Digital Photo program

I would like to give a big applause for the free Google Picasa2 program.  I have been using this for over a year now and it is really easy to download pictures from my digital camera SD card (I have a card reader slot on my PC).  I can then very easily share select pictures by email or upload them to a web album (on Google, also free).  The web albums can be kept private or made public.  If you keep them private, you can still share the link with those you want to and they do not need a password to view your pictures.  If they want to order prints from your pictures, they can do so right from your album!Once you share the album link, your friends or family can view individual pictures or view them in a slideshow. Too see a good example of how it works, here is a link to one of my albums, which I have already talking about on my blog (Unmounted Stamps).

I name my folders by the event or date.  I also recently discovered that not only can I keep my pictures in the folders as I downloaded them originally but I can ALSO copy certain pictures and put them into their own album!  I did an album of all the pictures of our dog and kept the originals with the other events and dates when they were taken.

Another plus of this program is that you can make a Gift CD or burn a CD of your pictures to make a backup.   Other advantages are being able to crop, remove red eye, change the picture to several different colors like sepia or black & white, change lighting, etc.  I always do all my cropping and editing on the computer at home and then copy the pictures that I want onto a CD to take to the store to get prints made.  You also have the option to upload them directly from Picasa2 to a place online to have them developed, or print them yourselves with the choice of an 8×10, 2 5×7’s, down to wallets, etc.

With your photo database, you can watch a slideshow, make a collage, put captions on them, get prints made, edit and backup to a CD!  It’s a GREAT FREE program!

Everyone needs a good laugh!

My friend Vicky DeCoster is a humorous writer and author of The Wacky World of Womanhood and Husbands, Hot Flashes, and All That Hullabaloo! She likes to look at the funny side of things and when I read her short essays, I always think “wow, that’s just like me!” Maybe that’s why we’re such good friends!

Here is a link to Vicky’s website at www.wackywomanhood.com where you can read more about her and place orders for her books. She also writes a BLOG which shows her writing style.

As Vicky says, “Laughter heals the soul. Pass it on.”

Living Well with Diabetes!

An article was brought to my attention a few weeks ago about a woman who has been living well with Type 1 Diabetes for 83 years, diagnosed at the age of 6!  She is doing fantastic and is now 89 years old!  Here is an excerpt:

In November 1924, three years after the discovery of insulin in 1921, six-year-old Gladys Dull began her long life of insulin injections. To our knowledge, she is the longest-living person with diabetes to date.

Please read the article, found here!  I found it very inspiring!  And I thank God every day for the discovery of insulin!

Idea to store rubber stamps

EDIT: Here is another neat idea for storing wood block stamps in hinged lid plastic boxes. You get a set of 3 boxes for $8!  Here’s a picture.

Feb. 14, 2007 – I’ve been rearranging my craft room and have been trying to find a different way to store my rubber stamps. I was using the clear boxes but it is a bit bulky to store and takes up most of a storage cabinet, so I’ve been looking at trays or something like that. I already have them separated by categories (Christmas, Snowmen, Birthday, Kids, Sayings, etc.)

I think I have found an inexpensive solution! Go to Oriental Trading and see these trays! These are like the trays at restaurants, and you can get 6 (variety of colors) for $9.95, which is $1.65 each! I have some trays like this that I use for company, so I tried it and each tray will hold about 15-20 2″ square stamps, and then you can set another tray on top of it. I plan to put a label on the edge of the tray for the category. Then when I’m using them, I can take just the trays that apply for that project.

Another thing you can get from Oriental Trading is the turning organizer for pens, scissors, tape runner, etc. for $14.95. They have 12 x 12 stacking trays for $3.95! They have tons of scrapbooking things!