Want thank my new photo assistant – hubby, Arden. He caught on fast to the camera while I manned the computer. Shot over 25 new watches in 2 short sessions.
Arden – as the twins would say – You Rock! Here are a few of his shots. I’ll be posting these beautiful handmade watches to the Etsy store as part of the A.F.F. Jewelry Collection on Sunday.
We’ll be shooting more watch pictures tomorrow and I’ll be working on the computer on Sunday to fill the store.
TOMS Shoes feel great – you’ll also feel great when a needy child receives a pair because of your purchase. Their One for One® program has given away over a million shoes.
A big thanks to American Blake Mycoskie who launched a shoe company and a movement. Instead of obscene CEO pay, Blake uses the company as an instrument for good.
TOMS has lots of great looking shoes for women, men and kids at reasonable prices.
I love these cranberry colored wedgies (right). 
Or if you want a bit more sparkle in your step, check out the Glitter series. (below)
TOMS carries sizes from toddler to a medium 14 and wide 11.
You can become a TOMS fan and share your picture of how you wear your TOMS. You can also throw a Style your Sole party to promote the charity activities or participate in One Day Without Shoes (next event April 5, 2011 to raise global awareness of the children’s needs.
Everyone needs shoes so why not make your purchase count – twice!
I’d love to have you share a picture of your TOMS and your thoughts on this great corporation.
A shout-out of thanks to all the Nerds in the world who have made it a better place. Being a Nerd is now cool as we realize without them we’d still have Polio, live by candlelight and walk to school.
Science and Math still aren’t the most popular classes in High School but the success (and wealth) of the kids who live for Calculus and Chemistry is turning that around.
Today I’d like to thank 5 of the Nerds who are making a difference today.
Temple Grandin
This autistic Colorado State University professor was the subject of HBO’s Emmy-award winning movie but most people still haven’t heard of her work in animal rights and in exploring how the brain functions. In dealing with her own brain limitations, she has opened up whole new possibilities of understanding.
Nathan Myhrvold
In our world, mosquitoes are annoying pests; but in parts of the world they carry death and disease to millions. Former Microsoft exec, Myhrvold is working on a laser system to stop malaria-carrying mosquitoes to enter buildings.
Mark Roth
Science fiction may become fact if Roth succeeds in putting animals into suspended animation. So far he has put zebra fish and frogs into a deep sleep for 24 hours. Why? Because the potential to place a human into this state could mean doctors have extra time to deal with a medical crisis.
Encourage Science and Math
So many of the world’s issues will be solved by young scientists (aka Nerds). Encourage your child to think of science as a 
wonderful game and puzzle and math as a universal language. Woman are still under represented in the sciences so girls of all ages should be supported when they show an interest.
It’s the curious little girl who studies butterfly wings or the little boy who wants a microscope that will be the visionaries reimagining the world as it should be and not just how it is.
2010 police deaths are up 43%. 87 officers died this year protecting us. I’m thankful every day for the “thin blue line” of men & women who serve.
If you know a police officer, take a few minutes today to thank them for putting themselves in harm’s way for us. Immediately after 9/11, the entire nation loudly honored the police officers who perished that day. We need to repeat this often and loudly!
To the families of these police officers – you, too have paid a price for their service and we thank you for your personal sacrifice.
Here are a three who have fallen in the line of duty this year. Thank you, officers.
Donations can be made for families at the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund.
For more information on fallen officers, check out the Officer Down Memorial web site.
For more info, watch this CBN news broadcast -
Create your own memory books today. Learn how to preserve and share family memories quickly and easily! DIY or have a pro help!
My dad used to only shoot slide film so he had to drag out the projector and force everyone to cram together on the sofa to watch me and my brothers grin for the camera. He was a talented photographer; but we actually rarely saw his work or our smiling faces.
Since the introduction of digital cameras, our hard drives have become stuffed with birthday wishes, Christmas cheer, baby coos and party antics. Huddling around a computer monitor is worse than Dad’s Kodak projector (see pic above).
Today thanks to digital printing and online resources, you can easily create your own bound memory books. Plus there are some professionals out there to help you do justice to your family photos.
Organize your photos and decide on a theme. Choosing a theme will help you select the best photos to tell your story. You could just drop in different photos but the best photo books are those which have a strong theme. You could put together only Christmas pictures or pictures where everyone is cooking and include some family recipes.
Choose your web-based publisher. Many sites come with easy to use templates. Knowing how many pictures you’ll need, sizes and color schemes can help you weed out the “just not right” pictures from step 1. Here are some DIY book publishers with good reputations.
Check out this Martha Stewart You Tube video on creating a Kodak photo book.
You can hire a professional to create your photo books or custom digital scrapbooks (which can be printed and bound). Google personalized photo books and custom digital scrapbooks for more sources.
Just because you have a camera doesn’t mean you can take a 
great picture. Brush up on your photo skills before starting a photo book project.
If you have a favorite photo that needs some tweaking. Find a Photoshop expert to remove the red eyes, enhance a sky or remove that ex-spouse. Google Photoshop designer or photo retouching for someone to help put the finishing touches on your photos. PhotoHand Professional Retouching provides this service.
Have family photos that are fading fast? You can have your photo library scanned professionally and color corrected. Scans can cost as little as as 10 cent each.
Facebook darling Betty White of Golden Girl fame may be well over 50 but she is hot. Hot in Cleveland on TV Land is her return to the small screen.
Betty is joined for three other fabulous (all 50 plus) women in TV Land’s first original series. Jane Leeves (Frazier), Valerie Bertinelli (Weight Watcher spokeswoman and teen actress from One Day at a Time) and Wendie Malick (Just Shoot Me) are favorite comedic actresses who will be verbally sparking with Betty.
It’s so great that these women get to show their stuff every Wednesday night. Time to go set up the TiVo!
Hot in Cleveland Facebook Fan Page
Fame & fortune can corrupt or transform lives. Celebrity status + publicity = step 1 in solving overwhelming issues.
Thankful Thursday recognizes the power of celebrity and how it is being used worldwide to bring attention to media-starved issues, gather people together and jump start communities and even nations into working together to make a difference.
Sometimes celebs are criticized for speaking out about political issues. But just because you’ve found fame doesn’t mean you aren’t an intelligent, assertive citizen. During an interview with Larry King, Brad Pitt shared that Angelina Jolie taught him how to take his celebrity status and use it as a powerful tool to help others beyond just writing a check. She taught him how to beat the paparazzi to the punch by selling pictures Brad took of their newborn children and donating the entire proceeds to worthy causes around the globe. The inevitable turned good.
George Clooney isn’t just a heartthrob – he is personally involved in helping the war-torn citizens of Sudan. Not a “trendy” cause but a critical one for the Sudanese who have been struggling just to survive while millions have been killed since 2005. Clooney and John Prendergast wrote an Op-Ed piece for U.S. Today recently to explain their concern.
Star Sharon Stone supports the Homeless Not Toothless program started by Dr. Jay Grossman in 1992. This low-key charity 
provides much needed dental care to the homeless population in the greater Los Angeles area . Working with volunteer dentists, they have provided over $2 million in dental care.
Kevin Bacon has taken the 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon game and spun it into his 6Degrees Organization. Working in partnership with Network for Good, he has helped raise $2.8 million. A great way to capture fame and help others.
Star/Scoundrel Sean Penn has repeatedly put his resources to bear when there is a need. He showed up in ravaged New Orleans before the flood waters receded with a boat and friends and personally waded through the muck to rescue people. Did he have to? No. 
Does he snarl at the media? Sure but he knows it’s actions that count most.
After the Haiti earthquake, he made helping the people of Haiti a family affair bringing his son and daughter to work along side him. Penn snared entrepreneur Diana Jenkins into helping and they co-founded J/P Haitian Relief Organization.
Penn’s urgent plea is worth your review and donation. His testimony before Congress is quite moving. Their success in cutting through red tape and government bureaucracy has been outstanding and has been widely lauded.
You don’t have to be a celebrity to make a difference today! Remember it is the power of one that will transform the world. I know you’re busy but why not take the afternoon to find a place where your talents, skills or interests can benefit others. If you make time for others, you’ll find that the time will miraculously appear.
So thanks to the people who stand on soap boxes and shine a light in the darkest corners of our world.
Nothing says I love you or thanks a lot like a food gift from your kitchen. Homemade goodies can be as fun to make as to receive! Here’s 2 great recipes for giving or keeping.
The classic chocolate chip cookie brings smiles but how about something else to drool over. Snickerdoodles are quick and fun to make (just like saying the name).
Snickerdoodles*
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. course salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (do not substitute salted butter) at room temperature
1-1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp. sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
* Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cookies (2008, Martha Stewart living Omnimedia, Inc.)
Brownies are a favorite and this recipe is quick and tasty.
Michael’s Fudge Brownies*
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour (4 oz.)
1/2 cup plus 1/2 tbsp. unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
5 tbsp. butter (margarine can be used)
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. instant espresso or coffee powder, dissolved in 1 tsp. hot water
One 8-inch square pan
Author’s Note: I originally did this recipe with a handheld mixer, and that works fine also. Just don’t over do the mixing.
* Recipe from Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts (Alice Medrich, 1994, Warner Books, Inc.) This book is a real gem but hard to come by. If you are a cookbook collector or chocoholic, check out used bookstores for this must-have tome.
Have a gift-giving favorite you’d like to share?Leave a comment and I’ll be in touch.
Perhaps you should make a double batch of these great treats. Keep one and give one as a thank you!
Copyright © 2012 Rose of Sharon Jewelry, All rights reserved.
