Pam's Rants and Raves

Ruffled Tee Shirt Scarf

2012-02-08T20:48:00.000-06:00

This is a simple scarf to make. Take a paper plate and trace around the plate on flattened and smoothed tee shirt, with a chalk pencil.

Then using scissors cut out circles.

Next, cut around inside of circle in about 2 inch borders, leaving a circle at the end.

Now when you stretch out each circle you will have a long strip. Divide the strips into two even piles. Gather them all together at the circle end and sew together overlapping about 2 inches this is the back of the scarf.

You now have a lovely ruffled scarf.

Tee Shirt Flowers

2012-01-22T21:01:00.012-06:00

You could do this with any fabric but I used the extra from the tee shirts I used to make the scarves.

Cut 8 circles to make one flower. I used a quart paint can as my pattern and it was the size I wanted. You will need one 2 inch circle of felt for your base and about a 12 inch string to tie your flower to your project. The string is optional. However I used my flowers on my scarves and wanted to be able to remove them at will.

Plug in your hot glue gun so it is heating up and have your extra glue sticks close at hand. Fold each circle in half and then in half again so they are now all in quarters. Take your felt circle and put a good circle of glue in the middle, if using a string tie then put the middle of the string in the middle of the glue, then lay the points of four folded circles in the glue. Make sure that each fold of the folded circle continues the same direction. As soon as that glue has cooled then put a good dab of glue in the middle of the folded circles and then add the last four folded circles Place these so that the seams are covered of the first layer.

Open each petal and put a glob of glue in the middle. This will keep the petals open and give your flower a full fluffed out appearance.
I tried sewing my string on at the end and found that too difficult because of the glue. So it is best to add the string before your first layer.

You can add a button for a center if you like.

If you are making several, I found that it went quickly by cutting out everything first, then folding everything, then gluing. I am all about production and streamlining LOL.

Tee Shirt Scarves

2011-12-19T20:50:00.014-06:00

My Art and Soul Group makes some sort of craft item a couple times a year but we are always looking for at least one gift we can make at Christmas time. This year Judi showed us how to make tee-shirt scarves.

I found that out of one X-large men's crew neck tee, without side seams, I could get 2 bracelets, 1 scarf and 8 circles (quart paint can size) for a flower.
If you have a rotary cutter it will make the job faster and easier.

Spread the tee out so that it is smooth and even. Cut about 1 inch apart thru one side of the tee but stop at least 1 inch from the other side. Do this for the body of the shirt and the sleeves see red lines.

Gently stretch each loop out it will turn into a string.

On one end choose 6 strings and cut one side only next to the top edge. Now you will have 6 long strings connected at the top. Separate by 2's and braid, when you reach the end leave about 8 inches of fringe and tie off the ends.

Now run your hand thru the middle of the uncut edge and gather together so you have one big circle and the single braid. Then grasp the end of the braid and loop it up making a shorter circle inside the large circle of strings.

You can then use the longest string of fringe from the braid to wind around the part gathered in your hand to bind it off. When you have covered the uncut edges then pull the end back thru to tie off.

You now have a tee shirt scarf!

Winter Photo Session with Alice and Jason

2011-12-18T21:21:00.007-06:00

View complete photos HERE.

It was a perfect winter afternoon to take photographs. It is a week before Christmas and the weather required only a light jacket, just enough sun was peeking thru the clouds to get some wonderful shots of this lovely couple. These are just a couple photos from their session. We later learned that there was a black bear and 2 cubs in the woods just above us. Too bad they didn't show up in any of the photos but I'm certainly glad they stayed away from us.

Merry Christmas from the Penguins

2011-12-11T15:01:00.007-06:00

On Sunday mornings, I stop at my friend Terena's house to pick up eggs. (They are the best tasting eggs in the world and supply is limited so I am not going to tell you where to find her, HA). When I got out of the car I was greeted by the cutest group of birds EVER! If you look closely you will be able to see where the chickens have visited the penguins and left a surprizing amount of feathers behind. I guess they were upset that these fine birds took over the yard.

Can you tell what she used to make them?
Here's a hint: old bottles, acrylic paint, cardboard, felt and I think the hats and scarves are from dolls or little socks. I bet they belong to her daughter, Morgan. hmmm I've got a bunch of little socks left over from making sock snowmen one year now I know what to do with them.

Kudo's to Terena for once again coming up with a novel idea that brought a smile to my face.

And thank you Terena for raising the bird house a little higher so I don't hit my head anymore!

A Little Christmas Freebie Gift for you!

2011-12-10T16:21:00.004-06:00

You can find both designs HERE as a little Christmas goodie just for you.

I've used 4" x 4" tiles that are recycled from a bathroom remodel. I cleaned the edges up of extra grout by rubbing them on a concrete block, which is a lot faster than trying to scrape it off with a knife. Thanks David for the idea! Then I washed the tiles and laid them out on brown paper to protect my table top and painted a coat of mod podge on the top using a foam (disposable) brush. I already had my designs printed on cardstock and trimmed. Then I centered them on the top of the tile and spread another thin coat of mod podge over the cardstock design.

Make sure to brush only once and only one way or your ink will run.

I then just placed a fan to blow over the tiles and dry them a little faster.
I had 3 good coats of mod podge (drying between each coat) on my tiles then left them to cure over night.
I used felt that I had left over from another project and traced around the tiles then cut out the felt, remember you want to cut inside your tracing as you want the felt to be just a little smaller than the tile. I used hot glue but you could use whatever type of glue you like to adhere the felt to the back of the tile. You could use cork for the backs of your tiles also.
I then tied them with ribbon added the gift tag which I made with the leftover card stock from my printed designs and I have some lovely gifts for the ladies in my art club! I drew these designs in CS5 Photoshop and made the papers on the creating tile myself. Enjoy!

Sourdough Cranberry Walnut Bread

2011-12-02T17:30:00.009-06:00

This is a no Knead Bread, easy to make and my husband's favorite breakfast bread. I have my own starter that I keep in the fridge. There are a couple of sites that I like for recipes and instructions. http://www.breadhealthy.com and http://www.chefkeem.com. You should be able to find instructions there about the stretch and fold method and starting your own starter.
This third picture is of the dough after it has raised the 1st time. I use a stoneware bowl that I cover with a large plastic bag. After the 2nd stretch and fold I cut the dough in half , putting each half in a parchment paper lined proofing basket. In this 2nd picture you can see the proofing basket and the clay baking pot that I soak in water while the oven is heating up. I then pick up the bread by the parchment paper and put in the clay baker. You can see the parchment paper still in the baking pot. I found this to be much easier for me as I did not like cleaning up with out the parchment paper.
Here is a close up of the baking pot with the loaf of bread now removed
from the parchment.

My Recipe
3 cups of whole wheat flour
2 cups of whole grain spelt flour
2 cups of water when using spelt without the spelt and using other flour only use 1 1/2 cups of water
3 Tablespoons of Honey
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1 1/2 teaspoon of yeast
1/4 cup starter
1/2 cup cranraisins and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. (I'm guessing here on the fruit and nuts, as I don't measure, adjust to your taste)
Bake at 450 for 35 minutes with the lid on then another 10 minutes without the lid.

Add and stir all wet ingredients first then mix salt with flour and add to wet ingredients. Mix well. You should now have a wet, shaggy dough. Cover with a plastic bag and set in a warm, draft free area for 1 hour.

After 1 hour you are ready to do your first stretch and fold. To do this, separate dough from bowl with a dough scraper, add a little olive oil around the bowl so that dough does not stick to bowl, Then think of the dough having 4 sides. Grab the first side and pull up stretching the dough then fold it over to the other side of the bowl. Now rotate the bowl 1/4 turn and do the same maneuver until you have done all 4 sides. Now dust hands and bread with flour then cover again with the plastic bag. Do this a total of 3 times always recovering.
The last time divide dough and put into parchment covered proofing baskets. I only have one proofing basket so I found a corning ware dish about the same size of my other clay baking pot (not shown) and I use it as a proofing basket and it seems to work just fine.

Bake at 450 degrees in a preheated oven for a total of 45 minutes. 35 minutes with the lid on and 10 minutes without the lid.

After it has completely cooled on a wire rack, I store the bread in a ziplock bag with the parchment paper. Since we keep our bread in the refrigerator the paper seems to keep extra moisture from forming.

This recipe was adapted to fit our tastes. You would not normally add yeast to sourdough as the starter is your fermenting agent. The bread is very dense and moist. The cranberries add just the right amount of sweetness and the walnuts give it a lovely crunch. You can of course substitute fruit and nuts of your choice.

My Mother-in-law is a treasure!

2011-11-21T15:24:00.004-06:00

I love surprises and my Dear Mother-in-Law, Elida is always coming up with some thoughtful little gift that makes me feel so special. On our visit to Michigan this summer for my husband's 40th high school class reunion I received this set of kitchen towels and dish cloths. In my kitchen I have double ovens and I like to decorate by hanging colorful towels for the season over the handles. So now I have a new set from my ovens and to make it even more special I took a piece of brown scrapbook paper and using a calligraphy marker wrote familia then from my ribbon collection I added a green bow and a large headed white pin to attach it to the towel. I now have a wonderful memory and decoration that will last all the way until time for Christmas decorations which are coming up this weekend.

2011-11-12T11:54:00.004-06:00

My Garden club, "Garden Path" and Art Club, "Art and Soul", recently in 2 seperate meetings got together and made these fabulous concrete dishes or bird feeders or bird baths (whatever you want to use them for).

Photo #1 shows three uncleaned bowls
Photo #2 shows a partially cleaned bowl
Photo # 3 shows a clean, unsealed bowl with 2 fall leaves posed on top, artsy :)
Photo # 4 shows a clean bowl and 2 uncleaned bowls
You are seeing unsealed bowls with the natural concrete color, this was my preference.

These were so much fun and really easy to do (because in each case we were fortunate to have one of our husbands mix the quickcrete) Thanks, Lester and David and Jason who did some clean up of the sand in the second batch! You guys so ROCK!

Here are some basic instructions in case you want to do this yourself and you can also google concrete leaf bird feeders.

You will need, leaves of the size dish you want to make, rubber gloves, play grade sand, quickcrete with gravel, and concrete dye if you want to tone your concrete. There are many colors available at your local hardware store where you can get all of these supplies but it is expensive in comparison to the other supplies. A wheelbarrow or big plastic tub to mix the crete in and a hoe to mix with. Water source. (right here is a good spot to find someone with muscles to mix the crete and clean up the tools after LOL).

I find being bent over to work is very hard on my back so having some sturdy folding tables to work on was great. Next make a domed pile of sand on your table, pat the pile firm, then keep checking to see if it is at least 4 inches of sand between the edge of your leaf and the table.

Place the leaf face down on the inverted bowl shaped sand. If the stem of your leaf sticks straight up and you do not want a drainage hole, clip it off at this point. Put on rubber gloves and scoop crete by the handfuls and smooth over your leaf. You want the crete to be a little over 1 inch thick. Keep adding concrete until your leaf is covered and has extend past the edges of the leaf about an inch. Smooth the concrete and add extra to make a base if you want. I did not add a base as my leaves were not that large but I did make sure that there was enough of a flat area built up so that my leaf would "sit" level.

Make as many as you have supplies for. Note - have all your sand mounds set up before you mix the concrete as you don't want it to set up before you are done. If you have done this outside (vs. your garage) then cover with trash bags or plastic and let sit for 48 hours. Rain was a real possibility and you don't want them to be rained on. After 48 hours you are ready to take the wire brush and clean them up, seal and or paint as you prefer.

Congratulations! You now have wonderful presents for your friends or special one-of-a-kind garden art. Now wasn't that easy?

more projects to come in the future so remember to check back in. Happy Fall!

You have reached station PamlaKlenczar, your 2nd stop on the Blog Train

2011-10-24T18:34:00.010-05:00

You left the NDISB.com station and have reached the first stop on your journey. If at any time you get lost just head back to the station and find your way. You are going to find so much digi goodness along the way, so be sure and spread the word to all your friends. Not only are you going to find some wonderful freebies on our Blog Train but if you head over to NDISB.com you are going to have the opportunity to play games, and be eligible for some outstanding prizes. Then you can go on a treasure hunt and find a huge collaboration digi kit titled, Color Me Beautiful" by all the designers at NDISB and all totally free. You do not want to miss these wonderful gifts. So TOOT, TOOT, jump on the train and head on to the next train stop.

These links have expired, Thank you for joining us for our Birthday Celebration.

NDISB is turning 6!

2011-10-19T18:51:00.004-05:00

We have a fun and prize packed week lined up for you starting on 24th October!

Mark your calendars, you DO NOT want to miss this!

So, what’s in store?

The first thing you need to do is visit my store and grab my Party Hat templates for FREE, yes that’s right, they are FREE from now until 31st October!

And what do you do with them then? Well you decorate your hat and dress up your avatar and wear it in the forum. The best one will get picked out for a prize!

A sale for starters,, 40% off my entire store and many other designers have sales of 30 and 40% off.

A Treasure Hunt, explore around our site to collect pieces of huge mega collection, created just for you by our design team.

A Blog Hop, many of our designers and CT have created fun little goodies, all you have to do is visit our blogs and grab them, each blog will link you up to the next one with instructions on what to do if you get lost.
Challenges – there wll be a fun challenge every day in our forum

Games – Fun games will be posted for you to play

Birthday Fairy – Visit our forum and tell us your birthday wishes (from our store) you never know, the birthday fairy might just make your wishes come true!

Participants in games and challenges will qualify for coupons and GC’s to our store but will also be entered in a Grand Prize Draw to win the following prizes.

A full copy of Paint Shop Pro X4, provided by COREL

Full yearly memberships to DigScrap Connect which include access to the monthly sponsor kits.

A 1 month, 2 month and 3 month membership to Digital Scrapbook Artisan Guild

We also have some fab prizes lined up from Cassel of Creation Cassel, including lessons for the Scrapbook Campus

Special thanks to our sponsors for these fabulous prizes!

Come See Me

2011-10-17T16:25:00.001-05:00

Fixing Kaylee's Baby

2011-10-14T20:23:00.004-05:00

My Mom made this soft doll many years ago and I've saved it along with a few others. I keep them in a toy box for Kaylee when she comes over so she has her own box of stuff to play with and her mama doesn't have to pack up the whole house. I'm not sure how she did it (but 2 yr olds are stronger than the normal person) she tore the poor baby's arms off while dressing and undressing her. So Grandma to the rescue, 1st I had to borrow an upholstery needle from a friend that was 12" long ( I still had to put my glasses on to thread the thing!) then I found my strongest spool of fishing line and put the baby's arms back on. I did feel a little weird poking that needle thru her body but I am now confident that the arms will stay on. Well I hope so anyway... 2 year olds are really, really strong.

Happy Birthday Time!

2011-10-12T17:34:00.000-05:00

Coming Soon

2011-10-10T11:40:00.002-05:00

Someone is getting ready to have a Birthday!

2011-10-06T19:08:00.002-05:00

I've been busy getting ready for the big birthday celebration over at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking I'll keep you updated and I hope to see you there when it starts. We will be having lots of fun, games, challenges, prizes, a treasure hunt, Blog Train, YEAH it's going to be so much fun!!!!

2011-10-01T16:48:00.002-05:00

Head over here to Natural Designs in Scrapbooking for the October 2011 Template Challenge. You can pick up this template FREE until October 15th. Papers and Elements are from the Seaside Collection of Designs by Marcie.

Layouts using Family Roots Digi Kit

2011-09-18T11:32:00.004-05:00

You will find the links to this wonderful kit for all your layouts for the work you've been doing on Ancestry below along with previews of the complete kit. I used my own templates which will be coming out soon so watch my blog and facebook for the announcement.

Introducing Family Roots by Brown Eyed Susan at NDISB

2011-09-18T11:16:00.003-05:00

find frames kit HEREhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
find elelments kit HERE
find Paper kit HERE
Find Alphabet kit HERE

Water Baby

2011-09-11T18:55:00.008-05:00

Can you tell who is my fav subject to scrap???? Water Baby is done using the digital kit titled Seaside from Designs by Marcie and found here
The page template is by yours truly and will be coming out soon at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking, with the Color Me Beautiful Birthday Collab.

Digital Kit by Casey Massey and Layouts by Me

2011-08-30T14:00:00.002-05:00

You Can find your copy of the digital Scrapbooking kit by Casey Massey at this link just copy and paste the link info into your browser.
http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_151&products_id=4378

Bloom kit by Casey Massey

2011-08-30T09:51:00.006-05:00

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
This is a dreamy kit to work with and if you haven't already gotten it head over to Natural Designs in Scrapbooking to pick it up.

Store link here

Kit view here:

This is the first of 3 layouts I am posting using this kit.

Digi Scrap Addicts - challenge 2

2011-08-10T20:14:00.005-05:00

Yes, I'm doing another challenge, plus I'm working on 2 shows for my fine art so the next 5 weeks are going to be crazy. I'm sorry, until I can find a clickable link to digiscrapaddicts, you will need to copy and paste this address into your browser.
Once there you will find a download link if you want to download the papers.

http://www.digiscrapaddicts.com/gallery/new-designers/p323088-take-a-walk-on-the-wild-side.html

I've reworked these papers a little so if you downloaded the previous version you may want to go back and download the improved version.

The Last Challenge of the Race

2011-07-28T17:19:00.007-05:00

The theme this time was food. All the elements were hand drawn by me then painted using photoshop. After all, drawing and painting is what I do for a living, so this one was fun for me.
You will be able to download this kit for 2 weeks free after that the link will expire. I hope you will pass my blog along to your friends and hit follow and like for me. This is the end of this race but I'm starting a new design challenge Sunday so keep watching.
These links have expired, please watch my blog for upcoming digi kit news. Big announcement coming soon.

Flowers, Ribbons, String, Oh My - Blog Train

2011-07-28T08:20:00.006-05:00

PamlaKlenczar_flowers,ribbons,bows,ohmy.zip

Toot Toot, Allll AaaaBoard! I hope you have enjoyed all the wonderful freebies on the blog train and that you'll leave us a little love along the way. Please click follow on my blog and like on facebook over to your left and help me out, I'd like to see any layouts you create with the kit. You can reach me thru the TOU that is included. Hasn't this ride been a smorgasbord of talented Designers?

DigiScrap Connect {Home Station.... in case you get lost along the way!}
Piccolina Designs
JDK Skrapz
Dancing Princess Designs
Inspired By Dominic Designs
Dana's Footprints Designs
Milly Dee Designs
Amanda and Millie Designs
Rose Thorn Designs
NanaScraps
Kim Hackworth Creations
Scraps by Mara
Digital Gator Designs
Snackpackgu's Designs
Rumki Designs
Designs by Angel
Scrapdragon Designs
scrapN2Nspire
Rebecca Meyers Designs
Ramona Memories
Binty Designs
Lizard Dau Designs
Digital Harmony
Foosa Moon Creations
Midnight Owl

Ribbons and Bows, Element Kit

2011-07-22T15:57:00.005-05:00

This was a re-color challenge of elements only. I will make some papers and add them later for you. This can be downloaded free for the next 2 weeks. Please join my blog and pass the word. I'd love to see any layouts you create. You'll find how to contact me in the TOU.

This link has expired, thank you for participating. Please watch my blog for future kit news.

Layouts using the Monica Digi Kit

2011-07-19T08:40:00.001-05:00

From the wedding of Monica and Landon Smith

Revised Tweet Tweet kit

2011-07-18T13:40:00.004-05:00

You will notice a few differences in the elements between both kits. I had to make some changes to fit within the parameters of the race.

This link has expired, thank you for participating. Please watch my blog for more news in the future.

Tweet Tweet- my latest digi kit

2011-07-17T19:52:00.004-05:00

This is my latest kit in the 6 week race over at digiscrapconnect.com
You can download it free for 2 weeks starting today. I'd enjoy comments, seeing any layouts you make with the kit, hitting like on FB and joining up as a follower. Enjoy!

This link has expired, thank you for participating.

New wedding kit, week 3 challenge

2011-07-07T17:35:00.007-05:00

This is the latest kit available to you free for 2 weeks, just click on the link to download. I'm currently working on several wedding themed digi-scrap kits this is the
This link has expired, thank you for participating

Week 2 DigiScrapConnect Challege

2011-07-01T13:18:00.004-05:00

I've designed a digi kit based on growing up on a farm. (which I did) All the elements were drawn by me using a combination of Illustrator and Photoshop. That's a first for me as I usually draw everything on paper first. You can download this kit free for 2 weeks starting today and then the link will be disabled.

Thanks for the response, this kit is no longer offered free.

I've made some adjustments

2011-06-27T11:07:00.017-05:00

I've learned a lot with this kit and I've made changes to the elements, I hope you will enjoy them and if you have downloaded the previous version, please replace it with this one. You will have 2 weeks to do so for free, then the link will be inactive.

Thanks for all the response, this kit is no longer offered free.

layouts using "the colors of my SUMMER" kit

2011-06-25T14:51:00.002-05:00

I participating in a Design Race over at Digi Scrap Connect called the Design Factor. We will be designing a new kit every week for 6 weeks. I'm still working on my packaging I'm not satisfied with it but hope at the end of 6 weeks I will have figured it out. I will post a link here for you to download the kits as I make them. They will be free for 2 weeks then the link will expire. Please pass along this to your friends and have them follow me, I'd sure appreciate the traffic.

2011-06-24T11:40:00.005-05:00

This is the first digi kit created for the Design Challenge race. There will be a new challenge every week for 6 weeks. The biggest challenge for me was figuring out where to upload the images and links to "cross the finish line". Hopefully, next week's uploads won't be as hard.
You can download this kit free for the next 2 weeks PamlaKlenczar_Summer_racechallenge1.zip

Japan Relief Blog Hop

2011-06-06T08:59:00.000-05:00

Click HERE to download Kimono Quickpage. You can support Japan by clicking here and purchasing the complete Kimono Kit which consists of over 50 papers and 35 elements. The kit was a collabrative effort by the class of Art of Digital Design at JessicaSprague.com.
To use this Quick Page: download and save where http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifyou can find it.
Open QP in Adobe Photoshop or Elements. Open photographs you wish to use.
Click and drag photos onto QP making sure they are under the QP layer. Then move and resize each photo using the move tool. You can resize photos by holding down the shift key and clicking and dragging photo by corner point. This will keep the photo in proportion. To tilt photo hover move tool around edges of photo until it turns into a half circle with arrows on each end. Hold down left click button and move photo into frame. After you have the photo positioned where you want it, Double click to set the move.
Adding Text: Make sure the QP layer is selected so that your text layer will come out on top of it. Click on text tool, make text choices then click on QP and draw out text box. Type text. Double Click move tool to set text. You can now move the text around.
To go to the next page in the Japan Relief Blog Hop click HERE.
To go to the previous page in the Japan Relief Blog Hop click HERE.

Ready Set Blog Hop!!!

2011-06-04T16:38:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow night at midnight Eastern time, the Art of Digital Design blog hop goes live! There will be freebie quick pages galore, all of them created using papers and elements from Kimono Kit, which is for sale right now at Jessica Sprague's website. Remember, all of the proceeds of the sales will go to the Red Cross to benefit those who suffered due to the earthquakes in Japan. You are able to purchase the kit at 25% off until Sunday, June 5th, midnight estern, after which it will be sold at full price.

There is going to be some wonderful digi sharing going on so hop on over!

Kimono Kit created for Japan Relief

2011-06-03T11:37:00.003-05:00

Several Designers from the Class Digital Design at JessicaSprague.com got together and created this kit. All proceeds will go to the relief fund for Japan. Purchase this kit here.

Texture in the Garden

2011-06-01T21:08:00.004-05:00

What a nice time I've had playing with textures. The two I've been using on these photos from my garden are Stained Linen and Just Cause by Kim Klaussen. Check out her texture tuesdays, just click on the link I've provided for her site. There are so many cool things there to try.

Rain, rain go away, come again some other day

2011-05-04T21:23:00.005-05:00

There has been torrential rain here in Arkansas and Hwy 43 started sliding down the mountain. At least there has not been any loss of life only things that can be fixed or replaced. The road crews are working on the mountain which can delay driving time considerable so have a book in the car with you and don't drink a lot of water til after you've passed the slide. (I made the mistake of having too much water and sitting for 1/2 hour with pressing need)

first freebie

2011-04-30T16:08:00.005-05:00

I've been having a go at curley ribbons. Here is one you can use it however you like, no restrictions but I wouldn't mind a credit. Just click on the arrow pointing down and follow the prompts. I tried it and it worked fine. This is a .png element.

April 23, 2011 at the Wharf - High Class White Trash

2011-04-27T18:25:00.000-05:00

2011-04-27T17:24:00.001-05:00

In low light photos that just don't look good in color, I make them Black and White and then they look edgy.
This is a band called, "High Class White Trash"

2011-04-27T17:21:00.001-05:00

to get the changes here, I toggled the Lefels, greay, Curves, flattened and sharpened

2011-04-27T17:19:00.000-05:00

Here is another example from the same shoot using the same technique as before.

Photo Editing during the flood

2011-04-27T16:58:00.003-05:00

I've finally caught up with my photos since I've been in the house on the computer for the last 5 days. Check out the photos posted on Facebook of the mountain washing away and the road collapsing. I have to find a new way into town now.

The pictures I took of Kaylee on March 6th 2011 were direct sun but she was a lot faster than me and kept getting her face in shadow. Of course if I hadn't been wearing 3 inch heels (just got out of church) I might have been able to keep up with her. But, It does make for a lot of editing after I get home.

In this picture you can see the original is much darker, first I used the marquee tool to select the Iris's hold the shift key down and draw your selection over one eye then let the shift key back up and do the same for the other eye. Hit Ctrl/J to put the iris on their own layer. I then sharpened them and adjusted the brightness a little. At this point I can still see if I've gotten a selection that was larger than the iris so I use the eraser tool and clean up the edges if needed. then I merge the layers. Now I will use the dodge tool to lighten the whites of the eye if needed, be careful not to get them too white. I went 80% on this picture and that is high. Then I adjusted curves to lighten the whole photo. If I still have not gotten the shadows light enough I will adjust the gray with the levels pallette. Removing a little of medium tone to brighten a little more then sharpen a little. This was done with Cs5.
I really need to get a monitor adjuster to make sure what I see on my monitor is what gets printed but haven't bitten the bullet yet to get one. At this point I just print a photo now and then and make adjustments by comparing the printed version to the monitor.

Painting accepted at Exhibit

2010-11-17T16:39:00.003-06:00

This painting titled "Leatherwood Drive" was accepted at the White River Painting Exhibit and Sale Edwards ARt Gallery at the Ralph Foster Museum at the College of the Ozarks near Branson, MO. It will be on display until December 16, 2010.
I am working on a series of these paintings based on photographs that my stepson Jason Took.

Are you smarter than a two year old?

2010-11-03T11:22:00.001-05:00

I think a toddler can think a lot faster than me. My lovely Daughter-in-law told me recently she had to give the baby an m&m in the check out line at Wally world so she would quit screaming long enough for her to check out. The poor girl was frazled and needed a quick fix. I probably would have given the baby the whole bag. We all know how everyone starts standing on their toes and peering over the dividers made of candy to see why that baby is screaming and giving you the evil eye. Yes there is a lot of parenting info that gives us all those solutions to the screaming child and yes I know giving a treat to a screaming baby is not the best solution in the long run. But sometimes that baby is smarter than me in getting her way. And you know you have all resorted to the quick fix at one time or another. So let's hear it what was your guilty little secret quick fix?

We are all scared children inside

2010-10-01T13:25:00.000-05:00

Book Review: Cliff Falls by C.B. Shiepe
I am a voracious reader and reading is one of my primary sources of fun and down time. So if the book doesn't reach me in the first few pages I do not waste my time. I found CLIFF FALLS to be an easy read and it touched my soul in a couple of spots that needed a light shone on them.

#1 No One Escapes Life and the grass is not greener in someone elses life. I need to be more content and thankful of where I am and what I have.
#2 It is too easy to get your eyes off God and on man. We so often find it easy to put fault on everyone but ourselves for our walk with the Lord. We put our leaders on pedestals then kick them when they fall off of them. They, like us are scared children inside. A primary lesson in this book was look to God not the men in the pulpit. What is your reason for being in a church body? Is it to serve God and others or to go where there is the biggest following and more money?
#3 we don't believe others will support us when we need it and that carries over into our relationship with God. We will follow a man and idolize him and not accept the loving Hand of our Father.

I found several underlying lessons in the story line of Cliff Falls and recomend it to anyone struggling with, "they have it easier than me" syndrome.

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Not Perfect, but Possible

2010-04-02T15:19:00.000-05:00

The solution to a fight, an argument,difference of opinion,unthoughtfulness on the part of another person, unfair treatment, selfishness, egoism, disregard for another person's rights is not splitting up and finding other human beings to live with, but understanding what must be taught, time after time, through seeking to find solutions which are not perfect, but which are possible.

One lesson I tried to teach my children, from a very early age...was the fact that some things must never be said, no matter how hot the argument, no matter how angry one becomes, no matter how far one goes in feeling, "I don't care how much I hurt him or her."Some things are too much of a "luxury" ever to say. Some things are too great a price to pay for the momentary satisfaction of putting the other person down. Some things are like throwing indelible ink on a costly work of art, or smashing a priceless statue just to make a strong point in an argument. Saying certain things is an expense beyond all reason.

What is it that can never be put into words, which can't be erased and forgotten? What is it that one can resolve and succeed never to say during the lifetime of relationship with one person?

It is attacking the person in his or her most vulnerable, most sensitive, most insecure spot in life. It is pulling the rug out at a place where the other person felt there was a solid acceptance and understanding, without question. It is bringing up something from the other person's background which he has no control over and which carries with it painful memories of outsiders' lack of understanding. It is turning the one secure place in all of life into a suddenly exposed place of naked attack from which there is no place to run. At some point in the beginning of a relationship, it is of tremendous importance to decide inside yourself just what things are really "out of bounds," and to declare to yourself that you will never resort to say anything about; his or her big nose, deformities, lack of cultural or educational upbringing, and psychological fears or special weaknesses. Naturally it can't be too big a list, but there must be certain specific areas you rationally decide not to let "wild horses drag out of you." It is possible. It is a restraint that you can inflict upon yourself. It is a possible control. - Edith Schaeffer

I remember my mom would get after us if my sister and I called each other even so much as stupid. We were just not allowed to say things like that.I appreciate it as an adult because of careless comments by others to me. Some of those comments while in my heart I knew they weren't really true have changed my perception of myself in a negative way. It is important for all of us to guard our tongues. Think before speaking, think is this the way I want to be spoken to? - Pam

look who's 5 months old

2010-03-25T21:12:00.000-05:00

14 inches of snow

2010-03-25T20:51:00.001-05:00

It was amazing, I got up at 6am to get ready for church and was asking my husband if he thought that was ice on his truck but when we went outside it wasn't ice. The dogs water wasn't frozen but there was a fine dusting of snow as we watched Snow started coming down in huge flakes and fast. Within 10 minutes the ground was covered. I didn't take the chance of going to church and it was a good thing because they called about 7:30 and said it was snowing so hard on their side of the mountain they were calling it off so please send out an email letting everyone know.
The snow continued until late afternoon with about 14 inches before it stopped. Our power was out for several hours that afternoon. The snow was wet and heavy, perfect for making snowmen and David and I planned on making one when it stopped. However in the meantime campers had gotten stranded at Steel Creek and we seemed to have the only cabin left open so we shoveled the snow off the steps, it was still snowing so heavily that it covered the steps almost as fast as I shoveled. We helped the ranger get 5 people settled into the cabin. They ended up staying 2 nights. Deborah was running around in the snow and loving it she kept burying her nose in it and snuffling around. It was too dark to build a snowman by the time it stopped snowing so we thought we'd do it the next day. Well it melted so much there was hardly any snow left! Just a lot of mud. It was an utterly amazing winter storm on the first day of spring.

Takin' it Easy

2010-01-17T16:23:00.000-06:00

I really need some taking it easy time, but it seems like only the dogs have that option around here. I want to know where are all the pictures I took of my art are! All of them are gone and now I'm having to redo all my photos. So between those 2 large projects and worries I'm trying to take David's business paperless. Getting David to sit down long enough to tell me what catagories to enter info in is like putting bamboo splinters under your fingernails. I've been sitting at my computers for days! And while sometimes I enjoy that right now the weather is wonderful and I want to be outside. I do have some trips scheduled for Wed and Thursday to take pictures and I hope to have something wonderful to post when I get back. Oops! now one of the printers is acting up...I'm really getting tired of having ink all over me.
Enough venting for now. This was originally added to the blog in Oct 2008. The above issues have been resolved. All Photos by Pam unless it says otherwise.

Easy open and seal bags my butt!

2010-01-17T16:18:00.000-06:00

Who was the person who thought of the easy open and close bags that you get food in at the store? There is nothing easy about those things! If you are lucky you might get the little tear strip off without injury to yourself but then there is the problem that you accidentally tore thru the reclosable strip and now you can't reseal the thing and put it away you either have to transfer it to some other bag or put a clippy on it and hope that doesn't get knocked off. How about making those tear strips large enough to get a hold of with normal size fingers!

photo by Christina

Closets

2010-01-17T16:09:00.000-06:00

Why do I think I need so many clothes? I only wear about 10 different outfits all the time! I think I am out of my mind! I just spent an hour cleaning out my closet because I ran out of hangers and I refuse to buy more. giggle, I'd rather be doing what edgy is doing in this pic - snoozin'. photo by Christina

My First Grandchild

2010-01-10T18:01:00.000-06:00

This is our little sweetie, Kaylee at 3 months.

Never having had Children of my own was a decision I made when I was very young and playing with dolls. It occured to me that this was not an activity I enjoyed so I stopped. I can say that I have never really regretted the choice to not have children as I believe that not everyone should. I think that if it had happened I would have welcomed it and became a good mother. I have 2 grown step-sons, one who is married and he and his wife had this darling baby girl on my husband and I's 12th wedding anniversary. What a blessing to have a lovely daughter-in-law and now this grandchild. I've been taking pictures of her since a couple hours after she was born and these pictures are from her 3 month birthday. I take so many pictures that I think she will not recognize me if I do not have a camera attached to my face. I'm working toward being able to take even better portraits and events and I'll try and be more diligent in adding them to my blog.

2010-01-10T17:58:00.000-06:00

New Type of Portrait

2010-01-10T17:49:00.000-06:00

I did a series of these 12 x 12 portraits as Christmas presents. It was a lot of fun doing them and you 2 can have your child, spouse, or pet painted in this wonderful graphic style. Just email me thru my web site artbypamla.com and I'll get a price to you.

email rudeness

2009-01-12T11:01:00.000-06:00

What happened to a little common courtesy when emailing? I know that email has over all, taken the place of writing letters, I myself, use email a lot and love seeing a personal post when ever I open my program. However, I always have a salutation and a signature and try to make it as warm and personable as possible. It just seems to me that so many people today have either lost the knack of conveying warmth or are just rude. Their emails are terse and abrupt with no consideration of the people they are sending them to. They try to say they are just being businesslike but face it people, emails are not IM's. Remember you are sending an electronic extension of yourself. Try and make yourself a little more approachable. You can manage to make yourself seem warm and still be business like. It only takes a couple of seconds to add your salutation and signature, think about the person receiving the email.

Judging or Condeming

2008-12-05T14:50:00.000-06:00

It occurred to me this last Sunday as I sat listening to the pastor speak, that many people confuse judging with being condemned. That's why they get all defensive and mean. Now, you do have to be careful not to cross the very fine line between the two. You could judge someones actions then take steps to help them correct a mistake. Those steps could just be praying for the other person or it could be more proactive and you would have to actually talk to them and come up with a plan that would help them to overcome what ever is dragging them down. Be careful that you don't see a problem then go around talking about it to everyone in the guise of "let's pray for this person". That is gossip and condemnation and you are just pushing them farther down a hole. And to top it all off you have put yourself in a position to be judged.

We still have to take a stand, be proactive, judge yourself, help someone, in the process you'll help yourself.

collage painting

2008-12-05T14:43:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been several days since I said I would upload this but here it is. This is my copy of the painting that 6 of us did as a group. Each person did one 8 x 10" canvas and then we assembled them.

here's a rave - FRIENDS

2008-11-26T16:07:00.000-06:00

I don't know what I would do without all my friends in my little art group. We are a diverse lot, go to different churches, have different painting styles, different economic groups, different ages, so many things about each of us is different than the other yet wonderfully unique. We come together every week and it is the best day of the week for each of us. Together we make a lovely completely unique painting. Recently six of each chose a different subject and they bought 6 ea 8x10" canvas'. Then each of us painted one sixth of six paintings. The six individual canvas' were then joined together and we each had a painting done by our friends. I'll post pictures of the finished paintings later but it was so much fun. It was a wonderful exercise in how 6 diverse styles and friends came together to create something wonderful and have fun.

Should you be judged by how you voted?

2008-11-26T15:40:00.000-06:00

Do you feel you are being judged by who you voted for? I think so many people were mesmerized during the last election and did not correctly judge their candidate. They have now aligned themselves with the morals and actions of their chosen candidate and now they are being judged for that action. The times we live in do not lend themselves to a "live and let live" philosophy. We need to be actively involved in our own actions and the lives of of family and friends. You can't withdraw and only look out for yourself. I am continually saddened and discouraged by the attitudes and " foaming at the mouth" liberals who are going around saying, we shouldn't judge when that is exactly what they are doing. It is also their way of not having to listen to anything they don't agree with. I can still love these misguided friends and family members. Yet, I feel like they are condemning me because I cannot agree with their beliefs. They have not adopted the live and let live attitude they profess to believe in unless it pertains to them. They want me to let them be but they don't want to let me be in fact they want to impose their attitudes and beliefs on me. Should I have judged the political candidates? Yes, that is every one's responsibility. Should I judge you because you voted for someone who promotes abortion? I'm not sure, but I am sure that I will be closely watching you and I will not put any trust in you.

Love the person, not the sin.

2008-11-19T08:32:00.000-06:00

Should practicing Homosexuals be allowed in church? The Lord calls this an abomination. It is a sin. Now, should we condemn the person caught in this sin? Should we just ignore the sin? Should sin be talked about from the pulpit?

As I look around me today I am bombarded with tv shows, radio programs, advertising, all of them saying it is okay and indeed normal to be homosexual. I watch Christians react in 2 different ways, one they adopt the liberal, live and let live attitude (we don't want to judge anyone) which is really just hiding their heads in the sand or they condemn and kick the individual who is caught in this perversion, which doesn't help those who want help. I've watched parents whose children have declared they are homosexual try to overcome their pain and confusion by saying, "this is genetic, they can't help it, it is okay". If it were truly a genetic condition would God have called it an abomination, would he have destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah? There is now a new attitude that if you believe that homosexuality is a sin that you are just a back woods hick. Wake up, don't let someone with a snobby attitude make you hide your head in the sand. Speak up and do it with the love of the Lord shinning out of you. Let them see the Lord loves them and will deliver them and that it can be done. Homosexuality is the hardest of all the sins to come out of and stay out of. They need love and a lot of help by people qualified to do so. If you know someone caught in this perversion seek out a program or counselor where they can get help.

As far as allowing an individual who is openly and actively participating in sin to attend church..I say only if they sincerely want help and to get out of that lifestyle should they be sitting in your church. And they should not be part of the leadership in any form as long as they are in sin. You are to love the person, not the sin.

We need to stand up and say it is not okay to live this way, we need to hear from the pulpit the truth of what God says about sin. Are you afraid to take a stand because you might hurt someones feelings, step on their rights? What about your rights? How about being able to send your children to school safe in the knowledge that someone is not going to be teaching them it is okay that Johnny has two mommies or two daddies. How about being able to watch tv again without censoring every program for nudity, language and homosexuality? How about being able to speak your mind and not be blasted by someone who is imposing their misguided values on you? How about our right to live in a nation that follows God, as our forefathers intended? How about your right to lovingly say, what you are doing is wrong let me help you?

Don't allow yourself to be brainwashed, sin is still sin and God is still on the throne! He expects you to stand up for that which is good and pure and holy. Pray for our nation to turn from evil that God may heal our land.

2008-11-18T11:22:00.001-06:00

Here's a rave - Stories in Hand class by JessicaSprague.com and here's a wedding page I've digitally scrapped using techniques I've learned from Jessica.

Do we hold back because of fear?

2008-11-18T10:45:00.000-06:00

Do you hold back sharing Jesus because of fear, embarrassment or persecution? I think that all the people who so adamantly insist you are judging them or being too critical are simply acting out of their own insecurity and sin and it is their way of getting you to shut up and not bring light into their lives. Yet, they are imposing upon you their views, lifestyles and sin. Why is it okay for them to behave this way and you are supposed to stand by silent. What they have done is bring darkness into your life because they made you stop sharing. Should we let people go to hell just so we won't have to put up with their confrontational behavior? Are you hiding behind an "I can't judge that person attitude?" I'm not saying judge the person, but judge the sin according to the Word. I'm also not saying wrestle someone to the ground and beat the sin out of them (although you might be tempted, giggle) I'm saying go to the Lord in prayer, ask Him what He wants you to do if anything about your fellow Christian who is about to step off of a cliff. Then do what you believe Him to be telling you to do. Sometimes, you will miss it but that is okay, we do miss it sometimes but the more you practice listening and doing what the Lord prompts you to do the less you will miss it. When you tell someone something you believe the Lord has put on your heart for them, they then need to take it to the Lord and wait on Him. There is great responsibility in the telling and in the receiving. I heard a bright and compassionate young man ask this question this week, "Are we distracted from our responsibilities during these times because we think Jesus is coming soon?" I think we are distracted and misdirected by a concentrated and subtle attack on our whole beings. I look around me and people are walking around like they are mesmerized. Wake up! Ask the Lord to open your eyes, pray for our land to turn from evil and return to righteousness, Claim your loved ones for the Lord. I for one will be waging war in the heavenlies for you and yours.

Judging or Standing up for what is right?

2008-11-17T10:43:00.000-06:00

What is the difference between standing up for that which is good, righteous and Holy and judging someone? This is going to take several entries for me to get my thoughts down so here is the first one. First of all you are welcome to leave comments, however, make sure they are family rated and know that it is up to me if they will show or not. Also no anonymous comments will show, if you can't sign your name to it, don't say it! This is my blog.

I think it is my duty as a Christian to stand in public record for that which the bible says is good, and righteous and Holy. If I see you about to step off a cliff, should I adopt the attitude of, well that is your choice, I'd be judging you as stupid if I reach out and grab your arm to stop you. I think that I would be the stupid one to just let you fall. You may shake me off then turn around and still step out over the edge, falling to your death but, at least I said something. I didn't stand silently by afraid to speak up because I was going to get a lecture on "your rights". I'm sure by now you can tell I am not liberal nor do I subscribe to "letting everyone do their own thing" even when if it is only harming them. I think we've become a people afraid to stand up against a militant few and say to them, what you are doing is wrong, it is sinful, it is against God, you are harming yourself and others. It has become an imposition of some one's "rights" to share Jesus with them. Abortion is wrong, homosexuality is wrong, should I judge that person involved in those sins? No, I can still love that person, pray for them, share with them, yet still take a stand against the sin. I have some wonderful friends who have been caught up and some are still caught up in those very pitfalls. Their struggle is great and they know that I love them and pray for them but do not condone the sin. The good new is that God still loves them, Jesus weeps for them and intercedes for them and there is forgiveness for us all. We have become lethargic, caught up in what makes us feel good about ourselves and involved only in ourselves. We don't want to rock the boat, we want to hide like turtles in our shells and be left alone to do "our own thing", accountable to no one. I cannot allow the persuasive attitude of a few make me fear to draw a line in the sand and say, NO, I stand for that which is good and just and Holy, I stand for Jesus, I stand for the one true God. For today, ask yourself this, "Are you afraid to take a stand?" Because when you do, you will not be popular.

It's a sunshiney Day

2008-11-13T10:34:00.000-06:00

The sun is shining the temperature brisk, I've read all my email, checked my sites and now I want to be out and about and not sitting at my computer so I guess that is it for today. This is a photo reference for a painting I'm working on. Bet you can't guess what it is of?

2008-11-11T09:48:00.000-06:00

I had a great photo shoot with this little girl, she always knew where the camera was and posed naturally. The photos haven't even been edited and I'm excited about how many good ones there are! Now I can't say the same for her puppy Buster. There is only one good shot of him and this ain't it. Buster was channeling his inner lab the day we tried to take photo's of him. O to be a puppy! There was also a good photo shoot with my wonderful beautiful friend Marquette the day before but she won't allow me to post any pictures of her unless I want to experience painful consequences...LOL

When do you draw the line?

2008-11-11T08:42:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend I was talking (complaining) about a person who is always so rude to me. I've over compensated trying to be a friend to this person. There just hasn't been any reason to like them yet I react to them by trying to get them to like me. It's hard for me to understand why this person reacts to me this way I have lots of good friends and they like my flawed, opinionated self. My friend that I was complaining to said something that really got me to thinking, he said, that this person if very defensive about everything they do. And that really hit me, yes they are defensive and insecure and are unable to see themselves as the talented, pretty person that they are. Does this excuse their rudeness? NO! This behavior puts them on the short list of having friends, real friends. Another of my dear friends, while we were commiserating about this other persons behavior, exclaimed, "they are our spiritual sandpaper! But, who is theirs?" I think it is true that there will always be someone in your life who is your "spiritual sandpaper" but where do you draw the line? When do you say, enough? Am I doing them a favor by letting them treat not just me but others this way? I'm going to do my best to be understanding yet speak up if the door is opened for me to do so. Will I blast this person... no, I will treat and talk to them the way I want to be treated and I will keep praying for them that they will have the heart to understand and the ears to hear.
Many thanks to the 2 friends who "Opened my eyes" by showing me that I wasn't imagining the behavior and another helping me see another reason for the behavior!

Takin' it Easy?

2008-11-10T19:35:00.000-06:00

I really need some takin' it easy time, but it seems like only the dogs have that option around here. I want to know where are all the pictures I took of my art are! And where my leatherwood house web site went. All of them are gone and not I'm having to redo all my photos. so between those 2 large projects and worries I'm trying to take David's business paperless. Getting David to sit down long enought to tell me what Catagories to enter info in is like putting bamboo splinters under your fingernails. I've been sitting at my computers for days! and while sometimes I enjoy that, right now the weather is wonderful and I want to be outside. I do have some trips scheduled for later to take pictures and I hope to have something wonderful to post when I get back. Oops! now one of the printers is acting up... I'm really getting tired of having ink all over me. Enough venting for now.