Hummie's World

Daily Quote

2010-03-15T09:04:00.000-05:00

Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.
Hans Christian Anderson

Daily Quote

2010-03-15T07:58:00.001-05:00

We are the memories we keep in our heads.
Author Unknown

Daily Quote

2010-03-14T07:55:00.001-05:00

It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.
E. E. Cummings.

Probe Me....

2010-03-13T18:47:00.002-06:00

Get your head out of the gutter! Stop thinking about that post title like that!

With all the digi-drama that went on today (see the Facebook Page), I thought about posting an article, but instead, I'm just going to pray . . . .

Pray this. . .

Probe me, O God, and know my heart;
try me, and know my thoughts;
See if my way is crooked,
and lead me in the way of old

Psalm 19

ABC Challenge - Template D

2010-03-13T07:56:00.002-06:00

I am excited seeing what those doing this challenge are sharing. There's been some really great layouts coming in! You can find Template D for free in the forum.

Everyone who participates will receive the below gift!

Please don't just grab the template, but take a moment to thank Tina of Heirloom Scrapz!

Daily Quote

2010-03-13T07:51:00.002-06:00

Fashions fade, but style is eternal.
Author Unknown

It's a Matter of Perspective

2010-03-12T20:25:00.003-06:00

Son, dude. You are 6'2". I am 5'3". If you want me to read your note, stick it at my eye level.

I woke him up twice this morning! The second time I woke him, he mumbled something about a note on the door. I looked up and, I'll be, there it was!

It's Newspaper Week at Hummie's World!

2010-03-12T18:59:00.007-06:00

For the next week, it will be Newspaper Week at Hummie's World.

The ideas and fun are endless! Won't you join us in the forum? (here)

Share your layouts with scanned newspaper clippings.

Make a layout that resembles a newspaper

Utilize real newspapers in your layout as backgrounds and elements.

Download a free "headline" font or "newpaper" font and use it in your layout.

Create a free newspaper clipping or headline generator and use it in your layout or as your avatar.

Get inspiration for your own title from the newspaper headline generator -- just keep clicking until something hits you as a great idea!

Download the Scrappers Guide free newspaper template and use it for your layout.

Search your harddrive in your scrapbooking kit folders for the word "news" to see what you might have that you forgot you had or never realized you had and use it.

Terry Maruca has some great Newspaper templates at SBB which you can purchase (here and here and here and here)

I used Terry's template and Grandma's Topiary kit in my layout.

Daily Quote

2010-03-12T07:39:00.006-06:00

I'm excited to introduce a new feature to my blog! I am going to try to post a quote for you daily. I hope that they inspire your digital scrapbooking layouts. Or maybe they will just inspire you and make you feel good for that day.

If you use one of these quotes, please leave a comment with a link so I can see.

Dawn made this nice graphic for me when I ask her to help. I really like it!

Change your thoughts and you will change your world.
Author Unknown

How to Get Ready for Easter

2010-03-10T14:00:00.000-06:00

Not a hunt for eggs,
but a search for a closer walk with Jesus;
Not a basketful of chocolate bunnies,
but a life full of good deeds;
Not a new hat,
but a Gospel outlook;
Not a checkbook committed to paying Easter bills,
but a life committed to following Jesus;
Not a clean car,
but a cleansed and forgiven heart;
Not new clothes,
but a new YOU!

Why do these things excite me?

2010-03-10T12:28:00.001-06:00

Why do these simple things seem to excite me?

I think it's because I love observing the little things God gives me to enjoy.

My crocus are blooming! ...and they are little!

Snippets to Make You Smile

2010-03-10T11:53:00.001-06:00

Dear Word Perfect users, the Local Court Rules require you to send us discovery in Word. When you don't follow the rules, this happens.

When a co-worker put these on my desk, my first thought was "Hubby better not have spent that kind of money!" He didn't. Sigh. They are from a happy client.

Designer Class Shares (Freebies)

2010-03-10T08:54:00.005-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted to give you an update on the things the designer class is sharing in the forum. The below images are everything that has been shared since my last post, but you can always watch for them yourselves in the same forum thread.

I haven't gotten them posted mostly because of lack of time, but to be totally honest, I'm disappointed in how the class is moving along. There are MANY more shares than this, but they are being shared in the class threads in the Subscriber Area. Why the students won't put them in the public thread, I'm not sure. Are they not confident enough? There's some really good things being prepared! Some of the creativity has surprised me!

We started with over 30 students in the class and everything was so exciting in the beginning. Eventually, because of my requirement that students be active in the class, I've had to drop many of them from the class. In addition, there were quite a few that dropped on their own indicating personal life problems, but I am hopeful they will come back next round. The class has been cut in half from the start and that is just disappointing to me. Maybe some of those that were dropped for lack of activity will come back to with a renewed commitment to the class

However, there are some students really taking the class serious, really learning, and really putting out some awesome stuff! So, I focus on them and smile each time I see their work.

I wasn't going to start another class until June, but so many continue to ask about the class, so I moved it up to May. However, so many kept asking about it, so I've moved it up again to April!

The next designer class will start April 5th and the sign-up thread is already in the forum. The next class will not have lessons coming out so randomly (as I am writing them), but will be assigned weekly.

Lyrics Challenge - In the Living Years

2010-03-09T23:10:00.003-06:00

I am excited about this layout challenge using these lyrics from Mike And The Mechanics and the song called "Living Years." I could listen to this song a hundred times and I am betting that many of the readers here have done the same too.

Why?

Because these lyrics mean something to us. Because these lyrics mean something special to us as those type of people who want to preserve "the living years." Because we, as scrapbookers, are the type of people who realize that relationships are more important than most things in life. That is why we connect with others, either in the past or in the future, through our layouts.

Do, please, join us in the forum for this challenge. Pull just a few words out of this song and use them to inspire a layout. Something must trigger you to like this song. What is it and why?

Lyrics are in the forum thread.

The Race

2010-03-09T10:07:00.000-06:00

The Race

Defeat! He lay there silently, a tear dropped from his eye, "
There's no sense running anymore- three strikes and I'm out- why try?"
The will to rise has disappeared, all hope had fled away,
so far behind, so error prone, closer all the way.

"I've lost, so what's the use", he thought "I'll live with my disgrace."
But then he thought about his dad who soon he'd have to face.
Get up, and echo sounded low, get up and take your place.
You were not meant for failure here, so get up and win the race.
With Borrowed will, "Get up!", It said, "You haven't lost at all,
for winning is not more than this, to rise each time you fall."

So he rose to win once more, and with new commitment he resolved to win
or lose, at least he wouldn't quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he'd ever been,
still he gave it all he had, and ran as though to win.
Three times he'd fallen stumbling, three times he rose again.
To far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.

They cheered the winning runner as he crossed.
First place, head high and proud and happy, no falling, no disgrace.
But when the fallen youngster crossed the line, last place,
the crowd gave him the greater cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last, with head bow low, unproud.
You would have thought he won the race, to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, "I didn't do so well".
To me, you won, his father said, you rose each time you fell.

And now when things seem dark and hard and difficult to face,
the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.
For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
"Quit! Give up you're beaten," they will shout in my face.
But another voice within me says, "Get up and win that race!"

-- Author Unknown

March Hide & Seek Game

2010-03-03T09:05:00.003-06:00

Wow! Look at this great prize from Snowsmoon! How generous!

Visit the forums for the March Hide & Seek Game to see how you can earn this fabulous kit!

Dr. Seuss Week

2010-03-02T23:23:00.003-06:00

On a whim today, I decided that it would be fun to designate each week as a fun theme to encourage and inspire us to scrap. I'm not sure how long I can keep this going, but I've got some fun ideas that have suddenly come to me!

The week's won't be full of lots of activities, but rather a simple challenge and encouragement to chatter about the them.

This week's theme is Dr. Seuss!

Today is the birthday of Theodore Geisel, best known to readers as Dr. Seuss. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1904. Let's all do a layout with a quote of his! Join us in the forum here where you will find some layouts already done and some quote suggestions to get you started.
While we're at it, feel free to talk like Dr. Seuss in the forum, change your avatar for a week, or specialize your signature line. It could be fun, but only as fun as those who participate!

Here's my layout. I had fun making it and will be doing another video tutorial with it for Subscribers in the morning. That will be three videos and Course 2 lessons in three days! Yeah! I'm excited to be getting new content out again. It feels good!

Credits are in the gallery.

May I Ask Something

2010-03-02T13:26:00.002-06:00

At a certain college, there was a professor with a reputation for being tough on Christians. At the first class every semester, he asked if anyone was a Christian and proceeded to degrade and mock their statement of faith.

One semester, he asked the question and a young man raised his hand when asked if anyone was a Christian. The professor asked, "Did God make everything, young man?"

"Yes he did, sir," the young man replied.

The professor responded, "If God made everything, then God made evil, and if we can only create from within ourselves, then God is evil." The student didn't have a response and the professor was happy to have once again proved the Christian faith to be a myth.

Then another man raised his hand and asked, "May I ask you something,sir?"

"Yes you may," responded the professor.

The young man stood up and said "Sir, is there such thing as cold?"

"Of course there is, what kind of a question is that? Haven't you ever been cold?"

The young man replied, "Actually, sir, cold does not exist. What we consider to be cold, is really only the absence of heat. Absolute zero is when there is absolutely no heat, but cold does not really exist. We have only created that term to describe how we feel when heat is not there."

The young man continued, "Sir, is there such thing as dark?"

Once again, the professor responded "Of course there is."

And once again, the student replied "Actually, sir, darkness does not exist. Darkness is really only the absence of light. Darkness is only a term man developed to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally, the young man asked, "Sir, is there such thing as evil?"

The professor responded, "Of course. We have rapes, and murders and violence everywhere in the world, those things are evil."

The student replied, "Actually, sir, evil does not exist. Evil is simply the absence of God. Evil is a term man developed to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. It isn't like truth, or love, which exist as virtues like heat and light. Evil is simply the state where God is not present, like cold without heat or darkness without light."

The professor had nothing to say.

The Impressionist Brush in Photoshop Elements

2010-03-02T12:54:00.002-06:00

I feel like I'm beginning to roll again! Two layouts in two days! In this video lesson in the Subscriber Area, I challenge you to come up with some creative way to utilize the Impressionist Brush.

I used it in my layout with stock photos that applied to the story that I did not want to be totally recognizable as people because they were not the actual people in the story.

Can you use it for a background? Mat? Sticker? Tag? I'm anxious to see what you come up with!

What will I think up for tomorrow? I hope I have time! I want to keep this ball rolling!

Thing Spring! Ahhhhhhhhhh

2010-03-01T16:09:00.002-06:00

Can Spring come fast enough?

Enjoy this Mosaic of Flickr Photos that I created using Big Huge Labs.

Credits
1. Looks Like Spring To Me!, 2. Croci, 3. Untitled, 4. White Spring Return, 5. .: s u p e r n o v a :., 6. Untitled, 7. Little Findings..., 8. Tulip Flower 2.., 9. Overwhelmed1, 10. Honey For My Bumblebee, 11. entre a erva, 12. Red, 13. Violet

If you think . . .

2010-03-01T13:23:00.002-06:00

If you think . . .
If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't;
If you like to win, but think you can't,
it is almost certain you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you've lost,
for out in the world we find success
begins with a person's will;
It's all a state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are;
you got to think high to rise,
you've got to be sure of yourself
before you can even win the prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later, the person who wins
Is the person who thinks, "I can!"

author unknown

Two New UseIt! Challenges

2010-03-01T08:07:00.002-06:00

If you are new to Hummie's World, UseIt! Challenges are simple. Download a file and use it in your layout, then come back to the forum thread to share what you did with it and see what everyone else has done with it.

Dawn made this burnt edge frame to share and you can find it in the forum here.

Candy has been sharing templates with us for quiet some time now. You can download and use this template in the forum here, but she asks that you first post in the thread and ask for the template. I think she has grown weary of the number of downloads compared to the number of people who come back to share their layouts.

I appreciate everyone who actively participates at Hummie's World, both those who share and those who do the challenges. It's what makes up a great community!

Thorns and Roses

2010-02-28T13:20:00.000-06:00

Thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns.

"My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant."

Praise Him for your roses; thank him for your thorns!

3D Text and Reflections Video Tutorial

2010-02-28T12:35:00.003-06:00

I was so excited as I played with this technique to discover a method I had never seen before anywhere. I feel I am sometimes known for coming up with new Photoshop Elements techniques, but it has been a long time since I have done so.

You can find tutorials on the internet for creating 3D text and reflections with Photoshop, but none with Photoshop Elements. It can be a bit trickier with Photoshop Elements.

The new technique that I discovered while playing actually builds on an other technique lesson of mine in the Subscriber Area called "movebable shadows." You will want to note how I create the shadow behind the 3D text and how important it is to making these techniques realistic.

If you missed the complete story of how hubby and I met in the forums, then I'm not sure you'll ever have an opportunity again! I deleted much of it. It involves a clow, gymnast, perfect fields, jello, and guys peeing off the roof. I joke that it is a made-for-big-screen-movie story!

Warning About Facebook

2010-02-22T23:35:00.005-06:00

I have had this post started for days! I have just been sort of out of it the last week or so and trying to get back into the swing of things. Taxes and ulcers in the eye can do that to a person!

I have a warning about Facebook that I want to share with you. I believe I have mentioned this before, but I feel it is worth it to mention again.

First, are you a fan of the Fanpage yet?

Back in June of 2009, I decided to delete my Facebook account that I had created for the "Hummie" ID and move towards just using the Fanpage. I don't think the rules at Facebook allow for fake account ID's, so I was trying to utilize the new Fanpages instead because, well, I'm one that likes to follow the rules. I know there are lots of people out there with fake ID's now and Facebook doesn't seem to mind.

I had discovered that Facebook does not let you delete your account, but merely deactivate it. I tried to remove and delete many things from my account before deactivating it. I had assumed that over time, Facebook would eventually remove the account from its cache. Certainly their servers cannot continue to add information and never get rid of the old, right?

When I deactivated my account, I was immediately told that I could reactivate it at any time by just logging in. What?

On a whim, last week, I decided to log in to see what I could see. You can find the account here.
Yep, sure enough, the account was just as I had left it! My personal layouts were still there. How scary is that?

Ever since last June, in my personal Facebook page, I have made it a habit to delete things after they are a few weeks old. I feel better about doing this. I really do not need Facebook keeping a journal and log of my every bit of personal life. Do you?

If you go in now to begin deleting, you will notice that as you delete, even older posts will come to the bottom of your wall. I actually kept deleting as it continually brought up years worth of information on me. (Yes, I was on Facebook early on, so that I could see what my son was getting into. It's better to join them than to tell them no!)

Did you know that once you delete posts off your wall, they are not actually gone either? Other people can still see them in the "most recent news" or "top news" stream even after you delete them from you wall.

I can only hope that Facebook's cache eventually removes the things after they are deleted, but who really knows what they are up to. Somehow, I do not trust that things are really gone, even after deleted.

So, this is your warning! Do delete! If you care anything about your privacy, do delete! What would happen if I would die tomorrow? All of that stuff would forever be owned by Facebook!

I had gotten this screenshot the other day, but it doesn't seem as funny today. I was on Facebook as they were changing the interface. It kept going from new to old and back again before my eyes. It actuality, it was frustrating.