DIY - Memory Jar

Do you remember those dioramas that you made from an old shoebox in elementary school? What if you could save memories for your children (or even yourself) in the same manner?

Trade out the shoebox for a glass jar, fill it with things collected from a vacation - and maybe even some pictures - and what you get is a 3D memory jar.

I can't claim this idea to be my own, although it is really a good one! Actually, I ran across this in the August issue of Parents magazine.

The timing of this find couldn't have been more perfect because our family had just spent the 4th of July camping, and as a part of our trip, we had my son do a nature-themed scavenger hunt. What started out as an idea just to keep him occupied and interested in a hike, turned out to be a great opportunity to create memories and also bring home some of what he found.

My son has a bit of the photographer gene, so as a part of his scavenger hunt, we asked him to take pictures of two of the items on his list. With those pics uploaded, I jumped over to PicMonkey (seriously the best free photo editing website!) and created a collage, adding words and a couple of graphics to the photos he took. (I thought it would be cute to put a © symbol and his name on the photos as well, because he did take them!) 

All you need is a clear glass jar, the magazine suggested using a pickle jar, but I only had a mason jar on hand, so that's what I used.

A few items is all you really need. I think less is more with something like this. Adding photos is a really nice touch. Especially if you have a lot of photos in mind, creating a collage is a nice way to incorporate all of them.

Lastly, I wanted to have more than one way to view the items, so I removed the lid, leaving the rim that goes with the mason jar. I cut a circle slightly larger than the mouth of the jar out of a plain ziplock baggie. With the plastic in place on top of the jar, I was able to still screw on the rim, creating a "sunroof" of sorts.

This was so much fun to create and I know that my son will enjoy collecting more memory jars for years to come!

Country Christmas Holiday Bazaar

The countdown is on - there are only three more months until the holiday bazaar season kicks off! I am thrilled to announce that I will be a vendor at the Country Christmas Holiday Bazaar at Medford First Church of the Nazarene! (http://www.medfordfirstnaz.org/)

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done, but it is so exciting to look forward to being a part of such a popular event in the Rogue Valley.

In addition to handmade greeting cards and photo coasters, I will also be debuting numerous framed prints in various sizes!  Plus, there will be several cards, coasters and prints that are not listed in my Etsy shop.

This is a great bazaar, full to the brim with local, strictly handmade items - so mark your calendars: Friday & Saturday, November 2nd and 3rd. 

I hope to see you there!

Walking on Water

Knees in, sit back, arms straight, relax...just let the boat pull you.

This is the mantra I repeat to myself as I am bobbing up and down in the water behind our boat, skis strapped to my feet and tow rope in hand. As the water moves around me, I often struggle to keep my balance. Once I feel ready, I yell to the driver to start dragging me and then finally, when I have summoned up the gumption, I yell "hit it!" The driver, in this case, my husband, mashes the throttle forward, with me precariously following.

Sometimes I get up, sometimes I crash.

That's me! Not the greatest form, but I stayed up! I was
also skiing away from the sun, creating a
horrible shadow, but it masks the horrible face
I make when I am concentrating :)

If you were to ask my son about water skiing, he would say one of two things. 1) My mommy crashes when she skis; or 2) My daddy can walk on water! The latter of which prompts a discussion about Jesus and how he was able to walk on water by himself and that daddy needs some help. (Also, that mommy doesn't always crash!)

Don't we all need a little help sometimes?!

What I have gathered about my numerous attempts at mastering the art of waterskiing is that it takes a whole lot of trust in the person driving the boat in order to stay up. About the time you start to take matters into your own hands is when you crash. You have to let the boat pull you, it's as simple as that.

I started thinking about the similarities between waterskiing and our daily walk with God as Christians. This world is a crazy place, filled with many worldly things that can easily lead us down the wrong path, it's the water swirling around us, trying to keep us off balance. If God is driving force in our lives, we have to be able to give up our burdens and allow him to hit the throttle, and just pull us behind him. We have to allow him to carry those burdens and guide our lives.

Knees in, sit back, arms straight, relax...trust in God, and he will take care of you.


"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

A Dog's Perspective - Photo Tip

Sometimes, the key to a great photograph is as simple as a new and different perspective. Thinking outside of the box allows you to grow as a photographer, and playing with the depth of field in your photographs is a great way to achieve this. 

My dog loves to go for rides in our boat, and loves watching us waterski even more. The dog fills the foreground of this photo, becomes the subject and gives the viewer context (his relationship to the skier blurred in the background). 

The fun about playing with depth of field is how the context of the photo changes when the focus is shifted to the skier, leaving the dog blurred. Now, had this blog post been in the back of my mind while shooting, which it wasn't, I would have taken a photo with the skier in focus to compare...

This whole shift in perspective lesson can totally be applied to life, but that's a post for another day!

Happy shooting!

Christmas in July?

I don't know where the concept of "Christmas in July" came from, other than I am pretty sure that retailers are working on their Black Friday advertisements right now.

(You won't be seeing me in any line at the crack of dawn, the stroke after midnight after Thanksgiving or any other God forsaken times, even if it means missing out on slashed prices on socks at Fred Meyer. There is not enough coffee in the world...)

In doing some research however, I discovered that in July of 1944, the U.S. Post Office, Army and Navy - as well as advertising agencies and greeting card companies - started a campaign to promote the early mailing of Christmas cards to troops serving overseas.

Now you know!

To say that the holiday season is right around the corner may seem like a long-shot, but it will be here before we know it. That being said, I want to share a few Christmas additions to my Etsy shop:

Because I am already in the Christmas spirit, enjoy 10-percent off your purchase of individual, sets of 3, 5 and 10 cards for the entire month of July!! It's as simple as entering the coupon code Summer10 at checkout. (This discount does not include custom orders)

I now have "Jingle Bells" stuck in my head...

I may be level headed, but...

I despise hanging shelves. Floating shelves to be exact. I may have a level head, so to speak, but I cannot - I repeat CANNOT - hang shelves level to save my life!

They do make this nifty little tool called a level, but I am pretty sure mine is broken and I have several cock-eyed shelves to prove it.

They aren't so crooked
you take a photo a just the right angle!

My life is often like my crooked shelves. At times, it can be a bit off level, and I try to improve on those things everyday. In terms of the shelves, I tried putting a taller item on the "low" end of the shelf in a desperate attempt to make it look like it's the same height as the other side.

It didn't work. But, I don't care, I am not putting more holes in my wall and I don't want to throw another drill across the room!

Ok, that was a bit of an exaggeration...


When it comes to the things in my life that aren't quite level however, I won't give up.  God has given me a heart to improve myself, so I will continue to put holes into the walls of the things of my life that need improvement until they seem level to me.

---

"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding;" - Proverbs 3:5

Black and White Photo Challenge

It's Friday, and that means it's The Hollie Rogue's weekly Photo Challenge. Today, black and white photography is the theme. Here's one of my favorite black and white photos:

It doesn't hurt that the subject is adorable!