Picture!

My own drawing on display...eek! I've been a bit hesitant about posting my pictures. But the time has come for me to step out of my shell! I will confess that I am not totally thrilled with the way this particular picture turned out. The girl's shoulders are too small...and there are a few other things about it that that I don't like...but if you don't see them I certainly wont point them out! LOL.
Drawing people has always been something of an Achiles' heel for me (so post a person very first! :-) but it's also what I've been working on the most lately. I was going for a 'gibson-y girl' look...I really can't decide if it's what I got across or not! Ah well.


So, speaking of art, there are a few books I would totally recommend. One that I am using all the time these days is called "Figure it Out!-a beginner's guide to drawing people" by Chris Hart. It's amazing! Unlike most people drawing books, this one keeps mostly to simple shapes and doesn't get all detailed on the body. :-) It's a really good book for those of us that find most art books a bit...uncomfortable.

Another great book is, "Cartoon Animation" by Preston Blair. It's a nice, step-by-step drawing guide, dealing mostly with animals. It has a nice section on people too, but it's mostly good for learning how to draw cuddly little animals. :-)
At some point I want to post some 'cudley' little animals. Cuddly, cuddly, cuddly!
God Bless.
Amy

Smile

You would not believe how hard it is to smile when you don't want to. Just think about it the next time you're in a cranky mood: Smile. It's just about the last thing you want to do!
I read in one of my spiritual reading books once, that smiling is one of the best ways to keep yourself, and those around you, happy. You can spread a good mood just as much as you can spread a bad one. (And the bad ones do spread like wildfire, don't they!) Okay, it might be a little harder to spread a good mood. But the way to do it is by means of the SMILE!!! It can take some really strong resolve to smile all the time. And when you smile and you don't want to well...you feel a little bit like a moron. I should know, I have been caught smiling to myself cheesily at work. It can be a bit awkward, really.
It is really fun to see how many other people you can get to smile. If you smile at a person long enough (and yes, you can do this to complete strangers...it makes life, oh, so much more interesting!:-)they usually smile back. Usually. Sometimes they stare at you in shock. But usually they smile back. And you have not lived until you get somebody to laugh! Here's a trick. Tell them to fake laugh. (Go with me on this one!) I think it's nearly impossible to fake laugh and not really laugh right after! Anyway, it's fun to see other people make idiots of themselves by faking a laugh.
I hate to sound like a sap (and this post is a bit sappy) but if everybody practiced smiling I think the world would be a much happier place. (Duh!:-)

This song is totally applicable to this post.  And yes, It is Josh Groban singing it (though the song was originally composed in 1936, I believe) and he is my favorite, so be nice! :-)

God Bless
Amy

French Braid Bun

I have tried to figure out how to use separate pages and have failed. Thus, I deleted those useless pages and I am simply going to post everything in the same spot. That means no handy categories but...it's the best I can do! :-)
Here is a hairstyle I do a lot. I do have to mention that pretty much all the hairstyles I am going to post are for long hair. I have very long hair. If you have shorter hair, you can probably figure out how to modify some of the styles for yourself. Anyway, here we go!

You start with a basic french braid. (If you don't know how to do this, there are tons of videos on youtube that explain! :-)

Then you are going to tuck the braid under and up, pulling it through. Like this. (I'm sorry if this is all a bit complicated! This is my first time explaining how to do a hairstyle so I don't have much practice! Hopefully the pictures help!)

If your hair is long enough, there is enough hair here to do a little bun.

Then you just secure it in place with hairpins, little claw-clips or whatever else you like the best in your hair. It's pretty and elegant, but easy enough to do in just a few minutes. I use this style all the time. :-)

I am sorry if this is a way confusing post. I will try to work on my tutorial skills. :-) A thank you to my little sister for the use of her hair! It takes a lot of work to take pictures of yourself and do the style at the same time, so she generously donated her head! Thank you!
God Bless!
Amy

 

The Letter Game

I am not a huge letter-writing fan. I find it so much easier just to zip off an e-mail. I will be the first to admit that getting a letter in the mail is way more fun than an e-mail, but it definitely takes a lot more effort to sit with pen and paper and write. It may just be that I find it somewhat tedious to write about all the boring things I've been doing. :-) Who really cares?

This is much more fun. The Letter Game. You don't write about yourself! That's the great part. You get to invent a heroine (or just a hero:-) and make up a fabulous story. Of course, you have to have a good friend to do it with or it's just not going to work out. Here's what you do.

You and whoever you pal up with to do this with have to figure out together  some of the basic ideas for your story, like what time-frame you want it in, (Any time frame you want! How fun is that?:-) where your characters are going to live, if there's magic or not...just enough to get you both on the same wave-length. One of you gets the honor of writing the first letter and 'setting the mood'. Then the thing sort of takes of on its own. It's pretty easy, really. Just a few words of caution. Think ahead a little bit. You do want to have a sort of plot in the back of your mind that you sort of 'guide'your letters towards. And it's good if your plot and your friend's plot tie together at the end. My advice, when you near the end of your story (and you'll know when that is :-) talk to your friend and figure out what you want to do. Then write your last few letters.

It really is a blast. It makes letter writing so much more dramatic! You get all the fun parts of writing, (i.e, using fancy handwriting, and really making your letter look like a work of art!:-) and none of the boring. Give it a try. It's an awesome way to get your creative juices flowing!

God Bless

Amy

Illuminations- Josh Groban

So here is my very first review. I hope to post reviews of movies, music, and books that I like. I figured doing a review of Josh Groban's most recent CD was a good place to start! :-)

Okay. I think Illuminations is a beautiful CD. It is not as dramatic as Josh's last album Awake was, but it still has some really wonderful tracks.

He does a song called "Hidden Away" that I love. It is so pretty...and touching. Sniff, sniff. (LOL) And there is another called, "the Bells of New York City" that is also amazing. (I have to admit that I am a Josh Groban fan so I think all of his stuff is great! I know there are those who would disagree:-) And, always a sucker for a great foreign language song, I really loved "Voce Existe Em Mim". It has a great beat and the melody is very full and rich.

I feel the need to point out that Josh did a lot of the composition for this album (and I know he did in the last one too, but he did even more on this one!:-) In fact, looking at the little pamphlet that comes in the CD, he wrote or co-wrote  just about every track, lyrics and melody, and did some of his own back-up. He plays piano very well. :-)

I would say that this is probably his most beautiful album. It's a bit more 'classical' than his last one, which is fine with me because I love classical-ish stuff.

If you are already a Josh Groban fan, this album is a must. It's amazing. If you have yet to be converted to the ranks, this album might do it for you. At any rate. I love this album and I hope Josh Groban keeps up the good work!

God Bless

Amy

A note to the shy people

Only 25% of the population are shy/introverted people. Being shy is hard. It makes doing normal, everyday things, like going to store, a little bit of a trial. I have thought of something to make us shy people feel special. Shy people have many more opportunities to be brave than people that aren't shy! Being brave is doing something you're scared (or maybe just find uncomfortable:-) to do. Those 75%  not shy people don't have to be brave every day...but shy people do! EVERYTHING is a little bit intimidating when you're shy. Trust me! :-)
So all you fellow shy people out there, give yourself a little pat on the back. You are brave! :-)

God Bless!
Amy ;-)

Music

Who honesty doesn't love music? I think it's impossible not to. Music is such a wonderful thing!
I have grown up listening to music just about non-stop. I love having music playing gently in the back round. It's soothing. Okay...sometimes I need silence. But most of the time I want music on.
I lean towards classical music as my favorite style but I have a rather broad repertoire of music. I enjoy country, folk, musicals, classical-crossover...I have a interest in opera but have yet to really listen to it.
   My favorite singer is probably Josh Groban. He has such amazing music:-) I love Hayley Westenra as well. She is so talented and sings some really lovely stuff. If you have never listened to either of these artists...than I am sorry for you. :-) LOL.

This is a link to one of my favorite Josh Groban songs. I listen to it when I need a little 'lift' to my day! The music video is a little strange but the music...ahh. It's beautiful! :-)

Till next time. God Bless!
Amy

2011

Hello Everybody!

Welcome to my site and thanks for stopping for a look.
I have many hopes for this new year. 2011! The very beginning of a year always seems the best time to start something new and exciting. And for me, this blog is definitely new and exciting...
I have been very hesitant about doing a blog for quite some time. I am slow to make life changing decisions like this. LOL. But now that I have finally made up my mind, I am excited.

The title of my blog is "Old Fashioned Girl" as all of you that have stumbled upon my site know. :-) I found that title very fitting. I love old fashioned things. And I believe I am rather old fashioned. I love cooking and baking. Being a homemaker seems the best thing in the world to me. Not to say that I am a 'girly-girl' as I have a many interests in 'tom-boyish' activities, but I love the things of times gone by.

I am not going to make my intro a long and detailed post. I just wanted to post something before I get second thoughts and back out of my first blog adventure! I hope to make this year fun and interesting. I will start having actual 'subjects' for my posts soon. :-)
Here's to a new Year (and yes, I know it's already the 8th but hey...) and thank you for stopping by!
God Bless
Amy