Important safety tips for women

I saw this on Facebook and thought it was terrific…and very important. Ladies, please read it.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you. Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.) DON’T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head, DO NOT DRIVE OFF, Repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage: A.) Be aware: look around you; look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars. C.) Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, preferably in a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked ‘for help’ into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her ‘Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door..’ The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, ‘We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.’ He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby’s cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby.. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby’s cries outside their doors when they’re home alone at night.

10. Water scam! If you wake up in the middle of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your outside taps full ball so that you will go out to investigate and then attack. Stay alert, keep safe, and look out for your neighbors! The Crying Baby Theory was mentioned on America’s Most Wanted when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.

What your color choices say about you.

What does it mean when you choose to paint your walls pink? Why are you so attracted to purple? Find out below (If you want to explore color and its impact on emotion and expression, learn about the Dreaming in Color Luman Deck.)

RED
Red denotes assertiveness, dominance, power, attention, sexual energy, robust health, determination, passion, persistence, excitement, strength, aggression. Red increases enthusiasm, energy, engenders confidence, protects us from fear and anxiety.
Did you know? Red light is used to treat migraines; in China, it is associated with good luck and good fortune. Since blood is red, it is considered to be a symbol of life.

“I love red so much; I almost want to paint everything red.” - Alexander Calder

PINK
Pink denotes romance, lightheartedness, happiness, good health, serenity, friendliness, compassion, faithfulness, femininity, calmness. Pink is sensual without the aggression of red.
Did you know? Pink’s calming qualities make it a very easy color to live with; in fact, a documented experiment with prisons painting the walls pink in the 1970s proved successful in the calming of the inmates.

“Pink is just mauve trying to be purple.” -James M. Whistler

ORANGE
Fruits of the earth, congeniality, happiness, socializing, courage, success, enthusiasm, boldness, adventure, friendship, warmth, informality, welcoming, movement, energy.
Did you know? In  marketing, orange is used for packaging because it has a “freshness” appeal. Orange is often found in cafeterias and fast food restaurants because it has been proven to generate higher sales.

“There is no blue without yellow and without orange.” - Vincent Van Gogh

BROWN
Informality, solidity, authenticity, order, reliability, approachability, relaxation, stability, wholesomeness, earthiness,  masculinity.
Did you know? Chocolate brown and robin’s egg blue are a very popular Feng Shui color combination. Too, men are more likely to choose brown as their “favorite color”.

“God has a brown voice, as soft and full as beer.” -Anne Sexton

YELLOW
Alertness, joy, optimism, confidence, stimulation, enthusiasm, playfulness, cheer, communicativeness, expression, intelligence, intellectual power, the sun.
Did you know? Yellow is an appropriate color for a room used for studying because it has a stimulating effect on the mind. Its intensity is also good for stairs and corridors that don’t receive natural light. Although yellow has become symbolic for caution or, semantically, cowardice, it is a joyous color that promotes freedom, inhibition and intellectual curiosity.  It enhances concentration, but can be unsettling if either overused or used in over-saturated tones.

“Yellow is capable of charming God.” -Vincent Van Gogh

GREEN
Nature, balance, freshness, relaxing, soothing, renewal, fertility, earth, compassion, prosperity, prestige, growth, abundance, money, vitality, harmony, efficiency.
Did you know? Leonardo DaVinci declared that green was the color to represent water. In addition, green is most people’s second favorite color, second only to blue.

“Absolute green is the most restful color, lacking any undertone of joy, grief, or passion. On exhausted men this restfulness has a beneficial effect, but after a time it becomes tedious.” -Wassily Kandinsky

AQUA
Soothing, crisp, dynamic, active, imagination, clairvoyance, creative adaptability.
Did you know? Many consider aqua to be the definitive color symbol of the art deco movement.

TURQUOISE
Refreshment, idealism, control, compassion, clarity, peace, sophistication, retro, cool, imaginative, innovation, youth; name is based on the stone.
Did you know? In holistic medicine, turquoise’s calming effect on patients is used to treat panic attacks. Similarly, hospitals use turquoise on the walls for a calming effect. Like aqua, turquoise is prevalent in art deco. Too much turquoise promotes aloofness.

“The tones of gray, pale turquoise and pink will prevail.” -Christian Dior

BLUE
To love and be loved, high regard, knowledge, authority, trust, serious, responsibility, peace, social status, caring, health, intuition, caring, happiness, calmness, honesty, loyalty, integrity.
Did you know? Fashion consultants recommend wearing blue to job interviews because it symbolizes loyalty. People are more productive in blue rooms. Studies show weightlifters are able to handle heavier weights in blue gyms. The majority of people are likely to say blue is their favorite color.

“Blue color is everlastingly appointed by the Deity to be a source of delight.” -John Ruskin

PURPLE
Spiritual advancement, sacredness, eccentricity, wealth, creativity unleashed, passion, higher consciousness, vision, regal, power, respect, dignity, luxury, mystery, royalty.
Did you know? Only the most expensive dyes were used to make the color purple, which is one reason it is associated with wealth and power. Synonymous with royalty, purple is often preferred by artists, spiritualists and deeply creative people. Purple is the ultimate bridge between warm and cold, as it is comprised of red and blue, two opposite primary colors–making it the “ideal” color, the blending of Yin and Yang of the spectrum.

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.” - Alice Walker

LAVENDER
Romantic, imaginative, elegance, fantasy, gentility, grace, preciousness, nostalgia, romance, some of the characteristics of purple but without the mystery or level of passion.
Did you know? The complementary color for lavender is olive. Lavender is considered the color of intellectual thought as opposed to action.

“Add a drop of lavender to milk, leave town with an orange, and pretend you’re laughing at it.” -Bill Bailey

MAGENTA
Outrageous, healing,  imaginative, innovative, daring, anti-conventional, anti-authority.
Did you know? At the expressive level, used in artistry, where magenta is less aggressive and more spiritual than red, it is more realistic than purple. It is volatile, optimistic, and affectionate, creating a feeling of satisfaction and  self-respect, while being imaginative and innovative as well. Ivory, black, warm gray and ivory work particularly well with magenta.

“I’m like, hey girl, magenta! and she’s like, oh, you mean purple! and she goes off on her purple thing, and I’m like, no – I want magenta!” -John Mayer

GOLD
Illumination, wisdom, prestige, expensive , good health, optimism, personal power, success, worldly riches.
Did you know? In Elizabethan times, permission to wear the color gold was decreed by law.

“The color of gold is gold. That’s why it’s called gold.” -Unknown

SILVER
Prestige, richness, scientific, distinguished, earthiness, abundance, the awakening of the cosmic mind.
Did you know? Silver is the best-selling car color in North America. Dorothy’s ruby slippers in “The Wizard of Oz” were originally silver (as per Baum’s book) until Louis Meyer decided a ruby red would be better.

BLACK
Elegance, power, protection, control, authority, dignity, sophistication, seduction, mystery, solitude, nobility, elegance, that which is hidden.
Did you know? Black is the absence of all color and light. Black is known to provide freedom from distraction. Because black color brings the feng shui energy of grounding and stability, its best use indoors should be not much higher than the eye level. Black is one of the boldest, most powerful colors; and the most intense against a white background.  Because of this, designers and advertisers often use just black and white for greater effect, despite all the other colors available.

“I’ve been forty years discovering that the queen of all colors is black.” - Pierre-Auguste Renoir

GRAY
Brainy, class, efficiency, sophisticated, confidence.
Did you know? Completely colorblind people can only see black, white and shades of gray. Gray is known to blend well with almost every color, but is especially lovely with aqua, purple, pink, red.

“The color of truth is gray.” -Andre Gide

WHITE
Virtue, fertility, cleanliness, status, prosperity, innocence, peace, silence, wholeness.
Did you know? In the West, white is the color for weddings. In the East, white is the color of mourning and funerals. Unlike black, which is the total absence of color, white contains every color in the spectrum.

“White is not a mere absence of color; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black. God paints in many colors; but He never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when He paints in white.” -G.K. Chesterton

Photographers, make paintings from your photos.

I am not a photographer, nor do I play one on TV. I freely admit my technical skills as a photographer leave much to be desired, as far as TTL (Through-The-Lens)  know-how. Much to my everlasting regret, I pretty much forgot everything I learned when I studied photography as a kid.

No, I do my manipulation in Photoshop. It is not depth of field or light through the lens that I play with, it’s using the photo as a blank canvas for a digital painting after the photo is taken. Now, I know, for purists, this is a blasphemous remark. It may even make you shake your head with pity. That’s okay. I am more of  a digital artist than I ever was a photographer.  But if you can get past the “purity” thing, you will definitely expand the depth and breadth of services you offer to your clients by being able to offer them paintings or images with special effects in addition to traditional photography. Or, more importantly, these programs can enable you to explore new horizons for your work in a way you never dreamed.

With a digital program like Photoshop or Painter, there are so many ways to parlay your digital and photographic skills and learn how to make digital paintings or add stunning special effects to your pieces…opening up an exciting new market. In this post, I just want to offer some possibilities for you think about and experiment with. The upshot of it all is this: you will not only find an expanded market for your work, but you might find yourself enjoying yourself tremendously and giving your work a whole new level of depth. In fact, you might become addicted to all the artistic possibilities of no-holds-barred digital photographic manipulation. Whether it’s full blown digital paintings you want to create, or unique special effects that dramatically enhance the images, the main thing is to have fun. Because if you’re not having fun, it defeats the purpose and will definitely show in your work.

Photo to painting by Mindy Sommers.

Now, we all know photographers who run their photos through Photoshop’s native filters–a few clicks and they’re done. And that’s exactly what those pieces look like-a click of a few filter buttons and that’s it. That’s no more digital art than Hamburger Helper is cooking. Here are some filter, plugin and software recommendations to start you off with your experimentation. Hopefully, one or more of these ideas will prompt you to find your own voice and embark on a whole new level of photographic creation. None of these filters are ends unto themselves–no filter is, nor should they ever be. They are, however, means to an end. With them, talented photographers (and artists, too)  can use them as jumping off points to their new creations.

Gertrudis Pro
Gertrudis Pro is a fabulous stand-alone software with which you can create some stunning paint and brush effects. Load your image, click “auto sketch tool” and you’re ready to rock. Your photo will act as the “trace” image and Gertrudis will pick up all the colors, shapes and shadows automatically as you move your brush around. Gertrudis Pro comes with its own native brushes, like “Van Gogh” and “Scratch Style”,  but you can create your own brushes to use over and over again by changing the density, size, direction, stroke and color settings of your brushes, and a host of advanced settings. Gertrudis does not allow you to work in layers, but you can easily export your image to Photoshop (or another program).

Alien Skin Snap Art
Alien Skin Snap art is a Photoshop plug-in that turns your photos into beautiful paintings, sketches, illustrations and even cartoons. You don’t use brushes with this software–you apply the effects to the whole image at once. However, you do have control over the filter’s parameters before you apply it. This control includes paint coverage, style, light, canvas texture, etc. I like working with layers for painting programs, putting the paints on separate layers…that allows me to fully control the intensity of the effects I apply and the way in which I choose to apply them.

Color Efex Pro by Nik Software
This is not a painting program, but one that revolves around Color with a capital “C”. This is, hands down, my personal favorite coloring program because the sheer diversity of effects, possibilities and ability to control each effect is just stunning. I couldn’t live without Color Efex Pro, a Photoshop plugin filter.  The sheer number of effects (around ninety if you get the Complete Edition) boggles the mind with exciting possibilities. From tonal and color contrast to old photo and full-control-black-and-white, this program is an amazing amalgam of powerful effects that will turn into an addiction. You will go nuts experimenting. I promise.

Filter Farm (free)
One of my favorite filters is called Filter Farm, one of the best-kept secrets in the digital art world. A simple little program, and only accessible through Photoshop as a plug-in, Filter Farm uses random algorithms and non-predictability to create the most beautiful transitions and color effects. No two effects will ever be the same, and the author claims that they “grow genetically” based upon the users’ choices and image data. I use Filter Farm as a separate layer for my image, enabling me to control the amount of effects I want. Filter Farm comes the closest to magic, and I highly recommend it.

Art Rage
Art Rage may look like a simple program, but it’s not. It’s a sophisticated stand-alone software that gives you many ways to make beautiful paintings. Art Rage supports layers, and you can export/import layers and create new ones within the program.  You have the option of using a “tracing image” to paint over and the program will automatically select all the subtle gradations and hues that are picked up from your image, or you can paint freehand. And you’re not just limited to a paintbrush—there is a palette knife for scraping and smoothing, glitter spray, airbrush, paintbrush, and more. You can also control the amount of “water” added to the paint (thinner), how much paint you want on your brush, the brush pressure, and opacity. (The glitter brush is really cool, it has three dimensional texturing). Art Rage supports Photoshop format files.

Virtual Painter
Finally, a fun little stand-alone program (it can also work as a plug-in) which offers lots of fun options but virtually no control. Virtual Painter will automatically take any image and turn it into any one of a variety of styled paintings including oil, watercolor, gouache, pencil and more…for a total of sixteen styles. Just click and the program will do the rest. You do have some control over the intensity of each effect–such as variations in canvas, color, scale, deformation and focus. While it’s not exactly a serious artist’s tool, it *can* be used in a more sophisticated fashion for serious artists when used as part of a layer or group of layers.

To sum, the world of digital art continues to become not only more exciting, offering an ever-increasing array of fabulous filters and plugins for the digital artist and photographer, but digital art itself has gained the credibility and respect once garnered exclusively to the paint-and-brushes canvas artist. The sheer amount of tools, techniques, programs and options now available to today’s digital artist require a massive array of knowledge and skill to adeptly master. Certainly the breadth and possibilities of effects available to the digital artist is something Van Gogh could only have dreamed about. Like my husband says, “if you’re not growin’, you’re dyin’.”  The skilled artist is always changing, growing and adding to his/her arsenal, and the tools outlined above are a wonderful addition to any artist’s.

Lessons about living-What I’ve Learned.

This off-topic post is something that’s been germinating in my brain for a while now. Most of us have our own set of internal rules that we count on to live happier, more productive lives. They can be big rules, like “don’t sleep with a married man” or smaller rules, like “add some oil to your boiling water to prevent the pasta from sticking.” Whatever level of importance they come under, here are some of my own personal rules–things life has taught me that never let me down when I follow them. Some of them come from my Daddy, who had a huge cache of wise life lessons that he was kind enough to teach me. I never forgot them, nor will I ever forget him. So Daddy, this blog post’s for you.

1. Your marriage is a third entity in the household, almost like a third person with a pulse. This person must be cared for at all times, and they come first in all things–before you or your husband. If you treat your marriage like a living, breathing essence, you will have a very happy marriage. I promise. This third entity is what makes saying “we” so much more natural than saying “I.”

2. Never take sides when a couple–married or not–is fighting. I guarantee you that at some point you will lose both of them forever.

3. Do not pay heed to what people say. Instead, look at what they *do*. You’ll learn a lot more and be fooled a lot less. Words are easy, actions are not.

4. Ladies, if a man is truly interested in you, he will knock down the telephone–hell, he’ll knock down concrete walls—to get to you. Stop making excuses or rationalizing bad or disinterested behavior. See rule number 3.

5. There is no such thing as a “victimless” crime. There are always victims—some are just harder to see.

6. Believing in something bigger than yourself and your own intellect–whether it’s God, Buddah, Jehovah, or a higher self , is essential to stay grounded and sane. You are not the center of the universe. Remember that.

7. If you want something to remain a secret, tell no-one. This may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people violate this simple rule and get burned.

8. Women of a certain age should not continue to have jet-black hair.

9. If you make a promise to someone, keep it. You’ll sleep better and will be believed the next time you give your word. Your word is precious, treat it that way.

10. Do not select art because it matches your paint swatches or couch. Choose it because it makes your heart sing every time you look at it.

11. You will never regret using fresh garlic instead of garlic powder in any given recipe.

12. Anybody who doesn’t like cats doesn’t know cats.

13. Money does not buy happiness. But you can rent it.

14. To clean pet urine from your carpet, soak it up with a gazillion paper towels, pressing down hard, until most of it comes up in the paper. At some point, the paper will stop turning yellow. Then clean it with a mixture of white vinegar, soap and water. The smell will be gone.

15. Say “I love you” early and often. You will never regret having said it, but you most assuredly will regret having not.

16. Anybody who says “what?” can hear.

17. Purple is not just a color. It’s a way of life.

18.  I see nothing virtuous in rising early. Some people do their best work in the wee small hours.

19. A true friend will support you in your major life choices even if he/she strongly disagrees with them. When it’s more important to be “right” than to be a friend, the friendship is no more.

20. Living in the past or future is a false life. Living in present time is the only path to true joy.

-to be continued

The best chicken Marsala recipe.

My husband adores chicken Marsala, but I haven’t made it for him in a long time, regretfully. Besides the fact that I don’t cook very often because I am exhausted from running a business, my chicken Marsala never quite turns out the way it should. Instead of restaurant-quality Marsala (Pamela’s restaurant on Nostrand Avenue and Avenue T in Brooklyn, circa 1970′s, made the best Marsala in the universe), I ended up with sauce that never quite thickened and chicken that never quiet glazed. Not tonight. Tonight, my friends, I made a chicken Marsala that would have made big Pamela proud.

Here is my best ever chicken Marsala recipe. I can’t give you exact amounts, but you really won’t need them.

Make sure your chicken breasts are small and about 1/4 thick. I take breasts, cut them in half depth wise, then cut them in half lengthwise. Then I pound them down flat.

Mix flour with pepper, seasoned salt, garlic powder and oregano. That will be what you dredge your chicken in.

Get some half and half (not milk) and soak your chicken in that for a little bit, then dredge it in the flour mixture.

Melt olive oil and butter (be generous) in a frying pan.

Fry the flour-covered chicken on medium-high heat  until brown. Turn the chicken pieces over. Lower the flame to low. Add a ton of mushrooms. (Purists will add fresh mushrooms…I used canned and it came out just fine, thankyouverrymuch.)  Then add a generous helping of Marsala wine. I also added about a fourth of a cup of red wine.  Mix around slightly, then cover well. Cook for about twenty minutes or until done.

If you find the sauce didn’t thicken enough, add a tablespoon of flour to the frying pan, then mix around and recover.

The chicken is heavenly. It has a perfect glaze and the sauce is nice and thick and you can *really* taste the Marsala–but it’s not overpowering. I really don’t think you can add too much. You can serve with Parmesan cheese if you like, and of course, pasta.

How to spot a scammer.

When you make a career of selling online, whether you sell art (like we do) or food or even ball bearings, eventually you will attract the attention of scammers on a fairly frequent basis. I don’t know if certain industries attract more scammers than others, but I can say that Color Bakery does attract them pretty frequently. The more visibility you have online, the more scammers you’ll bring a-callin’.  Scammers play on the fact that you want to make a sale–in most cases, a fairly sizable one.  Here are some quick things to remember to spot them and protect yourself, and, ultimately, your hard-earned money.

1. Scammers will rarely call….they will email you.  That’s not to say that some scammers won’t eventually use the phone, but I doubt it. Email is quicker, easier, hides language problems better, and makes it possible for the scammer to email thousands of unsuspecting companies per second. If they do offer a phone number, don’t be fooled if it’s a USA number. That doesn’t mean the number is legit, and with all the internet services today, that number can still ring outside of the US and hidden by a US area code. If you call, they won’t answer, usually, but will continue to contact you through email.

2. A scammer will send you a list of products he/she wants to buy, usually what is tantamount to a large order, but they won’t be *very* specific. For example, if you sell blouses that come in blue, green, red and purple, they will omit the color and size.  In our case, Color Bakery’s, nine times out of ten they will fail to pick the artwork they want custom-printed on their items. No legit customer ever forgets to tell us which artwork they are choosing;  a legitimate customer is painstaking in their art choices, whether it’s our art or theirs. If they don’t choose art, red flag.

3. A scammer will usually show signs that English is a second language. Weird translations of English phrases and idioms are common. This is not to say that every email with halting English is a scammer, but if you add it to the other red flags, it’s usually a sign.

4. A scammer will rush you–they have to have a quote NOW, they have to have delivery ASAP, they will rush you and dangle big money in front of you before you have time to think. Don’t be fooled. Take your time and don’t let any customer rush you through a deal you’re not comfortable with.

5. This one is probably the most crucial: a scammer will usually want to make their own shipping arrangements: whether it’s having the merchandise picked up with “their own courier” or giving you a list of specific instructions for shipping. If you see this, bail quickly. Delete the email and block the email address—this person is trying to scam you.

6. A certified check, a bank check or credit card is no protection against a scammer. There is a difference between funds being CLEARED and funds being HONORED, by your bank. “Cleared” funds can become “UNCLEARED” within a week or two and you’re stuck with the shortfall. Honored funds, on the other hand, are good as gold. Honored means the cash is there. If you are unsure, talk to your bank and ask them when and how they honor international funds and if they can personally work with you on a deal that you are even a little suspicious of. Your bank will be happy to oblige you and help protect you. Never, ever ship merchandise anywhere until those funds are HONORED.

7. Not all high ticket, suspicious orders are scams. We had a huge order from Nigeria last year—yes, Nigeria!–that turned out to be perfectly legitimate and very, very lucrative. But, due to our suspicions, we came to within a hairbreadth of losing the deal because we refused to believe they were legitimate until the very last minute. Give people the benefit of the doubt, within reason, and a chance to prove their veracity. Even Nigeria has legitimate businesses who want to buy from American companies.

8. Don’t fight with the scammer, don’t accuse them of anything, don’t get into a pissing match with him/her. Once you have established in your mind that they are trying to scam you, delete their emails and block them. No need to get some nut after you because you couldn’t hold your temper. Just delete them and move on to your next legitimate sale.

Beautiful jewelry stock photography

My brother-in-law is not only a great guy who I love, but he’s also an amazing photographer. Joe has had an upscale jewelry photography studio in Manhattan for years, J Gold and Co Photography. For years, Joe has taken amazing photos for companies like Neiman Marcus, JC Penney, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales and Zales. His discerning artist’s eye for color, texture and composition can make even the most mundane object a work of art.

I am thrilled that he’s now offering his fabulous works for stock use. The name of his site is Jewelry Stockshots and not only are the images beautiful, but they are reasonably priced and–the best part–unlike other stock photo places, there are no restrictions on use. Usually these places have ten pages of legalese and lists of things you can’t do with the photos, but not this site. Check out a couple of his images (my personal favorites) below. To visit his new stock photo site, click here. Click images for larger size.

JewelryStockshots.com

JewelryStockshots.com

Jewelrystockshots.com

Michael Jackson’s “Stranger in Moscow”.

Off-topic post here. I wanted to share something special with you.

Yes, I liked Michael Jackson’s music, but it wouldn’t be true to say that I put his songwriting skills among the greats such as McCartney or Sting or Stevie Wonder or Elton.  I knew he had it in him to write beautiful music—I remember listening to “Human Nature” over and over again–but while “Beat It”, “Billie Jean” and “Thriller” were iconic, I never considered them genius works of art, and I never considered him a songwriter with depth. Just a genius entertainer (and tortured soul) who moved like liquid velvet on stage.

I was wrong.  The man was a songwriter, and a brilliant one. Unfortunately, his best songs didn’t get much play in the United States. Those smart Europeans appreciated the piece in particular far more than we ever did. It’s called “Stranger in Moscow”, from the HIStory album.

Jackson wrote “Stranger” right after his first accusation of child abuse in the early nineties. He was on tour in Russia and this must have tore some organs out of his chest as he penned it. I am not going to get into the “was he guilty?” question here, I don’t want to postulate about that. I will say, however, that the ability to capture pulsating pain in a jar and pour it all over musical clefs like dark blood is a special gift. Listen to it, watch the video--which is equally brilliant. I dare you to be unmoved. Anybody who can write this song was tuned into something beautiful and pure.

Click the image below to watch on YouTube.

Twerms for Twitterers

Twitter has rapidly become the third largest social network on the web. With only 140 characters allowed for each “Tweet”, users have begun to create their own language to get across their thoughts as  quickly and efficiently as they can. As “Google” is now also a verb as well as the name of a company, those of us who “tweet” often find ourselves wanting a quick term or expression that sums up the experience with a minimum of words.

For your pleasure, here are some of my own suggestions for possible linguistic additions for Twitter:

Redtweet (verb) When you type too many characters in TweetDeck and are forced to delete when the dialog box turns red

Twinching, Twinch (adverb, verb) The act of forcibly shrinking 150 characters into 140 by aggressive editing.

Lonetweet (verb) When your followers only get to see one side of your conversation

Quotweetion (noun)  Non sequitur quotations seemingly apropos of nothing

Ingratitwit (noun) ungracious Twitterer

Tweetbagger (noun) Twitterer who’s more interested in collecting followers than in actually engaging them

Tweetvoidance (noun) tweeting when you really should be paying your bills, tending kids or working

Sensitweet (adj) Description of one who unfollows you because you didn’t follow them within ten minutes

Tweetasite (noun) Spammer

Tweet Envy (noun) a tweet so good you wish you had typed it yourself

Twittiful (adj) The emotion felt by the Twitterer who accidentally tweets very embarassing DMs publicly

Twitness (noun)  Someone who saw a ghostly Tweet that was somehow never seen again by anyone else

Twiccan (noun) Twitterer who is also Wiccan

Twidow (noun) Lonely wife of incessantly Tweeting hubby

Twillow (noun) Twitterer who enjoys nature

Twilting, Twilt (adverb, verb) The act of falling asleep while tweeting

Twimp (noun) hesitant, overly anxious-to-please Twitterer

Twince (verb) What you do after you’ve tweeted something you regret

Twicked (adj) A mean tweet

Twizard (noun) A Twitter user whose knowledge of the software and protocol is faultless.

Cast Iron Teapot Trivet

When I first saw this cast iron trivet shaped like an old-fashioned teapot, I fell in love. I had to have it, and knew I had to offer it to our Color Bakery customers. No matter what custom artwork we use for the tile, it still works and looks fabulous. Also, this trivet can take either a ceramic tile or a glass tile….and it’s also ready to hang on the wall. Since it’s priced at 19.90, the shipping is FREE, too. Such a deal. Here’s a picture of it (I stole this one for our kitchen!) Image shown: “Aqua Sky Lillies” from our Stained Glass Gallery, shown on ceramic tile.

To purchase this trivet, click here or click the photo below.