Recently, it was pointed out to me that I tend to take my pictures with a vertical orientation. I never really thought about it before now. I just took pictures in a way that worked best inside a 14"x14" box. Since most of my subject matter has height, it makes sense that a vertical picture is what works best. But I was challenged to do an education post with a horizontally oriented photo and here is what I came up with. No matter which orientation you use, size limitations a

I first did this craft as a teenager with my church group. It is one of those projects that has stuck in my mind and I have used it multiple times over the years. I have done it as an activity during classroom parties, with my scout troop as well as at home with my kids. It is a great way to get boys involved in crafting because it involves a hammer and a nail. It is a little loud and it is a little bit dangerous but with proper supervision, it is a fun project that leaves yo

My son has some artistic tendencies but it helps to have a dad who is artistic as well and can explain how to use color and texture to create a work of art. This particular piece was created after a trip to Yellowstone where we got to watch Old Faithful in action. I love how the SHOTBOX helped me capture the texture of the gesso on the canvas, some of the brushstrokes (most noticable in the tan paint), as well as the color variations throughout the painting. I love that my th

My son likes to build with Legos. He enjoys the kits that provide all of the pieces and the instructions to create a specific item but he really likes being creative and coming up with his own designs. He was pretty proud of himself for making these Pokeballs (a critical item for Pokemon trainers) and he insisted that we photograph them using the SHOTBOX. I happily obliged. Legos are made to be built and taken apart and rebuilt into something new so his creations are usually

1. Find an empty bottle that has interesting details in the glass. 2. Spray paint the bottle with a metallic paint & primer in one. I used Rust-Oleum's Universal Advanced Formula in an Oil Rubbed Bronze finish. 3. Brush on a coat of chalk paint. For this project, I tried the Waverly brand chalk paint, which can be found at WalMart. I have also used Annie Sloan chalk paint but it costs 3 times as much and for this small project, I don't think it is worth the extra expense. 4.

1. Take 1 sheet of tissue paper. Fold it in half, lengthwise, then fold it into thirds, widthwise, so that pieces measure approximately 9"x10". Cut along folds so that you have 6 pieces of 9"x10" tissue paper. 2. Stack the 6 pieces of paper together and holding the 9" side, begin folding, accordian style, so that each fold is about 1" deep. 3. Slide a small rubber band over the folded tissue paper until sits in the center of the bundle, holding the folds in place. 4. Cut the

My youngest daughter just finished her first Junior High School art class. She has artistic abilities but she is not the artistic type. She is a perfectionist. She likes structure. She likes set guidelines and perameters. She likes logic. While art can have those things, many of her assignments had a lot of room for personal interpretation. That really stressed her out! The other thing that stressed her out was the fact that she could work her tail off and do her very best bu

One year, my daughter's teacher gave each of the students in her class a Geode for Christmas. From the outside, you would never know that it was anything special. The outer layer of sedementary rock was rough and dull and misshapen and, quite frankly, ugly. But when we cut the Geode open, we were amazed at it's beauty! The mineral deposits were various shades of pink, ivory and grey and the crystals were so delicate and lovely! What a surprise! And what a wonderful gift from