getting schooled

do you remember how i had oh so many goals last year for gaining some new skills?

i think i could take about twenty different classes right now, except for the fact that i am barely making it as it is with these two bundles of delight in my life. 

("it" being quality marriage time, relationships, work, school, keeping the house cleanish, playdates, and so on... i think we've covered this topic many, many times around here!)

if you can show me someone who really truly juggles everything with grace and effortlessness, 

that's the class i should be taking: modern mommying 101! 

you probably know that i do a ton of illustration for papyrus. i've been designing cards for them for 8 years now. but i do it all old-school! i handpaint everything, and then send them original artwork. they tell me it is one reason my cards stand out, since they look handmade. 

but the downside is that i never learned programs that i could use to simplify my process. i studied fine art in undergrad and grad school, and not design work. i sort of fell into the freelance, and now i love that it provides me with flexibility, steady income, and the ability to watch mindless tv while i work. (i'm kidding about that part- kind of)

so i've been trying to learn some new skills that i can apply to my freelance work.

last year i took a class in illustrator (you can see some of my homework here) from nicole's classes, 

and i loved it!

the class was all online, i could put in as much or as little time as i wanted, i could chat with the instructor if i had questions, and i learned the basics of illustrator!

(both months i took these classes were INSANE busy for me, 

so the fact that i could do it means anyone could. 

really.)

this month i've been taking another class in from nicole's classes in photoshop elements, which is a more user friendly version of photoshop (and the one that i already own and don't have to shell the big bucks out for).

i am learning a ton!

now i just need to figure out how to use these tools with my freelance work!

this week i learned how to swap heads in a photo

(i need to spend some more time on the final product, 

so be gentle as you look at the almost final product!)

the two photos before:

and after!

(i need to work on that hat up against my chin so ruby doesn't look like a floating head.

to my credit i was actually holding sweet ruby-all squirming, wriggling, bundle of energy 20-odd pounds of her-in my lap while i edited this picture)

for fun, and to practice some techniques, i took a quick self portrait

(the after is on the left and the before is on the right)

i've always hated my crooked teeth, 

so to hone my skills i gave myself some free orthodonic work and fixed my teeth, plus fiddled around with some wrinkles, flyaway hair and my eye color.

(don't worry, 

i love myself just as i am,

but it was fun to temporarily have the teeth i'd prefer)

i also learned how to make a styleboard!

so fun, right?

i know these are basic tools, but so glad i am learning them. 

it also reminds me that i love learning,

and whets my appetite to learn more!

(hmm...sewing, silkscreen refresher, more illustrator, cooking...)

what new skill would you learn or class would you take if you could?