Apps to Use While on Vacation

Picture App

Most phones typically come with a picture taking app preloaded, and in many cases this is the only photo tool you need.  Before you depart, clear out any existing pictures you have saved to make room for new pictures.  There's nothing worse than discovering you have no space left and no way to remove the old pictures on your camera. Do you delete old pictures to take new ones or forego taking new pictures? Avoid the a hassle completely and upload your pictures to your web photo album before leaving home. Some phones have the ability to have additional storage space via a removeable SD card. Invest in one if you plan to use your phone to store a lot of media.

Word Lens

If your travel includes an international visit, download the Word Lens app and set it up with with the language of your destination.  When you open the app and place text in front of the camera it will translate the text on screen from the selected language to the desired language. The app is still somewhat new and not all languages are available yet. The all works offline so you don’t need an internet connection for it to work.

Skype or Google Hangouts

Staying in touch on the road can be difficult and expensive.  If you're traveling domestically this may not be a problem. For international travelers, find a wifi connection and open up one of these apps. Be sure to take the time before departure to register and set up your account. When youre on the road you can simply dial another users web account or phone number and be connected.

Tripadvisor

Almost all travelers today consult Tripadvisor when in someplace new and looking for a place to stay, something to eat, or to find something to do.  Locations are peer reviewed and rated. You may not want to plan your entire trip around the site but if you're stuck it can be a good spot to see what's popular or may not be in the guidebooks.

Weather App

This Is another app that comes preloaded on most phones but there are dozens of others available for free download or a small fee. The other apps have a variety of different features that can be customized based on your needs.

Maps App

There are plenty of good mapping apps on the market. Some cater to those driving, while others focus on public transportation, and still others on walking routes.  Depending on your needs while traveling find an app or apps that best fit your specific needs. If you plan to do  a lot of walking having driving directions won't be very useful.

Your phone is a powerful tool that can help take your trip from good to great. Take lots of pictures to remember this special time and take time afterwards to download your images and add them to your favorite online photo galleries. You'll be ready for the next time wanderlust strikes!

Things to Consider When Starting a Home Based Business

Starting a business from your home can sound very appealing. Making use of things like selling stock images from your online photo galleries or starting a service based online business can be as easy as firing up your laptop and putting up a website. It can be incredibly inexpensive as well. However there are still considerations to keep in mind as you launch your new business.

There are considerations before beginning any type of business even a home-based one.

1. Check Out the Local Laws for Registering and Zoning a Home Business. There are still regulations that you’ll need to follow depending on the local community and state you live in. In most cases you won’t find any problems unless you’re meeting clients at home or posting business advertising in your yard.

2. Tax Laws. When you decide to move from hobby to business you’re subject to different tax exemptions, deductions and payments. Sites like www.irs.gov can give you the information you need. There are often small business bureaus in communities that can be helpful too.

3. Have an Independent Work Space. This could be as simple as using a spare bedroom or den with a door to keep your work separate. If a workshop is needed, consider using a garage or purchasing a large outbuilding. You may want to create independent accounts online (separate from your personal accounts) for things like email, web photo albums, and bookmarking sites.

4. Use Multiple Methods to Find Clients. Some ideas include: viral marketing, flyers and direct mailings, email marketing, or setting up a website.

A home-based business is an alternative for people who want to create something of their own without spending a lot in upfront costs. By spending some time to make sure that everything is set up correctly you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches and potentially a lot of money down the road.

Starting a Blog for Profit

You may have heard of bloggers making a full time income online. While this is possible, it takes a lot of work and time to see these kinds of results. If you are looking for a way to show off your expertise and also make a little money while doing it, consider starting a blog. While you might not be able to quit your day job tomorrow you can make some extra spending money.

There are many types of blogs. Some are more like journals. Others show off the online photo galleries of photographers. A third type are business blogs. This is a blog that you begin to attract traffic in order to sell products or services. Sure you can sell products on any website but business based websites exist with the idea that they will just be means to make money. To be interesting to others, your blog will need to:

• Have regularly updated content for visitors

• Be marketed in a way that draws traffic

• Register with search engines so it can be found in the rankings

If you are new to blogging, use a free blogging platform to get your feet wet. Depending on the site you choose, the themes and plug-ins (added features) will vary. Most will walk you through the process step by step so that you can be up and running in no time.

Before you start posting, decide what will be the theme, or niche of your blog. If you like photography that can be your niche. Create posts that talk about how to take great pictures, great poses, new techniques, or how to sell images from your web photo albums.

In order to make money with your blog, you need to have people visiting it. Any money-making venture will take place once you have an audience. Once this is done you can put into play a number of options like Google AdSense ads, affiliate marketing, or ebook marketing.

Sell Your Digital Photography at Stock Photo Sites

Many of your hobbies can be turned into business ideas that can make you money. Digitally photography is a great way to make an easy profit on doing the thing that you love. Digital photography allows you to capture a variety of images in a variety of formats. With tools like online photo galleries and web photo albums you can easily save, sort and display your images for pennies.

Wondering what kind of images people want to buy? Remember when you used to visit the fair or take a family vacation to a theme park? Those family pictures might seem like something only your family would want to have but for companies who want to pair an image with an article or are looking for the perfect image for an ad campaign they are willing to pay for your images.

Stock photography is one of the best ways to take these images and start making money in the online digital photography market. Sell your photos to others who need pictures for websites, newsletters, magazines and e-zines and other media. Your photos can add a new flavor to what is currently being offered.

Working in this way is not without risk. You want to make sure you have the permission of any people in the images before you place them up for sale. You also need to understand how the stock photography business works. Customers can purchase pictures or lease them for a certain amount of time. On some sites, photos are free to use when signing an agreement of use and including a link back to the site. Make sure all of this is clear before you start to put your work out for purchase. You may also want to keep track of the places you’ve listed your pictures in case someone decides to purchase the image outright.

Organizing Your Photos

Most people dislike housework, it is a chore we take on, it’s simply something that must be done. Once it is done though there is nothing better then walking into a beautiful clean home. It may of taken some work but it was well worth the effort. Now when it comes to all our online files and photos it is just the same we want to have it all organized but sometimes it remains in a heap kind of like that one load of laundry that is waiting to be done, that you never seem to have time to get to, so how do you organize your photos?

Pictures used to be something very tangible. In fact many of us have photographic prints still in boxes in our homes that have never gotten into a single photo album. Is that the story in your house? So today many of us have photos that are stored away on our phones, and we are gathering even more photos on a daily basis.

With the onslaught of how easy it is to take a photo with our phones todays many of us have accumulated thousands of photos. But good are they if they sit there?  Are your vacation photos sitting on your phone, how about the photos of that last party you attended? Or your day at the beach? Its easy to have a jumbled mess of photos, just as easy as it is to mess up your home.

The best solution is to organize your photos, an online website photo album offers you the chance to organize your photos. By using an online photo gallery you have a simple place now to organize your photos so they can be shared with those you love, or simply for your own enjoyment.

Six months, a year down the road, or five years you may not remember who was with you at that event you attended so as you upload your photos to your favorite online photo album make sure you are labelling your photos.

Another thing to make sure you do as you organize your photos is delete the excess. How many shots of those toes in the sand or of that sunset do you need? How many would you really want to share?  Get rid of those bad shots and save the best. By deleting photos along the way it makes this process easier and you are not wasting time later. Remember not all those shots deserve to be saved. Be brutal as you begin to organize, you will thank yourself later.

Some people have larger albums and then even sub albums to keep themselves organized. I recommend labelling each album differently. Since it is the summer of 2014 I may have a label: Summer 2014 or Trip to Spain. Remember to keep your titles simple because you will be sharing these hopefully with family and friends.

Once you have your online photo albums organized they are now easy to share in many ways. You can  share them through many social sites, such as Facebook. You can also email them to family members or if you simply want to you can always upload them to a digital photo frame for your viewing pleasure.

Making Money on Stock Image Sites

Selling stock images is a great way to make use of unused images in your online photo galleries that are just taking up space. You can make a nice chunk of money if you get your work out into the marketplace.

As a photographer, you will make more money if your photos are leased as opposed to being sold. A one-time sale can be really tempting, especially if it’s a big sum but the lease will provide a continuous source of income off of that one photograph. It can make sense to diversify your income by leasing some images and selling others through a lease arrangement. Both arrangements have positives and negatives and it will really depend on your goals and needs.

To begin making money in stock images, start researching current stock photography sites. Find one that offers the leasing option to customers and also has an easy-to-navigate site. This is an easy way to start testing the waters with your work. Don’t empty all of your web photo album images immediately. Start small, learn the ropes, and then work your way up.

To figure out what will sell, look at other stock photographs that are selling. What do they have in common? Are the pictures clear? Can you make out all of the features of the photo? What qualities are people looking for? This can be difficult because every buyer is looking for something different.

Don’t forget stock photography companies are out to make money too. Don’t be afraid to try some new ideas for pictures. You’ll receive feedback on what does or doesn’t sell either from the company you’re selling through or through your sales figures.

To better market your work create a website with links to the stock photography sites featuring your work. This will send more people to your work.

Tips for Setting up Your New Website

You’ve taken the big step to create your own website. Maybe it’s for professional reasons, you want an online space to share your thoughts, or you’re starting a small business. Whatever the reason here are three tips to make sure you start off on the right foot.

Think it Through

Before you start adding loads of content, think through what you want your page to be about. Sit down and create a statement that sums up your page. Then brainstorm as many potential topics as you can. All of the information you add should relate to this overarching goal and theme. It’s easy to stray off path but you’ll end up with a website that is a mess and readers who are confused. You may want to implement a content calendar to make sure you’re staying on track, keeping users informed about sales, or other pertinent information that relates to your business or topic you are writing about.

Appearance

You want to make sure your website looks nice and is easy to read. Avoid dark colors and styles that include too much to look at. Your readers want to be able to find and read the information you are posting and if there’s too much clutter they won’t be able to find it – and the won’t come back. You may want to hire a graphic designer to help you with the layout and appearance of your site.

Visual Aids

In today’s online world images and video are important. Create online photo galleries to house the images that you plan to use. You might have one dedicated web photo album that shows up on your actual website. Incorporate video if it adds to your site but be careful with any video that automatically plays. It’s better to let the user decide if they want to click play or not.

With web photo albums and online photo galleries you can even separate them into special folders to house important information for your customer base.

Tips for Capturing Summer Memories

There’s no better time of the year to take pictures than summer. Long, sunny days filled with lots of outdoor activities, family get togethers, vacations, and more! It makes sense that you’ll have your camera out and at the ready all season long. Don’t worry if you don’t have the newest or best DSLR camera, many of today’s smart phones have amazing image capturing ability. In fact there are some professional photographers that are making a name for themselves through their smartphone photography! Use what you have and keep in mind some of these suggestions. Enjoy some of our best tips for capturing those summer memories and how to preserve those memories once they’re taken.

Capturing the Essence of the Season

What are some of the items that scream summer? Grass, chalk, water, a cold drink - just to name a few that quickly come to mind. When you are documenting summer adventures or memories be sure to not only grab the image of the person or event but the feelings and other items that really stand out as “summer.” This is the essence of the season. Take some close up shots of a foot in the grass or a face in a water bubbler. Use lots of different angles. Zoom in on the chalk instead of the image of the child and vice versa.

Movement

Kids running down the soccer field. A group of friends sharing drinks and laughing. Capturing people in action and movement bring a static picture to life. The more feeling and movement you can bring to an image, of course without it looking too blurry or out of focus the more likely you will be to remember that scene and moment. Posed photographs are great but they don’t capture the full range of emotions.

Food

Picnics, barbeques, and other food-centered activities are a big part of summer. Whether you’re strawberry picking on a farm, enjoying hot dogs in the backyard or toasting s’more’s around the campfire these are all great opportunities to take great images to remember summer when the snow starts to fly. If there are special dishes that you really want to remember take solo shots and when you’re organizing your album later type up the recipe to go with the picture.

Preserving Memories

Now that you’ve taken dozens and possibly even hundreds or thousands of pictures how can you best remember them? One way is through printing and arranging them into a photo album. However technology has made this once time consuming and somewhat expensive process faster and less expensive. You can create a web photo album much easier than a physical photo album.  Simply upload your images and arrange into online photo galleries. You can group them by event, by child or family member, by month or some other combination that makes sense to you. Don’t forget to include descriptions in the captions so that you can remember what, when, where and why you were taking that picture. Once you’ve set up your web photo albums be sure to share with other family members so that they can relive summer memories too!

Three Cheap Summer Vacation Ideas

Summer vacations can be very expensive, especially if you have children. Even the quintessential summer road trip can rack up thousands of dollars depending on how far you go and for how long. You don’t have to go far to enjoy a fun summer! The most important part is having a memorable and enjoyable experience you and your children won’t soon forget.

Camping

It doesn’t get much lower cost than camping. You can even do it in your backyard! Cook simple food, toast marshmallows and stay up late. Borrow a tent from a friend, bring sheets and blankets from home to further reduce costs. Don’t forget your camera to take lots of pictures! You’ll want to save those pictures for your web photo album when all is said and done.

Hit the Road

Even though driving still has some associated costs it’s often less expensive for a family than flying. Make your trip about the journey and less about the destination. Take pictures at tourist traps along the way. Enjoy documenting the trip as much as what you do one you arrive. This is an opportunity to see a lot of different cities, places and people in a short span of time. Challenge each other once you return to see who can put together the best online photo galleries. You might be surprised to see what stuck out for each person.

Visit a Family Member

If you have a family member living somewhat close by why not go visit? Of course get their approval first. See their city through their eyes – chances are it will be much different than a typical tourist. You’ll save money on lodging and have a unique experience. Don’t forget to reciprocate the offer to them sometime!

These are three very inexpensive vacations you can enjoy without spending a lot of money, which ever you do, remember to capture the memories to a web photo album.

Use a Web Photo Album to Host an Online Thrift Sale

If clutter is taking over your garage or you have a big move planned you’re probably starting to wonder what to do with all your stuff. Sure there’s always the traditional way of hosting a thrift sale, by setting up tables outside and labeling all of your items but what if you’ve got more collectible things or lots of furniture that isn’t really “thrift sale” worthy priced? Host an online thrift sale!

Plenty of people look at sites like Craigslist to purchase goods. Instead of listing each of your items that are for sale create online photo galleries to share and price them all in one place. While doing a sale this way may not seem like any less work than the traditional route you may be able to get a better price for your things. Here are some tips to setting up your sale and photo galleries.

First, sort through everything you have that you are considering getting rid of. Decide what you will keep, what you will sell, and what you will give away. Designate a special place in your home or garage for all of the items that will go up for sale. Next, do some research on those items so that you can find out what the going price is. If you have antiques or items that are highly valuable consider selling them to an antique shop or private collection before putting them online in order to get the very best price. If this is not possible include them in your online sale. Save the information you find so that you can add it to your photo galleries.

Third, begin to take photographs of your items. The better the photograph the more likely your item is to sell. Use good, natural light and capture the item alone, not amongst a jumble of other things. Take a shot from multiple angles and if there are any flaws be sure to photograph them as well so that the buyer knows exactly what the condition of the item is. For bigger pieces of furniture it might make sense to take pictures of it in a room instead of your dusty garage. If people can see the piece “in action” they are better able to envision it in their homes. If this is not possible, simply take the best pictures possible.

It can take a lot of time to go through all of your items and photograph them so try and break your work into chunks. Once you have finished photographing for the day set up a web photo album for each theme of items. So have one album focused on furniture, with another on collectibles and so on. Add the images and then spend some time adding information from your research to the description boxes. Most importantly don’t forget your price! In the description of your photo galleries include your contact information and how people can pay. Finally publicize your albums on your social media accounts, on Craigslist and any other local resources that publish sales.

Summer Lake Activities for All Ages

When the temperatures start to soar there’s only one thing left to do – pack up the kids and hit the water! While not everyone lives near the ocean almost everyone has a lake within driving distance. For some people just enjoying the water is enough but if you’re looking for a little more here are some ideas to keep busy at the lake. Don’t forget your camera, you’ll want to add these memories to your photo galleries.

Have a Swimming Race

Depending on the age and swimming ability of those racing determine a course ahead of time. Make sure you have plenty of eyes on the water so that no one is hurt or struggles. Have someone in charge of time keeping and let the games begin! If there are lots of people involved you can even set it up like a round robin tournament.

Sand Castle Building Contest

Kids love to build sand castles but you might be surprised, many adults do too! There’s really no rules needed to building, but you can set some creative ones to make things interesting. Maybe it’s a height requirement or an overall size requirement. Use items found nearby to embellish the creations.

Play Beach Volleyball or Soccer

If there’s room in the sand or nearby grass put together a friendly game of volleyball or soccer. There are plenty of other “beach” games that are available. It’s an easy way to spend some time, be active, and make new friends.

Collect Rocks and Wash Ups

You may not find many seashells washed up on the shores of the lake but you might find other interest things! Bring some containers and let everyone explore to see what they can find. You might do this before the sandcastle building contest so that there are things to decorate with. Be sure not to include any living creatures. If any large things are moved like rocks or driftwood, be sure to put them back when you’re done.

Have an Aquatic Scavenger Hunt

An underwater scavenger hunt? Yes! You’ll need goggles for everyone who wants to play so that they can see both above and below water. Create a list of items to find and have everyone work in at least two person teams so that someone can be in charge of the list of items to find and someone else can be looking for them. Include things that can be seen both above and below water. Take lots of pictures because this memory is sure to be one for your web photo album.

Take a Boat Ride

A summer afternoon cruising the lake in the back of a speed boat – sounds perfect right? Whether it’s a speed boat or a canoe, spending time on the open water is fun for all ages. Many lakes have boat rentals available for a small cost. Canoes, paddle boats and kayaks are the most inexpensive but if you want to splurge a little a speed boat sure is fun!

Whatever your summer adventures have in store keep your camera close by to remember the fun times you had.

Preserving Your Summer Harvest

Summer is a time of abundance and if you have a high produce yield this year you will want to save as much of it as possible from going bad. You also may want to replicate your success this year to following years. There are several ways you can do this. First, keep copious notes of what you have done. When did you plant your seeds, what did you sprout ahead of time and what went right into the ground? How often did it rain or when did you water your plants. Take pictures and add them to a web photo album as your plants grow so that you can see the progress year to year. Don’t forget to label and date all pictures! You will love the fact that you can go back and review your web photo albums.

Once you begin to pick fruits and vegetables decide what you’ll use right away and what you might want to preserve for later. Many fruits can be made into preserves or frozen. There are several different ways people do this. Try a few different methods if you’ve never done it before. Then stick with the way that works the best! For vegetables pickling and freezing are two of the most common methods for putting up items. For root vegetables like potatoes, beets, and onions a dark, cool cellar may be all that is needed to keep vegetables several months to use in their natural state. You can also make your produce into things like breads or muffins that can then be frozen and pulled out to use later on.

If you still have more than you know what to do with, chances are good you have a neighbor or two that would love to have some of your excess! You might consider setting up a road side stand and making a small profit on some of the food you have remaining!

Last Minute Summer Road Trip Ideas

If you’re still hoping to get away this summer consider a last minute summer road trip as a fun activity and a way that you can actually save money on your vacation. You often don’t have to look very far to find something fun to do and depending on where you live summer can actually be the low season, allowing you to snag great deals.

First, do a little research to look at nearby areas – within driving distance – that are of interest to you and your family. Many websites allow you to put price alerts in for different locations. Do this for your selected spots. You’ll now get an email whenever a hotel is available at or below your listed price. Each week set aside some extra money to purchase gas cards. This way when it’s time to hit the road you will have a good chunk of money set aside for gas, one of the biggest expenses. You can even store photos of the places you want to visit in an online photo gallery.

When it’s time to hit the road don’t forget your camera or smartphone to capture memories for your online photo galleries. You’ll also want just the essentials so that you’re not weighed down with lots of luggage. Contact the tourist office at your chosen destination to find out what there is to do in the area and hopefully pick up some last minute discounts on attractions and food. Along the way stop in the small towns or interesting restaurants you see advertised. Make the trip as much about the journey as the destination. You won’t be going out of your way and you’ll have a great time exploring places you normally might not visit.

If you’re still not sure where to go, a local lake may be just the thing to see. Or perhaps there’s a waterpark nearby that you’ve never visited. Be creative!

Preparing Your Child for College

For many parents, this is the time of year that they start to prepare for their newly graduated student to go off to college. It can be stressful for parents and children. While there’s no way to alleviate all of the worry there are some things you can do to send them off on the right foot.

A lot of time and attention is paid to registering for classes, securing housing, and purchasing items to decorate a dorm or room. All of these things are important but parents can also take time to create something for their children to have after the dust has settled. Spend some time putting together a web photo album your child can pull up when they get homesick – because they will get homesick. Gather some of your favorite pictures and memories and organize them. Write notes and captions that are memories of the time or place. When your child is homesick or just needs a little bit of something familiar this will be an easy way for them to be comforted.

Along with all of the physical preparations for school you also will want to take time to prepare your child mentally for this new change. Different children are at different places of maturity when they prepare to go away to college. Some may be more than ready while others are more apprehensive. Reassure them that everything will be fine and give them solid, honest advice about the situations they may find themselves in. No longer are they under mom and dad’s roof but they are largely on their own and need the knowledge and skills to make the best decisions possible. Most importantly let them know that no matter what you’re still there for them and that they can always call you when they are in need and when they are just missing you a little they can glance at their photo album.

How to Throw a Camping Themed Birthday Party

If your child or children have a summer time birthday party having a camping themed party can be a fun and inexpensive way to celebrate. It’s a great non-gender theme and can be easily and affordably tailored for your child’s likes and interests. You won’t need to spend a lot of money renting space – your backyard or a local park could be the location. Imagine all the great pictures you can add to your web photo albums!

Invitations

There are many ways you could create invitations from a plain off the rack style simply stating time and place to something more elaborated like one designed to look like a tent or star. Within the idea of camping there are plenty of sub-themes like tents, stars and moons, campfires, or food to name a few.

The Tent

The central theme around any campout is the tent. Set up a large tent to be the center of activity. This is where the eating happens. You can set up food stations and craft stations under the big tent. But kids will want to play in a tent too. Either pick up several tents from garage sales or why not have kids build their own tents? Pull out all the extra sheets and blankets you have along with chairs and other items to build fort tents. Outdoor pillows, blankets, or even carpet remnants make great ground cover. Make it into a game and place the kids into teams to see which will build their tent first.

Activities

Traditional outdoor games like bean bag toss and sack races are always a lot of fun for all ages. You could also design and decorate pillow cases with fabric paint or tie dye. What activities you choose to do may depend somewhat on the age of the children playing. If the weather is warm and you sent notice to parents add a water element into the fun. Set up a slip and slide or have a water balloon toss.  Small wading pools can be great fun for younger kids and no matter what age children are sprinklers are always lots of fun.

The Food

If you’re wary of having a campfire with lots of kids around set up your grill in an “off limits” area for the kids. Grill out hamburgers and hot dogs. You can have the children take turns, supervised to roast their marshmallows over the grill. Have chocolate bars and graham crackers ready for s’mores! Another food idea is walking tacos. Buy small bags of corn chips and have all the ingredients for traditional tacos set up in a buffet. Each child gets a bag of chips and adds their desired ingredients to the chips and then eats right out of the bag!

Be sure to take plenty of pictures through the event and upload them to a special web photo album. After the party send children home with the link to the pictures. This way parents can decide which images they would like to have or share.

How Technology Can Improve the Lives of Those with Disabilities

Technology is an amazing thing. It has allowed things to happen that previous generations of people could only imagine. It has done the impossible; sending a man to the moon, putting amazing computing capacity into the palm of our hands, and even creating electronic robots that can perform highly precise surgery. It also has made life much easier for those who have disabilities. For people who were born without the ability to see or who faced an injury later in life, technology has made a big impact on their quality of life.

For those who have mobility issues electronic devices like joystick controlled wheelchairs have meant a new found sense of independence. Parents of children who have autism or other sensory processing issues have found that technology has meant breakthroughs in their child’s ability to communicate. Children who cannot speak have also found a voice through technology. Type to talk programs mean they can type what they want to say and have the program speak their words for them. For children who can’t quite type yet, having online photo galleries available on a touchscreen device allows them to point to what they want to say.  Web photo albums are a great way to store point and say word cards.

Every day new advances and solutions are being invented. Technology like EyeMax systems take communication to another level. Those who can’t talk or use their hands to type are able to communicate what they want to say through eye tracking through text and picture prompts. Cars are being developed that will allow those who can’t see to safely drive. In fact there might be a completely driverless car in the near future – in fact it’s already street legal in Nevada. Maybe you’ve seen videos of children receiving cochlear implants? This technology advance has delivered the gift of hearing to many and further technology advances are making it even better.

Using Photo Galleries to Help Organize Your House

When you first move into your home it seems like you have so much space.  You quickly set everything up but there’s always the inevitable box of “things” lurking in your basement or garage. Not to mention that one junk drawer, and there’s the cabinet in the laundry room.  Well let’s just say things don’t stay as organized as they once were and as time passes you accumulate more and more things.

Home organization is a step-by-step process.  It will take more than a day or even a week to get everything to a manageable level, but once you do staying organized is an easier task. Using tools like a web photo album can help you remember what is where – especially if you have a lot of things or a big home.

1. Start with the Busy Areas.  The two most used rooms in the house are typically the living room and kitchen. This is where everything gets dropped on the counters or furniture or shoved in the closet. Before you move on to less used rooms, concentrate on getting these areas in order first.

2. Use Containers and Storage Spaces. You’ll need to invest some money on the right tools to organize. There are hundreds of options on the market for storage boxes, organizing racks, and cabinets. For any boxes you plan to store in your garage, basement or attic – namely things that aren’t used that much – make a unique mark on the box and photograph it. You’ll also want to snap a picture of what is in the box and finally where you place it.  Upload these images to your web photo album.  Create a different album for each box and use labels for the items.  The next time you’re looking for something access your albums and search for the item by name. You’ll be able to see what the box looks like and where you put it. No more rifling through boxes!

3. Divide and Conquer.  Get out the bags! Sort through everything you find and place in a pile labeled: KEEP, THROW AWAY, or GIVE AWAY.  Items that will stay in that room are to keep.  Things that you don’t need like loose scraps of paper or garbage can be thrown away.  Clothes or furniture still in good condition can be donated.

4. Use the Space You have.  You know that space above your kitchen cupboards? Store extra containers or rarely used appliances there. Storage bins that slide under the bed are good for storing out of season clothes or shoes. There are plenty of ways to add storage to your garage. Take an inventory of all the space you have and think of the best ways to use it.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. By taking time and using organizing tools you can turn your house around in no time. However, once you’ve done it once the upkeep is much less stressful than fighting the daily mess!

A Water Themed Birthday Party

Throwing a birthday party during summer months means there are lots of ways to have fun without spending much money. Try a water themed birthday party for a wet and wild good time! No matter what age your child is, this is a fun theme for all ages.

Start by sending out invitations shaped liked a water drop, and let parents know to send their children with their swimming suits, towels, and water shoes as well as an extra change of clothes. You can host the party in your backyard or at a park. Just be sure there’s a good water source nearby. Older kids might enjoy a water balloon fight while this may be too hard for smaller children. A water balloon toss or other challenge games using water balloons may be a better fit. Set up a water obstacle course using small pools, a sprinkler, or other water and land elements.

Be sure to cover your smart phone or camera with a waterproof shield so that you can still take pictures for your birthday online photo galleries without wrecking your equipment. You’ll be sure to capture some really fun images if you’re not worried about your camera getting splashed.

For the meal you can stick with classic picnic food or develop a menu around the water theme. To make it even more interesting why not have a meal where no utensils are used. It won’t matter how messy everyone gets because they can hose off when they’re all done!

Send your guests’ home with a liquid inspired goodie bag. You might include a new water bottle, a favorite drink, a jar of bubbles, and other items that fit the party theme. This party is sure to be one to remember for a long time and you’ll have the photo memories for years to come!

After the party you can always share your created online photo gallery with the guests so all can enjoy the memories in the years to come.

Tips for Throwing a Neighborhood Block Party

The sun is shining and everyone wants to be outside enjoying the weather. A great idea to get your neighborhood or even just a group of friends together is to throw a block party. In large cities these are common but not as much in smaller cities and towns. It’s an easy way to share a meal, get together with old friends and make new friends. You’ll want to save all your pictures to a web photo album to share with everyone that attended!

First, ask around and get an estimated count of who is interested in attending. You’ll want to know so that you can allocate enough space. Then get a little more organized by creating a group email or even Facebook group. Let people sign up to bring food items or leave it blind and let people bring whatever they wish. A potluck is the best way to do this so that no single person or family is stuck with all the work.

You may consider having each family pitch in a set amount of money to rent tables or purchase drinks, or you can rely on everyone bringing their own. It’s up to you! No party is complete without some music or entertainment. Maybe you have a DJ or an amateur musician in your circle of friends that would take over the lead for this. Lawn games are another fun activity for kids and adults. You don’t have to add a lot of structure but having a few things to do is a good way to break the ice and get people interacting.

When the event is over send everyone a link to the online photo galleries to upload their pictures. You’ll have a great collection of images to remember the event year to year!

Taking a Solo Summer Camping Trip

When things start to get hot during summer time it’s time to turn off the computer, step away from work and escape to nature for a few days. Spending time with loved ones is great but why not take a solo summer camping trip? Taking time to focus on yourself and relax is important. But don’t think this kind of trip isn’t worth photographing. You can create an amazing web photo album sharing your experience.

Your First Time Camping Alone?

Like with most things, the first time you try camping alone it may be slightly scary proposition. The reality is, there’s really not much to fear. Overall, the "horror stories" you hear about just never happen.

That said, you can take a few safety precautions to put you at ease. First, you should always tell a friend when you expect to be back. Let them know if you don't contact them within a certain time, they should alert authorities to come and find you.

Second, you can carry a phone with you. If you're not going too far off the beaten path, you should still be able to get reception. If you’re making regular updates with images of wildlife and scenery to your online photo galleries your loved ones will see all is well.

Always carry a first aid kit in case you become injured or sick and make sure you have water purification pills just in case you run out of clean water. It’s also a good idea to take things slow. Keep your trip short and camp in places that are not too far off the grid. Having other people around, but not too close, can help you ease into the concept of solo camping. It’s a good idea to avoid secluded locations until you're comfortable camping on your own.

Make It an Unforgettable Experience

Take some time in silence. Listen to the wilderness around you. Whether it’s the quiet of the forest, the sound of waves lapping at the shore, or birds chirping in the trees. Having time to listen and be one with your thoughts is a great experience. It may be hard to disconnect and not have the sounds and voices you’re used to but once you get past the initial difficulty it can be a very enjoyable experience.

Bring a journal and write. It can be very hard to set aside time to write when you’re at home. But when you’re out in the wilderness with nothing else to do, it’s the perfect time and opportunity. Don’t forget to bring a camera. Take pictures of all the incredible things you're witnessing and show them to friends, and add to your web photo album when you get home.

Even though you’re camping alone, it doesn’t mean you can’t make friends. Get to know some of your neighbors. Sharing stories and even meals with strangers is a wonderful experience.

Camping solo is a fanatastic way to recharge your batteries and reflect on life. Even if it’s just a night on a local lake take advantage this summer!