It's yogurt not mayonnaise!

I'm sitting at my computer multi-tasking.  Eating and working.

I had slopped in some fat free Meijer Brand vanilla yogurt into a soup bowl. It was fast and filling.

Stacey came over and looked into the bowl and looked at me. "Are you eating MAYONNAISE?" she asked.

Not on my worst most decadent eating day would I eat a bowl of mayonnaise.
After all, I take a cholestrol lowering pill. That would be like self-sabotage.
Besides...yuck. Who's eats that much mayonnaise? I feel guilty if I put a
tablespoon on a turkey sandwich. A whole bowl??

Then one night as I was channel surfing I saw Andrew Zimmern...that guy that travels around the world eating weird things. He was visiting a mayonnaise restaurant in Japan. Yeek gads...you can get mayonnaise soup?  mayonnaise drinks?  mayonnaise fondue?  He thought it was yucky and he knows yuck.

Oh well...it's my blog and I thought I'd share this earth shattering interesting bit of information.

Connecting the creativity dots with ipad apps

In 1996 Steve Jobs was quoted as saying 

this about "Creativity":

“Creativity is just connecting things. 

When you ask creative people how they did something, 

they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, 

they just saw something. 

It seemed obvious to them after a while. 

That’s because they were able to connect experiences 

they’ve had and synthesize new things."

Well that's exactly it.
Well stated.

He said you just connect the dots.

Easy Peasy.

Even easier now with ipad apps.

I love to make photos into something

new and different. Maybe even

more fun to view.

I guess that's why I also believe in

a little photo airbrushing to improve

people in their photos.

Here's a few of my current favorites

ipad apps. Try 'em and see if you don't agree.

        1. WaterMyPhoto

2. PosterFX 
 3. OutColor 

(It's not called OutPhoto but I

keep calling it that...makes more sense to me.)

(By the way...this is just strictly
my opinion....not any sort of 
paid advertising for them.)

Nascar racing party decorations

Nascar Racing!

Here's some signs and 

centerpieces and placecards we've done 

in the past year for this slant on car racing.

We've done go-cart type car racing party themes before

but Nascar is on a different level.

Here's a few ideas if you are looking for

something fast and colorful and fun.


These pictures are mix from 3 different 
parties but it does seem like black and
red always are the dominant colors mixed
in with checkerboard.


Red is hot and sexy.
Checkerboard is flashy and eye catching.


Guess that sums it up.

DIY: How to make a foamcore palm tree centerpiece

This tree is made from 3/16" foamcore
and is 3 dimensional and looks the same
on the front and back.

You can make it any size but this one was
about 32" high.

It would make a cute centerpiece for a 

tropical beach theme, Hawaiian Luau or

even part of a travel theme.

Here's how to make one yourself.

Start with the trunk.

Now make the leaves.

Here's  how to assemble it altogether.

Hope you enjoy the instructions!

www.marlyssandstacey.com

Music Parties vs. Sports Parties .... Who leads?

In the year 2011 are boys (and some girls) picking a 

music theme over a sports theme?

Well...if you ask me, MUSIC is pulling out ahead.

Now we've done some sports party centerpieces and 

sign in boards and candle lightings. Yes, we have.

Here's a couple of signs with a sports theme.

ESPN of every sort, All Stars, Sports Center, 

Sports Spectacular, Game Day......some of the few words

we've used mixed in with footballs, baseballs, basketballs, 

hockey sticks, etc. Throw in some lacrosse and swimming

 and running too. Add some stars and lights and 

it cool and fun looking.

Even lots of sports tickets for PLACE CARDS.

But there are loads of up and coming guitar players out there. 

Could it be because of Rock Band and Guitar Hero? 

We've done Rock Band and Guitar Hero centerpieces elevated up like this one.

 We've made them simpler too.

But more than anything, we've done loads of

guitars in all shapes and ways.

Here's one of our newest ideas.

This works well on a round table in the

entrance to greet your guests with a fun guitar look.

Placecards can be placed all around

this centerpiece with its triangular base.

Guitars really do Rock!

We've done guitar centerpieces for birthdays from 1 to 80.

For Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Sweet 16's, Corporate Events, 

once for "Our Docs Rock"...even weddings and baby showers.

Of course, baby showers. "Potty like a Rock Star" is popular 

and the first time I heard that, I found it so hilarious and cute.

I still do.

If you need things for a music party visit:

www.guitarcenterpieces.com

If you need things for a sports party visit:

www.marlyssandstacey.com

Or visit us on Facebook for a real hodge podge of

things that are currently flowing thru our workshop if you

haven't found your theme yet.

See the Facebook link on the right side of this page.

We like all kinds of themes.

Even some that are a little off the wall 

are okay with us.

My Mirror

I don't think my little gal knows 

how she can touch my heart. 

This little note resides on the metal 

track on my bathroom mirror.

It's been there for a couple of years now.

I can't ever take it down. 

I love it there.

It's a fixture in my life and upon

the mirror I look into every day.

How do I feel about airbrushing?

How do I honestly and truly feel about airbrushing?

I'm for it. Bring it on. In moderation.

This photo on the cover of a Costco Connection

magazine bothers me.

What woman says put me on the cover of a magazine

and show all my flaws? Would a little airbrushing

here of her smile lines and creases hurt?

Wouldn't we still recognize her as 

Caroline Kennedy? Well...yes, we would.

We re-touch pimples on kids school pictures.

It still looks like our kid. Who needs the zits in

the picture. Do we need to remember those?

A picture is a memory. It's a time capsule.

It's there forever. We all want to be remembered 

as looking fresh and rested...at our best.

So Caroline is older. She has wrinkles. We all do when

we smile. Even babies. We crease up. That's what forms 

those lines after years of smiling and crying too. 

(and I'll admit...gravity too...It keeps us

grounded in more ways than one.)

We have them. We earned them. We own them.

We see them in the mirror everyday.

They are there. We all know it.

I'm not saying deny the truth. But if your dress has

a tear or stain we didn't notice, would they

air brush that out? Sure they would.

When I take a photo of some work I've done and

there is some lint or misplaced junk in the photo, do

I use that retouch button in my iphoto?  Yes.

I also use the "enhance" and "exposure", "sharpness" and

"de-noise" features to get the best photo. 

It doesn't change the integrity of the original. It

just makes it nicer to view.

Most of my pictures of my work are pictures of 

inanimate objects. They don't care.

But if I take a picture of a person and it has

a flaw or two, I fix it. It's still the same person.

They look at their best at that moment in time.

Whatever age they are.

You can't change them into babies if they are

grandparents. That would be crazy and unreasonable.

But why not bring out the best in them.

That's why folks wear nice clothes. To bring out

the best. That's why we comb our hair before we

take a picture if we have the chance.

We want the picture to reflect us at our best.

Now really...do you think this photographer and 

whoever was in charge of putting this photo on the 

cover really wanted Caroline to look her best?

I think not for some odd reason.

Do they think it makes a better cover?

Well not in my opinion.

Here's a really sexist remark (sorry): But I think

maybe it was a man who made that decision.

Could it be a woman who made that decision?

I would hope not. But maybe.

People can be mean to each other. 

Look at all those tabloid magazines.

But this was on a Costco magazine.

Really...Costco? It's not a tabloid.

It's also not a Glamor magazine, I know that.

It's about everyday people and everyday things.

Was that what they wanted to show?

"Everyday Caroline"?