Fotor: Awesome Full-Feature Photo Editing for Free

As I might have mentioned before, Netted by the Webbys is pretty cool. I get a daily email from them with cool websites and things to try. Sometimes the stuff doesn't apply to me, and sometimes you can only get the cool stuff on devices I don't have. But sometimes, they mention something that I really want to try, and Fotor is one of them =D

As the name might imply, this is another photo editing system. But, the cool thing is that it is available for Windows, Windows 8, Mac, Android, iPhone, and is also absolutely free. Typically the free systems want you to sign up for an account, but I just loaded it for Windows and it didn't require any login. You can share your creations via social media, but Fotor says that it doesn't store your account information.

The other part that was cool about it is the comprehensive nature of the program. Some freebies want you to purchase the upgrade to get all the features, but Fotor seems to have everything you need absolutely free. I've just played with one photo (original on the left, Fotor version on the top), but I was impressed with the amount of things you could do.

In addition to the normal stuff like filters, frames, crop, straighten, and tilt, you can also do photo cards and collages. One other cool thing is the HDR (High Dynamic Range) feature. Basically, you take photos at different exposures and Fotor combines them into a photo that has the perfect exposure for those nasty shadows or over-exposed areas.

But don't take my word for it. Try it yourself...for free!!

Bake Chocolate-Chip Cookies =D

Even though our cooking programs are some of our best attended programs, they kinda sorta freak
me out sometimes. I'm always stressing about what things kids will enjoy cooking, what they will be able to cook, and ultimately where I'm going to get the recipes.

But, making chocolate-chip cookies just made sense and the kids had a really good time with it. I used a family recipe for Chocolate-Chip/Butterscotch Cookies (message me if you'd like it), and I'm sure each of you have your favorite chocolate-chip recipe that you could use.

The nice thing about this program is that it gets kids excited about making the goodies, and also gets them excited about the program in general because they get to eat cookies.

Finally, another benefit is if you have any leftovers (you'll probably have to fight the kids off with a stick) you can create some nice thank-yous for other staff members or departments.

If you decide to do this program I have two suggestions: (1) Bring a stand mixer (as the dough might be too thick for the kids to stir) and (2) break up each of the ingredients into smaller increments so all the participants can actually participate.

Have fun!!