Hey techies, grab my QR!

So, you can just google for QR code generator -  I used this one -

enter a couple of things, and the nifty program will make you

a brand new QR code!

What's a QR code?

Well, duh, something like a bar code but with more info.

And they're all over the place.

And you can make one and use it as a business card

(for instance). 

If you have the app for it, you just scan it with your phone,

and it takes you places.

Here's mine.  Don't it look purdy?

I should make some jewelry with this!!!

Guess where that takes you (hee hee)!  Go on, scan it!

And if my post was all gibberish to you,

get the lowdown on it right here.

Happy scanning :)

Earth Day

April 22, 2011.

Earth Day is everyday, really.  Only we forget. 

So maybe it's good to designate one day

when we can step back and

consider the treasure we live on.

A lovely girl named Beth

(a name like Beth can only belong to a sweet person)

sent me this email,

which I'm sure at least a few of you are familiar with,

but it's worth sharing.

All about one of Nature's gems - the cucumber!

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need

every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin

B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin

B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron,

Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

 

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon,

put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a

cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B

Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that

quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

 

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror

fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a

cucumber slice along the mirror, it will

eliminate the fog and provide a soothing,

spa-like fragrance.

 

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds?

Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will

be free of pests all season long. The chemicals

in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give

off a scent undetectable to humans but drive

garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5 Looking for a

fast and easy way to remove cellulite before

going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or

two of cucumbers along your problem area for a

few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber

cause the collagen in your skin to tighten,

firming up the outer layer and reducing the

visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6.. Want to avoid a hangover or

terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices

before going to bed and wake up refreshed and

headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B

vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential

nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in

equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and

headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that

afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers

have been used for centuries and often used by

European trappers, traders and explores for

quick meals to thwart off starvation.

 

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and

you realize that you don't have enough time to

polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber

over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a

quick and durable shine that not only looks

great but also repels WATER.

 

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a

cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic

hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage,

facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire

cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water,

the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber

with react with the boiling water and be

released in the steam, creating a soothing,

relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce

stress in new mothers and college students

during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and

 realize you don't have gum or mints?

Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth

with your tongue for 30 seconds to

eliminate bad breath; the

phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your

mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

 

12. Looking for a 'green' way to

clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel?

Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the

surface you want to clean, not only will it

remove years of tarnish and bring back the

shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm

you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake?

Take the outside of the

cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen

writing, also works great on crayons and markers

that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

That just makes me go "Wow!",  AND they're yummy!

Have a wonderful Earth Day!

Watercolor - two ways

There's something undeniably delicious about letting your brush slurp up jewel-toned watery color, and to lay it on paper in delicate swathes. 

Folks who work with watercolors know what I'm talking about!  

I've been without it for far too long,

so making this little birdie was so sweet. 

 And then I thought I might as well do it digitally too,

not the same picture, as you can see,

but the same(ish) technique.

Anyhow, here it is, and both were fun to do:

Watercolor two ways....

Traditional media (paint and paper)

Digital media (mouse and PhotoShop)

More ammo for my illustration techniques!

Simple pleasures

I find it amazing that the most ordinary things can inspire us

to pause and reflect, and marvel. 

I was trying to sort out some of my photographs into anything

that might resemble a sane grouping

of a crazy variety of images

(probably an impossible task not worth the attempt)

 and found these....

Taken at night in yellow light...

A mellow light...

Our old chandelier and a vase from WalMart

with a plastic orchid stuck in it...

(I told you about the ordinary things!)

But I remember it was wonderful to take these pictures.

Hope you find some extraordinary

in your ordinary today!

Caught in passing....

Happenning upon an article on Etsy,

I found this little gem and had to share:

What does handmade mean to you?

Handmade is the cliff swallow, bulding a mud nest on a wall where vertical meets upside down. It’s about finding the patience to slow down and accept the pace at which one person can progress through many detailed steps. It’s the power that we all have to bring something into existence that just moments before was a fleeting thought or curiosity.

What an amazing way  to put it!  Do read the rest of their story

- it's guaranteed to inspire.