Dog Rescue

There is this wonderful no kill rescue in my hometown called Bethel Friends of Canines. They are strictly volunteer run and operate on donations as well as fundraisers like their annual auction. The rescue has been raising funds to build their no-kill shelter, which is partially done and is located in remote Alaska where costs are high and supplies and options for foster homes are limited. All donations and money funds raised are used to help with food, spaying/neutering, immunizations, supplies, as well as other rescue overhead. 

I made a few items to donate to the auction. One was this adorable treat/leash holder sign. The jar can be used for many things like poop bags. I'm thrilled with the outcome and please remember to adopt, not shop. 

And last, but not least, here an old photo of my daughter's ridiculously adorable rescue dog, Salsa. 

Hello Again!

Obviously I haven't kept up the blog, sorry. Life happened, I got a job, moved, and so on. I haven't done much crafting in the last couple of years, but when I do get the chance, I tend to work on things like hats, because they are quick and easy. I also do some photography on the side. Life remains crazy, other than that, not a whole lot going on in the creative department.

With that said, I have a new craft room in my new home, so hopefully I'll get that set up and actually use it. Don't worry, it's not a total waste, my daughters all use it. I do have some small projects I'm working on so stay tuned. 

Spring in Alaska

Anytime we see any sign of Spring approaching, Old Man Winter decides to pay us a visit. Here we are in April with a tad bit of snow. 

Looking out the front of my living room window, you'd never know it is supposed to be Spring.

The view from my dining room isn't much different either. Unfortunately we got dumped on this past weekend. . . 

But I can't complain too much. Snow days make for perfect indoor time spent crafting. I decided to try my hand at knitting cables, and out came this cute "mug sweater," as my daughter mockingly refers to it as. My favorite coffee cup is quite cozy, don't you think?

Off to enjoy some more coffee. Until the next time. . .

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing you a beautiful Valentine's Day and hoping your day is filled with much love and happiness. 

Photography - VERY Basic Tips To Getting Started

I have people ask me all the time about my photography equipment. The truth is that I have, by industry standards, a dinosaur of a camera, a Fuji Finepix S3 Pro. I don't think it's even made anymore. It's perfect for studio work, but does have limited options for low light ambient light situations. I use a very inexpensive off brand lens (Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8) or a nice quality lens (Nikkor 85mm f/1.4) depending on what I'm shooting. Some day I will upgrade to my dream camera, but probably not anytime soon.

You may have heard before, it's not the camera that takes a good picture, it's the person behind it. Well, I agree with that. . . . for the most part, but I won't deny that having a good equipment certainly helps, especially lenses. 

If you're serious about taking better photos, my best advice is to forget the big Canon or Nikon debate and do some research of your own to see what sort of camera will fit your needs. Everyone takes photos for different reasons. Once you invest in your camera, LEARN TO USE YOUR MANUAL SETTINGS. Once you gain a basic knowledge of proper exposure, the sky is the limit. It's not going to happen overnight, believe me, I'm still learning, but here are a few suggestions to help you get started. 

Check out DP Review and do some side-by-side comparisons on some cameras. Read the reviews and specs, but ignore the brand wars. The truth is there are many great camera brands out there, you just have to find out what works for your photographic needs and your budget.

Be careful of black and gray market products and be sure to use a reliable source to purchase your equipment. B&H Photo Video and Adorama are two reputable places to purchase quality photographic equipment*

Don't focus so much on kits, but rather what it is you're going to be shooting and what sort of equipment will offer the best outcome for your needs. Perhaps you already have a nice DSLR, and you want to upgrade your lens. Having quality glass can really make a big difference, but again, isn't always necessary.

Check out additional review sites that are geared for a broader consumer audience and not just for professionals, like Ken Rockwell's site. 

Invest in books that will help you gain a greater knowledge and better understanding of photography. 

I recommend the Photography text by Barbara London, Jim Stone and John Upton and Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. I have older versions of both, and they are wonderful references.

You might also want to join, or browse, some online photography communities. Not all are geared for the novice, but many do have valuable information and resources. Here are a couple links you could start with. 

Cambridge in Color

Improve Photography

Last, but not least, get out and SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT! Practice what you've researched and try to gain a solid understanding so your images will be consistent. If you're frustrated because your pictures don't look like the pros, but you feel like you have a solid understanding of basic photography, you can now get started with your post processing journey. Post processing is meant to enhance a photo, but nothing can replace proper exposure out of the camera. The more you shoot and practice gaining control of your camera's settings, the better your straight out of camera (SOC) images will be and the less post processing you'll need to do. I will touch on post processing someday, in the mean time, go out and practice your manual settings!

Until the next time. . .

Lip Chap Cozy Giveaway

Many times after a gymnastics competition, gymnasts receive goody bags.  Those goody bags obviously don't fill themselves, so parents, at our gym, are asked to contribute 40 items to go into those bags. Since I'm on a limited budget, and I didn't want to give junk or candy, I decided I'd make 40 of something.

I didn't want to overwhelm myself and take on a project too big. I also wanted to make something budget friendly and quick, and ultimately decided on lip chap cozies (my daughter started calling lip balm lip chap as a baby, and it's since become the adopted term in our house).  

I looked online to find the perfect pattern, but most required fancy key fobs or D rings, which I didn't have, so I came up with my version of a lip chap cozy. I made a few to see which prototype I liked best and I think I'll be using this one. I don't have pictures of the other two as they were snatched up quickly by my daughters and are already clipped to their school bags. 

These make great little gifts and are quite practical especially during the cold dry winters. Head on over to my Facebook page for a chance to win this cute little lip chap cozy.

Until the next time. . . .

A Few of My Hats

As absent as I've been from blogging and posting projects on Facebook, I've actually been getting some crafting done while I sit at the gym for nine hours a week as my girls do gymnastics, and when I can't sleep at night. I've been terrible about taking pictures of the things I make though, so when I received this picture of my daughter's wonderful team of middle school teachers, I was quite thrilled. I made each of them a hat for my daughter to gift to them for Christmas. 

L to R: Ynez Slaymaker, Kirsten Roos, Clare Shea, Cynde Anderson

Taylor picked out the colors for each teacher. She said Sra. Slaymaker liked blue, Ms. Roos liked green, Ms. Shay liked orange, and Ms. Anderson liked purple. 

As we were driving home from her competition yesterday, I said to her, "It seems like you're really interested in all your subjects this year because you keep talking about them, that's great, " and her enthusiastic response was, "I need someone to share all my knowledge with!" Thank you to this wonderful team of teachers for doing such a great job. You all have inspired my daughter more than you know, and I know you're doing a job well done when my daughter comes home all excited to tell me about what she's learned each day.

Until the next time. . . .

Yummy Homemade Hot Chocolate

It's been a while! While I'd love to craft and blog all day everyday, life's duties do come first. Between competitive gymnastics, Junior Nordic, skating and most importantly, school, this blog will probably continue to be neglected. 

Now that my excuses are out of the way, I have to tell you, it is COLD here in Alaska! Just when I was beginning to think we weren't going to have a winter, our temps have dropped to single digits, and in some areas below zero! I can't complain though. Cold weather usually brings brighter days with blue skies and best of all, a reason to drink lots of hot chocolate. 

This morning I made some tasty homemade hot chocolate. I don't make it often or I'd probably be diabetic.  It is not fat free or healthy, just a delicious treat. If you're looking for heart healthy, don't bother trying this recipe. 

However, if you're looking for a warm and yummy chocolate treat that doesn't entail baking, then give this recipe a try. The vanilla I use is from Puerto Rico, and I think it's infused with cinnamon which makes it so much better. If I were to use regular vanilla I would definitely add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the sugar mixture. Oh and I use 1% Organic Milk and it's plenty rich, and not too watery. Really any recipe can be altered to your liking so if you have any great tips to improve this recipe, feel free to share. Enjoy and stay warm!

Until the next time. . . .

Another Chance For The Classroom Subway Art Silhouette File

I've been pretty absent lately, but I do try to take the time to read and respond to emails that I get here or on the My World of Crazy Fun Facebook page. 

One of the frequent emails I get is asking for the Silhouette classroom subway art file so I'm sharing it again, but there is a catch. Go to My World of Crazy Fun on Facebook and become a fan, then come back to this post and leave me a comment saying you're a fan and I will send you a link to the file. That's all.  

Until the next time . . . .

*Edited to include fonts used in my file. Without these fonts, you will need to substitute & resize to make words fit in the space. I suggest insuring you have these fonts first before you try to open my studio file unless you prefer to substitute. Thanks again!*

Impact

American Typewriter

Apple Casual

Arial Black

Euphemia UCAS

Times

Handwriting -  Dakota

Charcoal CY

Herculanum

Arial

Arial Narrow

Arial Rounded MT Bold

Apple LiSung

Papyrus

Chalkboard

Free Pumpkin Hat Pattern

Remember the cute pumpkin hat I posted? Well here's the pattern. I am a beginner in the knitting world, and have never written a pattern, but decided to try it out when I couldn't find a pumpkin hat pattern using the yarn and needle sizes I was looking for. As with anything, if you find ways to make it better, please feel free to alter your work to fit your needs, this just happened to work for me. This is a child's pattern, but it could easily be altered to fit an adult by adding about 3 rows to the body of the hat before decreasing. If you have an extra large head, you will have to cast on more according to the circumference of your head and choose the amount to knit and purl and slightly change the decrease. 

Please do not sell this pattern as your own. Feel free to sell the hats you make, but remember to give credit to My World of Crazy Fun.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Thanks and I hope you enjoy the pattern. Until the next time. . . .

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A Little Halloween Giveaway

I had the urge to make a pumpkin hat out of Lion Brand Super Bulky Yarn because I knew it would be quick. I set out to find patterns, but I found nothing I was looking for so I attempted to make my own pattern.   

I think it turned out so cute, but apparently my youngest daughter is too cool to wear it so I'm giving it or a colorful and fun Halloween pillowcase away. Head on over to my My World of Crazy Fun's Facebook page and become a fan by pressing "like" AND post a comment on the giveaway photo. I'll be drawing a name from fans who have commented on Monday October 1st. 

In the mean time I will write up the pattern I used and post it soon. Good luck and until the next time. . . .

Fall Solstice

Happy Fall Solstice! It's closer to the end of Fall here. Pretty soon we'll be seeing the white stuff.

Not quite ready for winter, but the kids sure are. Until the next time. . . .

Under Water

Remember the crazy weather I mentioned in a previous post? Well it's still here and causing a lot of damage. Check out the front page of the Anchorage Daily news here. You'll notice that not only is the crazy weather featured, but crazy people as well.

While my residence is no where near affected, unfortunately I can't say the same about our cabin on the Yentna river. I'm really hoping this rain lets up soon. For more information on the flooding, check out the following links.

Matanuska-Susitna Borough Facebook Page

(They've been doing a fantastic job updating on the flooding out in the Mat-Su)

KTUU

Anchorage Daily News

Until the next time. . . .

Tough Alaska Chick

The weather in this part of Alaska is still wild and crazy only now they have issued flood warnings in some areas due to all the rain. So not only are people having to contend with the hurricane force winds, but some have to be evacuated from their homes due to flooding. Fortunately, other than an occasional power outage, the storm has had little impact at my house. 

In fact, I braved the breeze and rain to do a senior photo shoot yesterday and I have to say, my senior is definitely a tough Alaska chick. Knowing the weather was far from ideal, she still wanted to go ahead with the shoot and I'm glad we did.

You see, this was a very special photo shoot for me because I've known Miss B since she was born and I was honored when she asked me if I'd take her senior photos. 

Considering how wet it was and the fact that I couldn't keep my lens dry, we managed to get some good shots.

We will be meeting again on a better day for a second shoot to get some more creative poses in when we're not so rushed.

Beautiful easy going people sure make taking photos fun, and I can't wait to meet up with this lovely young lady again. Until the next time. . . .

I Love Power

I really do love power. I'm not talking control power, although I do like that too, but electricity. After over 33 hours without power, it is finally back on. We had a crazy wind storm with hurricane force winds in many parts of the Anchorage area.  I wanted to share some photos submitted to the media from community members after a the wind storm.

Here is a chart the Anchorage Daily News posted on the preliminary wind speeds of the recent storm. 

The wind blew over a wooden flag pole downtown where this time capsule had been hidden. What a neat hidden treasure.

There were many reported trampolines and swing sets that were said to be damaged. Ours were fine, but then again the wind wasn't as strong where we are located.

Unfortunately Merrill Field was hit with some of the strongest winds so there was damage to some aircrafts.

Many people don't have garages or don't use them, so there were quite a few reports of damaged vehicles. 

Check out this uprooted tree. Anchorage is used to seeing winds, but not often do they do this much damage. I'm just thankful for the crews that worked tirelessly to restore power and clean up the debris. Many worked for over 24 hours cold, wet and tired. I hope that those with medical needs that require electricity weren't too negatively affected. I'm glad it's over and I sure hope we don't see one of those storms in the middle of winter. In case we do though, I will have extra gas for my back-up generator and a lot of wood for the wood stove stored.

To check out more photos of the damage caused by the crazy winds, check out the Anchorage Daily News or KTUU's reader submitted photo page.

Until the next time. . .