Month: March 2013

scrapbook layout

Photo Book: My Year 2011, Part 2

Published by Sula H.

Last week, I began sharing with you another finished photo book project – one of those yearly photo books I began creating in 2010.   Today, I’d like to show you the second part of this photo book filled with double page spreads of my daily life.   Click here to view this photo book larger The new way to make a photo album: photo books by Shutterfly. And don’t forget to stay tuned, because there are more parts to follow over the next couple of weeks. You can see Part 1 of this album HERE.  

The Peanut Quest

Published by Sula H.

I like peanuts. In my eyes, they are a good addition to any diet. Fortunately for me, farmers around here grow them, so peanuts are easily available in all shapes and sizes. And flavors, I should add. Recently, however, I’ve got it into my head to find those peanuts which are still in their shell, and which yet have a slight salty flavor to them. So, I’ve been looking for that kind whenever I got out shopping. The problem is: outwardly, the plain and the salted ones look just the same, and while the first time I tried to buy a bag, they turned out the everyday plain ones, this time, they’re not plain. But they’re not really salty, either. They have a rather funny flavor, and I haven’t fully decided yet, whether I like them, or not.    

scrapbook layout

Behind the Scenes: A Case for Digital Scrapbooking

Published by Sula H.

I’m sure it hasn’t gone unnoticed: I love digiscrapping. I love the creative outlet it gives me to play with beautiful papers (one of my oldest passions), messing around with colors and art, and on top of that to combine it with another one of my passions – photography – while at the same time being able to preserve memories and keeping a track of what’s going on in my life.   I love all of that! But what’s best about it: I never have to worry about the creative mess that comes with actual art projects. There’s no real cleaning up to do afterward, and yet, the results can be stunning, and they can bring joy to others. Another biggie that kind of got me hooked to the digital side of scrapbooking, is the fact that you get to scratch things and start all over again, without losing anything but the time you’ve invested. I remember well, when – in the past – I got myself a nice stack of pretty scrapbooking papers (the …

Sweet Puffs

Published by Sula H.

Admitted: they’re not really the healthiest kind of food. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t delicious, really. Puffs, or as they are called here: pao fu. (By the way, did you know that the genius thing about pal fus is that pao fu sounds exactly like “puff” when you only say the word quickly enough? So, to buy them is hardly a challenge at all, even if you speak no word Chinese, really.) But, of course, I like them more for their flavor than their name, because as you (can’t) see, these puffs are filled with a sweet cream inside, which is what makes them rather yummy in the first place.

Journaling Café: Morning Rituals

Published by Sula H.

Mornings. They are as much part of our lives as the rest of the day, and to some, they are the most important aspect of their day, since some hold to the belief that if you get up well, then your day will go well. Today’s journaling prompts, therefore, focus on our morning rituals. What does your morning look like? What’s most important to you when it comes to your mornings? Here are today’s prompts: And here’s the page I created to journal about my morning preferences:

Waiting for Spring

Published by Sula H.

You would think that with the arrival of spring you’d actually feel something of it, too. But like I told you the other day, sunshine and warm temperatures have an awful hard time these days getting their act together. At least the trees and bushes know what to do, so now you can actually discover a hint of spring here and there when you see a little something budding … I hope – as we all do – that the spring weather will take notice and follow suit!

That Foreign Faculty Photo

Published by Sula H.

I was in for a surprise today. No, no! Not what you think: of course we knew about the foreign faculty photo appointment a couple of days ago. The surprise, however, was how quickly everything was over again. You see, trying to get a 100+ people to one place at one time, and even on the same picture can be a daunting task sometimes. It may take up to 20 minutes of arranging, re-arranging, and then re-arranging the re-arrangement in order to ensure that a decent picture will turn out. And on top of that, we’re dealing with photographers who usually don’t speak English at all – so there’s usually a lot of motioning and hand clapping (though I haven’t been able to figure out what that means, yet). Today, however, was rather different. Within fifteen minutes of leaving my house, I was back in the comfort and warmth of a cozy home, and glad that both, photographers and all the many models, had managed to get it over with in record time. Great job, …