Boy it sure is getting hot around here. And I'm sure it's going to be getting a lot hotter.
Happy Fourth of July Everyone!!!! We all wish you a great Fourth here at Graphic Central.

We welcome back Alyssa (Julymama) back to work after getting married AND moving! We missed her and are
happy she is back with us.

As always, we hope you will stop on by for a glitter name, blinkie or siggy. We are here to help you create something you want to show off. We will be going on vacations and things like that this summer, so you may experience times when your request doesn't get picked up right away. But we'll get to it. It just may take some time. Thank you for your patience this summer.



Each month, a host here at Graphic Central with share an aspect that they do here with everyone. Sometimes it will be challenging and sometimes it will be easier to follow. But I'm sure it will always be interesting
to learn. This month, it's Selective Coloring.

In Paint Shop Pro

Here is our original image.

First we make a duplicate layer. Go to Layers>Duplicate.

You then make the duplicate into a black and white picture. You should be able to do this by turning it with grayscale but I can't do that in the version I have so I have to use a script and it works perfectly. The top layer will be in b/w and the bottom will still be in color.

Then, on the b/w version, you start erasing the color back in. You will have to resize your tool many times to different sizes to get all the little corners and nooks in. I suggest zooming your picture in so that it's easier to see. Remember, you can always use the backstep to redo anything that went out of the lines.

Once you are done erasing all your color back in, you will go to Layers>Merge and you will be done

In Photoshop

First you make a duplicate layer.

Then you can go to Adjustments>Desaturate or you can use an action on the background copy to make it black and white.

Then you use your History Brush to brush all the color back in. You will be resizing it a lot to get to all the spaces.

After you are satisfied with your work, you will go to Layers>Merge and you will be finished.





Our Get-To-Know-You question this month is what is your favorite cook-out food? Please all hosts answer this question on the Community Leaders board. And remember to leave your P&P email address so you can get your points. Thanks.



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July 1st - Canada Day, International Joke Day, National Postal Worker Day
July 4th - Independence Day, National Country Music Day, Tom Sawyer Fence Painting Day
July 5th - Caribbean Day
July 6th - Build a Scarecrow Day, National Fried Chicken Day
July 7th - Macaroni Day
July 8th - Video Games Day
July 9th - National Sugar Cookie Day
July 10th - Teddy Bear's Picnic Day
July 11th - Cheer Up The Lonely Day
July 12th - Paper Bag Day
July 13th - Go West Day, Barn Day, National French Fries Day
July 14th - Bastille Day
July 15th - Cow Appreciation Day
July 18th - National Caviar Day
July 19th - Stick Your Tongue Out Day
July 20th - Moon Day, International Chess Day
July 21st - National Junk Food Day
July 22nd - Pied Piper of Hamelin Day
July 24th - Amelia Earhart Day
July 25th - Thread the Needle Day
July 29th - National Lasagna Day
July 30th - National Cheesecake Day

Special Goings-On
Anti-Boredom Month
National Baked Bean Month
National Blueberry Month
National Hot Dog Month
National Ice Cream Month
National Picnic Month
National Recreation Month



Raspberry-Peach Cobbler

To cobble means to hastily put together, and this batter-style cobbler couldn't be quicker to whip up. The best part is that the combined flavors of its buttery topping and fresh summer fruit are so rich and satisfying, no one will ever guess what a cinch it was to prepare.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup unsalted butter
3 cups sliced peaches (about 4 large)
1 cup raspberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream or ice cream, for topping

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Measure the butter into a 2 1/2 -quart casserole dish (ours measured 11 by 8 inches by 2 1/2 inches deep) or a cast-iron skillet (11 inches in diameter and 3 inches deep).

2. Place the pan in the oven to melt the butter. Combine the peaches and raspberries in a medium bowl and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the sugar over them. Gently stir the fruit, then set it aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the remaining sugar, the milk, and the vanilla extract and stir until the mixture is evenly blended.

4. When the butter has melted, pour it into the batter, stir quickly but gently to mix it in, then immediately pour the batter into the casserole or skillet. Add the fruit with its juices, distributing it evenly and lightly pressing it partway into the batter with a spatula.

5. Return the pan to the oven and bake the cobbler until the top is a rich golden brown, about 1 hour. Serve hot or warm with ice cream or whipped cream. Serves 6 to 8.


Uncle Sam Pins

Pin on a patriotic face that's sure to stand out in any Fourth of July crowd.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
White craft foam
Scissors
Markers
Wooden craft spoon
Googly eyes
Cotton balls
Glue
Self-adhesive pinback

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. To make one, cut out a basic Uncle Sam-style hat (about 2 inches tall and 1 inch wide) from white craft foam.

2. Use markers to color the brim blue and to draw red stripes on the top.

3. Glue the hat to the handle of a wooden craft spoon (if necessary, first use scissors to trim the wooden handle so that it's shorter than the hat).

4. Glue on googly eyes and a cotton ball beard, then draw on a small L-shaped nose.

5. Attach a self-adhesive pinback (sold at many craft and bead stores), and your Uncle Sam pin is ready to wear.



Maybe a good beach read for you this summer? Try taking this one with you and see if you can put it down.

All We Ever Wanted Was Everything

From Publishers Weekly
In Brown's withering Silicon Valley satire, a family wakes up on a June day to realize that patriarch Paul's company has hit the big time with a phenomenal IPO. But instead of rejoicing about being newly rich, the family's three women each find themselves in the throes of a major crisis. Paul has fled with his new amour, who happens to be wife Janice's tennis partner. Desperate housewife Janice discovers the soothing power of the pool boy's drug stash and sinks into addiction and denial. Meanwhile, 20-something daughter Margaret learns the price of living a Hollywood lifestyle on an artsy hipster's budget—gargantuan credit card debt. Finally, 14-year-old Lizzie wades deeper and deeper into a sea of adolescent trouble without an adult to confide in. From the ashes of their California dreams, the three must learn to talk to each other instead of past each other, and build a new, slightly more realistic existence—but not without doses of revenge and hilarity. Brown's hip narrative reads like a sharp, contemporary twist on The Corrections. (May)



We thought maybe you might have a question about something that goes on here at Graphic Central. We have lots of forums here...Photography, Signature Fun-which includes, Blinkies, Glitter Names and Custom Signatures and Graphics. The hosts have added tutorials in each category if you would like to learn any of these graphics arts. Please read through the tutorials and have a go at it. And please show us what you make. We'd love to see. We are also very open to having volunteers and/or Hosts in our requests forums. Please inquire within about becoming a volunteer if you know how to make blinkies, glitters, siggies or graphics of any kind. If you have any other questions, something you would like to know about any of these fields, please let us know and we will give you the answer in the following newsletter next month. Just leave us a post.