Changing the Colors of Things in Photos

Several people have asked me how to change the color of something in a photo, or one of the downloadable invites on my blog. Well, it all depends on which program you use and what you want to change. To help, here are some basic tutorials I've found on the net for some common popular programs

With Photoshop (and I believe it works in Photohop Elements as well): http://digital-photography-school.com/changing-color-in-photoshop

With Gimp (a free photo editing program): http://www.instructables.com/id/Quick-Color-Change/

With Paint.net: http://www.instructables.com/id/Changing-Colors-In-A-Picture-Using-Paint.net/

With Corel Paintshop Pro: http://www.corel.com/corel/pages/index.jsp?pgid=1400065&item=resource&listid=1500535

And, YouTube has video tutorials for these programs as well as any others you may use. Hope that helps.

Summer Bucket List 2012

Last summer we planned a "best summer ever", with the help of an online forum/message board for moms. We had a weekly theme, and did activities and went places having to do with the theme. You can see a quick run-down of what we did HERE. We had lots of fun, and the kids didn't complain much that they were bored (see the I'm Bored Jar).

This summer I have made a 'bucket list' for our summer. Things won't be as planned out, but I think they will still be fun. Here is what's on our list

To Craft

Make things out of cardboard (house, car, toys, games) 

Make homemade play dough

Make Pinecone Bird Feeder

Make an obstacle course (or hold an Olympics)
Make finger puppets and have a play
Make something origami
Make Milk Carton Boats
Handprint Sunflower (and other handprint art)
Backyard Mural
Friendship Bracelets
Bug Jars
Build a Fairy House
Balloon Animals

To Eat

Make S’Mores
Make homemade marshmallows
Make homemade ice cream
Make homemade pizza together
Lovo (a Fijian version of a luau roasted pig)
Make cookies
Make and decorate cupcakes
BBQ

To Go

Beach
Park
Picnic
Camping
San Juan Islands
Hike by the school
Geocaching
Arboretum
Waterfall
Bird Watching/ Aviary
Fishing
Library (storytime?)
Road Trip - Visit friends
Nature Walk
Parade and Fair
Orienteering
Swimming
Zoo
Mt Shuksan
Mt Rainier – Paradise and Sunrise
Olympic Mountains
Visit a ghost town

To Do

Bubbles (including giant ones)

Scavenger Hunt

Summer Solstice Celebration (June 20, 2012)
Skip Rocks (teach the kids)
Ride Bikes
Backyard movie theater
Fly a kite
Board Games
Go to Garage Sales
Play in the water
Play Frisbee
Play/make Mad Libs and share your stories

Play kickball

Play hide and go seek
Build a clubhouse or a fort
Start reading a classic as a family read 20-30 minutes of it out loud a day
Play dress up
Star Gazing
Marshmallow Shooting
Cloud watching/identifying
Shadow puppets
Celebrate a silly holiday
Lava floor. Don’t touch the floor to survive
Indoor Picnic
Have a Tea Party
Water Fight
Host a cooking party - invite some friends
Knit (teach the kids)
Costume Party
Play charades
Color
Make a Movie
Play in the Rain
Learn a joke

Here is how I printed it to post in our house, with a box to put a checkmark once we've completed the item.

What are you doing this summer?

Dresses and Skirts

Getting a jump on some summer sewing for my girls. My 9 year old in particular was wanting me to make her some things, since lately I've been doing more for the 3 year old. Hopefully this will help with her jealousy.



 
 


Tutorial found on Sew Delicious

 

Tutorial found at Little Birdie Secrets 
     More to come later!

Emergency Preparedness Links

One thing that I've been up to for the past year or so is emergency preparedness. Some years ago there was a period of a few months where my husband had spotty employment. Having food stored really helped us. And there have been a few power outages and winter storms where having alternate heating and food prep would have been helpful. So, in an effort to be more prepared for emergencies and lean years, I've been working on food storage and other emergency preparedness.
There are tons of great resources on the internet, much better than I could ever write myself. So, I am giving you my list of links. It is in no way comprehensive of all the websites and info out there, but it'll get you started.

http://www.redcross.org – The original experts in preparedness

http://www.providentliving.org – LDS Church’s official preparedness website. Good info for beginners

http://www.ready.gov – FEMA website, lots of good info, including links for kids

http://www.cdc.gov – Center for Disease Control website

http://www.pandemicflu.gov – Gov. site regarding pandemics in your area and what to do

http://www.emd.wa.gov/preparedness/prep_prepare_year.shtml - Prepare in a year program

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/babystep-checklists/ - Great site for beginners. Weekly to-do lists.

http://www.survival-spot.com/survival-blog/ - Survival info

http://www.backwoodshome.com/article_index.html#fr – Practical ideas for self-reliant living

http://www.preparedplanet.com/index.html - Self-sufficiency

http://www.theprudenthomemaker.com – The prudent homemaker

http://www.allaboutfoodstorage.com – Simple and healthy food storage ideas

http://www.yourownhomestore.com/ - Self-reliance and food storage

http://www.selfreliantsisters.blogspot.com/ - Emergency preparedness

http://preparedldsfamily.blogspot.com/ - Food storage and preparedness info

http://www.ldspreppers.com/showthread.php/218-Free-Survival-EBooks?s=26956792c7bd0db2c46b5df621764bcf – Free survival E-books

Gardening and homesteading:

http://www.pvcplans.com – Free plans for greenhouses, cold frames…

http://www.backyardgardener.com/etera/index.html - Backyard gardening info source

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/ndsuag/ – NDSU agriculture website

http://www.pioneerliving.net/ Back to basics online magazine. Homesteading, gardening, etc.

Using your food storage:

http://www.stilltasty.com – Ultimate shelf life guide

http://www.scoutorama.com/recipe - Dutch oven recipes

http://everydayfoodstorage.net/ - Using your food storage

http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/information.htm - Everything you need to learn how to do sprouting

http://www.simplylivingsmart.com/ - Food storage recipes and videos

http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/guides/tips_beans.html - Learn to cook with beans

Preserving food:

http://nchfp.uga.edu/ - Home food preservation

http://food.unl.edu/web/preservation/canning - Home food preservation info

http://www.storefood.com/books/ - Books to help you use and store whole grains

http://www.dehydrate2store.com/ - Videos, recipes, how-to dehydrate

http://foodstorageandpreparedness.blogspot.com/2009/06/conversion-chart-for-dry-pack-canning.html - Conversion chart for canning with #10 cans

Storage racks (to buy or build):

http://waterstoragerack.blogspot.com/p/result.html - free water and can rotation rack plans and info

http://www.rnrfoodorganizers.com/rollerunits - Can rotation units (only available in Utah). Has free planning guide

http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Rotating-Canned-Food-Shelf - Free plans for can rotating shelf

http://www.mycanrotation.com/shelving.htm - Free can rotating shelf plans

http://www.providentliving.org.nz/can-dispensers/ - 3 different rotating shelf plans for free (bookshelf, box and gravity styles)

http://www.canracks.com – Plans for sale to build your own can rotating rack

Places to shop for food storage or survival items:

http://www.alisonspantry.com – Yummy foods

http://www.glutenfreebcg.com – Gluten-free bulk foods

http://honeyvillegrain.com – Bulk food storage

http://thefoodstorageshopper.net/ - Help with shopping for food storage items

http://www.internet-grocer.net – ‘Best Prices Storable Foods’

http://www.northernoutfitters.com – Winter clothing

http://progressiverx.com/index.html - Created for those who can’t afford the meds they need

http://preparednesspantry.blogspot.com/ - Great blog for Emergency Essentials Company (www.beprepared.com)

http://www.outdoorcooking.com/ - All the equipment and tools for cooking outdoors

http://www.surewatertanks.com – For high capacity water storage

http://www.epcontainers.net/ - Sells water containers of all sorts

http://thermalcooker.wordpress.com/category/thermal-cookers/wonderbox/ - Thermal cooking methods

http://waltonfeed.com/ - Long term food storage and supplies

http://www.bulkfoods.com/default.html - Bulk foods (including chocolate!)

http://www.outfitterwarehouse.com/ - Tents and tent stoves

http://grandmascountry.com/ – Grandma’s Country Foods online store

http://www.basegear.com – Outdoor survival gear

http://www.emergencypacks.com/lighting.htm - Survival kits

http://theepicenter.com/index.html - Emergency prep item out of Eugene, OR

http://www.theexpandedpantry.com/cart/index.php – long term pantry needs

http://www.thereadystore.com – Food storage and emergency supplies; weekly newsletter

http://www.americanfamilysafety.com - Safety kits

http://www.disasterstuff.com – Online disaster supplies

http://www.smartfoodservice.com – Cash and carry local store for bulk buying

http://www.survivalgearfirst.com – Survival gear and supplies

http://www.life-assist.com – Medical/first aid supplies

http://www.1stopfoodstorage.com – Delicious food storage packages

http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com – Grain mills, water purification, etc.

http://www.yourfoodstorage.com – Freeze-dried, dehydrated foods

http://www.shelfreliance.com – Shelves that rotate your cans, and ‘Thrive’ freeze-dried foods

http://www.survival-center.com – Survival kits for the beginner

http://www.storablefoods.com – Convenient, easy-to-prepare food storage items

Alphabet Photobook

Here in Washington we've been having a lot of snow. So, the kids and I have been stuck at home all week. One of our boredom busting activities yesterday was to make an alphabet book. I had them go around and collect toys for each letter of the alphabet, and I photographed them on a white background. I made them into book pages, and uploaded them to Shutterfly. Before too long our new ABC book will arrive, full of their toys. If the snow continues, I may do one in Hindi too.






You can see the whole alphabet on my Flickr set.