children's book

An Ark City woman can now call herself a children’s author. Shelia Riedl said it all began with a dream one night, and encouragement from her kids.

After waking up from her dream that night, she woke up the next morning and could not stop thinking about that dream, so she started writing down as much as she could remember.

While working on “Elijiah and the Elephant”, Riedl’s children had questioned what she was doing, “they had me read what I wrote so far, they loved it and said you’ve got to finish the story. So, they’ve encouraged me all along, and I finished it.”

Riedl had finished the book several years ago, but spent those years researching publishers, and found one that allowed the author to have total control of the book. The publisher, Xlibris, which is a print by demand company, gave her complete rights to the book.

The message of the book, “A little girl and her friend, and what they can accomplish together, and to help other people.”

“Elijiah and the Elephant” can be ordered from Xlibris online at xlibris.com/bookstore. Books are $15, plus shipping and handling. You can also pick it up at Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.com.

Riedl says this is just the start, as she plans on writing more children’s books in the near future.

{source: Shawn Wheat}

Book Description:

‘Elijah and the Elephant’ is a dream I had one night. It was a fun movie my mind played as I was sleeping. When I woke up the next morning, I could not stop thinking about the dream. I had prayed the night before for God to give me a new project to work on. I decided writing this book must be the project. I began to write down as much of the dream as I could remember. When my kids asked me what I was doing, I told them. They asked me to tell them the story. They liked it and wanted me to finish the story. My husband and kids encouraged me to turn the story into a book to share with others. I hope others will enjoy this fun story. It is a story about a adventurous young girl, friendship, and helping others.

on my bucket list

Oh how I would LOVE to go to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta — The World's Premier Balloon Event. It's held every year at the start of October. This year marked the 40th year. Check out some of this year's balloons...

In closing, the "Balloonist Prayer"...

May the winds welcome you with softness.
May the sun bless you with its warm hands.
May you fly so high and so well that God
joins you in laughter and sets you gently
back into the loving arms of Mother Earth.

{photo credits include: Paul D deBerjeois, Raymond Watt, Cindy Petrehn, Cindy Hunt, Rex Features, Richard Obregon, John Reece, and Getty Images}

cinemax

Check out the logo before and after:

Launched in 1980, Cinemax is best known for its roster of action movies and after-dark softcore porn movies and series with really bad plots, which have earned it the nickname of “Skinemax”. Originally a single channel, Cinemax, owned by HBO Inc., is now a premium (meaning you have to pay extra to get it) network of eight channels and it counts with more than 12 million subscribers — by comparison, HBO has more than 28 million. Within the last few months a new logo has been popping up here and there and in early August, to coincide with the launch of Cinemax’s app, MAX GO, the channel has fully implemented its new logo and look, rolling out across all channels. There is no press release or credits. {opinion by Armin}
Variations on the new:

Why Should You Care About Typography?

If you think typography is simply about personal whim, you just haven't been looking at it the right way.

I have a confession to make. There was a time, many years ago, where I thought that typography was fashion by another name. I didn't really appreciate how different typefaces function, and how the discipline evolved over time, under pressure from aesthetics and technology. And it makes me particularly red-faced to remember that I once flaunted that ignorance, going so far as to tell a noted creative director that bit about type as fashion. If only I'd known! If only I'd had this infographic!

Created by someone who only calls themselves Noodlor, it does a pretty superb job laying out the basics of typography, such as the common types of faces, ranging from regular to condensed, and the anatomy of letterforms. There's also the very keen nugget of wisdom that 95% of graphic design is actually typography. But where it gets really good is in the "What It's Saying" section — which should serve as a slap in the face to anyone who thinks like I once did:

From there, we get into more subtle territory: The basic principles of layout, which begins with the basics of direction, contrast, and rhythm:

"Don't try to be original, just try to be good" — Spoken, originally, by a master of typographic clarity, Paul Rand. And one to remember, always.

_____________________________________________________________________

{by Cliff Kuang, the editor of Co.Design, and in the past has written regularly for WIRED, Popular Science, and GOOD.}

words to live by

I have lots of collections—just ask my husband. One of my favorites = quotes. Like typography, where every letter form must be considered, I enjoy reading the words of others, in their smallest form. Quotes are like snippets; brief strolls through the halls of one's mind.

The following are some design-based quotes that meant something to me.

Pro-bono doesn't mean for free.

Pro-bono means for good.

—Ric Grefé

 

Be a good listener.

Your ears will never get you in trouble.

—Frank Tyger

Any activity becomes creative

when the doer cares

about doing it right, or better.

—John Updike

 

Accept the challenges

so that you may feel

the exhilaration of victory.

—General George S. Patton

 

Your time is limited,

so don't waste it living someone else's life.

—Steve Jobs

 

 

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.

Design is knowing which ones to keep.

—Scott Adams

Inspiration is for amateurs.

I just get to work.

—Chuck Close

Designers design

because they want to improve

the human experience.

—Ric Grefé

 

 

Subtle is a cousin of beautiful.

—Seth Godin

 

Make sure you hone your communications skills—

it's not just about your portfolio anymore.

—Kiyo Toma

 

 

To design

is to communicate clearly

by whatever means

you can control or master.

—Milton Glaser

 

 

White space

is to be regarded as an active element,

not a passive background.

—Jan Tschichold

The ability to simplify

means to eliminate the unnecessary

so that the necessary may speak.

—Hans Hofmann

 

Quality is more important than quantity.

One home run is much better than two doubles.

—Steve Jobs

 

Perfection is achieved,

not when there is nothing more to add,

but when there is nothing left to take away.

—Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Does anything here inspire you? Discuss.

preface

I have a personal blog. I have a couple, actually, but sometimes I let my personal and professional blend. Sometimes I can't tell the difference between the two. However, there is one main difference and that is in the professional sense, I must be censored. When addressing the masses, I might bite my tongue and choose my words with a lot more care. When I'm casually talking with family and friends I can be a lot more fluid with my thoughts and feelings (thus a private blog).

On another note, I've often considered having a professional blog but wondered how I'd find the time or material to include. I've come to realize the material isn't a problem as we are exposed to constant and continual information via the web, et. al. The time? Well, I've decided to treat this as my collection, a hobby if you will; the one place where I gather design content for inspiration. I'm doing this for myself but if what I share provides someone else with inspiration, an idea, or the like, I will have more-than succeeded.

I hope you enjoy...