vol.25

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! It is monday, but I do not have a quote prepared - I hope you will forgive me? ;) Friday I met a couple friends and my great grandma at my moms to decorate Halloween sugar cookies. Yum! We each made a batch, using different recipes. My mom has a recipe tha she has used forEVER that calls for sour cream. I think this makes the cookies a little more moist, but there wasnt a big difference in flavor... which was surpising to me! :) Anyhow, I forgot my camera (totally uncharacter-isic of me) so my cell phone had to save the day. 

Today the weatherman predicted the temp to get into the 60's!? Crazy for this time of year, but I am in no ways complaining... I'm missing Summer! I like Fall, I just don't like that winter follows. :) 3 seasons would be perfect for me! In all reality I would probably miss winter. The grass is always greener on the other side right? ;)

Also- I listed 3 new holiday card templates in the digital shop. They're easily adapted for other uses, but set-up for Christmas. :) They are half off until this saturday.

So... do you have big plans for Halloween tonight? We'll be escorting a princess and minnie mouse around the neighborhood. :)

Ripe Social Facebook Business App

Hey there! If you keep up with VOL25 on facebook at all, you would probably have noticed that I've been slowly making changes to my facebook page, and I have received a couple e-mails asking if I offered any sort of design services for facebook pages. Unfortunately, I'm so busy that I am unable to take on an graphic design work, but really it isnt too hard to create a memorable business page.

In the image above you can see that I turned the photo thumbnails into nav buttons. I found out how to do that by googling " how to upload images to the top of a facebook business page " pretty specific huh? :) Lots of info came  up, but I found that THIS page was the most helpful.

I've also been using ripe social ( facebook apps for business ) and couldnt be happier! :) The have quite a few helpful apps at your disposal. Just this morning, I finally added a Free download tab under my page links. I've been meaning to do so for like ever... so I'm pretty happy to finally have it taken care of. You'll have to let me know know what you think of the page!

Well, Jaydon went back to work today. The house is pretty quiet, and even though it is only 9:00 AM, I feel like I've gotten quite a bit done already. :) I really miss having him home, he had spoiled me by making me a cup of coffee every morning. Actually, you really couldnt call it  a cup of coffee... more like a cup of creamer with a hint of coffee... just the way I like it. :)

Wow... I just realized I've now written two posts in two days about apps? I'm turning into my techy husband!

Camera Zoom App for android

I tend to avoid the whole iphone versus android debate... my husband is a die hard android-ite... ( i did just invent that word- or at least I think I did lol ) and if you even so much as hint that you think iphone's are better than an adroid you can bet that he will produce at least 10 reasons why android is better. :) All in facts/statistics of course. He is in no way rude about it, but I've heard it all so many times, that I cringe whenever the subject comes up. I'm pretty happy with my Evo, and the android platform as a whole... but I would seriously buy an iphone just to have the Instagram app. LOVE that. In my desperation I'm always downloading new camera apps from the market, and trying to find something similar. The closest I have found is camera zoom. I still feel like Instagram is miles ahead, but it is my favorite camera app for android as of now, and knew I needed to share. :)

you can apply a tilt shift to a photo (after the fact) and I use the polaroid frame quite a bit. I do however wish the number on the polaroid wasnt there, just because it doesnt change from photo to photo... :)

Adding composites (or texture layers) is also an option. As seen in the top (first) photo. You can play with Lomo editing, and add vignettes to your photos....

Just the other day I came across the dated polaroid under the ready made section of the app, and I've been using it a ton. Planning to make a book from blurb with the photos. :)

Anyhow, I just wanted to share that with you... I wasnt paid to do so, just trying to help us android users out. I'm also curious to know what favorite android camera apps are you favorite? Retro camera app is a fun one too, but not nearly as customizable.

Well... my brother in law is here tiling backsplash in our kitchen, and it is looking really nice! I'll share some pictures when it gets a little more finished. :)

 

a quote for your week chap 76

Hello. :) It is monday again, and I am little late in the day posting this... Jaydon has had some time off work and when he is home my routine is all off. LOVE having him around ( I guess I married him for a reason right? ) but I get very little done! :) So, I apologize for the lack of posts, and my slow response to e-mails. Jaydon and I actually celebrated our 8 year anniversary last Tuesday. We stayed home and had a nice relaxing evening. Tomorrow we're officially celebrating the big day. Heading into the city and spending all day shopping, and eating. Two of my favorite combinations! :) My mom has offered to watch the girls, and we're super appreciative of that. Nothing like being able to carry on a conversation with one another without being interrupted. ;)

Anyhow, I'm going to try get caught up on all my e-mails/etsy convos today! I made a check-list this morning, and I've been happily checking things off the list. Always feels good to do that. :D Which makes me wonder, are there certain days where you feel more productive? Any tips you would recommend for staying on track?

As a mother, I'm entitled to brag every now and then - right?

My little Journey's drawings have come a REALLY long way from the scribbles she was doing just a month ago it seems! Her and trin were sitting at the table coloring a few nights ago, and Trin was really praising Journey. She insisted I come look at Journey's drawing. I have to admit- I wasnt expecting much. She is 3 after all. So, when I seen two eyes, a smile, a face, legs and a sun that actually looked like a sun I was SHOCKED. "Wow, Journey did you do that all by yourself?" I asked. She proudly answered, "yep!" I took some video on my phone of her finishing the drawing she is holding in this picture... I need to upload it to my computer and post it. :)

So proud of both my little girls!

Trinity has also come quite a ways in her drawings. At this point her favorite thing to draw is princesses with big fancy dresses. :) I'm sure that is somewhat normal for a 6 year old girl though...? :)

So, how are you!?

Happy camper Overlay set- 2 more days at 50% off

Good morning! You'll have to excuse me for just now sharing this new set on the blog. See, we had a friend (who happened to be a roofer) come down Sunday before last to replace our roof.. and well things have been a bit noisey hectic around here since then. Throw in more rain in the last week than we've had in the last 3 months... and that also made for a few stressful days. But, I'm so happy to say it is now finished, and our house looks SO much better. Exterior paint is next on the agenda... in fact the colors have already been chosen, and the paint purchased. It is soo going to help our tired little house feel a little more new. Well, as new as a house from the late 1800's can feel. ;) Improving these things should help it sell quicker/easier if that is what we end up doing. :)

So anyway, back to my original point of this post. Somehow in all that crazy-ness I listed this new set of camping overlays... the "Happy Camper" set is what I like to call it. :) It is loaded with some fun elements that will work perfectly with any of your nature inspired sessions.

The fire, surprisingly turned out to be one of my favorite shapes to play with:

however, the suspended clouds and toadstools were a close second. :)

What do you think? If you've purchased the set, I'm curious to know which is your favorite shape?

Until Friday the 14th the Happy Camper set is marked down 50% with code HAPPY50. The code expires on saturday so grab it cheaper while you can! :)

a quote for your week chap 75

Good morning!!! :) I'm dropping in to share a new quote. I think it is a good one! :) Then again, I usually only post quotes I think are good... what are some of your favorites? I'm always curious to hear what quotes people resonate with the most. It is always inspiring! :) Hope you had a great weekend?

p.s. today is the last day to save 50% on the new P365 album template set.

Jump over to the digital shop and use code SAVEP365 when you checkout.

Random Cuteness- Power pig power strip

 

How CUTE is that!? Adorable I think. :) I came across this little guy on pinterest, this morning and had to share! :D 17 outlets, and a built in circuit breaker make it just as functional as it is cute!! :)

Original Link source HERE

SO glad it is Friday, and a sunny beautiful Friday at that. Have any weekend plans?

Vintage Motorhome Before and Afters!

It has been awhile since I've posted anything new on the motorhome! :) A couple weeks ago I set-up and staged the motorhome for some "almost" final "after" pictures. Honestly, I do not see much else getting done anytime soon. We're going into fall, so I think Sharkey will begin the hibernation stage soon. :) He may have one more trip this year ahead of him- but nothing set in stone yet...

So, here are the after pictures:

and a few more just for fun photos...

I set-up Jenga, and played it by myself for a few turns... to achieve the desired effect (had to make it look convincing) it was like 110 degrees in the motorhome, so I DID enjoy the key lime sodas... no pretending there-

 

I realized the other day that I hadn't taken any pictures with the wood screens closed. I originally wanted to do something different- curtains maybe? But I'm so glad I didn't. I've come to appreciate the texture and retro-ness they bring to the room. :)

The screen closing off the kitchen is slightly different, featuring smaller checks and a lighter color. I love that they are different. :) Jaydon still needs to wire in the other light up there on the right hand side. :)

The chalkboard contact paper has definitely earned my respect. I appreciate that it isnt permament, but really updated the look while still adding a fun surface. I purchased the contact paper online from AMAZON if anyone is interested. :)

The roller blinds were purchased from select blinds, and I covered the front with the same chevron fabric that was used for the throw pillows/curtains. I used a 3M adhesive spray and adhered the fabric to the blind, and I did the same thing over the door window:

I created the artwork specifically for the motorhome, and listed it for sale in print form) in my etsy shop.

The birch Tree mural was done freehand with acryllic paint. I considered sketching it with a pencil first, but on a whim decided to just wing it... and fortunately it turned out okay! :) Birch trees are so natural and unperfect- it seemed impossible to mess them up, although my inspiration was this gorgeous wallpaper from Cole and Son, titled Woods. It was a bit out of my price range though. :)

 

Painting it myself meant I could add in cute little personal details like Mine and Jaydon's initials. :)

I sprayed the toilet with white Krylon Plastic spray paint, and once that happened the yellow counter looked more intentional. I think the two shades of yellow before were just a bit to much... Honestly though- I think the flooring, paint and slip covers are what really brought this little guy from drab to fab. He definitely feels younger... he told me so. ;) Jaydon also grabbed a picture of me in the motorhome... I'm feeling all nostalgic. :)

Really love having everything almost done! :) So glad you guys could join me along the way!!

NEW Sketched P365 album templates for 2012 and 50% off

Yep!! The new P365 set is listed and available for purchase. Last year's set has been a best seller for sure, so I wanted to design the new set to pair with the other layouts. You were able to mix and match photos for even more layout pages with the previous set, and this set is no different in that aspect. Which means with the purchase of the new set, you have even more mix and match options! :) There are 20 pages total, + a front and back cover + 4 hi res arrows in a psd file format.

I sketched each layout first in my new favorite notebook, comparing them to last year's so I wouldnt duplicate one exactly! :) Making sure that every two pages would hold 7 photos, or a weeks worth of photos. :) Making them perfect for project 365.

They are still light and fresh leaving the focus on your photos. I tried achieving the sketched look on my computer with a thick pencil type photoshop brush, but it just wasnt giving the proper texture or chalkiness... so I went ahead and drew all the layouts individually and then scanned them each in at 600 dpi. This gave them just the right amount of beautiful texture. :)

This photo shows the new set paired with the previous set:

I used Jen Johner's photos for this set, and can't thank her enough. I just love her editing style, light and fresh! :)

Like almost all new releases this set is 50% off for a limited time. You can grab them HERE. Just use code SAVEP365 when you checkout and  pick up the set for half off- 20.00 instead of 40.00. :) Hurry though- they'll go back up to regular price on the 10th! :)

I hope you're weekend went well! Ours did... Trin and I spent a little time drawing:

I just love how she likes to draw when I do. Anytime I pull out my clipboard and sit on the couch to draw, she runs to get her little clip board, and usually tries to draw exactly what I'm drawing... and I am ALWAYS amazed at just how well she does. In these pictures she was drawing Jewel from the movie Rio. That is her and Journey's NEW favoritest movie... she wanted to be Jewel for Halloween... but I'm having no luck finding a costume for her... oh well... I'm sure she'll decide on something else soon. ;)