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Napoleon and I have moved our blog to our new website!! Come and visit! http://dogonmylapdesign.indiemade.com/blog

Tuesday Video Tutorial: Starfish Greeting Card

Today's video tutorial will show you how to make a delicate, very colorful greeting card with my Starfish Digital Stamp. It's a short, easy to understand tutorial done in PhotoShop CS3, and even if you don't use PS3, you might pick up a few tips or tricks, so take a peek! If you see a Sample Card in my Shop that you would like to view a tutorial of, just contact me and I will get right on it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b4Tqmb86rA context=C40e9858ADvjVQa1PpcFPJ8W3aF6dLW5eU0THxdfhWDepFfnPcjKM=

Here's the stamp/brush I used in the tutorial

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83729577/starfish-digital-stamp-for-invites

And here's the finished greeting card designed in the tutorial

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83729577/starfish-digital-stamp-for-invites

 Next Tuesday's Video Tutorial: A surprise!

Cairn or Inukshuk: Not Just a Pile of Stones

For years I’ve been fascinated with the rock piles called cairns. There is an architectural beauty to the design of these singular piles, with a large flat rock on the bottom, the smallest rock on top and many rocks of varying sizes in between, seemingly defying gravity. I read that cairns date all the way back to the 1500s with the Scottish and Gaelic and were used as landmarks, monuments and tombstones.

Not too long ago, my mother and I took a trip to the Detroit Zoo. A rock sculpture stood at the front entrance to the penguin and polar bear exhibit. It reminded me of the “Michelin Man”, but made of rocks. I later found out it was a replica of an Inukshuk, from the Inuit (one of the Eskimo people) language and means: “likeness of a person”. The Inuit make these stone figures for different purposes: to show directions to travelers, to warn of impending danger, to mark a place of respect, or to act as helpers in the hunting of caribou.

I have been itching to build my own rock pile. I’ve been collecting rocks, easy to do….our soil is loaded with them! But, where to put my Inukshuk? Will it scare the dog? Will it scare the neighbors? Do we have Caribou on Cape Cod? Hmmmm….maybe I should start smaller. I’ve got some rocks from the beach, maybe I’ll start with a cairn.

Anyone out there ever built your own rock pile? Cairn or Inukshuk? I’d love to see a picture!

The Detroit Zoo Inukshuk

My little cairn made of beach rocks

Below: I made a digital stamp of a cairn

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83860884/cairn-digital-stamp-for-collage

Reprinted from my nature blog

SPRING EQUINOX SALE!

I really do love the changing of the seasons, so I guess I am fortunate to live in New England.....but, some years the winter seems to drag on FOREVER! Not this year, though. A few inches of snow and some really warm weather. Not sure how it will all pan out for the fauna and flora, but it was nice to see things coming up through the dirt in February.

We shall see what spring brings, but to celebrate the Equinox, I am having a 15% OFF EVERYTHING in my Shop through March 31st.....now's the time to pick out your favorites.....here's the link: http://www.etsy.com/shop/DOGonmylapDESIGN

Remember: Just type in SPRING15 in the coupon code section at check out...simple! Enjoy the weather!! :)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73455120/easter-digital-paper-pack-for-invites

Tuesday Video Tutorial - Sunflower Greeting Card

Today's video tutorial will show you how to make a beautiful, colorful greeting card with my Sunflower Digital Stamp. It's a short, easy to understand tutorial done in PhotoShop CS3, and even if you don't use PS3, you might pick up a few tips or tricks, so take a peek! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTMTN3zgZzM&feature=relmfu

Sunflower Digital Stamp used in Tutorial                                                                                                  http://www.etsy.com/listing/80907963/sunflower-digital-stamp-for-cards   

 

 

 

 

Greeting Card created in Video Tutorial

Next Tuesday's Video Tutorial: Starfish Greeting Card

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83729577/starfish-digital-stamp-for-invites

It's Friday Follow!

I am following a variety of different people on Twitter, but today I'm focusing on a few that are specifically Nature-related.

@CraftingNature   First, if you are a Nature artist and are looking for a venue to post an item for free or if you just love gorgeous Nature eye candy, then this site is for you! It's a photo gallery of the best of handmade crafts and art pieces that are: Nature-inspired, made from natural materials and/or link to nature craft DIY or other inspiring blog posts. Go and see! http://craftingnature.com/

@DroolingDogBake   Next up: The Drooling Dog Bakery, where any dog can find super healthy, yummy treats. A sweet story: The owners dedicated themselves to providing their dog the best nutrition after their dog was diagnosed with cancer, to help extend his time and improve his quality of life. So, NO preservatives or chemicals and all recipes are certified by the Department of Agriculture. Also, custom orders can be made for dogs with special dietary needs! http://www.droolingdogbakery.com/

@dimdiart   One of my fellow ETSIANS, has a gorgeous shop full of her beautifully rendered animal watercolors. She says animals and nature are the principal inspiration of her art. She paints domestic animals, wildlife, oceanic as well as custom portraits of your pet! http://www.etsy.com/shop/dimd

@NickChillPhoto   Nick Chill's photography is breathtaking. Take a minute and go look at this website, please. His goal is to "bring the beauty of Nature to everyone and help raise the compassion for the care of our world." What a fantastic goal! http://www.nickchillphotography.com/

Tuesday Video Tutorial - Load Your .abr File

I know there are people out there working at different levels in different programs, and I know I can't be everything to everyone, but I've been using PhotoShop since, um, well let's just say a VERY long time! And I'm still learning cool stuff every day. I LOVE this program! I know PhotoShop Elements is similar and I know there is a free program out there called Gimp....I'm thrilled with that, because PhotoShop is ridiculously priced which is why I have an older version (CS3).

 

Most of my tutorials will be more about fun ways to design with Stamps and Brushes and I think even if you don't work/play in PhotoShop you can still glean a lot from them. Since I'm a visual artist, and I learn by seeing and then doing, I share my experience through videos, showing instead of telling....and I'm hoping a lot of you out there will feel the same! :)

 

Today's tutorial, though, is specifically technique-oriented. Actually, I'm loading 2 videos, one is called: How to Install .abr Brushes in Photoshop CS3, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adHxsnj9Rg0&feature=g-upl&context=G2326972AUAAAAAAACAA) which you should view first. 

 

The other is: How to Load Your .abr Brush. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9boBwlpjCZg&feature=channel) The first video shows how to get it from your desktop to the proper file on your computer and the other video shows how to upload it into the brushes palette in PhotoShop.

 

Next Tuesday's tutorial will be: Design a Beautiful Card with My Sunflower Stamp

 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80907963/sunflower-digital-stamp-for-cards

 

 

 

 

 

Heroes for a Day

I know in my day-to-day life I don't always feel like I'm accomplishing much in the battle against everything that's wrong in the world. Well, for goodness sakes, not even Wonder Woman can do that! But, I try to do my part in the things that matter most to me, which is all anybody can do, really. Throughout my life, there have been many Good Samaritans showing up just when I needed them and I always try to repay in kind! I consider all of Nature part of this circle, because I believe we are all connected. So here's my story:

What do you do if you’re a mother Killdeer and your baby, who can’t even fly yet, has fallen in between an opening in the grate of a storm drain? You do just what this mother did, you race to and fro, squawking and basically making a lot of noise. I’m sure she was calling to her baby, but it got our attention, and then we heard his little peeps and located him at the bottom of the storm drain. Fortunately, it wasn’t too deep. But, the openings were too small for my hand to fit through. It was at this point that I made it my mission to save this little bird, no matter what, even if I had to go to the Lowe’s next door and buy a jackhammer to crack the cement around the drain…this little guy was going to be reunited with his mother!

Mother Killdeer standing near drain

The Prison!

Fortunately, my mother’s clearer head prevailed and she thought of putting a stick down into the drain and trying to lift him out that way. He seemed too young or too weak from hunger or the heat to be able to hang on to anything. We had no idea how long he had been down there. It was still in the 80’s and it was late afternoon.

So hot, you can melt tar!

Then, a miracle happened. A man on a motorcycle drove by and saw two women bending over a storm drain and decided to turn around. He said we looked like we needed help! We were out in the middle of a pre-industrial site in the process of being built. We were surrounded by construction paraphernalia. Our motorcycle hero came up with an ingenious plan to put a piece of mesh netting down the drain and basically hook the bird and carefully bring him back through the hole. It took only three tries, but it worked!!! We placed him on the ground, I started taking pictures and then we left him alone.

Free at last!

We thanked our motorcycle hero profusely, and yes, I’ve forgotten his name, but I did take his photo! On our walk back we saw mom and baby Killdeer running through the field together and I thought my heart would burst. They were too far out to get a picture, but I’ll always remember it. I felt that the three of us made a difference that day.

Hero on a motorcycle

(Reprinted from my older blog)

Life is Either a Daring Adventure, or it is Nothing

Today is International Women's Day and I believe we women (who are so fortunate to have our own businesses and blogs) must support each other and speak out/up for all the women on the planet that don't have any voice or rights at all. If you get a chance, check out their website: internationalwomensday.com

An amazingly strong woman I've always admired is Helen Keller.  I'm very fond of one of her quotes and I repeat it frequently: "Life is either a daring adventure, or it is nothing." I'm afraid Ms. Keller had more courage in her pinky than I have in my whole body, so I can't say I exactly live by that mantra, but I do try to remember it when I'm faced with exciting challenges, etc.

I think all you women out there who run your own businesses are very brave indeed, it is not for the faint of heart. But, it's fun, exciting, challenging and at the end of the day we can say, "I did that," and feel good about ourselves.

Since this is a new blog, I should tell you that on Tuesdays I will be posting PhotoShop Tutorials, either teaching a technique or showing you how I design one of my sample cards. When I post a new item up on my ETSY website, I usually add sample cards and collages, occasionally scrap pages, to show just some of the amazing things that can be done with my Digital Stamps and Papers. To give you an idea, I'll post some sample cards from different listings, below.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/92916238/digital-birds-on-a-branch-stamp-for

http://www.etsy.com/listing/93000296/black-pigeon-digital-stamp-silo-for

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83729577/starfish-digital-stamp-for-invites

Link Love for ETSY Teams

First, I have been part of the ETSY community for a while now and I can't say enough positive things about the other members. Warm, friendly, helpful, and supportive are just a few....a SHOUT OUT to my ACME Team members (Aspiring Century Mark Etsians), wouldn't be here without you! I haven't made 100 sales yet, but I'm almost halfway there and VERY excited about how 2012 is turning out so far.  http://www.etsy.com/teams/6778/aspiring-century-mark-etsians-acme

Just got exciting news! I am now a member of the EFA: ETSY for Animals, Artists Helping Animals Team. Thrilled and honored to be a part of this team that does SO much for animals and their charities! Check them out: http://www.efaartistshelpinganimals.org

I'm trying NOT to use exclamation points at the end of EVERY sentence....how am I doing so far? :)

I am also on the TT Team, which is the Top Treasury Team. I love making Treasuries, though I don't hold a candle to many of the other members, either in quality or quantity. They are so much fun to make and it's a great way to show your love for your fellow artisans. Here's one I did not too long ago of the Animals of ETSY: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTI3MjkwODJ8MjIyMDE4NzA5MA/cats-and-dogs-and-pigs-oh-my

On a more personal note, I might as well tell you right now, I'm a bit homesick for my dog. He's at home with mom for a few weeks and I'm away with my husband. Napoleon is much better off at home being spoiled by grandma as he REALLY hates to fly, and I REALLY hate to drug him. So, I must suffer, here's a pic of him....do you think he's doing okay without me?? How I will work without my "dogonmylap" for inspiration is anybody's guess, but I must not be selfish! Till tomorrow. :)