Now It's Called Steampunk

When I did more art experimenting and artist trading card swapping and crafting, there was a trend. There were Victorian themes and things like skeleton keys, padlocks, clocks, gears, wings, hinges, and doors. There were metal charms and stickers and rubber stamps showing these themes. Using antique ephemera in collage was popular. The look of distressed things, everything sepia, and using products and sandpaper to make something look old and worn out was popular. Alongside, nature themes were popular such as butterflies and bees and flowers.

Somewhere along the way something called steampunk started to happen. I knew this to be related to books such as the Leviathan series by Westerfeld.

While in Barnes & Noble yesterday I spotted two books highlighted in a display. One was about making steampunk jewelry and the other was about making little knitted stuffed dolls that are embellished with metal objects and calling them stempunk.

When I looked at the books what I saw was the same design element which was being used a lot in 2006-2009 when I was busy crafting. Only now, people are calling it steampunk. The designs include metal pieces, gears, keys, locks, and chains as well as wings, butterflies and bees. The metal pieces are combined with glass beads and metal beads and chains to make pins, rings, necklaces and bracelets. They are perhaps embellished a little more heavily rather than being dainty and "nice", to look a bit more confused and combined into nonsensical "objects" that never existed in real life.

In order to make jewelry, collage or art objects we followed basic directions but used the elements of our choosing. Now the directions are available but specifically instructing you to use this or that element that they feel is steampunk.

Well it's just surprising that what was popular five years ago is still popular today but with a new name and so it seems like a new fad. Or maybe the trend grew and it needed a name to keep it going? I find it all a bit odd, the naming of it and pretending it is something new, I mean.

I still like art with clocks and butterflies and keys. I'm just not sure that I like steampunk or that I need to call those things "steampunk style".

Well if you like steampunk, enjoy it, that's all that matters I guess!












Polymer Clay:




Knitting:

Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 2011 Software Review

Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 2011 Software Review by ChristineMM

My Star Rating: 5 stars out of 5 = I Love It

Summary Statement: Fun and Easy for This Amateur Artist to Use

SKETCHBOOK PRO 2011 contains DVD two discs that can be used on either a Windows or Mac based computer. You do need a DVD drive to use it (three of our home computers don't have a DVD drive). You also need a mouse, that's all you need.

This is a fun program in which you manipulate the mouse to make art. Since I own and use Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 I note some of the controls are quite similar such as selecting the tool and opacity and working with layers.

To start, you just click on the type of medium you want to use (i.e. marker, pencil, paintbrush) then select the thickness, color, and opacity and you are off and running. The menu bar is in the corner and you can expand some of them if you find that easier.

I started fooling around with this without directions, since none came in a paper form and I'm a book person. However there are tutorial documents on the disc to help you. On a whim I used an internet search engine and found video tutorials from the manufacturer on YouTube. These helped me the most.

I am an amateur artist and enjoy this program. I let my kids test it out, they are aged 10 and 13 and both found it simple. They used the tools intuitively and found more features than I realized existed. They really liked the split screen mirror image tool and the one that repeats in the four quadrants what you do on the screen (imagine drawing with one line but seeing an image like a kaleidoscope).

Since I am new to making digital art, I realize there's a learning curve. While I can control a regular drawing pencil in my hand to sketch on paper, it's a completely different skill to use the mouse to replicate the same thing. It's an odd feeling to try to do something you know you can do with pencil and paper but struggle to make a smooth or straight line with the mouse as the tool. In the beginning it feels like a trick on the mind to use a mouse and see the medium you usually associate with a regular marker, paintbrush, or pencil making magic on the screen.

I have no compaints about this product.

As with any computer program or with any traditional art medium, what you get out of it depends both on what you want to do with it (translating your concept to reality) and also how much time you put into learning the skills, procedures and techniques necessary to get it to do what you want it to do. I'm a newbie and I find this program fun so far.

Disclosure: I received this item from the Amazon.com Vine program. I was not paid to write this review nor to blog it nor was I encouraged to write a favorable review. For my blog's full disclosure statement see the link at the top of my blog's sidebar.

Anime Studio Debut 7 Software Product Review by ChristineMM

Anime Studio Debut 7 Software Product Review by ChristineMM

My Star Rating: 5 stars out of 5 = I Love It

Summary Statement: Inexpensive, a Bargain Really! Really Easy to Jump in with Beginner Mode

My sons are manga readers and anime watchers. They have been teaching themselves to draw manga using how-to art instruction books. They have enjoyed taking film-making classes doing live filmmaking and editing at a film center. The downside to those classes was they were taught to use very expensive professional software programs that we would never purchase for home use due to the high cost, so their live film-making adventures have been put on hold. Also the classes are too expensive for them to take year round, truly it would make more sense for them to do it on their own at home, however we don’t own any film editing computer software (yet). Meanwhile, they also wanted to dive into creating anime (cartoon) movies. I thought this software would be a good fit for them since it is compatible with our Windows-based home computer system. (This software is compatible with both Windows and Mac.)

The low price of this ANIME STUDIO 7 is a major draw. For about the price of one video game you can have this software that can provide a lot of entertainment that is creative (rather than passive entertainment like a video game is). The price of this program is less than what we paid for two hours of classes at the film center (read: dirt cheap).

Another important thing is this software has a beginner mode. It is so easy to use that anyone can dive right in and start using it. There is a quick start user manual in PDF format in the program that takes you step-by-step through the process to get up and running immediately. I tested this myself and found it easy to use. The tools and language are similar to photo editing software so if you know some of that this program seems easier to approach. The beginner mode was so simple that my ten year old used it all by himself. (I left him alone with the program as part of the product testing process.)

You will get out of this program what you put into it. If all a person wants to do is fool around in the beginner mode, that may be good enough for them. If they are willing to apply themselves and learn to use the technology more fully to create more in-depth and complicated anime, that capability is there. I was impressed to see that the software allowed importing of photos and audio files so the customization seems pretty impressive given the low price of this software. As with everything, to master a new skill, there is a learning curve and time and effort must be put in. How far someone takes their use of this program is up to them. The program can do a lot if you are willing to put in the time and energy to play, create and explore with it.

No additional equipment is needed, this program uses the computer and a mouse.

This mother of a tween son and a teenaged son who are both interested in creating anime at home is impressed with the ease of this use of this software and the low price. So far this is good enough for our family.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this software from Amazon.com as part of their Vine product review program. I was not paid to write this review. I was under no obligation to blog this review. I was not under obligation to give a favorable review.

Oral-b 1000 Professional Care 1000 Electric Toothbrush Product Review by ChristineMM

Oral-b 1000 Professional Care 1000 Electric Toothbrush, White and Blue

My Star Rating: 1 star out of 5 = I Hate It

Summary Statement: Buy an Oral-B Smart-Series Instead!

As I've shared in previous reviews for Oral-B electric toothbrush products, one of the Oral-B "regular" electric toothbrushes (similar to this ORAL-B PROFESSIONAL 1000) made my teeth sensitive to the point of having pain. My dentist, who had praised the Oral-B toothbrush in the first place, diagnosed the Oral-B electric toothbrush as being to blame for taking the enamel off my teeth. This was a temporary condition that resolved on its own once I discontinued its use per the dentist's order. At that time under the dentist's direction, I went back to using a Sonicare electric toothbrush. However not much later, Oral-B came out with their first "SmartSeries" which has a special sensor that monitors if the user is pressing too hard on the teeth--this is indicated by reading the signals on an LCD display. My dentist then recommended the SMARTSERIES model.

My husband and two children have been using the [[ASIN:B002HWS9GG Oral-B Professional Care SmartSeries 5000 Rechargeable Toothbrush]] for a few years. We own two units because my kids have their own bathroom. They all like the SMARTSERIES 5000. I like that it helps teach my children just how much pressure is enough and when it is too much. The dentist and I feel this helps prevent damage to their enamel due to erroneous use of too much pressure.

After trying the ORAL-B 1000 PROFESSIONAL CARE electric toothbrush product I was reminded again that I'd rather not risk hurting the enamel on my teeth. I feel that the Oral-B seems very "hard" and puts a lot of pressure on my teeth compared to the Sonicare or hand brushing, I just don't like the sensation of the Oral-B 1000. I'm sticking with the Sonicare while my family will stick with the ORAL-B SMARTSERIES 5000.

I see that what the Oral-B 1000 series has going for it, is it's the lowest priced Oral-B electric toothbrush on the market . However you can find the [[ASIN:B002HWS9GG Oral-B Professional Care SmartSeries 5000 Rechargeable Toothbrush]]just 20-25% above the cost of the 1000 series. Spread over the 3-4 years or more that this will last it seems worth the expense to me!

I rate this product 1 star = I Hate It due to the fact that my dentist diagnosed enamel damage from a similar non-SmartSeries Oral-B model. Given that Oral-B offers an alternative that would prevent such accidental mis-use I just can’t recommend any other model produced by Oral-B.

THE ONE WE LIKE IS this model.



Disclosure: I received this item for review purposes from the Amazon.com Vine program. I was not under obligation to rate it favorably nor was I bound to blog my review. I did not get paid to write the review.

Happy with New Comb Binder Machine

I received a comb binder machine from the Amazon.com Vine product review program. I have wanted one of these for years but was putting it off due to the cost. I wanted it so I could print e-books I purchase. Lately I am also buying knitting patterns and knitting books that are self-published. I plan to also comb bind some documents I create for our homeschooling such as log books to document my children's educational work completed.

I find staples sloppy. Pages get much more tattered and torn when they are not protected by thicker covers. I have been three hole punching papers and using 3 ring binders but often those are too large and bulky, and then the holes on the pages tear during normal use anyway.



The machine I own is the Fellowes Office Comb Binder Pulsar 300 and it is considered a middle of the line product. I wrote my review for Amazon.com's Vine program and published it on my other blog. The rules of my BlogHer account prohibit me from publishing that review on this blog so if you want to read my review click here to link to read it on my other blog.

Fellowes Office Comb Binder Pulsar 3000 Product Review by ChristineMM

Fellowes Pulsar Office Comb Binder Product Review



My Star Rating: 5 stars out of 5 = I Love It



Summary Statement: Great - Easy for Binding Home-Printed e-Books and Our Family’s Personal Documents (Non-Electrric)



I wanted one of these for years and am thrilled with the FELLOWES OFFICE COMB BINDER PULSAR 300 which is more than adequate for our purposes. (This is not electric.) We are a homeschooling family. We purchase e-books for educational purposes, and I also buy e-book knitting pattern books. We need to have them in printed paper form. Now I can also create my own document booklets such as homeschool student assignment log books and have them neatly comb-bound.



Having a comb binding allows for durable front and back covers and allows for less ripping than when using staples or binder clips. I find the internal papers in three ring binders often tear. Usually even the one inch three hole punched binder is too wide and takes up too much space on the bookshelf.



This PULSAR 300 can punch 15 20 lb. paper sheets at one time. This device comes with a starter pack of 10 clear plastic covers, 10 thick paper back covers, and 10 combs (sizes: 5-6mm, 5-8mm). See my list below for comb sizes to page count so you can order the size you need at the same time that you purchase this device. I loved that there are comb size checker slots in the storage tray since the size of the comb is not printed on the combs and we need to know how many pages fits in the comb.





The PULSAR 300 is the middle of the line product by Fellowes, classified for ‘moderate’ use and binds 2-300 pages . Fellowes also makes the models Starlet 90 for ‘light use’ and the Quasar 500 for ‘regular’ use. I have not used those other models so I cannot do a side by side comparison. However I demonstrated this for my husband who has used a professional model at former employer (brand name unknown) and he said this Fellowes is far superior as that other one had only one handle. It required you to punch all the papers, put them to the side, and then assemble it at the end. More movement of papers allows for the holes to become misaligned and can take longer to do.



The directions are only 1.5 pages long and are pretty skimpy but this is not rocket science. You place the comb and open it with one handle. A different handle does the hole punching. The blades are inside so there is no risk of injury. I used it working from the back to front. I punched holes in the back cover, and moved it directly to the open comb. Then I punched the interior pages starting at the back, and I loaded them right onto the open comb. Then I did the same with the front cover. Then move the comb’s handle to close it, and it’s done!



Regarding size and storage:



The device is as large as a typical computer printer if you were thinking of keeping it out on your desk be forewarned you’ll need to have a fair amount of space. The device is deeper than my desk bookshelves so using those as storage when in use was not an option for me. The storage drawer extends out to the right side so you may need to move it around when in use (depending on the layout of your desk and what is to its right side). It is lightweight and I found it easy to move to a clear work surface.



CAUTION: If you load the extra combs into the comb tray then put it back in the box to store in a closet, it sits on its side and the combs dump out inside the device. This happened to me and then the tray got jammed when I tried to open it. I had to pick it up and shake it vigorously while someone else kept the tray from flying out to rectify this situation. I was happy the combs didn’t get wrecked in the process. If you plan to keep this stored on its side in the box, I suggest putting the combs in a large zip top plastic bag instead of keeping them in the storage drawer.



The comb sizes go with these page counts (using 20 lb. paper):



6 mm = 2-20 pages

8 mm = 21-40

10 mm = 41-55

12 mm = 56-90

16 mm = 91-120

18 mm = 121-150

22 mm = 151-180

25 mm = 181-200

32 mm = 201-240

38 mm = 241-340



I’m happy to finally own a comb binder and look forward to reducing my use of staples, binder clips and three hole punched paper in (often too-large and too-bulky) binders. This is simple to use and my sons (aged 10 and 13) asked to give it a try and were able to use it with ease.

Disclosure: I received this item from Amazon.com for the purpose of writing a Vine review on Amazon.com. I was under no obligation to rate it favorably or blog about it. I was not paid to write or blog this review.

Which Two Do You Like the Best?

Japanese Barberry in November 11/14/09

November Sunset 11/15/09

Sun Through Early Morning Fog 6/23/10

Witch Hazel #1 10/26/10

Forest Floor Yellows 10/26/10

Witch Hazel #2 10/26/10

(it's supposed to be oriented horizontally but having a technical difficulty)

Wild Black Cherry in October #1 10/26/10

Wild Black Cherry in October #2 10/26/10

Witch Hazel in October #3 10/26/10

 
 

The Grapevine Won 11/15/09

 

 

All photos copyright ChristineMM. None have been digitally altered and no special camera effects were used.

Disclosure Statement for My Blogs

Disclosure Statement for My Blogs

To comply with the Federal Trade Commission’s Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials 16 CFR Part 255 I share the following information, prepared December 1, 2009.

This disclosure applies to both of my blogs:

thethinkingmother.blogspot.com

Christinemmatcs.blogspot.com



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Since mid-2007, I have been a member of the Amazon Vine review program. Amazon.com invited me to participate in this program. If I so desire, I may select a certain number of products per month (usually a maximum of 4) from a list that Amazon.com offers me. I may choose to not receive any product or I may leave the program at any time. I do not receive monetary payment for participating with this program. The product received is either a small sample size (i.e. one can of beverage or one granola bar) or a demo copy (scaled down copy of the real product i.e. DJ Hero video game). Books are usually in the form of an ARC or bound galley and many times are not the same edition of the book that a consumer would buy. These products are not owned by me, they are owned by Amazon and per the agreement I must return them to Amazon.com if asked to. I can submit reviews to Amazon.com which are clearly marked as Amazon Vine reviews. I do not have to review these products but in order to be eligible to receive more product I must maintain a 75% review level. I publish these reviews on my blog ONLY if doing so does not violate the terms of agreement I have with BlogHerAds. All of my Amazon Vine reviews are clearly marked as such on both Amazon.com. I am not persuaded to only write favorable reviews, Amazon.com encourages our honest opinions and asks us only to comply with their review policy (i.e. no use of profanity and some other general etiquette guidelines to encourage professionalism).



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Occasionally I will accept ARCs, review copies, and promotional copies from authors, publishers or publicists. As of 2009 this is not something I frequently do. I am not bound by contract to write these reviews nor do I receive compensation for doing so. Some of these reviews are published on my blog while some wind up never being reviewed (as in the case of a bad book that I couldn’t manage to finish reading). These blogged reviews will be clearly marked with their source.



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Since starting my blogs I sometimes publish reviews on my blog(s) or mention various products on my blog which are all relevant to the topics discussed on my blog, mainly, parenting, homeschooling, education, art, crafts, handcrafts, photography, gardening, housekeeping, cooking, baking, nonfiction books for self-education and fiction pleasure reading. I sometimes review a product I own and love or discuss a movie I watched or own a copy of.



These are items are either purchased by me with my own money or have been borrowed from a public library or borrowed from a friend, unless they fall into one of the above categories, in which case they will be clearly marked as to their source. Sometimes I may discuss a product I would like to buy but have not yet purchased or consumed. I do not receive any compensation from any source for mentioning these products on my blog such as the publisher or the product manufacturer.



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Prepared by ChristineMM, published 12/01/09 7:45 pm EST.

DJ Hero Video Game Review

Product Name: DJ Hero for xBox360

My Summary Statement: A Review From a Mom of Tweens -- We Like It!

My rating: 4 stars out of 5 = I Like It


Note: The Amazon Vine program provided me with a demo kit which had 4 songs (not 93 that is on the full game) and a wired turntable (the regular product’s turntable is wireless), so my review is based on limited game play.

Parents, note that the ERSB rating is T = Teen for lyrics and "mild suggestive themes". Since my demo kit has so few songs I can't comment on the song lyrics. Product information also states ERSB rating does not apply to additional downloads.

Our family uses the xBox360 and we own and use three different Guitar Hero (GH) games and own two GH guitars.

We don’t normally listen to mixed music or hip hop but my kids and I still had fun with this game. Not only do the kids think the sound of the mixed and scratched music is fun, we like that the songs are from a variety of music genres that they already know with some new-to-my-kids (but not new to me) songs. The full game has dance, pop, rock and hip hop. The songs include some classic rock and the songs are from the 1960s to present.

The games can be played solo with one turntable that comes in the bundle pack, or with two turntables (which requires an additional purchase). The second player can also use their GH guitar so by using DJ Hero you can inject fresh song tracks to your GH game play. Also if one person (friend or family member) prefers GH to DJ Hero in the end they can still play a two player game together using DJ Hero. The kids are already asking me to buy a second turntable and the full game with 93 songs.

Because our family plays video games together as a family and because visiting kids often play with my kids, everyone in our family is most interested in games that are flexible and are multi-player. DJ Hero fits that bill.

From a mom’s perspective, I’ll share how my two kids and I liked it to give you an idea of how different players of different ages experience the game. One of my sons is a natural at Guitar Hero (and also has been playing a real guitar for almost a year). He wanted to play with DJ Hero as it was something new and different. He took to DJ Hero immediately and found it fun (not frustrating at all). My other son doesn’t do so well with GH and avoids playing it was interested in DJ Hero. He is doing great with DJ Hero and was surprised to find Guitar Hero so challenging for hand/eye coordination with the GH guitar, but finds DJ Hero’s turntable easy and fun (and has no problem doing complex moves on other xBox360 games with the normal controller). Both kids laugh and talk while they play, so far no anger or frustration!

I tested the product and found some challenges with the turntable that my kids didn’t find to be an issue. Most problematic for me is I can’t find a good place to put the turntable so it is comfortable that is also a steady, non-slipping surface. The design doesn’t have enough grippers on its legs so it slides around easily. When I sat on the hardwood floor and placed the unit on the floor in front of me my back cramps up from bending over and down to reach the turntable plus was looking up toward the TV. The floor is not the most comfortable place to sit either and my legs fell asleep in the middle of some songs. I tried putting it on my lap and that didn’t work as it slides around. Losing contact with the buttons messes up the game’s whole score and was frustrating for me. (I am curious how others are positioning the turntable and how they can keep it from sliding around.)

Perhaps the best idea would be to sit on a chair or couch and use a coffee table for the turntable surface (I can’t test this because the wire is not long enough on my demo kit, the normal product is wireless). Sitting on the front of a chair and leaning forward may not be so comfortable and definitely not for long periods of time, and I still worry about the slipping of the turntable. If the whole bottom surface had a rubber bottom or something similar (like a skin) you could sit back with your knees angled up or sit flat and use your lap but the current design is too slippery to allow that.

You are basically tensed up during the game play with much less freedom of movement than any other xBox360 game requires. I don’t know how this can be remedied; I’m just stating a fact. Both the guitar for the Guitar Hero and the regular controller are much more flexible with one’s position, standing, sitting upright, or lounging back, and with the ability to move around during game play to use whichever is most comfortable at the moment is a big advantage over the turntable whose design is just challenging due to the nature of its design. Maybe players who like to be able to move around or shift position during game play may not like those restrictions on their physical movement.

As for what is on the screen, as with GH and Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) the player must focus on their section of the screen that shows their moves. Others in the room can watch the background images which are bright and ever-moving, just like those in GH and DDR of crowds, dancers, and with DJs.

In summary the game is fun for both solo and multi-players, so I’m rating it 4 stars = I Like It. The reason for not getting 5 stars is due to the challenge of the turntable sliding around and the difficulty with finding a comfortable way to sit that allows for proper game play.

Disclosure: I did not receive any payment to write this review. This demo kit was provided to me by the Amazon Vine review program. My demo game has 4 songs on it, not 93 and is not sold in stores. My wired turntable is not sold in stores (a wireless, better version is). The retail value of this demo kit is $0 and I am prohibited from reselling it.

Technorati Tags: DJ Hero review, DJ Hero , DJ Hero xbox360.

Visions of America Book Review by ChristineMM

Title: Visions of America
Author/Photographer: Joseph Sohm
Publication: Visons of America, 2009

Author and self-proclaimed Photo Historian Joseph Sohm has spent over thirty years traveling across America taking photographs. At some point the travel photography journey turned into a more of a quest with a goal to capture in photographed images, the idea of what democracy is and expanded to include visits and photographs of all fifty states. As a self-employed photographer without access to press credentials, Sohm has had to work hard to gain access to locations and politicians to succeed in capturing the wide range of content which he felt was imperative to the project (such as access to photograph Presidents).

I learned about this book by seeing Sohm on CSPAN's BookTV discussing the book. In his lecture, I enjoyed hearing stories behind some of the photos of his passion for photography and his patriotism for America. However I mistakenly assumed the book was ONLY a coffee table book of photography.

I loved seeing the high quality photography and the large number of photographs that should go without saying. But what surprised me about VISIONS OF AMERICA once I had it in my hands, was that it is filled with essay stories by Sohm.

Sohm's passion for America, his pride in being an American citizen and his wealth of knowledge about United States history was clearly apparent. I was so entranced by Sohm's words right from the first story that I decided to not peek at the photographs in the future pages, and instead read the book cover to cover, slowly taking in each image as I read the stories in the order the author intended to reveal his literal 'visions of America'. The images so closely tie in with the stories and the finely crafted chapters that reading it in its entirety and in order seemed the most respectful and best way to approach this book. Of the storytelling I will say that the stories are just right, not overdone, are full of passion (not exaggerated) and seem so sincere.

This winds up being anything but a generic compilation of color photographs of the United States of America, there are surely a number of those types of coffee table books on the market already, good only for their photographs. This book is different and SUPERIOR because it tells a story not just in the images selected in the chapter groupings, painting a picture of America's past and present but it is a collection of stories that reads like a travel journal and also like a memoir. The historical content gives a bit of nonfiction history book flavor to the book as well. Additionally there is a fair amount of discussion of the challenges of taking good photographs and the quest and hard work trying to get a great shot so that photographers who like to read about the photographer’s artistic process will enjoy that element of Sohm's stories as well.

The book is without strong political bias but I detect hints which were not troublesome to me. The books contain images of Presidents. Sohm was hired to photograph President Clinton and so that is the time period when the bulk of his Presidential photographs were taken and the book is heavier on the Presidents post 1992. There are images of the Bush's and a couple of now President Obama, taken close to the publication date. The hot button issue of global warming found its way into the book with the author seeming very worried about it (he's clearly not a validity of the issue doubter). A chapter features some photos of some abuse of the Earth by humans (pollution, garbage dumps and so forth) as a bit of a call to action to treat our planet more gently.

Patriotic Americans will love this book. This is a great book for families too, being a wonderful photographic introduction to our United States of America. If my eleven year old son was any indication, kids will enjoy hearing some of the stories too (he loved the story of the difficulty in getting a clear shot of Mt. Rushmore, when a man in an orange jacket was standing right on Lincoln's head, ruining an otherwise perfect shot).

This is also a great book for public libraries.

This is a great coffee table book for casual flipping for people of all ages, but readers should do themselves a favor and take the time to read through the book cover to cover to savor it to its fullest.

I can't recommend this book highly enough! It is a beautiful book, very high quality paper and printing with stunning color photography with very good storytelling.

Bravo Joseph Sohm and thank you for sharing your Magnum Opus with us!

External Links

Author's official website, see samples from the book

Watch author lecture on CSPAN's BookTV



Technorati Tags: Visions of America, Visions of America book review, Joseph Sohm, photography America, U.S. History.

Word of Promise Next Generation New Testament by ChristineMM

Title: Word of Promise Next Generation New Testament
Genre: Bible, New Testament Dramatization for Children
ISBN-13: 978-1400313273
Full Retail Price: $49.99


My Rating: 2 stars = “I Don’t Like It”

Summary Statement: Mismatched Actor Emotions to What is Being Said, Bad Music Match to Content

I delayed in publishing this review because my opinion dissents from the majority. After discussing this with some other Christian parents they implored me to share my honest thoughts. I was also feeling guilty to share a negative review of a Bible product, to be honest.

I had high hopes for this as I wanted to hear a dramatized version of the New Testament for my own entertainment and information. I had hoped to share it with my tween-aged kids and the idea of them liking it enough to listen to it voluntarily appealed to me greatly.

I think this dramatization is of poor quality, not sound quality but it is a poor translation with a bare minimum of “dramatization”. It is more like an audio book being read aloud with a music track running at the same time. There are not enough sound effects to flesh out the scenes appropriately. In a scene with a crowd there is just music then a few voices at the end. In a scene with a boat there was music then a few lapping waves. Big deal.

I found it weird and distracting that a lot of the time the music track was not the same emotion or pace as what was being said. A serious scene should not have ‘happy and light’ music. The emotions were mismatched. Some of the music is classical type and others seems more of the new age-meditation type music.

The worst thing of all was the voice of Jesus Christ. This ruined the whole thing for me and caused me to give up listening to this a couple of times. There was only one tone to his voice, a monotone kind of hippie Kumbaya voice. To be blunt he sounded like he was high on drugs, mellowed out. In scenes where Jesus says things in anger, the voice was not angry. In scenes where a faster paced voice or a louder voice or a commanding voice was appropriate, the same monotone voice, quiet and calm was used. It was very strange and distracting with a tone one imagines someone saying “peace brother, God is Love”.

I had to keep playing some sections over and over as I was so distracted by the mismatch of emotion or the music that I had missed the content of what was said.

When my kids saw the box they were excited as they recognized many faces and names from the Disney channel shows. However they would have trouble following this as they are used to high quality recordings of audio books from Recorded Books publisher. This is not up to their standards.

As an example of what I think is a high quality dramatized product for children, I have read all the Chronicles of Narnia paper books, heard all the Recorded Books produced audio books and then heard the Focus on the Family Radio Theatre dramatized version of all the books (ISBN 978-1589971493). And I’ve seen the two movies that have been released in the last few years. That dramatization by Focus on the Family is a great example of the way a very good book can be adapted into an excellent dramatization by use of voices talking to each other with appropriate emotion with a small amount of narration and lots of sound effects (not simply reading the book aloud with mainly music in the background and a few sound effects thrown in here and there).

For my children and myself, I think I will find an audio book version of the New Testament and Old Testament with a high quality reader (even if it was produced for an adult audience), and scratch the idea of a dramatization or something special geared toward kids.




Disclosure: I received a review copy of this product from the Amazon Vine product review program.

Technorati Tags: Word of Promise review, Word of Promise , New Testament dramazation.

Considering Shutting This Blog Down

I have been posting my creative pursuits and thoughts on creativity and children over at my main blog, The Thinking Mother.

More and more this blog is just a double posting of some of the posts I do over on the main blog.

I am going to taper down posting here I think.

Luxury Yarn One Skein Wonders Book Review by ChristineMM

Title: Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders: 101 Small Indulgences
Edited by: Judith Durant
Genre: Nonfiction, Knitting
Publication: Storey Publishing, 2008
Format: Softcover Book
ISBN: 9781603420792
Full Retail Price: $18.95

My Rating: 5 stars out of 5 (I love it!)

Summary Statement: Inspirational, Lovely Projects, Mostly for Intermediate or Advanced Knitters

This is the third in the “one skein wonder” series, featuring 101 projects made of luxury yarns. As with all books in this series the finished projects are shown in full-color photographs in a gallery in the front of the book. The chapters that follow are divided by yarn weight. This format allows for two options of skimming: you can browse through all projects with a certain weight yarn that you may want to work with, or you can skim through the photographs to find a project that catches your eye as the starting point.

The yarns featured in this book are: silk and silk blends, cashmere, alpaca and alpaca blends, soy, qiviut (arctic musk ox), bison, and corn. Some ‘ecofriendly fibers’ are featured: bamboo, flax, linen, organic cotton and organic wool.

Since luxury yarns are expensive, it is a great idea to have access to projects that can be made with just one skein. It is apparent that the designers tried to get the most and best use from each yarn, giving luxury yarns a project that would show off their unique beauty, or take advantage of the softest fibers to use it in ways that we can appreciate the sensual nature against our skin, such as a very soft scarf or a hat for a baby or an adult. The super fine weight yarns have been made into lovely lacey objects.

It seems to me that most of the projects are for the intermediate or advanced knitter. I feel this is due to the types of complex stitching used to either make a lovely lacey shawl or scarf or perhaps to make the one skein stretch to the largest size thing possible, as with the case with some of the scarves made more for show than warmth, and with an airy baby cap. There are gloves, socks, vests and baby sweaters which are projects or stitches for knitters with more skill than a beginner has.

While at first I was a bit disappointed there were not more easy projects for beginners, after reading through the book a few times I came to realize that this is probably due to wanting to use an expensive and luxurious yarn in the most appropriate way to ‘honor it’, if you will, by matching its cost and level of luxuriousness to a finished project that will really show it off. One would not want to waste an expensive and fancy yarn on a basic garter stitch scarf or a simple ribbed hat, typical beginner knitting projects. Also some of the yarns are delicate and would not hold up to some of the easier to knit projects that might get hard wear and be ruined in a short amount of time.

I love the book because the designers have provided a variety of projects ranging from wearable items for babies to adults to home decor that make good and an appropriate use of the expensive luxury yarns. I am a beginner knitter and feel I’m not yet ready to knit most of these projects. I am inspired by this book to continue learning new knitting techniques and to try knitting with more delicate yarns. This book let me see that I have a lot of options for types of yarn to work with in the future.

As a beginner knitter for one-skein projects I can, for now, use the two other books in this series as I continue to learn. I have skimmed through those two books and highly recommend them too.

Knitters who love to fill their shelves with books that inspire them would like to own this book. Knitters who like to do small projects or who are looking for good projects to make gifts would like this. This is also a good book for a public library to have in their collection.



Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program for the purpose of writing a review for Amazon Vine at Amazon.com.

Technorati Tags: Luxury Yarn One Skein Wonders, Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders, Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders book review, knitting luxury yarns, knitting.

A Rite of Passage?

I think I have gone through a knitter's rite of passage.

I was knitting along well with my sweater, working on the body. I tried it on and was shocked at how wide it seemed, but since not a lot was done on it, I kept going.

Then I tried it on when I reached 11 inches of body. It was short at that point, almost like a crop top. It looked too wide and was still too short. I decided to knit more, so I knitted almost another skein. I thought at that point that even if it was a bit wide if it was longer almost like a tunic then the wideness would not matter. I tried it on last night.

It looks terrible. Not my knitted stitches, but the shape. It is just way too wide. For once I was wishing I was larger, fatter, so that it would fit me well! Honestly, if I finish this I'd never wear it.

Don't worry, I'm not depressed about it. A bit deflated, yes, but not even angry.

The directions said to cast on 1/4 the amount of stitches in the sleeve for the underarm. It was 80 stitches and I figured 20 was way too many, so I just cast on 12. The more I knitted the body, the wider it got, which was odd as my stitches were not increasing. Each underarm cast on area added three inches to each side of the body. Back when this was just a yoke, it draped and went almost tightly over my shoulders and bust.

And the bulky Lopi yarn doesn't drape to go against my body, it is stiff and kind of stays 'out', larger than my body. It lies almost flat as if it were ironed, it is that stiff. It would have been warm to wear. This is knit on #8 needles and the stitches are pretty tight.

If I did finish knitting this I would have invested $64 (plus tax) on the yarn. I got it all on sale. I was thinking of finishing it just to have it done, even if I never wore it. However I am too practical, so, I think this will wind up frogged.

Again, I'm not angry. I consider this a learning experience.

And now I feel like I'm part of the club of beginner knitters who took the time and energy to knit a sweater that is utterly un-wearable.

I'm going to slow down on big projects and try to knit a scarf for my mother-in-law. I bought a funky yarn that is hard to knit with because it is a combination of stiff thread, beads, and mohair wool. It tangles and snags. I have started a scarf and frogged it ten times, at least.

After Christmas I will tackle this project again.

Talent and Skill

Mental Multivitamin blogged some good quotes from a book called "Talent is Overrated: What Really Supports World-Class Performers From Everybody Else".

The ideas of this author may surprise you if you believe people are born with a natural talent whose mastery with the art or craft comes easily and quickly.

Now I want to read this book!

So many good ideas to learn about, so little time to read all the books I want to read!

Thank You for Your Amazon Purchases

Thank you to all my blog readers who purchase items through my blog's links.

After you link through everything and anything you put into your shopping cart and then finalize the order within 24 hours means I make a commission on the entire sale. Your purchases are confidential so I don't know who is buying what.

The nickels and dimes add up to dollars as the month goes on, thanks to those of you who make purchases through my blog. THANK YOU!

My commissions are paid in Amazon gift cards which I use to buy materials to homeschool my kids or for my children's or my own life enrichment and pleasure. Often I'm buying things for my children but sometimes I splurge on something for myself, like a book about learning to knit.

Amazon also gives commissions to me for gift card purchases. In case you are considering buying gift cards for Amazon please consider clicking through the link. I'll put the link here and I'm adding it to my blog's sidebar today also.

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

Top Down Raglan Sweater Update

Short update: I think I am on the right road with my top down raglan sweater knitting.

I am knitting in the in-between times and while watching (listening) to TV before bed. In the last two days, I have knitted six inches of the body so far. I figured out I'm knitting 100 yards in knit stitch in four hours.

Last night I spent a full four hours knitting, while a passenger in a car to and from a meeting, knitted during the meeting, and before I went to bed, and I knitted up one full skein of yarn.

Sorry I don't have a photo downloaded yet, when I do I will share it.

Block Play

If...

1. They have blocks available

2. They have space to build structures

3. They have limited screen time

4. They have time to play

Then...

They will build with wooden blocks.

Even at ages 11 and 8.

It is true.

It is not baby play, as they grow older their constructions get more imaginative, more complex, and sometimes more structurally precarious and engineering-physics-boundary-testing.

Younger son's creation (using imagination for a pretend building inspired by the LEGO catalog)--




Older son still loves symmetry (sorry Blogger turned it sideways...)--



Older son's creation (pretty complicated, more about testing limits and being elaborate than pretend worlds at this stage)--




Technorati Tags: block play, unit blocks, construction toys, children and creativity, children and play.

Feeling Stupid

I am really hitting a wall with knitting a top-down raglan sweater.

I am at an all time high with feeling like a complete stupid person, a total idiot.

I know that in the beginning it was a good exercise for this homeschooling mom to learn something new. It is good to struggle because it reminds me of what kids feel like when learning something new. Being a homeschooling mom it is good for me to feel like what my kids must sometimes feel like, it keeps me in check so my expectations of them are not too high.

Regarding this sweater I am stuck on the part when the yoke is done and when I need to knit down the body then down the sleeves. I cannot at all understand the directions in this book I'm using which is not written for beginners. A major problem is I don't understand what to do by the steps, if I did I could tell myself not to need to understand WHY I am doing it but just do it and see how it unfolds. But since I can't understand WHAT to do I tried understanding what it is that needs to be done so that I could then approach it from that perspective. Not working.

I also have a feeling once I get this that I will not understand why the written directions were not making sense. But honestly they are not making sense to me right now.

I have the yoke tied off on four pieces of waste yarn. Each sleeve is tied off and the front is one and the back is the other. It fits me well.

I can't understand the method of cast-on the book says to do and I don't understand either what I am casting on for or where. Is the cast on for the sleeve? For the body? Why do I have the cast on anyway? In other words where does my needle go first, do I put the sleeve stitches on the needle then cast on then knit? None of this makes sense to me.

I am completely confused.

Last week I would have gone for the first time to a knitting guild meeting but it conflicted with Boy Scouts and I was being trained for a new volunteer job (small) that I am taking on. This week I can't go either as it is the Court of Honor and my son is earning a new rank. I am going to go to the meeting in ten days time and see if someone can help me.

I went to a local yarn shop for the first time looking for a new yarn. I had been told by two people they are super friendly there. Well they basically had no yarn that coordinated at all. They were nice but man, they had no stock. I was hugely disappointed. The shop's size was tiny and there were too many shoppers so I couldn't get to see all the yarn. Then people were just standing in front of yarn talking with their friend and relatives who were shopping with them and not even looking at yarn and preventing me from shopping. I left buying nothing.

I went to another local yarn shop and they do a sweater class for $150. That is how it is around here, nothing is for free, no help, you have to wait to take a class. That is the same shop that in the first week of July told me I'd have to wait for September to pay to take a class to learn to knit socks. At least another shop locally told me they'd do a private one hour lesson for $25 practically at my convenience. And at another shop out of state the shop worker gave me a private sock making lesson for free, she insisted on it, right then and there, in between helping other customers. Now that is customer service!

I spent an hour at Barnes & Noble yesterday. It was educator discount day so I went looking for a good book that teaches knitting sweaters from top down. I figured if that was all the book was about they'd teach it from a beginner's viewpoint and have good illustrations. And I'd buy the book from them too. No such luck. I found one book and the major focus was on seeing how fancy one can get with that method and there were tons of patters for sweaters with fancy stitches that I feel like I'll never be able to do. The book's directions were poor and mostly were abbreviations in patterns not for a beginner at all.

I have spent now about three hours on Google, You Tube, and Ravelry trying to find the information. So far I have found two posts from people stuck exactly like I am. I contacted one on Ravelry and despite something like 8 months having passed she has given up on it and is soon going to frog it. She never got the answer to her question. Another knitter got an answer that made sense from somone. I printed it off last night and tried doing that and it didn't work.

Another issue is that in other sets of directions some patterns do not call for casting on new stitches at all. They just say "pick up and knit". I also found one online pattern where the person knits the sleeves by themselves and then grafts them onto the sweater in the end. So one challenge is there are all different kinds of ways of doing this, I guess, so other descriptions of how to do it don't match my pattern.

It takes me a long time, about 30 minutes for some reason, to put stitches back on the circular needle from the waste yarn. I did that then I realized the yarn to knit with was on the OTHER side and useless. Now I will have to take this off and put the other side on the needle, I guess.

The good news on the sweater is that I finally found a new yarn for the main color at a local yarn shop. I bought 10 skeins of that dye lot to make the sweater with. So that task was accomplished. I knit four or five rows of the main color for the bottom of the yoke and it does look nice when put together for the sweater.

The bad news on the sweater beyond me being stuck is that one sleeve is 4 stitches wider, so I'll have to remedy that. And somehow the back is 101 stiches and the front is 95 stitches. More evidence of my imperfection!

I thought I had a better picture of this yoke but now can't find it. Maybe it is on the other digital camera and not yet downloaded. Yet another project.

So for now I'll show you my progress on my first sweater, this was taken on 11/26/08.



I could phone my friend who taught me to knit but honestly I'm feeling a bit embarrassed to call her again. She helped me already once with phone counseling about this sweater. I know she is busy and I feel too much like a pain in the butt to phone her.

I've started asking around to others if they've made a top down raglan. So far, no luck, the knitters all say they have not done it yet. One mom even told me yesterday she can't learn any knitting from reading written instructions and she can't read patterns so she doesn't even try. I refuse to not try.

I'm a persistent person. I want to work on this sweater. I don't just want it for a finished product. I want to get back to enjoying knitting it. I bought the yarn and I want to use it, darn it. I'm ready, willing and able.

Maybe later I'll give it another whirl by just winging it.

Update: My Knitting Angel read this post and phoned me with instructions. She completely understood the writing in the book's pattern and re-phrased it in a dumbed down format for my newbie knitter brain. I plan to work on it today. Now it seems ridiculously simple, what I am to do. Stay tuned.