The Power of Photography to Stop violence Against Children With Albinism in Africa

>> Monday, November 30

~UPDATE: Dec 1~ Unfortunately, this project failed to reach its goal. Bummer. :(




Albino children are often abused or sacrificed for medicinal and witchcraft purposes in Africa because people do not understand their condition. Joanna Rudnick and Rick Guidotti are part of a team traveling to Africa to make a film about these children and to encourage others to help rescue them from death and abuse due to ignorance. Only 26 hours to go!

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post

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Happy Thanksgiving!

>> Tuesday, November 24


(sweet Thanksgiving place settings from Soft Day Studio's Etsy shop)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Wow, this year has been tough (I eloped, dropped out of college, moved to a different State, weaned myself off all bi-polar medication, began a new job, started up a business, and lost a best friend to a car accident) but amidst it all, God has been good and I have even more things to be thankful for! Here's my list--what are YOU thankful for?

I am thankful for:
  • A holy and loving God
  • my Caleb: a kind and loving, strong and passionate husband, friend and confidant.
  • Caleb's family, who live so close and have been a blessing to us DAILY
  • my former art instructor, Dorothy Benson, who has taught me everything I know about art and many of the things I know about life
  • time and materials to practice my art
  • my parents and brothers, who despite all I've put them through still love me
  • the internet, and all the coolness therein
  • my friends, who cry and laugh with me through anything
  • enough steady income to provide all necessities and some wants
  • a rental apartment that allows us to keep our Fluffinator (aka, DC, our very fluffy cat)
  • joy and hope, for without them I would be nothing

In the spirit of the holiday I will be concentrating on all that I am thankful for and giving this little blog of mine (and me!) a break. I'll be back to posting Monday morning.

Happy Thanksgiving, and God bless!

Peace,

Emily & Caleb

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Humanity, in black and white: Part II

>> Monday, November 23

The second collection in a series of black and white photography found on Deviant Art. Enjoy.

View Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
(As always, click on the pictures for a better look.)


I've been a Star Wars fan since I was about three, so of course this photo tickled me pink, shot on the streets of Hollywood, CA.


This brand new deviation has beautiful focus and composition.

by *Ciril

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post

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Hootsuite: Making Twitter a Sane Experience One Tweet at a Time

>> Sunday, November 22

I avoided Twitter for a long, long time. Then my job required me to obtain a company account. Slightly perturbed, I entered the tweeting world determined not to get seduced.

Whoops.

Guess it was inevitable, huh? Though I now tweet happily for both my company (@GardenStateKoi) and for myself (@CandEDesigns), I would certainly not be able to do it without my new-found friend, HootSuite:



HootSuite enables me to do everything I need to, quickly:

Shrink links? One button.

Schedule tweets in advance? Two steps.

See/edit/send direct messages, scheduled tweets, mentions, and home feed at a glance on one screen? Got it.

Automatically search for and track certain key words? Yup.

Click-through rates and statistics on my tweeted links? Got it, referral and country stats included.

Manage multiple usernames under one account? Yes, they are just a tab away from each other.

Best part of all? It's free.

And of course, my newly acquired re-tweet button on every blog post is just the icing on the cake. :) Thanks to SolidBlogger.com for the code!

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A Bipolar Daughter and the Family Who Loves Her

>> Saturday, November 21



I came across Megan's blog earlier this year and have been blessed by every post. I too, have bipolar disorder (though not early onset like her daughter). Her compassion for her daughter and ability to separate the disease from the person is a true breath of fresh air..

An informative read for anyone who has or knows someone with this life-altering condition


On a related note, .a while back I came across these delightful renditions of a little neurotransmitter named Squishy delivering message in the brain where he lives. Whenever my own neurotransmitters get me down, I remember little squishy and he never fails to bring a smile to my face. :)


Squishy the Neurotransmitter by `ursulav


Squishy Climbs The Neuron by `ursulav

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Christmas For A Song: Paper Snowflakes Tutorial

>> Friday, November 20


snowflakes adorning my desk at work

If you're like me, a slim wallet is seriously cramping your holiday cheer this year. I LOVE giving gifts, more than receiving them, actually (though of course, receiving is still nice). I've already made a list of everyone to whom I plan to send something, and for the next few weeks I will brainstorm furiously for that meaningful gift.

Problem is, my joy in giving tends to far outpace my earning capacity. For example, for one friend I wanted to get a custom cross-stitch pattern. They only cost $5 on Etsy. Catch is, to buy the cotton to stitch on is about another $5, and the thread is $1 per bundle. You need anywhere from 10-30 threads per pattern. In other words, not happening.

So even though I have yet to think of a gift for her, my mind has been chewing over other, more pocket-friendly ideas, things I could for "for a song." I have jotted a few down already, and in the coming weeks will post them as part of my "Christmas For A Song" series. First up? Paper snowflakes!



TUTORIAL:
HOW TO MAKE BEAUTIFUL, ONE OF A KIND PAPER SNOWFLAKES
Materials / Instructions / Style tips / Cautionary tips / Examples


Cost: 
 potentially $0

Materials:
White scrap 8.5"x11" paper, blank on one side
scissors
tape
thread

Skill level:
Intermediate


 

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post

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Ouch!

So I was ordering the rest of my gift-wrapping supplies from the Oriental Trading Company when I came across their $500 gift card giveaway. To finalize my entry I had to pass a word verification test. Look what they gave me:


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"Green" vs. "Simple" Living and the Zen Habits blog

>> Thursday, November 19

The "green" photos in this post were gleaned from my favorites on DeviantArt.com

I can't say I've really jumped on the "green" wagon. Don't get me wrong, I agree with the core ideal of the movement: treat the earth with respect. Nature is beautiful and we are to take care of it to the best of our ability. Yes, we should recycle, reuse and reduce, and I do. But isn't the issue deeper than that?


Leo Babauta of the Zen Habits Blog

Enter the Zen Habits blog, written by Leo Babauta, professional writer and father of six. Leo argues that protecting the earth goes deeper than mere "green habits." It's the simple life that truly brings health and happiness to us and our world. Recycling is good, but it won't soothe your soul unless it is part of a simplified life. Leo's posts are truly inspiring and informative, and I'd like to especially point out three recent articles he has written.



The Beginner’s Guide To Minimalist Travel is filled with not-so-common common-sense and unusual recommendations. Ever heard of Dr. Bronner's soaps? They are multi-purpose organic soaps that one can use to wash one's hair, face, dishes, even clothing! (Just dump your laundry in a LOKSAK bag, add a few drops of Dr. Bronner's soap, knead for 15 minutes, and behold, your laundry is clean!)

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post

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As the Sun Dances on the Water: Herons at sunset on Flickr, with a poem

>> Wednesday, November 18





I wrote this poem after hiking the Billy Goat Trail along the C&O Canal in Virginia, many years ago. Thanks to the amazing artists on Flickr for all the lovely photographs. :)


Nature I Have Seen
Have you ever seen the silver trees of winter ablaze with the fury of the evening sun?
I have.

Have you ever walked beside a river so still, that bird and rock and tree and moon cast their bold beauty upon it in perfect reflection?
I have.

Have you ever heard the water as it roars so silently over the stones and boulders that dare to oppose its passage?
I have.

Have you ever felt the icy water that now rests so quietly by the rocks, yet that once tumbled with spray and foam and wind over lofty waterfalls?
I have.

Have you ever seen the heron, so graceful in his flight, so splendid and majestic as he soars above the river water?
I have.

Have you ever sat in awe of nature's beauty so bold, and then in greater awe felt the presense of the One who spoke all this to life from nothing?
I have.
And He is beautiful.



CLICK HERE for the rest of the post

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My printer's a-comin'!

>> Tuesday, November 17



Ok, random photo from Flickr. Enjoy.

Our Kickstarter project money finally cleared, and I went and spent most of it today. Just got the email that my printer has now shipped. Whoopeee! So has the scanner and the extra ink. I'm excited. :)

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New art, a paper trimmer, new Thumper/Bambi greeting cards, and a secret!

>> Monday, November 16


my current project

New art: Remember the BIG Ugandan Sun I was working on (begun here)? Well after working on it for literal hours this weekend, I took one look at it and decided, It's deathly boring. In fact, I was even bored of painting it. I showed the painting to my husband for confirmation of this depressing fact--he agreed: while we love the mosaic pattern, the shape of this particular sun was far too rigid and uniform to be of any interest.

As I was about to scrap it in frustration, Caleb suggested, Why don't you make the third color blue instead of yellow? Why don't you keep the circle part since that actually is interesting? Why don't you crop it down to a square around the circle and make it into an abstract? Oh, and why don't you give it to me when you are done? :)


the former Ugandan Sun turning abstract

My disappointment turned to instant excitement as I decided to implement each and every one of his suggestions. My efforts were not a waste after all! Have I mentioned that I adore my husband?

I also have finally gotten my hands on some quality black cardstock and metallic pens, but let me back up a little. A long time ago my father brought me back a red, black and gold silk purse from one of his trips to China. I wrinkled my nose at it initially, but my dad asked me to "just wear it once" for his sake. Since I adore my father, I agreed, and ended up falling in love with the purse anyway! I wore it for years until the fabric handles began to tear and the lining became completely detached from the outer fabric. I've kept it ever since in hopes that I could revive it in an art project. Behold, my new set of thank you notes:



the Chinese purse thank you notes

I love how these turned out and am thinking about selling them in my Etsy shop. However, three of them have slight wrinkles in the fabric (you can see this in the second photo above) and I'm wondering, does that add charm and beauty, or is that tacky? Please help me out here!

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post

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The Dying Tree (a poem)

>> Sunday, November 15


artwork by ~q-t-r-nevermore

Rarely has one of my poems been abandoned and returned to so many times as this one, mostly because of the stupid meter. Let me know what you think.

The Tree
The tree stood straight and tall and fair,
In youthful days that since have passed.
For if you were to wander there,
You'd see its strength has failed at last.

Its lofty crown of living leaves
That bathed in golden sunshine
Has gone, and now, the forest grieves -
From crumbled stone to clinging vine.

Its bark succumbs to cruel decay.
Its feeble branches weak and frail.
The once fresh sap is old and grey.
Its glowing life now cold and pale.

The tree once sang the song of life
That echoed through the wood,
And taught the songbird and his wife
To sing along as best they could.

The tree now weeps the song of death.
Its mighty branches drooped and bowed.
The wood, now silent, holds its breath,
The ancient trunk is bent and cowed.

A fatal shudder rents root from earth,
The dying tree's great strength has gone,
Rot seeps throughout the tree's wide girth,
Its will has fled to carry on.

A thund'ring crash echoes through
The shaken, trembling wealds,
The forest floor its boughs bestrew.
The ancient tree its life now yields.

As wind and rain and snow and sun
Knead the tree into the earth,
As one life dies, one more’s begun,
The death of one brings another’s birth.

For buried there beneath the leaves,
Where once the tall tree stood,
A tiny shoot, a bud ensheathed,
Grows, and carries on the wood.

~Emily Stevenson

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Frankly, my dear, I don't give a hoot: Plush Owls on Etsy

>> Saturday, November 14

OK, so I botched the movie quote. Deal with it. :)

I love owls. Symbols of wisdom and watchfulness, their ridiculously, adorably large eyes and beautiful feathery forms never fail to delight me. Etsy is chock full of owl plushies. Here are three of my favs:


Tildy the Owl by aprilfoss


Teardrop Patchwork Owl by cottonbunny


Large Owl Stuffie by katedurkin

What Etsy owl plushie is on your wishlist?

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Circular business card problem--help! Oh, and an updated blog layout

>> Friday, November 13

You may have noticed that I have been tweaking the blog layout a bit, trying to put the more relevant info at the top. I also introduced "jumps" into my longer blog posts to decrease page-loading times. What do you think?

Meanwhile I've been working on designing business cards, and ending up making them into magnets instead. Oops, is that bad? Ah, I laugh at myself. But I do like them, they're pretty. The trouble is that my husband and I have gotten it into our heads that we want 2" black circular business cards with silver writing and possibly a dark red flower (as the logo), and here in the English-speaking world one writes in lines. Circles + lines = Difficult To Reconcile. Any suggestions? I'm a little stumped, though I found this blog post featuring creative business-card designs has re-ignited my creative willpower.

And please take a moment to vote in our poll to the right. Voting ends on Tuesday!

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Star Wars, Edward, Spiderman, Joker, Snape, to name a few: Fan Art on Deviant Art

>> Thursday, November 12


A young Severus Snape by ~love-squad


Snape and Lily by ~love-squad

I love fan art for the different perspective it brings on beloved characters. Take these photograph of a young Snape, lost in thought and love. Not what typically comes to mind when you think of him, no?

Or this delightful cartoon featuring the Nintendo character Princess Peach. Whenever PMS has got me down, I just remember Peach and her cake--it never fails to make me smile. :)

(As always, click on the pictures in this post for a better look.)

"Hello! My name is Peach!"
"No I don't WANT to go on an adventure!"
"Oh...was I yelling? I'm so sorry!"
"Who wants CAKE?!"
Super PMS Peach by ~Hail-NekoYasha

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post

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Interview: Water-Droplet and Abstract Macro Photography with Malgorzata Krawczyk

>> Wednesday, November 11

I used to associate photographs with "real life,"
traditional art with fantasy and imagination.

As I have grown in my understanding and appreciation of art, I now know that such confinements are far too arbitrary. As we saw with Linda Huber's pencil drawings, traditional art can look very real, and as I recently discovered with Malgorzata "Margaret" Krawczyk's photography (as ~Gosia on DeviantArt.com), photos can be quite unreal.

(As always, click on the pictures for a better look.)


"Chromatic Divide" by Gosia

Take this beautiful photo. While you can tell that it is a water droplet hung between twigs, that is not what strikes you. Instead, it's the bold oranges and deep purples; they draw your eyes to the droplet recycling and tumbling the colors in a beautiful abstract.

This, my friends, is art.


Malgorzata "Margaret" Krawczyk of ~Gosia on DeviantArt.com


Self portrait

Margaret said, "I think the reason I'm drawn to abstract art is because I find it to be more stimulating and thought-provoking. Abstract art allows for multiple interpretations. It's not restrained by rules ...

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post

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Longevity: A Photo Exploration Into Love (France)

>> Monday, November 9

~UPDATE: Dec 1~ Unfortunately, this project failed to reach its goal. Bummer. :(


Lemia Monet Bodden is traveling around the world and interviewing couples who have been together more than 30 years, asking them the simple question, "How did you do it?" What a beautiful project, I am so happy to be a part of it!

Project site: LONGEVITY -A PHOTO EXPLORATION INTO LOVE (FRANCE)
Pledge goal: $4000
My pledge: $5
Deadline: November 15

Learn more about Kickstarter.com

Kickstarter projects this blog has featured/supported:

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The Crooked Brains Blog

>> Sunday, November 8



Each post is a random collection of photos united by a single, unusual theme. Take the post on creative bus advertisements, or cool candle designs, or art made entirely from old credit cards, or my absolute favorite: "Public Art" featuring a painter who repaints unsightly city feature to blend in with their surroundings.





Posts appear about once every other day. I came across this blog quite by accident, and for the life of me I cannot find out a thing about who's behind it. Google turns up nothing. Any leads, folks?

With nearly 3,500 readers, it's definitely worth a looksie. So go check it out!

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Interview: Crazy Cakes and Dragon Doodles with Louise Wilson

>> Saturday, November 7

I love dragons.

They're just the essence of cool. Take your favorite color, mix it with fantasy, power and fire, and you get a dragon. Oh, did I mention they're usually filthy rich? Hmm, actually someone with that description--handsome, powerful, awesome, rich-- would do pretty well on eHarmony. Until he mentions the fact that he is actually a dragon. But I digress.

Louise "Lou" Wilson's beautiful work has been a favorite of mine on Deviant Art (where she is known as ~louise-art) for a while now. With her graceful watercolors and outrageously gorgeous cakes, it really isn't fair for one person to excel in two such diverse mediums.

My favorite of her watercolors is "Firecracker."

 
"Firecracker"

The painting "actually started off as a bit of play with water and color," Lou said, "and the image began to emerge out of the splodges on the paper ...

 
"Lilies"

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post

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OCD (Obsessive Cullen Disorder) and Toilet Targets ... can online shopping get ANY cooler?

>> Friday, November 6

Every morning before I work on my blog, I check my Google reader and read up on all the latest blog posts. It's a great start to my day, and often inspires me or makes me laugh. Today I discovered two products that I just HAD to share.



(Sorry the picture sucks ... blogger is NOT cooperating at present.)

This BITE ME notepad from the eco-friendly LobotoME is supposed to help with OCD [aka Obsessive Cullen Disorder]. The left column is for your notes, the right column for doodles to help focus your mind when it wanders to Edward Land. What they really need is one for Jacob. I am definitely a closet Jacob fan. (Spotted on the Unclutterer blog.)



Personally, I think these would be perfect for ALL men. Even grown men miss, but they won't if they have a maroon elephant to aim at. These happy little critters can be tossed in before you go, and flushed away when you're done. Perfect. (Spotted on the Or So She Says... blog)

Tee hee.

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Morning Stroll (a poem)

>> Thursday, November 5

(I've tried to write a little poetry now and then even though I find the muse quite fretful.)


photo by ~edoaja

Hey there, may I help you?
I couldn't help but notice
That you're walking with a limp today.
Is everything alright?
Can I help you? Here, sit by me.
That's it, slowly now. Careful,
There you go, watch for splinters.
You know these old park benches.
Yeah, it really has gotten warm.
Crazy weather huh, for being
Yet so early in the spring?
I guess the birds like it.
Yeah, it's nice to hear them sing.
No, don't worry, it's fine.
I'm not in any rush.
You don't happen to have a lighter
On you, do you? No? Oh well.
Not sure where'd you'd keep one anyway, haha.
You gave it up, you say? Really now.
Nah, never considered it.
It's too good at calming my nerves.
No, not especially, more boredom
Than anything else. Yeah my job is
Boring as hell, 9 to 5, and
It makes me antsy. I want to see
The world, you know? Meet people,
Eat weird food, collect in a jar
A little dirt from every town I visit.
Why don't I? Well, you know people
Like me. Minimum wage job,
A few busy friends, a mom who calls every day.
I just don't think I have the guts.
Huh? Oh sorry, here, let's switch places
So the wind doesn't blow my smoke
In your face. Yeah, there we go.
Hey, you warmed the bench up nicely.
Yeah, too skinny for my own good.
Can't keep warm in the winter.
Should move to Florida or something.
Better yet my own Caribbean island.
Just can't afford it. Oh, it's not too bad
I spend my days crunching numbers
And my evenings letting my mind
Float wherever it fancies. Yeah,
Like my own flying carpet service.
Next stop, anywhere you'd like!
A fur coat? Well, not exactly my style.
Looks good on you though. Is it real?
My, my, must have cost a fortune.
Inherited it, eh? Well, if i were you
I'da sold it, put the money in stocks.
Yeah, I guess you can't really
Put a price on sentimental value.
Well listen, it's been nice catching up
but there's a game on. You interested
In coming back to my place
For a beer? Don't drink either, eh?
Well, kudos to you. Yeah, I'll catch you
Around sometime. Have a great--

Yo, Barney!

Yes, Officer? Good day to you!

And to you, Sir. Have you seen me
Old cat about? She's not touched
Her morning milk and that's unusual.

Sorry, Officer, I noticed she was
Limping and tried to cheer her up a little.
Here you go, she's all yours.
Yup, yup, nice day to you too.

~Emily Stevenson

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Humanity, in black and white: Part I

>> Wednesday, November 4

Just went through my account on DeviantArt.com and weeded out 50+ pages of my favorites. Phew! It's literally been years since my last purge.

It's interesting to see how my taste has changed over the years. One constant, though, is my love of black and white photography. I've always admired the work of Andrea Brito (which I earlier featured here), and there are so many other skilled photographers on Deviant Art, I decided to collect the best of the B&W (in my humble opinion) into a series of posts featuring strictly that genre. Here is the first collection. Enjoy.

View Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
(As always, click on the pictures for a better look.)


Even grass can contain a world of its own.


Mom says, C'mon, time to go! One of the newer photos on DA.

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post

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We did it!

>> Tuesday, November 3

Take a look a that little widget, my friends: 100% funded SUCCESSFUL

A big, big thank you to everyone who helped make it possible. I'd write more, but I've been in bed most of the day with an excruciating migraine (too much stress, argh!!), so just know that I love you all. Details will come in a few days.

Peace,

-Emily

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New art, HandmadeNews.org feature, and "Art and Advocacy" at 92% with 14hrs to go (eek!)

>> Monday, November 2


This widget automatically updates every time someone pledges. Cool!

Wow, oh wow, folks, "Art and Advocacy" is nearly there! Only 14 hours to go. That means we need about $7.50/hr for a total of $105. I'm sure we can make it, but we need your help!

I know there's a few of you still on the fence out there. How about it? Seriously, look in your wallet--got four quarters and a dime? Can you spare it? It would help tremendously and I'd love you forever. Oh wait, I already do love you forever. :) But still, I would really appreciate it.


Screenshot of the HandmadeNews.org feature

Also, this project and my artwork were recently featured on Handmade News, a wonderful craft blog for artists by artists. Check it out. :)

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post

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Paradox Uganda

>> Sunday, November 1



Drs. Scott and Jennifer Myhre have lived in Uganda many years now, running a clinic in one of the poorest regions of the world--the Bundibugyo district. Jennifer's patient and beautiful spirit are very evident in her daily outpourings of hardship, sacrifice, joy and perseverance. God is doing real work among His people; that is made very clear though this blog. I highly recommend Paradox Uganda as the latest addition to your Google reader.


Scott, Julia, Jack, Luke, Jennifer, and Caleb Myhre

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