The Butterfly Effect- Pinterest & True Xoxo Girls Challenge

The Butterfly Effect
According to Wikipedia it's the sensitive dependence on initial conditions. 
How a small change in one place in a non linear system can result in a large differences in a later state.
It's Chaos Theory- unpredictable, unstable- highly complex.

For this Month's True Xoxo Girls Challenge I found myself knee deep in an ethical dilemma.
I love Pinterest. I think it's the Beez Kneez- the ultimate fun time inpiration tool for artists of all stripes.
I use Pinterest every day. Or rather, I used to.
I am now considering deleting all my boards.

Here is why: (direct from the Pinterest User's Agreement)
By making available any Member Content through the Site, Application or Services, you hereby grant to Cold Brew Labs a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free license, with the right to sublicense, to use, copy, adapt, modify, distribute, license, sell, transfer, publicly display, publicly perform, transmit, stream, broadcast, access, view, and otherwise exploit such Member Content only on, through or by means of the Site, Application or Services.
Putting aside all worries about potential lawsuits from disgruntled artists, designers, photographers, architects, fashionistas- basically- anyone who has a digital presence. That clause in the User Agreement hasn't been proven in court yet so there's no reason to panic- YET.

Don't FEAR it. BE IT.

How do I feel about participating in the wholesale high-jacking of individual copy right? 
That is what the legal booty covering above does. 
If you come on this site and pin one of my scrapbook pages, Pinterest now has the right to sublicence, use, copy, adapt, modify, SELL, LICENCE, and OTHERWISE EXPLOIT my image as they see fit in perpetuity. 
It's Non exclusive! Woot! I guess I should be happy about that? 


Pinterest- you can take the scrapbook page- it's made with other people's designs anyway. 
The photos are MINE. 


Here is a code that allows you, me or ANYONE to opt out of the Pinterest madness- 


Just add that bit of HTML code to the top of each and every blog post you don't want pinned. It will disappear when you add it .. right here...  no here...
Let me make a photo- the code really did disappear into this post. 

If you don't block Pinterest assumes you are ok with them acting as a royalty free imaging super store where YOU- your family, your pet, your life's work are the product. By the way- Facebook has a similar clause but here's the difference- I can upload images and control my story on Facebook. I decide what family photos might end up for possible sale. Not so with Pinterest. 


Flickr has implemented a simple YES/ NO button on their site to prevent pinning: 
This is great for those who would prefer their personal websites get the traffic (We all know it's rare for people to visit the actual website- for many, it's just pin and get on with your life)
Read about it here: http://mashable.com/2012/02/25/flickr-pinterest-opt-out/


Let me just say- I don't mind being pinned. I get immediate feedback on what people like which helps me design more effectively AND I feel appreciated and influential- what's not to love? I don't judge people who disagree with me or don't care about this issue and just want to look at pretty things. I understand and feel pretty much the same. I love my boards! I spend time looking and thinking and learning to cook. I love the idea behind Pinterest! But it's good to inform yourself so you can protect yourself.

My beef is with is the Pinterest User Agreement that allows Cold Brew Labs to sell my photos IF and WHEN THEY DECIDE.

Scrap FX chipboard and vellum.  The "photo" is an Instax print that came out blank 
because I loaded the camera wrong. Those babies are a dollar a pop. I'm using them!

I might annoy a lot of people who will deflect my arguments with FAIR USE! FAIR USE!
Here is a link to FAIR USE as defined by the US copyright office.


If you are taken to court in the near future, you have already lost. 
You will have to hire a lawyer and pay them to defend yourself. 
It will be easier to "settle"out of court which means you will PAY for those pretty pretty pins.
Why are you fighting Cold Brew Labs' battle? Are you getting affiliate link kick backs from pinned item sales? According to a recent New York Times article you aren't. OOPS! 

Pinterest works the code (on the DL) so they also get affiliate sales!!! 
Aren't they just SO AWESOME?

Innocently swimming through shark infested waters.

MuChOS SmOoChEs!
LA PELEONA

Fun news! Ormolu reader feature

Just wanted top drop by and give a small toot that I'm featured over at the Ormolu blog today.
Yaaaaay!
I LOVE Ormolu products- they are the perfect small size, super bright and GREEN!

This page caught me completely by surprise.
I started by getting all Jackson Pollock on a piece of Jillibean Soup kraft paper and almost threw it out when I thought it looked to messy.
I starred at it for a while telling myself- SELF- YOU CAN'T THROW THIS OUT!! That paper was a DOLLAR.
I'm kinda strange.... But you knew that.
I then added the tone on tone Scrap FX chipboard which immediately focused the page and added the Studio Calico stamp on the bottom right to anchor the design.
The Sassafras Lass triangles went next to add some contrast to the chipboard and lastly I added the night photo, Ormolu "Super cool" tag and fabric flag on top to give it more pop.

The paint is watered down acrylic- the only thing that will show on kraft
I took apart an Amy Tangerine layered embellishment for the
"wish you were here".

When I was done I realized I was working with my lizard hind brain again- going forward with no real plan.
Very cool.
So thank you Ormolu- I got a lift on a rainy day!

GRATUITOUS CUTE TODDLER SHOT!!!

Learning to skip rocks.

MucHoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

To redo or not, that is the question

If you are a frequent reader here you know two things
1. I talk too much. (Sorry)
2. I redo my work all the time.

I redo because I frequently get blank brain syndrome (made that up- Web MD can't help on that one) and have trouble coming up with new concepts but I'm REALLY good at spotting what's wrong with an older page.
So the redo is really an entry point for the next original project.

It's also a way to escape from the "I can't mess this up" loop.
If you frequently find yourself saying "I just have to get this right. I can't let these beautiful materials go to waste!"
Stop. You can always change things around. Use repositionable tape and let go.

Case in point:

Even lighting, more red to add contrast, a heart from the absolutely GORGEOUS  Prima wood veneer
collection and the addition of Jillibean Soup stickers- suddenly the page makes more sense.

You've seen me post this page at least 2 times before but only this time is it good enough to post.
I'm using Gauche Alchemy's Nearly Nekkid Mixed Media Paper Art.
I really liked the Jillibean Soup kraft cardstock alphas but I will admit to being a somewhat lazy scrapper. The amount of effort required to get these to look neat on a page is just too much for me sometimes so I scrawled my journaling in the nearest blank spot and called it a day.

I tried ignoring my mistake but when I hung the page up on my wall recently, I got a daily eyefull of personal scrap sloth and decided the evidence needed to go.

Easy-peasy redo. Ok not so easy- those darned itty bitty stickers
are nearly impossible to pull out their packaging without taking half
the other stickers out too so I use tweezers. EXCRUCIATING!!! But worth it.
Also- commas- I need one. 

Don't ignore the problem. Rise above it.
I'm speaking to myself most of all here.
another long week of no photos- a brief pause on my Project Life album but no worries, I will return for week 9.

What I'm working on RIGHT NOW:

Gauche Alchemy Knick Knack Paddy Whack kit.
I'll let you in on a secret: paint SCARES ME.
So this is killing me!!
Talk about WHAT IF I MESS IT UP? syndrome

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

So I'm 38 years old. A Project 365 Post

This will not be a post where I whine on and on about being "old".

I love being 38 fabulous years old.

I'm happier and more self secure now than at 28.

28 was me running around trying to figure out how to jump start my career and how to afford the latest hand bag or shoes a la Carrie in Sex and the City.

38 year old me is like WOW! CHILL, YO! 

I'm a MOM! 

It STILL trips me out!

Because I get to share moments like this.
Mural by Joshua Abram  Howard

I love the lines I see developing on my smile. 

I've always had the frown lines- frowny face is my default setting.

When I was younger, guys on the subway would say (yell from a distance):

"Smile girl! You're beautiful!"

Actually, the guy who yelled that got a smile. 

The ones who said more obnoxious things got THE LOOK.

It's a cringe worthy look. 

I tried it on myself once... DAAAAUUUUUUMMM!!!

So yeah the smile lines are a good thing- the rabid bull dog look was getting tired.

This week has been busy so I haven't been able to scrap much of anything.

I did experiment with this:

Project Life page!
Materials:  Sassafras Lass Sunshine Broadcast paper (fave ever!),  Fiskars Jenny Bowlin
flying bird punch, Ormolu spot, Studio Calico wood veneer asterisk, Smash polka dot
tape, American Crafts Sunrise alphas (fave font ever!) Hambly chicken wire tranny.

So I saw a photo of the India Street Mural Project online and I simply HAD TO SHOOT IT!

I first thought this would be easy. It was but ONLY
if you pick paper with no border. Cutting this
12 by 12 into 7 by 9 and making the pattern MATCH
was hard. But the final results were great.

India street is about 20 blocks from where I live.

How. Had. I. Missed. It?

The murals went up in 2009.

Dave and The Lolster admire Chris Soria's mural.

I was 5 months pregnant and battling doctors who were telling me I should consider "termination" because my baby would most likely be severely disabled.

I gave 'em THE LOOK. I wore it for the next 2 months.

I just felt it was gonna be ok. I FELT it. 

And she was. And she IS.

First time I let you slide down by yourself. 2/22/12

So there it is. Why I'm so happy. Why every day is a gift. 

Why I'm so freakishly expressive (blabber mouth!).

Try not to totally hate my blubbering. 

I do hold back SOME of it. :)

Not THE LOOK. 

MuChoS SmOoChEs!