Chocolate Cactus Designs

Update - returning tomorrow

Hello all, just a quick update on me.  Felling much better today after what turned out to be a rougher recovery than I had expected.  I will be back to work tomorrow, and will likely be catching up on emails most of the day.  So if you are expecting an email from me, you WILL hear back before the end of the week.  I will also be sending out files, concepts and finals as well.  Tomorrow and Friday will both be very busy days for me!

Thanks so much for your understanding and patience, and we'll be talking soon.

Jodi

Out of office (emergency surgery)

Due to an emergency operation I had this morning (7/17), I will be out of the office until at least mid-week next week. All emails will be returned at that time. Thank you.

Compelling.

Yesterday I stumbled upon this blog.  I started reading it at 10am and did not finish until many hours later at about 4pm (on and off reading).  Words fail me when it comes to describing my feelings while reading through it.  I cried, I sobbed, I laughed and I sobbed all over again.  But mostly, my heart broke little by little as I read further along.

Many of my blog readers are photographers.  Many of you may be associated with Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org) which offers bereavement photography to grieving parents.  This blog, about sweet Audrey Caroline Smith, is a testament to many things - the loss of a child and the importance of this type of photography, and a testament to true and complete faith.

As a disclaimer, the story discusses the troubles the family faces during the ultrasound discovery of Audrey's fatal anomalies, and also includes some beautifully moving maternity and bereavement photography by Tom Uchida.  (Angie's maternity session can be seen on his site under "Audrey Caroline maternity".)  Angie's husband, Todd Smith, is also in the contemporary christian band Selah.

As a mom of four, I cannot fathom the pain this family endured while they went through such things.  My heart was completely shattered - but in the same instance I was overtaken by Angie's faith, and by her what seems like wiser-than-her-years mentality.  What did I take away from the blog?  More than I could ever write in words.  

I know I gained so much from reading the blog in its entirety.  And I can assuredly say that, undoubtedly, you will as well.

http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/

Ho, ho, huh?

Yep, I am almost done with my holiday card templates for 2008!  Can you believe it's almost that time again?

Keep an eye out - they will be released soon!

The July Logo Vault (new designs added!)

It's that time again - time for new logos to be released on the Logo Vault!  This one seems to have more playful, whimsical logos, so if that's your thing - you're in luck!

As said before, each month I will take several logo designs that I have created (that were not chosen) and place them for sale. They need good homes too, you know.  J  These are essentially concepts that were presented that clients didn't choose, but that may work for others.  While I am a huge advocate for custom design, I realize that part of my audience is photographers who are eier just starting their businesses, or ones who simply may not be able to swing the cost of a custom logo just yet. 

Here's how it works:

The design will remain intact, and after choosing the one you want, you will tell me what text to place within the design (you will change the color according to your likes). All of the logo files will come to you as they do to all my other clients. You will get two files, a layered psd file (Photoshop raster file), and an ai file (Illustrator vector file) as well as easy peasy color change instructions.

That's it! Easy! No waiting for concepts, no questionnaire to fill out. These sell for $200.

Here's the scoop - they are numbered, so if you see one you want, email me at jodi@chocolatecactus.com with the number you’re interested in to confirm availability.  They will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.  When a logo is sold, I will post it on my blog to let everyone know.  J After I confirm with you that a design is still available via email, I will ask for the info you'd like in your design and will then give you the PayPal email address to submit payment to. Once received, the design files will be sent out!  Easy as pie.

And pssst...until Monday, July 30th, include the secret word "pickles" when emailing and you will get $50 off your Vault logo.  *wink*

Happy logo shopping! 

(Click on image to see larger view)

New promo!

So with yesterday's power outage, I was pretty - let's just say - not happy.  After groaning and moaning about it, I thought "okay, these are lemons - time to make some lemonade!".  So here you go:

The fist 2 people to email me with the words "power outage" somewhere n the email will receive $100 off logo design + a FREE business card design.  Hurry, I am only taking 2 people this time!  Email me at jodi - at- chocolatecactus.com.

Here's to a happy weekend to you, with no lost power.  :o)

Limited access today

I will have limited access to email today due to a power outage in my area which affected many homes, including my own.  I am checking emails via webmail when I can (albeit a dreadful, slow process on dial-up at a relative's home). 

Because of this, I will be working my tail off this evening and sending many files to clients that are completed.  To my clients VO and SS - your files will be delivered this evening when I have access to my own computer!

Thanks for your understanding,

Jodi

To all clients - emails

I have received two emails today alone that are from clients who claim to have not received any emails form me in some time, or from clients who claim to have not received promised work from me.  This devastated me to read, knowing full well I have sent emails and/or work to these clients.

Due to sporadic email (server) issues I have had, I am having trouble getting emails to reach intended recipients, and vice versa (I have a few I have not received as well).  For this, I am terribly sorry and will try resending projects, concepts, revisions, etc. back to those emailing me.

So please, if you have not heard from me in a week or more, please email me again (issues are resolved) and I will reply to you asap.  The last thing I want is for my clients to feel I am ignoring them, which is certainly not the case!

As always, I ask that people allow me up to 3 business days to reply (under normal circumstances) as I receive a high volume of emails daily.

I appreciate your understanding.

Got music?

So I am a HUGE music person with very eclectic taste.  I listen to music a ton while working (hey, music can inspire, too!), so when I saw this I knew it was a must for my blog.  Talk about flashback with the totally "rad" tape graphic - haha.  (Had to take us back to the 80's with the slang)

Just a few of my faves growing up - mostly good old stuff.  You will likely be 

able to tell that I was raised with a certain genre of music.  *grin*

Go ahead, take a listen.  Oh, and you know you want one, so click on the link below the tape, and comment letting me know if you have one, too!  I'd love to hear!

A few small changes (policies)

Man, have I been kicking some serious tail over here!  Getting a lot of projects completed and sent this week, so if you are awaiting an email, keep your eyes peeled.

Also, I am getting inquiries left and right and am booking up rather quickly.  I will have a waiting list starting soon, so if you are debating, now is likely the best time to commission me for services as I can't promise what the timeframe will be like in even 1 week!

Lastly, I implemented a couple of changes to my policies effective immediately regarding invoices:

• Invoices should be paid within 48 hours due to the few number of slots available at any given time. I have several people at any given time who are interested, and when an invoice is paid, it officially places you on the list.  When they aren't paid in a timely manner, it makes it unfair to those who are interested but cannot wait for the next available slot.  

Any invoices that are not paid within 48 hours will incur a 10% fee and a new invoice will be issued at that time.  

I hope you can understand that this is the best decision to make for my clients as a whole so that there are no extended wait times.  I have had clients wait sometimes weeks to pay their invoices, and I hate to say, but I am unable to sit on them for that long as it is unfair to those who are able to pay immediately.  Please keep in mind that I also accept credit cards via PayPal as well, so if you do not have a PayPal account, please do not feel as though you have to open one!

• Also, if you are paying by eCheck via PayPal, please note that those payments take 3-5 business days (per PayPal) to clear.  While you be placed on the list, I am unable to start on your project until it has cleared. 

I appreciate your understanding very much!