October 2008 - Posts

• An Anniversary and a New Journey

  Today wraps up AnnTheGran.com’s 12th year “on the air.” With all the excitement about our new digital scrapbooking area, and all the time I was spending getting my own products ready for the store, I completely forgot until I looked at the date. It’s been a long journey and many of you have been with me from that first little page while many more have joined me on the road as the years have gone by. But I want to tell you about a different journey today, one I’ve been on for only the past 2 ½  years. If you’ve ever been in one of my classes you might remember that I ask everyone who used to paint fabric to raise their hands, then those who did tole painting, then those who did counted cross stitch, naming creative hobbies until every hand in the room was raised and everyone was laughing. Then I said, “I know you because I AM you.” I believe that this is still true. I can’t remember any creative hobby, other than sewing, which isn’t so much a hobby as a part of my life, which I’ve done for so long without going on to something else. While I haven’t left machine embroidery, I have gone on to something else and, of course, you already know what it is. Let me tell you how innocently digital scrapbooking began how quickly it became as addictive and all consuming as embroidery. In May, 2006, Bill and I had just retuned from spending a few weeks with our friends and embroidery colleagues, Loes and Theo van der Heijden, about whom I’ve spoken to you frequently in my blogs. Loes sent me an email telling me about a program, FotoFusion by Lumapix,  she had downloaded and thought might be handy for working on our web sites. Always on the prowl for new and interesting software, I went to the web site and downloaded the trial program. While fooling around with it, as I do when I’m becoming familiar with new software, I was using photos from my photo stash. I think this may be one of the first collages that I made. Not the very first, but close to it, and the first one that I shared. Just like my early attempts at machine embroidery, it isn't very good, I thought it was wonderful and I still like it in spite of its shortcomings. I became fascinated with the process and before long went ahead and paid for and registered the program. I'm still using the old version 3 of FotoFusion and it's still available for preview and purchase. I never felt the need to upgrade when they brought out a new, more expensive, version with a lot of bells and whistles. (If it ain't broke . . . well, you know . . .) My progress along the path to complete digital scrapbooking immersion continued to mirror the path I had taken with machine embroidery 10 years previously. I found some free stuff on the Internet and then became bored with that and began purchasing digi-scrap papers and elements. Quite the opposite from machine embroidery, which was, in the beginning, horribly expensive, I found that digi-scrap supplies were pretty reasonably priced, inexpensive, in fact. Well, if you know me you know that I couldn’t leave well enough alone and and soon I began creating my own digi-scrap elements. I gave them away through a group using the same software I was using. This is my old gallery in that group. Now this is where the journey veered off onto a different branch in the road. My friends were telling me that I ought to sell my stuff, but I knew that I didn’t want to become involved with creating another web site. First, I already had a web site that was taking up a big chunk of my time and, second, I learned my lesson the first time. I was very excited when I was finally accepted as a designer at one of the online digital scrapbooking srores. After about a year I felt that my designing had improved considerably and I wanted to make a move to a more prominent store. That's when I met Stacy and she accepted me as a designer at GottaPixel. I thought that digital scrapbooking, and especially Stacy's approach to it, would be a good fit with AnnTheGran. I introduced Stacy to Greg and twiddled my thumbs an crossed my fingers while the two of them worked their magic. And that's where we are today. The digital scrapbooking store at ATG is either already open, or it will be open shortly. In the meanwhile, you can have fun looking through the new digi-scrap gallery at AnnTheGran. All of the designers are listed along the left side of the page. Me too! I'm trying to be ladylike and not be excitedly jumping up and down, but it's difficult to contan my excitement. I hope you'll take a look and, if it's something you think you might enjoy, give it a try. But be careful, it's addictive! Enough from me about this today. Y'all take care of each other and, you know, don't forget to turn off your computer once in a while . . . . TTFN   Posted Oct 31 2008, 03:38 PM by AnnTheGran with 11 comment(s)

• The last Minute-Addendum

  As you can see, I found the gaggle of travel drives and software security devices that I THOUGHT I had inadvertently left at home when I flew to Kentucky last week. Of course, as soon as I get home, the first place I went was to the computer bag from which I had transferred my laptop for travel. I felt in all the pockets. Nothing. Nada. Goose egg. Well, I wouldn't panic about misplaced travel drives, inconvenient as it might be, but lost security devices? Not a good thing. I had already checked and checked in the combination camera/computer bag with wheels that I had taken with me, but I checked and checked again. Then a light bulb went off in my head. I lifted out a short camera lens in its case and there, just where I had put them for safe keeping, were, you guessed it, that gaggle.  So, here's the picture that was supposed to be on last week's blog post. Feel free to laugh at the perm and marvel at Bill's beard. I made all my square dance dresses and all Bill's matching shirts. I probably made 25 or 30 outfits for us. When we finally stopped dancing after 10 years or so I donated all the dresses, petticoats, western shirts and the accompanying themed accoutrements to our square dance club to sell in their re-sale shop. I’ll tell you, though, after making all those western shirts for Bill, whipping up a couple of short sleeve sport shirts is a piece of cake. In honor of our newest blogger, Stacy Carlson, who will be our resident digital scrapbooking maven and who posted the very first installment in her new blog this week, I'm writing this little "bloggette" with a series of digital layouts recalling my latest visit to Kentucky. Reed was coloring Spiderman pictures every day. “Can someone please print a Spiderman picture for me?” Finally DD told him only one picture a day, so his sisters began drawing Spiderman for him. Then they got tired of that and poor Reed was Spiderman-less. So I told him that he could draw Spiderman himself. After much whining and protesting, Reed finally did begin drawing his own Spiderman. You can tell it’s Spiderman by the big red head and the long blue legs. Here’s a photo cluster, not a full scrapbook page. When I was in Kentucky in July Jen and I went to Kohl’s to shop for school clothes for the kids and a few things for me. If I applied for a Kohl’s card I would get 15% off the entire purchase. It was a large purchase and 15% would be a nice chunk of change, so I filled out the application. A couple of weeks after I got home my Kohl’s card came in the mail. Now, the thing is, I don’t have a Kohl’s nearby. The closest one is in Altamonte Springs, about 30 minutes up I-4. So, when I was in Kentucky last week I had this Kohl’s card with me that needed to be warmed up. You can see where this is going, right? Jen and I and the girls planned a girls day out. Before going to Kohl’s we stopped at the hair salon where Jen got highlights and a trim. I needed a trim, too, and there was a gal free to do it, so I had one, too. Here’s my scrapbook page about the hair salon. If you click on the picture you’ll bring up a larger version. I’m always taking photos. I was doing that even before I became a digital scrapper. I can’t even remember when I didn’t have a camera. Now I have three cameras: My good DSLR camera with several lenses and other bells and whistles, my “travel” camera for when I don’t want to haul a heavy camera bag and I recently got a little waterproof camera to use when I go snorkeling and to otherwise keep in my purse or pocket so that I always have a camera with me. The first day in LaGrange was a school day so Bill and I and SIL Steve (a Gulf War veteran on 100% disability) were left to our own devices. We went downtown to have coffee and wander the little shops on Main Street. Downtown LaGrange is so small that the railroad tracks run right through the middle of the street! We actually had to wait for a train to pass before we could cross the street! I had my little pocket camera with me and took pictures of items of interest along the way, and here’s my scrapbook page. If you click on the picture you’ll bring up a larger version. Reed is used to my following him around with a camera and now his brother and sisters have purchased cameras of their own with their birthday money this year. I got Reed one of the toddler cameras and he took pictures from the time he got it until the day I left. It really would never have occurred to me before to put a camera in the hands of a three and a half year old. It was really interesting to see the things that attracted Reed’s attention and, of course, here’s my scrapbook page and, again, if you click on the picture you’ll bring up a larger version. I guess that’s about all I have for you this time. I hope I’ve whetted your appetites for some digital scrapping. If you haven’t already, do read Stacy’s blog. She has some exciting news. Until next time, y’all take care of each other. TTFN. Posted Oct 24 2008, 09:39 PM by AnnTheGran with 10 comment(s) Filed under: ann cobb, ann's travel stories, photography, digital scrapbooking

• If it weren’t for the last minute I’d never get anything done.

  Well, this is a first for me. I’ve frequently thought that if I didn’t get something finished before leaving on a trip I could do it in the airport or on the plane, but I’ve never actually done it. Until today.  As we were leaving for the airport I turned to Bill and said, “You know, it takes us longer to get on the plane than we’ll be on the plane.” It’s 2 hours and 15 minutes from Orlando to Louisville. Our plane is scheduled to leave at 2:25 p.m. We left the house at a bit after 11:00. I think it took about 20 minutes to get to the car park and check in. We waited for the shuttle about 10 minutes and the ride to the airport was another 10 minutes. Check in at the curb took about 10 more minutes and security took about 20 minutes.  That’s an hour all by itself. We’ve had lunch and are now waiting at the gate. It’s about 1:00.  So, there you have it. By the way, Orlando International Airport has free wifi. Cool, eh? Ah, technology! Back when Bill and I were square dancing we were getting ready to go to Indianapolis for the national convention. We made arrangements for our daughter to stay with a friend and we boarded the animals. In the hubbub of packing and getting ready, I turned to Bill and said, “You know this would be a lot easier if we could just throw the phone in our suitcase and take it along with us.” Now, I’m not saying that I invented cell phones, but I definitely had the idea years and years before cell phones became part of our lives. During the years that we were motor-homing our way across the country it was such a hassle to keep in contact with the kids. Every evening I had to call our home phone from a public phone to check for messages. That was the only way we could be reached in an emergency. Now with computers and the Internet and cell phones motor-homing would be a snap. I even have a miniature Brother sewing and embroidery machine I could take along. Alas, we sold the motor home when the grandchildren began coming along. The best of times I get up to Louisville a few times a year for a grandchildren fix. The airport is a pretty small one and every time I walk from the plane past the security check-in I (or we) eventually run into our son-in-law who has been waiting for me. He helps me with my luggage and Jen brings the car around with whatever children she has with her. Hugs and kisses all around and then we’re off. But every time I take that long walk I have a faint flicker of hope that some, or even one, of the children will be waiting for me and will fly into my arms as soon as we spy each other. Today that happened! I could see Steve as we got closer and I thought I saw a thatch of blond hair beside him. As we got closer I saw Reed. I put out my arms and he came laughing, flying into them. It was the best and oh, my word, he’s already grown out of the goody two shoes I got him in July! The worst of times Well, nothing ever goes off without a hitch. I put the pictures for this blog on a thumb drive so that I could upload them away from home. Well, I switched out laptop bags and somehow managed to leave my gaggle of thumb drives and software security devices behind. So, the picture of Bill and me in full square dance regalia will have to wait until another time. Instead I will offer for your consideration, completely off topic, a picture of what it looks like when a bag of popcorn explodes in the microwave and a picture of me, my brother and two cousins on a horse at an aunt and uncle’s farm in Virginia. I look to be about 4 or five and, well, to get a bit back on topic, my overalls were made from left over fabric in my dad’s blouse factory. Here’s my scrapbook page commemorating that visit. Well shut my mouth! We have Pat and Judy to fill you up with their wonderful blogs full of sewing and embroidery tips, techniques and projects. And we have LaRue telling us everything we could ever possibly want to know about quilting and fabrics. Now we have June waxing poetic about Brother’s wonderful new Quattro, Leora dazzling us with tales of Africa and Susan filling us full of projects using her remarkable blanks. What more is there for me to say. Every time I sit down to blog I have to rack my brain to come up with something and usually can’t think of anything that someone else isn’t already talking about in their blogs. I hope you’ve enjoyed my ramblings this week because I’m afraid that it’s all that I’ve got. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other and don’t forget to turn your computer off once in a while and sew something. Posted Oct 17 2008, 09:16 AM by AnnTheGran with 11 comment(s) Filed under: ann cobb, scrapbooking, travel stories