kirstenlamb.net

Fun with Adobe Illustrator CS4

kirsten — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:03:43 +0000

What does it look like I'm running here? Monkey business? Good, because I AM.

I just finished a project for a baby shower. It was the perfect excuse to finally learn some of the ropes of Adobe Illustrator CS4. I usually avoid it like the plague and stick to Adobe PhotoShop CS4. I know, bananas, right?

The parents-to-be registered for safari animal decor, so the invitation theme was taken directly from one of their registered items, the ever-fun Pop Monkey (picture to the left).

I used the live trace feature to create a vector image of the monkey. I also found some Creative Commons licensed leaves, which I used to create a vector image as well. From there, I brought the images home, to Photoshop.

Change up the weird monkey hands, add a pleasant monkey smile, give him some texture, and you've got yourself an inviting monkey card. Just to give my computer's RAM a run for its money, I opened up yet another Adobe program: InDesign. The inside and back of the card were completed here, and I also made monkey envelopes.

Here are the finished products. Because of a tight budget, they were printed in-house. Had there been a little more spending room, the monkey texture would have shown up nicely on glossy cards professionally printed.

This is why I love freelance! So many opportunities to monkey around and learn new things every day. You know what I always say: Running your own business is like the monkey bars; sometimes you have to let go to move forward.

OK, I don't really say that. I just wanted another excuse to say monkey. I'm done.

P.S. You can check out some of my other invitations here.

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A brief change of seasons

kirsten — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:51:24 +0000

I was in Mesa, Ariz., last week working for a new client, Self Development Charter School. I left a snowstorm in Denver and flew into warm, sunny weather in Phoenix. It was like fastforwarding to May!

Visiting classrooms and working in a school environment also gave me a glimpse into a different season of life. Just smelling the chalk (I was relieved that they still use chalkboards!) and seeing the colorful backpacks brought back memories of my own childhood. Check out the pictures I took while I was there:

(Click on each to see the full photo)

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Book Review: Sex, Lies & Religion by Randy Elrod

kirsten — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:04:55 +0000

Through art, literature, Biblical analysis and cultural mores, Randy Elrod reveals in his new book, Sex, Lies & Religion, that we have been lied to about our sexuality. God’s truth, according to Elrod, is that spiritual and sexual redemption is experienced through communion with God.

As in, Holy Communion (yes, the one you take in church) is like an orgasm. Sound a little bit like inviting your in-laws to join your date night, as you watch a Demi Moore flick from the early ‘90s, wearing lingerie and feeding your husband grapes? Awkward. But that’s part of the lie – Elrod says -- that our sexuality is something to be ashamed of, hidden or feared.

Elrod breaks down what the church has historically told believers about sex and abstinence, where we’ve believed it or rebelled against that in art and literature, what our cultural now says and what the Bible really says.

Especially refreshing is the unabashed discussion of sexuality, including what few Christians can write about without tongue-in-cheek humor, so to speak, or relegating any specifics to a quick paragraph like an afterthought. On the same page as Bible scholars’ viewpoints on oral sex, Elrod asserts, “We must also actively study scripture to understand Christ’s motivation in order to imitate Him in our own sexual communion.” That brings “What Would Jesus Do?” to a new dimension. I think we might just see a comeback to those bracelets.

Elrod is spot on in revealing lies about sexuality and in proclaiming freedom, which can only come from a relationship with God through Christ. God wants to give us abundant life and the desires of our hearts, and within the context of marriage, that does include a healthy, vibrant sex life.

Disclosure of Demi Moore reference: Elrod did not suggest inviting your in-laws to any such date night. I do not either.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from cre:ate 2.0 Publishing to read and post a review on my site. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

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What the heck is a #hashtag?

kirsten — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:18:43 +0000

As promised, I will unveil one of the great mysteries of our time: why do people use the pound sign in tweets? If you're reading this and you don't know what a tweet is, stop by here first, and then join us again.

Hashtags are the formal term for a unit of characters that begin with the pound sign, ie #iphone or #tednugent.

History: The original purpose of hashtags was to be a tool for searching keywords on twitter. If you followed the username Hashtags (which is symbolized by @Hashtags) and you then used hashtags in your tweets, those tweets would be included in the @hashtags database. So if someone searched #puppy, they would find all of the tweets that I posted about my furry, four-legged monster, if I included #puppy somewhere in the tweet. Any other tweet that used that hashtag would also show up. You still with me?

In reality hashtags make a tweet look cool, but do little else. I see a lot of hashtags like this: #springcantcomesoonenoughandwintersucks or #lookinlikeafoolwithyopantsontheground. Who is that really helping? Are people searching these terms? No. Are the tweeters even following @hashtags or a similar keyword directory? Usually not. Do they make the people who don't understand hashtags feel inferior? I think so. Do they clog up the 140 character tweet limit with jibberish? Most definitely. But, do they add another dimension to tweets that makes it all worth it? You decide.

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A guide to RSS

kirsten — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:41:04 +0000

It's come to my attention that a few people want to subscribe to my blogs but don't know how. Wonder no longer! Here's my guide to RSS (I hope you have a salt shaker near because this guide should be taken with at least one or two grains.)

What is RSS? RSS stands for Read Some Stuff. Or Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary. Choose your own adventure here.

What does it do? All you need to know is that you tell the RSS what blogs you read, and it gets all of the latest blog updates, usually within about 30 minutes, and feeds them to you through your feed reader or feed aggregator. But let's keep it simple and call it a feed reader. See you later, aggregator.

What do you need? Besides the obvious -- a computer, Internet, an insatiable hunger for blogs like my own -- you need a feed reader, which is free (to compare different readers, click here.) I use google reader, and all of my subscriptions are categorized. It also shows me how many unread blog posts I have, so I can be sufficiently distracted when I'm trying to write my own blog post.

How do you set it up? I'm glad you asked. Follow these basic steps:

Set up your feed reader. (Try newsgator, netvibes, google, etc.)
Go to your favorite blog, and look for either an orange box icon or something that says RSS, and click on it.
Choose your reader.
Go to your reader site to view all blogs.

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Riding three people in the front seat of your car

kirsten — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:54:25 +0000

A friend dropped these beautiful flowers off yesterday. She knew I had a rough day last week, and she wanted to tell me I was wonderful. What a great Monday!

I think I'll learn more and more how important a support system is, as a freelance writer. These flowers reminded me that eventhough I'm in this by myself in some ways, I'm not alone. And even though writing is my calling, it doesn't define me, and it's not my identity.

In high school, I drove a huge, green Taurus. The jolly green giant. Sometimes when I was driving two of my friends around, we would all pile into the front seat. Strapped in, singing N'Sync, ready for a night of stalking boys and eating at Red Robin, this was being a teenager.

Even back then, we understood the importance of a support system. No one wanted to be alone in the bare, desolate backseat. The more the merrier up front!

Thanks to everyone who's joining me up front in this new endeavor!

And, if you're wondering, this post was inspired by my skribit suggestion at the bottom of this page. Please provide me with your own suggestions and questions!

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U.S. Illiteracy Predictions

kirsten — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:23:06 +0000

This page was at the back of a book I got from the library. It was published in 1978.

Thankfully, the U.S. illiteracy rate around 2000 was 1 percent and it's the same now, in 2010.

Literacy should always be a priority, but I think the new threat to adults is computer literacy. While the disparity between socioeconomic groups results in a lack of access to technology -- especially updated equipment -- and education, the real challenge is and will be in the disparity between age groups.

For the millennial generation and the ones that follow, technology is part of life: hardware, software and accessing the Internet almost anywhere. We know what hyperlinks are, how they work (at least to an extent) and why they are what makes the Web. For older generations, adapting to these new standards of communication, marketing and presence in the marketplace may take time. Of course, there are plenty of examples of seasoned professionals who are at the front of the curve -- leading the way.

What's your prediction for computer literacy in our future?

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Dwight Schrute nods in approval.

kirsten — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:04:16 +0000

My Dwight bobblehead followed me almost two years ago from Waco, Texas, to Denver, Colo. And I brought it home from work last week as I made the transition from employed to self-employed.

Dwight encourages me, nodding his head in agreement as I type. That's especially appreciated today, as I breach the gap between "I want to write full-time someday" to "I'm a freelance writer."

Before I jump right into my first article, I have to finish this Web site and establish a back-up system, my two main goals for this week. Dwight will surely lose his charm when I'm cursing Illustrator's pen tool and he's mocking me with sarcastic affirmation. His next big move might be to the floor, where he'll serve as our dog's newest chew toy. You're on thin ice, Dwight.

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Stacks of Christmas Cards

kirsten — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:45:21 +0000

Christmas is over, but a few tardy Christmas cards will still float in over the next few days. Not for us -- as we received a total of 5 cards this year.

My parents, however, stockpiled stacks of stamped, addressed, printed and handwritten cards from more than 50-years' worth of acquaintances. Those are my dad's feet and glasses to the left, where he sat to peruse the cards.

It must be a generational trend. We younger folks know not only what big trips and accomplishments our friends had in 2009, but also what they ate for breakfast, their top 10 (fill in the blank) and any other status update worthy enough of a tweet.

I appreciate those of my generation who still value the crisp, personal correspondence of a mailed piece. Hopefully someday I'll re-join the ranks. I'm still reeling from the thank you cards we mailed after our wedding in 2008. Give me time.

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Home, Sweet Home

kirsten — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:46:52 +0000

I'm here. It's like moving in. I'm unpacking my boxes, setting up the place, making it feel more like home. Someone should really bring me freshly baked cookies.

This Web site is like my first house. I'm on my own for the first time -- no more bosses, staff meetings, potluck lunches, happy hours. I'm self-employed, and this site proves it.

As I settle in, there will be some rearranging. What does this blog need to look like? What can I offer readers that no one else can? How will my passions feed this space?

Please let me know what you're hungry for, so to speak (at the bottom of this page). And if you're with me -- it's chocolate chip cookies -- I'm accepting real presents for my virtual house-warming.

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