Tail End of the Year

Maggie took a great shot of a Pompous Pelican down by the Pier.

I thought I'd place it in my Plog.

Count down to the end of the Year...

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right." ~Oprah Winfrey

Goodbye Two Thousand and Ten

I wanted to share a few families that are very dear to me. I was given the opportunity to take their family photos for their holiday cards. This first one was only a mock up of a Christmas card for them to see as an example. I didn't use the photo of them, but simply wanted to show them what one could end up looking like. The photo is 'two in one' like the example in the previous post. I faded the shot on the right to highlight the writing.

The mom is one of the most active volunteers I know. She is hard working and always giving of herself.

These two kids have been in my view finder more than once or twice. I've known them since they were in elementary school and have been lucky to photograph them throughout the years.

Their dad was especially humorous this day. He had a couple of hand signals to me during the shoot. All in fun. ((of course)) And their mom, she is my biggest fan. When I feel down, she'll lift me up in a heart beat. She thinks I'm so much more than I am. When do I break it to her?? lol

And our family photo. I must say it is very difficult for us to get one photo of all of us. Therefore, I have had to combine two photos into one. We are either never all together, or we aren't ready to be documented. Don't want to scare the world with how we normally look!

So as the year winds down with a bang

And the sun sets in the west,

May you have a happy new year

--make it one of the best.

Digital Holiday Cards

Here is a sample and instructions of a card that I'm made for a client. It shows how to use a regular sized photo (4x6) and turn it into a landscape photo. The end result is a 4x8 landscape card that easily slips into a #10 envelope. You can also do the same process with portraits 6x4's. Long card instead of wide. Works the same, just different placement of decorations.

Here is where you take your new photo and layer it onto decorative paper and add wording. Your photo should be approximately 3" x 7 1/4". After you add your background papers, your finished size will be 4" x 8".

Play around with the placement, add drop shadowing to the parts that would normally be raised, add text and there you have it! You can print two on a sheet, cut and slip into envelopes.

Let me know how yours come out! Also, can you find anything fishy in the final card up top?

PS: I was fortunate to have a tag in this design. This week's Theme Thursday's Art challenge is "tag". Check out some great tag art at: http://themethursday.wordpress.com/

Meet Artist: Alex Krastev

OK, you all need to check out this guy's art. His name is Alex. Ironically he came across my blog about Andy Irons and noticed that HE was posted in it. He is the one on the surfboard with the roses in his mouth. He contacted me and shared his blog with me. Wow, this guy is way cool, or as my son would say, he's sick. http://future-seas.blogspot.com/

Come to find out he is commissioned by many name brands as well. Check out his work!

PS: I told my kids Alex is my new homey. We're tight. Maggie rolled her eyes and Sam just walked away. It's really getting to be a problem being old.

She Stood Up to Cancer

There's something very sad about Elizabeth Edwards' passing today.

Not only was she just 61, but she was a mom.

She had been in the hospital during Thanksgiving and opted out of any further treatments. I find it so very interesting that it was this very morning that the news was announcing that she had only about two weeks left. Does a doctor really know how much time one has remaining? Or, does one hear it on the news and say, hum, guess it's time. Struck me as strange that the news reported about it the very same day she passes away.

I decided to find out some facts about Elizabeth. We probably know more about John and quite honestly, oh, wait, there really isn't much honesty about John. (Sorry, if they'll lie to the spouse, they'll lie to the country)

Elizabeth met John while in law school. They married in 1977 and had two children. Their oldest, Wade, died in a car accident at the age of 17, a mother's worst nightmare. He was following in his parent's footsteps as he had just been honored by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton at the White House as one of 10 finalists in an essay contest. Following his death, they decided to have more children. Now keep in mind, Elizabeth was 48 years old delivering their daughter and 50 when the last one, their son, arrived. Four years later, she's diagnosed with stage II cancer. Does that make you question the hormone factor like it does me? I'm a firm believer that being pregnant sends your body into hormone psychosis. It's like hormones on crack. Sends every living cell in your body through the drive through window of Starbucks for a double shot espresso.

In one of the sites I visited to learn about her, I read that in 2007, in regards to the topic of same-sex marriage, she stated: "I don't know why someone else's marriage has anything to do with me. I'm completely comfortable with gay marriage." Except that when I first read it, I read it as: I'm completely comfortable with my gay marriage." lol I don't know just where my mind goes sometimes. I actually understood that statement. Made more sense to me.

So, I hope her kids throw her one heck of a parade. She deserves it. I'll loan them my floppy red shoes. From one mom to another, Ears to you Elizabeth, may you truly rest in peas.

HO HO OH NO... it's Christmas card time.

I've been reminded that it is time to get a Christmas card together for our friends and family. However, according to my hub, it is of utmost importance to get one out to his clients. I struggle with this so much for two reasons. One is that we rarely get a family photo taken during the year. He always want all of us in the photo. Don't know why. Can't imagine his clients need to see what I look like and they know what he looks like. Maybe it's justified to show them the kids. He's funny too, most of the time when we are all together, we will have been doing some activity. We never have done a formal sit down photo session. One year he wanted to get a photo of us after we've just hiked all day. (yes, this is always showing me at my best) Another time we were on vacation, it was really windy. Sure he looked good, his hair is an inch long, but the wind took mine as if it belonged to someone else and showed my lovely very large dumbo ears. (another good look for me)

The other struggle is that he wants one of those "we're all that" letters to go with them. By the end of the year, I'm done. I don't have anymore to give and even less to get all giddy about to put in a "this is what we've done this year" letter.

I don't know about your goings on, but I live with Chicken Little. The sky in our area has been falling for years. And NOW he says it's really falling. I think his notion of selling our house and buying a trailer is going to come to fruition soon. So-- as I was trying to come up with some holiday card idea, Chick Little was in my head. Here is one rendition. It's titled, "Drivin' it in Hard".

Not sure if you'll be able to read the verbiage on the bottom, here it is:

re-ces-sion

noun

A period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in teenager's overall happiness in two successive quarters.

The main portion of the background was from www.crystallitemedia.com. I got it via google images and then made some of the snowmen melting. I added the sign around the big one's neck and just continued adding things until I was satisfied. Enjoy!