I love it when my customers reach out to me to ask questions and tell me what they really want. You have questions? I have answers! A few days ago, a customer was confused by the coloration of the digital mockups provided by Zazzle. He asked for clarification on the depth and intensity of the
I want to introduce you to my new 2023 calendars. I’m getting ready for the upcoming yearly wall hanging and tea towel challenges on Spoonflower. These events kick off in a few weeks with a calendar challenge, so I’ve been updating my calendar designs for 2023. Previously, my designs were all sized to fit Spoonflower’s
It’s time to snuggle up! The mother of all cold snaps is about to hit us. We’re promised temps plunging below zero, high winds, and probably some snow and ice. This is winter in Nebraska. I won’t say that it’s 100% Nebraska winter-normal (that kind of thing doesn’t really exist), but every few winters, we
“T.P. and Freedom–or Bust!” I want to introduce you to my motto for 2022. It may seem a little ridiculous on the surface, but I assure you: there is a real purpose behind it. There is a real connection between the practical everyday necessities that we take for granted and our freedom. Take away our
I’ve updated my free ecards and added to my online puzzles for your enjoyment and use–and I wanted to be sure to share them with you. I originally created these ecards to share on social media because I’m horrible at tracking birthdays, and my organization skills are somewhat lacking in this area as well. I
It’s Thanksgiving–and I Finished It! Oh–the tears and frustration, the struggles along the way… The YEARS that I’ve been trying to finish it. I supposed I should explain–or as Inigo Montoya says in The Princess Bride, “Let me sum up.” More than 30 years ago, when I was in college, I was assigned a project
I wrote this post several years ago about trademarks, copyrights, and intellectual property tips for designers. Since then, some things have changed, so I’m updating it. For a while, everyone’s artwork was being stolen, and trying to stop the thefts was next to impossible. It has taken a lot of work by many designers–and some
One of the Photoshop tools I use frequently when promoting my artwork is the magic wand. It’s this tool:
It’s easy to select and delete backgrounds where there’s a clear difference between the background color and the product, but where I tend to run into trouble is with images where there’s a white or light background, and a white or light product design. If you click on this image, you can see that the “marching ants” have selected parts of the hair tie as well as the white background that I wanted to delete on this layer:
I’ve come up with an ingenious solution, and I thought I would share it with you.
Today, I want to share with you how I’m finding ways to reduce chemical sensitivity to perfume and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Our modern society has unfortunately gone cuckoo for chemicals to the point where toxic chemicals are everywhere. We’re drinking them in our water. They’re in our food. We’re even breathing them in our air, and wearing them on our bodies. Some of the most toxic chemicals we encounter are VOCs.
A VOC is any chemical compound that outgasses or creates fumes that are usually associated with a scent. Some VOCs are more stinky than dangerous, like sweaty boy socks. Some are more dangerous and less stinky, like natural gas. Natural gas has to have a stinky compound added to it so that we can smell it and realize that there’s danger. And then, there are those VOCs that fall somewhere in between, like, bleach, perfume, laundry soap, and air fresheners. VOCs can also be all natural, like the fragrance of roses or the scent of basil.
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The older we get, the more our bodies struggle to handle VOCs. Finding ways to reduce chemical sensitivity can be the key to improving our quality of life.
Hi, my name is Krystine Kercher, and I’m an artist and author, and–I have chemical sensitivities… Unfortunately for me, there isn’t any ‘Chemicals Anonymous’ support group that I can join to get support for this.
Most people do not have chemical sensitivities to the extent that I do, which is a very good thing–for them!
But I do happen to know a lot of people who are sensitized, especially to perfume. You might be dealing with chemical sensitivities if, when you encounter someone who’s used too much perfume, it makes you nauseated or gives you a bad headache. Or, if your laundry detergent or bath and body products give you a rash.
If you’re sensitized to VOCs (volatile organic compounds), and you’d like to know how to reduce your sensitivity to perfume and other volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), here are some helpful hints.
While there is more than one place where we can enjoy roses in Lincoln, Hamann Rose Garden is our best local public rose garden in Lincoln, Nebraska. One of the great things I love about this time of year is the heady scent of roses perfuming the air. And all the gorgeous colors, the soft
