michelle ward

*claps wildly*

 

I wanted to thank all of you who came by to offer your support for our friend Paula and her family.  The update on our fundraiser:  70+ orders, and I'm still logging them in.  *THANK YOU*.  This is really cool.  If you haven't read all the comments in the last post you should click and have a look - we've gotten two from Paula, and she reminds us all to check our smoke alarms, practice our escape routes, check on our insurance, and get a good fire-proof safety box. 

Thank you for your kind words for my brother and his family.  I think your prayers and good vibes worked as it appears they have held the tides from entering their home.  It will be some time before life is normal but eventually they will be sleeping in their own beds again.  *offers prayers of gratitude*

One more note of thanks to friends and readers who have spread the word about the fundraiser.  I really appreciate that this has grown wings and got bigger than I even hoped.  I'm enclosing a button, since I've already offered it to some...if you want to use it please link it to the order page on GPP HERE.

hot topic, new rubber, special benefit

A special announcement....but first, check your smoke detectors.  Practice your escape routes....

    

 

  

I will post an edit here when I have the order information ready.  I hope you'll join me in rallying 'round Paula and her family.  Keep them in your prayers, and while you are at it, pray for my brother and his family as they have been sandbagging for days in Moorhead, MN, with the hopes of fending off the flooding waters from their town and their home.  Fire and water....I'm thankful for the four walls around me today, aren't you?

EDIT:  I've loaded the new rubber sheet to Green Pepper Press.  Keep in mind it is pre-order so won't ship for a few weeks.  I set up a new shipping policy so this half sheet can go out by First Class mail, which is slower but cheaper!  ($1 to U.S., $1.70 to Canada, and $3.00 elsewhere) 

Thank you for all your kind words.  Anam asked about a paypal donation address - that has been set up by Paula's friends and can be found HERE.

if these walls could talk...

I should be working in my HIMnal, but had to test out a few pages in my notebook.  Acrylic paint and rubber stamp ink work really nice on the pages.  Spray paint bleeds through (as it does on most journal pages) but the effect is super cool because it's so random and will guide your play on the next page.

 

  

  

  

  

  

 

wallflower

 

My new "notebook" arrived with record speed - and I've been working in it non-stop.  Come on, how could I resist altering the cover?   It practically had my name on it, *grin*  More photos to follow....

 

Did you get yourself one yet?  I wrote to the author and he has visited my blog!  HCIT?  Thanks to all of you who shared your comments of enthusiasm - I'm sure he's feeling very validated.

p.s.  thanks to those of you who noticed my new banner!

off the wall!

Check this out!  What a clever clever thing.  Sherwood Forlee has a diabolical mind as you'll see if you spend a little time trying to navigate his website.  He designed this book - 160 pages, 80 spreads of blank New York City walls, ready for your personal expression, without threat of jail time.  You can visit HERE to test out the Walls Notebook - so fun!!  Order from Amazon for $11.53  HERE.  I think I need two.

 

  

  

  

Imagine the great time you'll have altering this - with spray paint, with cut-outs, ...... I know, awesome!  *faints*

so lucky

 

  

A package arrived from Hanna yesterday. Check it out...hymnals #3 and #4 have arrived!  Tack (thank you) Hanna!   You confirm that I am indeed a Lucky Girl.  And such a dear note from her - she has even named my book, should I ever write one *wink*.  (Hanna has written her own book - check it out HERE.)

 

Maybe you won't be getting Finnish hymnals from your Swedish friend today, but may the Luck of the Irish be with you.  You know I'm jigging my green boots :)

you asked for it

 

I am hardly an expert in Photoshop.  I call my version PS DS (as in DinoSaur era).  I do have a later edition, given by sweet friend Kathy, but I can't bring myself to install is as it will render my own custom brushes invalid.  In addition to making your own brushes you can purchase brush sets - there are some really cool ones out there.  With this tutorial I am advocating for making your own - because there is nothing like having tools made from your own stuff. 

 

 

 

 

   

 

Don't forget to save your custom brushes.  At the drop-down menu you'll see "Save Brushes", click on that and name the set, and note the location.  You will only get the hang of it once you give it a try.  I can't answer any questions about later versions of Photoshop because I've never seen how those programs are set up but I can imagine it's not too different.  Again, there are alot of online tutorials. 

That's is for now....hope it's been helpful. 

get carried away

 

  

  

or my fave:

  

Some self-taught experimentation in PS.  Have you learned how to make custom brushes yet?  Careful, you'll get carried away!

*cracks self up*

Ok, follow me on this one....Do you know The Humument?  (I wrote about it on Lisa's Gypsy Bonfire.)  While trying to locate myself a copy (when they were still hard to find) I found out there was a miniature version called The Heart of the Humument, seen below.  Well, I had to have that one too.  Not sure they are for sale anymore but you can easily get yourself a copy of The Humument on Amazon.

That's the first part - and the second part is that the hymnal I got from ebay arrived today (thanks Aimee for the heads up).  It was teeny, and filled with lyrics only, no music.  (Heli's hymnal is way better!!)  One might think - how many Finnish hymnals does one girl need?  Apparently more than one!  AND LOOK!  Do you spy The HIMnal and the Heart of the HIMnal? 

I'm also beginning to wonder, if I'm altering the books, should they be called HIMuments?  No, HIMnal is much better - but can you see why I crack myself up?!!!!  Good grief, I make myself so happy.

Kiitos Heli!

OMG!  Can you STAND it?  It has not even been a week since I posted about wanting a book of hymns from Finland, and Heli offered me her real, like check the postmarks, hymnal.  AND IT'S HERE!  She told me the sweet history of her church and I've even seen pictures of it.  HCIT?

  

How cute, and clever is that message?  Heli, I AM THRILLED!  What a most generous offering.  Kiitos!

 

Did you spy the deer in the cool postcard she enclosed?  It's a very special sign.  *wink* 

The one I got off ebay isn't even here yet.  BUT THE ONE FROM FINLAND IS HERE!!!  THAT is going to be THE HIM-nal.  *faints*

charming

 

  

I'm pretty much a retail dunce as I found out when blog-reader Susan pointed out something she thought I needed.  Brighton?  Never heard of them (even though there was a shop in my mall!)  *smacks head*  So when Judi and I did our annual xmas-for-valentines exchange, she gifted me these.  She gets me.

Yep, HCIT!

EDITED:  did you read the comments from the last post?  Finnish hymnals are on the way.  Yes, plural.  HCIT times infinity.

kirjakauppa

Huh?  Exactly.  Have you ever tried learning Finnish?  The only recognizable word for most of us is sauna.  Kirjakauppa is Bookstore.  If I was in Finland I would ask the hotel guy where to find a bookstore, or even better, a used bookstore.  (I already know where the concert venue is so I wouldn't have to ask about that.)  I'm on a quest to find a hymnal in Finnish.  I think it will be really clever to turn it into my HIM journal.  Recently some friends were in Finland and they visited a beautiful church - a hymnal was probably within reach.....I wonder what bad karma you would get if you stole one?

   

Laura alerted me to the Finnish bible on ebay, and that's when I found the English hymnal, which I will alter and settle with unless a Finnish one surfaces in the next few weeks.  When I was with Judi last weekend I scored the dictionary - it has tabbed letters, really cool.  Speaking of old books - I wrote a little story about books for Lisa, found on her second blog: Gypsy Bonfire. 

Speaking of second blogs, I've posted a new crusade on my Street Team.  Congrats to Hanna Andersson for being the Top Hat Pick for No. 28.

 

And back to my visit with Judi....had a blast!  We tried really hard to get a good myspace-type photo of ourselves and giggled 'til it hurt when we broke her glasses.   I've sworn to delete most of the photos, (incriminating evidence - too much valkoviini*) here's what is left:

 

*valkoviini:  white wine