A (Reluctant) New Look

I've been writing Straddling the Gap for over six years.  I have lots of posts with recipes and patterns and craft projects.  I have lots of posts of places I have visited and family events.  I use lots of photos.  I've been on vacation all this week and returned to write about a dessert recipe my daughter and I created, only to find lots of these:

When I started writing this blog, I was hosting my photos with, you guessed it, Photobucket.  That included a photo pattern that was the background for my entire blog design.  UGH.  If you haven't heard about this scam, for years Photobucket has been hosting pictures, most of which were subsequently used on blogs, Ebay, Etsy and other sites requiring photos.  They have always provided URL links (in several formats) for each photo, so 3rd party hosting was ALWAYS part of the appeal.  This week, without warning (at least to this 10+ year customer), Photobucket decided to change a free service to a $500/year service.  What?!?  So, if you are visiting older blog posts (mine or others) or just older websites, you might be seeing a lot of this image.  (I still hope they will change their corporate minds and I will find a pretty picture of a magnolia here someday.)

I decided maybe it is time for a new look, so I did a quick reconfigure of my blog template.  I wish that was the only thing needing a fix.  Unfortunately, some of my content included pictures hosted on Photobucket that I now must manually retrieve, download to my computer and upload to Blogger.  I was actually pretty surprised, because I haven't visited this Photobucket account in a long time and haven't been using it for more recent posts.  So, I will be updating a lot of classic posts and reposting them.  While I really don't want to go through this process, maybe it just proves that not everything lasts forever on the internet.

cindy

I Don't Get It

There are always fads that are really cute when they spring out of nowhere.  I've seen more than a few in my day (leg warmers, tube tops, mohawks and mullets).  If you didn't recognize or remember any of these, don't worry about it - you didn't miss anything.

However, there are some fads I just don't get.  They really don't make sense to me and frankly, they look odd.  For purposes of this post, I'll limit the fads I don't get to these photography trends.  Photographers and girls who pose weird, don't hate me, just sayin'.

The Mustache (and all other goofy photo props):

If you've been locked in a closet for the past year or so, these little paper mustaches on sticks are used in front of your face to take "cute" pictures.  Maybe the idea is that "old time" look from tintype pictures?  I just don't get it.  Here's the mustache in action:

O.K., this is wrong on so many levels.  First of all, an apparently naked baby in a box (see my pet peeve about that below), coupled with a mustache on a pacifier and a big a** bow on the baby's head.  In the future, people will find these pictures in time capsules and wonder what kind of experiments we were doing on babies.  I don't get it.

The Baby in the . . . 

Anne Geddes is a famous photographer that originated this adorable idea of photographing babies in unique ways.  The theme of most of her photographs was to depict babies as part of nature (pea in a pod, flowers, angels, etc)  Here's one of her photos:

I will admit, her many pictures were very cute, especially when no one else had this very creative idea.  Recent photographers have taken this idea to mean you can get babies to sleep in the craziest places.  Please, leave the cute infant pictures in strange sleeping poses to Anne Geddes (who I think has also moved on from this idea).  Unfortunately, the Anne Geddes copies just keep coming:

I have no idea what you have to do to a baby to make him/her sleep in those weird positions (and places).  Speaking on behalf of your children-who-don't-want-to-see-this-picture-on-a-giant-video-screen-at-their-wedding-reception, don't do this.  It's unkind and I don't get it.

The "Pose"

I don't think photographers are to blame on this one.  Anyone who has seen a picture of high school (or older) girls will know exactly what I'm talking about.  Hand on hip, turned slightly sideways and left or right leg slightly bent at the knee.  It's so prevalent that every time I see a girl that age get her picture taken (for anything!) out comes "the pose."

I do understand that it's not a good idea for a woman to have her photo taken straight on, but I don't know what the hand, hip and bent leg are trying to say.  I don't get it.

Duck Face

Last, but definitely not least, is the ugliest look I've ever seen on a face.  Photographers, this one is certainly not on you, because most of these pictures are taken by the subject with a camera at arm's length.  Not being a hater here, but any person - man, woman or child - who thinks this is cool looking in a photo, has obviously not seen that photo. 

And that's a good one.  Please. Don't.

There are two things in common here - neither Angelina Jolie nor the duck are making the "duck face."  (Sorry for the sentence on the bottom - not nice to call Angelina Jolie or the duck by that term.)

Anyway, I don't get it.

If anyone would like to explain these things to me, please do so in the comments.  Otherwise, I will just remain blissfully ignorant.  

cindy

Spring Etsy Finds

Spring is just about here and it's time for more Etsy finds.  Oh, there are so many lovely things to see, but I can only share a few of my favorites.  If you want to find your own favorites, make sure to visit Etsy.  Better yet, go shopping there or buy an Etsy gift certificate to share with a friend.  Click on the picture to go through Pinterest where you can be more detail about the item and a link to it on Etsy.  Here's what I found:

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Just another place on the web where I can't get enough eye candy.  Enjoy.

cindy

Arizona Fiery Sunset

Arizona Fiery Sunset, a photo by straddlingthegap on Flickr.

Winter is tough other places, but it usually gives us the best sunsets. I love Arizona.

My Baby Has Discovered Social Media

As parents, we love to celebrate the milestones of each of our children.  First steps, first day of kindergarten, learning how to ride a bicycle are all scrapbook events.  But for this current generation of kids, technology is the norm and milestones as techies are more common.

My son discovered his newest obsession - Minecraft.  He would play it 18 hours a day if you let him.  If you don't know what Minecraft is, it's a building game where the player can create homes and villages and more, with detailed features like vaulted ceilings, hot tubes and treasure chests.  The weird thing is that the graphics are very crude - all blocks with few pixels.  You can play the game in creative mode or survival mode.  Survival mode includes evil characters, but more importantly, interactive play on the internet.  Enter social media.  He has "met" other players online with very little real interaction, but he looks for his "friends."  He also has his real live friends join him remotely.  Minecraft is not my favorite activity, mostly because of the YouTube videos where older players have live screen shots but commentary that may not be appropriate for children and tweens.  However, if you can avoid YouTube and monitor Minecraft, it's not a bad activity.

When I bought my new cell phone, I had an extra one that my daughter immediately appropriated.  Although it doesn't have phone service (like she wanted), it does have Wi-fi.  Enter Instagram.  Wow - who knew that a 9 year old with a private account could have such a good time!  All her friends have Instagram accounts and they exchange some crazy pictures.  Here's one special one:

I'm relieved to see that all her friends have private accounts too.  It seems as if they can't take enough pictures, even the most mundane:

She does take some good pictures:

But best of all, she has discovered the art of using Instagram to tell the world what she's having for dinner:

I'm so proud of my children's accomplishments - they've discovered social media - in a safe and age appropriate way.

cindy

My Old School

Last weekend I visited my Alma Mater where I met my wonderful husband:

The University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana is a large sprawling campus that is gorgeous at any time of year (yes, even in the winter).  We were so blest last weekend to have a perfect autumn day to walk the campus.

We walked around campus with my Arizona family, including our kids.  It felt strange to be there with the kids, but they enjoyed it.

On a campus this old, time seems to stand still.  The same stately buildings where we (mostly) studied look exactly the same.

There are so many memories floating around that place, and I felt wistful thinking about the time I was there and the friends I met (especially my husband).  I realized I am living the life I could only dream about when I was there.

Then I remembered trudging across the frozen tundra in -25 degree wind chill on the January night I met my husband and reminded myself why we live in Arizona :)

cindy

Softest Baby Afghan Ever!

This is another one of those projects I needed to finish and I love this one so much I'm going to make another one just like it.  This is Bernat Baby Blanket yarn in "Pitter Patter," a multi-color yarn in white, pink, blue and yellow.  It is a super bulky yarn that feels just like chenille - but thicker.  I've never worked with a super bulky yarn, but it is worked with a size N crochet hook.

The result is a super soft, cushy afghan - perfect for a baby.  It's also easy to work with because the stitches are so big.  It also doesn't take long to make a blanket like this.  It measures about 32" square and is worked from the middle, which makes it easier with this type of yarn.

I made this one for my Etsy store, but it didn't take long before I had to give it away for a co-worker's baby shower.  She loved it, as did everyone else at the shower.  I still listed it on Etsy because it won't take long to make another.  The pattern is from Bernat, but you can find it here.

Aren't these pictures gorgeous??  They are from my very talented friend, Kate Eschbach, who blogs here.  She has been taking photos for a long time and does a great job on product shoots as well as portraits and landscapes.  Great news for folks in the Phoenix area - Kate is now available as a full time photographer!!  I'm so excited for her because this has been her dream for some time.  It is a wonderful thing when you can work doing what you love.  

Speaking of doing what you love - I loved working with this yarn and I'm on a roll with crochet right now.  More coming soon.

cindy

The Art of Learning

On Saturdays, it's my job to teach my 11-year old son, because my husband does it all week.  I teach Language Arts and Art.  Language Arts is fine - I'm pretty comfortable with that - but Art is another issue.  I am creative, but not artistic.  I can craft, but don't make me draw a picture.  There is a lot of picture drawing involved in this class.  There are no patterns involved.

As part of this teaching gig, I'n learning about elements of art.  Line, color, shape, texture, are part of my vocabulary now, but only to the extent of appreciation.  Today we were learning about balance.  The easy type of balance is "formal."  It's the easiest to understand because it's simple symmetry.  We also learned about radial balance, in which items "radiate" from a single point, frequently unseen.  The best example I can give is a fan.  Finally, the last form of balance we learned about was "informal" or asymmetrical balance.  That one was the most interesting, but also the most difficult to understand.

As part of the lesson, Christian and I had to walk around the house looking for examples of each type of balance so he can sketch them.  Here's his example of formal balance (symmetry):

What I realized is that there is a natural sense of balance in all kinds of things.  I didn't realize that what I find myself doing when I take pictures is trying to achieve a type of balance, especially asymmetrical balance.  (Photography is the closest I get to being an artist, and I'm hardly a good photographer.)  But, I will say that learning some of these elements of art might make me a better photographer, so at least my scrapbooks (if I ever make them), will be more interesting.

One of the best things about working with my son is that I get to channel my inner teacher.  I've taught a bit, mostly informally.  I really like it.  If I weren't a lawyer, I would like to be a teacher.  But doing this one-on-one with my son is a great opportunity to connect with him on a totally new level.  It's awesome to see the lightbulb go on when he grasps a new concept.  So, with something like art, we're learning together.  Cool.

cindy

The Jewel of the Desert

Last week I attended a legal conference on water law.  The conference was fairly mundane, my third consecutive year of attending this conference.  The one thing I look forward to every year is that the conference is at the Arizona Biltmore, the Jewel of the Desert.

If you have never visited or seen pictures of this world famous five star resort, it is an architectural dream.  It opened in 1929, seven months before the Stock Market crash that began the Great Depression.  It's unmatched character is the heavy influence of Frank Lloyd Wright both then and now.  It is timeless.

The entire structure is made from pre-cast concrete block, made on site and known as "Biltmore Block."  The strong geometric lines were designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright.  (Not many people know that Wright had a school of architecture - Taliesin West - in what is now Scottsdale.  He was not a stranger to the desert.)  Everything in the hotel follows these lines, from the mission furniture to the light fixtures down to the carpet.  It's like a step back in time.

Movie stars and politicians could be seen at the Biltmore pool; Marilyn Monroe called it her favorite pool.  My claim to fame is that my niece and nephew have each worked poolside at the Biltmore, my niece fetching towels and my nephew regulating kids going down the slide :-)

Every President since Herbert Hoover (in office when the Biltmore opened) has stayed at the Arizona Biltmore (with the exception of the current President).  There is a cool hallway off the lobby that has a picture of each President at the Biltmore, usually on the golf course.

So many people think Phoenix is a recent oasis that popped out the desert, but it truly does have a history.  A living testament to that history is the Arizona Biltmore.  If you visit Phoenix, or just live in the area and have never seen it, its a jewel in the desert you cannot miss.

A disclaimer - I did NOT receive any compensation, consideration or even recognition from the Arizona Biltmore for writing this post.  (I did use historical pictures from its website, but the current pictures are mine.)  I love history, this is Arizona history, and the opinions expressed here are my own.

cindy

Pumping Up the Party

A couple of months ago I went to an awesome vendor show - Cool Off in Style.  (We got in because it was at our church hall and the event coordinator invited us).  The party was all about how to step up your party - wedding receptions, corporate events, birthday parties, bar or bat mitzvahs or family reunions.  Even if you don't live in Arizona, these types of vendors are probably available in your area and would add a huge kick to your party!

This awesome party was hosted by Pour Masters Bartending Service and wow, do they know how to throw a party.  They sponsor this event every year in June - just when it's really getting hot in Arizona!  It's a great break for what otherwise is a long hot summer.

Matt Carr at Creative Occasions took a large church hall (very similar to a hotel ballroom) and turned it into a chic nightclub vibe.  The lighting, the couches, the whole theme was amazing.

Time for some fun!  We were immediately drawn to a cool (literally) ice sculpture of a dinosaur.  Now these aren't your boring swans or fish - no, this was ice sculpture with a purpose!

Check this out - the waitress pours a drink down the dinosaur's tail and you catch it as it comes out of his mouth!  Now if that won't kick up your next party, nothing will!  This critter was courtesy of Mark Armitage at Armitageice.


We moved on next to a floor-to-ceiling screen with people standing in front of it.  They looked like they were painting directly onto the screen, but actually, they were virtually writing or drawing on images of themselves.

This one is called Pixalpaint and this would be a huge hit at a wedding reception.  If you look close at the picture above you can see that the writing comes from little "spray" paint cans.  Again, these are virtual paint cans, but they trigger the color of the pixels.  It really gives you the feel of graffiti.  Imagine doing that on images of the happy couple!  When it's all done, Pixal Paint prints the finished product for you as a photo image.

From this we moved on to another popular booth - the pictures on green screen!  You know, the one where you stand in front of a green screen with props and poses and it is superimposed on the background of your choice.  We took a picture home that night to the kids and told them we traveled to New York!  This was all courtesy of Green Screen AZ.  

Our personal photo favorite was the old fashioned photo booth from Arizona Photobooth.  For those of you too young to remember, you go into a small photo booth with as many people as you can cram in there (or in our case, with our sweetie) and take 4 to 5 pictures that come out in black & white.  The neat thing is that at the end of the night, the person who rented the photo booth gets a CD with all of the pictures.  This is an obvious choice for a wedding reception or bar mitzvah.

There were so many other vendors with things we never thought of, like caricatures, tattoos (henna), even people you can hire to reinforce your party theme.

 Perhaps the most unique service for your next special occasion was from Dave at Live Event Artist of Arizona.  This service brings an artist to your event and he paints a gorgeous oil painting of your event while it is happening!  I thought this must be the best "souvenir" for the party host who wants to capture the special day and remember it forever.

I wish I could go to one of these parties every week - it was so fun!  If you live in Arizona and are planning an event, I guarantee these services would add a unique touch.  DJs are nice and dessert tables are good, but just imagine how much your guests will remember your special event if they have something special to see or do.  Even if you don't live in the Phoenix area, you should look for fun and different goods and services to kick up the party!

cindy

I did not receive any compensation or other consideration from any of these vendors.  I just really liked each one and wanted to share them with you.

Who Will Be Little Miss Coppertone?

If you are of a "certain" age, you remember the iconic "Coppertone Girl"

I'm not really that old, but I do remember a slightly updated version of this image when I was a kid.  The Coppertone Girl represented a "healthy tan."  Now we know Coppertone has always protected us from the harmful effects of the sun.  Actually, Coppertone has been a staple in my beach bag since I was a kid, once to get a suntan and now as a sunscreen for my children.  

Now Coppertone is looking for a new little girl (ages 2-7) to be Little Miss Coppertone.  Don't worry - there will be no dog pulling off swimsuits or revealing pictures of your child.  In fact, they are not replicating the iconic image, so your child doesn't need to look like the little girl or even wear a swimsuit in the picture.

Here's how it works:  You submit a picture of your little girl, ages 2-7 on Coppertone's Facebook page.  No purchase is necessary.  Contest ends June 22, 2012 (6/22/12).  Click HERE for official rules and FAQs about the contest.  Allison Sweeney will be one of the guest judges who will determine the finalists.  On or about July 13, 2012, voting for the finalists will begin on Coppertone's Facebook page.  Be sure to see the FAQs and official rules so you can send in a picture that meets the requirements of the contest.

I'm sorry to say my Little Miss Coppertone is too old to enter, but Coppertone is the only way I can leave her in the Arizona sun in the pool.

If you do enter and your little girl becomes a finalist, please let me know so I can vote for her on Facebook!  I can't wait to see the next Little Miss Coppertone!

Disclosure:  I was entered for a chance to win a gift card in exchange for this post.  No monetary exchange took place.

cindy