I know Halloween is over...but since I got involved with the evening craft circle at church I have been non-stop with ideas. The latest is to make dolls--here I made a witch doll with her bag of tricks. It was so easy to make and it is so very cute! I can't wait to make the mummy, scarecrow, angel and raggedy ann dolls. I have a book with so many ideas for the craft circle to make for next year's fair...I hope we have enough time to get it all done!
Photo Albums
People Who Inspire Me
Places I Visit
Places That Carry My Product
TV Appearances
A Penguin Christmas
Creating a playful card with my Silhouette. I just LOVE the chubby animals they have in their download files and I was inspired to create a card. I took the hat from a Santa and added it to the penguin. Then shrunk down a Merry Christmas phrase and wallah...A Penguin Christmas...card. Cute and fun stuff!!!!
Runs in the Family
Recently when visiting my in-laws, I came across a photo of my mother-in-law when she was 2 years old. The photo was quite faded...so I borrowed it...scanned it...and fixed it in Photoshop CS3. As I darkened the image I realized where my son got his blond curls from when he was just about 2 years old. All this time I thought he got the curls from my uncle on my mother's side. Little did I know that these blond curls ran in the family and he inherited them from his grandmother.
Untouched photo of Ruth Connors @ 2 years old.
Fixed photo of Ruth Connors @ 2 years old.
Thomas Connors III (Ruth's grandson) @ about 2 years old.
Playing with Actions
Well, I have finally figured out how to use Actions in Photoshop...thanks to a tutorial on Totally Rad Actions. The instructions made it so easy to understand...I don't know how I didn't do this before. So, I started playing with Actions a bit and I can tell you it is a lot of fun and VERY addicting! Only problem with playing...is that I didn't keep track of which Actions I used. I will correct that in the future. Anyway, I have found a couple of sites that Karen Russell recommended (Totally Rad Actions and Itty Bitty Actons), I also found a bunch on Polkadot Potato. These Actions can get kind of pricey, but if you purchase a little at a time...your repertoire will build to be a selection of fabulous fun! It is AMAZING what you can do with your photos in Photoshop. Next I am working on taking photos in Camera Raw and learning how to edit them myself. Time is my main challenge. So without further ado...here are the Actions I tried on one photo of my niece Lillian (I just can't decide which one I like the best).
Original picture of Lillian (3 1/2 years old). I love her pouty face!
I believe this is Color Wash (Polkadot Potato) with a texture overlay.
This one is Dirtbag which is a free download from Totally Rad Actions.
This is EZ Vignette from Polkadot Potato.
Soft Edges White (Polkadot Potato)
And finally, just Color Wash Pro from Polkadot Potato.
Junior Prom
Tonight was the Junior Prom--it is hard to believe that all these kids are so grown up already. One of the kids I hadn't seen since she and Tommy were in preschool together!
Tommy & Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn making Tommy look at the camera.
Sharing a Birthday Card
Just sharing a quick birthday card I made for a co-worker. It says Happy Birthday on the inside. I used Narratives Oceanside paper and some of my old Seashell Metal Icons all through Creative Imaginations.
I'd Rather Be Traveling
I made a sign for a co-worker today. Somedays we just have those crazy days at work where we would rather be someplace else. Well, yesterday I made a sign for the nurse I work with (but I didn't scan it). She's has a new grand daughter (her first), so days that are crazy she says "I'd Rather Be Changing Diapers"--that is what her sign said. The one pictured here is for the health aid in my office--she loves to travel, so I made a suitcase for her to hang on her cork board behind her.
I think mine will say...I'd Rather Be At The Beach or In the Garden.
(Wow, two posts in one day I must have a fever or something)
The 90/10 Principle
I heard a part of this quote from a friend this past weekend "life is 10% what happens and 90% of how we react". My friend is a Vice Principle in a High School, so loving what she said I looked into it more and found the 90/10 Principle which could be derived from this quote or perhaps the other way around--who knows. I only know it makes a lot of sense. So, I printed out the quote and posted it in my Nurse's Office in my High School and I am also sharing it with all of you. This is how I try to live my life each and every day. A positive attitude goes a LONG way!
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
Charles R. Swindoll
The 90/10 Principle (By Stephen Covey)
WHAT is the 90/10 Principle? It means that 10 percent of life is made up of
what happens to you; 90 percent of life is decided by how you react.
What does this mean? We really have no control over 10 percent of what happens to us.
For instance, we cannot stop the car from breaking down, the plane from
arriving late, which throws our whole schedule off. We have no control
over this 10 percent. The other 90 percent is different. You can control
the 90 percent.
How? By your reaction.
Let’s use an example.
You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup
of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what has just
happened. What happens next will be determined by how you react. You curse.
You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down
in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for
placing the cup too close to the edge of the table.
A short verbal battle follows. you storm upstairs and change your shirt.
Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish
breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus.Your spouse must
leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to
school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed
limit. After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 (traffic fine) away, you
arrive at school.
Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye.
After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your
briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get
worse and worse. You look forward to coming home. When you arrive home, you
find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter.
Why?
Because of your reaction that morning. Why did you have a bad day?
A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?
The answer is D.
You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in
those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day.
Here is what could have been done and should have happened. Coffee splashes
over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, “It’s OK honey,
you just need to be more careful next time.” Grabbing a towel you rush
upstairs. After pulling out a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back
down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the
bus. She turns and waves. You and your spouse kiss before you go to work.
You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff.
Notice the difference?
Two different scenarios.
Both started the same.
Both ended different.
Why?
Because of how you REACTED.
Apply the 90/10 principle. It will change your life - at least the way you
react to situations.
Quick Blogging
Just sharing a project I had to do for a fundraiser. It is a poster for the ITFD Ladies Auxillary Bunny Breakfast--this is a poster of last years raffle winners.
