QUEEN VICTORIA'S HOME-MADE GREETING CARDS

 by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

Sending greetings cards via the post is a traditional and very useful way of communicating with loved ones to convey our feelings. We love to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries etc. as these are such important events in our life’s journey. We used to buy cards in bookstores or in the school-supply section of the shopping mall for that special card.

Nowadays, with the invention of the computer and the ubiquitous availability of the internet we can make our own greeting cards with our own special touch. We are all artists now! Thanks to Bill Gates.

It is easy to personalise a greeting card at home using the internet, a printer and photo paper/special paper: (The following procedure below is mainly for OpenOffice.org Writer.Ink, however it can be applied using the same sequence for Microsoft Office 2007).

1. Go to the web search engine of your Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox and type-in “occasion + picture”. Once you have chosen a picture, just press the right side of your mouse and click the “save image as” that will take you to a destination link i.e. desktop, document, picture etc. and if possible, rename the picture before saving it.
2. Open the OpenOffice.org Writer on your desktop and search for “Format” and click “Page”. The page consists of three columns namely: Paper format, Margins and Layout setting. Go to “Margins”, change all the margin values to “1” (from top-bottom and from left-right) and choose either portrait or landscape orientation for your card(s). And then, go to “Paper format” to change the preferred paper size and don’t forget to write down the measurement of your paper’s width and height. Click “OK” button to save all of the changes.
3. Look for the tab “Insert” located on the top-left portion of your OpenOffice.orgWriter and go to “Picture” and click “From File” to search for the saved picture (refer to step 1). Click “Open” to transfer the picture in your OpenOffice.
4. Using your mouse, point the cursor at the picture and then, do a double press and click, “Wrap”. Go to "Settings" and select “Through” so that you can move the picture from left to right if you select landscape or from top to bottom if you set-up your paper as portrait. There is an instance that the size of the picture is larger than the size of the paper and in this case, adjusts the picture until it fits to the paper. Click “OK” button to save all of the changes.
5. As we are making a folded card we need to find the center of the paper so you know where to place the fold and the picture as well.
6. The “Page” from the Format is a great help in calculating the center of the paper as it contains the “Margins” and the “Paper’s width and height” measurements.
7. If you have calculated the center of the paper, adjust the picture in your Word document until it gets to the boundary of the center. Once it is accurately moved, adjust again the top (crosswise folding) or the left-side (lengthwise folding) for an extra space.
8. To add words and make it a much more personalised card, click "Show Draw Functions" located at the top-left and resembled like a pencil. Once clicked, a bar with choices will appear at the bottom-left of the OpenOffice and choose "Fontwork Gallery". If you have selected your own style just click “OK” button to see the options for "Fontwork".
9. Point the cursor of your mouse to the personalised greetings, then press the right side of your mouse and click “Wrap” that will show 7 choices and just select “Wrap Through”.
10. You can use your mouse or the cursors in your keyboard to move the personalised greetings from one side to another. If the greetings is long enough in your card, adjust it by simply moving the cursor of your mouse to the green-shaded squares. The yellow-shaded dot’s main function is to stretch the text.
11. Turn-on your printer and place your photo paper. Just make sure that the glossy side of the photo paper is towards you.
12. Go to “File” tab again, search and click for “Print”. Once you have the “Print” interface, click “Properties” and select “Photo” as your quality image (under Advanced) and change the paper’s “Type and Size” (under Main) according to your paper. Click “OK” button to save all of the changes.
13. From your “Print” interface, go to “Pages” and type the page number of your greeting card. Click “OK” button to start the printing process of it.
14. If the finish product is printed already don’t touch the image and text to avoid damages or let it dry for 2-3minutes in a safe place.
15. Once it is totally dry, just use a scissors to cut and then, fold your paper into crosswise or like a greeting cards’ folding.

The combined power of computers and internet is not just for one good purpose- communication. It is also a tool to discover and hone the creative side of us.

THE WORLD OF SHOPPING

by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

 

I am not here to make an appeal nor to beg for your deeper understanding!

One of the many things that is making my life more colourful is the buying of clothes from different types of shops. Items that are categorised as clearance on the web; affordable and decent clothes from high street shops and even second-hand clothes from charity shops here in England.

I was a typical consumer who followed trends on the world of fashion, however that attitude of mine transformed for the better.

For the past years, I have become a prudent buyer who thinks more of the usefulness of an item than the look itself. The finest and softest quality is not totally forgotten, too. Why? Buying cheap clothes that won't last their shapes longer is not providing savings as it will lead to disasters and regrets.

Aside from that, I found-out that exerting a small amount of effort in searching for useful items can make your savings still fatter and fatter. That is why, entering a few shops on the high street in which I may be able to scrutinise the fabric/cloth and also, compare prices of other shops are one my rational strategies when it comes to shopping. Moreover, I also apply this type of thinking when visiting online shops as I always look for stores that offer free delivery and returns before pressing 'pay securely now' button.

Don't just focus on one shop, explore your town and also visit the world wide web!

*Photo courtesy of www.bbc.co.uk

THE BENEFITS OF WRITING (BLOGGING)

by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

Social media marketing websites all over the world are growing fast, albeit covertly due to the internet. They are an opportunity for people whose interest is writing articles etc. that are based on their understanding and perception of various topics of interest. In general, it is a way of finding out the Do’s and Dont’s of media market writing.

I am writing in my own way and blog publishing is an outlet for me to sharpen my writing skills. I read an article on the internet about blogging and how it works technically. I signed-up for a free membership to a blog publishing website and have been a member for years. The article stated, that a blog must be of a certain age and contains at least 20 published articles before it is submitted to the social media marketing websites. When approved, it is one of the online jobs that can be done at home which generates money.

It is a good idea that the people behind these free websites opened the opportunity for all interested writers in the aim to further hone writing skills.

QUEEN VICTORIA'S SEALED WITH A KISS CARD

by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

  

The effective way of expressing love and affection to someone is not by giving or buying expensive gifts. Wait a minute, I dont mind receiving a Chanel Large Tote Metallic Grained Calfskin Beige (just a joke!).

It is not the amount that counts inside the wrapped box however it is on how to make him/her very special in your life. Special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries and Valentine's day are such important dates in our life's journey. Do you agree? Sending romantic card(s) via post is a very useful way of showing our sincere affection. Though it is a traditional way, the significance is still very delighful! 

Nowadays, with the invention of the computer and the availability of the internet we can make our own 'sealed with a kiss' card with our own special touch at home. This method will convey that you appreciate and value him/her in your life. We don't live like immortal people, so making the best for them will not waste your golden time. You will just think of the appropriate image for a certain occasion, write a few words and print on a glossy paper. 

We don't need to buy cards in book stores as long as we have our own computers and internet connection at home. The art of personalising a card is very exciting and to send the finished one to someone will truly make his/her day special. Your effort will be appreciated and your creativity will be utilised as well. 

Make one now and give it to him/her this coming Sunday with a kiss!

SONY BRAVIA: LCD DIGITAL COLOUR TV

by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

Slim yet masculine and sits on a shiny table-top. Its lighter-weight makes it easy to carry and move around and the advanced built-in settings to choose from will impress you.

One of the ways to watch films and programmes on the monitor is to plug into the TV a PC with SCART socket (the most common method of connecting audio-visual equipment together). As it is easy to attach and assemble, I use it from time to time for my  viewing pleasure. What I mean is, I am able to watch on the monitor my downloaded films stored in the external hard drive or Sci-Fi programmes for example, from a laptop.

I had this 42'' TV for years now and have found a few useful applications (information) that I am not even bothered to try. Such as,

It is a wireless LAN ready device. To use the Internet setting of the TV, it needs to have the right USB Wireless LAN Adapter to be connected into the TV's USB port. This Internet network setting will allow us to access the internet without the need of a specialised cable.

Aside from the uses of SCART to watch films or programmes, HDMI (a compact audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed digital data) is an option that can be used for as long as you have the perfect fit cable. Just being honest, I am not bothered to switch!

I paid a few hundred pounds but the money was well spent and I am now benefiting from its superior technology.

SONY BRAVIA's nifty applications charmed myself and made me quite inquisitive also- to dig and know more. One of my lazy days, I was manipulating the TV and found-out that music and pictures saved in a flash drive can be heard and seen on the TV. WOW! That’s why when I hosted a party last year, I converted the monitor onto a digital photo viewer. The images were incredibly large and the visitors were fascinated. Most of them stood in front of the TV while enjoying the slide show of my sequence of amorous and fabulous images!

MY CREATIONS AS AN ARTIST

by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

When the internet was introduced, I and my closest friends were quite novices. I can still remember our reactions when a message appeared on the screen or a popping sound called our attention. The how to do it and what to press frightened us most of the times. You may find it ridiculous but for us those days were part of learning what's new on the market. Learning the web for a week was very amusing as we were like humanoids who followed instructions word for word. I would THANK Ema Lumagod for imparting her knowledge onto us.

Nowadays, I am reaping the good benefits but still continuously embracing more of the web's brilliant ideas. One of many applications on the web that I have been using for years is called, picture editor. It's a basic image editing application even used by professionals just to enhance a picture at no cost. It is true to say that editing has lots of options to choose from. Ready to be used in enhancing an image, but still primary options are on top of my list. Such as crop, to get rid-off unwanted image(s); add text, to write my title/trademark (JUST MISS VICKY/ VICTORIA) when 'VICKY' as my signature is not visible in a picture and also, special effects, to make it resilient and colourful. I am enjoying using all of the primary options above and here are a few of my creations:

  (my SIGNATURE)

 (BLEND images)

 (the SPECIAL EFFECT , ADD TEXT and TITLE/ TRADEMARK)

I just discovered from years of using photo editing that altering one's face or adapting another body to make you look better is no longer enhancement. In my opinion, it is a way of inflicting pain in you even without noticing it. Why? Over-refinement, specifically, will not make you beautiful per se as it falsifies who you are!