What do you want to know?

What do you wish you knew how to do?

Okay, I am not talking about things like writing an opera or becoming a superstar tennis player. If you are reading this then you obviously like designing, you like paper, graphics, stationery and you love making stuff- for yourself and others. So......  what do you wish you knew how to do relative to the things you LOVE to do?  

I am working on a sister site for Great Graphics that is going to have some really great things to help you to do what you love to do- which is create!

I realized I really love helping people learn how to use graphics, so MyFriendBeth.com was born. Several of the people I have helped kept saying, "I told so and so- my friend Beth taught me how". Well I guess I told my husband that a few too many times, because when I asked what a good name for my new site would be, he immediately said, "Why don't you call it My Friend Beth."  Well, I thought it was pretty cheesy at first- but THEN I realized it was PERFECT! Because, I AM your friend, I WANT you to succeed and I want to help- just like a good friend would do!

One of the things I have been working on is some photoshop elements tutorials. People use all sorts of programs to work with their graphics, there is no way for me to cover them all- scrapbooking programs, Photoshop, Corel draw and God forbid- WORD. Can I just say- Word is not a graphics program, and if you really want to do fun stuff- Word is not going to cut it.  (sorry if I offended anyone, but I am just telling you the truth- like a friend would)  

I decided to do my tutorials in Photoshop Elements because truthfully, no one needs to pay to have regular Photoshop for making things like stationery, invitations, iphone covers, etc..., it is pretty easy to learn, most of all Elements is affordable. This new version has some cool stuff that even my brand new upgraded-expensive-as-hell photoshop doesn't have. Yep, I bought Elements- I mean if I am going to teach you- I need to teach you on the right program. 

Save $50 on Photoshop Elements 10- now only $69.99. Offer code SummerElements, ends August 6.

Now if you want to learn all the cool new things I am making tutorials for- you are going to need Photoshop Elements. I decided to try to make a little deal with Adobe-ha ha (yes I had a cocktail in hand when I emailed them)  I told them I was going to be helping some of my peeps learn Elements- and was there a way for me to get them a little better price. Honestly, I didn't expect to hear from them (their support is NOT the best), but they offered to make me an affiliate! 


Now don't ask me- the math doesn't add up, because I thought that Elements normally was $99.99- which it was when I bought it 3 weeks ago- I guess their price is going up after August 6th- but anyway- they sent me that link- you can get it for $69.99 put the code SummerElements in when you check out- oh yeah, the affiliate thing- if you use my link- the one above- I get some percentage of something- one day- it looked so complicated and math is not my thing- so I have no idea how much or when- probably if 5 million people use my link they will send me 10 bucks in 20 years or something- but hey, might as well try- but MOST IMPORTANTLY- get the deal- cause you are going to need Photoshop Elements to follow the tutorials I am making.  And NO NO- you don't need Premiere Elements- that is for videos and you don't need the bundle....just PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS. 


If you get it, or already have it- here are the first 2 of my very basic Photoshop Elements tutorials that I will be releasing on my new site- let me know what you think of them, but more IMPORTANTLY, tell me what YOU want to learn to do!!!


These are VERY basic, and they go in order- and I have the PDFs to help you remember what you did to go with them-plus the first PDF tells you all about the layout and where the tools are etc... yeah,yeah, I know they are boring, but you have to start somewhere and I promise, they get more fun and you learn some cool stuff.


EMAIL ME WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW!!!!!  or leave a comment!


Here are the PDFs and the first 2 video tutorials


Intro PDF

Tools PDF     Tools Video

Files PDF   Files Video

It's Summer- I want to be a kid again!

Okay, this may be totally off the wall, but I have really been thinking about this lately. I have had a hard time getting stuff done and finally figured out that it must be because it is summer. I know I have talked to others that feel the same way, so I know it is not just me. I think it is just "in us" to revert back to childhood and remember how FUN summer was.  

Remember running through the sprinkler, playing dress up, getting to stay up later because it didn't get dark until late and you could play outside AFTER dinner. Summer has always been my favorite time of year. Even when my kids were little, I loved not being on a schedule and having to rush in the mornings to get everyone off to school-although I must say by August I was ready for school to start!

Which brings me to this- I want to be a kid again. Not in the sense that I really want to be 10 again- although there is something to be said for having no responsibility, and not worrying about paying bills, or calling the plumber, or getting your tires rotated, but in the sense that I didn't have many cares back then-at all.  I didn't care what anyone thought if I wanted to wear my tutu to play in the yard that day. I didn't care that my hair looked like crap, and I didn't feel like I needed to put on makeup just to go ....anywhere!  Putting on makeup was FUN back then- fake eyelashes, press on fake fingernails- that was all a treat!

I want to be a kid again- IN MY MIND. I want to play dress up- for fun, wear a tutu, a crazy hat, gigantic false eyelashes or my funky painted tennis shoes and not care what anyone thinks. That is hard to do- we are so programmed to look at people that do that as "crazy" or "eccentric" or "weird". Why is it that we lose our sense of play as we grow up?  Why do we care what other people think- particularly people we don't even know?  Would I go to the grocery store in a tutu- not likely- would I want to- HELL YES!!!!  Just for the fun of it. It would be fun just to laugh at the reactions. Which reminds me, most of us don't laugh as much either as we get older. I am lucky that I do laugh a lot, and married to a pretty funny man- but I mean just laughing at nothing- laughing because you are happy and having fun....simply running through the sprinkler. 

So, I am going to TRY and let my inner child come out to play more- I don't own a tutu- but I just might make one- just to wear at home- so I can laugh at how fun that is- even if no one else knows. Or put on a wig and false eyelashes and pretend I am someone else for the day- I bet she would be a lot of fun!

I am going to wear my funky tennis shoes out in public- I think they are fun and they make me happy- and I really don't care what people think about that- at least it is a first step.

What do you want to do, that would make you happy, make you laugh like you did when you were a kid, if you didn't care what anyone else thought? Tell me in the comments below- maybe we can encourage each other to let our "inner child" come out to play!

Have a great weekend- who knows- the next time you see me here I could be in a tutu!!!!