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♥ Shutter Love Tuesday ♥

Come by Every Tuesday to enter your PHOTOS


Shutter Love Tuesdays Button


This linky party will be open for 48 hours. Then every Friday, Tara &  Jamie will share with you our favorite 
"10 Photos" 
Don't forget to grab the "Shutter Love" Button HERE and place in your post to share with everyone, 
so they can enter their photos too! 
If sharing with other photo program, please leave a link back to Shutter Love Tuesday!
There will also be a prize for "Viewers Choice" So after you enter your photo, make sure you vote for your favorite by leaving a comment below. Please share why it's your favorite. 
PLEASE DO NOT VOTE FOR YOUR PHOTO. We know why you think it's fantastic. LOL 
Voting is open to everyone. You don't have to enter a photo to vote.

This weeks theme is "PETS"
Be sure to check the sidebar for up coming themes! 
Remember to link to your photo
 not your home page. Thanks!
Also please enter a photo taken by "YOU" 
(one entry per person please)
Keep photos friendly for all ages please or your entry may be deleted. Thanks!

Tara's "PET" Photo



Jamie is out on vacation and will be back next week to share more fun photos with you!
Don't forget to grab the blog hop so other can enter their photos too!

Little Wonder Company Personalized Children's Book Review


Let Your Child’s Adventure Begin…with a customized character storybook!

Little Wonder Companypersonalized children’s books are different than others out there as we seamlessly integrate a beautiful illustration of your child–that you help build online–into every page of a storybook adventure.
The best part? That is when the child opens the book and immediately sees himself or herself as the main character in the adventure.
 I received the amazing book ” Little Girl Wonder” to review for my daughter. It is just way too cute. First, I went online and created a character for her. Including, skin tone, face shape, hair color, hairstyle, eyes, and more accessories. Making the character was so simple and once I was done, that was it. Just place the order. You receive your book quickly too. No waiting weeks for shipping. I love that. Our book turned out so nice that I am going to plan a “Little Girl Wonder” birthday party for her. Complete with capes and all. I think these personalized children’s books are the perfect gift for any child. Top on my list this year! 
A little more info on the books they offer….
Little Girl Wonder… This story takes the special little girl in your life into a world where she becomes the superhero. In Little Girl Wonder, she will escape into the world of Sunny Valley where she rescues a little boy from the likes of a fire breathing dragon and saves the day!

Little Boy Lightning… In Little Boy Lightning, we take the same basic adventure and twist it a bit to better fit the special boy in your life. Your little boy zooms down the rainbow slide on his skateboard and helps keep the kids of Lightning Valley safe from the dragon and other menacing characters blocking their way.
Little Wonder even offers Gift Certificates… So if you just aren’t sure what to get, you can get this and they can choose exactly what they want. Perfect gift. I think. Once you order it, Little Wonder will send over the GC to your email within 48 hours. Then you can forward it to your recipient.
Things that I Love...
  • Customize a character to fit your child
  • Your child will get excited when they see their image in a book
  • Great story lines any kid will love
  • Many characteristics to choose from to help you find the perfect character for your child
  • Fun blog to follow info on Little Wonder
  • Great for gift giving ~ your kids will love giving this as a gift
  • Get a Gift Certificate for that special kid in your life
  • The featured product {s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Trendy Treehouse Disclaimer/Terms of use.


Steal This Ebook

Let's run an experiment and see if piracy is harmful to sales.

I'm currently selling my ebook JACK DANIELS STORIES for $2.99 on Kindle and Barnes and Noble. Here's the description:

JA Konrath, known for the Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels thrillers set in Chicago, offers this collection of short stories and novellas from the Jack Daniels universe.

Join Jack Daniels, her partner Herb Benedict, private eye Harry McGlade, and part-time criminal Phineas Troutt, in this omnibus of 15 stories.

On the Rocks - Suicide or murder? Lt. Jack Daniels solves a locked room mystery.

Whelp Wanted - P.I. Harry McGlade becomes a dognapper in order to stop a dognapper, or something like that.

Street Music - Phineas Troutt hunts a prostitute through the dangerous streets of Chicago. Are his intentions pure?

The One That Got Away - The Gingerbread Man (the villain from WHISKEY SOUR) hunts one final victim.

With a Twist - It looked like the man fell from a great height, but the body is in his living room. Jack Daniels solves another impossible crime.

Epitaph - Phin Troutt takes on a Chicago street gang with vengeance on his mind.

Taken to the Cleaners - Harry McGlade tries to solve a difficult mystery, but mostly just goofs off.

Body Shots - Jack Daniels faces her most challenging case yet; a school shooting. But does she know more about the perp than she realizes?

Suffer - Phineas Troutt has taken some questionable jobs, but will he murder a man's wife?

School Daze - P.I. Harry McGlade investigates a private school, but he's not entirely sure why.

Overproof - While shopping on the Gold Coast, Jack Daniels notices traffic has come to a stand-still. When she realizes what the problem is, she's confronted with her own mortality, and the possible deaths of hundreds.

Bereavement - How badly does Phineas Troutt need a fix? What is he willing to do?

Pot Shot - Detective Herb Benedict just wants a home cooked meal. But his plans get interrupted by a very determined sniper.

Last Request - Phineas Troutt picks up a hitchhiker, with deadly results.

The Necro File - Harry McGlade investigates some bizarre murders in this hilarious, gore-filled mini-epic. (Author's note: This is easily the funniest thing I've ever written, but it's also very offensive. Let the reader beware...)

That's about 65,000 words of Jack Daniels and friends. Some of these are laugh out loud funny. Some require you to solve the mystery. Some are thrilling. Some are scary. All of them have been previously published in various magazines and anthologies.

------------------------

Currently, on May 30 at 7:00pm, this ebook is ranked at #2009 on Amazon. It sold about 315 copies in the month of May.

It is ranked at #44,480 on Barnes & Noble.

So let's try an experiment. Here are some ways for you to obtain a copy of this ebook.

Click HERE to download a free zip file of JACK DANIELS STORIES. It contains versions in html, pdf, doc, epub, and prc (for Kindle). So no matter what ereader or computer or smart phone you own, you should be able to read it or convert it. That's the tracker link. If it isn't working, here's the direct link: http://www.jakonrath.com/Jack.zip

Or, if you own a Kindle, you can click HERE to go to the Kindle store and buy it for $2.99.

Or, if you own a Nook, you can click HERE and go to Barnes and Noble and buy it for $2.99.

If you download the free version, and feel the overwhelming need to donate $1.99 (or any amount) to me, you can click HERE and go to Paypal to donate. Paypal is free to join, safe, and easy to use.

I'll keep track of my free downloads, Kindle numbers, Paypal donations, and my rankings on Amazon and B&N for the next 30 days, then post the results.

Also, I encourage pirates to post this everywhere. Go ahead and proliferate the internet with JACK DANIELS STORIES. You can explain that I'm encouraging it, or you can just take it and not say a word. I'd appreciate it if you post in the comments section where you're uploaded it, which you can do anonymously. Or you don't have to.

If anyone sees this ebook on file sharing sites, I also ask that you please post a link to it in the comments. The more places I can see this being shared, the better I can compare ebooks sold to ebooks shared.

Will giving the ebook away for free hurt sales? Will it help sales? Will I gain readers? Will people donate money? Will people who take the free ebook buy my other ebooks?

What do you think will happen?

Should be interesting. Now some Q & A.

Q: Why are you doing this?

A: I've said repeatedly that there is no proof piracy hurts sales. So I'm manning up and putting my money where my mouth is.

Q: How long will you run this experiment?

A: I'm going to keep track of it for a month. But the links will be live forever. I fully expect the ebook to appear on file sharing sites forever as well.

Q: Do you have any predictions?

A: I have no idea what will happen. It depends on how many people see this post and act on it. But I really don't expect my sales to drop off.

Q: If you're so pro-piracy, why don't you give away all of your ebooks?

A: My stance has always been that I don't believe piracy is harmful to the artist, and that it can't be stopped, so don't worry about it. Does that make me pro-piracy? Or does it make me realistic?

Q: You didn't answer the question.

A: The majority of my ebooks are currently free on my website, www.JAKonrath.com. If you want them for free, there they are.

Q: Why did you use this particular ebook for your experiment?

A: I think it's a good cross-section of my work, and will appeal to the widest range of people. It also has modest sales, which should be easier to track.

Q: I clicked on the free download. Now what am I supposed to do with it?

A: Save it to your computer, then open it using Winzip. You can download Winzip HERE. It's free for the first 45 days.

Q: What if the ebook is downloaded for free 10,000 times and no one pays for it?

A: That would be awesome. I hope those people who download it take the time to read a few stories. As a wise man once said, writers should fear obscurity, not piracy.

Q: What if your sales drop off to nothing?

A: Want to bet they don't? :)

Q: Can I give away this ebook on my blog and website?

A: The goal here is to share it by any and all means possible. Link to it, copy it, upload it, make torrents, put it on Usenet, stick it in file lockers, etc. Whatever you'd like.

Q: You're encouraging people to steal, condoning piracy, and turning your back on your fellow authors. You're the devil.

A: I get that a lot. No one is forcing you to read my blog. If you don't like what I'm doing, change the channel.

Addendum:

Lots of disagreement in the comments. That's good. Disagreement is the pathway to discussion and understanding, as long as everyone keeps an open mind.

Some points I'm seeing repeated:

1. This experiment doesn't count. Because I'm giving permission, this isn't "stealing."

JA sez: For the nth time, I don't care what the legal or moral definition of file-sharing is. I want to see if free books, widely distributed, cannibalize book sales. That's the test.

2. The final stats will be inconclusive.

JA sez: I agree. The whole reason it is impossible to prove piracy is harmful is that there is no direct association or causality between people getting free books and books for sale. There are too many other factors at play. That said, if my sales don't drop off, that's a promising indicator that free books don't effect sales.

3. If a person takes the free ebook, you've lost a sale.

JA sez: Actually, the opposite is true. If a free option is available right next to a paid option, and people take the freebie, that PROVES they wouldn't have bought the one for sale because they took the freebie.

4. You pay a cover artist but don't expect to get paid yourself?

JA sez: I hope to get paid. I'm doing everything within my power to give readers good, inexpensive ebooks. But I also know that some people will get copies for free. I see no reason to fight this. It isn't going to stop, and I don't believe it hurts sales.

5. Why not just make everything free?

JA sez: There's a big difference between giving away everything for free and tolerating media file-sharing. If you don't see that difference, I doubt I'll be able to convince you.

6. What about the future where everything is free?

JA sez: Everything will be free in the future, eh? How about using that crystal ball to get the lottery numbers for next week.

7. You're getting publicity for this. That will fuel sales. Pirates may just buy your book just to prove that file-sharing doesn't hurt.

JA sez: So now I have to figure out who is buying my ebooks and what their intent is? Now I can't use publicity to fuel sales, as I've been doing in the past?

Bottom line: there are versions that are free, and versions that are for sale. Will the free versions slow down the sales trajectory I've been on with this ebook (selling about 10 copies per day)? To my knowledge, this ebook has not been pirated before, so I'm taking a book with proven sales and adding the free factor to it. Why don't we all take a deep breath and actually wait and see what happens?

I believe the majority of piracy exists because copyright holders are unable or unwilling to meet specific consumer demand, such as availability, price, and convenience.

To see the tracked free downloads so far, click HERE.

♥ Guest Blogger ♥

Sorry that I have missed a couple guest bloggers. End of the school year busies!!! LOL My kids have 3 days left, then it's "School's Out for Summer" Did you start singing the song? I did! 
Lemon Tree Creations

Anyway, I have a wonderful "
Guest Blogger" today! When I saw this project, I knew you all would love it and just had to get Patrice from Lemon Tree Creations over here to share it!

I'm Patrice from Lexington, Kentucky. I am a wife, mother, and teacher and love to spend my free time dreaming big dreams. It wasn't too long ago that my husband and I bought our first home. One of the best decisions we made back then was to only fill our home with meaningful things. Ever since then, I have spent every decorating bone in my body moving, crafting, building, painting and hanging happy things all over our tiny house. I recently started a cooperative crafting blog with some good friends, called Lemon Tree Creations. I'm fairly new to the blogging community, but have been an artist my whole life. I am constantly being inspired by everything I see in the world around me, and have recently embraced the fact that inspiration can be found in even the most surprising of places. 


Book Art


I am a major fan of the book page crafts. I have several versions of "book page wreaths" that you can find hanging throughout my house. However, working with all of these pages from books got me thinking, "what about the book covers?" I quickly started to realize my book covers were laying useless, and I could just not let this be!

So, here was my solution to that problem...

(Now before you cringe, I also have a solution for all of you book lovers out there. Trust me, my husband wouldn't just let me murder good literature for the sake of artwork. We simply reattached the book jackets to the classics, sans hardcover, and they are still very much readable! Mostly only the dictionaries and thesauruses will be used for other crafts later.)

Here is how I did it. I started with about 20 books, most of which were judged by their cover, so that they would look good in my dining room and/ or living room. (Though I did choose about 4 favorite titles to throw in the mix to make it a little more meaningful for our family.) I then simply removed the covers with scissors as seen below.




I used an $8 piece of birch wood from Lowes as the base. I chose this wood because it was light weight and would be easier to hang.





I did NOT glue anything down yet. I went down the side and around the perimeter to make certain their were no edges or gaps of the wood being seen.



When the entire perimeter was complete, I still did NOT glue anything down, but then made a second and third layer to give the piece more visual interest. I was happy at this point that I had not begun gluing, because I had to rework the layout SEVERAL times to make it look the way I wanted it too. I was after an appearance of the books coming out towards you at the center, so the thickness of the hardcover, mixed with its texture had to be played around with a bit.

Once I came up with something that worked, I began gluing down each cover, starting the corner and working my way around the perimeter again in the original pattern I had followed.



To hang it, I simply used picture brackets I also got from Lowes for about $2. I just measured three inches in from the top corners and screwed them in. Then I connected a thin gauge wire between the two brackets.

It only took about 2 hours from start to finish (minus finding the perfect place to hang it!), and cost less than $30.00 for all of the materials. In the end, I was pleased with how it turned out. As soon as I hung it on the wall (without waiting for Matt to help measure it out...oops...) I was pleasantly surprised to see how the piece seemed to bow at in the middle just like I had hoped. It looks great on the wall. After moving from its original place in the living room to the dining room, I have no intentions of taking it down any time soon!

I have been struggling with what to call it. I guess it would be reclaimed art of some kind. I have found myself in the past few days trying to tell people about it and saying, "well, its, uh book sculpture for the, uh, wall?" Makes no sense to me either, don't worry. So if you come up with something better, comment and let me know!
~ Patrice

Thank you Patrice and Lemon Tree Creations for sharing this fun project with us. I was so excited to see this because I am a big fan of books and reading, so this will be a great project for me! I can't wait to make one. And since I am addicted to buying craft books, I think I may make one with a craft look for my work room. YEAH!

Viens on fait des photos pour ton blog, là t'as un peu abusé quand même.

J'avais perdu la batterie de mon appareil hein.











EVA :
robe H&M / collants American Apparel / ceinture SNCF (ouarfouarf) / chaussures Zara / bracelet Erin Wasson for Low Lux on MyWardrobe.com / boucle d'oreille Accessorize
ADELINE :
pull H&M / soutien-gorge American Apparel / leggings Black Milk / chaussures ? / collier Fashionology


Photos par Tony Stone.



Car Cozy Tutorial

I've seen these car cozies all over blog land...
and I figured I needed to make one too.
I made two right away, one for a birthday present
and one for my son...
So, here's my take on the car cozy.

I used the freezer paper stencil number fabric for my "garages".Then I freezer paper stenciled some yellow dashes onto black fabric.I sewed the numbered fabric to the bottom of the green fabric,
and sewed lines to separate each little numbered spot.
Then I sewed the black road onto the green fabric as well.Then I painted little lakes in the top corner in case the little boy has boats too.
Once the front is done simply sew it right sides together with the back fabric
leaving a spot for turning,
and don't forget to add some ribbon or elastic (that's what I used) near the pockets area
so you have some way to keep it all rolled up when it's not being played with.I also did top stitch around the whole thing,
just makes it a little sturdier!Here's the back...found this in the remnant bin at JoAnn's,
I love 40% off fabric!So, all in all pretty simple.
But pretty cool. The little boys love it!
But next time I'm going to make it smaller,
so that it will travel to church easier!

Would love to see your take on this one as well!


Check out where I am linking this fun project here!

♥ Shutter Love Top Ten Photos ♥

Wow, We were so excited about how many entries we had this week. Thank you so much for making this such a fun link party. It was so hard to choose this weeks top 10. I love nature. There are so many beautiful shots you can get. WOW! Okay so on to our winners!

This weeks Top 10 "Nature" Photos are...

Our #1 Choice is "Daisies" from Six Cherries On Top
Beautiful photo ~ We love the crop in this photo as well as the focus.

#2 ~ "Dizzy" from Raznoggle

#3 "The Work Pond" from Create and Delegate


#4 ~ "My Favorite Tree" from Under the Table and Dreaming


#5 "Perfect Spot" from Shorties Funny Farm


#6 "Bees at their best" from Live Every Moment


#7 ~ "After the Rain" from Two Story Cottage


#8 "Sand Hill Cranes" from Mountain of Dreams


#9 ~ "Stop and Smell the Tulips" from Twelve Crafts till Christmas


#10 "Frogs" from 1 Wasabi Mom


Our Viewers Choice this week is....
"Foggy Mornings" from Trying to Reason
Congratulations!!!

Thank you to everyone who entered their photo. 
Please come back Tuesday for the theme "Pets"
Remember to share with friends by copy and pasting the blog hop code this Tuesday! 
If you are a winner, go you pick up your Prize Button

Followers