It really was a wonderful trip. Well, except for the bratty kids in my train compartment on my way back. But I got to listen to them speak in German, and whine in German, and I understood it all! That part of it was fun. So...pictures.
30.7.10
A Blogger Blind Date and River Surfing!
I took a day trip to Munich yesterday, kind of on a whim. A blogger friend of mine, Christine, is in Munich for a month while her husband is working there. I couldn't miss the opportunity to meet someone new so we set a date. The night before my friend said it sounded kind of like a blind date, seeing as we have only spoken through emails and blogs and have never met in person. I liked that idea, hence the title. I've never been on a blind date...but this friendship one was absolutely awesome! We had lunch, walked around the Munich market, and she took me to a spot where people can river surf. (Two rivers meet and make a continuous wave, isn't that the coolest thing ever?) I've got pictures just to prove it.
It really was a wonderful trip. Well, except for the bratty kids in my train compartment on my way back. But I got to listen to them speak in German, and whine in German, and I understood it all! That part of it was fun. So...pictures.
It really was a wonderful trip. Well, except for the bratty kids in my train compartment on my way back. But I got to listen to them speak in German, and whine in German, and I understood it all! That part of it was fun. So...pictures.
28.7.10
The Answer and a Blogfest
Ha! I stumped you all! Maybe that's a bad thing though? The answer is
sunset
or sunrise if you prefer. The colors yellow, orange, red, and then the three together in a sunset painting. So you tell me, did you enjoy it being harder or was it too hard? Don't you just love the yellow hair clip? If only I could pull that off and not look like I'm three years old.
I wanted to mention a blogfest that is coming up next month. A fellow blogger, Jen from unedited, blogged about her character and had her readers guess what said character looks like. Then she posted a picture the next day. It was so fun, and now she's turning it into a blogfest! It'll be on August 19/20. So check it out and join the fun. I'll be posting about my main character from my current novel (you've seen pieces of it already) Her Daughter.
Oooo, and tomorrow Hanna from I'll Name My Typewriter After the Moon is hosting a character party on her blog. Go check it out, it should be tons of fun. Kind of like a tea party on a blog.
sunset
or sunrise if you prefer. The colors yellow, orange, red, and then the three together in a sunset painting. So you tell me, did you enjoy it being harder or was it too hard? Don't you just love the yellow hair clip? If only I could pull that off and not look like I'm three years old.
I wanted to mention a blogfest that is coming up next month. A fellow blogger, Jen from unedited, blogged about her character and had her readers guess what said character looks like. Then she posted a picture the next day. It was so fun, and now she's turning it into a blogfest! It'll be on August 19/20. So check it out and join the fun. I'll be posting about my main character from my current novel (you've seen pieces of it already) Her Daughter.
Oooo, and tomorrow Hanna from I'll Name My Typewriter After the Moon is hosting a character party on her blog. Go check it out, it should be tons of fun. Kind of like a tea party on a blog.
26.7.10
Word of the Week
I'm trying to see if I can stump you with this one. It's so much more fun when I really make you work! These four photos have one thing in common. Guess what it is in the comments. You can click on the photos to view the etsy products or click on the shop names to visit the shops. Have fun! I'll post the answer on Wednesday.
23.7.10
Turning Old Crates into Shelves
Here is how I turned some old crates into shelves. First off, buy or find some old crates. Usually you can find them pretty cheap in antique stores. I found mine on a garage sale website.
Then I took some tissue paper that I just loved, make sure and buy really big sheets depending on the size of your crates. I cut the paper to fit the boxes and lined the backs. Having tissue paper is nice because it bends and molds without ripping. I just attached it with double-sided tape, but you could use about anything that will adhere it to the wood. They haven't fallen out yet!
My lovely husband put them on the wall. In Germany the walls are pretty much made out of concrete, so you can just drill holes and hang wherever. He put screws through the wood on the top two corners and then into the wall. They are flat-head screws so the paper lining covers them up. You might have to do something different depending on your wall set up. Ask someone handy, I'm not exactly that.
And then decorate! Because of how strong our walls are I had no worries with weight. But still, don't pile your entire set of encyclopedias on there, you don't need them falling off and leaving gouges in your wall.
What do you think?
Then I took some tissue paper that I just loved, make sure and buy really big sheets depending on the size of your crates. I cut the paper to fit the boxes and lined the backs. Having tissue paper is nice because it bends and molds without ripping. I just attached it with double-sided tape, but you could use about anything that will adhere it to the wood. They haven't fallen out yet!
My lovely husband put them on the wall. In Germany the walls are pretty much made out of concrete, so you can just drill holes and hang wherever. He put screws through the wood on the top two corners and then into the wall. They are flat-head screws so the paper lining covers them up. You might have to do something different depending on your wall set up. Ask someone handy, I'm not exactly that.
And then decorate! Because of how strong our walls are I had no worries with weight. But still, don't pile your entire set of encyclopedias on there, you don't need them falling off and leaving gouges in your wall.
What do you think?
20.7.10
The Answer
There are plenty of
around here this summer. I'm guessing it's another byproduct of humidity to have so many bugs. And I just have to say it's extremely nice that the previous tenants of our apartment put screens on the windows. Because I can leave them all wide open and not worry about the millions of flying buzzers coming in to investigate the lights.
insects
around here this summer. I'm guessing it's another byproduct of humidity to have so many bugs. And I just have to say it's extremely nice that the previous tenants of our apartment put screens on the windows. Because I can leave them all wide open and not worry about the millions of flying buzzers coming in to investigate the lights.
19.7.10
Word of the Week
Thank you! I'm glad everyone liked my apartment design so much. I'm so flattered. *blush*
Let's play Word of the Week! These four etsy products have one thing in common. Guess what it is in the comments. I'll post the answer tomorrow. You can click on the photos to view the products or click on the shop names to visit the shops.
Let's play Word of the Week! These four etsy products have one thing in common. Guess what it is in the comments. I'll post the answer tomorrow. You can click on the photos to view the products or click on the shop names to visit the shops.
18.7.10
Books and the Movies About Them
I have a love affair with movies. It's not a secret, I have tons of DVDs sitting upstairs that I watch over and over again. I have movies on my external hard drive, movies on a flash drive, movies on my computer. It's certainly a faster escape than a book, usually not better, but simpler.
I also love mixing my obsessions. So whenever I hear of a movie coming out that's about a book, I read the book. This past week I read Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. I've seen the movie before, but the idea of the book intrigued me so I picked it up. It was very good. Very down to earth and strong and straight forward. She's brash and wonderfully refreshing.
The movie is a great escape, but it certainly tones Julie down. Besides the fact that it presents more of Julia Child than we get in the book. I've watched it twice now and each time it has given me this drive to go write a book. So I sit and write for a while afterward. We'll see where this inspiration leads.
Do you get inspiration from movies? Or from something else in daily life?
I also love mixing my obsessions. So whenever I hear of a movie coming out that's about a book, I read the book. This past week I read Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. I've seen the movie before, but the idea of the book intrigued me so I picked it up. It was very good. Very down to earth and strong and straight forward. She's brash and wonderfully refreshing.
The movie is a great escape, but it certainly tones Julie down. Besides the fact that it presents more of Julia Child than we get in the book. I've watched it twice now and each time it has given me this drive to go write a book. So I sit and write for a while afterward. We'll see where this inspiration leads.
Do you get inspiration from movies? Or from something else in daily life?
14.7.10
My Apartment and the Design Inside
I think our apartment is finally good enough to show here. I'm still lost on what to paint. I'm thinking a light gray in the living room, but I like everything as it is so I'm just leaving it for now. Click here to see the photos on my album with it empty and then designed.
The main room. Behind me is the entry and to the right is the kitchen. To my left is a hallway that leads to two bedrooms and the bathroom. Outside the big windows is our balcony. Above this area is the entertainment area and the third bedroom directly above my head. The two chairs with brown plaid...yea...I'm looking forward to changing that fabric to match the rest of the decor. And the wall behind the couch is the one I want to paint gray. I did a tutorial on how I painted the small white table in the bottom left corner.
The reading nook. I'll post tutorials on how I made the floating books and the crates. That's our parakeet, Moe, in the cage. And that chair I found in the trash, it just needed a good cleaning. Awesome, right?
The entertainment area in the loft. The third bedroom is behind me. We were sleeping in there until it got crazy hot this summer. I did a tutorial on the floating DVDs on the back wall back in January.
A closer look at the wall that should be gray.
My office. I did a tutorial on how I painted the writing on the wall, just click here to see it. As well as a tutorial on how I made the storage boxes in the bookcase.
Let me know what you think, or what I can improve upon. I don't advertise that I'm a designer of any sort, but I love to do it. My apartment is constantly a blank canvas for me to go crazy with.
13.7.10
The Answer
The answer is
Quite the variety of answers from everyone. I picked beach just because for about a week it had been muggy and humid. I grew up in Colorado where it gets very hot, but it is never, ever humid. I just don't see the point in constantly feeling soggy if you're not by a beach and some water. Plus I absolutely can't do anything in heat, especially wet heat. My body just shuts down. But then last night a thunderstorm finally broke the heat wave and today has been absolutely lovely. Just that little bit of extra water and the humidity goes away (don't ask me how the science works, it doesn't make sense to me).
So I hope you are all having a nice summer, perhaps with a pool or ocean thrown in, as well as some air conditioning. I'm sipping some cherry spritzer and enjoying the long day.
beach
Quite the variety of answers from everyone. I picked beach just because for about a week it had been muggy and humid. I grew up in Colorado where it gets very hot, but it is never, ever humid. I just don't see the point in constantly feeling soggy if you're not by a beach and some water. Plus I absolutely can't do anything in heat, especially wet heat. My body just shuts down. But then last night a thunderstorm finally broke the heat wave and today has been absolutely lovely. Just that little bit of extra water and the humidity goes away (don't ask me how the science works, it doesn't make sense to me).
So I hope you are all having a nice summer, perhaps with a pool or ocean thrown in, as well as some air conditioning. I'm sipping some cherry spritzer and enjoying the long day.
12.7.10
Word of the Week
Welcome to another Monday. I had a really eventful weekend. We watched Germany win 3rd place in the World Cup on Saturday and went racing yesterday. It's been beyond hot. And I'm ready for another vacation where I just sit and relax, no more touring. Here's how to play the game. These four photos have one thing in common. Guess what it is in the comments. I'll post the answer tomorrow.
9.7.10
Visit to Vienna
Vienna is a nice city, a tad dirty, but it has charm. We went for three days and I was extremely excited to see the Lipizzaner horses. But they forbid photos and video anywhere inside the Spanish Riding School or Spanische Reitschule. We also saw one of the palace's Marie Antoinette grew up in, Schoenbrunn, and Mozart's house. The Haus der Musik, museum of music, was absolutely outstanding. Very interactive and educational as well as just plain fun. Three days was a little long. We could have visited more palaces or museums but we spent the last day in the park just relaxing.
The Schoenbrunn palace
More Schoenbrunn with the Gloriette on the hill
St. Stephan's Cathedral
The most awesome mix of tiles in our hotel bathroom
7.7.10
Patrick Henry Hughes, Musician, Inspiration
It's people like this that make life worth living.
Sorry that I missed Word of the Week. Albert and I were in Vienna for the three-day weekend. It was enjoyable but too long for the one city. I'll have some pictures later this week. I hope you enjoy this video, it certainly inspires me.
Sorry that I missed Word of the Week. Albert and I were in Vienna for the three-day weekend. It was enjoyable but too long for the one city. I'll have some pictures later this week. I hope you enjoy this video, it certainly inspires me.
2.7.10
Freelance Editing
I posted my review of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer (click on Bree Tanner). Let me know what you think. I still don't feel very confident reviewing books. I can't seem to get out in writing how the book really made me feel. Which brings me to my main blog topic today, I'm not really a writer. I enjoy writing, but I absolutely love editing.
I worked for a vanity publisher as an editor. I'm not proud of it but I did it. It was the only opportunity at the time, and it gave me the chance to edit. I didn't really understand what vanity publishing was, but as soon as I researched more and completely understood I quit. I don't want to condone that type of publishing; it is not ok to make the authors pay to have their book published. It lowers the standard of books out there. It just isn't fair to the authors.
So now I'm attempting to work as a freelance editor but sheesh is it hard! I can find a few jobs to apply for. Then I google them all to make sure they're not scams. That usually narrows it down to one or two because there are a lot of scams out there. Then I check up on who they are and what they do and whether they are truly hiring or just taking resumes. A lot of the time I'm not qualified, or they aren't hiring. Everyone wants a proofreader or editor who has three years experience. How do I get that experience without working? I've done some small projects for friends but those just don't count. It's a mess.
Anybody have any advice for me? I know it'll take hard work to get there, but I'm at a dead end. I don't know where to go from here. Should I just keep doing what I'm doing?
I worked for a vanity publisher as an editor. I'm not proud of it but I did it. It was the only opportunity at the time, and it gave me the chance to edit. I didn't really understand what vanity publishing was, but as soon as I researched more and completely understood I quit. I don't want to condone that type of publishing; it is not ok to make the authors pay to have their book published. It lowers the standard of books out there. It just isn't fair to the authors.
So now I'm attempting to work as a freelance editor but sheesh is it hard! I can find a few jobs to apply for. Then I google them all to make sure they're not scams. That usually narrows it down to one or two because there are a lot of scams out there. Then I check up on who they are and what they do and whether they are truly hiring or just taking resumes. A lot of the time I'm not qualified, or they aren't hiring. Everyone wants a proofreader or editor who has three years experience. How do I get that experience without working? I've done some small projects for friends but those just don't count. It's a mess.
Anybody have any advice for me? I know it'll take hard work to get there, but I'm at a dead end. I don't know where to go from here. Should I just keep doing what I'm doing?
1.7.10
Free July Desktop Calendar
Here is the free July calendar. It's a hot summer here in Germany, and I thought this hot car would work well for July. It's an orange Lotus Exige. Please leave a comment if you use it. Thanks!
Just click on the picture. When it comes up in its own browser window, right click and save the picture somewhere on your computer. Then go to that location, right click on the picture, and set as desktop background. Voila, you have a photo calendar on your computer!
Just click on the picture. When it comes up in its own browser window, right click and save the picture somewhere on your computer. Then go to that location, right click on the picture, and set as desktop background. Voila, you have a photo calendar on your computer!
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