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Pleasant Hill Middle School in Oregon Featuring: Oliver!

2009 is the year where we will all be witnesses to the talents and showmanship of the youth in Pleasant Hill Middle School as they feature the musical Oliver! This timeless and famous musical garnered wide acclaims from theatre goers and crtiics worldwide.

The musical is loosely based on the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Oliver! is a British produciton and its music and lyrics are created by Lionel Bart. It was first seen in 1960 at London’s West End. The story is about a boy named Oliver who was first seen as an orphan, not knowing that his family is rich.

The theatre tells the story of how Oliver’s adventures on the streets ultimately lead him to the family he never knew existed. He managed to escaped the place after he got several beatings and ended up working as a slave to a cruel coffin maker and his equally cruel wife. He then escaped and got into a gang of pickpocketers. He was a lonely orphan before who was mistreated and half-starved by their cruel caretakers.

He met Nancy, the girlfriend of cruel Sikes and immediately kind-hearted Nancy developed a motherly affection for Oliver. They became friends together with Nancy’s sister Bet. When it was time for Oliver to practice his pickpocketing skills (he actually does not know that they are pickpocketing- he thought that they were doing handkerchief tricks), he got Mr. Browlow a wealthy old man as a victim. He got arrested but was released when found not guilty. At that time a locket was found from Oliver containing his mother’s picture (Mr. Browlow’s granddaughter) indicating that Oliver is sole heir ot the old man’s riches.

Nancy found out about the locket and set to bring Oliver to Mr. browlow but was waylaid and murdered by Sikes. The plot ended as Mr. Browlow was reunited with his long-lost grandson.

Tags: art, blogs, business, events, family, festivals, food, hobby, home, outdoors, Photographing Children, Photography, Travel Photography, women   Posted in Photography

Flea Market Finds for Decorating a Room

You can almost find anything in a flea market. From household items to clothing to garage equipments, the possibilities are endless. Flea markets are also the place where designers on Shabby Chic concept themes and budget friendly projects are to be seen. They are creative enough to scour for unique pieces and finds that could leave them to create a beautiful and fabulous space without spending for more.

Furniture pieces can have a new life by giving it a fresh layer of paint and providing embellishments that can also be seen on flea markets. Funky and chic wall paper can be wrapped on a piece of wood purchased from a flea market that should add character to a bedroom when used as a headboard. Hand painted knobs are great for dressing up an old armoire.

Create a focal point from your living room by reviving an old piece of door from a flea market. Coat it with fresh paint or wood stain. The door can be an excellent conversational piece and a good focal point when it is simply leaned on a living room wall. The natural wood color from the stain can blend well to the Asian theme youve been planning for your home. Accent with wicker furniture, lamps and other small accessories from the flea market and you can have a redecorated room with fewer expenses.

Springtime is a very good design concept for spaces nowadays. Pretty floral fabrics from flea market that had otherwise been labeled as outdated can make a charming comeback in your bed sheets. A small accent chair on the side can be an excellent addition in your already charming bedroom. Adorn your night table with fresh spring time flowers and crisp white translucent curtains for your windows. What a refreshing room to wake up with indeed!

At the Holiday Flea Market at Torns River, New Jersey, exciting finds are to be seen that can add function and flair to your home!

Tags: art, directory, events, fairs, family, festivals, flea markets, hobby, home, leisure, listings, new jersey, outdoors, Photography, Travel Photography   Posted in Photography

Scanning Photos For Your Digital Scrapbook

Traditional scrapbooking may soon be taken over by its digital cousin. The digital scrapbook craze has made huge headway into the world of scrapping. Because all digital scrapbookers posses the necessary computer skills to enjoy their hobby, it means that they can avail themselves to vast online resources. Free and low cost tools, creation software, and video tutorials are everywhere. If you need tailor made advice, technical assistance, or friendly community you’ll find it easily.

Don’t limit yourself to just using just your digital photos. All of your old photos can be sent to a low cost scanning service to be digitized. For as little as a nickel apiece you can add hundreds of your favorite memories to your scrapbook.

Scanning photos for your scrapping hobby has the added advantage of preserving them from deterioration due to moisture, mold, or age. Saving your photos to a DVD also allows you to store a copy in two or more places permanently shielding them from loss or damage. Scanning services make it possible to give a complete set of all your pictures to family members.

Aside from using your digitized images for scrapbooking you’ll be able to create and purchase photobooks, buy specialized photo based novelties, and upload your photos to the net for sharing, all with a just a few clicks. You can also build slideshows with music to view on a digital picture frame or on a TV.

Use a photo scanner who will scan your ordinary photographs at 300 dpi. Lower resolutions than that are not suitable for creating a master record of your photos. Higher resolutions mean you are paying for something that you are not really gettinga better quality scan. But, make sure they save your scans as high quality jpeg files. High quality jpegs have bigger file sizes because they are compressed very little but they produce better images. These larger files can always be minimized for various uses, if necessary, but keep the original file.

Find a photo scanner who offers an inexpensive photo enhancement service. These services can make descent improvements to most of your photos. Don’t pay a lot for this because it won’t perform miracles, and it won’t fix all of the problems. But beware; always enhance a copy of your original scans. Don’t let a photo scanner send just the enhanced scans. Photo enhancement as well as any manipulation or rotation of your scans means they will be recompressed. Repeated recompression means loss of image quality.

A quick search for “digital scrapbooking” will give you immediate access to educational e-books, organizational software, online classes, templates, toys, and tools. The raw materials of scrapping are your photo scans. So find a low cost scanning service and get started!

Tags: digitize photos, family, family tree, genealogy, hobbies, home, organization, photo preservation, photo scanning. photo scanner, Photography, scan photos, scanning service, scrapbooking   Posted in Photography

Moby Dick Exhibit

Moby Dick is an All-American Classic Tale. It was written in 1851 by an American novelist named Herman Melville. The story is about the battle between an angry ship captain named Ahab and a ferocious white sperm whale. Moby Dick is a story that was regarded the high value of being discussed in American schools as part of their curriculum. The tale has a curios history because it was not accepted by the mass at its release. It wasnt until 1930 when the book was republished with illustrations that it finally gained popularity.

American painter Frank Stella made several art works focusing on the concept of Moby Dick from 1985 to 1997. He created one artwork or two to each of the novels 165 chapters. The varying artworks altogether sum up to about 266 pieces of sculptures, metal relief, murals and prints. Stellas likeness and passion for the novel indeed bordered down to obsession for being able to create this massive collection. His works are currently considered as one of Americas priceless treasures.

An exhibition of the Moby Dick works by Frank Stella will happen at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, Michigan. It will not feature all of the Moby Dick artworks but some 30 pieces including his acclaimed masterpiece The Fountain. The exhibit will be opened to the public and everyone is encouraged to see it on January 23 up to May 3, 2009. The event is a great time for families to enjoy and for parents to bond with their kids.

Moby Dick is a literary piece that marked itself in American History. It was a popular tale and a classic favorite. One interesting fact about the story is its inclusion of a character named “Starbuck” that is the main inspiration of the famous coffee chain. Starbuck is the young mate of Captain Ahabs ship who is the sole person who contradicts Ahabs plan to fight and kill the whale. His character was of a gentle and possibly coward nature who longs to go back home to his young wife and son.

Catch a glimpse of the exhibit. Be inspired at the talent of an all-around American artist.

Tags: art, directory, events, fairs, family, festivals, hobby, home, leisure, listings, michigan, moby dick, outdoors, Photography, Travel Photography   Posted in Photography

Scanning for a Slideshow Project

Everyone has that big box of photos in the back of the closet that’s worth a million and at the same time next to nothing. If you can’t share your photos easily then what good are they? You’ll be surprised to find out that it’s simple and inexpensive to turn your deteriorating images into an enjoyable work of art. There are photo scanning services that can digitize your photos for as little as a nickel apiece. And don’t try this yourself! Photo scanning at home is heart stoppingly boring!

You can build your own slideshow by purchasing software. My favorite is Pro Show Gold by Photodex. This software is relatively simple to use and has lots of features that make the project fun. You just add your photos to the program, then drag them into the order you want. With Pro Show Gold you can edit your photos and color correct, add your own music and then synchronize it to the photos. You can add text to the photo in the location you choose and use the “Ken Burns” effect to zoom from place to place on your images. With Pro Show Gold you can play your slideshow on TV. You’ll be amazed at how good your 4×6 photos look on a 50″ TV.

Free slideshow software is everywhere on the web. A quick search will yield tons of opportunities to create slideshows to share with friends, or to upload to your social networking site. Take a little time to investigate the features, and always download from a trusted site. Though most free software will not allow you to show the end product on a TV, they often include the ability to include music and do limited photo editing. Check out Google’s Picassa 3, Extra Photo Slideshow Free, and Wildbit software.

You may want to think about placing your slideshow in a digital picture frame. Prices have come down on digital picture frames with some 14″ frames selling for as little as $99. Some of the smaller frames now go for under $25. We expect this trend to continue. With memory card prices also hitting new lows you can afford to put your entire digital photo library on them. Lots of digital frames come with slideshow software installed, and some will play audio. So when your friends come over you can crawl into the back of that closet to dig out the box of gradually fading photos, or you can flip on that beautiful digital picture frame.

You can have your slideshows hosted online at Picturetrail or Iwebphoto. You can then send your friends and family a link to your slideshows. This can simplify matters somewhat. If you have a lot of photos it can save everyone from downloading the files. And you can add remove or edit the slideshows at any time. Don’t forget to add a text description to your slideshow to let everyone know what the photos are about. And go ahead and jazz up your photos with special effects or make a few black and white. Have Fun!

Make sure you choose a photo scanning service that scans at 300 dpi, and don’t pay for more. See if you can find a service that includes automatic photo enhancement at a reasonable price. This can do wonders for some if not all of your images. And be sure to insist on a complete copy of the original scans that have not been rotated, enhanced, or manipulated in any way. Then always make a copy of your master scans to use for anything. Shop around, scanning costs can vary greatly.

There are additional benefits to scanning your photos for a slideshow. By digitizing your photographs you can permanently protect them from damage and destruction and stop their everyday deterioration from age, mold, and moisture. You can also make complete copies of your scans and put them in two or three places. This not only protects them from loss or damage, you can then send copies to family and friends. Your precious memories are permanently secure.

Tags: Arts And Crafts, Digital Photography, digital scanning, entertainment, family, genealogy, hobbies, photo scanner, photo scanning, Photography, scan photos, scanning services, slideshow   Posted in Photography

Handmade Crafts and Their Advantages

Handmade crafts are becoming more popular as days pass because of its unusual charm and beauty. Handmade crafts are special pieces of items because they are created with care and devotion by the crafter. Hand made crafts are usually cheap because raw materials that are used for these are safe and economical. Some people say that handmade crafts are done by housewives or hands-on moms who want to earn income at home. They are simple people who were able to turn their hobbies to money making opportunities.

Transforming the hobby of crafting to business is a piece of cake especially for people born with creativity. Creativity comes naturally and well, it runs in her blood. Creativity alone however could not make a thriving business because you need to be financial literate also to make your business last. This means that creativity and great ideas alone could not make your business thrive. Try to attend seminars and financial workshops that would make you learn more about money and how it works.

There are many handmade things that can be done like handmade soaps, handmade candles, clothes, baby diaper wipes, toys, etc. Be thrifty and make your own version of baby diaper wipes by cutting small pieces of second-hand or used cotton/ flannel fabrics. Place them in a container. Mix water with a few drops of oil and alcohol, put in empty spray. Remember that water is still the best and safest to use for wiping your babys bottoms!

Handcrafted toys are also very popular buys among craft fairs because of their charming and nostalgic appeal. It can be done simply by carving through a piece of very pliable wood. Give the wood a fresh coat of paint or perhaps, create hand painted patterns on it. Top off with a nice glaze or topcoat to give it a fresh, new look.

It is time to check out your local neighborhood crafts fair listings now to get a glimpse of crafts fairs schedules.

Tags: A, art, c, crafts, d, Destinations, directory, e, events, f, fairs, family, festivals, h, hobby, home, i, k, l, leisure, listings, o, oklahoma, outdoors, p, Photography, r, t, travel & leisure, Travel Photography   Posted in Photography

Comprehending The Very Basics Of First Timers Photography

It really isn’t difficult to learn the basics of photography. Although if you are used to using an old film camera there are some differences with the modern digital cameras you will want to know about.

Naturally once you have a firm grasp of these differences you can really start to take advantage of them. It really doesn’t matter who you are, with a little dedication you can learn this stuff.

Gaining a Collection of Images

With the digital format we are now hardly limited at all when it comes to the number of photos we can take. Never again will you have to pay for a whole load of prints that you didn’t even want.

This is all good, however you do need to get into the habit of going through your photos and editing or deleting your collection. This is because you do not want to have to go through loads and loads of useless images to find your good ones later.

Ways to best go about storing your digital photos

You can switch from a high-resolution image to a lower resolution to save on storage space. Your high-resolution photos will take up more storage space than the lower resolution one.

You will only need a high resolution for your photographs if you need a crisp image for a large printed photograph. If you are only going to use the pictures online or with a computer, you can use a lower resolution setting.

It is also possible with many cameras to change the compression rate/format that your camera saves its images in. Again this means you can save space for extra photos on your memory card.

If there is one thing modern Day cameras are normally short of its memory space, so you really should increase it as soon as possible. If you have any experience with the old film cameras I’m sure you know what it’s like to run out of space for photos just when you were poised to take your best ever photo.

The dreaded battery issue

Many people just don’t realize it, but the camera’s battery is very important. Naturally the last thing you need is the run out of battery just when you need your camera most.

If you are running low on battery power, avoiding overuse of your LCD digital display should help significantly to lengthen your cameras usage time. Not using Flash will also help a lot.

If your camera doesn’t use its own special power pack, make sure you are at least using good rechargeable batteries and that you have several charged replacement sets of batteries ready with you at all times.

All amateurs, no matter what their level of experience, can enjoy digital photography for beginners. You can be proud of your images, right from when you first get your digital camera.

You will learn that it is easy to go from digital photography for beginners to the next level of photography, as you get more comfortable with your digital camera.

Tags: art, Cameras, Digital Photography, education, entertainment, family, hobbies, leaning, lessons, lifestyle, outdoors, Photography, photos, recreation   Posted in Photography