Babies Babies Everywhere!

No. We're not pregnant.
Yes. Everyone we know is either pregnant or had a baby this year.
I think we'll look back at 2010-2011 and declare it a baby boom. Even the televised news here in Brisbane is talking about the 'boom' and how it's an all time record for the percentages of pregnancies in the entire area. I'm working for a girl on maternity leave right now. I nearly get run-over by strollers on the sidewalks every day. It's fun and exciting as we get to be part of so many families as they attempt this giant responsibility for the very first time. Fun for us as we can watch from a distance and enjoy the easy part and let the parents take care of the hard things. I think it would be stressful to be a mom right now, it seems there are so many 'do's and don'ts' that no matter what you do someone will be angry about it. Give new mums a break would ya? They're doing the best they can and hello, we all turned out fine and they didn't even invent half the crap they have today when we were tots. Heck, my mom put soft blankets in a drawer and let me sleep contently because they had not come out with the 'pack-n-play' just yet.
Being an Aunt (and Uncle) has been on of our most favorite titles ever and we get to continue the trend with the coming of another one early next year, just in time for his/her daddy to come home safe from Afghanistan. With the boom comes the realization that some families just cannot have children of their own for whatever reason and I know it's not easy. I've lost count of dear ones who have struggled or lost children they always believed would be part of their lives, some stories more tragic than others, but all painful. We shouldn't forget these families as we continue to celebrate the joy of others.
With all the babies, you'll notice the DoodleTrain store has been full of baby-themed items. This is merely because that has been my number one freelance request over the years from personal clients. It's an easy way for me to post the extras I have lying around as an inexpensive way for moms to customize their own idea. And as always, the proceeds go directly to the SheRescue home here in Brisbane to help Cambodian girls out of the sex traffick industry.

week-end

Well, I'm exhausted. I finished my first full week of work since last May. Don't be envious, I'm not. It drives me crazy not working and it wasn't all my fault. The flooding/evacuations did not help when I first started, but neither did the moving back from Canada, packing and re-packing and eventually moving to Australia, applying, interviewing, all that fun, (aka: awful) stuff. Someone at work said "The only people who think traveling is 'glamorous' are the people who don't often travel." How true those words ring for me.
So here we are, settled for the moment. I'll update you on 'my first day' later...I'm just glad to have made it this far. So, what have we been up to this month?
• We bought a luxurious 1998 VW Golf hatchback, navy blue. It's a standard, so learning to shift with the left hand on the opposite side of the road is...um, challenging/dangerous/stupid/a death wish.
• We enjoyed a great week with friends who stayed with us because their building had a couple mishaps during the flooding, but they were able to move back into their place this weekend.
• We finally received a Christmas package that family sent us over a month ago, so that was super exciting, for real, we jumped around like little kids!
• I've made a few sales on my DoodleTrain website, hooray!
Speaking of that, there are a couple of new things up this weekend. I was privileged to create a small birthday invitation for a dear friend this past week and the plus-side about having an online store is that I can merely place all the rejected comps up for sale. Don't fret, I changed the image to that of my modeling niece and nephew and didn't put any private information up. I'm excited to start another freelance logo project this weekend. One great thing about not working in graphic design at my job is that I have renewed my passion to work on projects when I'm at home. It's fun again. It no longer feels like more work at home on top of regular work at my job. Hooray! I'm trying to stay positive here.
(alright, cut me some slack, I'm still licking my wounds over selling out for better pay and a job that anyone could do...for everything there is a season right?)

Up and Running

Happy New Years! Hope you all have enjoyed your holidays and were able to get some relaxing time in to celebrate the season, now it's back to work! A new year brings new resolutions. One of my resolutions was to get my online store ready. It's been a slow work-in-progress, but I've narrowed it down to what I've been requested for the most over the past few years for design. I will continue to add new things each week, so remember to check back often! Also, there are a few designers connected who looking for great projects, so feel free to bombard our store with requests!
So welcome 2011, I'm up and running. Sort of. At least a few things are online now for your purchasing pleasure! Doodle Train has opened their storefront with etsy, a great site! Throughout the next couple of weeks I'll be adding many more products to the site. Handmade items won't be available in the US due to shipping costs at the moment, but feel free to browse through all the digital supplies, including digital scrapbooking kits, birth announcements, invitations and more! If you have any custom orders, feel free to send an e-mail detailing your requests to doodletraindesigns@gmail.com. This is a great place to get quick results if you're in a hurry and be able to work directly with designers to get just what you want while by-passing large agencies who charge outrageous hourly rates! Also, if you're interested in putting some of your own designs in the shop, let me know!
Spread the word through facebook with the new 'fan-page' button on the right.
Check us out! Doodle Train Store
Cheers!