10 - December 2 , 2011 | Hudson - Litchfield News Personalize Your Greeting Cards and Gifts for the Holidays
Season’s Greetings Season’s Greetings
Institute of Portland in Oregon. This will allow you to store many photos and video files, which take up room in your hard drive. “Machines with a minimum of 4 gigabytes are recom- mended. You don’t need a high end machine to accomplish good work, but having a machine that doesn’t fight against you is helpful.” For software, Ric Peterson, The Art Institute of Seattle academic director in Photography and Video Production recommends Adobe products, which he says are the “industry standard.” Consumers should be able to find a wide range of new software these days for photo and video editing, particu- larly on Apple platforms.
Nothing says how much you value a person more than a personalized handcrafted card or gift. And making your own can be far easier on your budget than buying from the store. So consider putting your creative skills to the test this year.
Where to start?
No need to be a computer guru First, assess your computer’s capa- bilities and obtain the right software. The more RAM (amount of memory) the computer has the better, according to Keld Bangsberg, academic director in Media Arts & Animation at The Art
Plan the project for success For crafty projects such as greeting cards or a memory album, try to go beyond just selecting the right photos. Add special touches that represent your family, your interests, where you live, favorite vacations or beloved pets. This can include scanned images of your child’s artwork, a postcard, famous quotes or poems, for example. Bangsberg also recommends think- ing about foundational elements such
as color and what kind of mood the color conveys. “Ask yourself are you working within a color palette that is compatible, or are the colors disjoint- ed, and don’t match?” he adds. When tackling video, the best way to get started, according to Peterson, is to map out a small storyboard to plan out the shots. Another aspect to consider is how you frame your scenes - you can use close-ups to focus the attention and perhaps heighten the moment, or use broad vistas, where the camera is farther away.
Learn to ‘release’ creativity For most novices, learning how to release your creativity may be the most difficult challenge. “Practice is the most surefire way to
getting better in any creative endeavor,” says Bangsberg. “First, find a simple way to get your ideas recorded. Don’t expect perfection on your first try, it’s all about capturing the inspiration when it strikes.” Norton Young, department director
in Advertising and Graphic Design at The Art Institute of Portland, agrees. He recommends carrying a small journal so you can write down anything that is
a trigger such as words, color combina- tions, or objects that you can work off of later. To spark ideas and concepts, also
try changing up your routine. Young explained that we tend to rely on what we know, which can be a creative block and that the best approach is to put yourself in a new frame of mind. He offers these tips in how to get your creative juices flowing: * Put yourself in an unfamiliar situa- tion or place. * Observe objects around you and think about two items that do not normally go together and how to make them one concept.
* Read different magazines and
watch television shows you normally do not view. * Try new foods or listen to different music genres.
“Looking for inspiration in areas you are not used to seeing is the key,” adds Young. To learn more about The Art Institutes schools, visit
www.artinsti-
tutes.edu.
- ARA Content
Don’t Buy Heartache for the Holidays: How to Avoid Buying Puppies From Puppy Mills
submitted by Animal Rescue Network of New England The Humane Society of the United States warns pet
lovers not to put cruelty on their shopping lists this year by unwittingly purchasing puppies from puppy mills. Images of adorable puppies joining their new families on a holiday morning are icons of this festive season, but sadly, behind the adorable puppy purchased from a pet store, website, or classified ad, there often lies a world of cruelty. Puppy mills are mass-breeding facilities where the parent dogs are caged for life with little or no exercise, attention, or vet care, solely to pump out puppies for the pet trade. Conditions are unsanitary and both the parent dogs and their puppies are often sick. “The HSUS puppy mills campaign braces itself every
Winter Clothing Drive The Litchfield Lions Club is collecting warm
clothing for the Warmth From the Millyard initiative, UNH Manchester's statewide collaborative clothing drive project. Donations of new hats, gloves/mittens, scarves, and socks for children and adults are being accepted at a variety of locations in Litchfield including: Haley's Pizzeria, In-Towne Cleaners, McQuesten Farm, Noel's Tree Farm, Romano's Pizza, Litchfield Community Church and other churches in Litchfield, and Town Hall. Items will be collected until January 8th.
Massage Away Holiday Stress! The Heritage @ Hudson, 238 Central St., Hudson • 603-321-2577 NH Lic. #3791M
New Client Special! $10OFF First Visit! Specializing in Integrative Therapeutic Massage, Deep Tissue,
Sports Massage & Reflexology
www.kneadingyoubodywork.com
GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE! Nationally Certified & Licensed Massage Therapist 290 Derry Road • Hudson Village Shops Flowers
Thomas Kinkade Christmas Carolers by Teleflora
On the Hill
Large assortment of Plants & Floral Arrangements available 883-7080
Deliveries Available in Hudson, Nashua, Litchfield & Londonderry
Fight the ‘Are We There Yet?’ Blues The Hudson Mall EVERYTHING YOU NEED all in one place! ® 1/2 Off Cards
www.thehudsonmall.com 77 Derry Street, Route 102 • Hudson, NH
Whether you’re flying across the country or driving to grandma’s house, traveling with kids - of any age - can be stressful, especially during the holidays. There is a 33.4 percent chance that a flight will be late, cancelled or diverted nationwide dur- ing the winter holiday period, according to a USA Today survey. ‘Tis the season for gridlock alerts nationwide as well. With travel mayhem, parents’ hopes for a relaxing holiday vacation are plagued with visions of restless kids whining from the backseat of a car or running rampant through a busy airport terminal. How do you entertain your digitally savvy kids dur- ing hours spent in cars, buses, trains or planes? This year, to offset the stress of travel and entertain your kids, Zinio, the world’s largest and most popular newsstand, is giving parents a way to keep children occupied, and themselves sane, with free is- sues of top digital magazines.
Magazines are brought to life digitally with beautiful images, interactive pages and fascinating stories, and can be enjoyed on an iPad or Android tablet, smartphone or laptop by anyone in the family. It’s a great way to keep the luggage light, but filled with entertainment. Through the holidays, keep your tots engrossed with top kids magazines like
OWL, while your tweens and teens will enjoy American Girl, Nylon, Seventeen and Thrasher. Parents too can keep sane and relax with their favorite parenting magazines, all for free, including Parent & Child, Parenting, Working Mother and KIWI, as well as titles like VIVMag and SPIN to provide the latest luxury lifestyle and music news and tips. Before you embark on your holiday travels, take advantage of this free gift from
Zinio by visiting
zinio.com/kids and downloading your free magazines to avoid the “are we there yet?” blues. Maybe your family will be so engrossed reading that they can weather any travel delay.
- ARA Content
year for the upsetting calls that come in right after the holidays,” says Kathleen Summers, manager of the Puppy Mills Campaign for The HSUS. “People call about sick or even dying puppies that they purchased. Too often consumers who haven’t done their homework end up spending the holiday trying to save a sick animal.” The HSUS offers three tips for pet lovers who want to avoid supporting puppy mills: • Do not buy pets or pet supplies from stores that sell puppies. A list of Puppy Friendly Pet Stores, stores that support local adoption programs rather than selling puppies, can be found at
humanesociety.org/ puppystores. • Never buy a puppy as a gift or impulse purchase. Puppy mills cater to impulse buyers who haven’t done their homework, and shelters are full of dogs that people could not take care of because they were unprepared for the challenge of raising a pet. • Always consider adoption first. Animal shelters are brimming with pets of all kinds
teleflora®
Norman
who deserve a loving home (you may be asked to wait until after the holiday to bring the pet home). If choosing to go to a breeder, always visit a breeder’s premises in person to see how and where the puppy’s mother is living. Never buy a puppy from a pet store or Internet site, which are primarily supplied by puppy mills. The Animal Rescue Network of New England (ARNNE) has so many adorable pups like Norman all waiting to find their forever homes. Stop by our December 17 Pet Adoption Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the First Congregational Church in Pelham. Visit
www.arnne.org for more information.
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