Social Media Networking

It's all anyone ever talks about nowadays. And it's all a bit overwhelming. Don't know if it's worse because I went on a sort of a course (it really wasn't that bad!) covering the myriad ways in which one can engage in SMN. And this was just from a business perspective. Do this, you mustn't do that, you should be doing this and this and this. It all made sense, at the time, but in the cold light of the (several) days after it's made me think long and hard and, if I am honest, become slightly (no, I don't do slightly anything) anxious. Think about it. You're 'supposed' to have x no of followers on Twitter, so many that you start moaning about the number of people who are following you (he-llo!) and if you haven't got anyone - or a modest number of people as in my case, it's quite easy to sit there feeling anxious that you're not being taken any notice of. Then you see the tweets from the people that you're following, thinking that they'll notice that YOU'RE following them and follow you right back. But they don't, and what the hell are they tweeting about going for a kebab for? The little noise from TweetDeck that occurs every nanosecond telling me that someone I'm following has just tweeted is the sound of anxiety. They aren't mentioning me, and I must look like Johnny no-mates cos no one IS following me. I respond or retweet too quickly because I'm permanently on my PC working out how I can improve my SMM. I mean, I know I'm a web based business, but I don't work ON the web, I just sit there waiting for people to see the light and buy my books.

But Twitter is just the beginning of the evil. You apparently must have a Facebook page for your 'self' and one for your business persona. Then you need a 'fan' page for your business, then you need a link to YouTube where your videos are stored for cos that'll improve your Google search results. And you need to be on Google this and LinkedIn that and you need to juggle all these balls in the air all of the time to show that you're truly connected to the social media circus. But but but but but. That's a lot of very big buts (how rude!) it's all very well, and most people want to keep up with the times,

but HOW DO YOU ACTUALLY FIND THE TIME TO DO ANY REAL WORK?

I'm a one person band, I make great books, I want people to find me, find them, love them and yes, being blunt, buy them. But I can't be selling things I haven't got the time to make. And my anxiety levels about THAT are enough to deal with thanks, without having to think up a social media networking / marketing strategy. I just want to do my thing, politely and profitably over here in this corner of the world. Shucks, even my website doesn't work properly, let alone my SMN. If people can't find my business when they type in On The Rebound in Google, they ain't going to find a 40 something bookbinder living in the boonies and connect with me via any of the above. The world's gone mad.

Tempus Fugit

Lying in bed, half asleep this morning, you know the time, just before the day crashes in shouting and bashing its cymbal of demand, beloved mentioned that I hadn't posted a blog for over a month. My immediate impulse was to deny it, and to suggest that he hadn't bothered looking properly, but, but, but..... With an enormous crescendo the morning and the rest of the day week month year crashed in and I realised that I've been so busy running fast to just stand still. I've often been accused of having too many horizons, and indeed it's an accusation I level at my little boy (who's far too similar to me in that respect, poor soul) and even within the confines of my precious baby, OTR, I realise that this is the case too. So, although I've previously vowed never to apologise, never to explain when there have been blog gaps, I recognise that I really need to structure this life and this business and get a routine going. They (whoever they are) say that Tuesday is the day that most blogs are updated, and although I hate conforming, I had to grab this one today and get moving.

So, what's been going on at OTR towers? Well, I had my first outing last week to a Christmas Fair. The event itself was lovely, and for an excellent cause - Marie Curie Cancer Care, and the Petwood Hotel was a splendid venue. However, and it's a big HOWEVER it wasn't the 'right' place for OTR books, especially given that (a) it's a relatively new idea that very few people have experienced and (b) I'll hold my hands up and admit that I'm not a natural salesperson. However, the list of lessons learned has started, and we'll see whether things improve at the Dunholme Village Hall Craft Fair at the weekend. ONe thing I would say, with a wry smile, is that I would have done better if I had been given a pound for every time someone said 'Oh I've got a loft full of Ladybirds' or 'I remember when they used to come bound like that'. I was at the point of shouting 'Well, leave them in your loft, but at least when they're rebound they're being used and admired and are legitimately used by an adult' and 'you don't remember them being bound like that because I'm the only person doing it......' respectively. But I'm a grown up and I kept my big mouth shut and smiled. Zen calm is sooooo important don't you think?

Anyway, here's a pic of the stall, in the OTR poison green and purple livery. What do you think?



Obviously, the spectre of Christmas looms - although for us we traditionally wait til after Charlie's birthday at the end of November before we get into the full blind panic (or I do, I rather suspect I panic for the whole family.....) but this year is a bit different. I imagine that, because my stuff makes good, unusual and unique presents, I am expecting that I'll make some books for people as gifts, but this then starts me thinking about the nature of gifts at this time of year. Is hand made stuff from someone you know acceptable? Does the monetary value or volume of presents count? Where do children get their values from with regard to presents (I say this freely admitting that I was an appalling child who was convinced that my sister got 'more' than I did......and didn't mind telling my poor parents so.) (Sorry Mum and Dad). Anyway, all this navel staring won't get the book orders made. Plenty of time for reflection when the Christmas rush is over.

Autumn with a hint of Christmas

We've seen frost here this week - just a tad, enough to make the geranium start to curl and the peppers on the patio start to protest. It feels (although it's highly unscientific) as though the frost is later than other years, but as the passage of time goes faster and faster it's hard to tell. We seem here to have jumped from late Summer to grotty autumn without the lovely autumn that precedes it. Why am i wittering on about the weather? Well, firstly I'm English and that's what we do. Our yardstick of all things. Secondly because it almost feels valid to talk about Christmas. Even more so because OTR is going out on the road for the first time at not one not two but three events. I'm busy designing my stall and buying stuff for it, and trying to get creative with the giftwrap bags and the tags that I hope will be very popular and sell as well as my books. I'll post dates and locations shortly once a bit of firming up has been done!

I've loaded some seriously lovely new books on the site - you can see them in the slide show at the top - and I've started to sell books and jotters which, after all, is the point! It's scary standing here at the top of the ski slope but nothing ventured nothing gained I reckon!

I've joined and been to my first meeting. If you're in business you should be a member, it's fab.

There will hopefully be a new category of books available soon, you'll just have to watch this space! In the meantime, don't forget to start thinking ahead about pressies for your loved ones. I'm sure you know where I am coming from!

More strings to my bow

How many blogposts have you read that begin with something along the lines of 'Haven't blogged for a bit....been busy'? I actually started this post like that and then the thought occurred to me that EVERYBODY is busy, and the point of blogging isn't to record every thought word or gesture (well, mine isn't!) but to keep the blogreading public up to date with stuff of interest to them. Why am I wittering on about this? Well, I am starting to consciously think positively - I've had such a dreadful, dreadful year to date that I am not going to allow myself to think negatively any more, and an apologetic start to a blog sounds like a big fat hairy lump of negativity to me. So no space for apologies, on with the good stuff!

So what has been going on at OTR Towers? Well, the big news is that I'm on a traditional bookbinding course - and I'm already learning little tricks of the trade that have opened my eyes to yet more possibilities plus it's going to be immensely helpful in pushing the quality of my other binding projects like Chocolate Jotters and so on sky high.

Here are a couple of pics of my first single signature hand made book with hotfoil lettering. Sounds good huh? I found it easier than I thought I would, which was a great relief!

In the picture above, you can see the hand stitching and the little knot that is made in the centre of each of the signatures (folders of pages to you and me!). When I close my eyes and think about possibilities for seriously quirky hand made books, I can see all sorts of ribbon and thread possibilities that could feature in such a handmade book. I don't know usable the book would be but it would certainly look tremendous!

It was lovely to be a pupil again and the small and very friendly group worked brilliantly well. I'm looking forward to next week's lesson! Well worth a trip out of the countryside to 'that' London.

I'll be back soon with an update on how my Chocolate Jotters have been received down in Devon!

OTR Launch day!

Woo hoo! As of 11 o'clock this morning OTR is officially live! All the work loading the books and the other scrummy stuff on the website has come to fruition (what a lovely, Autumnal word) and apart from a tiny bit of adjustment to one of the pages, OTR's doors are now open. Cue the trumpet fanfare tan ta da.

It's been a bit of time since I blogged because I've been on holiday and we've had a bereavement which has put things out of kilter, but not wanting the devil to find work for my idle hands whilst I mope around feeling sorry for myself I decided to carry on with the launch anyway.

I'm a bit busy sorting stuff out, but just in case you were interested (and who couldn't be!) the website is here . Be sure to bookmark it and keep an eye on our many and frequent new deliveries. Off to do some more marketing now!

Everything happens for a Reason

A strange week that's gone by too fast - certainly too fast to blog it all. Junior OTR assistant has gone away for a couple of days which, by rights, should have left me some space to 'do my thing'. Has it by 'eck! I have managed to make one single Chocolate Jotter for a dear friend, and had other friends over for dinner. As for the rest of the time, I do not know where on earth it has gone. I did get to a local market yesterday, ostensibly looking for apricots (how glamorous a life she leads I can hear you say) but happened across an antiques type trader who had just obtained a van load of books - however hard I tried to find out where they got them from they avoided my insinuations and allusions. I bought several delicious ones from them which are being added to the gallery as I write this, and I'll have them on the website by the end of today, but apart from that the week has completely disappeared. No sign of the writing I'm supposed to be doing, being done. Oops. My very good friend Jules at Apple Tree Theatre company is awaiting a monologue from me, which she wants to share with the world. I'm full of ideas for what I want to do, but I'm completely overwhelmed by all the trivia at the moment and that is so effective a form of writer's block that I'm not even bothering to resist. However, I'm off on hols in a week and I'm hoping that my parents will be happy to play with my son whilst I can sit and smoke Gauloise and hopefully, hopefully, hopefully get it written. Once I start I know it will be fine, but starting is often the hardest bit.

I turned into a patron of the arts this week in the Butter Market art gallery in Newark. A picture by the artist Ann McLaren Hodgson quite literally shouted at me from the street (I have no idea what I was doing looking in a gallery window - I usually resist unless I've got unlimited time.) I wasn't previously aware of her beautiful work - it's certainly unusual and unlike anything I've seen before, but it is truly inspiring stuff. Before I decided to blow my holiday spending money on the picture I chose, I was aware of how badly I wanted to just plonk myself on the floor, surrounded by her art and write myself senseless. The inspiration was completely tangible. I had the very great pleasure of actually meeting Ann and she's a charming woman with a winning smile and a very very firm handshake. I can't wait until her exhibition (which is moving to the Sam Scorer gallery in Lincoln soon) is over because then I can take my picture home and hang it in pride of place in the living room. If AJ can get a nail into the brickwork that is.

I'm hoping we're off to the CLA Game Fair on Saturday (with evil Pooper who will be amazed that there are other dogs in the world. Again. Over and over again) and to a family bbq on Sunday. It'll be lovely to see my folks and for AJ to get to meet them again. Well, I think so, even if he doesn't. Then, one more week till the trip to France and then ta-da! On return I'm opening the shop up on the web and going for it BIG time with the very welcome assistance of Bertie at Click Creations . We reckon the world won't know what hit it. Have a lovely weekend!

Back to the bindstone

A week away in sunny Cornwall. Well, I would say that wouldn't I, but it's frankly a complete lie. We had one nice day when we went to Lanhydrock (and I got caught in a heifer stampede which was almost as scary as being admitted to Eastbourne Hospital and just as risky) but otherwise was a good day. It rained the rest of the time. Staycations? Holidays in the UK? Erm, no. Never again. Time's too precious to spend it sitting around in a raincoat.

Anyhoo, we're back and the production of Chocolate Jotters starts in earnest. I'm getting them made in between school holiday duties such as playing with aircraft carriers and taxiing the junior OTR members about the county. I'm hoping that the website will go live this week, but I'm on the horns of a dilemma as I'm off to sunny France in a fortnight which could really make people fed up if they don't get their orders. Alternatively, there is a view that it's the 'quiet' time and so it'll probably be ok. Don't really want to hang a 'Gone Fishing' sign on a brand new site........I shall ponder at the hospital this afternoon.

I've added a couple more books to the pile from a short wet foray to one of my (usually) fruitful hunting grounds yesterday morning. Largely it was a wasted trip, but I did acquire a set of six 'History of the Great War' books which would make fantastic journals or whatever for those people in your life who like gorgeous colour plates of soldiers and war maps and so on (is that the right term? I'm sure there's a proper term but not being geographically minded I don't know). They'll be on the website from the off and they're well worth a look with (dare I say it) Christmas in mind.

Had the chance en route home from the wetlands of Cornwall to meet the gorgeous aforementioned Bertie from Click Creations which was like a breath of fresh air in rain sodden Bideford (see - I'm not being Cornwallist - it was Devon too) and she made me one of these beautiful and quirky dry felt animals. This is clearly Angus and I can't wait to pick him up from the kennels tonight and introduce him. Mind you, he'd probably chew it up....... Talking of which, I'm going to get another border friend for Angus but hopefully I will be able to train this one to bring the ball back.

Off to taxi duties now. I'll post some pics later. If I can manage it. A week off and I'm a Luddite all over again

If At First You Don't Succeed.....

My good friend Bertie at Click Creations made an observation the other day that has really inspired me. She said that those who succeed in life are those who try try and try again. I was whingeing (a fairly normal function in my life) about something craftlike not working (it was actually, shamingly, when I managed to completely muck up a book I was making for her - but, it's life, it does happen. Except you don't get any second chances with unique old books. Gloom) and beatifically (or should that be Bertifically?) she issued forth that pearl of wisdom. Well, talk about a rocket inserted into various places that'll get you going, I've tried tried and tried again and have, after much gnashing of teeth and shouting produced another new scribbly idea. Take a look at these little gems.

I've taken a seed packet and rebound it into a plain paper notebook - a favourite fill of mine to be honest, it offers so possibilities - and inside the jolly pattern lined front cover I put the seed pack in a little slot. Just like this, in fact....

Now, I do love gardening (when I'm physically able.....) and I love all the possibilities for gifts that are related to my passion that I can give or make to my other gardening friends. I'm dead pleased with this latest idea because it means I've now got another option for this. And unlike the endless jars of gardeners hand cream that get bandied about and left in the back of the cupboard, I'm pretty sure that this lovely will get used over and over again. And, unlike stuff that goes off or out of fashion, long after the seeds have grown and given pleasure, the notebook will remain as a happy reminder of a lovingly meant gif


And this is what both covers look like (the back cover inside is the same as the front cover but without the little seed packet pocket). I think I shall call them Seed Scribblys.

Thanks Bertie for the inspiration to keep trying. I really should have learned by now not to be a quitter, but it helped to be reminded not to be. I'll be putting these on the website shortly and hope lots of people desire them for themselves and their friends and family.

I'm finding lately, no doubt as direct result of my passion for my wire binding machines (or, as I shall call them from now on wbm1 and wbm2) that I am eyeing up absolutely everything with a view to 'how can I rebind it'. My stationery habit is barely contained at the best of times, but now I can truly make my own, it's almost completely out of hand. Luckily I'm off to Cornwall for a week on Saturday and obviously can't take either wbm with me (not that I'd take the newest one, wbm2, as I can't make it work properly still and I'm seething at the expense with no return at the moment....) but I'm hoping that I'll find not only charity shops and possibly even a car boot sale (which will have to be a stealth thing as it won't be what the OTR junior members and assistants will want to do) but also that I'll get more inspiration for other bindery. I do know that by the time we get home I'll be aching to get the OTR team out of the house and to reacquaint myself with the wbms and get a-binding. Wirebound cornish pastie anyone?

A Lost Weekend?

Well! It appears that somewhere out there in the blogosphere someone has heard of our project and is already trying to buy stuff on the site. Whoops. We haven't tested it from cradle to grave yet so we've had to take it offline until we've worked through it all. I'm just stunned that anyone is interested enough to want to buy things before we've even launched properly. Mind you, like so many things, I guess that if it's online it's fair game. Oh don't for one minute think I'm ungrateful, not at all, it is just a demonstration of how little control we have in the virtual world.

It was a quiet weekend with (gasp, horror) no crafting or, well, anything really. It was too hot to be ensconced with a guillotine and a wire binder (or 2 grrr) and we just hung out. That's not strictly true, we attended 'Dogs Unleashed' at Newark Show Ground, with our guard terrier Poops, who disgraced himself by failing to race after the lure in the terrier racing and was far more interested in all the other dogs there. It's weird, he seems to forget that there are other dogs in the world and he just goes crazy with happy excitement whenever he sees another four legged friend. However, I'm hoping that the work we've started doing with Sara at A Dog Called Wander will sort him out so that we'll be able to go and enjoy ourselves around other people and dogs without Poops being so anxious. Who can say? He's a clever boy and I'm sure we'll be out and about with pleasure this summer holiday.

I didn't get to my usual place for books this Sunday, and we're away for the next 2. I'm a bit anxious about stock levels, but certain that there are charity shops in Cornwall. Hopefully the OTR team won't mind carrying the bags for me.........

Hope Eternal Springs from the Creative Breast

Well, isn't it strange how the creative mind works? I know that's nothing new, and creative sorts will raise their eyes and wonder what's new about that statement, but it's important to sometimes stop and consider how we all come to arrive at a creative outcome. The reason for this navel gazing is that I had had a fairly frustrating week with everything I touched turning completely rotten until yesterday when, a day late, a new wire binding machine and my new and long awaited grey board finally arrived. It was as if all of the frustrations of the week melted away, and I couldn't get creating quickly enough. Within about an hour of the kit turning up (which turned up almost simultaneously despite being from different suppliers) I had made my first Chocolate Jotter. And boy, do I LOVE it (and the chocolate too.......but we'll be sending the bar out with the jotter - double whammy for you, hell and damnation for us)


Well. What can I say. I've had a couple of people fondle them and although I'm sure one shouldn't be self congratulatory, I have to say, they're blooming fab. How inspiring is that? So I've added some pictures (I hope!) to show you what they're like. And hopefully, in between my mad day I hope to make another prototype to show you later! After a futile first 3 days, I'm dead happy that the buzz is back. It's also a strange situation where the pain in my back and shoulders (caused by a riding accident) are almost worse when I'm hunched up crafting, but the mental pain is eased. What's all that about?

Weather the weather

What a day! Being British (no, I'm English, let's be clear about this before we begin) the weather is a national obsession. Where I live, out in the Lincolnshire prairie, it's a daily if not hourly preoccupation. Is that a cloud coming in and where is it coming from? Is that rain cloud or sea fret (surely not this far from the sea - it's a good 30 miles) and so on. The acres of wide open sky that engulf us in this part of the world are so omnipresent, it's a given that the weather is a preoccupation. However, I digress. What has the weather to do with anything? Well, personally, my mood and disposition are directly affected by the weather and today has been sun sun sun - it was 30 degrees in the car and would you believe it, the aircon has packed up. My mood? Hot, sweaty, sticky, achy. This has not been improved by junior OTRer Charlie finding a flying ants nest....in the new games room. I've now got to go and have a shower to get the creatures off me, as I am certain I can feel them crawling all over me - I bet if you think about baby flying ants in your house you too will be itching. Sunny mood? Grrr.

Anyway, weather aside (although I can't say I won't mention again, it's kind of always there and it gives us something to chat about) things are frustrating here at OTR towers. I was feeling a bit under the (dare I say it) weather yesterday, and managed in that special way that only crafters can, to completely muck up an order for an accident book. I'd searched high and low for the cover and was most pleased to have found a 'Family Medical Encyclopedia' that cried out to be made into said order. And every single thing I touched turned to........any rude word you like to insert here will suffice. Net result? I'm now in the horrible position of apologising for the delay and starting the search for an apposite book again. Plus I've had to stump up for another wire binder (how many does a girl need I ask myself) because of the limitations of the one I have. Research research research. I can hear the mantra from a long way off, slightly muffled but clearer with every passing bank statement.

I'm just putting the finishing touches to a new idea that I've had for personalised gift tags and scrabble letters - it's funky and fun and I hope will make my friends very happy. If I manage to finish it off tonight I'll post the pics later. If not - well, the sunshine and the fridge full of cold drinks (hey! how did that happen? Yay!) may just distract me. And tomorrow I've got a physio session for the dreaded broken arm and cos it hurts a WHOLE lot I'm dreading it. Plus I've got to go and find some new stock to mangle and maim. There aren't enough hours in the week.