The Spider and the Fly

It is a Halloween tradition that after the trick or treaters are gone, and before the scary movies start up, that in a hushed tone, in a darkened room I read my favorite spooky poem...

The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt

Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly,
'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I've a many curious things to show when you are there."
Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."


"I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;
Will you rest upon my little bed?" said the Spider to the Fly.
"There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest awhile, I'll snugly tuck you in!"
Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "for I've often heard it said,
They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed!"


Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, " Dear friend what can I do,
To prove the warm affection I 've always felt for you?
I have within my pantry, good store of all that's nice;
I'm sure you're very welcome -- will you please to take a slice?"
"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "kind Sir, that cannot be,
I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!"


"Sweet creature!" said the Spider, "you're witty and you're wise,
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!
I've a little looking-glass upon my parlour shelf,
If you'll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself."
"I thank you, gentle sir," she said, "for what you 're pleased to say,
And bidding you good morning now, I'll call another day."


The Spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly Fly would soon come back again:
So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready, to dine upon the Fly.
Then he came out to his door again, and merrily did sing,
"Come hither, hither, pretty Fly, with the pearl and silver wing;
Your robes are green and purple -- there's a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!"

Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little Fly,
Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew,
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue --
Thinking only of her crested head -- poor foolish thing! At last,
Up jumped the cunning Spider, and fiercely held her fast.
He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den,
Within his little parlour -- but she ne'er came out again!


And now dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly flattering words, I pray you ne'er give heed:
Unto an evil counsellor, close heart and ear and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale, of the Spider and the Fly.

Happy Halloween!

So, the results from my halloween costume crafting are in! Enjoy the pictures, and have a spooktacular halloween! Bwahahaha...

My sister (darth maul) won the prize for the best female costume, and my good friend (emperor palpatine) did the makeup. Congrats!

Halloween Costumes...Update!

I was just about giving up on being Dr. Horrible for Halloween. Sigh. Awesome costume idea wrecked by lack of time and funds. BUT my spirits raised ever so slightly when I found a Howie style medical lab coat at Incredible Comfortable Uniforms in Edmonton. So, it's not exactly the same, but close enough for me under time and budget constraints. BUT without the white gloves and welding goggles, I couldn't possibly be the infamous doctor. Just a weirdo in a lab coat. I was about to give up and go to the Halloween store and pick a random, boring costume up when I found myself near a Princess Auto. Welding gloves? Goggles? Check and check! Yay! And both for under $10! I LOVE that store! So now, I just have to spray paint a pair of rubber boots white, get my messy blonde wig, and I'm set! I tried on the whole costume today, and it's a passable Dr. Horrible. Yay! I also found Kathleen her black gloves and black t-shirt for her Captain Hammer costume, so it looks like we're set for Halloween! Yay! I'll get pictures up on the blog soon, but I'm so excited!
Now all I need to do is get Michelle her Penny wig and find some thrift store funky clothes, and the trio will be complete!
If anyone is stuck for what to go for - I do need henchmen:
Moist - regular clothes, just coat yourself with Petroleum Jelly and you can be my evil moisture buddy!
Bad Horse Henchmen - dress up as a cowboy, complete with requisite cowboy mustache and voila! You're a Bad Horse Man!
The Purple Pimp - the costume is just how it sounds
The Pink Pummeller - Pink mask, pink boxing gloves and a black T-shirt with two pink Ps on it facing on it facing the opposite direction.
Captain Hammer Groupies - Easy-peasy costume. Wear anything plus a monochromatic t-shirt. I can supply the hammer faces for the t-shirt! (bonus points if you have a dry cleaning slip or a slip of someone's hair!)
You can also be: Fury Leika, Professor Normal, Dead Bowie, Fake Thomas Jefferson, Tie Die, or Snake Bite (it's the evil posse)

Stay tuned for pictures! Happy Halloween!!

Answers Part Deux!

Okay, here's the answers to the last half of questions in So You Wanna Be a Graphic Designer! I hope you learned a lot from the last post, and will learn even more, since these are less known (but still should be common information for anyone who's posing as a graphic designer!)

7. Name three page layout programs.
Like the last two questions about programs, there's a huge variety of programs out there. I will list the most common and industry standard programs.
- Adobe InDesign. Adobe merged this with PageMaker, which was very popular for a long time, but with the emergence of the popularity of more versatile page layout programs, was changed into InDesign.
- QuarkXPress. Industry standard and my favorite.
- CorelDraw. I beta tested this, and it's come a long way. Can be used for vector illustration, page layout, multiple page documents, and what we use at my shop mostly because it's most cost efficient, talks well to other programs and works best with our Computer to Plate machine.
- Publisher. Okay, I'll receive a lot of flack for this one, but honestly, it's so widely used by the business universe that we have no choice but to print from it. I'll leave the rest of my critiquing about this horrible program at the door.

8. What is DPI? LPI? And the difference between the two?
- DPI stands for Dots Per Inch and is probably the most familiar and most misused measure of resolution. It specifically refers to the printed dots (from a printer, imagesetter or press) that are used to make up an image. The larger the dots, the lower the resolution of the printed image. The smaller the dots, the higher the resolution of the image. DPI is calculated using the number of dots across a linear inch. A screen that has 100 DPI is a much lower resolution than one that has 600.

- LPI stands for Lines Per Inch and is also used to measure the resolution of printed halftones by calculating the dots in an inch. The lower the LPI, the lower the quality of the printed image. The higher the LPI, well, you get the idea. Standard presses will print at approximately 120 LPI. That's the standard we use at the shop (we make adjustments depending on the length of the run, the type of paper, and the actual image that is to be printed.) Newspapers usually run at 85 lpi and magazines are around 133 to 140. The higher the LPI, the less noticable the dots are.

LPI and DPI are a physical measurement of the number of dots on a printed page. When doing graphics on the computer (like Photoshop) dpi is often confused with resolution which is different. Computer graphics have a resolution based on pixels, not dots per inch.

9. What is dot gain?
Dot gain refers to what happens to an image once it's printed on paper. Since paper is absorbant, and when ink is printed on the paper, the paper sucking up the ink leads to the dot growing slightly in size. Think about what happens when you drip a drop of water on your counter top, and then when you drip water onto a paper towel. What happens to the dot of water? The water on the counter will be a bead of one size, the paper towel drip will have been absorbed into the paper towel, and appear larger. Newsprint being low quality and very absorbant paper has a high dot gain. It's one of the reasons a newspaper will be printed at a relatively low lpi. The amount of dot gain must be taken into consideration by the designer, so that the final printed design won't appear too dark or blobby. The newspaper that I worked at previously had a dot gain of a whopping 30%. That meant that screens that were printed at 70% darkened up to a full solid by the time they were printed. Compensation for this was to over-lighten your designs, never design using a heavy screen, and use as few halftones as possible. Print shops have a relatively low dot gain. At our shop, it's about 15%. We find we have to lighten half tones quite a bit to avoid losing resolution, and changing the dpi or lpi aids in that depending on the project. The paper we use is a much higher quality as well, so less ink is absorbed into it, resulting in a lower dot gain. Graphic designers should always get familiar with their printer, and print only at places they are familiar with so they can compensate for dot gain while designing their product, and the most savvy designers will request printing at a specific dpi best suited to their project.

10. What is a bleed? What must you do to ensure your design bleeds properly?
Bleed is the term us printing folk use to indicate when color runs to the very edge of the page. Printers and presses can't print bleeds, because grippers (the fingers that pull the piece of paper through the machine) need to hold on to the very edges of the paper, and printing to the extreme edge isn't possible. In order to get a full coverage look, we must print on a larger sheet size and then cut the paper down to the finished size. Proper bleed allowance (depending on the shop) is a minimum of 1/8" of bleed past the trim area of the design. Bleeds look really nice but are also more expensive because larger paper must be used in the printing, and more time required in cutting the job to it's final size. Bleeds may also require special care, like metal plates, slower running time and more ink, which all add to the cost of the job. I can't count the number of times I've had designers in with their finished artwork that has no bleed allowance. It's very frustrating, especially since when you explain their design doesn't bleed, they all look confused.
What you must have in order to ensure your design bleeds properly is a minimum of 1/8" to 1/4" of "bleed allowance" where the design extends over the finished areas of the design. The file must be saved to the larger size (not the final size of the job, but the size including the bleed allowance) and crop marks must be properly placed so that the production team knows where you want the job to be cut to.

11. What is a gutter?
The inside margins or blank space between two facing pages is the gutter. The gutter space is that extra space allowance used to accommodate the binding in books and magazines. The amount of gutter needed varies depending on the binding method. In saddled-stitched publications the amount of gutter, as well as the outside margins are adjusted to allow for creep. Not to be confused with an alley - which is the space between the columns of text on one page. And it should not be confused with margins, which are the blank space between the edge of the finished document and where the text and graphics on the begin. Bleeds can ignore the margin, but in addition to a 1/8" to 1/4" bleed allowance, most printed designs should leave a 1/8" to 1/4" margin before the design begins. That's a whole lotta unused space! And most designers ignore those rules completely. Which leads to text being cut off, or an unbalanced, uncentered look to the finished product. Which designers will blame on the printers, leaving us shaking our heads.

12. What is production ready (or camera ready) artwork? What must it have to qualify as such?
Production ready (or camera ready) artwork refers to a file that has been completely and properly set up, ready to be put on the press, or printed digitally. All colors have been made properly. Cmyk designs should have no spot colors. A spot color design should have no extra colors or be in CMYK (all which means, color separations are done properly). Resolution should be correct for the method of printing, bleed allowances and margins should be set up properly AND crop marks be applied. I would say that less than 10% of all "production ready" files I receive are actually production ready. And that falls to the responsibility of the graphic designer.

So you should all be more informed of the responsibilities of a graphic designer. You have a lot of work to do! And please stop blaming the printers when your design doesn't go according to your plan - it's in your hands. If you submit a 1" x 2" 72 resolution design with no bleed allowances or margins to be printed at 3.5" x 2" for a business card, you will get a grainy, incorrectly cut, non bleeding card, possibly with the text cut off.

Did you pass the test? I hope so, now get designing!!

Answers!

So I'm sure you all had time to write down your own answers to the quiz from last post. Here are the answers. How many did you get right? Some of the designers that come into my shop got zero correct, so if you answered even one question right - congratulations! You can call yourself a graphic designer! (well, not really, but that's what the kids are doing these days...)

1. What is the difference between a vector file and a raster file?

- Vector files use geometry such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygons, which are all based on mathematical equations, to represent images in computer graphics. Since they are mathematical formulas, all vector files have infinite resolution and their sizes can be blown up or shrunken indefinitely. Vector artwork can also be referred to as "line work".

- Raster files (or bitmaps) are images that are on a grid. (Like graph paper) each box has a color applied to it, which makes up the picture. Resolution is dependant on how many boxes make up the picture. The higher the resolution, the smaller the boxes. Raster files have a limit to how much they can be enlarged - the larger you make the picture, the more you can see the boxes. The higher resolution the image, the larger the file size.
Vector files can be converted to raster files very easily, but raster files cannot be saved into vector. A multitude of "trace" programs are being developed and used these days. While there is a place for them in the industry, they should not be viewed as a substitute for designing. Like any software, knowing how to work the program to get the best results takes skill and learning, not only how to use the software, but what types of files you can use these on, and what type of result you should get.


2. What is RGB color? CMYK Color? Process Color and Pantone (PMS) Color? What is spot color?

- RGB is the color scale used for light emitting devices (like computer monitors and televisions) Red, Green and Blue are the "primary" colors used to create all the colors you see on your screen (even white, black and yellow). We do not print colors in RGB (that would be quite the challenge, trying to print black and yellow on the press using only red, green and blue!)

- CMYK Color is the closest to the primary color wheel you learned about in elementary school. The letters stand for Cyan (blue), Magenta (pinkish), Yellow and blacK. Using these four colors, we can print a vast rainbow of colors. It's definitely not infinite, but it's the most common process for photographic reproductions. Newspapers and magazines use CMYK or Process color most commonly. Laying down varying shades of Yellow, then Cyan, Magenta and finally Black in a fine dotted pattern make up a full color picture. The dotted pattern is sometimes called a "moire" (more-ay) effect. If you pick up a newspaper or magazine and examine the photos very carefully, you can see the dots of individual color that make up the picture. The smaller the dots, the better quality a picture you are going to get. Newspapers typically use a larger dot pattern because of the lower quality of paper they print on, and to compensate for dot gain (more on that one later!)

- Pantone Colors (PMS for Pantone Matching System) is the most widely used color system in the world. Named for the corporation that invented it - Pantone Inc. in Carlstadt, New Jersey, Pantone is a standardized color reproduction system. By coming up with formulas for mixing each of the colors represented in the system, all printers everywhere can come up with the same result for that color, regardless of what press prints it, or who mixed the ink. Pantone is more comprehensive than CMYK color, because instead of using four colors during the printing stage to get the desired color, you mix the color ahead of time and put that on the press, so it's only one color. Pantone also allows you to get colors CMYK doesn't allow, due to the mixing of white or white based inks (you can't have white in CMYK), or metallic and fluorescent inks. Using a "chip chart", or a pantone number, a customer would specify the color they want, the press operator mixes it, and prints that color exactly. Pantone has also put out "chip charts" on different types of paper, as what kind of paper an ink is printed on will greatly affect its look.

- Spot color refers to the use of one specific color in press production. You may have CMYK color PLUS a pantone color (if the client wants a pms color for their logo, or have a metallic ink in the finished product). CMYK plus a pantone color is a FIVE color design. If you want to use just one or two pms colors only, that is a one or two spot color design. Saying "spot color" just lets the production people know it's something other than black or CMYK.

3. Name three programs for designing vector art.
There are really too many to list, so I'll put the ones most traditionally used in the print world. And the lines are being blurred more and more. Programs that were once print only and web only are now dual purpose. Raster programs and vector programs are being intertwined, so you can use one program for all. The catch is in the capability of the operator (or designer).
- Adobe Illustrator
- CorelDraw
- FreeHand MX
- SerifDraw Plus
(Adobe InDesign gets an honorable mention, as well as QuarkXPress)

4. Name two programs for designing rastor art.
See above for explanation... Too many to list - listing most common, intertwined programs, etc.
- Adobe Photoshop
- PhotoPaint
- GIMP
- PhotoBrush

5. What is a pdf?
A pdf is a Portable Document Format, and is an open format for easy document exchange. It was created by Adobe in 1993. I remember working in the industry when pdf became the standard. What exciting times! It didn't matter what program created the file, or what type of computer, anyone could open the file, look at it, print it, use it! In 2008, it was officially released as an open standard - officially changing the face of sharing files as we know it.

6. What is Adobe?
Adobe Systems Incorporated is a software company based out of San Jose, California. It is a COMPANY, and NOT a software! The company has created industry standard software such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign and Adobe Acrobat. So, saying you've created a file in Adobe is like saying you're browsing the internet using a computer. Interestingly enough, Adobe got their name from the term adobe - which is a brick that is used for building that is made up of natural material like sand, clay, dung, straw and then dried in the sun. So the software company used the name of a building material for the name of their company that gives us computer building material.

So how did you do so far? Get any correct? Learn anything? I will be posting the next half of the answers this week, so you still have time to do the test if you missed any...
Happy designing!

So you wanna be a graphic designer?

When I went to school to be a graphic designer, I already had a very good base of knowledge to work from. Three years of Vis Comm in high school, knew how to burn plates, take apart a press and clean it, knew some design programs already and had some knowledge of layout on screen and off. A lot of what I learned in college was building on the foundation of what I already knew. I was probably farther ahead than some of the students who came into the program with less than me. But I think it's fair to say that when we left, my graduating class and I had mostly the same knowledge of graphic design after graduating. Maybe our design abilities differed, but we had the same facts going through our cranium.

I just cannot say the same for designers coming out of schools today.

And maybe it's not their fault. Or the school's fault. As a member of the graphic designer's guild of Canada, we talk about coming up with different certifications for different classes of designers. PGD for a Print Graphic Designer, a WGC for a Web Graphic Designer, MGD for Master Graphic Designer and so on. That way, there will be a professional accredation to specify what we can do, and a governing body making sure we adhere to those rules. Then, if you're looking for a web designer, it's easy to weed out the print designers who just wouldn't be the best fit. And so on.

Problem is, most schools aren't differentiating between the two, and the waters are getting muddy. I've had to explain relatively rudimentary graphic design concepts to professionals working in the field today who call themselves graphic designers. These people shouldn't - at the very least - be working unsupervised in the print industry. Which leads to the question - who is hiring these people? Do they have a design background? Are they choosing candidates with the best skill, or prettiest portfolio? Do the candidates themselves know they're not applying in the correct industries? It's probably a bit of all of the above. The people hiring for the position aren't in a position to be print experts themselves, and are trusting that the people applying for the job know, when that's not the case. Frustrating goes around in a circle, and the end result - the printer (often me) is left cleaning up the mess.

So, I've come up with a handy dandy list of questions an interviewer hiring a graphic designer should ask them. You don't even need to know the answers - just if they don't know, or can't answer one of these questions, you're better off continuing the search.

1. What is the difference between a vector file and a rastor file? Give specific examples.

2. What is RGB color? CMYK Color? Process Color and Pantone (PMS) Color? What is spot color? (And you thought there was only primary colors that made up the color wheel! tsk tsk!)

3. Name three programs for designing vector art.

4. Name two programs for designing rastor art.

5. What is a pdf?

6. What is Adobe? (I swear, if I ask one more graphic designer what file their design is in, and they answer with "Adobe", I'm gonna hit my head with a piece of adobe!)

7. Name three page layout programs.

8. What is DPI? LPI? And the difference between the two?

9. What is dot gain?

10. What is a bleed? What must you do to ensure your design bleeds properly? (if they say cut deeper, RUN!)

11. What is a gutter?

12. What is production ready (or camera ready) artwork? What must it have to qualify as such?

I'll have the answer to these questions in a later post. And I know, I don't have all the questions - these are just the ones that I have to answer on a regular basis. Frustrating, I know. So, all you graphic designers - grab your pencil and take the test! Fun for the whole family!

Craft projects on the horizon...

Wow! Halloween is coming up and the geese are getting fat, please put a penny in the old man's hat!
Wait. Different holiday. Oh well.

I've finally got a few projects to blog about! Yay! Last year, I read a post on FaceBook about The Spirit Of Giving. The idea behind this is you tag your friends in the post, and the first five to respond will get a home made gift from you! Yay! Awesome, right? Miscellaneous crafts flying around in real life, getting the chance to make weird and wonderful things for people living far away.
Well, that was in November, and if you look at the calendar, it's October. I have a month to finish my projects. I was at Michels today picking up the rest of the craft supplies (on sale for only 60 cents each! W00t!) And soon I will be posting my pictures from the projects. In the interest of keeping my gifts secret until my friends get them, that's all the information you get. But, be assured, I'm crafting right now! YAY!

I still want to get the button maker so I can make pieces of flair MY style. Awesome quotes from movies and things people say to me. Invisible pink unicorn buttons, Flying Spagetti Monster buttons... That'll be a couple hundred dollars, but maybe I can find a sugar daddy who will buy me one... (hint hint to all you rich men out there looking for a lady to spoil!)

Also, Halloween is coming up! I'm usually crafting way in advance to make my costume as authentic and awesome as possible. Last year, I went shopping for HOURS for my Old Gregg costume (from The Mighty Boosh) and all my costumes are home made and awesome.
This year, I'm running out of time! I know I can't simply buy my costume (there are a few online boutiques selling this costume for over $100, but this costume just isn't available in regular stores) and I don't have the time to get out my sewing machine and make it from scratch the way I want. Arg! So I'm probably going to do a watered-down version of the halloween costume. Sigh. I need more time for Halloween. I also need to run to a dollar store to pick up stuff to decorate the office. Too much awesome-ness, too little time. I need: a Howie style hospital gown, white rubber boots, white elbow length protective gloves, steam punk goggles and a short, blonde, messy wig.

I also have to make Kat's costume still. At least that's easier. Black T-Shirt, round hammer logo, black gloves and work boots.

So stay tuned for craft awesomeness and Halloween costume pictures! Yay!

What are YOU Thankful for?

With the recent awesomeness going on with the shop and my professional career, it's easy to feel thankful this Thanksgiving. But I remember when I didn't feel so blessed, and it took a lot of thinking to come up with what I was thankful for. I was thankful for things like alcohol to dull the pain. Thankful that at least I wasn't a slave in a third world country, thankful that I wasn't living in the dark ages. If those are the only things you can think of to be thankful for, I feel for you. I was there once.

Being thankful is an art. When my daughter's father died earlier this year, our grief counselor had us write a gratitude journal. We both had to come up with five things everyday we were grateful for. It's such a worthwhile exercise to make a point every day to see the good in even a shitty situation. Some of them were a bit on the sad side, some funny, and some really showed me the endurance my daughter's spirit. Here is our list of things she was grateful for in the worst period of her life.

Things I am thankful for by Kat
1. I am thankful for teachers who let you cry in class.
2. I am thankful for friends who don't try to cheer you up, but just hold you and let you be sad.
3. I am thankful for sleeping. I didn't know being so sad was so tiring.
4. I am thankful for music. It can let you forget anything.
5. I am thankful for Twilight. Jacob is so cute.
6. I am thankful for breathing. Maybe tomorrow I won't be so sad. I want to keep breathing to find out.
7. I am thankful for cookies. They are awesome.
8. I am thankful I won't have lice again.
9. I am thankful for being able to say goodbye.
10. I am thankful for my mom.

What are YOU thankful for?

I'm not bragging, but ...

I'm not one to brag. I don't think I have an ego bigger than my fist, let alone one to swell my head. True, I've leapt fully into the sales, marketing and PR positions at work, but that's because I'm the owner. I have pride of ownership, of building something important to me, and that comes through in the way I present myself and my business. But I've also tried to be the kind of person to always give credit where it's due. If anything is successful - a function, a business, one job with our shop - it is because it has had the tireless energy of someone, or many someones behind it. I've been in a wonderful position to work only with the very best. To hire only those whom I really respect, and find joy in working with (even with working with me is less than a joy sometimes! lol)

I've been incredibly busy lately. The shop has also been really busy lately. The two are probably factors in each other. I've been blessed enough to be able to pursue the business relations, positions and projects that mean a lot to me. And it's showing in everything our shop produces. I'm feeling really good about things, and things are looking up.

I'm not one to brag, but in bragging these accomplishments (and excuses for not blogging or crafting) I'm really bragging about the fabulous people who surround me and make me a better person. I was once told that savvy people surround themselves with people who are better and smarter than themselves, so that you are constantly being encouraged, challenged, and have the expertise of these people at hand. I've strived to do that, so thank you to everyone who has to put up with me regularly. You were chosen to be in my life because you're amazing. I hope you all know that.

They say if you want something done, give it to a busy person. I used to think of that as a kid and scoff - right! These are the last people who should be doing more. But the more I do, the more I realize I can do more, and want to. All you need is organization, passion and a touch of insanity. So these are the things that have been taking up my time.

Our shop has just celebrated it's second year anniversary of being owned by me! Yay me! It's taken a lot of borrowed money, too many hours to count, a lot of (real) blood, sweat and tears - more than I care to admit. It's taken a lot of people believing in me, encouraging me, working for me for free, working for me for real, and we seem to have outlasted this "recession". Thank heaven! And thanks to everyone who had a part in it. Especially our customers.

We're on the cusp of celebrating our TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY of being open! Wow! And I've been with the shop for most of those years. And that has taken more patience than anyone will ever know. I'm glad I hung in there.

The shop has just won the Consumer's Choice Award for Business Excellence in Printing! Yay! For the second year in a row! Double yay! Chosen by our business peers and print customers, this says a lot about our quality, dedication to customer service, and our staff. Thank you.

I was just elected to the Chamber Board of Directors! I'm so thankful to be giving back to the community I grew up in, and to the business community who supported and encouraged me. I'm honored.

My daughter just won the Citizenship Award at her middle school. And Honors. I'm raising one heckuva decent kid. Thanks to the universe for her, and for everyone allowing me to balance work and time with her. It's paying off.

We have continually for the past three months hit new sales records for those months, and are on track to continue to do the same. Consistent marketing, hard work of me doing sales, our staff doing an awesome job, and the industry getting back into gear. They are all pieces to the puzzle of success. Maybe one day we'll stand back and look at the picture and toast it with a glass of wine.

Since becoming a business owner, I have:

- Joined a BNI group - networking at its most regimented. They have taught me how to critically listen, tell people about my business effectively, and introduced me to a wealth of experts I would not have gotten to know any other way.

- Joined a Rotary club. It's my selfish need to be a part of a service group. To give back completely selflessly in an effort to balance my pursuit of success. I love this group of people. They have taught me about service above self, instilled integrity and values that did not have a label in my head before. They're like minded people I enjoy spending time with. And we're on a mission to help the world.

- Joined two Chamber of Commerce's. Leduc and Devon. Any successful person needs to know what's going on in their community. The chambers allow me to do that, be involved in my communities, and learn things I never knew I wanted to learn about until I learned them. The chambers also represent me in the business community. Which I didn't know was valuable until they helped me before I realized I needed them to help.

- I was also nominated and elected to serve for two years on the Leduc Chamber Board of Directors. It's an honor to be elected - by my peers and fellow business owners to speak for them, work for them and serve the board that helps us all.

- Joined the Downtown Progress Association. A group of owners with businesses in the heart of Leduc. We talk economics, marketing, beautification, enrichment of the downtown core. Our aim is to increase business in "historic downtown" by encouraging consumers to "shop Leduc". Our group is now being used as a model for similar groups world wide.

- Joined the Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Association. It's like the DPA, but for this entire region. Bringing in business from all over the world like China & Germany, discussing trends in oil and gas, and initiatives to help grow the region into a diverse place to do business, it helps me keep a finger on the pulse of Alberta, which is invaluable to know. We network with a vast array of business owners, and discuss topics that affect us all.

- In September, I was made an official Ambassador, and part of their team. I was given this honor for my work in encouraging economic growth in our community.

- Been a proud mom of an active eleven year old. Balancing work and being a swim parent, swim practices, homework help, swim meets, cuddle time, and helping raise her into the fine woman she is becoming. Like my parents did with me.
I've also been able to watch an inordinate amount of time watching television and finished Super Mario Bros. for the Wii. Twice. If you want something done, give it to a busy person? I think I have some time in there for something. Just let me get my beauty sleep first.