New Header!

I like to change things up here on my blog every so often. I used to change my whole blog layout once a month. I even kept a record of it HERE.

That habit, however, made my blog seem very disorganized and chaotic. So, I switched to my simple purple layout that I have now. I satisfy my creative urge for change by putting new photos in my headers.

2 days ago, I posted a photo of a book heart. I had another photo like it that I edited differently, and I really wanted to show it off. HENCE, I put it in my header.

So, if you are reading this in a reader, please click over and look at my pretty new header! Also, I added a graphic right underneath it. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Texture Twist - Textures Abound!

I haven't linked up to Kristy's Texture Twist challenge lately. I decided today would be a good day to finally do so, and include a mini tutorial, as well!


When I open up a photo in pse, my first two steps are always the same: crop and adjust levels. After that, I run one of 3 clean editing actions:
You can see the subtle differences among the 3 versions of this photo. Depending on what sort of artistic edit (aged, rustic, grungy, vintage, whimsical, etc) I plan to do with the photo, that's how I choose which clean edit action to use.


I used the first version of the photo (Ashley Sisk's Nice & Easy action tweaked) and a texture from Shadowhouse Creations (set on screen blending mode) to create an aged look:



I used the third version of the photo (PW Boost tweaked) and a different texture from Shadowhouse Creations (set on soft light blending mode) to create a rustic feel:



Then, I used the second version of the photo (MCP Mini Fusion tweaked) and a texture from Life N Reflection (2 layers, one color burn and one overlay, each at 70% opacity) to create this beautifully grungy photo:





I use the words aged, grungy, and rustic because I break down my textures into subcategories. See, as a texture addict, I currently have 3,800+ textures saved on my computer. If I had all of those files in one folder, I would quickly get overwhelmed. So, I have a folder for aged, one for grungy, one for scratched, etc. In the screenshot below, each folder with a black dot is full of textures: abstract, aged & vintage, Black Magick, bokeh, creepy, fabric/canvas & paintings, grungy, non-Shadowhouse, paper/lace & wallpaper, Ruffed Up, rustic, scratched, and square.


I started off getting my textures strictly from Shadowhouse Creations (because it's all FREE), so I split up his textures into my own subcategories. When I branched out to other sites (see list below), I added the non-Shadowhouse folder, and split those up into named folders based on who created the textures. Here is a small example of my Shadowhouse texture collection:



My non-Shadowhouse folder features many textures that I have found on flickr and deviant art. I highly recommend that you search both of these sites for textures; HOWEVER, please be sure to read each artist or photographer's copyright restrictions. Some of them require a link back, while others offer free redistribution.

Here are some links to other sites (in alphabetical order) where I have gotten textures from:

Chasing Dreams Photography
CoffeeShop Blog (all free!)
Guardian Angel Photography (all free!)
Isabelle Lafrance Photography
Kim Klassen Cafe (some free if you join her email list)
Life N Reflection Texture Shop (some free textures HERE.)
My 4 Hens Photography

Also, Ashley Sisk has a whole page on her blog dedicated to lists of inspirational sites: HERE.

For the sites that don't offer free textures, I've found that facebook is a great way to get freebies and find out about new releases. Most of these sites also put special coupon codes on their facebook pages. I love me some coupon codes.

To sum it all up, textures are a huge part of my photo-editing repertoire. I love playing with them, mixing them, and adding them to my photos. If you are new to (or uncomfortable with) the world of textures, please take the time to check out some of the sites I've listed above, if nothing else, for inspiration. You can also email me with any questions.

Until next time,

Wednesday Words

An auspicious event passed by recently, and I didn't even think to mention it.

I pondered the meaning of it, and I considered posting about it.

Yet, not a word. Not a hint. Not even a peep.

Well, the time has come.

My one year blogoversary has come passed!

It was on January 25, 2010, that I published my first blog post here, on purple-hippie.blogspot.com. It was a short post, nothing special.

I posted a photo the next day, along with a little explanation of my blog, its purpose, and the logic behind its name.

I've tried hard to live up to my blog's purpose, but I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I intended to write about and display my creative hobbies.

However, unintentionally, my focus has become photography. I believe that this diversion might be due, in part, to the fact that my first reason for wanting to start a blog was to post a photo to enter into an i♥faces challenge.

It was only once I started creating my blog that I realized I needed some sort of theme. Something to pull it all together. Something to strive for.

Had I known that photography would become that something, I probably would have named my blog peace-love-photog, or something to that extent.

As for my other hobbies, I still enjoy them from time to time. While I have taken an indefinite hiatus from both dolling and painting, I still love my scrapbooking and digiscrapping. I haven't done much recreational writing in the past few months, but it's a hobby that I yearn to pick up again.

In the meantime, I've found myself with some new hobbies, albeit not very artistic ones.

First, I've developed a love for hiking. When visiting the CT state parks, and after climbing a local mountain, my love for nature and a desperate need to get back in shape combined to create a fondness for trekking through forests. I am anxious for winter to move on and for spring to renew the Northeast region so I can nurture this new hobby.

Second, I ventured into indoor rock climbing. An activity that I never expected to have fun with. However, I have to admit, it's quite breathtaking. During our adventure, we spent 3 hours wrapped in harnesses and ropes, and it truly only felt like a half hour. It's an activity that I now appreciate and hope to start doing more regularly (if only the closest place to do it was less than 40 minutes away).

In the midst of all these discoveries and new trends, I wanted to stop to address all of my loyal followers. My little group has grown larger recently, and I wanted to thank each and every one of you for sticking around. And to my new followers - please stick around! Sometimes, my posts are just photos.... Okay, a lot of times. But every now and then, I get to urge to post words.

Like today.

And I also write about my family, my fiance, and wedding planning. I like to think that there is a little bit of something for everyone.

Before I hit "Publish Post," I wanted to remind everyone that my Etsy shop (Artistically Amy, same name as my blog) is open for business! I added 2 photos just the other day, and I have more to list soon. CLICK HERE to take a look.

Thank you all for reading, and here's to another creative year!

More to say...

1. If a person has a booger in their nose, and you can see it, do you tell them?
2. What are you passionate about?
3. How long have you been blogging?
4. What is your favorite "summer" drink?
5. What is your favorite type of music?
6. Something I do before I go to bed is......?
7. My Summer vacation plans are...?
8. My favorite must have, can't live without, beauty product is?

My Answers:

1. If a person has a booger in their nose, and you can see it, do you tell them? Family and friends, yes. Acquaintances and strangers, no way!
2. What are you passionate about? Reading, education, respect.
3. How long have you been blogging? Since February of this year, so 4 short months.
4. What is your favorite "summer" drink? Margaritas, ice cold water, and DD iced coffee.
5. What is your favorite type of music? It used to be all kinds (except country and gospel). But my tastes have changed in the past few years. I can't really listen to pop or rap like I used to.
6. Something I do before I go to bed is......? Sometimes I read, sometimes I stare at my glitter lamp, as long as I take a few minutes to relax and do deep breathing. I hate going to sleep wound up or restless.
7. My Summer vacation plans are...? Nothing concrete, as of right now. I was hoping to go to TN with Jon to visit his fam and my friends, but we still have to work out details.
8. My favorite must have, can't live without, beauty product is? Cetaphil facial cleanser. Every night. It's gentle, unscented, and doesn't dry my face out.


If you want to snag the button and answer the questions for yourself, head over to MannLand5.

_____________________________________________________

I am taking part in a new photo challenge that I found through another blog. The challenge is called a Photo Hunt. You are given 20 specific themes/techniques/objects that you must photograph in the span of one month. If you want to check it out, head on over to http://photohuntchallenges.com/ and sign up! These are the themes for June:

1. Hilarious Out-Takes
2. Creative Crop
3. Sun Flare
4. Sweet Dreams
5. Work
6. Play
7. Cookout/Picnic
8. Transportation
9. Money/Currency
10. A Fountain
11. A Night Scene
12. B&W with Selective Coloring <-- this one will be easy!
13. Something Old
14. Something New
15. Something Borrowed
16. Something Blue
17. Something Musical
18. Something Purple
19. Something Yellow
20. Something Scenic

I have so much going on right now; I don't know HOW I am going to fit this in. I am writing for BuNoWriMo (update on that coming soon), I am still working full-time, I have to pack up my dorm room to move back home, I am in the middle of a house search, and I'd also like to spend some time with family and friends at SOME point. Such is the life of a twenty-something blogger.

I am FEELIN' the love!

How am I feelin' the love on this blog? Well, first, I had a new record in comments - 18 on one post. It was my yellow post a few days ago, and all the sweet comments have given me more confidence in my photography and editing skills. Second, I gained a new follower - I am now up to 12 (according to my Blogger dashboard). Third, I've had over 6350 page views since I added the counter (2/15/2010). My newest country is Mexico (muchos gracias). And fourth, I've been given 3 more blog awards! All of them totally unexpected, and very much appreciated.

First up is the "I Love Your Blog" award from Cherees over at Our New Life. Cherees is so loyal and so supportive. Many thanks for her because in addition to reading and leaving comments, she has also been taking part in my Color Splash Sunday meme.

The rules for this award involve listing 10 things I love, and then passing this on to 10 bloggers. There is no way I can pass it on to 10 bloggers, but I will pass it on to Gail over at Delightfully Diva-ish, because I really love her blog! And I am going to list 10 people I love, vs things I love, because I already listed 10 things that make me happy.

1. Matty - my younger brother.
2. Mom
3. Dad
4. Dave - my older brother.
5. Jon - my boyfriend.
6. C - my best friend. We went to high school together, and grad school.
7. T - my other best friend.
8. K - our moms grew up together, so we are basically sisters.
9. L - ditto above.
10.Angelique - my twin at heart.

*Yes, I used initials for their names because I don't know how they feel about being on here.*

Next is the "Versatile Blogger" award from Bec over at iheartblog. Bec seems to be like me - full of hobbies and a crazy creative personality.

The rules for the award are:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic! (in no particular order...)

4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

Thanks, Bec, for the award! And I love the new graphic you made - so pretty! I don't have 15 other bloggers to pass this on to, but I do have one very versatile blogger I recently found when she commented on my blog. It's Didee from Art Cupboard, and she is fantastic! She does photo editing and digiscrapping, and she has so many resources for textures and actions and kits.

Here are 7 random things about me:

I texted/tweeted during my graduation ceremony last weekend.
I never had perfect attendance in elementary or high school.
I am utterly addicted to computer games.
I can knot a cherry stem in my mouth.
I enjoy reading Shakespeare.
I can't eat crunchy cereal.
I hate to exercise.

And then there is the "Super Comments" award from Neel over at Being Zara & Zidan. I've already developed a super relationship with Neel, because she is the epitome of a supermom and superblogger. She has super cute kids, takes super photos, does super creative edits, and leaves super comments.

The rules for this award are to answer the ten questions, pass the award on to your favorite bloggers, and tell them to answer ten questions. Okay, I have to pass this award on to Cherees over at Our New Life. She leaves super comments; she is so nice.

1) Why do you blog? I needed another hobby, and a way to record my thoughts as I overcome my quarter-life crisis and move on to the next stage of my life.

2) What are the 3 best memories? My first kiss with Jon, walking across the stage to get my Master's degree, and laughing with friends.

3) If you had to change your real name, what would you change it to? When I was a kid, I wanted to change my name to Tiffany Dawn Crystal. Now, I like Amy. :)

4) What are the 5 things you can't live without? I'm not too materialistic, but there are a few. My cell phone, my laptop, my stuffed turtle, sneakers, and chocolate.

5) What are the 4 best books you have ever read? Ooh, tough one. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the HP series, Memoirs of a Geisha, and the Giver.

6) Tell me something unique & interesting about yourself? I am a very unique person. One interesting thing? I collected teaspoons when I was a kid. My family used to drive to South Carolina every year, and I got one everywhere we stopped.

7) What do you love about yourself? Basically everything!

8) What is the best movie ever made? Avatar.

9) If you had a freaky friday experience, who would you want to trade places with and why? An actress or celebrity, just for one day.

10) what's the best part about being a woman? It never fails to amaze me - women have this innate sense of creativity that is hidden deep within each of us. whether it is writing, blogging, photography, editing, drawing, baking, designing, painting, singing, dancing, or any other talent, we are each a creative genius in our own way. the moment a woman's creativity is recognized and allowed to grow, she shines. -me

YouCapture - Spring, part 2

This will be quite a comprehensive post. I have several topics to cover!


I'll start with YouCapture, which is run by Beth over at I Should Be Folding Laundry. Our challenge this week was to capture Spring, differently than we did last week.

The thing that really means SPRING to me, around my town, is the first trip to the local dairy bar. It has new owners that keep the place open practically year-round, but when I was a kid, it was only open from April to September. The windows would be boarded up, the giant ice cream cone would be taken down, and the garbage cans would be stacked up in a corner of the lot. We all waited anxiously for it to open, and the day that we would drive past to see the windows thrown open and the umbrellas shading the tables, it was a celebration. The big opening was lost with the new owners, but we still have the celebration when we get the first milkshakes of the season. And who can resist the classic dairy bar meal - burger, fries, and chili?! (Although I stuck with a chocolate milkshake.)

I have several photos (count 119)
from this memorable occasion,
but I couldn't just pick one...
or several, for that matter.
So I made this cool little collage.

On to the next topic: Color Splash Sunday. This weekend's theme is colorful food, which should be fairly interesting. You may also post the recipe, if you'd like.




And the next topic: I've been following another mommy-blogger, Neel over at Being Zara & Zidan, who sweetly decided to pass on an award to me. It's the Happy 101 Award!

Rules:

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

2. List who gave the award to you and use a link to her blog.

3. List 10 things that make you happy.

4. Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know!


So, here is my list of 10 things that make me happy, 5 concrete and 5 abstract:

1. Free actions and textures for photo editing.
2. Sundresses and pretty skirts.
3. Cupcakes with whipped cream frosting.
4. DD iced coffee.
5. Messages from my best friends.
6. I officially had my last grad class yesterday!
7. Hugs from kids/babies/friends/anyone.
8. Helping high seniors decide where to go to college.
9. Rainbows in the sky.
10. Being surrounded by family.

I have 3 bloggers I'd like to pass this award on to:

1. Donna over at Double Happiness. She always posts such cute photos and stories of her near-twin daughters, and I LOVE her photo collages!

2. Jen over at Life... And All That Comes With It. She always has an inspirational message or a fun photo or a creative paper collage.

3. Natasha at 5 Minutes Just For Me. She does share a blog with her sisters, but this one is her own, and she always has some kind words and sweet photos.



Next topic: A Carbon Neutral update. I have now planted 4 trees, for myself and for 3 lovely ladies who have signed up to make their blogs carbon neutral. If you want more information, please click here. I'll be posting a tree planting tutorial one of these days.



And now for the last topic, the most important: Matty. My younger brother. His neurologist appointment yesterday. No news. More questions.

He has to get several more tests and see more doctors. That's it. That's all we know, for now. She was able to tell us that his reaction time and reflexes are getting better, and we also know that his vision hasn't worsened in years, which is a VERY good thing. We just have to get all the pieces of the puzzle.

i heart faces Challenge - Collages

I started making collages and storyboards and digiscrap pages about a month or so ago, and I am completely in love with it! I've even started doing it for friends.



So, of course, I am excited about this week's i♥faces challenge. (When am I not excited by a challenge?!) It's collages! I made several this weekend, but I couldn't decide which one to use. In the end, I decided that this one is one of my best, even though it's one of the first ones I made a few weeks ago.



This is collage of pictures from my family's first spring jaunt on the Walkway. I love all of these pictures, and they are all SOOC. I had to rescale the entire collage to fit the size requirement, but I think it still looks okay.

Your thoughts?

Inner Monologue

This concept of a 'stream of consciousness' post seems to be a new trend in blogging.

According to Wikipedia (my source for all non-academic research), “[i]n literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode that seeks to portray an individual's point of view by giving the written equivalent of the character's thought processes, either in a loose interior monologue, or in connection to his or her actions.” (Since I’m not an English major anymore, this is not academia-related. It’s blog-related.)

The article gives examples of such, one of which is Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. I read that novel in my senior capstone course, Literary Criticism. (How ironic, although we never actually covered stream of consciousness in LitCrit.) We only read 3 novels, but we tore them apart by criticizing them from every angle and every theory. WSS was my favorite of the 3. Antoinette’s (Bertha) stream of consciousness occurs in Part 3 of the novel, as she is describing her destiny (her suicide and the ensuing fire).

I’m surprised that Hamlet is not listed in their long list of ‘notable’ examples. I had to memorize the To Be or Not to Be monologue 3 times throughout the course of my education (enough that by the 3^rd time, I just needed a refresher). If that speech is not a stream of consciousness, I don’t know what is.

I repeat the monologue to myself often. It helps to calm me, and keep me focused. It also keeps my brain busy if I am waiting on line or in traffic and start getting fidgety.

*coughGEEKcough*

That’s enough of that.

If you are participating in my Color Splash Sunday,
or want to but haven’t yet,
check out the list of upcoming themes.
Now that the deluge of color themes is coming to an end,
I’m adding other themes.
Some of them are fairly easy,
while others will be more challenging.
If I can get more interest and more bloggers to link in,
I’ll start offering prizes.

I also added an About Me page up above.
Please go read and let me know what you think.
Too long? Too detailed? I like to write,
so I frequently need to be reined in.

On that note, I’ve been thinking about my NaNoWriMo novel a lot lately. The goal was to write 50,000 words (175 pages) in 30 days. I LOVE to write and I have the words in my head, but I was never motivated enough to sit down and write daily. If I recall, I ended with 25 pages, more or less. My goal is to finish it by the end of June so I can partake in the festivities of NaNoWriMo again in November. I’m really hoping that without school and without traveling for work, I’ll be able to devote more time to writing.

And now it's time for bed. NO, I don't go to bed at 8:30pm. But I had this post drafted last night, and realized that I never posted it. But I am going to bed now. At 11:08pm.

Ultimate Blog Party 2010!

(Thanks to Cherees for bringing this to my attention!)



Welcome to my blog - Artistically Amy! This is all about me as a twenty-something grad student who is discovering herself through various artistic means. I am graduating with my Master's in just a few short weeks, but I manage to squeeze some time here and there to explore and expand upon my creative streak.

Some random things that might help you to get to know me:

--I like to go with the flow. I try not to let life's little (or big) mishaps bring me down. I spent too much time in high school and college on an emotional roller coaster. Not anymore! I am working on controlling my emotions so I can live life, enjoy it, and find joy in simple pleasures.

--I often complain about schoolwork and writing papers, but I really love it! I like researching new theories and strategies. I love taking my research and turning it into a well-developed paper. I have vague plans to get a second Master's, later on.

--I am very picky about little details, and I tend to miss the big picture. I will notice an ant on the ground before I see a bear standing in front of me. (Not that I've ever come across a bear besides in a zoo, but the situation seems likely.)

--I grew up in a small town where everyone knew everyone, and all the kids played in the street without ever having to worry about cars. That town is now quickly becoming overpopulated, and the kids have been banished to backgrounds. But my love for my town, and for small towns everywhere, is deeply instilled.



The lists below are my choices of all the prizes that are being offered. There are so many great prizes! I didn't list any of the prizes that included children's toys or clothing, because as much as I would love to start collecting stuff for my unborn babies, there are plenty of blogging moms who need that stuff much more than I do.

My top 3 prizes are as follows:

GRAND PRIZE at the Ultimate Blog Party 2010 is a Toshiba Satellite L505D-ES5025.

#4 - This beautiful pink bracelet from Star Bright Jewels. (Offered by Christine Leiser Schroeder.)

#94 - A bracelet of choice from Sydney Andrews; I really really REALLY like the Oval the Top bracelet that is on page 23! (Offered by Sydney Andrews herself.)

I also really like the following prizes: 11, 32, 44, 95, 102, 107, USC 3, USC 15, and USC 25. (Can you tell - I'm utterly in love with gift cards!)



I'm skipping some of my favorites memes today to post this party. No PSF, no YouCapture, and no FIF (i♥faces actually skipped it today because they have lots of other challenges going on right now.) But I'm hoping that sacrificing some photo posts to partake in the partying of UBP'10 will help me find new friends and boost my network. I linked in as the 1,122nd family-friendly blog!

Color Splash Sunday - Leprechaun

I'm not sure if any meme for this exists, so I decided to start it up. (If someone already started this, please send me a link so I can join up!)

If anyone is interested in joining in, just leave me a comment. If I get enough interest, I'll make a little logo to make it official.

Color splash photos are those that have been converted to black and white, but one object (or several small objects) has (have) been left colored. Sometimes, it's easy to just isolate your colored object and you're done. Other times, as with my little leprechaun below, more editing is required. , such as adjusting color levels/light/shadow/etc. The flash left lots of little white spots on the shiny glaze finish of the leprechaun, so I edited most of them out.



So, if you decide to do this today, just take a picture of anything green! :D

And the color splash itself can be done on photoshop, elements, gimp, or even photobucket. There's plenty of easy tuts that can be found through any search engine.

Writing Poll

One of my creative hobbies is writing. I do alot of it, but not much of it I do for myself. Most of it, right now, is for school. Since I was an English major in undergrad, I could mix in my own writing with class assignments, but not anymore.

At some point in my life, I found a website called HPANA. I believe it was sometime in junior year of college. This website had a very active forum that included a special place for fanfictions. In there, I made so many good friends. I've been able to keep in touch with several through fb, even though I'm sadly not active in the forums anymore. I keep hoping I can be active again after graduation. (So much of my life is on hold until after graduation.)

One of my friends from the forums is Tami, aka Tart. Her blog is a fun and insightful read for anyone who is looking to better their writing, and she blogs about other things as well. She put up a poll and is looking for ANYBODY to answer the following questions:

1)How old were you when you had your first fantasy of writing novels?
2)How old were you when you began writing FOR FUN? (rather than assignments)
3)When did you start writing SERIOUSLY (like trying to be published)?
4)Where are you in your career? (HAVE you published? How many books have you written?)

So, if you are a writer, please either follow the link and comment on her blog, or put your answers in a comment on my post and I'll pass them on to her. Thanks!

A Blogging Teacher

I've been slacking in the blogging area. My apologies to my 2 followers. And 2 non-blogging followers. Erm... I need more friends.

I wanted to chat a bit about a blog that I've been following. It's Teacher Tom. I found him from someone else's blog when she had commented on on of my posts. (Yes, I read every single comment I get and then comment on each person's blog.) He works at a co-op preschool, and so he has some great strategies and techniques for dealing with little ones under the age of 5. I love his Little World idea, not to mention all the creativity and hands-on activities that he does with the toddlers.

I'm in the stage right now that every little tip and idea that I MIGHT use in the future, I make note of. I've got a notebook filled with wedding planning ideas and bookmarked websites that cover everything from moving cross-country to baby names and from dolling websites to job openings. So, while reading Teacher Tom's blog, I've decided: I'm sending my unborn babies to co-op preschool. Obviously, I plan on beginning their language and literacy development early on, but I know very little about social and emotional development before grade 1. (My undergrad fieldwork didn't include preK or K, so my only experience is babysitting and one summer working at a preschool.)

Now I just have to get married and have babies.

I wish it was that easy! I have no money.

Gosh, I'm good at digressing. I should just end this now, before I go horribly off-topic and put my 4 followers to sleep. I'll end with a picture, because I read somewhere that blog posts without pictures are boring.




This is me at age 3ish with 2 friends. So cute, I can't even take it. I'm rocking a crown, Kate is wearing a hoochie outfit, and Lori has a tutu on her head.

One of my unborn babies better be a girl.

Back in action!

Blogging... I used to do it, sort of. I had a LiveJournal back in the day, during high school and a little bit of early college. However, those posts were embarassing: "i had class alllll daaaay today! n then i had to babysit, blah. but then i got 2 see my luv n we got to chilllllll, yay!!!! n we have exciting plans 4 this weekend - we r prolly gonna go see a movie n stay at his house."

And I was an English major. Tell me how THAT happened.

So, I have a few friends who blog actively now. I've thought of starting up again several times in the past few years. Blogging always gave me aweird feeling, though. I'd rather write a paper, a lesson plan, a short story, a NOVEL. Yet here I sit, still in my bathrobe, while I should be in bed, typing up my introductory post. I keep getting sucked into these hobbies, as if I have plenty of time to read tuts and learn new techniques and practice my skills.

Who am I kidding?! I've got a fulltime job, a family that loves to see me on weekends, an affectionate boyfriend, and one semester left before I graduate with my M.S.Ed. And more hobbies than I can count. I am....

Artistically Amy.