Musical Themed Party for Kids

Every kid deserves a memorable birthday. These days, parties are usually decorated with themes parents would love to have on the venue. One ca have Disney characters, Nautical, Fairy, Cowboy, musical themes and more.. The possibilities are endless. You just need to browse online for inspirations for there are heaps of birthday themes for your kids or even for adults too.

Parties are not complete without music for it can make the party alive and fun. You can hire a band that plays musical instruments or uses high-tech classic american audio dcd-pro310 or singers and dancers too.

Kids love to play games, see magic show, dance and sing. Nothing beats a party that is so lively and most of the times, the success of the party is the host or emcee.

Brochure Printing Made Easy

These days, there's too much competition among stores and companies already that's why you need to step up and be ahead of everyone. Brochures are a great way to promote your products or services that you are offering and it's one of the best marketing tool that you can opt to do on your company. Brochures can be hand to your customers for their perusal and it can serve as their reference to see what you are offering.

There are various designs and styles of brochure prints that you can order at printing companies and that all depends on your budget and how you want to advertise your company. Choose the paper, print color (full color or B/W), designs (you can even have your own design printed), folds (half, tri-fold, z-fold etc.) Ordering can be done online too thereby making brochure printing easier and faster.

Personalized Christmas Gifts

Christmas is just around the corner and I hope you are also excited just like me. I am almost done with my  Christmas shopping and I'm very happy I have done my shopping early this year to save me from so much hassle.

I hope you are also listing down all the things that you need to buy for your friends and loved ones this Christmas. It's a time for sharing and giving so get ready to find gifts.

Personalized or customized gifts are always special and there's no doubt that the ones who will receive them will feel happy and special. Here are some of the Personalized  Christmas Gifts that you can give.

1. Photobooks - collect all teh precious photos and compile them on a photobook
2. Personalized Pillow cases - you can have your name or photo printed on them. There are also different shapes and sizes of cushion foam online where you can use.
3. Mini me - these are caricatures or cartoon version of yourself.

There are other personalized items that you can choose and when you give them to your loved ones, don't forget to include a note for a more personal touch.

Customized Christmas Ornament Templates

Only 29 more days and it's Christmas already. Is your Christmas tree up already? Have you started your Christmas shopping too?

Just in case you need some more ornaments for your tree, a personalized or customized Christmas ornaments will add a spark in your Christmas tree. You can order ornaments with your name or photo printed on them and it's always nice to glam up our tree with ornaments that have meaning and value to us.

Here are my FREE to USE customized Christmas ornament templates that I made. You can order them at Artscow. I have made several of them so you can choose from various designs.

Saving Dollar At Christmas

Brought to you by Homecrafts

We all know that Christmas is one of the most exciting times of the year. However the cash that we pay out for it is certainly not. Although we'd love to spend hundreds of pounds on our loved ones, it's just as nice when you're able to gift them with thoughtful, handmade pieces. Homecrafts have devised this insightful infographic giving you helpful tips on how you're able to save money but make beautiful trinkets to giveaway as presents at the best time of the year.

Arranging your Christmas schedule early

Christmas can be a tough time for businesses even though it is supposed to be a time of happiness and togetherness. It is a period where families get together and forget about everyday life and bask in the light of each other’s company. However, for business Christmas often means a skeleton staff, no clients and a credit-sucking time waiting for the New Year to kick start your finances again. To avoid any issues it is important to plan the following things in advance:

Organise your festive opening hours
 Staff become unpredictable to handle during Christmas as many will make short to long journeys home to their families, which could be anywhere across the globe. Moreover, many employees will have days off piling up that need to be used and will try and take off at the same time leading to there being no one in the office. At this point it’s imperative to see how the land lies and if you have no staff it may be worth shutting down over Christmas, just for a week. If you want to do this though you must communicate to clients what it will be happening, so it is not a surprise and does not prejudice your relationship.

Wind business down and plan for New Year
 Remember it is not just your business that will be rushing around trying to get things arranged before the festive season comes around. This means clients will be piling work upon your organisation to ensure they are prepared for the New Year. Therefore, it is important to make sure your employees work hard in the months leading up to Christmas to get work off the books and move whatever they can until the New Year, so you aren’t left with a bottleneck over festivities.

Sorting your festive greetings early on
Traditionally, arranging the festive mail out to thousands of current and prospective clients can take up a lot of time. There’s the sourcing of the cards, arranging the mail list and then handling the sheer logistics of sending them all out. However, the existence of corporate holiday ecards has transformed this task to simply a click of a few buttons. Just log on choose a design, personalise it and then arrange your mailing list. Then once everything is ready click send and your festive greetings will be delivered within seconds. This allows you to either get the festive corporate greetings out the way early or leave them right until the last minute.

Rock Princess Calendar

In less than 2 months, year 2013 will end and we need to have 2014 Calendars soon to use. You can make a personalized calendar with your photos in it and it's perfect for personal use or as gifts to your relatives.

I made numerous 11 x 8.5 and 8.5 x6 calendar templates with different themes at Artscow that is FREE to use. I have a music themed calendar that I named ROCK PRINCESS  and you can order it for $11.99 and the 8.5 x 6 for $9.99.

These days, rock star themed birthday parties have become the favorite of parents or party organizers for kids can enjoy the party with lots of dancing and singing. In this calendar, you can include your children's photos showing off their guitars or any musical instruments in every month of the calendar as I have included several photo frames on this template.

Painting of the Day: Tinola ni Lola

My older brother loves to paint native scenes, vintage items or has something to do with everyday Filipino way of life.

This painting is titled "TINOLA NI LOLA", oil on canvas and measures 2ft x 3ft. "Tinola", is a soup based dish with chicken with ginger, papaya and other seasonings composed mainly of patis (fish sauce).

He said he was inspired to paint this because it reminds him of his younger years when my grandma used to cook tinola for us especially on a cold rainy day.

"Tinola ni Lola" (OIL ON CANVAS) 2ft x 3ft

See more paintings of my brother here.

Canon PhotoMarathon : On-the-Spot Photo Contest

Calling all students of all levels(Grade School,High School, College and Graduate Studies) who love photography, you still have a chance to join the biggest on-the-spot photo contest in the Philippines. This open to ALL STUDENTS with Canon Digital Cameras.

WHEN: October 26, 2013 Saturday
WHERE: UST (University of Santo Tomas) Espana, Metro Manila

Hurry and register now for the Canon Photomarathon University. REGISTRATION IS FREE AT WWW.CANON.COM.PH/PHOTOMARATHON2013

Jewellery Making Tips -How to Keep Your Beads Organised

Making beaded jewellery is a lot of fun, but one of the major challenges is keeping all of your little tiny beads organised. When you are a jewellery maker, you will have a lot of different little beads along with metal clasps, pieces of wire, decorative baubles, necklace chains and much more. These little items can quickly become disorganised and can turn into a big mess if you are not careful. This will make it much more difficult for you to complete your jewellery designs and find the materials that you are looking for.  You don’t want to spend more time looking for the right beads than you actually do working on your jewellery!

Also, having disorganised beads means that they are more likely to fall on the floor – which can result in your beautiful beads getting caught by the Hoover and wasted!

So how can you keep your beads more organised? The trick is to develop a system that works well for you and then stick to it. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Buy a Large Enough Storage Container

There are plastic containers out there that are designed for storing beads and have a lot of different little compartments within them. These are great, because you can store all of your beads and gemstones within them and organise them by size or colour.

Invest in Plenty of Small Plastic Baggies

Little clear plastic sandwich baggies are fantastic for helping to organise your beading work. You can use them to keep your smaller projects separate while you are waiting to sell them. The bags will protect the jewellery by keeping the dust off and also make sure that no small pieces are lost or damaged. You can keep them all together in one of your drawers or boxes, with a label on the box of course so that you know where they are.

Label Everything

Another item that will really help you when it comes to organisation is a labeller. This will allow you to label the different boxes of beads so that you can quickly see what they are without having to open them. This will help you when you are looking for a specific type of beads to complete a project, so that you will not have to look through all of the boxes to find them.

You could even use your labeller to label your plastic bags with your completed projects to sell in them, so that you can keep track of quantity and price.

Set Up a Designated Beading Area in Your Home

Sometimes the main obstacle that prevents jewellery artists from being more organised is because they don’t have a designated space in their home to work on their projects. Perhaps they start beading on the kitchen table, only to have to clean up in a hurry because dinner will soon be served. This usually involves hastily stuffing everything away rather than keeping it in a well organised and laid out fashion.

If at all possible, find a comfortable spot in your home where you can enjoy relaxing and working on your beading work. This will allow you to set up a permanent “home” for all of your supplies so that you won’t have to tuck them away when you are not working on them. It will be a lot easier to keep your supplies organised and together when you have your own designated bead making space.

A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place

Once you have set up a system for keeping your beads organised, it is important to make sure that you follow the system and put everything back where it belongs. It is no use having a well organised and labelled tray for your beads, if you simply throw all of them into the tray at the end of the day without any regard to colour or size. Get in the habit of putting your beads back in the right place at the end of the day, which will help you to stay on top of your organisation.

Getting your beads organised will take a lot of work at first, but as long as you can stay on top of it and keep putting them back where they belong your beads will stay organised. This will save you a lot of time and hassle, which will mean that you can spend more time working on your jewellery designs.

George Torres is a freelance writer and part time jewellery designer. He sells his designs online as well as on the weekend at his local Sunday market.

Wedding / Pre- Nup / Engagement B/W Templates

Lately, I was aiming to make another digital scrapbooking kit but I don't really have the luxury of time to make a full kit with lots of papers and elements. The other week, I decided to make just a simple or mini kit with a Black and White theme since I have not done any ever since I started making digi kits for Artscow.

I started making just a couple of papers and just 2 flowers and immediately made templates out of this mini kit. I was surprised that it was beautiful and I was able to make a photobook, mousepad,calendars of different sizes and few cosmetic bags out of my mini kit and they all have a Wedding / Pre- Nup / Engagement theme on it.
I'm trying make more soon because October till Early December will be the peak season for ordering pf personalized items since these items will require 1 month or so for processing and delivery.

Here are some templates that I made. I'll link them as soon as it approved by Artscow for orders.

Arts & Crafts Playpen Workshop

Hey all craft Cebuanos, bring your kids this weekend on a day filled with workshop that will surely enjoyed by your kids. Life After Breakfast blog and ANTHILL Fabric Gallery will be having a workshop in Ayala Center Cebu's Active Zone for kids.

Workshop fee is P1,00 and that will include craft kits and a doll already.
Activities will include: Fabric stamping, stationery stamping, friendship bracelet making where  DMC threads will be used as well.

Photos of the Day: Wildflowers

Found these old photos that I took before and I can't help myself but to feel dreamy everytime I see these photos.It greatly reminds me of summer time in the country side walking or riding my bike in the crack of the morning. It's dreamy and I find peace in these photos.

These are the wildflowers that are growing along the side of the streets and I got attracted at them. Got my DSLR cam with my 50mm lens and got some decent shots.

Blogging as a Hobby

I pretty much enjoy all sorts of hobbies where I can show off my creativity. In my elementary days, we learned to do tatting in our home economics subject. Tatting shuttle with a tatting thread is used to make series of knots and loops that will look like a dainty doily once it is finished. I have to say that it's not very easy to learn because there are techniques to be followed in order not to have a dead knot. It can be stitched on handkerchief edges, etc.

My hobbies expanded to crocheting, topiary/wreath making, basket decorations, embroidery, cross-stitching, jewelry making, digital photography, digital scrapbooking and blogging through the years. I started blogging in 2005 and up to now it has become my way to express myself and share some piece of my life and anything that fancies me.

Blogging is a good form of hobby for anyone can write anything on their so called online diary. It can be about your life, experiences, rants, hobbies, food, travel or anything that a blogger wishes to share online.

If we take a look at the infographic below, blogging in 2011 has clearly expanded as 156 million blogs were existent already. It only shows that blogs whether it is personal or business one have been online hoping to be read by online users.

Graphic Source

I can personally recommend blogging as a hobby for in the end it can also be your tool to earn extra moolah. But first, you need to have an interest in writing or creating articles for your readers to read. If you have no passion to write, you'll just end up just publishing 1 or 2 posts because you already lack interest on it. You don't really need to be a great or seasoned writer though but as long as you enjoy blogging, then that is all that matters. If you're interested, you can check our various blogging tutorials for beginners.

Keep blogging everyone!

Gift Ideas: Personalized Cosmetic Bags

Christmas is just around the corner once again and I'm sure that you are already thinking of what gifts to give to your friends and relatives.

One of my fave gifts to give to my aunts, friends and even to my nieces are these personalized cosmetic bags that I am ordering at artscow.com. It's not only used to put cosmetics or makeup for they are really versatile. My niece uses it to put her crayons, pencils and pens that she carries at her school. I put her name and her photos on the bag so that no one can steal (haha) her bag and it's very obvious that is her pencil bag.

I usually order in various sizes from S to XXXL where it can load gadgets, chargers and other stuff. Perfect for everyday use and for travel. This year I'm aiming to order once again for they are on SALE>

Personalized cosmetic bags 3 for $9.99  fro (S,M,L) while 3 for $15.099 for (XL, XXL, XXXL) with free international shipping
Coupon Code: FAVCOSMETIC
Expiry Date: 10 / 20 / 2013

Cross Stitch Patterns for House Warming Gifts

The origins of cross stitch embroidery are shrouded in the mists of time. It is thought to have originated in China and spread to the Middle East, where the earliest examples were found in tombs in Upper Egypt. It is likely that returning Crusaders brought it to Europe in the Middle ages, from where it was taken to North America by settlers some three centuries later. Cross stitch embroidery continues to be popular today, make welcome gifts for all occasions, especially for home warming. These can vary in size and complexity, depending on the time available and the age and experience of the embroiderer.

Materials


Photo taken by funadium on Flickr

Cross stitch embroidery lends itself to a range of materials, but those with clearly defined threads like aida canvas and linen are the most popular. These have an even number of threads per inch, with the numbers constituting the "count". They range from coarse fabrics with a low count to extremely fine ones with as many as 40 threads per inch. Designs can be worked on any fabric, including felt. The choice of threads depends on a number of factors. Hard wearing wool is best for items like cushions, whereas intricate decorative items are best worked in mercerised thread or silk.


Cross stitch pictures and wall hangings

Photo taken by mabith on Flickr

There are any number of patterns to choose from. The more creative and experienced embroiderer can easily produce a house design using graph paper. This can be a traditional type copied from older samplers, or a representation of the house newly acquired by the recipient. There are also innumerable ready made kits which contain all the materials required and a design, which can be printed on the fabric or separately on a sheet. These range in size and complexity, so there is something for every taste and ability level.

Picture samplers can also be very simple, with just the word "Welcome", or more elaborate ones with short poems, quotes and Bible verses, nursery rhymes, proverbs or humorous lines. Alphabet patters are available in differing styles, as well as patterns for decorations. These can be anything from animals and birds to flowers, or just borders, which can be simple or complex. The more experienced needle worker can give wider expression to imaginative ideas, but even the most basic design will create a charming home warming gift.

Wall hangings can be anything from simple hearts with a ribbon loop for hanging, to replicas of the Sistine Chapel or the Bayeux Tapestry - the possibilities are endless! These can be easier to produce than pictures, which require careful mounting and framing. Hangings can be backed onto fabric with loops or rings attached at the top, or Velco fastening, which can be attached to a wooden batten fixed to a wall.

Cushions

Photo taken by craftapalooza on Flickr

These are always useful and easy to make. Again, ready made kits and patterns are available in all manner of designs, with flowers, sea shells, all kinds of animals, birds, reproductions of famous paintings, as well as geometric patterns, many based on Islamic tile designs. Cushions are usually worked in wool, which is hard wearing and can be dry cleaned. More elaborate cushions, intended for decoration rather than daily use, can be embroidered with mercerised cotton or silk threads.

Household items


Photo taken by Karen Roe on Flickr

Practical items, like teapot warmers, egg cosies, tissue box covers, clothes peg bags, key holders and fobs, address books and pen and pencil holders with cross stitch covers, provide a homely touch and would make a very charming home warming gift. The simpler items can be made by children learning to stitch. Egg cosies with embroidery on felt can be produced by learner embroiderers. Their efforts will be all the more pleasing and endearing. Table and sideboard covers are also sure to delight.

In an age of soulless, mass produced items of inferior quality, an original, hand-made home warming gifts are sure to be welcomed. They will provide years of pleasure and may become a valued, much loved heirloom. Whether it is small and simple or elaborate design, it will be made with love. The time and trouble taken will show how esteemed and valued the recipient is, that alone speaks volumes.

Author:
Claire is a keen craft blogger who often makes crafty creations using cross stitch patterns from the web

Personalized Key Chains & Playing Cards on Sale

Now is the perfect time to think of your Christmas gifts. Personalized stuff are great gifts for you can put the name, logo or photos of the recipient. Start early to avoid rush and delay in the shipping of items especially if you are ordering custom made items.

Buy personalized key chains and playing cards at low prices with FREE international shipping at ATRSCOW.com

Coupon Code: KEYNCARDS
Expiry Date: 10 /10 / 2013

Bloggers Blogging about Brands

There's no doubt that there are millions of bloggers right now at the blogosphere. Each blogger has its own reason why they create a blog and publish posts. Some blog for the purpose of sharing their slice of life, express their creativity, ramblings and thoughts. Others blog to express  their grievances on certain social issues, some blog just for the fun of it while others blog to bully someone which is totally wrong anyway.

These days, there are a lot of bloggers who write about a certain review on a product or services and I'm no exception to that. Many bloggers receive products from companies for free and in return the will express their 100% opinion about a certain product and they will blog about it.

As what BlogSkinny states in the infographic below there are about 71% of bloggers who write about brands that they deemed reputable and they trust. I think that bloggers should always write what they feel about the product and just post honest opinion.

Reference Site

A lot of companies today seek the help of bloggers for their honest opinion about their product so they can reach out to a larger market. Meanwhile other consumers who are researching for product reviews online will have a good idea if they found product reviews.

How to Paint Chevron, Argyle, and Plaid Pumpkins

I'm pretty sure some of you are already waiting for the arrival of fall because of its cool crisp air and colors. What a better way to welcome it with some beautiful pumpkins on your porch. Don't just put a bare looking pumpkin because you can decorate your pumpkins with lots of different shapes, patterns and colors. Chevron is very popular design these days, so why not have it on your pumpkin.

I  found this How to paint chevron, argyle, and plaid pumpkins on Pinterest and I wanted to share it with you. Just click the image below and you'll be directed to the blog where the tutorial is posted by the original make. 

Source: homestoriesatoz.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Photo of the Day: Her Eyes

My Photo of the Day: Her Eyes
used: Canon 50 mm 1.8 lens

This photo of my niece was taken few years ago and I'm so glad that she posed for me that time. She came from her school in the afternoon and I remember she was tired that time but I asked her to pose for me. As you can see her smile in the 1st photo was not that sweet but I love how her eyes showed up in the 2nd photo.

The frangipani or the kalachuchi flower added some daintiness and softness on the photo. Love how this photo turned out.

There's a Time for Everything

Our life can be so busy and hectic most of the times. We all have different works and duties in life that we need to do from day-to-day. Our work can include working in an office with an 8-5 working hours while others work on a night or graveyard shift that most of us would normally not want to have. Others work at home, work-at-home moms/dads and other individuals usually work at the comfort of their home. While many housewives stay at home to take care of the family which is actually a more difficult job in the world since there’s no day-off for being a housewife or a mom for many.

With all the stress and problems that we may be facing at home or at work, nothing beats a time for a relaxation during weekends with your family or friends. Everyone also needs a time alone, a “me” time like they say for all work and no rest, you’ll be one boring and dull person. Shopping, taking a hobby (like digi-scrapping or photography) or simply doing whatever you like are just some forms of relaxation or ways to give ourselves some time off away from busy office or house works for many of us

Aside from all of those activities, we should not forget the spiritual side of our life. Everyone needs to communicate to our creator above no matter what you call Him and no matter what is your religion. Whatever your beliefs are, we should have time to pray, thanking Him for all the blessings that you are receiving no matter how small it may be and pray for what you are wishing or desiring in life.

Every religion or sect have a church or chapel that will serve as their place of worships. Catholics, Mormons, Born again Christians, and more have their own churches. The kingston church  is a sacred place of worship, bible study, and other religious activities for their members. Nothing beats being a member of a community where you share the same religious beliefs and purpose in life.

The Visual Learning Style

Visual Learning is a style of learning that uses images, maps, pictures, colors and posters that can aid the speed of communication and thinking of an individual. I for one is a visual learner since I love reading magazines, books and even blogs/websites with pictures and videos in them. I am always drawn to images as it can help me visualize the scene or the things that I am reading.

I also learned that visual learners loves to draw, paint, doodle, take down notes and are often artistic. The info below says that there are about 65% of the population are visual learners and it only means that more people are drawn to images, graphics, photos and anything that can stimulate their imagination when they see an object while they read or browse online.

Image Source

I always believe that teaching using photos, flash cards and other visual aids can really help children learn fast. A few of my aunts and other relatives who are teachers always say that when they use visual teaching technique to their students more students learn the topic fast and more interaction are also noticeable.

39 Paged Photo Books at $12.99 with FREE Shipping

Christmas is coming very soon and one of the best gifts that you can give to your loved ones are photobooks. Compile all you photos and make a photbook now!

Artscow is offering 39 Paged Photo Books at $12.99with FREE shipping and I think this is a great deal!
Coupon Code: SEPTBOOK8X8
Expiry Date: 10 / 6 / 2013

SIGN UP at ARTSCOW if you still don't have an account at them.

Just in case you have no more time making layouts by yourself you can choose to use MY FREE to use  Templates and just drag and drop your photos. It's just easy!

History of Blogging and More

I didn't know about blogging until a friend introduced me to it in 2005. I had my 1st personal website in 2004 and it is where I met a female friend who also has a website where she share photos and other stuff. Later on, she made a blog in Bravejournal.com where she posted her daily mumblings, family photos and digital graphic creations. I was in awe at that time and told her I want to make my own blog and she graciously thought me how. So in 2005, I posted my very first blog entry.

It's also good to know that blogging already started in the late 90's and many people are using it on various purposes. Some bloggers wanted to share their life, expertise on a certain field, advertise their products, show off their creativity, express their anger, thoughts while many blog blog to earn money and so on.

Here are some information about The History of Blogging that you need to know.


Reference Site

Just in case you are reading this, you might want to try blogging as this can be a good therapy for some because they can express and put into words what they have in mind. You can even read some Blogging Tips for Beginners from the experts and for sure this will help you out.

No matter what is your purpose for blogging, just enjoy and write something you love for it can become a hobby and even a sideline for you.

My 34th 8x8 Photobook from Artscow

My niece Kukay celebrated her 20th birthday on Sept. 18, 2011 and this year she'll be 22 already. I compiled all our photos during her 20th mini birthday celebration at the house and decided to make a photobook, which as you can see I created on June 21, 2012 and that is almost a year after her birthday.

I decided to just make a simple photobook with more emphasis on the photos. Not much designs on every page too. Her color theme for her birthday is black and white so I just used black and white colors on her photobbok as well.

Made the layout at my photoshop and it took me several days. Have it printed at Artscow since I also have free photobook coupon. I only paid for the shipping of $8.99 and I got this photobook for FREE. Great deal!

This photobook is 8x8 with 20 pages. It took over 3 weeks for processing and delivery since it came all the way from Hongkong so the waiting time is just ok. Love the outcome as usual.

SIGN UP at ARTSCOW if you still don't have an account at them.

Check out my other photobooks.

Building Walls Are Microphones For Graffiti Artists and Their Opinions

Graffiti artists are able to use the walls of cities to make political and social comments so they can express their opinions. Many will argue it is an illegal form of expression because the canvas is the side of buildings. However, for many of those who use graffiti as a means of expression its the only way that their opinions can be heard because they are not treated as equal participants in society. 

Graffiti Bringing Attention To Those of the Homeless

The artist Michael Aaron Williams drew on a wall and provided a picture of a homeless person lying on the street. The ironic part of the picture is that its on the side of the Cartier Building, a luxury watch and jewelry retailer in Paris, France. The artist in this particular picture is trying to illustrate the complexity that exists with a society that can sell expensive timepieces but cannot provide employment and affordable housing for its citizens.

Racial Equality: Graffiti Art of US President Barack Obama 

The artist of this particular painting is Koolhats and it is a picture of the US President but his face is several different colors to express that the President is a not of one race but many. Then there is a quotation from the US President which states “ I’m asking you not to believe in my ability to bring about real change in Washington. I’m asking you to believe in yours.” He wants the people of the United States to believe in their ability to create change and this is what Koolhats is trying to convey to the people in the Santa Fe Art District. 

Social Message Graffiti: By Banksy (British Graffiti Artist)

Graffiti Art Image on Side of Wall: Picture of Young Boy in Gas Mask and Basketball Shoes With Quotation: “If at First You Don’t Succeed - Call an Airstrike.”

This wall painting is a message to everyone about the motivations of British and US government. The great thing about art is that it creates conversation and some will argue that its refers to when conversation between two sides fails how one side will use military might to gain control of another country and how kids have now come to accept this as the way things occur in the world.

Banksy is renowned for his graffiti art that so aggressively points out what he considers social problems. One of his most powerful graffiti works is that of several cameras on a light post overlooking the railway tracks in the middle of a park intimating that the government is now watching everything we do in the manner of “Big Brother.”

Advocating Change: Uploaded by Paul Sanchez

This graffiti art is a picture of a homeless person sitting on the street with a cardboard which says “Keep Your Coins, I Want Change.” The power of this on the wall of building is that it causes people to think about what is being done to change not just the situation of homelessness in the United States but also the problems of unemployment. People don’t want others to give them money, they want a change in the system so that they can earn their own money.

This artist used this drawing as part of a university assignment and thus it makes one wonder how much impact it has had on others because it does not seem like he is the creator of this particular graffiti art but came across it during his travels and decided to show it on the Internet. If it impacted a university student to such an extent that he felt the need to use it for a school assignment imagine how it resonates with the people who walk by it on the street on a daily basis.

Author:
Diego Sanchez is part of TorontoMuralists.ca, Toronto Muralists providing custom painting services. He also likes to blog about what's happening around the world and turn them into meaning arts.

Oil on Canvas Paintings by my Bro

My 2 bothers are both visual artists and have been using oil paint, pencil, even coffee to paint their art on canvas or paper. They are only self-taught and I guess it runs in our blood since my dad can also paint in his younger years but have not pursued it farther unlike my 2 older brothers.

My other bother is also a wood sculpturist and has won 2 national awards already while the other one won several painting and photography competitions as well.  We're all proud of them and we always support them whenever there are competitions.

I can be their worst critic for I really tell them if the colors or the image is not quite right and I guess they hid my criticisms and suggestions for they know I will not just say it's good.

My oldest brother love vintage items and it always reflects on his works. He loves painting still artworks and nature but can do some people as well.

"Libangan ni Manang" (Oil on Canvas) 3 feet x 4.5 feet

"Never Surrender" (Oil on Canvas) 3 feet x 4.5 feet

My 33rd 8x8 Photobook from Artscow

My niece Reign celebrated her 7th birthday in 2010 and as usual I was late making her a photobook but at least I made her one.

I only made a simple photobook using MY FREE to use BIRTHDAY template, wherein you just drag and drop your photos on the picture frame. You can also add your own text and even re-arrange the frames and designs if you want. It's highly customizable. However, if you are pressed for time and wanted to make a photobook easily, I suggest that you just use my PB template.

After finishing the photobook that can come in various sizes *8x8, 9x7 etc and pages from 20- 60 pages, regular and deluxe you can have it printed at  Artscow.

SIGN UP at ARTSCOW if you have no account yet because they always give promo codes.

Most Common Dreams and what They Mean

Starting with the Babylonian people, successive generations of astrologists turned astrology into a real science, based on observation and research. The experience gathered in time has made astrology become even more precise, combining interpretation with knowledge from other sciences, such as mathematics and physics.

Today, there are people who won’t even leave the house without first checking their daily horoscope, thinking that from the moment they were born, they were assigned a destiny which is written in the stars. Others believe that the zodiac influences the personality of people so much, that you can actually know a person just by leaning about their date of birth. TenMania tells us that there are people who buy gifts for their loved ones according to the zodiac sign in this list of top gift ideas for women. According to the article, others won’t even allow themselves to deal with people that are not compatible with their zodiac sign.

Another area related to astrology is the interpretation of dreams. We always why we dreamt certain things, but with today’s dream dictionaries we can learn the hidden significances. Here are some of the most common dreams and what they mean.

Falling into an abyss
This is a very common dream. Many of us dream that we’re falling into an abyss and before reaching the ground we wake up and see that we are actually safe in bed. The hidden symbolism of this dream shows that in real life we fear not to lose control over emotions or not to be abandoned by a loved one.

Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” Has a Worth Prequel

The relationship between the 17-year old adolescent Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) and his mother, Norma (Vera Farmiga) is explored in series “Bates Motel”, a ten-episode prequel to the 1960’s Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock). The series presents the factors that lead to the shaping of the personality of Norman. Recently, a second season began filming, programmed to be released in 2014, due to positive chronicles received from American viewers. You can watch the first season with charter cable offer.

The story takes place in a fictional city, White Pine Bay, Oregon, different from the action of the movie Psycho which was placed Fairvale, California. The series begins after the death of Norman’s husband. The woman and her young child, Norman, leave to start a new life in the White Pine Bay, where Norma bought a motel with the insurance money she received after her husband’s death. But they are confronted with many problems in the new small town.

The show is not a roller coaster of suspense, but a series of events of lesser or greater severity to which the teenager is exposed prints into his subconscious and affects him in a way that the viewer could never anticipate in Psycho. His apparent mental balance gives no clue to his evolution, so the end of the first season will very much surprise the audience.

The filmmakers create a diversion, drawing attention to Norma, a possessive mother, yet not bordering pathology, with an aura of mystery that remains until the end. Vera Farmiga doesn’t overplaying, meaning that she acts as if she were firmly convinced that her character is of sound mind and she is entitled to control her son's life. No tics or mannerisms, she is the portrait of the contemporary woman who needs to raise her son alone. Even an extremely violent reaction is placed in the accurate context, so the spectator overlooks it (even if we remain suspicious about Norma Bates).

Psycho Norman needed a revival in the eyes of the audience, and this prequel in ten episodes offers just that. Actor Freddie Highmore is the show’s big surprise. The face of a young introverted character, clumsy, shy, but charismatic.

What bothers is that writers have exaggerated with words that are not supposed to be said by characters, but understood by the audience. Writers abuse replicas as “What's wrong with me?” (Norman asks), “You're special!” (says Emma Decody), “ I should not have gotten involved with someone like you” (says Nicola, the one that Norman is having an affair with).

Spectators who like the mystery genre will see murder, corrupt cops, detective, cases of human trafficking and a subplot about drugs. If Alfred Hitchcock created suspense without showing stab wounds (we see bleeding, but we do not see the knife entering the flesh), “Bates Motel” does not spare the viewer. The motel and the Colonial house behind it, where Norma and Norman Bates live are actual replicas from Psycho.
The series was developed by Carlton Cuse (executive producer of “Lost”), Kerry Ehrin (“Friday Night Lights”) and Anthony Cipriano, the characters being inspired by the novel Psycho (1959) written by Robert Bloch.

My 32nd 8x8 Photobook from Artscow

Sorry been sharing my finished photobooks so slow here. Actually, I have already over 40 photobooks that I have printed from Artscow and I will share them form time to time.

Anyway, this is the 4th book of my A Year in Review photobook series for the year 2011 and soon I will share my 2012 A Year in Review that I made. As usual I have printed it over at Artscow.com for I got another free photbook coupon, I only paid for the shipping which is only minimal, if I can guess it right it was only $10.99. It's already a great deal because where else can you get an 8x8 20 pages photobook for free!

Just in case you are not a member of artscow yet, SIGN UP at ARTSCOW to get good deals on personalized items such as photobooks, umbrellas, cushions and more.

What The World Expects From Science: Teleportation and Endless Batteries

When it comes to technological advancement, there’s no obstacle to scientists ambition of offering us the newest and the best performing gadgets and devices. Everybody is talking about teleportation, and in 2007, Forbes Magazine listed it the first thing science should invent as soon as possible. Now we don’t actually have the means to teleport on a regular basis from our bedrooms directly to our offices, but impressive progress has been made in this regard. When the fuel problem became itchy for almost every government on the planet, alternative fuel research and conceptual cars were soon developed. We may not ride flying vehicles yet, but we do have the HXO car, which is so eco friendly and so intelligent, it still looks like a concept fished from a sci – fi movie.

And what about the 3 D printer, this golden champion of the present, which can reconstruct mummies in tombs, print a real fully functional gun and in a few years will print transplantable viable internal organs? We live and out passed Star Trek and Star Wars, while we still need science to give us some more… simpler inventions, not for the sake of humankind, not in the purpose of space exploration or the repair of the ozone layer, but for our personal, small comfort and pleasure. There are some things that are missing but think about it this way: if someone listed them somewhere, chances are we’ll have them on the markets in the future.

1. For saving time, money and water – auto-cleanable clothes

The advancements in washing machines are impressive, but what if we would just save the money for buying the latest, eco – friendliest, most efficient washing machine and save the world tons of water with self-cleaning clothes? Too farfetched?Not at all! Thanks to nanotechnology and Chinese inventors, there appears to be some progress on manufacturing clothes that get cleaned by themselves when exposed to sunlight. Now that would change the face of the world! Self – ironing clothes when exposed to… air? Who knows, maybe we’ll live enough to see this coming true. At least people at Invention Help would pay good money for.

2.    For our infinite pleasure – long lasting flavors
We love flavors. We add flavors to practically anything that is good to eat, drink, chew or inhale. We put chili on chocolate, strawberries in coffee, pina colada flavors in our blu cig refills, melon on our chewing gum. We are a species that experiments with tastes, combinations and extracts and we made a real art out of this. So is it too much to ask that our flavors don’t disappear in the blink of a chew? It would be bad for the chewing gum industry to create everlasting gum flavor, as this would ruin the market, but at least can we have long – lasting flavored chewing gum? Let’s say it would last for a day, not only for five minutes. This is a serious issue, apparently, at least for the people over at Invention Help, who list long lasting flavored chewing gum among their top ten wishes, while if you check the electronic cigarette users’ forums, you’ll see they have created their own e-liquids combining flavors and tastes that would shame even the most experienced chefs in the world.

3.    For the sake of our lives – everlasting batteries
We have solar charging phones now. Even solar charging laptop bags that charge the laptop battery. We have the supercapacitor for a boost of electricity to last us a long time. But what we really want, or people say they do, is an everlasting battery. One that doesn’t need to be replaced or recharged. One that maybe recharges itself from thin air or something. A battery that won’t need another set of accessories to make it work. A battery that once put in function, doesn’t need maintenance, financial investment or alternative back up plans in case it wears off. A type of battery to fuel our phones, tablets and laptops.Something that would save the environment, the effort and the money of us all. Some type of battery that Patrick Naumann from Abb Conversations would offer himself a Nobel Prize for.

Eye-Catching Home Decorating Featuring Your Favorite Photos

Decorating your home is a fun chore to have. Making a space your own is exciting and allows you to exercise your creativity. From drapes and curtains to carpet and light fixtures, you have the opportunity to express who you are and what you like. One important part of decorating is putting your personality on the wall. There are a myriad of ways to do this, but one of the best is by transferring your favorite photos to canvas and mounting them on a wall to share with your friends and family. The good news is, there are many businesses, like 24hourcanvas.com, that offer this service.

Choosing Your Colors

When you’re deciding what picture to make the centerpiece of a room, the first thing you need to consider is color. In general, there are two ways to go about this: choose a picture that blends in with your color theme or choose a picture that pops out from the room’s color theme. If you happen to be doing a room in blues, grays, and whites, you could choose a picture you took at the beach on a stormy day, or you could also really bring people’s attention to your photo by choosing one that features reds and pinks that will pop right off your wall. It really all depends on what your vision is.

Choosing Your Image

After you have decided on the color scheme, it’s simply a matter of finding your favorite photo that features that color scheme. Decide whether you want to showcase a great landscape photo you took or whether you want to show off your family. The options are only limited by your photo collection. After you have picked your favorite photo, it's time to upload it to a service that transfers digital images to canvas.

While, in the past, your digital photo files needed to be in jpeg format, many businesses have now created software that is compatible with social media outlets like Instagram and Facebook. Above all else, make sure that the company with which you decide to do business has a customer-friendly return policy like the one found at 24hourcanvas.com.

Arts, Craft and Music for Kids

It's always fun to see  kids who are creative and enjoying the things that they do to keep them busy and per-occupied in their spare times.In these modern times, letting kids play games only with their laptops or iPad is something that is not to be encouraged at all times. They need to do something else like painting, drawing, sports and music.

Kids have varied interests in life. Some may enjoy arts and crafts making all sorts of drawings and creations while some enjoy music and playing instruments. Parents need to encourage and support their kids if they want to draw, sing , dance or play any musical instruments. These days, musical instruments are easy to find and anaffordable kustom kg100hfx and kg412 half stack at guitar center can be a great investment if your child wants to play a guitar.

Whatever they desire as long as you can see that they enjoy and have interest on extra curricular activities, parents should let them explore and experiment about it.

Drawers to Keep you Kids Arts and Crafts

Source: ikea.com 

It's always fun to keep all the arts and crafts of your kids for memory keeping. However, there are times their drawing end up just lying anywhere in the house. For this, you need to have a place where you can put all of them.

 Plastic Boxes- you can buy big clear plastic boxes on home and you can place all your kids craft and drawing. It's always best to put a label outside the box with your child's name for easier identification.

Drawers- Check out Ikea for they have nice drawer like the one above to neatly keep your child's drawing.  Just in case you have no budget to buy a new ikea drawer, why not make it your own or transform your old cabinet into a new one. Paint the cabinet with a color of your choice, you can replace the old slides for heavy duty drawer slides are the best and durable.

Tip: Always put a date and age of your kids at the back of each art work so you'll know when and how old they have made it as it is more fun to reminisce all the things that they have done.