This was my first watercolor. The friend who had been encouraging me to paint did landscapes and florals, and since I figured landscapes would require green and I didn't like green, I elected to try a floral. Who would know if a petal was out of place? Having had no lessons in watercolor, I had no idea how to use it, so I just dipped the brush directly into the tubes of paint and added water to it once it was on the paper if it seemed too dark. I still don't how how it's "supposed" to be done, because I've avoided taking any classes that might take the mystery, and therefore the fun, out of it for me. I just do whatever works at the time. Painting for me is a "correccidental" process: if it works the first time, it's and accident, and if it doesn't work, I just correct until it does. All in all I as pretty happy with the color and looseness of this first effort.

Business cards, letterhead, and envelopes are basic staples for any business. Many small companies do little or no correspondence and can get away without a letterhead ( I have some that go through a lot of envelopes but rarely order letterhead, and I tease them about mailing out empty envelopes) but almost everybody needs business cards.

Your business stationery should contain all your contact information. That's probably a phone number at least, and possibly fax and cell or pager numbers, and website and email addresses. Many small companies operate at their client's site or for other reasons never have customers come to their location—for them, there is no special reason to include a physical address. If you want people to know about it or use it, print it on your stationery; if you don't want them to show up at your address or call your home phone number, don't print that information. Clients in construction trades often like to add a line indicating that their busines is bonded, in addition to their license number.

Even though everybody's business stationery contains the virtually same kind of information, there are endless ways to present it. My job is to make your name and address visually appealing...as simple or complex as your image requires. Often your logo will suggest or dictate the "flavor" of layout and fonts for your business cards and other stationery.

All contents are copyrighted by Charlotte Terhune.