Printing Instagram Photos

For my 31st birthday, I finally got an iPhone!

...waaaaaay back at the end of November (yes, long time, no blog, blah blah blah...), John and I both needed new phones (I was being very vocal about this - he acted like he didn't care, but I knew he didn't really like having a phone with a cracked screen) so off we went to the Sprint store.  A couple hours and a brand new family plan later, I was the very happy owner of an iPhone 4S (John traded his iPhone in for a Samsung Galaxy.)

One of the first apps I got (and the point of this blog post) was Instagram.  I love the way the filters make my random photos look "artsy" and I love the square shape and I love the frames it adds.  The online sharing is pretty cool, but I just love an envelope full of freshly printed physical prints. 

I was not interested in doing any extra work in PhotoShop (that would be pretty much the opposite of what I love about Instagram) and I did not want to deal with printing them at home (I don't even have a photo printer at the moment and I know I'd be very greedy with my ink if I did).

I just wanted a quick, easy, inexpensive way to print the square-shaped photos as-is.

I know there are sites that specialize in printing Instagram photos, but the ones I looked at seemed a little pricey and I worried I'd be way too impatient waiting for them to arrive.  The solution was actually very simple and familiar:  Shutterfly!

The Process

Instagram gives me the option to post every picture I share to Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr (among other social networking sites that I don't use) - I post a select few on Facebook and Twitter, but they all go to Flickr.

Then, since Shutterfly isn't linked to Flickr, I downloaded my entire Instagram album using the free version of Bulkr. It is super fast and super easy!

Next, I uploaded the entire folder to Shutterfly (just like normal...) and edited each one to ensure I'd get my beloved square-shape.  I guess this is the most time consuming part, but I like to print photos fairly often and typically at least review each one before printing anyway (I don't trust their "smart cropping" at all!)  Here's what I did:

1.  Log in to Shutterfly

2.  Go to "My Pictures"

3.  Go to my Instagram album and select all

4.  Edit > Crop

5.  Select the "Custom Crop tool" and crop as a square

6.  Add a border - I often prefer the black background, but sometimes white looks better - I decide one-by-one, but it does give you the option to apply the same border to all your pictures if you want to save some time (you still have to crop them to the square shape, though.)

7.  Add to cart - I always choose "matte" paper (personal preference)

That's it - easy-peasy, huh?  They look pretty awesome too -

You can follow me on Instagram as bc7ate9 or find me on Flickr as amy_jane!

Happy Birthday, Dad...

Tomorrow is supposed to be my dad's 56th birthday...

That's the cruddy sort of thought that A. I can't do anything about; B. Makes everything hurt all over again; C. Reminds me that it always hurts - and it always will, at least to some extent; and, D. Really, really, really sucks.  A whole lot.

That being said, I will do my best to celebrate his life tomorrow.  We'll meet for happy hour at his favorite bar and go through the motions the way he'd want us to...the semblance of normality and recovery, I guess.

I don't really know what else to say...I just want my daddy.

Mill Inn Bed & Breakfast, Bend Oregon

On our way to Crater Lake then Eugene, OR via Bend, OR...

We came across the Mill Inn on accident and it's AWESOME! 

My nearly finished Daybreak Shawl!

I mostly finished my Daybreak Shawl this week! I still have ends to weave in and it needs to be blocked, but I was very excited to see what it will look like so, since I sit across from an empty cube and there are T-pins all over, I decided to pin it up at work this afternoon. 

I got my co-workers to come over and admire it - they all did a very nice job of at least seeming impressed which I appreciated! 

Our fluorescent lighting isn't ideal for photography with a cell phone, but I took several pictures anyway.

I am quite pleased with it - I made some annoying mistakes, but they won't be too obvious when I'm wearing it.  Normally, I'd be much more of a perfectionist...but it's my first shawl and first big project with sock yarn...and it's pretty!

The Daybreak pattern is by Stephen West and is available on Ravelry for $6.  I was pretty intimidated by the pattern at first, but once I figured out the weird cast-on and started getting into it, it was actually not too difficult.

I used size US 4 32" circular needles, lots of stitch markers, a row counter, and tons of notes.

The black yarn is Cascade Yarns Heritage Sock and the variegated yarn is Malabrigo Sock Yarn in Caribeno - a very lovely navy, teal, purple, bluish blend.
(Have I mentioned that I looooooooooooove Malabrigo anything?)

Both were purchased from the Yarnery on Grand Ave in St Paul, Minnesota (I'm pretty sure that's my favorite yarn shop in the Twin Cities.

You can see more pictures and details on my Ravelry page!

RIP, Lucy: April 29, 1998 – June 3, 2011

My family’s pug dog Lucy died peacefully around 1:30 AM on Friday, June 3, 2011.  She had a good life and was loved very, very much.

My mom and I got Lucy from a home breeder in the summer of 1998.  Pugs weren’t especially trendy back then – and the Internet was still a novelty (no Craig’s List or Pet Finder) – so she was a wee hard to find.  We went through the classified ads in all the local papers for a few weeks with no luck, but finally found a litter of pugs for sale in St. Paul. We called the owner and she tried to tell us to come that evening because she was running a daycare or something, but I guess we were persistent because an hour later, there we were.  There were several puppies – male and female, black and fawn – and since we didn’t have any preferences, we kind of left it up to fate.  A fawn-colored girl with a double-curled tail gravitated to us and we knew she was ours.

Driving home, we brainstormed names for her.  Anything like “Pugsly” was definitely out of the question.  Mom suggested “Sugar” which was also not an option.  I said “How about ‘Lucy’?” and that settled it.  She was definitely a Lucy.

Lucy fit right in at our house.  She was a sweet, cuddly, good-natured little girl, always putting up with the cats’ bullying, my dad’s teasing, and my brother and I playing keep away with her from opposite ends of the stairs.  She liked to lie in the sun or in our laps, perfectly poised for belly scratches.  At night, she loved to cuddle under the covers with her head on a pillow.  Lucy had the typical pug snore, but even at her loudest, her snoring couldn’t compete with my dad’s so we hardly noticed it (I actually found it soothing). 

She was instantly a part of our family as well.  Lucy went trick or treating, had lots of presents and a full stocking on Christmas morning, and we always remembered to celebrate her birthday.  At my college graduation party, she wore maroon and gold bows (and discovered an appetite for cake and beer thanks to my grandpa…) It’s impossible to look at pictures from any holiday or event and not find Lucy in half of them.

Lucy went lots of places with us.  She liked cabins up north – as long as she didn’t have to swim.  We learned that early on when she ran down the dock…and kept running right off the end.  With her front-heavy pug build, she tipped right over with only her curly little tail staying above water.  The North Shore and Taylor’s Falls were a bit more her style.  She happily jumped around the rocks with us, sticking close by even when her stature forced her to find an alternative route.  Lucy also went to Arizona with my parents, but was definitely a Minnesotan at heart, preferring the air condition and cool tiles to the sand and cacti.

As Lucy got older, she got lazier.  I’m sure her laziness contributed to her…larger stature (some might say she got fat, but she was very dense and a perfectly fine size for a pug, as far as we were concerned.  She was a PUG, after all!), but none of us would try to deny the fact that we were largely to blame.  She still loved going for walks, but after a few blocks, she’d simply plant herself on the ground and wait to be picked up and carried like a baby…so we would, of course!  Lucy never had to beg for food – we never thought twice about slipping her a piece of bacon or a hot dog or a pancake.  My dad was probably the worst when it came to this – they’d lie in front of the TV together for hours – Dad on the couch, Lucy on his belly – and share a box of Cheez-Its.  My mom and I did try to put a stop to that at first, but my dad always responded with, “But she likes them!”

Last week, Lucy fell asleep in my mom’s arms and didn’t wake up.  I know she felt safe and loved and I hope she was dreaming of sunshine and tummy scratches as she drifted away… maybe she’s with my dad now, somewhere with sunny skies, comfy couches, and bottomless boxes of Cheez-Its.

We will always miss and love our snorting, bug-eyed, curly tailed, chubby little pug.  Rest in peace, Lucy.

Too pretty for Monday...

(from www.bluntcard.com - Too Pretty)

I have to agree with this today - I have a serious case of the Mondays.

The weekend was good.  We had dinner/drinks at the always classy Shortstop on Friday night.  It's definitely the place to people-watch on a Friday night in the Crapids (well, most nights, really) - no shortage of feathered hair, mullets, and the people who love them.

On Saturday, there were rabies clinics at a few of the fire stations in the Crapids, including the one about a black away from my house - so we walked up there and got Bailey's vaccinations up-to-date.

It's awesome that they have these clinics every spring - only $8 and no exam fees ("Is your dog healthy?  Ok, then just let me flash a light in his eyes and weigh him...that'll be $120 plus $12 for the nail-clipping you requested assuming it was included!")  Best of all: no guilt trips about all the OTHER shots and teeth cleanings and whatever that I'd be getting if I REALLY loved my dog.

The clinic was in the middle of the day so we didn't make it to the Shepherd's Harvest Festival till Sunday.  I get overwhelmed at those kinds of things so I didn't end up buying anything besides food.  Not the worst social dysfunction to have considering the amount of lovely yarn I COULD have bought.  We got to see sheep and adorable lambs (only 3 weeks old!), sheep shearing, a working dog demo (herding and shepherding - definitely see the Aussie Shepherd in my little mutt!), poofy angora rabbits, and llamas...Sadly...not one alpaca.  :(  Rumor has it there were some there Saturday, but alas...I'm sure I'll see plenty at Black Sheep in Oregon!

On the way home, I finally got a bike!
It's cute and olde fashiony looking - with a comfy seat and no wires or gears or whatever to worry about.  We got it at Wal Mart which ... blah ... but it was only $89.97!  Besides, maybe I won't even like riding a bike - it's been quite a while.  May as well start cheap.

Is it the weekend YET??

I'm excited for this weekend...and it's making for a very long week... 

 

Saturday is Craftstravaganza at the State Fairgrounds in St Paul. Should be pretty rad - and I'm always up for a little crafty shopping.

Sunday is my little cousin Violyt's dance rehearsal for her Big Recital - I have no doubt that she will be absolutely adorable!

Then, next weekend is the Shepherd's Harvest Festival in Lake Elmo - looking forward to seeing alpacas and spending way more than I should on yarn...it'll be good training for our upcoming trip to Oregon!

Lots to look forward to - pretty exciting for my relatively boring life!

Fun with Stormtroopers!!!

"Hugs" by Mike Stimpson

"Don't try this at home kids."  by Kenny Louie

And my personal favorite...

"The Light Side of the Pullover" by Stéfan Le Dû