Creativity By Quirky Grandma

How To Make An Adventure For Children and Adults to Enjoy

2015-03-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that I am a very involved grandmother. It should come as no surprise that I would not let Anna's birthday party go by without ensuring she had a blast. As with any 4 year old child, it was expected that she would want a themed party. “Dora The Explorer” was the choice this year. When I discovered this a few months back, I started planning my contribution to this special day.

The Start of the Idea

One of Anna’s favorite games is treasure hunt. I would hand draw a map and she would look for the treasure – any small item will do. My artwork leaves something to be desired but Anna doesn’t care. At times, she even would make me a map.

It was not a giant leap for me to decide to adjust this a little bit and create a “Dora” style adventure for her party.

A Little Bit Of Imagination

In order to create this adventure for the kids, It is necessary to create a map. I used PowerPoint – no point in showing off my poorly developed drawing talents. In order to reach the presents, the children has to follow the directions on the map. You can come up with your own obstacles. However, the following is the steps for the our fun:

Go over the “troll” bridge, after they could tell me, the grumpy old troll, how old Anna was. Everyone seemed to enjoy this. The bridge was an old table top with a counter from play kitchen – the boards I was going to use was covered with insects.

After leaving the bridge, Swiper Brittany tried to steal their loot from the piñata, store bought. The kids and adults were all shouting. “No Swipping”

Then it was time for the “bat” cave. We used Anna’s play kitchen with a blanket over it. The bats that were hanging was printed from the internet and colored by Anna and her “bestie” Ethan, my sister’s son.

Then, they finally made it to the “party” and Anna was able to open her gifts.

A Good Time For All

I had hoped to have other “adults” to play along; they refused. However, once the “adventure” started they all was cheering the kids on.

I was glad that everyone had fun with my addition to the party plans. However, the biggest reward was Anna’s smile.

del.icio.us Tags: creativity,inspiration,party

How To Crack the PowerPoint Code for Amazing Images

2015-03-09T05:14:00.000-07:00

While there are many great apps available for editing and creating amazing graphics and I use them from time to time. I use PowerPoint when creating my pictures more often than not. In fact, I started using PowerPoint years ago and created a few books for Anna using just this software. The years of “playing” with it has left me with some knowledge of it’s capacity for creating fantastic graphics for my blog and more. Here is a few things that I have learned.

Backgrounds:

What is wrong with this image? The background takes over the image.

As you can see from the many options available on the above picture, there are several options when it comes to creating a background for your photo. However, if you use the wrong background, as I did, the image is broken up and busy. Not to mention it makes it difficult to get your message across. It is preferred to utilize the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Silly) method here. A solid color, simple texture, or graduated fill works best at ensuring that your background stays in the “back” ground.

Orientation and Page Side:

What is wrong with this picture? The images are too small for decent viewing.

You can also utilize many different orientations and sizes. This image is difficult to get the information from (Design>Customize.>Slide Size).This pulls up the tab that changes size and orientation.

Planning Your Layout:

What is wrong with the graphic? The text is too small to be read.

There are two ways to plan your layout – use the layouts available or use the Insert tab to make your own. But be careful here. Do not make your images too busy. You want your message to shine through clearly and not confuse the viewer.

Further Customization

What is wrong with this design? Viewers can’t see the images clearly with the shapes and colors added.

Fonts and shapes are great ways to further customize your work. You can even adjust the colors of images, shapes, text boxes utilizing the Format tab that shows up when you click on that item. However, I must advise caution here as well. Ensure that these items actually show through these additions.

In Conclusion

You can create graphics that you will be proud of if you follow the motto, K.I.S.S. Saving these images as your desired extension is simple, as well, using the Save as tab under File. However, you may want to use Paint or another imaging program to adjust the sizes. PowerPoint images are usually fairly large. However, the benefit of using the amazing software for your graphic needs is far outweighed by this problem.

del.icio.us Tags: PowerPoint,Graphic Design,Images,K.I.S.S.

The Ultimate Truth About My Creative Inspiration

2015-03-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Often, I have trouble sleeping as my brain want be quiet. What is the cause of this trouble? You may ask. My imagination. Ideas seem to flow more when I am laying down. This has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. For the most part, these ideas were just passing fancies. Many of them never made it out of my head.

However, the day my daughter told me that I was going to be a grandmother was the day that my creative gene went into over drive. I not only thought of the ideas but started making them more of a reality. I have had difficulty explaining this to others – Brittany sometimes gets a bit jealous. However, the other day I found a quote that says it all.

My granddaughter's birth has made me want to create things she will love. ~Billy Crystal

Anna has become my muse. Nothing beats a grandchild to get the creative juices flowing. A grandparent’s main job is to make their grandbaby happy. Therefore, I am constantly thinking of ways to ensure this with Anna. It started with a very bad attempt at crocheting a blanket for my impending grandbaby. I soon graduated to photo editing and even created a few books for her.

Recently, I took up embroidery and created her Valentine’s gift as I talked about in 5 Secrets I Learned When Undertaking Cross-Stitching. I, also, have a project planned to create a basket for her for Easter. Of course, I have created items not specifically for Anna in the 4 years since she was born. However, I have to say that she is my biggest purpose throughout it all.

Naturally, other things inspire me, as well. Helping others is one my biggest driving forces. Brittany has done her share of inspiration; as well as, many others - including, Gina Horkey, My Favorite Mentor. As for ideas, they come from many different places. The biggest contributor is the internet. Yes, I do read many blogs. They give me great ideas. As an example, this post’s inspiration came from Inspire Me Monday from an amazing blog Create With Joy. This fun party will be open all week so please feel free to check it out.

Another inspiration is comments here and on social networks. Want to be heard? Comments is a great way to share your opinions, thoughts, and ideas. Please feel free to share your own blog posts, as well. I would love to check them out.

del.icio.us Tags: inspiration,creativity,billy crystal quote,blog party

5 Secrets I Learned When Undertaking Cross-Stitching

2015-02-27T07:38:00.000-08:00

I recently decided to journey into the world of cross-stitching in order to find a hobby that was both relaxing and fun. I was a novice in spite of cross-stitching in the distant past. At Hobby Lobby, I found the perfect cross-stitch kit for only $1.99 (Hobby Lobby: Butterfly Mini Cross Stitch Kit) for, my grand daughter's, Anna, Valentines gift and quickly started working on it. The following is a few secrets I learned during this undertaking.

1. The Hardest Part is Threading the Needle

After spending more time threading a needle than I did sewing, I was a bit frustrated. This was not very relaxing. In fact, I was more anxious than I was before I started. I stumbled upon a web page one day that made that a bit better. Mary Corbet's Needle 'n Thread: on threading needles stopped me from throwing in the towel. There are 4 methods that I found and the first two made it much simpler. However, I do admit that on occasion I do resort to licking.

2. Instructions Are Just a Guideline

The design on the pattern was great. However, I thought of a few changes that would make it better. I changed the color patterns a bit – used light pink with dark purple on top and visa versa when the project called for like colors being together. Also, I wanted to add Anna’s name to make it a bit more personal. It needed a little more after I was finished. A bit of outlining with backstitching did the trick. None of these changes was huge, but they made end results more my own.

3. Sometimes Mistakes Make The Concept Better

I will admit that some changes was not planned. As this was my first project in more years that I would admit, there was some mistakes. A few of them was simple fixes. However, a few more would have been more trouble to fix than to embrace them and change the pattern just a bit more with just a bit of simple adjusting. It seemed to work out well. For example, the extra backstitching at the edge of the wings seems to make it pop better.

4. Stitching is a Great Way to Focus The Mind

My mind tends to be a bit busy. Reading seems to help some but then I am thinking about what I am reading. It is rare for my mind to be completely still. That is one reason I have difficulty mediating. Therefore, I was completely surprised when I realized that I had not actually thought about anything while stitching several rows. This could be why I enjoyed it so much.

5. Craft Projects Make Excellent Inexpensive Gifts

This entire scheme was planned to be a gift, as mentioned above. I was lucky to find a small kit for such a low cost. This is not always the case. I discovered some kits that cost more than I could afford. The price tends to go up, the bigger the pattern is. I did find some great sites (Free Patterns.com, Creative Cross Stitch) that you can get free patterns though. Plus, you can create your own with just a tiny bit of creativity. When comparing the cost, rather buying a kit or just the supplies, these projects are still fairly inexpensive compared to purchasing a gift of this type and they are more personal – it adds a touch of love.

Even though at times I wanted to throw the whole thing across the room, I found that this venture was well worth my time. For the most part, I enjoyed it and it did help me relax after I learned how to thread that needle. In addition to enjoying myself and giving Anna a gift she loved, being able to say. “I did that,” definitely helps my self esteem.

Crafters, do you have any stories to share about your beginning? Any tips that you can give me for my next project? Please feel free to comment below and let me know.

If you enjoyed this post, check out My Start Into The Embroidery World

del.icio.us Tags: design,crafts,DIY gifts,handmade,cross-stitch,needlework

My Start Into The Embroidery World

2015-02-22T20:29:00.000-08:00

In my determination to better my mental health and promote relaxation, I decided I need a hobby.

The problem is I have no idea what I like to do besides read and write. I really wanted a hobby that I could perhaps take a class for. This way I could get out there and meet new people, as well. Unfortunately, that actually takes a bit money.

However, I had done some cross-stitching in the past. So I started searching for cheap cross stitch kits. I found a couple and then started working on them. I found I enjoy it very much and I am proud of the work I have done so far. It is even less costly when you come up with your own cross stitch patterns.

Sometimes, I wonder if it is relaxing or aggravating when I am having difficulty threading a needle but the process of stitching seems to help me to center myself and relax. I have found a few methods on needle threading that makes it easier. Mary Corbet's Needle 'n Thread: On Threading a Needle was very helpful.

I have, also, found that I enjoy other forms of embroidery. I am working on "covering" a stain on an old t-shirt I have with a big butterfly using a chain stitch. Also, if you note the rose on my title picture, this was done with bullion stitching. The same site as above had a video tutorial on this, Mary Corbet's Needle 'n Thread: Bullion Rose Bud Video Tutorial.

While I am not going out and meeting people in a course, I have found that it not only passes time while waiting at the doctor's office or mental health clinic but it is a great conversation starter with strangers. I have had some very interesting conversations with people recently.

I am enjoying myself immensely, starting up conversations, relaxing, repurposing old clothes, and finding something that I am proud of all at the same time. All it took was just a little bit of finger stabbing and cursing as I relearned how to sew. If you are looking for simple hobby that gives improves your overall mental health, I would recommend taking up some form of embroidery; such as, cross stitching.

Crafters please share your own ups and down with this fun self-esteem booster in the comments below.