Forehead Knocker

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Friday, January 29, 2010

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

This week, I finished reading Gerald Lund's book The Undaunted about the Hole-in-the-Rock expedition. So I included a photo of Jim & Anna Decker and family, who are spotlighted in the book. They are my great-great-grandparents. Their oldest child, Lillian, second from the right in the back row, is Grandpa Wood's mother. Lund calls her little Anna in the book but I have only heard her called Lillian. She was four when her sister, Lena Deseret, was born under their wagon at Fifty Mile Springs before they headed down the chute at Hole-in-the-Rock.

I'm off to a great start. Come join me. This promises to be a fun way to journal. Take a few photos every day so you can choose one as your POTD. Scrap them onto a page at the end of the week. By week 52, you will have a beautiful book ready for publication that will be a priceless history of the year. Don't you wish you had books like that of your parents and grandparents? Then create some for your children! It's not too late to get started now. And don't forget to blog them each week. For inspiration, register a username and password on DesignerDigitals.com and join the DD ladies' group on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/groups/30dd/. Upload your POTD in 5x7 format. Posting to their group is a great backup for your POTDs and a good source of ideas for photos.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

11 Tips to Succeed with a Photo365 Project

1. Maintain A Heightened Awareness

Observe things that you might otherwise let go by without a second glance.

2. Always Have Your Camera With You

Don’t feel self conscious. Don’t get lazy.

3. There Is No Time Like the Present

Never say, ‘I’ll take a photo of that later” or “I’ll take a photo of that on my way back.” Conditions are seldom ever exactly the same twice in a day.

4. Train Your Eye To See Light

Force yourself to take photos in all different lighting environments. It will help make you a stronger photographer.

5. Experiment! Don’t Stay In Your Comfort Zone

Try new camera settings and subject matters.

6. Make Use of Weekly Themes

Some sample themes are a particular location, a color, portraits of family & friends, dinners, traditions, etc. Online groups often suggest a theme of the week such as ‘Good Morning’ which could be the first thing you see in the morning, you in the mirror just after waking up, a sunrise, what you see out your breakfast window. This Flickr group has Fence Friday. Take a look.

7. Plan Ahead & Write Down Ideas

Look forward to upcoming events and think creatively of possible shots.

8. Edit & Post-Process Every Week

In order to avoid backlogs, try to edit & post-process your photos daily.

9. Add Notes to Your Photos

When posting daily photos online, add notes of camera settings, anecdotal stories, and what worked or didn't.

10. Have Fun

The destination is often far less interesting than the journey. Enjoy discovering your world and not just the prize-winning photo.

11. Start Today

The best thing about a Photo365 / Photo-A-Day project is you can start ANY day of the year.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Easy Festive Homemade Wreaths

Lindsay's Paperback Novel Wreath: click here for a tutorial

Supplies:

10" foam wreath ($1 at Dollar Tree) BritGirl made it with an old wicker wreath & it worked great - it's just much larger than this one
paperback novel ($1 at Dollar Tree - depending on the length of the book, you may need two)
Brown and/or gray craft paint - to paint book edges for a vintage look, dry for 15 minutes
Glue gun & glue sticks
Small strip of ribbon - to hang the wreath
A few paper towels - to apply paint to book edges and protect table surface
A few straight pins (optional)

Melanie's Rag Wreath (AKA BritGirl) click here for tutorial

Supplies:

three old children's tee shirts, cut into strips and tied onto the wire
a wire coat hanger, bent into a circle

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Holidays in Hand 2009 Class by Jessica Sprague

Day 2: The Prompt Pages
These little beauties are designed to hang or stand somewhere in your home where you'll see them every day, to provide you with ideas for capturing the stories of THIS holiday, and also to connect to your stories of holidays past.

Think of a way to display your beautiful prompt cards through the month of December in a place that you'll pass several times through the day. That might be as you walk out the front door, or it might be near your computer, or in a family area.

A clipboard hung on a nail
Use a cookie sheet and a magnetic clip
Magnetic clip hung on the fridge
A small easel
A giant clothespin nailed or glued to a board

Day 1: Refocus on Holiday Values
What are your holiday values, those things we treasure most, and the hopes we have for ourselves and our families during the holiday season? Think of some phrases or sentences that describe YOUR family's holiday values. Now make those values specific and measurable goals.

I would like to focus on Christ and the story of his birth. That includes having a grandkid Nativity play with costumes, reading the Christmas story in the scriptures, playing carols with the bells, watching specials on TV, going to the ward Christmas party, attending Church.

Reflect on the Prophet Joseph and his contributions by reviewing the manual lessons.

Enjoy being together as a family and honor traditions we have established, including gingerbread houses, playing games and family dinners. Maybe introduce doing an ornament craft.

Think more of others and what needs they may have. Participate in Haley’s Sub for Santa stuff.

Worship through Christmas carols, music and scriptures. Gather then play favorite music daily.

Finish Christmas preparations early so we can relax and enjoy the rest of the month. Follow the Christmas Countdown Planner.

Make decorations simple yet elegant. Lots of lights.

Do some fun away-from-home activities that are season related.

Try some new foods, and prepare our traditional ones like prime rib and fondue.

Create a Christmas photo book like Janet Long’s.

Send out Christmas cards and newsletters at least 2 weeks before Christmas.
Some new ideas to include on our "Make" list this year:

#1. Decorate with a familiar face (or many of them). Print or copy a photo onto heavyweight paper. Then wrap package with a wide band of ribbon. Using double-sided tape, secure photo to ribbon. You can use the photos to identify the giver or the getter, or attach one favorite photo to all your presents.

#2. The traditional Advent calendar got a creative kick, turning it into a festive garland that reuses your kids' colorful socks. Tucked inside are notes, games, goodies or a new ornament for the tree -- one sock for each day leading up to the Jolly Old Elf's visit.

#3. For the hard-to-gift: A Book of Money
Directions
1. To create binding, you'll need two grades of paper: one that is lightweight, such as wrapping paper; and one that is medium weight, such as card stock. With a glue stick, affix together one sheet of each, back-to-back. Once dry, cut out a 6 1/8-by-2 3/4-inch rectangle.

2. Find the center (lengthwise), and use a bone folder to make two vertical creases, 1/16 inch to either side of it, to create the spine of the book. Cut a piece of linen bookbinding tape (available at crafts stores) the length of the spine, and affix. Fold dollar bills in half, one at a time, to crease; open, and stack together. Fold entire stack in half.

3. Use string to bind money to book, wrapping it around book's spine and across center fold of all the bills, and knotting. Punch one hole in front and back cover, and slip a piece of grosgrain ribbon through to tie book shut.

#4. Catchy Sayings and Gifts from the Kitchen

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Inspiring custom books

I just saw these books on Shutterfly and want to post them here so I can see them again easily.
Templates used for MugsBigSis 8x8 book below were KP's Book of Memories No. 1 and AASPN's Fotoblendz Album No.2.

Click here to view this photo book.

Click here to view this photo book on full screen.

Click here to view this photo book in full screen.