Adding Styles in Photoshop Elements 6 (Mac)

There are a wealth of styles and actions available to add to Photoshop Elements, both free and for purchase. However, many users have difficulty installing them. When I was first trying to figure out how to add some new ones, I could not find a good comprehensive walk-through of the process for a mac computer, so I’ve put one together here to maybe be of help to someone else!

Get your style file ready (.asl). I drop it on my desktop for easy access. Open the following folder: Microsoft HD/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Photoshop Elements/6.0/Locale/en_US/Photo Creations/layer styles.

Drop the .asl file in that folder.

Then, if you want it to show up by itself on the drop-down menu (instead of having to view ALL your styles to see it), follow these next instructions:

Go back up to Microsoft HD/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Photoshop Elements/6.0/Locale/en_US and open the Photo Creations Metadata folder, and then the folder called "Layer Styles."

Right click on one of the .xml files and choose "Open with... Textedit." Here is what you will see:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<psecontent xmlns="http://ns.adobe.com/PSEContent/1.0/">
<global>
<type value="style">

<typecategory id="CatBevels" value="Bevels" localize="true">
</typecategory></type></global>
</psecontent></blockquote>

Let's say that your style is called "BlueStripes."

Use FILE SAVE AS to save it in that same folder with the name of the style, "BlueStripes.xml." This file name needs to be the same as the .asl file you started with. It will ask you if you want to use .xml or .txt as your file extension, and you need to choose .xml.

Then, In the text above (in the texteditor), change both instances of "Bevels" to "BlueStripes," and ONLY change that. So then, it would look like:

<psecontent xmlns="http://ns.adobe.com/PSEContent/1.0/">
<global>
<type value="style">

<typecategory id="CatBlueStripes" value="BlueStripes" localize="true">
</typecategory>
</type></global></psecontent>

Then, save your changes using File>SAVE this time.

Okay, you're ALMOST done.

At this point, go back to Microsoft HD/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Photoshop Elements/6.0/Locale/en_US, and rename the file called "MediaDatabase.db3" to "MediaDatabase.old." This will cause Elements to rebuild the styles so yours shows up.

Now open Elements. It will take a little longer to start because it is building the new media database, but when it does finish loading, your styles should be in the drop-down styles menu under their own name!

I should add that I NEVER could have figured this out without Wendy at Elements Village (who also hangs out here). That site is a GREAT resource with some really ncie people who have full knowledge of elements.

On being like Jesus in Therapy

(from a book report on "On Being a Therapist" by Jeffrey Kottler)

Kottler writes that

“the ideal therapist is comfortable with herself and appears warm, tolerant, sincere, serene, tranquil, and self-assured. This quiet confidence is counterbalanced by a contagious zest for life. Passion. Excitement. Electricity. Enthusiasm. She radiates from body and soul” (p. 36).

If I could write a description of the person I want to be, this would be very close to what I would write. Maybe this is one reason I’m drawn to a therapeutic career—the goals of who I am supposed to be professionally match very well to the personality characteristics that I want to have in my every day life and interactions.

However, this seems to be somewhat of an impossible goal. When we’re in a therapy session, with intense concentration, maybe it is possible to be all of these things. But all the time? In every situation? In every relationship? This seems unconquerable. However, with this in mind, I can consider what I tell myself when I think about trying to be all of these things as an integral part of who I am—it’s a journey. I can seek to make progress in the moment, and eventually, I will become closer to the person that I want to be, if not fully, then the best that I can.

This is where a religious element comes into play for me. The reason why I want to be these things in every day life is because they are the characteristics that I see in Jesus, who I want to emulate. Further, I know that I can never be like Him on my own—on the contrary, I can only achieve these personality characteristics through God’s grace and transformation of my life. In a way, this makes also makes it easier for me to not be hard on myself. I know that if I am working on improvement, I don’t have to be perfect (which is good, because I never will be the ideal version of myself that I seek). Instead, I can try to be more, relying not solely on myself, but on transformative grace for the change in my personality (no pun intended). In the process, I try to extend the same grace to myself that I see from God—not beating myself up or despairing over my imperfections, but continuing to move forward on the journey.

Go Pokes!

Jonathan, Me, Mom, Dad, & Taylor at the Baylor game a few weeks ago.  Fun times!  I ended up with a horrible sunburn though!

(Incidentally, which one of these is not like the others?  Jonathan always looks like a giant in pics with my family. hehe)

Lists and lists

Hello company girls!  I don't drink coffee, so won't you join me for some Vanilla Caramel Truffle tea, or a Non-fat sugar-free hazlenut steamer?  :)  I'm addressing all the things I need to do this weekend... Commiserate with me, won't you?  Just click the button above to get back to this week's coffee.

I make lots of lists.  Lists of what we're going to eat, what I need at the store, lists of what I need to read for class, lists of to-do's around the house.... I guess I'm currently making a list of a list!  Anyway, I think they're a good organizational tool.  So, today, I have several lists to keep me organized!!  These are lists for the weekend.

For school:

1. Literature search for Assistantship 1 (on fertility choices and infertility... so interesting!)
2. Data analysis for Assistantship 2 (on aging services)
3. Article review for Systems class
4. Journal entry for Systems class
5. Read chapter 2 Patterson book (Essential Skills in Family Therapy)
6. Read DSM
7. Read chapter 19 in Maxmen & Ward (Psychopathology book)
8. Read chapter 12 in Preston (Psychopharmacology book)
9. Read Selvani chapters (for pre-practicum)
10. Complete take-home final for Family Theory (due Tuesday)

For home/self:

1. Repaint nails
2. Track calories eaten
3. Exercise (Cooking Light had a nice home work-out in it last month)
4. Cook dinner (see below list of what we're eating this week!)
5. clean litterbox done!

Meal Planning:

• Friday: Spicy rotel chicken, black beans, mexican rice
  
• Saturday: Baked breaded tilapia, asian veggie mix (from Green Giant), rolls
  
• Sunday: Pork chop skillet, special green beans (didn't get cooked last week!)
  
• Monday: Teriyaki tenderloin (Hormel marinated; it's very good!), rolls, mixed veggies (from Green Giant again)
  
• Tuesday: Homemade pizza
  

Finally, Rachel Anne is asking us all to think about the weekend and plan ahead.  She asks what we'll eat, what we'll wear, and what we can cut out.  I addressed what we'll eat above.  As far as what I'm going to wear... Tomorrow it will be school colors (football game tomorrow night!!) and jeans, and on Sunday, I think I will wear my pink skirt and black top.  Well, that was easy!  :)  As far was what we can cut out... Uh... I don't know!  I have so much to do this weekend!  I think I'm going to cut out some of the less essentials (i.e. watching tv, spending too much time reading blogs, etc.)  By doing this and sticking to my list, hopefully I'll be able to get everything done that I need to do this weekend!!

Before & After ~ Closet Office

For BooMama's Before and after, I want to demonstrate a space solution that I am PRETTY proud of.  By the end of it, I felt as if I had added another room to our apartment!

For two years, we lived in a tiny, one bedroom, 500 sq ft apt. (I almost typed 50 sq ft... now that WOULD be small!).  It was very difficult for us, as two students, to manage our clutter with no storage space at all.  One particularly hard thing for me was knowing where to do my work.  We had a desk, but it was covered with the desktop computer and my husband's stuff.  

The solution came in the form of our dining room closet.  This closet was cluttered and not being used often (just storage, and mainly of things we didn't need).  Here's the before:

And here are some after pictures:

We still had storage in the top and the bottom:

We moved this past summer to come to grad school, but I am so proud of myself for this project that I just had to share!  The "desk" part was plywood (cut for me at lowe's), covered in contact paper, and mounted on some brackets for stability.

If you're looking for more space, think out of the box... er, closet!

For more before and after transformations, visit BooMama's blog!

Menu Planning

Thursday: clinic; no plan

Friday: Marinated grilled chicken, Italian Veggie Bake, Rolls

Saturday: Quesadillas, Mexican Rice, Black Beans w/ Rotel tomatoes

Sunday: out

Monday: French Onion Pork Chop Skillet, Slow-Cooked Green Beans, Tomatoes & Bacon

Tuesday: Tilapia, rice, asparagus

God is BIGGER

God is bigger than the air I breathe
The world we'll leave
God will save the day and all will say
My glorious!

And all you ever do is change the old for new
People we believe that

God is bigger than the air I breathe
The world we'll leave
God will save the day and all will say
My glorious!

The world's shaking with the love of God
Great and glorious, let the whole earth sing
And all you ever do is change the old for new
People we believe that

God is bigger than the air I breathe
The world we'll leave
God will save the day and all will say
My glorious!

Clouds are breaking, heaven's come to earth
Hearts awakening let the church bells ring
And all you ever do is change the old for new
People we believe that

God is bigger than the air I breathe
The world we'll leave
God will save the day and all will say
My glorious!

---

he's bigger than my reading.  he's bigger than my time.  he's bigger than my boredom.  he's bigger than my overwhelm-edness.  He's bigger than two years.  He's bigger.