I LOVE this one!
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Showing posts with label photos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photos. Show all posts
8.26.2013
Enchanting Pictures
I could spend hours just looking at various photos and finding something that calls out to me. Here are a few that called to me for Enchantment. Sometimes, when I don't have a photo that really captures what I want to convey about the topic of the month, I have to go some stock photography... or even just journal my thoughts with no photo. Some of these really speak to me. See any that speak to you?
8.04.2013
More Pics of the ENCHANTMENT Kit
We're still experiencing some technical difficulties on our website, so here are some lovely looks at the August ENCHANTMENT kit:
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7.18.2013
Do It Anyway...
How about a challenge? We haven't posted one yet this month, so I want to share one of the challenges we want to present you with. Read the prompt below, and the design twist, and then create a layout or art journal page... or heck, any piece of art...
Ready? Set... Go!
We'd love to see what you create. Please share it with us by linking up your creation in the comments below, or visit us over at our site and share it in our challenge gallery!
Happy creating!
Ready? Set... Go!
Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway.
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Many of us grow up thinking that if something frightens us, we shouldn’t do it. It turns out that some level of fear or anxiety is quite normal when doing something new or unfamiliar. Often, we wait for the fear to dissipate before we try something – but in many cases, the fear doesn’t move, and neither do we. One strategy is to go ahead and do what we fear even though we fear it. If we can learn to tolerate the discomfort, we will be exposed to the potential for great success. Everything worth having is worth working for – and if it didn’t take work, we might not appreciate having the positive results. And having a victory under our belts can help greatly next time we’re faced with a challenge. What do you fear? What fears have you overcome?
Are you one who waits to line it all up or do you jump in?
For the design twist, use the edges...right up to them or go over.
We'd love to see what you create. Please share it with us by linking up your creation in the comments below, or visit us over at our site and share it in our challenge gallery!
Happy creating!
5.16.2013
Are You A Snooper? Redact That!
The first time I ever heard someone use the term "redacted", I was clueless as to what he was implying. Finally, after the third use of the word, I said, "do you mean 'retract'?" He kind-of paused, and finally realized that he'd been speaking a foreign language to me. "No," he said. "Redacting is editing a document so that it can be viewed by the public without revealing sensitive information to the wrong people." Or something like that. I don't really remember word-for-word.
I have to say, now that I know what redact means, my thirst for knowing what is under that black mark is nearly unquenchable. As you would suspect, I often go on without any further knowledge, but on occasion, when I get lucky, I am able to snoop far enough to find out what it says.
This brings us to our first challenge of the month. Are you the type of person who Must Know? Does Curiosity drive you to find the answers and if the answers are readily available to you give up or do you dig in deeper and try to find a way to get the answer? Or are you the type of person who prefers not to know... allowing that to be "redacted" and blacked out for you?
Here's our first challenge:
I would LOVE to see what you come up with... that is, if you don't mind me snooping into your thoughts. :) Please share it with us in our gallery or link it up in the comments below to your blog or photo sharing site!
Happy snooping (or redacting)!
I have to say, now that I know what redact means, my thirst for knowing what is under that black mark is nearly unquenchable. As you would suspect, I often go on without any further knowledge, but on occasion, when I get lucky, I am able to snoop far enough to find out what it says.
This brings us to our first challenge of the month. Are you the type of person who Must Know? Does Curiosity drive you to find the answers and if the answers are readily available to you give up or do you dig in deeper and try to find a way to get the answer? Or are you the type of person who prefers not to know... allowing that to be "redacted" and blacked out for you?
Here's our first challenge:
I don't want to know: Are there things that you'd rather stay in the dark about -where you might be curious but are afraid of what you might learn? Did curiosity really kill the cat...can you (or have you been) too curious and gotten in trouble? Perhaps a little internet snooping...anyone? Be honest...
Please create a layout, mixed media creation or art journal page about a situation where you've searched for something you'd rather not have, or something you don't want to know about...and for the design twist black something out FBI style.
I would LOVE to see what you come up with... that is, if you don't mind me snooping into your thoughts. :) Please share it with us in our gallery or link it up in the comments below to your blog or photo sharing site!
Happy snooping (or redacting)!
4.25.2013
Is it... Destiny?
I'm baaaaaaack! It's time to dig deep with another challenge. Is it Destiny?
Please create a scrapbook page, art journal page, mixed media piece OR... just write some responses down to the challenge below. Share your heart with us in our community, or below in our comments... or link us up to your blog featuring your creation.
Ready? Set? Go!
I once had a psychology professor in college who started his class with a "debate" on free will versus predetermination, or destiny. This man was quite irritating, by the way... someone whom, to this day, I would be happy if I never crossed paths with. He was very emphatic in his debate and very strongly argued "for" predetermination. "You have no choice in life, everything is predetermined." He would get so forceful in his argument that he made several people heat up and get angry and I witnessed at least one girl crying after he cut her down. And then, he'd end the lecture with, "but I do believe in free will."
I struggled with the course. It was a tough one, and he was a hard person to learn from. Sad for me, I ended up not getting the minimum grade needed in order to count toward my major course of study. So, I had to retake the class. HE was the only professor who taught this subject, so I found myself, once again, sitting in his classroom on day 1, listening to him expound on free will versus predetermination. Beyond irritated at this point, I was ready for this "new" course. This time I came prepared and I argued against him until we were at an impasse. He was clearly not "pleased" as he truly enjoyed pounding his argument for predetermination into the ground. Perhaps he was "studying" our reaction, psychologically speaking. After all, he was a psychology professor. Me? This second time through his course, I spent a lot of time arguing against him, when he would wander off the course topic. I remember being extremely satisfied once when I made him speechless with some of my retorts.
To this day I often question if he passed me because he didn't want me to return to his classroom again, or if I really did learn the subject. Regardless, he taught me a lot about free will, and destiny. And even if I struggled with the subject he taught, that man taught me more about debate, psychology of personal interactions and choice. Maybe nearly failing his class the first go-round had a purpose. It was my destiny to re-take the course and really learn from this man who, in general, just irritated the crap out of me. Was it meant to be?
Looking forward to seeing/hearing your take!
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Please create a scrapbook page, art journal page, mixed media piece OR... just write some responses down to the challenge below. Share your heart with us in our community, or below in our comments... or link us up to your blog featuring your creation.
Ready? Set? Go!
Destiny: Do you think your future destined or planned before you were born? How much control do you believe you have over your future? Are you fated to achieve certain things, or face certain difficulties? What, if anything, do you do to maintain a positive attitude about your future? Has something come your way that felt like it was destined all along…meant to be?Hmmm... this is a good one.
Please create a layout about something that you thought was meant to be. Were you right?
Let us know by using MEANT TO BE in your title with punctuation that tells the story.
I once had a psychology professor in college who started his class with a "debate" on free will versus predetermination, or destiny. This man was quite irritating, by the way... someone whom, to this day, I would be happy if I never crossed paths with. He was very emphatic in his debate and very strongly argued "for" predetermination. "You have no choice in life, everything is predetermined." He would get so forceful in his argument that he made several people heat up and get angry and I witnessed at least one girl crying after he cut her down. And then, he'd end the lecture with, "but I do believe in free will."
I struggled with the course. It was a tough one, and he was a hard person to learn from. Sad for me, I ended up not getting the minimum grade needed in order to count toward my major course of study. So, I had to retake the class. HE was the only professor who taught this subject, so I found myself, once again, sitting in his classroom on day 1, listening to him expound on free will versus predetermination. Beyond irritated at this point, I was ready for this "new" course. This time I came prepared and I argued against him until we were at an impasse. He was clearly not "pleased" as he truly enjoyed pounding his argument for predetermination into the ground. Perhaps he was "studying" our reaction, psychologically speaking. After all, he was a psychology professor. Me? This second time through his course, I spent a lot of time arguing against him, when he would wander off the course topic. I remember being extremely satisfied once when I made him speechless with some of my retorts.
To this day I often question if he passed me because he didn't want me to return to his classroom again, or if I really did learn the subject. Regardless, he taught me a lot about free will, and destiny. And even if I struggled with the subject he taught, that man taught me more about debate, psychology of personal interactions and choice. Maybe nearly failing his class the first go-round had a purpose. It was my destiny to re-take the course and really learn from this man who, in general, just irritated the crap out of me. Was it meant to be?
Looking forward to seeing/hearing your take!
4.22.2013
4.07.2013
Childhood Misfortune
When I was a child, I used to believe that my family had the worst luck. Everyone in the entire world was more fortunate than us. (Aren't these the global, dramatic statements made by many a child?) I was convinced that we had consistent bad luck!
I grew up in an old farm house. The farm was no longer a "working farm" but there was an old barn across our driveway in which I used to play, and the house was old and rickety. Looking back, it was the absolute best place to grow up and I would never change a bit of living there. But during my childhood, all I could think about was how my friends' houses were better, newer, shinier... whatever. How my friends' parents' cars were better, newer, shinier than ours. How I lived in my sister's hand-me-down clothing when my friends were wearing Jordache jeans.
Sometime in my middle-school years, I learned the legend of the horseshoe:
We had a horseshoe as one of the many bits and mementos decorating our enclosed back porch. It hung upside down, with the ends pointing down and I remember sitting on the back step, listening to my parents talk in the background and staring at that... blaming that rusty old horseshoe for all of our misfortune.
Of course, so many years later, I look back and realize how very fortunate we were. My parents worked hard at many jobs, to raise and support five girls. We had clothing, food, heat, a roof over our head and, in later years, cable TV with premium movie channels (oh-so important to a teenager growing up in the 80's with I-want-my-I-want-my-MTV). The cars we drove were always beaters, held together with gum and duct tape (I do exaggerate a little here), but you know what? They ran. They got us from point A to point B. We were all healthy. I had a natural playground in my yard with an acre of land that backed up to woods and a creek. It was a fantastic childhood.
It wasn't until now... when Inside Out started to explore Fortune... that I looked up that old legend of the horseshoe. I wanted to see if I had heard that correctly, which I had. But then, I found this:
And looking back, you know what I think? I know that this is what is true. I had a very fortune-filled childhood.
For more perspectives on our topic of the month, Fortune, please come visit our message boards... join us in our exploration. Or share your fortune stories in the comments below - I'd love to hear them!
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I grew up in an old farm house. The farm was no longer a "working farm" but there was an old barn across our driveway in which I used to play, and the house was old and rickety. Looking back, it was the absolute best place to grow up and I would never change a bit of living there. But during my childhood, all I could think about was how my friends' houses were better, newer, shinier... whatever. How my friends' parents' cars were better, newer, shinier than ours. How I lived in my sister's hand-me-down clothing when my friends were wearing Jordache jeans.
Sometime in my middle-school years, I learned the legend of the horseshoe:
When kept as a talisman, a horseshoe is said to bring good luck. Some believe that to hang it with the ends pointing upwards is good luck as it acts as a storage container of sorts for any good luck that happens to be floating by, whereas to hang it with the ends pointing down, is bad luck as all the good luck will fall out. (source: wikipedia)
We had a horseshoe as one of the many bits and mementos decorating our enclosed back porch. It hung upside down, with the ends pointing down and I remember sitting on the back step, listening to my parents talk in the background and staring at that... blaming that rusty old horseshoe for all of our misfortune.
Of course, so many years later, I look back and realize how very fortunate we were. My parents worked hard at many jobs, to raise and support five girls. We had clothing, food, heat, a roof over our head and, in later years, cable TV with premium movie channels (oh-so important to a teenager growing up in the 80's with I-want-my-I-want-my-MTV). The cars we drove were always beaters, held together with gum and duct tape (I do exaggerate a little here), but you know what? They ran. They got us from point A to point B. We were all healthy. I had a natural playground in my yard with an acre of land that backed up to woods and a creek. It was a fantastic childhood.
It wasn't until now... when Inside Out started to explore Fortune... that I looked up that old legend of the horseshoe. I wanted to see if I had heard that correctly, which I had. But then, I found this:
Others believe that the horseshoe should be hung the other way (with the ends pointing down), as it will then release its luck to the people around it. (source: wikipedia)
And looking back, you know what I think? I know that this is what is true. I had a very fortune-filled childhood.
For more perspectives on our topic of the month, Fortune, please come visit our message boards... join us in our exploration. Or share your fortune stories in the comments below - I'd love to hear them!
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