Monday, August 25, 2014

Time to Get Busy (Photostory)

It's a rainy day in Morristown.  Racquel is not letting that stop her from getting to the shop.  Remember her shop, Ni'Chalet's? 

With baby Shay and umbrella in hand, Racquel hurries from the parking lot to the store.  The rain is coming down hard. 

Finally inside, Racquel drops the umbrella.

"Alright, I think I'll just let that dry for a few minutes.


"Mommy has to get out of this raincoat.  I'm going to sit you down for a few minutes."


"Alrighty.  Let's go get your playpen from the back." 


"Hang right here, and I'll get your toy and your blanket." 

"Mmmm, yumm, ummm"  (Shay)

"Here's Curious George.  He's going to keep you company." 

Baby Shay loves her Curious George.  It's her new favorite toy.  This should keep her busy while Racquel works in the store.

First she goes over to her pink dress display that she plans to hang up on the back wall.  She will need help with this task.

Next she surveys the empty rack that needs to be filled.  She has the merchandise in the back room.

Next she takes a look at her handbag and shoe display shelf.  She still needs to select four pair of shoes for the display. 
"What's this hat doing here?"  (Racquel)
She reaches up to remove the hat.  She will put something decorative in it's place.

While trying on the hat, her cell phone rings.
"Hmmm, that's probably Angelica."   (Racquel)

Just as expected, it's her cousin Angelica.
"Hey girl.  Are you still going to be able to come help?"  (Racquel)
*Pause*
"I'm already here.  I brought Shay with me."  (Racquel)
*Pause*
"Okay.  I'll see you in a bit.  Drive safely.  The rain is making the roads slick."  (Racquel)

Racquel says goodbye to Angelica.  She's happy her cousin volunteered to help in the store.  Without the store generating money, she's reluctant to hire the help she really needs.  She has to get this store open asap, or her husband is going to kill her.  There is still a lot to do.  She still has to have the store signs hung, the chandeliers installed, merchandise displayed and the list goes on.  The last time we saw Racquel, she was reopening Ni'Chalet's in a different location.  Once she got everything set and was ready to open the store, there was a major snag.  The owner of the building was having serious financial issues and ended up filing bankruptcy.  Racquel was heartbroken.  Luckily she didn't loose a lot of money, thanks to her husband's expert negotiation skills.  However, it did mean she would have to find a new location.  She has had setback after setback since she decided to expand the store.  Of course, her husband thinks this is a sign that she should have stayed at the first location.  Racquel is not listening to him.  She is determined to prove him wrong.  Wish her luck in getting everything done so she can reopen the store in a couple of weeks.

FYI:  I added the rain via Photoshop.



39 comments:

  1. Baby Shay is so sweet! That umberella is so realistic, it's very neat. I hope Racquel can get her store going soon, she has really cute fashions. Good to hear from you Vanessa!

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    Replies
    1. Doll Crazy - Thanks. Hopefully baby Shay will entertain herself because Racquel has a ton to do.

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  2. The rain sure is coming down. I like the way you did it. Love the store! Raquel has so much to do, but I know she'll get it all done before she opens. It's nice her cousin volunteered to help her out. Glad to see you posting again! :-)

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    1. Cindi - Thanks. Yes, she has a lot to do, but if you had seen the store just an hour before, you would have said, "Wow, she sure make great progress." Lol. It was a mess!

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  3. Replies
    1. Mustiwait - Thanks! She and I both needed to hear those encouraging words.

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  4. love the rain. i was wondering how you did it before finishing the story. raquel will have her grand reopening i have high hopes.

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    1. Shirley - Thanks! As for the rain, I just googled, "how to add rain effect on photo." I wasn't sure I could do it since I don't have the full fledged Photoshop program, but it worked. I only have Photoshop Elements which was much cheaper than the full fledged software.

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  5. Wow, I love the rain affect you achieved with Photoshop! Go, 'head, Vanessa! I'll have to see if I can achieve a similar affect with GIMP. Just love the idea of dollies being perceived as in rain without the rain soaking them.

    Great to see Raquel again, and I hope her new location works out for her.

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    1. D7ana - Thanks, as I mentioned in the comment above, I only have a subset of Photoshop, but I was still able to get it to work. Good luck with Gimp. The new location should work perfectly. It's a great area, and the store is the perfect size. That umbrella is better made than any umbrella I've purchased in real life. I love that it works like the real thing.

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  6. Oh and I LOVE that umbrella!

    Thanks for this new story. Great to read you again ;-)

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  7. Love the way the rain shot turned out!

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    1. jSarie - Thanks! I was excited to figure out that rain effect.

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  8. Great post! That is the besterest umbrella! Love seeing all the shop details.

    It's always annoying when someone is trying to make you see reason when you just want to attempt your dreams. She should keep at it.

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    1. Muff - Thanks. Oh how I miss your creative new words. That umbrella was expensive, but it was so worth it. The quality is top notch. It's better than any real umbrella I've ever purchased. Reason and dreams rarely go hand in hand.

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  9. Photoshop is the bomb.com! I love the effect. The shop looks great! The playpen is adorable!! Don't tell me you made it?

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    1. Georgia Girl - Thanks. I'm just glad Photoshop has some affordable versions. I have Photoshop Elements and I love it. Yes, I made that playpen over 5 years ago. At the time I was planning to offer them for sale, but I changed my mind.

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  10. I love the rain, the umbrella and the baby cot.

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    1. Duke of Swann - Thanks. That umbrella is my new favorite toy!

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  11. Glad to see this story from you which means you must be feeling better. I agree with everyone else on the rain and the umbrella and the playpen. I hope to get back down my basement to work on my doll houses by the end of the week. I have lots of ideas for stories too.

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    Replies
    1. Phyllis - I am moving around better and trying to get my energy back up. I started organizing and throwing stuff out in my doll room a couple of days ago. Everything is in such disarray, it makes doing stories so much harder. Once I tackle that, I will be able to knock out stories quicker.

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  12. I'm excited for Raquel! I have dreams of putting up a shop, too back then and I feel her :) The umbrella, the baby cot... super cool! I'm looking forward as to how Angelica and Raquel will decorate the shop!

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    Replies
    1. Shasha - Thanks. A shop with your wonderful fashions would be perfect.

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  13. Hello from Spain: beautiful pictures in the rain. I like the yellow bag is Racquel. Fabulous store. Shay is lovely. I really like the crib. Your doing a great job. I like the Mickey shirt. I had not seen before. Is original Mattel? Very trendy. Keep in touch

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    1. Marta - Thanks. The Mickey outfit is new. I bought if from ebay. It's not from Mattel.

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  14. Hey Vanessa, I am so glad you are better. I love the play pen, umbrella (I think I remember you covering it in a blog), handbags, rain effect and the Mickey Mouse shirt.

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    1. AG Lanc - Thanks. I am better. Being able to walk without the crutch allows me to do more stories.

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  15. Vanessa que bonitas imágenes tu niña tiene tiempo para todoo una mama todo terreno. Besossss

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  16. It's great to see you posting again! I take this as a sign that you're feeling better. That umbrella is too cool. Racquel has a pretty snazzy purse collection. I may need to come shop in Ni'Chalet's when it reopens.

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    1. Jewell - It's great to BE posting again. I am moving around much better which makes it easier to do stories. You are welcome at Ni'Chalet's any time.

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  17. I love Racquel determination. She will make it work. I love that playpen I need to make one of those for Brianna's twins. Glad your feeling better, that always a good thing. I know the grand opening will happen so I'm not going to worry about that.

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    1. Brini - You are right, Racquel will make it work, if for no other reason than to shut her husband up. She is making great progress.

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  18. Poor Raquel - retail can be hard but it sounds as though she has had more than her share of difficulties. I'm sure she'll be able to make it work though and having supportive family always helps. Great to hear you are moving around easier and I hope you will continue to improve (and I am still amazed at the cost of medical treatment in America).

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    1. Carrickters - I keep reminding Racquel how lucky she is to keep getting space in Morristown. There are many other businesses that would love to open, but they can't find space anywhere.

      I was never sick before being diagnosed 5 yrs ago, so I've been totally shocked at the cost of having a chronic disease.

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  19. Neat photoshop pic with the rain! I wish her luck. I don't like to be told what I should or should not do when I know what I want to do. So I am rooting for her!

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    1. Kenya - Thanks. You know how opinionated those husbands can be.

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  20. Bonjour Vanessa !
    comment as-tu fait pour ajouter la pluie sur la première image. C,est tellement bien fait !
    How you add the rain on the firts picture ?

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    1. Shasarignis - I just followed the instructions at this link. http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-effects/rain/

      I'm not a Photoshop pro, but I was able to figure it out without too much of a problem. Bonne chance!

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