My Thanksgiving Greeting To You!

To all of my fans, readers, friends, and everyone in between I wish you and your family many blessings today as we celebrate Thanksgiving. Be thankful in all things big and small. I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to share my creativity with you through social media! I'm thankful for people like you who continue to inspire me to share my ideas and bring new innovative ideas to you. Many thanks for support! Have a sensational Thanksgiving Everyone!

'Twas the Day Before Thanksgiving...

Courtesy of Bitstrips via Facebook

Merry Chris... Oops, I mean it's Thanksgiving Eve! There's a couple of inches of snow where I am, and plus the local radio stations have been playing Christmas music all month, so I guess it's easy for me to get the holidays mixed up! HA! Anyway, if you're traveling today to see loved ones I wish you safe travels no matter the destination. Where I live in Columbus, OH we've been dealing with the cold, snow, and some wind, but my friends on the east coast are really getting their share of snow, rain, wind, and all kinds of mess! So wherever you'll be spending your Thanksgiving at, I hope it will be enjoyable and mess free.

For those of you who are at home getting ready for the big Thanksgiving dinner and have managed to find yourself stuck in "Last Minute Limbo", I've been searching around for some good, creative, and quick tips to help make your celebration a sure success! Since it is the day before Thanksgiving, I highly recommend you setup your tables and chairs ahead to make sure that: a. you'll have plenty of room for your guests b. you have plenty of seating for your guests. and c. because it's just easier and less work for you to fool with tomorrow.

Last minute decorating ideas: If you've been scrambling around trying to find pretty autumn/thanksgiving decorations and come up empty handed, don't worry about it. Thanksgiving is a simple holiday to prepare for, so you don't have to worry about going overboard with decorations and designs. If you do want to spice up your entertaining space just a little bit, dress up your tables with some pretty festive tablecloths. Even if you don't have any holiday specific covers or colors, make sure that you're fixing the space up so that it is warm and comfortable. Centerpieces can also make for a great decoration and they're easy to put together. Try adding a collection of flower arrangements, pumpkins, baskets, and candles to create a simple but structured centerpiece for your tables. You could even use name tags for the guests sitting at each table for decoration as well (especially if you have a large group, this may help to keep things more organized). Here are some sample ideas I found to give you a little inspiration:

                                

Last minute craft/activity ideas: My family isn't very big, but I can remember a few thanksgivings where there would be a few kids (myself included) and we would easily get bored while everyone else enjoyed each other's company. Let's face it, most kids are glued to the TV from 9am to noon watching The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, but after that goes off what do you do if the food isn't ready? Traditionally when I was younger, I would try to just watch a movie until I was called for to go and eat. However, I notice more people prefer to leave the TV off after the parade is over. So for some activity ideas to keep the kids busy, try putting together some Thanksgiving Coloring Pages that you can print out and have them decorate. If you don't have any markers or crayons to use, call up the parents or other family members and ask if they can bring some materials with them to help keep the kids entertained. If you have any red, yellow, orange, or brown pieces of construction paper, consider having the kids decorate their own leaves for them to cut out. The leaves can then be placed on the table for additional decorations, or have the kids (as well as adult guests) write on each leaf what they're thankful for. This can easily be used as a conversation starter or potential game later on. 

Last minute food preparations: While everyone likes, and expects, their meals to be freshly prepared the DAY OF Thanksgiving, the reality is that as humans you can only do so much. Anything that you can cook or prepare ahead of time, DO IT TONIGHT! Go ahead and get your plates and dishes ready for setup. Entrees and sides like salad, fruit cups, crackers, veggie trays, etc. are fine to put together tonight. If you're going to use raw vegetables and fruits, I suggest wrapping them up and then placing in them in the fridge over night to help keep them fresh and cool. Hot foods sadly have to wait until tomorrow. Some people I know will use a slow cooker to help cook hot dishes overnight- this may work, but I personally don't recommend it for the sake of safety and so you can get plenty of sleep tonight! I mean come on, who wants to wake up to the smell of beef stew at 3am? Finally, if you haven't done so already, go through your fridge and pantry to make sure you have plenty of EVERYTHING- beverages, desserts, sugar, bread, crackers, etc. Don't forget your condiments as well- butter, salt & pepper, honey, whatever you think your guests will need to enhance their eating experience. It's important that you have everything you need so you'll have at least a few hours tonight to make a quick run to the market if you forgot something. Keep in mind, many stores will be closed tomorrow HOWEVER, I have noticed that some places will be open either briefly for the day or to give crazy Black Friday shoppers a head-start. Either way, I don't recommend you wait 'til tomorrow because any store you do visit will probably have dozens of people shopping for the same reason or you'll run into the crazies looking for that new flat screen TV for $30- Seriously, be prepared and just stay home!

Alright my friends, that's all of my Last Minute Thanksgiving ideas for you! If you'd like to share your last minute tips with fellow readers, feel free to leave any comments or messages on this post! If you're cooking and/or hosting your party tomorrow, I wish you all the patience and joy in the world to your upcoming delicious feast and your hard work in preparing for it! If you are unfortunately working tomorrow, I hope your shift will fly by quickly so you can spend time with your family and relax at home. If you are currently traveling for Thanksgiving, safe travels to your destination and I dedicate this special song to you. I tend to hear this song for Christmas, but I think it's also fitting for Thanksgiving as well.

Happy Cooking, Crafting, Eating, and Every Thing in Between! I'll see you tomorrow for a special Thanksgiving greeting to all of you, my wonderful readers! Have a great Wednesday everyone!

*Images used in this post were collected from Google Images. I do not own any of the pictures used and I give credit to the photographers and owners of each image used. I also do not own Bitstrips and acknowledge it as a free app for public use on Facebook. The song "Celebrate Me Home" is owned by Kenny Loggins and other involved producers and songwriters. I do not own this song or have any rights to Kenny Loggins. No Copyright Infringement Intended. 

Creative Mastermind for Week 11/25: Amy Kule, Executive Director of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Good morning everyone! Welcome to The Creative Cabana and welcome to the week of Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and you're ready to cook, eat, laugh, and have fun with the people who make your life worth living for.

Thanksgiving is most known for being a popular American holiday, because it's a time to reflect on the many pilgrims who traveled to America in search of a better life. It also symbolizes the start of building new friendships with Native Americans, and celebrating the blessings of being in "the new world." This is a wonderful part of American History, but for others who may not be as attached to American traditions, Thanksgiving is basically what it sounds like- "Give Thanks". While we should do this everyday, it is a perfect opportunity to really sit back and be thankful for what you have. Thanksgiving also brings out a beloved tradition for children and adults alike. Since 1924 this famous parade has made Thanksgiving a delight to celebrate a national holiday and welcome the Christmas season. In 1952, it was broadcasted on television from coast and coast. Today over 3.5 million visitors see it live from New York City and over 50 million viewers watch in live on TV. What am I talking about of course? None other than The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Who is the mastermind behind this fabulous event? The answer would be Amy Kule, Executive Director.

Amy Kule works with a team of creative, promotions, and event planning gurus to bring a classic American tradition alive for a three-hour televised special. The parade consists of Broadway Stars, Celebrities, Marching Bands, Performers, Floats, Organization Representatives, Balloons, and last but not least, Santa Claus. Kule spends much of the year planning and organizing the parade inch by inch to ensure everyone has the best parade experience possible. Originally from Long Island, she started working for Macy's back in 1996 as a East Coast Events Director and made her way up to Executive Director in 2010. She has told the media several times about how much she enjoys planning and celebrating the Thanksgiving Day Parade. In some of the articles I read about her, she even joked about how the parade gets her out of the doing the cooking for the holiday! I guess you can't really blame her for that one.

Something I don't think people really understand is how big of a job it is to put together an event at this magnitude. Let's face it, Macy's likes do everything big and this parade is not only a cherished event, but it's a great Marketing and PR tool as well. The company is giving back to the people for their service, business, and of course to put smiles on so many faces. There is a TON of organization, scheduling, and planning that goes into this. Out of shear curiosity, I visited The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade website just to see what it takes to be a part in the parade- for an example, a Marching Band. They're already taking applications for the 2015 parade. Yeah, 2015, if you had your heart said on participating next year, then sorry to burst your bubble. Every detail must be planned in advanced to ensure the high level of corporate and public expectation is met. Amy Kule and her team of wonders, does a fabulous job in working out every detail and every aspect of this annual show.

One of the reasons, why I selected Amy Kule for this week's Creative Mastermind honor is that she handles just about every aspect of creativity that I like to highlight at The Creative Cabana. Because this is a televised program, you can already imagine the amount of audio and video production that takes place in order to broadcast the parade across America. Crafting and Graphic Design also play a big role when it comes to the designing of the balloons and floats. Many of the represented companies and organizations who participate in the float spend months getting their floats and balloons ready to go. There's a lot of artistic talent in making sure that each float, balloon, and costume design is made to perfection! Amy Kule oversees all of this and her job requires her to make sure that everyone has a great time.

This week's Creative Mastermind, Amy Kule, hits the nail on all aspects of creativity, planning, and marketing! Both her and the team she works with deserve a big round of applause for keeping the Macy's tradition alive for over 80 years! Make sure you tune into the parade this Thursday on NBC at 9am (Eastern). Come see all of the Macy's staff, Marching Bands, Performers, Singers, and everyone else show off their talent at the best Thanksgiving celebration in America. Don't forget if you'd like to recommend a Creative Mastermind, just leave a comment on this post or you can visit The Creative Cabana on Facebook or Twitter to leave your suggestions there! Until later my friends, have a great day!

* Information related to the history of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade comes from Wikipedia's "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" article. I also establish and give credit to Jenna Goudreau from Forbes for her article, "The Woman Behind The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" which I used to read about Amy Kule, though no quotes were taken from either of these articles. The pictures used in this post were from Google Images and I credit the photographer and owner of these images to whoever it concerns. I do not own Macy's or NBC. The opinions given are my own and do not necessarily reflect those at NBC, Macy's, or another companies mentionned. No Copyright Infringement Intended.

Let the Countdown Begin!

Greetings once again my wonderful Creative Cabana readers! I hope you've had a great weekend and apologies for not getting this post to you sooner. I originally intended to have this post up Friday evening, then had to delay it to Saturday morning, but because of other commitments that came up here I am two days later with my post! For the weekend, I was originally planning to provide you with creative ways to help plan your shopping lists, travel organizers, and other preparation tools for your upcoming Thanksgiving plans. During my weekend outing yesterday, I've noticed a lot of people have started traveling for the holiday and others were filling the supermarket to get shopping done. So, I've decided to just give you some simple countdown tips to help you stay on track with your plans! If you're one of those people who have already planned ahead and have everything ready to go for your trip or hosting the feast, then claps to you for staying ahead of the game. If you're scrambling around to get the last minute packing and/or shopping ready then I've got some ideas for your family to help get through the hustle and bustle.

Today is the 4th day before Thanksgiving, so if you have your turkey purchased then make room in your fridge and place the turkey inside. The average size turkey takes a few days to thaw out so unless you plan on serving your guests caveman frozen-style turkey entrees then allow yourself plenty of time to let the bird defrost! For your side dishes, I recommend checking your supply to make sure you have plenty of boxed side dishes and back-up sides just in case. If you have picky eaters (or kids), consider investing in simple easy-to-cook sides like Mac'n'Cheese, Applesauce, or fruit cups. Simple sides like these are easy to prepare and affordable alternatives for those who may not be into more traditional food choices.

Now for my friends who are traveling, if you have kids traveling with you- keep them entertained with fun and educational games which can be found at several websites online, as well as many stores like Walmart, AAA or other local convenience stores. Whether you're driving, flying, or taking other scenic means of transportation, take this opportunity to photograph your travel experiences. When I go on vacation, I tend to take pictures of popular restaurants or shops that I like so I can not only cherish the memory there, but it also helps to note the location of the venue. These can make for great discussion topics at the dinner table, plus take on those awesome Photography skills I've been preaching to you about!

Stay tuned my friends for more Thanksgiving preparation ideas tomorrow and also look forward to this week's Creative Mastermind! It has to do with a special Thanksgiving tradition that has been going on for 86 years! Have a great evening everyone and check back for more creative awesomeness soon!

The Art of Thanksgiving Food

Good Evening Creative Cabana readers! If you're like me and stressing about upcoming holiday plans on top of things like work, school, or other activities, then I invite you to sit back and relax for a little while. Today's post is designed to give you ideas in decorating your Thanksgiving feast. I know it may sound a little crazy, odd, or perhaps cliche but I find that creativity in art doesn't always have to be on a canvas, or piece of paper. Sometimes your food can make for the best canvas of all!

Now most people generally just fix their food, slap it on a plate or bowl, and then dig in. However, there are some cooks who like to spice up the cooking techniques and a little flare to their dishes. Not only is this a tasteful and delicious tactic, but it's also a creative art form. Have you ever decorated food? Not just desserts, but maybe entrees or side dishes? Here's some examples I found on the internet of different delicious designs! (trying saying that five times fast!)

There's some pretty cool ideas here ranging from candy to fruits and veggies. I understand that some foods you really can't do much decorating to like for example, the turkey or your bread choices. However, every opportunity you can, try to add a little spunk to your delicious homemade cooking! If you don't believe in your talents of dressing up the food a little bit, NO WORRIES! There are several really good recipe websites that can help guide you through the preparing, cooking, and decorating processes. Here are some of my recommendations to help you get started:

Spoonful.com- http://spoonful.com/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-desserts

HGTV- http://www.hgtv.com/thanksgiving-ideas/package/index.html

Edible Crafts at Craft Gossip- http://ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com/

If you like these ideas check out this awesome Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Cake! Yes, I said Ice Cream Cake:

Now that's one heck of a turkey! Remember friends, you have about a week left to get ready for your Thanksgiving feast. This weekend is a good time to check your food supplies and groceries to see if you need any last-minute ingredients for your dishes. Once you have all of your tools and ingredients together, then the cooking and decorating becomes the next fun part of the job. Remember, decorating your food can be considered another form of Art. In fact, it's the best kind because not only can you admire it, but you eat it too. Happy Decorating and Happy Eating!

Do you have some creative recipes you'd like to share? Just leave a comment on this post or you can leave a message on The Creative Cabana's Facebook page and Twitter. Don't forget to follow The Creative Cabana on all top social media sites for more ideas, news, and insight on various creative projects!

*All images used in this post were gathered from a Google Images search. I do not own Baskin-Robbins, Spoonful.com, HGTV, or Craft Gossip. Mentions of these sites and places were only for recommendation and not for profit. Food pictures all belong directly to their owners. No Copyright Infringement Intended.

Creative Mastermind for Week 11/18: Melanie Thorton

Welcome to yet another Monday! I thank you all so much for coming today to visit The Creative Cabana and read all about this week's Creative Mastermind. I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and hopefully, if you live in the Midwest of the USA, you didn't get blown away by the outrageous severe storms that swept through the area yesterday evening. I currently live in Columbus, Ohio and I have to tell you I honestly thought I was going to be blown away to Oz last night, the wind was that strong. Thankfully I didn't notice any damage around my home, but others weren't so lucky- so please take the time to keep these people in your thoughts and lend a hand in the community to those who need the help!

For this week's Creative Mastermind, one of my readers sent me the name of a singer whose short-lived life also brought joy to people around the world and recorded a song to help welcome the holiday season. This singer showed much potential into her music career but ended tragically for her in death. This week's Creative Mastermind is Melanie Thorton.

Melanie Thorton was born in Charleston, South Carolina on May 13, 1967 and grew up with a huge passion for music and vocal styles. She began studying music at the age of just 6 years old and went on to sing in various clubs with other live bands. When she went to Germany to live with her sister, and eventually found work in a recording studio. She recorded a demo of "Sweet Dreams" which caught the attention of Frank Farian a producer known for his infamous group "Milli Vanilli". Farian had setup Thorton with the group "La Bouche" and went on to produce many hits all over the world, become one of Europe's Biggest dance groups. She left "La Bouche" in 2000 and went on to pursue a solo career with Sony/Epic Records. She went on to release a solo single "Love How You Love Me" and then in 2001 released her only solo album entitled, "Ready to Fly". In November of that same year, Melanie Thorton had been visiting Switzerland to go and promote her new album, "Wonderful Dream", just in time for holidays. Unfortunately she was killed in a plane crash on November 24th on her way to Zürich. 

The title song "Wonderful Dream" was planned to be in a holiday Coca-Cola commercial, but when news of her death struck there was some debate as to if the company should move forward with it. Coco-Cola ultimately decided to use the song for the commercial and it can still be seen today in many countries worldwide. Here's the full version of the Coca-Cola commercial from 2010 using Thorton's song in the background of the music. Some of the lyrics have been adapted for the Coca-Cola product, however the "holidays are coming" phrase is pulled directly from "Wonderful Dream".

  

The video below is the full version of Melanie Thorton's "Wonderful Dream" for your listening pleasure!

It's true we are starting to inch even closer to the holiday season, but one of things I love about this song is how upbeat and happy it sounds. Honestly, when I hear this song I not only think of Coca-Cola, but it reminds me of something I'd heard on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade! I mean you can just imagine Melanie Thorton on one of the moving floats with the kids waving and dancing while she's singing this song. It's amazing and very inspiring. 

So what is it about this singer that makes her a Creative Mastermind? When it comes down to it, she has a very genuine voice and translates it into a natural rhythmic sound. I place her up there with so many great artists who don't need any fancy auto-tuning or instrument involvement to make a good performance. I think Melanie Thorton could sing solo and A Capella with no trouble at all, and would still sound great! I also have to give points for her fabulous work in creating this song along with Coca-Cola to create one of the best promotional campaigns ever. Face it, as soon as you heard "... the holidays are coming... the holidays are coming", you knew that it was Christmas time! Had she lived longer, I think Melanie Thorton would've become a huge hit and I could see her playing a big role in today's music industry. 

That's all I have for now friends, I hope you've enjoyed reading about this Creative Mastermind and will be watching soon for that popular phrase and those lit-up trucks to grace your TV screens! Remember, this week's Creative Mastermind was sent in from readers like YOU, so if you know someone you'd like The Creative Cabana to recognize, then all you have to do is a leave comment on this post. Or you can also send in your ideas on the official Facebook page or Twitter page. 

*Image of Melanie Thorton used in this post was provided through Google Images. The videos of the Coca-Cola Commercial and "Wonderful Dream" were used from YouTube video links. I do not own Coca-Cola, Melanie Thorton, "Wonderful Dream", La Bouche, Milli Vanilli, or Frank Farian. All songs and groups mentioned belong to respective songwriters and producers. No Copyright Infringement Intended. 

Do-It-Yourself Holiday Cards

At last Friday has arrived! I don't know about you, but it has just been a really stressful week here at The Creative Cabana. I've started planning for the holiday posts and then into the middle of the week my computer decides to go nuts, but it's fixed and now I'm rushing to get caught up on other projects. Will the madness ever end? Nope, and that's good, because if it did end then there would be no more creativity to share. At least with the weekend comes time to rest and do something fun for a change. If you need a nice fun, stress-free project for the weekend, then I've got a treat for you!

It's no secret that people are really making the pennies stretch between holiday shopping, bills, groceries, and other necessities right now. So here's something you might not have considered before... make your own holiday cards! If you've purchased cards recently for an occasion, you've probably noticed how the price of greetings cards has increased over the last few years. It's a small change yes, but the small things over time add up easily! If you find yourself wanting to mail out cards for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Get Well, or any other special moment then you might be searching for alternative that can save you money and still be plenty sentimental. Have you ever considered designing your own cards? There's a lot of really nice card-template programs that give you the tools to design your own greetings. Personally though, I'd like to take it to the next level. 

Recognize this picture? It's from yesterday's post "Falling in Love With Photography" where I showed you about editing your fall pictures for easy display and home decor options. Today, I'll be using the same edited picture to show how you can turn this into a beautiful Thanksgiving card. 

One of the most common techniques is to use a program such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe InDesign to help layout and make easy adjustments to your work. If you don't have these programs, most Microsoft computers come with either a full or trial access of Microsoft Publisher which works as well. Here are some examples of the different platforms used to create greeting cards.

Adobe InDesign (CS2)

Adobe Photoshop (Elements 7.0)

Microsoft Publisher (2007)

If you have different versions than what I'm using, don't fret! Most programs don't have many huge changes in the editing tools or functions. The basic thing to remember, like other projects I've suggested, is to just have fun and be as imaginative as possible! All of these programs are pretty standard and universal in terms of font selections, placement options, and other functions. Personally, I'd recommend InDesign or Publisher if you want to make a honest actual holiday card. Just make sure you're mindful of your boundaries and where sections might bleed where you don't want them to. Adobe Photoshop is great for editing your pictures further to create artistic elements as well as adding font or other images on top of the original photo. This might be great if you'd like to create your own postcard image and send it instead of a card. For those who dare to do something a bit more advanced and a little more challenging, I'd like to introduce you to multimedia e-cards! Greeting cards in stores now can play music, record your voice, move objects, and imitate other features. All that is cool, but can be costly. I've seen some greetings cards go up to $15 because it comes with all the whistles an bells. My technique is interactive on the computer and costs way less! Hey, you won't even have to buy a postage stamp. 

If you're into multimedia development consider using programs like Windows Movie Maker or PowerPoint to create greeting cards that you can e-mail to your friends and family. If it's a movie file you can even upload it to YouTube and share it worldwide! However before you become a renowned video greeting card maker, take the time to plan on what you want to produce. Think about the message you want to send, pictures to include, music to add, and any other elements you'd like to incorporate. If you know someone over-seas and have access to a web-cam or video camera, consider recording your message and insert it into the program. Once you have your ideas planned out, then you can begin setting up your production. For my example, I'll be using Windows Movie Maker to demonstrate ideas for creating this Thanksgiving card. 

In this version of Windows Movie Maker I have added pictures, including the photos of the fall scenery, with text, and music to help illustrate my message to the sender. If you choose to use Windows Movie Maker for your digital greeting card, all you need to do is import your content from the menu of the program and then edit accordingly. There are variety of transition and effects you can apply to your content, as well as basic audio editing for your music. After you have edited all of your content and have it arranged to perfect then simply save (publish) your movie file for the computer. If using Powerpoint, then save it as a PowerPoint Show so that it won't open to the sender like a regular editing file. Here's my completed version of a Thanksgiving Greeting using Windows Movie Maker:

Oh and just in case you wondering, yes those are all my pictures! In the family photo, I'm the little baby in the picture with my Mom! So this would be an example of short little multimedia clip you can easily send to your long-distance relations. This is fun, creative, and more entertaining that having just simple cards sent out. Of course you can put slideshows on your table or mantle for display, so don't give old-fashion cards the boot! Hey they even make for a great craft activity for your kids if computers are your thing. 

Anyway you choose to create your greeting cards will give you plenty of options for developing a unique one-of-a-kind card experience and it will be a sheer surprise to the person who receives it! Be sure to check sites like Adobe, Microsoft, and Windows Live for other tips on creating other projects for your personal or business use. I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial and can spend some time this weekend getting your cards together for the ultimate rush of the season. Have a terrific Friday and Weekend everyone! 

*All pictures, and snapshot photos used in this post were created and taken by me for demonstrative and display purposes. The video created was developed myself using my own pictures, however I do not own the music used in the presentation. "God Bless The Broken Road" is the property of Rascal Flatts and the respective songwriters. No Copyright Infringement Intended. 

Falling in Love With Photography

Courtesy of Bitstrips via Facebook

Hello dear readers! I have finally managed to return to the web after two days of miserable torture of fighting with my computer for search access! I briefly mentioned on Twitter (which you should follow @CreativeCabana) about having issues with my computer which in turn affects my post schedule. Sometimes I swear technology hates me and tries very hard to make life awful. However, I've managed to successfully fix the problem and I can get back to doing what I love to do, giving you wonderful creative ideas and inspiration! 

Today I'd like to spend sometime sharing the concept of photography editing. Now this is a pretty basic principle and can be done for any occasion, at any time of the year. However, I feel like Fall is really a great time to start working that photo-edit magic to create spectacular pictures for display. Hopefully you've managed to collect some great photos over the last month consisting of fall scenery, family events, and maybe even special Halloween pictures. If you haven't, RELAX! Any picture that you find special and needs some tweeking will be perfect for this activity. The great thing about fall pictures is that not only do they make for nice home decor, but they can also bring in the season's festive feel for dinners, parties, or other social events. Photographs make for a nice alternative to decorations, especially for Thanksgiving. I didn't get much chance myself this year to do some scenic photograph work like I wanted to, so I'll be using two pictures I took last year while vacationing in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. By the way, if you've never been to the Smoky Mountains (doesn't matter what time of year), it is beautiful and I highly recommend it for a trip! Anyway, last year I traveled to Tennessee with my family in an attempt to see some good fall color in the South. This was in early October and while some color was starting to come in through the mountains it was mostly green and lush still. 

   

These are just samples of some of the pictures I took, and while they are nice photos- I think I can pump them up a little! When you have pictures like these that seem a bit dull and can use a vibrant factor to really make subjects pop out, then you're in luck because there's a few simple things to try. Please note, for my pictures I'm simply using the editing functions found in Windows Live Gallery (on Windows 7), but you can also use the same editing tools found in Adobe Photoshop or use free editing sites such as PicMonkey to enhance pictures as well. 

Mainly what I want to do for these pictures is to enhance the fall color seen in the trees and add more nature flare to scenery. In the first picture, the thing that pops out to me is the blue sky. It was very sunny the day I took this picture which is great for lighting but can also hurt exposure. So when editing photos, be sure to check the brightness and exposure of your photographs. 

So now I'm currently happy with my adjustments in brightness, I've adjusted contrast to balance the trees and rocks with the sky so now they're not fighting for brilliance in lighting terms. Which ever program you're using for editing, I always recommend hitting the undo button occasionally so that you can see what changes are taking effect. In the early stages of editing you may not see (or think) there is much change, but comparing to the original product will be helpful to you. Next I'm moving on to color- here is where my goal will be to try to make the trees pop against the blue sky for a more visual influence. When it comes to colors most programs follow either the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) palette or CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key- Black). When adjusting settings like color temperature, saturation, or tint, if you move your sliders from left to right you'll clearly see your picture change in color spectrum. What to watch for is that you don't want the haze effect, burnt look, or too much blue effect. Something I learned in college from video production is to keep your eye on something white. In this picture I have portions of white in the road for me to refer to while I adjust the color. 

One last thing I want to fix! Look in the upper right hand corner. See those white lines? That's a reflection from the car window. No, I wasn't driving when I took this picture- DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE KIDS! I'd like to see if I can delete that from this picture. In the Windows Live Gallery there's a button known as "Retouch" which takes care of that problem for me. If you're using a program like Adobe Photoshop, you'll need to use the tool "Clone Stamp" tool to color over the spot you wanted corrected. Just make sure hit alt + click on the spot you'll be using for the cover up and then use your arrow to simply cover over the area you want fixed. If you're using programs like PicMonkey, you might want to see if there's a feature available that will allow you imitate this feature as not all sites offer this ability. This would be a specific edit feature and not just filter layouts so be careful when browsing. Finally, I'm happy with the picture and here is the result side-by-side.

The second picture required many of the same edits, but just looking at the original photo you could definitely see there were some exposure problems and too much lighting. Most of it bouncing off not just the windshield of the car, but from the post on the freeway. I had also cropped the image because in the lower left corner was a dark spot that I didn't want in the shot. Here is the result from that edit as well:

Big improvement right? I gave my pictures a rich, beautiful vibrant tone. Just be careful not to throw your viewers into a massive color explosion giving them headaches! Fall is great time to really exercise your color technique because you've got a wide array of colors in the palette to work with when it comes to digital editing. Spring is also another great time of year for pictures as long it's not too cloudy or humid during the warmer periods. Humidity can affect your pictures creating a lot of haze and distortion. The key in photography though, no matter what stage, is to have fun. Don't be afraid to test the limits of what you can do with your camera (or cellphone). 

I hope this little lesson about photo editing will inspire you to enhance your precious collection of pictures and share with family and friends, not just for the holidays but for anytime. Fall pictures make for a great showcase display in the seasonal period and it's an easy concept to do! All you need is a picture, editing program, imagination, and a good sense of creativity!

Make sure you follow The Creative Cabana on Facebook and Twitter for more content updates and the opportunity to share your ideas. PLUS The Creative Cabana is also available on Pinterest with a new Thanksgiving board to help you find ideas for your upcoming holiday celebration. 

*Animated picture is from Bitstrips available through the Bitstrip application on Facebook. I do not own Bitstrips, PicMonkey, or Adobe Photoshop. Use of application mentions were only for demonstration purposes- No Copyright Infringement Intended. Pictures of Tennessee landscape and Live Photo Gallery screenshots were taken by me and I have full ownership of these images. 

Pausing to Reflect on Numbers in Creativity

Good Evening Everybody and Happy 11/12/13!!! I'm sorry to be posting so late because usually I'll write during the day when most people are active online. However today is no ordinary day, so why pick my ordinary time to post to my wonderful readers. Actually, my reason for posting so late is that life continues to keep grabbing me by the ankles and drags me all over creation! In my personal life, I'm having a lot of stressful issues that constantly try to control my time, but that's why I created The Creative Cabana- to give me a place (and some time) to reflect on what sparks creativity. Instead of talking about crafts, art, and the usual creative mumbo-jumbo, I started thinking today about numbers.

Whether we realize it or not, numbers have a lot to do with our creative process. We spend time thinking about what we want to create and how many of this product you'll be making. What tools will you be using? How many colors are involved? Is there a deadline for this project? Give a date. I could go on, but I think you get the idea. On a day like today where we've reached a numeric event in the traditional calender system, I'd like to think that sometimes the creative process can be thrown for a bit of a loop. From what I've read online, today is supposedly the most romantic day of the year, not sure how I feel about that. I'm looking at 11/12/13 as a unique opportunity to do something memorable and spontaneous (just make sure it's legal of course!).

I've spent my 11/12/13 doing some cleaning, organizing, and listening to Christmas music- (Don't Judge! This is strictly for an upcoming project for next month and it has to be read ahead of time!). I did do something a little bit out of the ordinary for me though, I thought about numbers. I was thinking about numbers I don't like, numbers that remind me of something specific, and of course today's date numbers being in numeric order. This sounds lame and dull, I know. But some of my best ideas and actions in creative projects have come from numbers. For example, for another upcoming project on behalf of The Creative Cabana, I'll be doing a set of pictures in relation to The Twelve Days of Christmas. More on that little project later on down the road!

What I'm try to say though is that numbers can have a various array of impact on our creative thinking processes depending on how much we expand the boundaries of our limited minds. Do you believe in fate? Think that today's date somehow managed to shine a little luck your way? That's terrific! Use that kind of positive and hopeful uplift to build the blocks for your next creative project. Ranging from videos to newsletters, or crafts to decorations, think of how numbers can influence your creative perception!

That's all for now Night Owls! I could end this wonderful 11/12/13 without giving you a boost powered blog post! After all the last numeric calender event will be next year on 12/13/14, after that it's a long ways to go before we can start over again. Have a good night everyone and be sure to come back for more Fall and Thanksgiving awesomeness!

Creative Mastermind for Week 11/11: Dana Keller

Welcome to the new week and Happy Veterans Day everyone! Today is special for The Creative Cabana because I wanted to bring forward a selective Creative Mastermind that also blended well with today being Veterans Day. I contemplated on a few artists whose graphic and artistic ability helped generate support for troops and objective goals in society. Then I thought that might be a bit cliched. So then I came across this article about a young man who is taking historic photos and putting them into color. Imagine what it would've been like to see history in the making in color through the eyes of the photographer. That is exactly what Dana Keller is trying to do.

Dana Keller, a graduate student at Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, is studying to become a history archivist and has put his passion of photography and history into a whole new spectrum. His Facebook page entitled "History in Color", displays some of his examples of his colored photographs with icons such as Abraham Lincoln, Walt Whitman, and Winston Churchill. In the article I read from Mashable titled "Enchanting Colorized Photos Breathe New Life Into History", Dana Keller explains his technique in adding color to these photos using Photoshop and other restoration functions as well. What is interesting about Keller's work is that he uses the colors to bring back familiarity to the photos. He notes that people detach themselves from Black and White photographs as if it were mere shadows of the past, color photos have a way of preservation and keeping the moment alive. The colors add familiarity to the photograph and brings people closer to the reality of what was occurring in the picture at the time it was taken.

"Edgar Allen Poe", Credit to Dana Keller

Keep in mind color photography was starting to be experimented with as early as the 1850s, but really didn't come to full development until the 1930s with the development of film known as Kodachrome. In 1963 Polaroid  produced "Instant Color Film" for cameras which became the "norm" of photography until around the late 1990s when Digital Photography became more popular and evolved with HD shooting. All this being said, we have so many conveniences of digital photography and color now that it's hard imagine seeing images today look as if they were taken during the Lincoln era or the Roaring Twenties. What Dana Keller has given us, is an opportunity to peek into history through the effects of color and photography to bring the reality of scenery and view with these classic images.

Ok, so now you know what Dana Keller does, now you ask what makes him a Creative Mastermind? Well basically his concept won this honor. He's not the first to use Colorization in photography. I've got pictures of some of my older relatives when they were in high school, and their senior portraits are in color. What's different about their portraits compared to mine is that theirs looks like drawings almost- Even though it was basically the photographs with color dye added to the product. So Dana Keller, is not the first to use this technique, but no one else has used original historic portraits to create color adaptations. Another thing I find about Dana Keller that is so ridiculously creative is his choice of color. No one really knows the exactly skin tone of Mr. Lincoln or Edgar Allen Poe, but his color choices suggest at least acceptable assumptions of how they might have looked during their living years. I'm not sure how much accuracy is a factor in Keller's work, but I think he makes fair judgement about the colors he picks when he looks at shades, time period, and subjects in the photograph. Imagination is key here, because sometimes when you don't have the exact facts available, you must rely on instincts to make the appropriate decisions. I feel that Dana Keller made good choices with his restoration of these images.

"The Hindenburg Disaster" Credit to Dana Keller

A little bit of history and appreciation for this week's Creative Mastermind in honor of Veterans Day and I do hope you've enjoyed it! If you know of someone or something that would make a great Creative Mastermind, please send your ideas to The Creative Cabana either by commenting on this post or visiting the Facebook page to leave your suggestions. Enjoy the rest of your day everyone, and be sure to thank a vet for their service and sacrifice!

*The original portraits of photographs used in this post belong to their respective owners. The colored versions of the photographs are owned and credited to Dana Keller. I do not own any of the photographic content mentioned in this blog post. Inspiration for this post came from the article "Enchanting Colorized Photos Breathe New Life Into History" on Mashable which I credit to the author for writing. No Copyright Infringement Intended. 

Be Thankful... For Awesome Ideas for Your Thanksgiving Party!

Happy Thursday to my fellow Creative Cabana readers! Can you believe it? We just had Halloween a week ago, and now we have 3 weeks left to prepare for Thanksgiving! Well thankfully, and I mean this literally, unlike Halloween and Christmas, Thanksgiving is more laid-back and doesn't involve as much fluff and planning. Sure there's the cooking, shopping for food, and kitchen preparations of course. However, Thanksgiving isn't meant to be as commercialized as other holidays which means you can take more time for yourself. It also means you can take some extra time to detail items for your home decor. In my previous post, "Having a Candy Hangover?", I mentioned some easy shortcuts for reusing generic Halloween decorations for Thanksgiving. If you're in the mood though for some fresh decorative settings, then here are some suggestions for you and the little hands in your family to try:

1. "Handmade" Turkey

For this craft, take your hands and trace the outline onto pieces of construction paper (brown, yellow, green, orange, red). Then cut each of the traces out, these will later be the feathers of your turkey. For the body part, simply cut out the head, beak, wattle, feet and stomach out of additional cardboard or foam pieces to create the rest of the turkey body. Glue each of the pieces together with the feathers going behind the bigger stomach piece. Once your turkey has dried, simply place it in a frame with some festive card stock for a beautiful display. You can also add your own touch by adding keywords such as: Thankful, Blessed, Give Thanks, etc. around the frame. This simple and easy craft is a great way to bring the family together for Thanksgiving and admire each other's amazing crafting skills!
*Oh, I just wanted to mention that I got this idea from Pinterest, but the website on this picture is pretty cool too! So check out pounds4pennies.com for some awesome money saving tips and projects.

2. Pilgrim Placards

I saw the picture of this idea on my Pinterest feed and thought this was just the most adorable idea for your table settings- especially if you have a big family or lots of kids. You'll need construction paper, paper towel or toilet paper brown rolls and a list of who will be at your dinner. Once you have your guest list finalized of who will be at your Thanksgiving dinner, print out pictures of their faces from your computer. Nothing too big, or small. If you'd like a comparison on size, try to make the heads about the same size as the base of the toilet/paper towel rolls you'll be using. Next you'll be cutting your rolls into smaller pieces either cut in half or thirds depending on how long the roll is. Now cover the rolls with brown construction paper and place your heads on top of the rolls. Next cut out little collar designs to place at the top of the brown roll, just under the face. Next you can make little hats and bonnets to place on the heads. Either cut little black pilgrim hats for the boys or little white bonnets for the girls. Likewise, you can also do this to dress up the pictures as Indians with different color construction paper, and feathers. Place each of the placards where you'd like the guests to sit. During the meal they can admire your designs and it also makes a cute favor for them to take home along with the yummy leftovers.

These are just a few of the many ideas I'd like to share with you my readers. Of course you can always stay up-to-date on different activities and decor ideas by following The Creative Cabana on Pinterest, just CLICK HERE. I've got those creative juices following, so be sure to check back for more great ideas coming up soon. I know in a future post I'll be showing you tricks for creating your own Thanksgiving cards to send to distant friends and family. Plus I'll be discussing the opportunity for Fall Photography ideas! This and much more coming soon to The Creative Cabana!

*Images and Craft ideas used in this post were originated from ideas found on Pinterest using the keyword "Thanksgiving". All images and craft content belong to their respective owners. I am in no relation connected to pounds4pennies.com. No Copyright Infringement Intended.

Creative Mastermind for Week 11/4: Todrick Hall

Salutations to my wonderful Creative Cabana readers! I hope you had a fantastic weekend and enjoyed your Halloween festivities for the weekend (if applicable). As for me, my weekend was a bit rough. I spent much of Saturday in bed feeling quite a bit under the weather, and Sunday was a little rough too. However, today I'm back on my feet getting some stuff done around home and getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving here at The Creative Cabana! While I'm still getting ready to redecorate the site for Thanksgiving, I have to present to you this week's Creative Mastermind.

For this week's honor, I have chosen a YouTube celebrity. You've probably seen his viral videos over the web and have heard of his spoof music videos, but if not, you're in for a treat. I give you, Mr. Todrick Hall!

This man is truly a piece of work, and I enjoy watching every video he puts together! Todrick is an extremely talented singer, producer, and visual artist with a real knack for remixing the elements of pop culture and music. 

I was first introduced to him a few months back when he released his video "The Wizard of Ahhhs", a remix of songs that aligned with the basic plot of the film "The Wizard of Oz". One of my friends sent this video to me because I'm the #1 Wizard of Oz fan in this part of Ohio (hence my Halloween costume for those who saw it) and at first I was skeptical. Generally, I don't like renditions or when someone comes out with "their version" of a song, I stay true to the originals. However, when I watched "The Wizard of Ahhhs" I was totally stunned by the talent and production of this video. Instead of doing some lame copycat reproduction of Oz songs, he took current songs that fit with the story line and fit them into the world Oz. Featuring the group Pentatonix, as well as Todrick Hall himself, the group put together a unique story telling video starting with the classic song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and turning into other popular hits such as "Lollipop", "Damaged", "I Can't Be Tamed", and finally ending with a mash-up of Daughtry's "Home" and Michael Buble's "Home". During the finale, Hall and Pentatonix pay tribute to beloved classic film by showing clips of Judy Garland and many other characters during their scenes in the original film. You can see the video below and watch how they bring together a brilliant contemplation of music, style, creativity, and emotion. 

And as if that ain't enough for you, last week just in time for Halloween, Todrick Hall released his latest video "Spell Block Tango". This delightful Disney parody plays off of the musical "Chicago" and the song "Cell Block Tango", only in this version he uses popular Disney Villains to sing and dance about their crimes against other Disney stars. I honestly couldn't stop laughing at this video upon watching it for the first time. I love how each character had created their own twist in the stories and plus the singers' costumes and make-up was just icing on the cake! Todrick Hall produced this so well and did such an amazing job at bringing family-friendly fun like Disney together with a more mature, adult- themed hit like "Chicago". Better yet, for those who have seen either the musical or the movie, chances are you remember songs like "Cell Block Tango" because of its catchy tune, memorable lyrics, and well Catherine-Zeta Jones (enough said.) So it's perfect that Todrick Hall managed to put Disney's greatest villains into the seats of this great criminal music masterpiece. If you haven't seen "Chicago" or heard "Cell Block Tango", don't worry about it- this version is just as good and even more entertaining!

Ok, now that I have shown you examples of his work, it's time to answer what exactly makes Todrick Hall a Creative Mastermind? Well, there's a few of the things I've previously mentionned that definitely qualifies him for this title. Certainly his style and technique is honestly something I've never really seen anybody else do. I can honestly say I never thought I'd see the day when Disney and "Chicago" would exist in the same universe, but sure enough they do now! Another thing I really admire about Hall is his unique approach to the audio and music production. He writes all of the music himself and then works with these incredibly talented actors and singers to bring together these amazing collaborations! I must admit that Todrick Hall is definitely one of the most creative and talented individuals I've ever seen (at least on YouTube). The man is truly inspiring and takes creativity to the next level. As a Creative Mastermind he has the audio and video production down to a tea. His writing talents are extraordinary and I think he will definitely go far in his career.

So well done Mr. Todrick Hall and also snaps to your amazing crew and everyone who helps you to create these sensational videos. Keep them coming! You can check out more of Todrick Hall's videos on YouTube just CLICK HERE. If you have a great idea for a Creative Mastermind, please send me your ideas either leave a comment on this post or you can visit The Creative Cabana on Facebook, Twitter, and follow on Pinterest for more creative ideas no matter the project!

*Image used of Todrick Hall was saved from Google Images. I do not own "The Wizard of Oz", "Chicago", "The Wizard of Ahhhs", "Spell Block Tango", "Cell Block Tango", or Disney. All films and songs belong to their respective owners and film companies. The videos for "The Wizard of Ahhhs" and "Spell Block Tango" are available on YouTube through Todrick Hall's official page. No Copyright Infringement Intended. 

Having a Candy Hangover?

Congratulations! If you're reading this, then that means you haven't over-dosed on candy, you've recovered from a sugar high, or just simply that you're still here and breathing. In any case, welcome to The Creative Cabana where you can breathe and relax because the holiday rush is over... oh wait. We still have Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. WHO AM I KIDDING? We are just getting started with the holiday season! Well for the moment just relax and take a breather to acknowledge one holiday down, three to go.

I hope your Halloween was amazing and filled with lots of great fun. As for me, I didn't do much of my usual Halloween activities- I did decorate a few weeks ago, but as an unemployed and broke college graduate your choice of social activities are very limited. Plus, trick-or-treat around my home was questionable this year. I currently live in Columbus, Ohio and last night there were reports of some wicked (no pun intended) storms in the area. Some of the communities had to delay trick-or-treat to keep the kids and adults safe. So I just went out for pizza with my family, came home and watched Dracula with my Mom. Oh and when I say I watched Dracula, I'm talking about the Bela Lugosi version. For it being a 1930s movie, I appreciate the effort that was put into it, and I understand it's a classic, but I gotta say I was somewhat disappointed. The scenes just dragged, there was very little music, and I couldn't help but laugh at Dracula's random, awkward expressions in the camera. But, I digress, I'm not here to talk about Dracula. I wanted to share some ideas with you for transitioning from Halloween to Thanksgiving.

The thing about Thanksgiving is that unlike other holidays, Thanksgiving isn't quite so IN YOUR FACE! It's definitely a more casual, relaxed, and family-oriented holiday which is nice for people who aren't into the hustle and bustle of shopping, decorating, and extravagant partying. So as you're taking down your Halloween decorations, keep out anything that would make cute decor for Thanksgiving- plain pumpkins, scarecrows, fall harvest baskets, etc. Obviously you don't want your singing skeleton or grim-reaper table top still out for Thanksgiving, but if you have any decorations that can be recycled for your family get-together then keep them out! This can save time and money, and trust me when I say some people don't think to just reuse their non-scary generic decorations.
      

Now what to do about leftover food... the simple solution is to take the food to work, school, club meetings, whatever you're involved in and have everyone else feast on your delicious treats. Another idea, a little bit more charitable, would be to give the food to non-profit organizations or shelters who can distribute the food to people who need it. This is especially good if you have tons of unopened candy bags. For some kids beggar's night is every night, so help the community give these kids a little something sweet!

Now the ultimate question is what to do with your Halloween pumpkins? In my personal experience, when I've had pumpkins mine have usually lasted 'til about Thanksgiving, weather permitting, before they start to rot. However, not all pumpkins are created equal, so here's some other ideas if you don't want to keep it around. If you haven't decorated your pumpkin with paints, markers, or other decorative tools then you can still cook and eat your pumpkin. Just make sure to clean your pumpkin really good and then take the seeds to either eat or grow more pumpkins for next year!

You can also use your pumpkin to make good fertilizer. Simply throw it into the compost heap or bury it to help enrich the soil if you have a garden. If none of these options sound good, then simply throw it in the trash- preferably in a bag! Otherwise your pumpkin will rot in the trash and can leaving a nasty mess with a horrible smell!

By doing these activities you're saving money, helping the community, and making less trouble for yourself down the road. If you've got more tips to share for Halloween clean-up then be sure to leave a comment in the box below or on any of The Creative Cabana's social media sites. Enjoy your Friday and get ready to ring in the weekend!

*All images used in this post were gathered from Google Images. I do not own "Dracula" or have the rights to the films, books, or have any connection with Bela Lugosi. No Copyright Infringement Intended.