This is out of the NORM. A Program Review! "Stoik iMagic 5.0"

   Currently Listening To: "Can't Shut Up" by Anthem Lights

   Watching: The Casey Anthony Trial (This is getting ridiculous)

   Many people have been asking on how I've been making my book covers, photo manipulations, banners, and blog layouts. And their first assumption is "Photoshop". Nope. ^_^ I use a fairly, free program called "Stoik iMagic 5.0" originally known as "Samsung Master", when it came with Samsung cameras. But recently they have renamed and discontinued the Samsung Master version, to Stoik iMagic 5.0.

   Sure it's not photoshop or anything remotely that awesome. This program you are limited by certain things, but if you learn how to use it right, you can come pretty close  (keyword: CLOSE) to the same results of Photoshop. It's taken me about two years to catch onto this program, and I can finally get pretty good results, that of similar to photoshop. This is because I have a lot of freetime on my hands.


Two of my newest designs

    I mostly use this program to make book covers that are on Inkpop and this blog.  Book covers for my books and occasionally for other writer's books as well.
   If I have the right pictures and got a good vision of a cover in mind, it'll take me at least a day to make a decent looking book cover. But I can make an amazing one in two or three days, where I'm a dag'gone perfectionist.
   The editing tools on this program is great, if you know how to use them, with when, where, and how. It's that picky.
I really like how I can select a certain section of a picture, like hair, eyes, skin, and lips. And change the color to your desire, with the Hue/saturation tool. Or adjust the shadow and light in Levels. These are the three most used tools that I use, while designing my picture projects, select section, Hue/saturation, and Levels.
  If you're having blocks in (pixel resolution) your desire picture you want to use. There's these pretty good options that works most of the time. Sometimes, there's just no saving a picture from its' blocky sickness. First, I try Resize option, where you can go in and up the resolution to my reccomendation 300 per units in inch. Any bigger than that you'll have a slack in the loading and editing, because it's pretty big now. If that doesn't work I use my last resort, Noise Reduction. To remove the blocks, only check off Smooth Sigma. It'll smooth areas, but sometimes it makes it look funky. However, you can work with it long enough to make the funkiness go away.


Book cover for my Christian Contemporary
novel "The Right Whisper"
(working title)
Models: Laura Mullins and Joesph Baird

    The font options are GREAT! You can put shadows behind your font, the shadows can be the color you desire. Of course, I download new fonts to add to my collection, from Abstract Fonts. That is where I get my cool butterflies from. ^_^

  The only two cons I have about this program.  It tends to get frozen on certain areas of editing and opening pictures. :/ And then whatever you're working on is lost, due to you having to close and restart the program, but it maybe just my computer. So I suggest constantly save, when you've done major edits, just in case.

   And the other one is the black background in the picture editing tray. Because when you are working on a project that calls for a black background, it gets pretty hard to determine where's the edge of your picture is, and to where paste the picture edits. I wish there was an option that you can change the background color.



A DVD cover for my newest music video project
with my friend Katie Mullins.
"Through the Darkness"



But anyways, I really suggest this program, when you are on a budget. It has a free version that only shaves off just a few tools, that you can live without for awhile. You can download it HERE. Comment in this post if you want me to do a tutorial on a certain area you need some help in. ^_^ I'd be happy to do it!

Well that's it for now!

With lots of love, Kristia S.<3<3<3

God Bless<3<3<3

1 Peter 4:10<3<3<3

Time With Seleste UPDATES

   I have finally finished the first draft of Time With Seleste-Destiny (Now Tied Destinies). Which this has been over a month ago. I haven't had much time to blog lately. Especially, when I'm doing two other blogs, one for my church's youth group -> Valley Grove Youth Group, and The Escapism Project with Mariella (coming soon in July! It's a book blog! It'll be fun!)
   But anyways...I have some new book covers for Time With Seleste-Tied Destinies and Grasped Fates. ^_^ Along with some partical pitches.

   Here's a wallpaper. :)

 

Here's "Tied Destinies" 's

“Time is fragile like a butterfly. You never know how long you have to live. Each, second, minute, hour, is numbered like the numerals on a clock. One second you’re flying with your wings stroking the winds powerfully. Then the next second and you’ve plummeted to the ground, your wings broken from the fall, and most of all, you’re dead.

What if someone knew you were going to die soon? But doesn’t know when, where, or how? However, he knows you’re going to die, because you  came to him dying, desperate, and telling him of the future.” –“Time With Seleste-Tied Destinies”

"She had thought she had lost everything; that was when she had everything and didn't know it. When she discovered that she did have everything, the love, family, hope, and a good life she's always desired. That's when things seemed to get taken away from her, in treacherous, painful ways. And all she had left was time, time, and more time, so much that she could see the far horizon of it, stretching out before her reaching arms. Maybe Seleste can use that time to get everything back...even if she don't exist anymore…afterward." –“Time With Seleste-Grasped Fates” By Kristia S.









ALSO, a wishful thinkin' banner! ^_^ I jus' went crazy with picture makin' the other night. lol

Well, that's it for tonight!

Night all! LOVE YAS!

God Bless<3<3<3

1 Peter 4:10

Got night-time creativities?



Coffee...YUMMY.
Dukin' Donuts-Hazelnut
W/ Hazelnut creamer

     I just got to thinking about night time creativities, around my second cup of coffee (not really, I just wanted to mention coffee somewhere in here, because of my awesome picture :P). And I've noticed there's a lot of that going around. It was even pointed out in this week's "Sanctuary" on SyFy. Amanda Tapping was an painter in this alternate reality dream, it was weird. Anyways, she was an artist and it was pointed out that she only painted of the night. Someone asked why, and then answered that it was probably her time of creativity, like most artists. My mom chuckled and looked at me when that was said. I looked at her and said "What?" She didn't say much, but I knew what she was thinking. lol.

   However, night time is my time of creativity. It doesn't matter what way of my expressing myself is, it could be writing, videograpy, and even fiddling around with photos. I lose so much sleep due to this, and I can't help it. >_< People call me a vampire. lol. Hey, I could pass of as one, with how pale I am. :) I'll go pop in some golden contacts (that I actually have) and I'll just go along with it! Maybe I'll find me a Edward Cullen that way! ^_^ Nah, I have to be a not so stand outtish girl, that really likes to whine. (Yes, I've gotten to where I don't like Bella that much. I only LOVE the other characters, now. I blame Kristen Stew, for turning me against her. :P I don't care for that girl too much in reality!)

   Tonight, I stayed up all night doing a secret project, that is which, making my eyes go cross in the process. It's that much of an eye strain! But I LOVE this crap! I REALLY do! I just love seeing my finished product afterwards, which makes me feel all tingling inside, knowing that I MADE it myself.

   Man, oh, man, I've gotten into a lot of artistic expressions, lately. I like ANYTHING I can create something with. Writing, videography, photography, music mixing, scrapbooking, and sometimes drawing. I think I can just get about into anything that I can make something with. No one really has to show me how to do anything, I learn by experience, and sometimes I hear, I do it better than ones' that have been trained in that line of art. I'm not bragging about that, either. I honestly think it's just the programming, it don't really take much to learn how to operate a program to make something with it. And also, I devote a lot of time into making something, until it's perfect. (I'm one of those dag'gone perfectionist, that might potentially go INSANE from trying to perfect something.)

   As I was saying, do you guys have the case of night-time creativity?
  What time of the night, do you get really struck by creativity? (I get it around 2 A.M.)
  How long do you usually stay up? (I stay up all night, usually.)
  Do you even do this when you need to be somewhere early in the morning? (Yup, even when I had school.)
 
  Say so in my comments! I enjoy hearing your responses! And plus, I haven't had a comment in AGES, so I'm kind of lonely over here. lol.

  Well, happy creativity!

  With lots of love, Kristia S.<3<3<3

  God Bless<3<3<3
  1 Peter 4:10<3<3<3

Among my other talents, I'm also a Videographer. Who would've thunk it?! Check it!

   This is a video I made and starred in last year, for a Christian talent show called B.L.A.S.T (Building Leaders and Sharing Talents), in Mount Vernon Ohio.
   Like writing, I have to plot out a video like a book. So the plot of this video is about a girl who is suffering some kind of stuggle in her life. She feels alone and thinks she's not worthy of living anymore. She resolves herself to cutting and drinking. The shower drowns out her cries and it symbolizes the trials and struggles she's facing. I honestly designed this character for anyone to relate and mold their selves into her. She the very symbolisim of struggle in life.
   As the video goes on, the girl slowly realizes that Jesus is the only way out of her struggle, or at least to make it more comfortable. By reading the Bible, she realizes that her troubles aren't even compared to what Jesus had went through on the cross on calvary. The pain and torture he went through, for us, the sinners, who are unworthy of what he had done for us. If he went through such a horrid death, why couldn't she take the little crappy things in life if hers? It all knocks things into perspective for her, and makes her have sense of things once again.
   I would like to think that this girl thought "What am I to throw this life away? That he gave his life up for? For me to have it and live it?"
   From what I have heard, my video has changed lives. Made peoples' eyes open and realize things. My Church, family, and friends, are proud of my work, and constantly praises it. I honestly never seen much in it as I was making it. I was only doing it for fun, because I love messing around with videos and acting. But when I stumbled into this realization, face first, it was shocking. And me discovering this, it makes me wonder of God wants me to travel many paths of professions in my life.
   I already want to become a english teacher, to teach teens and inspire them, for which most of my teachers failed to inspire me. I want to change teenagers' lives by what I do and influence them to be who they are and be a good person. And then, of course, I want to write my heart's desire of fantasy and romance, which I would like to inspire teens (or adults) through my stories as well. Also, now, I would like to pursue a videography career too. Yet again, inspire and have a good influence on teens everywhere through my videos. I just want to be an inspriation to teens all over, in anyway, shape or form. And I would enjoy what I  am doing that inspires in the long run. It's a win win thing for me.
   But, I just don't know what I am destined for exactly. I guess I'll never will, if I don't try and dabble into all three of them. ^_^

   Well, I hope you enjoy the video! I know I did in making it! Spread the word please!
   
   With lots of love, Kristia S.<3<3<3
    God Bless<3<3<3
    1 Peter 4:10<3<3<3

My opinions of Jace Wayland casting.



Jamie Campbell-Bower
as
Jace Wayland
(A photo manip I made)

    I'm going to be truthful about the casting of Jace Wayland in the movie adaption of Cassandra Clare's "City of Bones".
   I was NEVER Team Jamie for Jace, before. And I wasn't when he was casted either, sadly. I thought it was a HUGE dissapointment, with this guy who looks whimpy, that doesn't have much of a nice smile, looks a tad bit too sweet to be a hott jerk, and well he just didn't have the look of Jace. So I sulked for awhile about him being casted.
   BUT, however, I started to look through pictures of Jamie and I read Cassie's reaction and thoughts on him playing Jace. I started to slowly changing my mind about Jamie as Jace. I started to remember his acting abilities when I seen Sweeny Todd. Surprisingly, to my memory, at that time I thought he would be a good Jace canidate at the time of Sweeny Todd's release. o__O Weird, huh?
   Well, he can act, and he is cute. And then I realize I'm converted to Team Jamie as Jace! Especially, after reading Cassie's thoughts on how that he and Lily are her Jace and Clary on screen!
   I started to think, "Why do I have the right to get upset  about it, anyways?" It's not my book or characters. They're Cassie's. And if she isn't upset, why would I have the nerve to be upset? It's her book coming to life! She ain't upset about him playing Jace! She's estatic! And if she's estatic, I think I should be too!
   Did I fail to mention that I like playing around with his pictures? To make them look like Jace? Each time I do this it makes me LOVE Jamie as Jace even more.

   So I'm 100% supportive of Jamie now! I know he'll so GREAT!! I can't wait to see who else they cast!

With lots of love, Kristia S.<3<3<3
God Bless<3<3<3

I PASSED! I PASSED! I PASSED! I PASSED!

   Currently Listening To: "A Year Without Rain" by Selena Gomez (I love this song!)

   Currently Watching: Casey Anthoney's murder trial. (I'm not even gonna begin a comment on this mental person)

   Mood: A tad bit hyper and creative. I'm itching to write, do a video, or something!

Alrighty, guys. I PASSED my GED test! And I had my very own graduation last week on Friday. ^_^ I BARELY remember being up on the stage, considering I was so friggin' nervous. (haha)



Me shaking hands of guest speakers and the principal (who was the principal when I was in ACTUAL school).
Don't I look pretty -BIG- in my gown? lol

 Anyways, I passed with these scores. ^_^ The scoring has to be above 410 on each subject.
 Language Arts, Writing --460 (You try to write an essay in 45 minutes! It's hard! And plus a rough draft!)
Social Studies --510
Science--500 (They say I'm a natural at science. *shrugs* I've never paid attention to that crap)
Language Arts-Reading--610 (^_^)
Mathematics--440 (Just BARELY made it)

Over all score (lowest possible to pass is 2225)---2520

I can't believe it! I finally passed! Now I can go to college!

   Ya know? I still can't help but still feel crappy about getting out of school, though. :/ I feel like people are scruntinzing me over me having a GED, because they probably label it as the "lazy" way of learning. It isn't I don't think. I HAD to put four years of school into four months then take a life changing test, at the last minute before the year is up. I know I shouldn't care what people think, but it still bothers me some. Eck.
    But anyways, I met some amazing teachers that has inspired me more to get into teaching myself. Miss Carole, Miss Patti, and Miss Mary Lou. They are the BEST! They've supported and encourged me all the way! I was so blessed to meet them, and I am glad that I chose this path, so I could meet these amazing women.
   I really believe I passed this test by the will of God. I prayed so hard the night before that it was, wow. When I was taking the test, I looked down at the paper, and I was like "Uh-Oh". My mind went blank. 0__o But I could feel Someone there watching and comforting me as I took it. I had asked Jesus to be beside me that day, and I feel that He was. I felt comforted and felt like I should give it my best. I did, by giving educated guesses on certain things I wasn't for sure on. And I did find some things that did make sense, surprisingly. The reading test was a breeze, I felt like those questions were made for complete idiots, where they were so easy. But I guess for all the reading I've done in the past years, paid off. :) The math was horrible! I don't even want to even talk about it. lol. All the others fell into place and I did my best.
    But I felt like I failed, as soon as I left that room. I wanted to cry where I felt defeated. Because, if I failed even ONE part of that test, I was done, I was through. I would have to retake it again, and I'm only allowed to take the official test three times a year. 0__o
   However, I did PASS! I really do believe it was the will of God! *shakes head in wonderment*

   Well, onto the next blog!

With lots of love, Kristia S.<3<3<3

God Bless<3<3<3