somehow.. This weekend I need to produce a christening picture for Obolensky's window in Farnham, as apparently the season is now open! PLus the portfolio. Plus two for clients. I know, I know I should be pleeased! And I'm learning how to be a better tweeter. Which is a laugh, since I hardly even get to update this little baby! Hey ho, its a mum/working/painting/wife-ing life for me..

Today Eleanor was delivered to a happy customer - my old midwife! I'm hoping she spreads the word...

The business pushes on.. I've done a bit of a business deal today! The lovely local boutique Obolensky's has asked me to produce a watercolour portfolio no less to tempt people.. I'm going to produce hours of work (when?) focusing on the top 10 names. I was impressed (read: smug) to discover my boys' names are numbers 30 and 60. Ha. Who said Essex girls were common? Don't answer that. I'm thinking I'll do special anniversaries and birthdays too. Lord knows how or when, but I got a gorgeous looking watercolour ring-bound presentation book today (sad, I know. But its like anything - you get into it, and shops stocking your stuff are mecca! Its the stationery thing all over again!) in my second home Pullingers in Farnham. Fab shop, and the lady is always sooo friendly and helpful upstairs in 'my' section. Today I was riding high when she said its a great sign that I'm doing ok in such tricky times and was a testament to my talent. Well, dunno about talent but it was lovely to hear!

The Offending Paw

Paws and painting

So I just started painting 'Eleanor' and now the cat has walked across
the canvas. I suppose it was only a matter of time. I just hope
Eleanor likes pawprints..
Photo of offending paw coming up. Could it be that a studio will be
required?

Waiting for that call

Yesterday I took another order, for an 'Eleanor' on canvas, which will have to be all girlie like this one (I love it really - I get to pretend I have daughters!).. so the commissions are trickling in, but I can't help wondering if the postcard drop yesterday will lead to anything - it feels very odd doing all this so called marketing.. I left cards at arty places and kiddy places and put some through doors, and feel it will be a big day when I get a call from someone I have no connection with! So far its been word of mouth via school etc, and I have painted for non-friends if you know what I mean, but they heard about me from a school mum. I guess that counts as marketing, but anyway - the cold enquiry from the postcards will be very satisfying and exciting!
Oh this mumpreneur lark is no picnic. And the guilt of tinkering with blogs and websites and postcards and not actually painting when my children are out... well, let's hope it all ends up being worth it!

Cloud Nine hits the streets

Today was the first real chance to get the message out there. I pounded the streets, postcards in hand, and had a good look in several living room windows. The postcard looks like this!

Scratching that 'own business' itch

Why do many of us feel like starting up on our own? Is it the chance to go bonkers in Rymans? I think this had a lot to do with it for me. Oh the joy of stationery. But once you've moved beyond the hysteria about choosing the files/decor/napkins/labels, and realise that its going to be bloomin' hard graft and a thankless task at that, what IS the real attraction?

No boss to answer to (or leave the tricky stuff with on a Friday), no colleagues to annoy you (with juicy gossip or even ideas), no commute (just cabin fever), no regular pay cheque. Oh, my mistake, that was the main reason for working for someone else.

To be honest, the naive stuff continued to feed my romantic notion of running a business, and if it hadn't happened how it did, it would still be the same notions that would be hanging there - far enough out of reach to deter me from taking any stupid risks, mind you. Every idea I had I managed to convince myself was a non-starter, mainly because there wasn't a pressing need to make a decision, but also I was right about them, if I wanted to make serious money or not have to work too hard, that is.

When Cloud Nine Art was born, people asked me why I hadn't done it sooner, and its because my motivations altered, my situation had changed - I realised what I needed in my life, apart from an income. I needed an avenue to be expressive, to do something that would boost my impression of myself. I was already working part-time, and its never easy with an income to take the plunge into the abyss, but then that finished, and a promise to do a few pictures for the school fair grew into a bigger venture. Its a classic tale of finding yourself at a loose (ish) end and thinking why not? People had passed comment on my son's bedroom wall painting..why not try and sell a mural service? But smaller paintings would keep things ticking over in between..I got chatting with a friend, and her partner the graphic designer says he'll do a postcard. A webpage would be a good idea.. and my recent experience at work had taught me that a blog would be a good move, to drive the business (even though I'm talking to myself).

It all seems rather over the top - at the moment its fairly straightforward art, and just a little local concern - but I'm amazed and encouraged by what I hear. Feedback is precious, and life affirming. I feel alive and happy, and totally absorbed when painting, even though they're no Rembrandts. Bring it on!

This is me just seeing if it works to post from the mobile. Technology
not a strong point!

Welcome to Cloud Nine

Well, here I am, apparently on Cloud Nine. Actually, this blog is the story of trying to reach Cloud Nine. In the business sense, you understand. Before Christmas 2009 I launched my new art business, Cloud Nine Art, and apparently its a good idea to blog about such things as its 'good for business'. I don't even know if the tale of my journey into mumpreneurism will be of any value or interest (except to me!), but there it is. A post.