August 4
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Inspiration:
I attended an event where this was done.
Supplies:
Paper pad
Decorative paper
Ruler
Scissors (I also used a paper cutter)
Glue
1. Measure the area you are covering with the decorative paper.
2. Cut the decorative paper to size or cut out a design. Glue the decorative paper over the area to be covered. Make sure you glue the edges completely.
3.  You have a beautiful, custom paper pad for an event, a gift or your office.
August 3
.
Matt Groening, creator of the The Simpsons, is a Greyhound enthusiast and owner of a Greyhound named Retired Racer. He also created one of the most well-known Greyhounds, “Santa’s Little Helper.” Groening had Homer and Bart rescue a former track Greyhound in the show’s first Christmas special and the dog became a permanent member of the cast.
August 2
.
August’s 4 Faves all come from my friends. Check out what they like.
Annie
The first 3 faves come from my friend, Susan. She’s the “mom” of Annie. Anyone who’s the mom of a girl as sweet as Annie has to be smart, right?
 Febreze® NOTICEables™
Susan says, “No dog smells at my house!” Who can resist that. I picked up one of the Febreze® NOTICEablesâ„¢ and like it.  I love plug-ins because you always have a fresh scent. You can set the warmer on a low or high setting and it alternates throughout the day between two complimentary fragrances.
Burt’s Bees® Lip Balm
Susan says, “They’re all great, but I love the medicated one.” Burt’s Bees® Lip Balm is also a favorite of Carrie’s, author of Tales and Tails AND several other of my friends. They have great variety, so something for everyone.
 
Susan says, “Amazing support and sporty cute.” Susan particularly recommends the Waterfront styles.
My friend, Amy, recommended a musical favorite. Fleet Foxes is a folk band formed in Seattle, Washington. Hop over to their website to listen to some of their music.
August 1
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Make Art a Part (of Your Life) is the next step on my creativity journey. It is an 8-week e-course that covers subjects like perception, appreciation, inspiration, education, decoration, socialization, exploration, interaction and creation. The “creation” portion looks super fun. The course allows you to try your hand at a variety of art forms including paper crafting, graphic design, photography, stitching, jewelry, drawing, cooking and painting. If it sounds like fun, join me. The course costs $45.00 and you can sign-up starting August 4, 2011.
 
I had a great time at the Midwest Writers Conference, July 28-30. A special treat was meeting and sitting in on classes with Patti Digh, author of Creative Is a Verb. Patti graciously signed a copy of her book Four Word Self Help: Simple Wisdom For Complex Lives, and I am doing my first give-away! For your chance to win, just comment on any post this week, August 1-7. I’ll draw (one entry per person) and announce the winner next Monday, August 8. Good Luck!
July 31
.
I spent Thursday through Saturday (July 28-30) having a blast! I went to the Midwest Writers Workshop at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.  Here are some of the things I did:
Spent time with a dear friend. Susan and I met in the Army Reserve when our children were little.
Read out loud to the group. It was called the “Message in a Bottle” Reading Event. Here’s how it worked: Before the event, you put a ticket with your name in the bottle. During the event, a ticket was drawn from the bottle and that person went up to the microphone and read from their work for five minutes. I was impressed with everyone’s work. I planned to read an expanded version of my “It’s Good To Know How You Rate,” post. I was feeling like this didn’t measure up to the quality of work that was being presented and was relieved when the event was ending. Here’s what happened:
The emcee said, “This will be the last ticket of the night.”
Drawing a ticket, “Tyler. Tyler? I guess Tyler isn’t here.”
Drawing a new ticket, “Lori Lohmeyer.”
DRAAAATS! I lived through it, and Susan was tickled that I didn’t get off the hook.
Pitched my book idea to an agent. Roseanne Wells of the Marianne Strong Literary Agency graciously listened to me stumble through my presentation. Thank you, Roseanne, for your generous and helpful spirit.
Met Patti Digh! It was through her blog, 37days, that I found the Midwest Writers Workshop.
I attended great sessions, met wonderful people and entered every contest. It was fun, exciting, interesting and has given me a lot to think over and dream about. Next year’s workshop is July 26-28, 2012. Hope to see you there!
July 30
.
Ten strangers are lured to an island by a mysterious host. Once there, they are accused by their unseen host of murder, and one-by-one die, each in accordance with the Ten Little Indian Boys nursery rhyme. This wonderfully dark and clever mystery (along with Nancy Drew), made me a fan of the mystery/suspense genre.
Ten Little Indians
Ten little Indian boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little Indian boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight little Indian boys traveling in Devon;
One said he’d stay there and then there were seven.
Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
Six little Indian boys playing with a hive;
A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five little Indian boys going in for law;
One got in Chancery and then there were four.
Four little Indian boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three little Indian boys walking in the Zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little Indian boys sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there was one.
One little Indian boy left all alone;
He went and hanged himself and then there were none.
July 29
.
I love both the book and this version of the film. The Great Gatsby is a beautiful, diaphanous film that visually captures in images what the book captured with language. Like the book, it shows a golden, excessive age and the shallowness that lurks below the glittery surface. The actors are well-suited to their roles and portray their characters flawlessly. You’ll take a step back to the Roaring 20’s when you watch this film.
July 28
.
Inspiration:
Supplies:
Store box
Buttons
Glue
1. Play with the buttons until you get the design you want. If you have a digital camera, I find it helpful to take a picture of the design to use as a reference. Glue the buttons over the logo.
2. That’s it! You now have a box that is so cute, the recipient may like the box better than your gift.
July 27
.
My husband and I recently noticed that we still have a little too much self-esteem, so we decided to add another Greyhound to our family to finish the process of completely breaking us. Welcome, Nikki!
Nikki (Nikita Silver) is our new four-year-old girl. She was fostered by our friends, who also fostered Casper (do you see a trend here?). Over the last several months, we fell in love with Nikki and couldn’t bear to think of her going to any other family than ours.
Nikki came to us on Saturday and things are going well. Freedom and Casper are being very gentle and good with their new sister. She’s still figuring out our routines, but she follows Freedom and Casper’s lead and has been playing with toys and even “roaching.” She is a little shy but loves lovin’.
Welcome, Nikki…you’re home.
July 26
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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
The month of August will be “4 Faves – Friends Version.” What are your favorite things? Tell me about them during the month of July and one (or more) of your picks may be chosen as a “favorite” in August. You can let me know what you like in one of three ways…post a comment, email me (whatremainsnow@gmail.com), or let me know on the What Remains Now Facebook page (either by commenting or writing on my wall). Tell me what the item is and why you like it. Want to see what 4 Faves – Friends Version looks like? Check out this post from May.
Bath & Body Works® Liquid Soap
This is a favorite because it comes in three formulas (Foaming, Deep Cleansing or Moisturizing) and more scents than you can shake a stick at.
History Detectives
This is one of my favorite shows on PBS. Each hour-long episode of History Detectives looks at three investigations of the history behind an object from someone’s home or town. You get to follow the “history detective’s” journey and process, discover what the object means historically, and learn how that history played a part in shaping America. Fascinating!
CorningWare®
Beautiful, functional (oven, microwave, refrigerator, freezer) and easy to clean. It’s a kitchen staple, especially for those of us that don’t care to be in the kitchen. The 9″ baker in the picture is from the new etchâ„¢ line.
The Speedy Plate
The Speedy Plate cleans silver, gold and precious stones simply by dipping an item in the hot water solution and touching the metal plate. Here’s what you do: Gather the pieces to be cleaned, lay the metal plate flat in the glass or plastic container, add 1 quart of hot water along with 1 Tablespoon of the activator, and you’re ready to get cleaning. You can duplicate this process with aluminum foil and washing soda, but I like this neat little set.