[fertilepress]

edward's bedroom

A scene with portions cut from the movie.

sigh...

site update!

Finally, the first ever site update is done. It's been slow going, but I'm such a perfectionist (read obsessive compulsive) that... Well, you get the picture. I must learn to lower my standards...just a smidge.

Anyway, this update introduces two new sections:

• The Library: I get so many requests for book recommendations that I'm compiling my favorites in one section now. Not only will I keep it updated with my own recommendations, but I'm asking visitors to recommend their own as well. The next update will include my favorite links. (That's right, there's always another update down the road. No rest for the weary.)
• The Art Room: Okay, so this is my favorite room. No surprise there. This is where you can pick up freebie digital elements. I've just begun a brand new collection. The first set is already up, and each week I'll upload a new set. How long will this go on? Who knows...this could become the biggest kit ever!

Last, but not least, I'm announcing my first online workshop, "Just the Basics, Ma'am." This beginning workshop is an introduction to digital scrapbooking and Photoshop Elements. This workshop will start next month. I'll be sure to post here when registration opens.

later...

site update. when? +more

Hello all. You may be wondering (and some have been asking) when reneepearson.com will receive an update. New content, etc. Well, I'm happy to say that I'm preparing an update for this week. It could be as soon as tomorrow...if all goes well with tonight's testing.

The +more part of this post is a nice little tip. scrapNfonts is offering 13 free CK fonts...no strings attached. Enjoy and stay tuned here. I'll post a little something when the updates are done.

later...

two for the price of one

The two are combination desktop wallpapers and monthly calendars. The price is free!

Every month Smashing Magazine offers free desktop wallpapers that incorporate that month's calendar. There are 55 wallpapers in the April collection available now. As I write this, the one above is on my desktop. Who knows...tomorrow I may choose another. Don't you just love design choices?

later...

study hall is open!

     

Free coffee! Free slippers! At reneepearson.com.

later...

Oh! I almost forgot. Free video tutorials, too.

#1 ladies' detective agency

Did you see last night's premiere of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency? Okay. I'm hooked. Precious Ramotswe is my new she-ro. I adore her!

later...

tiny url - redux

Dateline: Wed Mar 25

Since posting the content below, I learned of another sweet way to "tiny-ize."

I use Ping.fm to update all my social networks at once. It's quite convenient. I just noticed today, though, that if I enter any URL, Ping.fm will shorten it automatically before posting.

Brilliant!

:::

If you already know about this neat service, you can stop reading now. But if you don't...

Know how sometimes you find some fantastic information buried deep within a site? And you're just dying to tell a friend (or even your spouse) about it? But lo and behold, the URL is so long it's a pain for the recipient to have to cut and paste it into their browser. Well, that's where TinyURL enters the picture.

The TinyURL homepage includes a form that's used to submit a long URL for shortening. All you have to do is paste the URL into the form and...presto change-o a tiny URL is returned to you! The shorter URL forwards users to the long URL. Genius, right?

I've been using the TinyURL service for ages. It's perfect for Twitter posts, of course. But recently I discovered there's a Firefox addon that makes creating a TinyURL even easier.

The TinyURL Creator is accessible in the Firefox Tools menu and in the right-click (Command-click on a Mac) context menu. You can even add it to your toolbars as an icon (View > Toolbars > Customize), which is what I did. Now, when I'm on a page I want to "tiny-ize," I just click the TinyURL icon and it does the rest for me. (There are addons for other browsers as well.)

Hurrah for tiny urls!

later...

thank you...everyone!

For your wonderful response to the sneak peek video at reneepearson.com. I'm overwhelmed by your good wishes for my success. Hugs to all!

If this site is going to open on April 1st, I suppose I'd better get back to work, huh?

later...

how's about a sneak peek?

  

  

I'm all giggly today because the new site's sneak peek video is posted on the site. So "get to gettin" on over and grab a...ummm...sneak peek!

later...

kitchen sessions

Sometimes it's good to ventilate. While the Swedish falukorv is being fried you can always play something nice on the Casio. First of many to come, hopefully. Please visit: www.salemalfakir.com.        ~ Salem al Fakir

I discovered Swedish pop star Salem al Fakir while visiting Stockholm last Christmas. I really like his music, but I love his creative spirit even more. Be sure to cursor over the boxes that appear in the video below to catch a glimpse of the frying falukorv. (Falukorv is a large traditional Swedish sausage made of a grated mixture of pork and beef or veal with potato flour and mild spices.)   

Now I'm inspired to record a few "studio sessions"...maybe while I'm doing a little Photoshop? Hmmm...

later...

small talk? i'm speechless!

...

yeah, write!

  

That's the very clever name of a very clever girl's blog. Yep! Angie Lucas has a new blog where she plans to post about "journaling, scrapbooking and other -ing verbs." I, for one, have already signed up for the feed.

If you don't already know Angie, you're in for a real treat. She's the former Managing Editor of Simple Scrapbooks magazine. To give you a taste of her pithy style, here's her bio lifted right from...you guessed it. yeah, write!

An unabashed word nerd, Angie Lucas has been earning her keep through the written word since before the turn of the century, which sounds really impressive until you realize that she means 1998. She loves the sound of the following words: "umlaut," "ampersand," "tapioca," "nougat," "colloquial," "quixotic," and "somnambulism," among others. She never ever corrects people's grammar unless she's being paid to do so, because it just makes them mad. She never has quite enough time to read. She believes that it's important for all of us to record our own stories and find our own voices. Her favorite writing error is the misplaced modifier, and she wishes everyone would agree on a pronunciation for "niche."

Don't you just love it? And trust me, you'll love yeah, write!

later...

a site for artists sites...

I know. That title is a mouthful. But Jaime Beitler's web design site is exactly that. Jaime designs artistic sites for artists ... umm ... sites!

Can you tell I'm way deep in web site design these days?

These are the days of miracle and wonder!

later...

yet another victim of this economy...

And this time it hits close to home.

Many of you were aware that my latest book, "Digital Designs for Scrapbooking: Getting Started with Photoshop Elements" was scheduled for release this month. Because of my publisher's (CK Media) financial situation, my book has been pulled from the publishing schedule. Considering the economy and the current state of affairs, I'm not holding out hope it will ever be published.

That's the bad news. The good news is that my new site is almost ready to open and all of the skills that are contained in the book I'll teach in my beginner's class. So...if you've been waiting to buy the book, please wait a little longer and signup for the class!

later...

4am project

I got a Twitter notification in my email today that someone called "4amproject" was following me. 4amproject? Who's that? Naturally my curiosity got the better of me and off I went to check out 4amproject. Was I ever in for a WOW moment!

The aim of the 4amproject is to gather a collection of photos from around the world at the magical time of 4am. Everyone can take part and join in! All you need is a camera. We want to see what you see at that moment in time on that one day. What’s your view at 4am?

I'm such a night owl, it's easy for me to imagine myself still up at 4am! So today I became 4amproject's Twitter follower #376.

Hmmm... What are you doing at 4am?

later...