Picturetelling!

My Apologies:
To everyone who asked for the tutorial about my St. Patrick's Day card, it's still on the way, but there were technical difficulties with the recorded message at the web meeting site that I use. So I attempted to re-record it in my hotel room, on my laptop, with my wireless air card, but I guess 3G internet streaming isn't as high-speed as you would want it to be in an online tutorial. I stopped re-recording it today and cleaned out deadwood that was affecting my computer's performance. If I don't get a faster connection tomorrow, you can expect my card tutorial to arrive sometime next week via e-mail.

Sometimes these things are out of our hands and all we can do is beg forgiveness!

P + S is best, especially as a teaching tool. Thank you for your patience, ~Donna

P + S: My Treasured Photo Brings St. Paddy's Day Greetings to YOU

THE SETUP

Why do we say, "Happy St. Patrick's Day" on March 17?  Please forgive me; I'm not Irish, and I think he chased the snakes from Ireland, or something, but what are we celebrating?  Is the significance of this day (holiday?) in your family history?  You could put your story in a book so your progeny can know and celebrate that history, but that's a blog for another day.

I decided to get into the spirit today and send out a card.

THE PICTURE

 

THE STORY

I chose this picture because today the weather is beautifully sunny, if windy, and a little chilly, but the people are having a good time.  To MY knowledge, St. Patrick's Day is just an excuse to gather with friends and have a good time in the bleak, tail end of winter.

(The characters enjoying the day are my mom, my sister, and me, in 1959.)

By itself, the picture doesn't evoke a St. Patrick's Day celebration, but I've worked a little Heritage Makers  magic with the picture to bring you my wishes for a fun day!

 

 

THE DETAILS

I whipped this card up in 30 minutes.  It's a downloaded image of a card that I could publish, if I wanted to, but I didn't plan ahead.  I could print this out with my printer, but I only need an e-card today.   My Heritage Makers online Premier account has 45,000 pieces of digital art and amazing effects tools that enabled me to transform a blank "postcard" into this shamrock-happy, lace-trimmed and labeled card for YOU!

It's almost 5:00 p.m. in my neck of the woods, because I didn't even get this brainstorm until late this afternoon.  Which just goes to show you, that you can wow your family and friends with a custom-made e-card or self-printed card late in the day, if you've forgotten to prepare for a special occasion!

I'd be glad to send you a FREE video tutorial for this postcard if you email me at donna@sharefamilystories.com.  Just put SP CARD in the subject line.  If you sign up for a free Heritage Makers account, I'll put an invitation (2-sided postcard) in your account!  Invitations are better than postcards, because the company will address your envelopes and mail them out for you!
  
NOW, GO AND ENJOY THE REST OF THE DAY ya Laddies and Lassies!!

P + S IS BEST! ~Donna

P + S: Frommer's Budget Travel has Plenty

Pretend You're in Mexico!
These photographs in the magazine Frommer's Budget Travel are spectacular, and most are good examples of p + s. http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-srv/gallery/1002_ReadersMexico/index.html?jumpToPic=0

I had lots of time to read magazines the other day when I got my hair cut and colored. When I took a break from celebrity gossip, I ventured into travel territory with Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel. Craig and I have used Frommer's travel guides to plan trips, but I wasn't aware there's a magazine to help you plan trips on the cheap. (We all like cheap, don't we?)

The HOME page links to a wealth of information about taking great pictures in the article "Picture Perfect" at http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/article/2010/02/07/AR2010020703139.html

There's how-to advice, contests, reader submissions for real-life perspective on travel destinations, and 50 "Doable Dream Vacations".

Your tale of a horrible vacation moment could win you a 7-night Carribean Cruise on the Norwegian Spirit! Email your submissions to the magazine by March 31. (I say, include a photo--p + s is best!) You'll find more details here: http://www.budgettravel.com/btdyn/content/article/2010/02/07/AR2010020703656.html

Do you like poolside vacations? Look at some stunning p with accompanying s in an article and slide show from June 2009 called "The World's Most Amazing Hotel Pools". The link is on the home page, but you can get to it from here: http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/article/2009/06/17/AR2009061702131.html A blurb from Frommer's Budget Travel lays it out for you

--"LOOK, DON'T TOUCH
Each of these cool pools tries to outdo the next—and the effort comes with a hefty pricetag. Most of them are expensive to visit, but our slide show is completely free."

Thankfully, I didn't have to ""borrow" the magazine from Supercuts, because it's available to me (and YOU) on the internet.

Enjoy your foray into Budget Travel and remember,
P + S is best! ~Donna

 

Oregonian Photo Contest--Love

The Oregonian Newspaper has regular photo contests for amateurs--I can't believe I've never shared this before.

Here's today's article showcasing the winners of the LOVE theme. http://www.oregonlive.com/photo-contest/index.ssf/2010/03/love_photo_contest_readers_edi.html This link also outlines past and present contests, and features themed photo galleries. Check it out, and get involved!

Let me know about other photo contests and I'll post them here.

You'll notice the winning photos are also paired with short stories--

P + S is best! ~Donna

P + S: In Defense of Bad Photos, Part 2

THE SETUP

Will you be unhappy? In this age of Facebook and cell phone cameras, it's likely that the photos you obtain from others will have poor resolution when you decide to use them in projects.

 

THE PICTALE

Illustration #2:  I must sound like a broken record when I whine about being so far away from my granddaughters.  Sorry!  But until I can visit them in Las Vegas, I have to rely on my daughter to update me with pictures, which she usually does with her camera. A few of those pictures made their way into an 8x8 storybook I made about the two sisters, A Sister is a Forever Friend.  I didn't have to use them, but they told a little story, and they were the best pictures I had (the only pictures) of their first Trick-or-Treat together.

This is one unhappy little bee!  Her costume itched and she wanted OUT! 

Mommy hugged her, Daddy made her smile, and she became a happy bee-girl! 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm glad Allie shared the moment with me--she's actually better about sending these spontaneous moments to me than I was about mailing a second set of developed prints to MY parents, back in the day.  

The convenience of phone cameras is a real boon, but I'm sure you can relate to my frustration at the lack of clarity in some multimedia messages.

Allie captured her 6-month old looking fantastical in her elephant costume, and I'm grateful she thought to send it, too.  These memories mean the world to me! (For some reason, this phone-photo came out sharper--my guess is that everyone was sitting still for the shot, and the photographer had more time to utilize recommended distance and light.) 

 
Facebook thumbnails pose the same kind of problem--When you download a thumbnail, it won't be at the same resolution your camera took the picture at.  When you make a digital project using a thumbnail, the image will be blurry unless you can keep it small for your project.  The "Sisters" book contains some shots lifted from Facebook, and you can see that they're grainy.  Specifically, this family pose, when they were just three:

Kept  tiny, it's clear, but I knew that my mom, if not others, would need to see a larger view in the book. 

 

 

I'm pretty sure I made the wrong decision about using this picture.  I probably could have been more diligent about obtaining good pictures from Allie.  My excuse is that I was under an end-of-the-year deadline, but procrastination could be a whole other post!

 

LESSONS LEARNED

• Cell-phone photos don't provide professional-quality pictures, particularly for digital projects, but we still love them if they're the only record we have of a moment.
• Facebook thumbnails need to be used as small images in digital projects.  They would work as small charms or framed in tiny frames, such as page 1 of this wedding album template.
• Original photos are the best.  Original photographs uploaded to Heritage Makers free online photo storage can be downloaded at their original resolution.  That's not the case with all online photo storage.  You'll find that valuable when you want to print or send a stored photo, or make your first Heritage Makers online project!  Why don't you sign up for a free account today? 

What's your experience with online photo storage and cell phone pictures?  I'm not experienced with Blackberries or iPhones.  Do they take/send better photos than what I'm used to?  Are there other companies that offer high resolution photo storage?

What's your favorite cell-phone photo?

Do share! (Click on Comments at the end of this post to upgrade MY knowledge base, or share your own cell phone/Facebook-photo moments!)

 

P + S is best! ~Donna