Sammy! A bit of Supernatural fun!

Posted by Sarah K, this is just plain fun!

Newton's Law... yes, it applies to creativity, too!

Newton's first law - An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

This is true of both the physical and the mental.  A brain at rest, stays at rest.  Get the brain moving - through thought provoking documentaries, browsing a gallery of the Masters, or just the incessant questions of a child, and it keeps going.  

Now I'm thinking blog posts are subject to the same law.  Let blog posts dwindle to once every, er, uh, six months, and that's the pace that is kept.

Today I am the unbalanced force.  (And many close to me would agree with that even without the Newton's Law analogy!)   Here's a blog post, and, to put some force into the creative sphere, I'm going to go do some stamping! 

Enjoy the day!

and Be Creative!

Be Brave... it's only paint!

I have always been frustrated with the initial visual impression upon entering my home.  I don't have a grand entryway or a cute alcove to display fun things.  I have... a staircase.  And when I greet you at the door, although my dog is friendly, all you see is... a staircase.  

After more than a year of debating quotes, silhouettes, painting chevrons or stripes, I got inspired by a Google search of "painted stairs," and decided simple was the way to go;  just adding some color would do the trick.  Part of my delay was indecision on what to do; but the other part was wondering if I should do it.  End the end, though, it's my house and the whole thing is going to have to be painted anyway at the dreaded time of "resale."  It is, after all, only paint!

I was at Lowe's to buy concrete for stepping stones (a future post, I'm sure!) and happened through the paint center.  They had all these clearance pots of sample colors.  I didn't set out to buy paint for the stairs.  But here were the perfect colors!  I started smiling just thinking about the "new" stairs.  I tried to reason with myself that I had too much planned for the day to derail that and paint my stairs.   I lost the argument!  

Got home, taped the stairs, had the boys help decide the color order of the stairs, and dove right in.  

Cash Investment = $12 (including the brush)
Time = 1 hour
Joy it brings me = Priceless!

What project have you been debating?  Be brave and get to it!

Choosy moms choose... Gifs. Or at least the funky moms do!

Fun with animated gifs...  I was going through my photo stash (digitally, of course).  I have a "sport/speed" setting on my Canon.  It takes rapid photos, one right after the other.  I make pages with a handful of them, but the real fun is making animated gifs.  

Open all the photos in the series and place them in the workspace.  "Stack" the phones in sequence into one file so that each photo is a separate layer.  When you go to save (in PSE or CSPS), Save for Web - and check that little box that creates so much fun - "animate."  You have some timing options to choose - 1, 2, 5 seconds, etc.  Most are great at 2 seconds, but my samples are at 5.  Depending on the subject, they look a little too frenetic at 2 seconds!

They're just fun and take the memory that can be captured on a page -

and makes some fun for your desktop.  You can always keep it on a thumb drive or CD and add to your keepsake box, too.

Here's another from the playground.

Have some fun and Get Scrappin'!

End of Civilized-nation as we know it...

The End of Civility... I've seen it...

Gene Roddenberry knew it in the 60's... we should have realized it, too.  

The end of our civilized civilization brought about by the need to communicate...not with each other, but with computers.

When you needed info on the Enterprise, they didn't say "Computer, please tell me about so and so."  They said succinctly "Computer" and she, in Majel Barrett Roddenberry's voice, said "working."

It's in my hands right now; the portent of the end.  I need something from my ipad.  I say, "Siri, please show me so and so."  The "please" confuses her and she doesn't understand.  

So I simplify my request to exclude the polite phrases I have had beaten into me since childhood.  I decline to say thank you since it doesn't compute.

GR was such a visionary... if only we had realized what he knew.  We could have programmed computers differently.  To make them require hearing please and thank you from us before providing us with directions to wherever or the recipe for a delightfully quenching drink.  To have it respond "unable to compute" when it doesn't hear the basics of society's politeness.

Instead, we have been reduced to quick texts, have 

lost our art of conversation and are watching civilized 

civilization disappear.  Even I, who am a stickler for please and thank you, have reduced them to "pls thx" at the closing of texts and occasionally emails.  I won't be doing that anymore.  I will take the time to spell it out!  To take the TIME to hold on desperately to the remnants of the civilized-nation I remember.

Anything else... well... I'll be unable to compute...

Oh, Adobe.. whatcha doin' to me...

Adobe is killing Creative Suite; here’s why

As a long time user of Adobe programs - heck, I still use Elements 5 when I'm just doing a quickie adjustment! - I want to support them in their desire to improve their products and bottom line.  It's their right, after all, as a business to adjust their model.  It does mean I may forever stay with CS5, however!

Some people are REALLY mad about it.  Online Petition Against Adobe's Creative Cloud Approaches 9,000   Some just have walked away from Adobe.

I admit, that I'm looking at other programs.  A one time purchase feels easier than a monthly, ongoing subscription.  

In the mean time, I'll hold on a little more tightly to my "cereal boxes" of software and watch, wait and see if this "revolutionizes" the industry.


Now Get Scrappin'!  - either in the cloud or with your tried and true Elements 5!

February Journey 12 - ABC's of Love

February is the month of Love.  Love of family, friends, and pets.  We lost a dear pet this week.  She was fractious, funny and loved sitting on my arm while I was at the computer.  Yes, it made it tough to use the mouse and type, but she just wanted to be close.

The new February Journey 12 kit is available in the Shoppe and  is the ABC's of Love.

Here is my first page of the month.  

My scrapping resolution is still going strong. :)

Now get scrappin!