The Continuing Saga of Loading Photos to My Blog

You will recall that last month I posted about my inability to add photos to my blog posts on my iPad since the latest Apple update.  Here is the post, if you are interested.

Well, during our Zoom sewing day on Australia Day, a few of us had a bit of a brainstorming session and came up with a work around.  It is not ideal, as it is slow and cumbersome, but better than nothing.

Of course, if you use any device that is Windows based there is no problem, so using our desktop or laptop computers work fine.  My main issue is for when we travel and I only take my iPad.

The solution is to email your photos to your blog.  Yes, that is something that you can do.  I have never needed to previously, so had to have a crash course.

SET UP ON YOUR BLOG

Firstly, you need to go into the settings on your blog.

• Scroll way, way down until you get to the EMAIL section.
• Click on the POST USING EMAIL heading.
• Click on the SAVE EMAILS AS DRAFT radio button
• You need to create an email address.  The framework is shown in grey text.  It will be your email used in Blogger, with a blank in the middle and then blogger.com.  You select what you would like in the middle section.
• eg. for me: mick.jan.xxxxx@blogger.com (just an example, not my real address).
• This is the email address you send your photos to.
• Click on SAVE.
• That is the set up in Blogger complete.

SENDING A PHOTO TO YOUR BLOG

• I found that I can only send one photo at a time in an email.
• DO NOT select a photo in the photos on your iPhone or iPad and try to email it.  It won’t work.
• You have to CREATE AN EMAIL in your email program and ADD THE PHOTO AS AN ATTACHMENT.
• The SUBJECT LINE of the email creates the TITLE OF YOUR BLOG POST.
• You will be asked if you want to “reduce image photo” or “keep original size”.  I have been keeping original size, but that is a personal preference.
• Give it a couple of minutes for the post to be created.  If you are already in Blogger, I find that sometimes it helps to get out of the program and then back in.
• The photos arrive left aligned and not very large.
• The first thing I do is edit the photo.  I like my photos to be extra large, so I select that first. Then I go in and centre it.
• Even if I don’t want to change the size, it doesn’t seem to allow me to centre the photo until I change the size, so for some logos, I change the size and then change it back again.  Like I said, cumbersome.
• There will also be some text at the end about the email.  I go in and delete that as it is in a different font, as is the blank line before it.
• You can now go and create your text around the photo.

ADDING MULTIPLE PHOTOS

• As I said earlier, I can only send one photo at a time.  To add multiple photos to a post I send each photo as a separate email.  I just put anything for the subject line, usually a random letter or number.
• Once the email has arrived as a draft post in your blog, open the email and COPY the photo.
• Paste into your actual post and edit as above.  As you can imagine, with the number of photos I sometimes include this is a right royal pain.
• Once you have completed your post and you are happy with everything, go into the draft posts with just the extra photos and delete them.

I hope this helps some of you.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

It really is not ideal, but all we have been able to figure out so far.  If anyone has any easier solution I would love to hear it.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge Done For February

I’m happy to have ticked the Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks off my list for this month.

Firstly, my five black and white potato chip blocks.  They look a bit drab here, but when they are mixed in with the other colours they will look much better.  There will also be a lime green month later in the year, which will add a bit of pizzazz.

Next, I have my three crumb blocks.

And, finally, the solid crosses blocks.  I’m really liking these and think that this quilt will turn out really well.  I can see another version in the future using prints.

I’ll be linking up with So Scrappy at the end of the week.

Green Strip for Betty

It was time to make another strip of scrappy blocks for Betty’s group quilts.

As the colour for Rainbow Scrap Challenge this month is green, it made perfect sense to make a green strip.

Once again, all fabric came from my little scrap tub.  The useful pieces in there are now rather depleted, which isn’t a bad thing.  I think it is nearly time to have a sort through and throw out the really tiny pieces.

I’m linking up with So Scrappy.

Now to finish the actual RSC blocks.

An Adopted Orphan

The things people throw out is sometimes amazing to us that do craft, but for others are just junk that has to be discarded when someone has to move from their home into care at short notice.

This was the story of one lady that lived in the same complex as one of my stitching friends.  My friend literally retrieved many items from a skip bin, all in their project bags.  Some went to op shops, while others were offered to those of us who may be able to finish them off.

I was happy to take this rug, as it won’t take much to get to size to donate to Wrap With Love.  The crochet has been nicely done.  The rug is already long enough and wide enough with three blocks.  I just have to finish off the three extra squares, do a couple of borders and weave in lots of ends.  The lady has joined the blocks with crochet as she went.  It gives a really nice finish and will now be a new technique for me to learn.  

Hopefully, I will have this completed before long.  I’m sure there is plenty of yarn in my tubs to finish it……of course there is.

There were the start of a few more squares, so they may be the starting point of another rug.

A Fun Day Out at the Sunflowers

On Sunday we had our first Fun Day Out together for the year.

Last year, after the event, we heard about a sunflower farm being opened to the public to raise funds for charity.  It was the first year of the event, so when we heard that it was on again this year we put it in the diary to go and have a look see.  Sunday was the day that finally worked for us.

After several days of temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s, Sunday was a bit better, with some rain about the district, not that we received more than a sprinkle here at home. It did however, make some stunning scenery of the summer grasses against the dark sky.

Our first stop was at the pub in Newbridge for a nice counter lunch and a mosey in the craft and bric-a-brac store next door.  Mick found a vintage LP and Wilbur Smith book and I found a metre of 1970s cotton to add to my growing collection.

We knew roughly where to find the sunflowers, at Hobbys Yards, but it wasn’t until you were nearly there that there was any signage.  You can’t see it from the main road, rather you have to turn up a very minor country road.

The story behind this is that the lady owner of the property wanted to plant some sunflowers, so last year they planted five acres, just for fun.  When there was quite a bit of interest, they opened it as a fund raiser.  This year their charity is Motor Neurone Disease, with the aim to raise $1,000.  They are confident of reaching their goal.  So what do they do with the sunflowers after they have finished flowering?  They let their sheep into the paddock and they make short work of eating them all.

When you get there, there is a paddock for parking and just the paddock of sunflowers.  There is an honesty box for donations and a bucket with a couple of pairs of secateurs for you to pick some flowers.  They are open every day from sunrise to sunset.

The flowers are looking a little worse for wear this year, as the weather has not been very kind.  It has been so hot and dry that they are suffering.  However, they are still lovely to visit.

We had a nice wander around.  We were surprised that there were only a couple of other cars in the car park, so you felt like you had the flowers to yourself.

The bees were enjoying themselves.

We took the obligatory selfie.

And picked a small bunch to take home.

It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

Our bunch of blooms are making the kitchen look nice and cheerful.  

To cap off a wonderful day, we were treated to a firey sunset.