Creating Art with Photobucket! Welcome to the 32nd Metamorphosis Monday!

Several folks who read the very first post I created for BNOTP, when I re-posted it last week for BNOTP's Blogoversary Day, inquired about something I mentioned in that post regarding an easy way to give your photos the look of a painting. I know many of you already know about the enhancements you may make to the photos you upload to Photobucket, but if you don't, hope you enjoy the following little tutorial and some of my Before and Afters!

Originally posted August 19th, 2008
Have you often wondered how you could turn your photos into little works of art. Great news, you don't have to purchase any expensive software...everything you need is available at Photobucket (HERE) for free....don't you love that word, FREE!

All you need to do, in order to give your photos the "painting" look, is to use an effect called "aging" on Photobucket's site. Take a look at some before and after pics below:


Perennial Garden, Before

After

Family Room, Before

After

Upstairs Family, Before

After

Beachy Tablescape, Before:

After

Blue & White Tablescape, Before

After

Ok, ready to give it a shot? Here's how you do it:

Go to Photobucket . Join or register...then make sure you are logged in.

Upload a photo you have currently saved on your computer. (Click "Upload images and videos" to upload.)

Once your photo is uploaded, don't forget to scroll down and click on "save.

"Now for the good part...

Click on the word "edit" which is just above your uploaded photo.

Then select the "effects" tab you will see above.

Next click on the "more" arrow, showing at either end of the menu bar above.

You will see an effect called "Fresco"...that's the one you want.

Click on "Fresco" and there ya go...instant art!  You're smiling right now, aren't you? Don't forget to click on "save a copy" so that your new art is saved.

Update:  There's also an effect called "painting."  Try that one, too.  Try them all.  Have fun!

Photobucket calls this process "aging" and you are even given the option of deciding how much to "age" your photo. For grins and giggles, I tried a really super aged look, it wasn't pretty. I recommend the medium setting that is the automatic default when you select Fresco.

Now you may RIGHT click on your photo and select "save picture as" in order to save it to your computer. Be sure and note where you save it on your computer, so you can easily find it later.

Once you have converted several of you pics into art, you can go to the Photo Store of Wal-mart or almost any drugstore online, download your pics to them and have them printed and ready for pick up within the hour. Or maybe you have a photo printer in your home. I don't remember who now, but I remember reading where a blogger printed out pics of several of her rooms in her home, had them framed and then hung them to enjoy. They looked great!

While playing around on Photobucket, I had a little fun (hee, hee, hee)

Shady Bunny

If you do some fun things with your photos on Photobucket, be sure to share them with us on a future Met Monday. Looking forward to seeing your Before and Afters!



If you are participating in Metamorphosis Monday, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. If you aren't sure how to obtain your permalink or have any questions about using Mr. Linky for this post, just click HERE for detailed instructions.

Don't forget to copy and paste the Met Monday logo button to your computer so you can add it to your side bar and your Met Monday post. That way visitors will know that your are participating in Metamorphosis Monday.

Please be sure to link back to the host blog, Between Naps on the Porch, so your fellow bloggers who are participating today, will get lots of visits, as well.

Please do not add your link below until your Met Monday post is actually published to your blog.

The following blogs are participating in this Metamorphosis Monday:

Beach Tablescape! Welcome to the 52nd Tablescape Thursday!

If you've stopped by the porch earlier in the week, you know there's a celebration going on! Tuesday was the 1 year Blogoversary of Between Naps on the Porch, and we're celebrating all week long! :-)

BNOTP is hosting a brand new give-a-way every day this week for Blogoversary Week (Monday through Friday) August 17th through August 21st.

If you missed Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday's Give-a-Way, it's not too late...just scroll on down to those posts when you are done reading this one, and leave a comment to be included in those drawings, too. The drawings for all 5 days will not take place until this weekend, (results announced next Monday) so you have all week (until Saturday) to leave a comment on each of the five Give-a-Way posts:-)

I'd especially like to show my appreciation to those of you who are "Followers" of BNOTP...so, if you are a Follower, be sure to mention that in your comment and your name will be entered twice for today's drawing. Did you know you don't have to be a blogger yourself to become a Follower of BNOTP. Just register and sign in with Google and you will be able to "Follow" all of your favorite blogs. :-)

If you also subscribe to the BNOTP feed, mention that, too, for a third entry into today's Give-a-Way. Remember, there will be a different drawing each day, so lots of opportunities to win. :-) To make it easy, you can just write "F" and/or "S" in your comment and I'll know to include an extra entry for you for that day's Give-a-Way. :-) And thanks so much for "following" BNOTP!

Our Blogoversary Give-a-Way for today is a set of these wonderful Laguiole knives made in France by Jean Dubost. They have an Authenticity Certificate on the back with the Laguiole stamp, an image of a bee and the name Jean Dubost, France. The stamp states: "Dubost Colas Pradel founded in 1920 by Mr. Pierre Dubost, a cutler's son and maker of the famous Laguiole knives. Production started in a small workshop and grew thanks to the founders son, Mr. Jean Dubost, whose name signs the flatware and kitchen knives lines."



Do you see the little bees? :-)


It just seemed fitting to have an item for the table as our give-a-way for our Blogoversary Tablescape Thursday. :-) Please be sure to leave a comment to be included in the drawing for the Laguiole knives.


For our Blogoversary (52nd) Tablescape Thursday, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic. I thought it would be fun to post the table setting I put together for that very first Tablescape party. Back then our tablescaping day was on Tuesday...so you'll see the Tablescape Tuesday button that Shelia at Notes Songs so graciously made for TT. She also made the one we use now...thank-you, Shelia! Once Metamorphosis Monday began, our tablescaping day moved a couple of days down the week to Thursday...just so we'd have a little separation between the two parties. We've been tablescaping on Thursday's ever since. :-)

I had only been blogging for about a week at this point and I didn't have any idea how to sign up or use Mr. Linky. So I aasked folks to let me know via comments left during the week, if they wanted to participate. That worked fine in the very beginning, but as TT grew, I found it taking an hour or longer each week to put the list together. Things got a lot simpler when I started using Mr. Linky. Yea, Mr. Linky!

I've left the original group of participants, just as I posted them back on August 25th, 2008. You'll notice I didn't know how to create links and had to list the entire URL. I also, didn't have any idea about permalinks back then, so the links shown are the participants general blog addresses and not the actual link to their tablescape. You have to remember, I'd only been blogging for a week at this point...things did get better. :-)

I want to thank all 13 of the original participants who took that leap of faith with me on the very first Tablescape Tuesday. You were brave pioneers and will always be heroes in my eyes! :-)

The only thing I've changed below is the size of the pics...I did enlarge them for this Blogoversary posting. Hope you enjoy the very first "Tablescape Tuesday" posted at Between Naps on the Porch! :-) There's some beachy music on the playlist to go with our tablescape. :-)

Posted August 25, 2008

Welcome everyone to the first Tablescape Tuesday. You will find beautiful tablescapes awaiting your oooohhhs and ahhhhhs at the following blogs (listed in alphabetical order):

A Beach Cottage http://www.abeachcottage.typepad.com/
Angelic Accents http://angelicaccents.blogspot.com/
Cathymac’s Holiday Hamlet http://holidayhamlet.blogspot.com/
Dish Diva aka Kay http://dishdivaakakay.blogspot.com/
'D's DayDreams http://dsdaydreams.blogspot.com/
Equus Villa http://equusvilla.blogspot.com/
Designs by Gollum http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com//
My Romantic Home http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
Note Songs http://notesongs.blogspot.com/
Ribbonwood Cottage http://ribbonwoodcottage.blogspot.com/
Sweet Designs http://judith-sweetdesigns.blogspot.com/
There is Always Thyme for... http://thereisalwaysthymefor.blogspot.com/
Thinkin’ of Home http://thinkinofhome.blogspot.com/

If you are participating today and you do not see your name above, please leave me a comment right away and I will add you to the list, post-haste. If you would like to participate next Tuesday, please leave me a comment by this Friday so I can make sure I have an updated list.

I know summer is almost over, but I'm just not quite ready to let it go. I found some adorable shell candlesticks recently and put together this "beach" themed tablescape.




Found the sea-blue flatware at Pier 1 recently and it was half off...whoo, hoo! Thought it worked well with the colors in the china...what do you think?


Napkin rings were made by gluing shells to plain wooden rings...


Used both starfish-shaped salad plates with shell-shaped ones in this tablescape... Star-fished shaped salad plate shown here...


Shell shaped salad plate...


Do you see the little starfish on the glass? :-)


Sea-biscuit bread plate...


Love how they decorated all four sides of the bowls...


Thought these candlesticks look like they were designed to go with this beach china...


Close-up of candlestick base...






Come walk with me, along the sea, where dusk sits on the land. And search with me, for shells are free, and treasures hide in sand. (Author unknown)

END of first Tablescape Tuesday (08-25-08) post...

Hope you enjoyed viewing this first Tablescape Party. Thanks for making Tablescape Thursday so much fun each and every week! Looking forward to the next 52! :-)

The following blogs have lovely tablescapes awaiting your visit:

Finally Revealed...the Real Brains Behind BNOTP!

If you stopped by the porch earlier this week, you know there's a celebration going on! Yesterday was the 1 year Blogoversary of Between Naps on the Porch, and we're celebrating all week long!

And...WOW...what a day yesterday turned out to be! My heart is still filled to overflowing with gratitude for all the wonderful and generous comments you all left yesterday. I was expecting comments about the Give-a-Way, but instead, you guys all but brought me to tears several times throughout the day with your sweet words! Folks who have never, ever commented before, even went to the trouble to register with Google so they could leave their sweet thoughts!

There are simply no words to express my appreciation for each and every comment left yesterday! But please know that I always read every single comment left...and very much appreciate each one and the effort it took to leave it. YOU are the reason there's a blog called, Between Naps on the Porch!

As many of you know by now, BNOTP is hosting a brand new give-a-way every day this week for Blogoversary Week (Monday through Friday) August 17th through August 21st. (Tablescape Thursday will go on as always...the Give-a-Way will be in addition!)

Our Blogoversary Give-a-Way for today has me wishing it was already October. Colonial Candle donated this fun Shimmer Cat Flicker Candle for our Give-a-Way today.




Wouldn't your children or grandchildren just love this! I can't wait until I have grandchildren! I'm going to go crazy decorating for every single holiday...well, like I don't already.



Well, since it's Blogoversary week here at BNOTP, I thought it was time I came clean and fessed up. Yes, you heard right...I have a confession. (hangs head in shame) It's high time I finally revealed the real brains behind the posts you read each time you visit BNOTP. I know I've been taking credit alllll this time for creating each post, but the credit really belongs to...

SAMMY!


Not only does Sammy create all the posts you read, but he's a whiz using the mouse!



And he can really pound out posts on the old keyboard, lickety split!



The amazing thing is he's willing to do all this work for practically peanuts...ahh...




Make that...bananas! Okay, I have to keep him well-stocked with lots of sweet, iced-tea, too.



He always insists on using his favorite coaster....



And after a hard day's blogging, Sammy likes to just sit back, kick up his feet...



and admire his latest post.



Oh, and before you go, be sure to leave a comment if you'd like to be entered into the drawing for the Shimmering Cat Halloween Candle. See you tomorrow for Tablescape Thursday and another Give-a-Way! Hope you are enjoying Blogoversary Week as much as I am!

Happy Blogoversary Day!

Light the fireworks, sound the horns, throw the confetti!..it's time for a celebration! Today is the official birthday of Between Naps on the Porch! Can you believe it?! BNOTP is 1 year old today! :-)

To show my appreciation for your wonderful support and visits during this past year, BNOTP will be hosting a brand new give-a-way every day this week for Blogoversary Week (Monday through Friday) August 17th through August 21st. (Tablescape Thursday will go on as always...the Give-a-Way will be in addition!) If you missed yesterdays Give-a-Way, just scroll down to that post and leave a comment. The drawings for all 5 days will not take place until this weekend, so you have all week to leave a comment on each Give-a-Way post:-)

The Give-a-Ways this week are just a small way to show my appreciation for you, the loyal readers of BNOTP. To enter each of the five Give-a-Ways posted this week, just leave a comment on that day's post. Since there will be a new Give-a-Way every day this week, be sure to stop by and enter each day.

I'd especially like to show my appreciation to those of you who are "Followers" of BNOTP...so, if you are a Follower, be sure to mention that in your comment and your name will be entered twice for today's drawing. Did you know you don't have to be a blogger yourself to become a Follower of BNOTP. Just register and sign in with Google and you will be able to "Follow" all of your favorite blogs. :-)

If you also subscribe to the BNOTP feed, mention that, too, for a third entry into today's Give-a-Way. Remember, there will be a different drawing each day, so lots of opportunities to win. :-) To make it easy, you can just write "F" and/or "S" in your comment and I'll know to include an extra entry for you for that day's Give-a-Way. :-) And thanks so much for "following" BNOTP!

Our Blogoversary Give-a-Way for today is Mary Carol Garrity's new book, Nell Hill's, O Christmas Tree. I was so excited to see the release date for this book is today, August 18th...great timing for our Give-a-Way! :-)



Are you a serious Mary Carol Garrity/Nell Hill fan like I am? I'm really looking forward to this book arriving because it's my favorite kind...the kind where the author takes you inside her own home, and at Christmas time, no less! :-) Amazon says, Mary Carol will be "inviting you into her own 130-year-old Greek Revival home decked out in the season's liveliest shades of evergreen, pine cone, and holly."

If you'd like an opportunity to win a copy of this book, be sure to leave a comment here. If you missed entering in yesterday's drawing for the darling rooster tassel made by Angela at The Tassel House, it's not too late to enter...just scroll on down to that post and leave your comment there, too. The winners for each Give-a-Way will be announced next Monday, August 24th!

When I was trying to decide what to post for this day, the Blogoversary Day for Between Naps on the Porch, I thought it might be fun to share my very first post...the one that kicked off this wonderful, crazy adventure called Blogging. :-) I haven't changed a single thing...it's just the way it was the day it was published. You'll notice the pics are quite small...I left them that way since it would sort of be cheating to enlarge them now. :-)

I was surprised to discover the pic I chose from my computer just a few months ago to be the image for my "blog button," was a pic I took for my very first blog post...isn't that fitting, somehow? :-) You'll see it at the end of this post. If you enjoy visiting BNOTP or participating in Met Monday or Tablescape Thursday, please feel free to take the BNOTP button that you'll find posted on my sidebar. It will give you an easy, fast link to BNOTP whenever you like. :-)

I had to smile when I read the last line of this first post...I think it will make you smile, too. :-) (A little background for those who are more recent readers of BNOTP...Tablescape Thursday first began as Tablescape Tuesday, but was moved to Thursday when Metamorphosis Monday began, just to keep a little distance between those two blog parties.)

Hope you enjoy this very first post for Between Naps on the Porch...it made me feel a little nostalgic. :-)

August 18, 2008
Welcome to my first ever, blog! Many thanks to all of you who have poked, prodded and assisted me down this long, winding corridor that leads to Blogville...you know who you are! :-) Now, having finally gotten up the nerve to dip my big toe into the fast moving current of Blog land, it seems only fitting to begin a blog titled "Between Naps on the Porch" with quotes about, and views of, some great porches. I'm making plans for some fun and hopefully informative future posts and I'm am so hoping you will come back again soon.

Now for a little tease :-) In an upcoming post, I'll share how easy it is to turn your photos into little works of art, without having to purchase any special software. It's really easy and fun...I'll try to get that posted soon!

Now, just sit back, put your feet up and let's go relax a while on some wonderful porches.

Friends are the pillars on your porch. Sometimes they hold you up, sometimes they lean on you, and sometimes it's just enough to know that they are standing by. " (Anonymous)


Behold a woman! She looks out from her Quaker cap, her face is clearer and more beautiful than the sky. She sits in an armchair under the shaded porch of the farmhouse, The sun just shines on her old white head. Walt Whitman, from Faces


"The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch swing with, never say a word, then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation that you ever had.” (Anonymous)


"The porch is like the brim of a hat. it shades you, but makes it possible for you to have an uninterrupted view of the surrounding landscape." David Heymann, American Architect


“You can run with the big dogs or sit on the porch and bark." Wallace Arnold, Major General, U.S. Army


"What was it Clarise had said one afternoon? No front porches. My uncle says there used to be front porches. And people sat there sometimes at night, talking, when they wanted to talk, rocking and not talking when they didn't want to talk." Ray Bradbury, Author, Fahrenheit 451

Thanks for your visit! I would be so happy if you would take a moment to leave me a comment and sign the guestbook before you leave. And, I'd love to hear your thoughts concerning what you would love to see posted here. I'm thinking we might need to have a Tablescape Tuesday...what do you think? :-)
END of first post...


Well, I don't know about you, but I'm so glad I decided to give that crazy idea of having a tablescaping day a try. :-)

I would like to take a moment to THANK each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart...it's all of you who have made this first year so very, very special! If you weren't stopping by each day with your encouraging and wonderfully generous comments, BNOTP would most likely not exist today. Thank you so much for your valued friendship and support! I love each and everyone of you!

Ok, I'm going to close this post before I start crying and upset Max...he can't stand to see me cry. :-} Does your kitty get upset if you cry? I don't think Max would understand happy tears. :-)

See you tomorrow for our next Give-a-Way! :-) In the meantime, give yourself a nice treat by scrolling down to check out the awesome "Before and Afters" posted yesterday for Metamorphosis Monday!

Built-in Book Shelves for the Upstairs Family Room... Welcome to the 31st Metamorphosis Monday!

My Met Monday post is a little different this week. The "After" hasn't occurred yet, but I thought I'd share my "Before" and my "After Wish" with you, just in case it gives you some ideas for a similar area in your home.

This is the view as you enter from the hallway into my Upstairs Family Room. (To see more of this room, just click HERE.) You can't see it very well in this pic, but off to the right of the window seat, just beyond the tall plant stand, is a back stairway that takes you down to the 2nd level. It a great escape route when you find yourself downstairs in the kitchen in your nightie and the front door bell rings...or when you need to make a dash down to the laundry room and don't want to flash the neighbors who just happen to be walking by the front of your home.

Here's a little better view...the stairway goes down to a landing, turns and then continues on down.




See that slanted section of wall there on the left side of the stairway, just beyond the plant stand?




Do you have an area like this in your home? I've thought of hanging some family photos or pictures there, but then I found an inspiration picture online.




Check out the small, slanted section of wall over on the other side of the room...what do you think? I'd love to remove that piece of baseboard molding that runs along the lower part of my wall and have bookshelves installed...something along the lines of what you see below. The organization freak inside of me loves the idea of creating storage, where before there was none!  Is there a spot in your home where you could add some unexpected storage/bookshelves?



If I ever get the "After" done, you know I'll post it for a Metamorphosis Monday! :-)

Looking forward to seeing your Before and Afters! Oh, and don't forget to leave a comment to be included in the drawing for Mr. Rooster!


If you are participating in Metamorphosis Monday, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. If you aren't sure how to obtain your permalink or have any questions about using Mr. Linky for this post, just click HERE for detailed instructions.

Don't forget to copy and paste the Met Monday logo button to your computer so you can add it to your side bar and your Met Monday post. That way visitors will know that your are participating in Metamorphosis Monday.

Please be sure to link back to the host blog, Between Naps on the Porch, so your fellow bloggers who are participating today, will get lots of visits, as well.

Please do not add your link below until your Met Monday post is actually published to your blog.

The following blogs are participating in this Metamorphosis Monday: