Organizing Tip: Donate

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Lauren

When the time comes to clean out and reorganize the house, there are always items you find that you just don’t use anymore. Some things may even be gifts that you have never even taken out of the original package. As long as the items are still in good shape, there are many ways they can find a new home. Many people do not want to bother with a yard sale, so they prefer to donate the items to a charity.

Many items can be donated to area thrift or Salvation Army stores. Quite often they will give you a receipt that will allow you to take it as a tax write-off. It is probably best to call and check with them as to their drop-off policies. Some places only take donations on certain days or hours.

Another option is to donate carefully used toys, books and clothes to women’s shelters. Many times the families staying there have had to leave their homes with just what they were wearing. A few things for them to have while they are there can be a great comfort.

There are other charities that also take clothes and household goods. Some, including veterans’ organizations like Purple Heart and Vietnam Vets, and other groups like Easter Seals, will actually pick up your donations at your home. If you call them, they have set pickup schedules for the neighborhoods in your area. They have a set procedure.

Some hospitals collect books, sometimes specifically for the children’s wing. When your children outgrow their books, considering giving them away to a hospital or other charities for children.

Once you’ve donated things, you can reorganize what you have left and maximize your storage space. This is something to consider doing every few months, because things tend to accumulate. If you’re unsure about donating some things, put them away, and if you haven’t used them after a given time then you can probably go ahead and donate them.

Posted in Get Organized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Positive Self Talk: The Powers of Attitude

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Lauren

Here’s a question. When you enter a party filled with friends, do they all fall silent as if something terrible had happened? Or does everybody there perk up as if waiting for something exciting to happen?

You know what? The answer to all these depends on your frame of mind.

Thoughts are very powerful. They affect your general attitude. The attitude you carry reflects on your appearance, too – unless, of course, you are a great actor. And it doesn’t end there. Your attitude can also affect people around you. The type of attitude you carry depends on you. It can be either positive or negative.

Positive thoughts have a filling effect. They are admittedly invigorating. Plus, the people around the person carrying positive thoughts are usually energized by this type of attitude. A positive attitude attracts people.

Negative thoughts on the other hand have a sapping effect on other people. Aside from making you look gloomy and sad, negative thoughts can turn a festive gathering into a funeral wake. A negative attitude repels them. People tend to shy away from those who carry a negative attitude.

We can also define attitude as the way of looking at the world. If you choose to focus on the negative things in the world, more or less you have a negative attitude brewing up. However, if you choose to focus on the positive things, you are more likely carry a positive attitude.

You have much to gain from a very positive attitude. For one, studies have shown that a positive attitude promotes better health. Those with this kind of attitude also have more friends. projecting a positive attitude also helps one to handle stress and problems better than those who have a negative attitude.

A positive attitude begins with a healthy self-image. If you love the way you are and are satisfied, confident, and self-assured, you also make others are around feel the same way.

A negative attitude, on the other hand, has, of course, an opposite effect. So, carrying a negative attitude has a twofold drawback. You feel bad about yourself, and you make others feel the same way.

If you want a healthier outlook in life, you need to think happy thoughts, and you have to hear positive things as well. So, what can you do? Well, for starters, you could see a funny movie, you could play with children, spend some time telling jokes with friends. All these activities fill you with positive stimuli, which in turn promotes positive attitude. Focus on the good things, the positive things in life.

This positive attitude you now carry can be of benefit to other people. Sometimes when other people feel down, the thing people mostly do is try to give them advice. But sometimes, all they need is somebody to sit by them, and listen to them. If you have a positive attitude you may be able to cheer them up without even having to say anything.

As always, if you are beset by troubles, even in your darkest hour, focus on the good things in life, you will always have hope. Problems become something you can overcome. Your positive attitude helps you see through the dark to that light at the end.

You do not have much to lose by adopting a healthy, positive attitude. Studies show that such an attitude actually slows aging, makes you healthier, helps you develop a better stress coping mechanism, and has a very positive effect on all the people you meet every day. So, what’s not to like about a positive attitude? Adopt one today.

Posted in Healthier You, Our Spirit | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Easy Photo Editing Tips

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Lauren

When it comes to editing images, it’s not as difficult as it sounds. Most digital cameras now come with some sort of basic software which can easily help you to make corrections and minor edits. Even the most basic digital camera software will guide you in a step-by-step fashion. The editing process usually consists of cropping, color adjustments, and corrections such as red-eye removal.

A good rule of thumb is to make a backup copy of your pictures before you start making changes. This provides you with another option, just in case you decide you aren’t happy with the changes you’ve made. When at all possible, these copies are best kept on a secondary hard drive, preferably on an external backup disk. Once you have completed all of your editing, be sure to backup all your images again in case something happens to your main hard drive.

You might want to consider having a Universal Card Reader to transfer your images over to your computer, making the process faster, and easier. This prevents you from having to install additional software and drivers for your camera. If you do choose to plug the camera in your computer, it’s important to transfer all images beforehand, never working on or editing the images directly from the camera.

Cropping consists of cutting the edges that you don’t want to keep as part of the image for printing. Always leave space around your main subject, since the shape of your image may not match a standard printing shape (as in a 4×6 sized printed picture), depending on your printing. When cropping your image it can take on a whole different perspective, depending on the area that you select.

To adjust your colors, you should always aim for a natural look. Adding too much brightness, contrast, or color saturation can make your image look strange. This is especially true when printing. What you see on your screen might not look the same when printed. The great thing about digital photography is that with proper software, you can learn how to adjust the image in many ways, sometimes finding details that you wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

Certain available software programs, like Adobe Photoshop Elements allow you play with your image, adding effects to give your image different looks. Think about how your image would look in the style of old newspaper or old photographs. It’s even possible to create your own postcards, birthday cards, calendars, etc.

Most graphic/photo editing software now come with a red-eye correction feature which can be fully automated, or at the very least, requires you to pinpoint the eyes and let you fine tune the correction.

You do have to consider however that some common mistakes can’t be remedied with software. These would be lack of proper lighting, which results in artifacts (grainy texture in the dark areas), the focus being off or the subject being photographed moving quickly and causing blurriness.

As you become more familiar with both your camera and the software that you use for editing, you can find a whole different approach to your image taking. You may find yourself wanting to experiment more with what you can do with many types of images.

_________________________________

Image: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted in Scrapbooking | Tagged , | Leave a comment