Happy Valentine's Day - said my garden...

What a lovely way to begin Valentine's Day! I had a lovely start this morning with a beautiful red rose in full bloom greeting me on this day of Love.

I edited the picture in Corel Paint Shop Pro. Selecting the green color from the bright green leaf on the top, I wrote the text using 'French Script' - one of my favorite fonts.

A Happy Valentine's Day to all of you...and my dear female friends...please do not forget to celebrate this day with #1billionrising - a worldwide initiative to end violence against women. It's fun to be a part of anything, but it is a privilege to be a part of this movement.

No-Bake Peanut Butter and Cranberry Bars - Kids Recipe

Ready to store - these simple bars were made by my 7 year old daughter by modifying a Dr. Oz recipe for healthy snack bars.

I love the bars showing through the pink color of the box I stored them in. Worthy of a picture!

Here's the recipe for the bars, if you;d like to try them too:

No-Bake Cranberry Bars

'Posterize' Effect in Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2

I recently used this lovely photo in a blog post on old books. Here's how you can achieve the look for your own photos using a simple photo effect in Paint Shop Pro.

The Original Image

Here's my original photo of a close-up shot from my bookshelf. Not that the books did not make the picture pretty enough, but I just cannot help myself whenever I am editing in Paint Shop Pro which is my favorite graphic software. I tried on a few effects until I saw the results of 'Posterize' and decided to keep it.

Posterize

You will find the effect under 'Effects' > 'Artistic Effects' > 'Posterize'

I used a setting of 10 Levels. Always check 'Preview on Image' to see what level of posterizing you would like. There is nothing like watching it 'real time'.

That's it. I was only looking for a little something that would not take away from the original photo, but you can go with as much or as little effect as you would like.

A Miniscule Flower Arrangement

Nothing like a miniscule flower arrangement from your little princess to start the day with:

Good Morning - said Princess Sanika with this tiny bunch held tightly in a pinch. The decorating enthusiast in me swelled with pride at the sight of the 'tall' element giving height to the arrangement. Don't you love weeds?!