Angie Pedersen's The Blog of ME

Book Review: My Name is Memory

My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book - right up till the end. The ending seemed so abrupt, my jaw dropped.

I thought surely I missed a track in the audiobook, or somehow didn't sync it up right with my mp3 player. But it doesn't appear so. The characters were so beautifully developed, and the author dedicated such care in crafting the story, I was really disappointed in how it ended. Not only did I have unanswered questions, but just stopping like that seemed an injustice to the characters' future relationship.

I still give it 4 stars, because I really enjoyed every moment up until the end (literally, like the last two minutes of the book). The whole time I was read-listening to it, I could not WAIT for my commute to/from work, just so I could get back to the story. I spent a good 20 minutes describing the story to my husband, I was so swept up in it.

I wouldn't discourage people from reading it, only to 'guard your heart' against the abrupt ending. I'd be interested to hear what others thought of how the story was concluded.

View all my reviews

Sweet note

I saw this note on the ground in the parking garage this morning. I
hope "Mama" got to see it. If you can't read it, it says, "Mama, Can't
wait till we go camping."

Posted via email from Angie Pedersen's Posterous

Inbound Marketing Certification

Certification Criteria

I am pleased to report I recently completed the certification process at Inbound Marketing University - I am now an Inbound Marketing Certified Professional. In their words, here's what that means:

The Inbound Marketing Certification acknowledges the recipients proficiency in Inbound Marketing principals and best practices. These principles include: blogging, social media, search engine optimization (SEO) lead conversion, lead nurturing, and closed-loop analysis. In order to receive the Inbound Marketing Certification, the recipient must pass a comprehensive certification exam with a score of 75% or higher.

The Honors Distinction is awarded to graduates with an exceptional understanding of inbound marketing. The top 15% of exam takers with a 90% score or higher receive this honor.

via inboundmarketing.com

 

Posted via email from Angie Pedersen's Posterous

Digital Scrapbooking tutorial: Group photos in a circle grid with Photoshop/Elements

I totally learned something new from this great Photoshop digital scrapbooking tutorial by my CPF (close personal friend) Sara Horton. I had never noticed the grid Custom Shape, and it never would have occurred to me to pair it with another shape to create equally portioned shapes-within-a-shape.

I bow to Sara's greatness.

You can subscribe to DesignerDigitals' YouTube channel so you don't miss any of the digi goodness!

Posted via email from Angie Pedersen's Posterous

Learning from Your Informational Interviews

In this post, I’ll share a particularly effective way to keep track of the important information from your informational interview.

Take the time the reflect and analyze

To maximize the benefits of an informational interview, take the time to reflect on the information that you collect from your informational interview. In addition to the actual information that you receive and your ensuing thoughts and reflections about the information, think about what you would have done differently if you could do the same interview over again.

Write your own informational interview report

If you choose to write or type out your thoughts, the following guidelines provide points to think about as you reflect on your informational interview experience. Actually, these guidelines are essentially the instructions for an assignment called “Informational Interview Report” that I have students complete in a career exploration class. So now, if you think it’ll benefit you, you can do your own informational interview write up.

Suggested guidelines of what to put in your write up

1. Begin your paper with an introduction consisting of background information.

2. Present the content of your informational interview.

3. Include a discussion of the information that you gathered.

4. End your paper with a conclusion.

5. Just a reminder here: be sure to send a thank-you note or e-mail to the interviewee within 2 days of the informational interview.

Read all the tips at careeractionnow.com

Posted via email from Angie Pedersen's Posterous

Where to Get the Best Free Education Online

via lifehacker.com

An overview of online resources for college-level courses - oh, if only there were more hours in the day to dig in! Just click the lifehacker.com link above to start exploring.

Posted via email from Angie Pedersen's Posterous

Paint chip mosaic art., via Mod Podge Rocks!

via modpodgerocks.blogspot.com

Neat use of all those paint chips many of us have leftover from their first pass through scrapbooking trends. :)

Posted via email from Angie Pedersen's Posterous

DIY for Lazy People, a la Groupon

The DIY craze is sweeping up everyone in the nation, except for one group: the lazy. Here are some DIY projects that even lazy people can do:

Homemade Window
What You'll Need: Hammer, Saran Wrap
How to DIY: Bang at the wall with your hammer until you see light; then, cover hole with Saran Wrap.

DIY Craft Bag
What You'll Need: Any old bag
How to DIY: Empty out contents of current bag; put craft stuff in it. Now you have a craft bag.

Personal Scrapbook
What You'll Need: Gloves, lock-picking kit, courage
How to DIY: Find the perfect family. When they're away, find their scrapbooks. Take one home with you. Now you have a personal scrapbook with a family better than your own and with half the work.

via groupon.com

I am stunned to think of all the hours I've wasted creating my own scrapbooks...

Posted via email from Angie Pedersen's Posterous

Creative uses for all those plastic bags

...Things start to get interesting, however, when the creativity of our consumer nation is called upon and the question of how to reuse plastic bags is answered with good, old-fashioned American ingenuity.

...Vomit receptacle, trash bag for the car, emergency rain bonnet, mini-drop cloth while painting, and plastic turban to hold hair while waiting for at-home dye jobs to set were also recommendations. Several respondents said they donate gently used plastic bags to non-profit thrift shops to be passed along to the next consumer. Now, we're talking.

One resourceful soul said he used the bags to remove a "rotting possum carcass from under [the] house." So, there you go. Add road kill and rodent removal to the list.

Of course, where there is excess material, there will be crafters.

On YouTube, there is a community of plastic bag crafters who demonstrate what can be done with a used bag and a little imagination. In a video for CRAFT, Cristen Andrews demonstrates how to cut the bags into strips, fasten them together and create large skeins of plastic bag "yarn". Andrews makes hats and soda can cozies. Others design mats, handbags, totes, dog leashes, place mats, toilet paper holders, baskets and sandals. Basically, anything that can be crocheted can be made out of re purposed plastic bags.

Read the whole article at walletpop.com

Lots of great links to innovative re-uses in this article!

Posted via email from Angie Pedersen's Posterous

Creating Custom Shapes in Photoshop: Trendy Squares

My friend Sara Horton with DesignerDigitals has posted a video tutorial in their continuing series on creating custom shapes in Photoshop/Elements - this one is on creating Trendy Squares with 2 Rounded and 2 Squared Corners. Her directions make it seem like a piece of (digital) cake!