UAE TRIP MARCH - MAY 2016

MEMORABLE OCCASIONS CELEBRATED

MEMORABLE OCCASIONS CELEBRATED

What an eventful time, I've had these last 3 months. In summary, I have celebrated my DH (Darling Husband's) 50th Birthday, Our 25th Wedding Anniversary, Easter and Mother's Day.

As I live in Cape Town and my DH in Abu Dhabi, we commute. He is a Pilot, and although, I had lived here for 5.5 years, I was able to return to my Mother City, Cape Town for our Daughter to complete here High School. Now usually, I would not visit DH for such a length of time as our youngest is still at school in her final year and she would usually accompany me to visit her Dad during the school holidays, however, it was not possible this time and our oldest, very kindly offered to move back home and care of his Sister.  I was due to fly back to South Africa after spending 3 weeks in Abu Dhabi, remain there for 4 weeks and fly back for an extra 2 weeks for our Italian Trip.  Well, I have remained for the whole time as my children are just so AMAZING and told me not to worry, that all, including the Dog, were perfectly fine and that I should stay and spend time with Dad (to prepare for our next chapter - as I am returning to the Sandpit in a year, sans children). 

I wanted to share with you the sights of Abu Dhabi and Dubai through my iPhone 6S lens. I had forgotten to pack my Nikon D3100 :(

For those of you not familiar with Abu Dhabi, it is the Capital of the UAE with 7 Emirates and Dubai being one of them.  The UAE has a Vision, which aims to make the UAE among the best countries in the world. As you will view from the Images, no costs are spared in making this Vision become a reality.

ABU DHABI SIGHTS

ABU DHABI SIGHTS:

• The Etihad Towers 
• Al Bandar and Marina
• Masdar

ABU DHABI HERITAGE VILLAGE

ABU DHABI HERITAGE VILLAGE:

• Abu Dhabi Heritage Village
• Emirate Craftsmen: Carpenter, Glass Blower and Weaver
• View from the Heritage Village across to Abu Dhabi Corniche

EMIRATES PALACE ABU DHABI

EMIRATES PALACE ABU DHABI

• Views from the 7 Star Emirates Palace Hotel

ANATARA EASTERN MANGROVES HOTEL ABU DHABI

ANATARA EASTERN MANGROVES HOTEL ABU DHABI

• Views from the Anatara Eastern Mangroves Hotel
• Eco-Donut 
• Panoramic view of the Eastern Mangroves across to Abu Dhabi City
• Cocktails

FERRARI WORLD ABU DHABI

FERRARI WORLD ABU DHABI

• Ferrari World
• Fastest Roller-coaster in the World
• Highest Roller-coaster Loop in the World

SHEIKH ZAYED GRAND MOSQUE ABU DHABI

SHEIKH ZAYED GRAND MOSQUE ABU DHABI

• Spectacular Craftsmanship within the Grand Mosque

SPRING FESTIVAL AT YAS MALL ABU DHABI

SPRING FESTIVAL AT YAS MALL ABU DHABI

• Celebrating Spring at Yas Mall

DUBAI SIGHTS

DUBAI SIGHTS

• Dubai Aquarium
• The Souk
• Breath-taking Sunsets
• Ski-Dubai

DUBAI

DUBAI

• Burj Khalifa is the Tallest Building in the World
• Dubai Fountains are World's Tallest Performing Fountains in the Burj Lake
• Take a boat ride on the Burj Lake 
• A night view from the Dubai Mall, one of the Largest Shopping Malls in the World 

So this is the UAE, in a Nutshell.  Really, there is just so much to experience here that I would recommend a visit to this Emerging Country, to see for yourself.

Now, I really do need to go and pack for my next Adventure... We are going to Italy, to celebrate our 25th Silver Wedding Anniversary, which I shall share with you soon. "Arrivederci"

NO PHOTOSHOP? NO PROBLEM!

PICMONKEY IS YOUR #1 OPTION

"PicMonkey is a free online photo editor and collage maker. Basic editing all the way up to advanced stuff." It is so easy to use and before you know it, you too, will start to create your very own designs for any project. 

PicMonkey

I decided that my Facebook Page needed an update and I used PicMonkey's Collage Maker to help me create a fab new FB page.

I'll show you just how easy it is. I chose the Collage Maker Option, then selected the Facebook Canvas for my Design.

It is best not to change the presets (which you can easily do, but why re-invent the wheel)

Open a photo or photos from your Computer, Facebook, OneDrive or Dropbox and then drag them into the cells (boxes) as you'd like them to appear.

In addition, you can create cards, your own designs, or any other collage by utilising their free templates provided. The backgrounds can be coloured (you can also use the dropper and use one of the colours from your image), rounded and spaced, just as you like. 

Once you have completed the layout, it is best to save your design at this point. It is preferable to save it as a PNG. The Quality of the image will be recommended, but that can also be changed. No time to complete the Edit? No problem! When you are ready to complete the project, just open it from where you saved it and continue the Edit from the Design Option in the first image.

Once on the Basic Edits the possibilities are endless. Crop, Canvas Colour, Rotate, Exposure, Colours, Sharpen and Resize are just the start of the Edits. This is what happened when I changed the Saturation and Temperature in Exposure, from the above image to the below image. You will be promoted to Apply the changes as you go along or if you are not happy you can cancel or undo.  Just a note: You cannot undo the Edits once you have saved your design, so I would suggest that you rather save it a few times, with a new Filename, during your design process than to have to begin the whole design from scratch.  That way you can pick up where you left off when you were happy with the design at that point. 

There are TONS of Special Effects, which means that for each project, you can have a completely new image.  Play around with the different options from the "Tried & Tested", Basic, B&W, Camera Look, Paintbox, Light Area, Artsy to Advanced and be amazed. If the Freebies aren't enough for you already, then sign-up for the Royale Package and receive even more choices!

But wait! There is more.... You can add Text to your image using their fonts or you can add Your Own Text using Yours. These can be resized, centred, colorised, blended, etc. Here are some Font & Graphic Websites that I use: Font Bundles, Creative Market, Graphic Stock, The Hungry JPEG, Creative Booster, Deezy, to name but a few.

Oh boy! And the Overlays are just AMAZING! These too can be resized, centred, colorised, blended, etc. or use the Eraser Tool to remove the bits you don't want. Note, that any of these options can be clicked on and deleted before you apply changes and save. 

Add PicMonkey's Textures or Your Own from the Websites, I suggested above.

Then, if you still want more options, choose the Themes. Last but not least, your Masterpiece needs a Frame to complete the Design, if you so choose. 

The Design is now complete and my Facebook Page has a new Cover. 

FREEBIES FOR MOTHER'S DAY 2016

FREE PRINTABLE MOTHER'S DAY CREATIONS ESPECIALLY FOR YOU

With Mother's Day on the 8th of May this year, I have created these free Mother's Day printables just for you.

Included in this Mother's Day Free Printable Kit from The Art of Creativity Studio are 2 Cards to choose from, a Mother's Day Quote as well the following Coupon messages: 

• Mother & Daughter Date
• Mother & Son Date
• Unlimited Hugs & Kisses XOXO
• Shoulder Massage
• Foot Massage
• Run a Bubble Bath
• Breakfast in Bed
• Clean the Kitchen
• Cook Dinner
• and a few Blank one's for you to write whatever else you think that your Mom deserves

Which Mom does not appreciate a little bit of pampering? I certainly would love to receive these special treats, which is why I have created these coupons for you, to gift to your Mom or anyone who is dear to you on this Special Day.

Mother's Day Coupons

Blank Mother's Day Coupons/Vouchers

Most of the work has been created by The Art of Creativity Studio because I know that time is precious and sometimes gifts are left until the last minute or you just don't know what to buy or maybe you just don't have money. So all that is left for you to do is to choose which one's you would like to download, print them off on a good quality card stock, place them in the envelope (see how to make your own) and surprise Mom with a card, coupons and a quote which can be framed.

For You, Mom - Mother's Day Card

Mother's Day Card

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY FROM THE ART OF CREATIVITY STUDIO TO ALL YOU BEAUTIFUL SPECIAL WOMEN

This Free Personal Use Mother's Day Kit created by The Art of Creativity Studio,

 is downloadable as individual projects here.