Last year I designed a photo advent calendar that was available for download. After I made that, I was looking at a picture of the George Eastman House and thought... "Hey... there are 24 windows." Just the right number for an advent calendar. The George Eastman House is such a festive place this time of year, especially with all the gingerbread houses on display!

So I contacted a friend at the George Eastman House and they provided me with a nice front on shot I could use to make one. Now you can download and make your own!

Step 1- Print calendar and photo guide
Download these advent calendar pdfs, GEHadventCalendar.pdf and photoGuide.pdf
Select 24 pictures and print them small - wallets may work best, then trim them to fit the picture layout template.
Tip: If you use photo editing software, open the photo layout guide and add the pictures directly to the guide, then print it as one sheet that will fit directly behind the calendar page.

Step 2 - Cut open windows panels
On the calendar printout, cut three sides of each window on the dotted lines with an exacto knife. If you do not have an exacto knife, you can use a coupon cutter or the pointy end of a pair of scissors.

Step 3 - Glue together
After you've selected and printed your pictures, cut them to fit the picture layout template, then glue them down. If you've used a photo editing software, you can skip this step. Glue the calendar page over the top of the photos page, lining them up carefully. You may want to pull back the flaps and peek to be sure that the photos line up with the "windows".

Starting on December 1st, open one window for each day of December, revealing the picture underneath. Happy Holidays!

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This fall I hung some Indian corn on my front porch as decoration. Soon I noticed the corn was disapearing.

One afternoon I pulled into my driveway and caught the tubby little culprit red handed. I tried to get a picture but turns out squirrels are skittish and don't like their pictures taken. Or so I thought.

A quick search online for "squirrel photography" turned up this amazing collection of squirrels photographed by Scott Alan Johnson. Or are the squirrels the ones taking the photos?

I got in touch with Scott to get the scoop on these fuzzy little critters. Here is what he had to say...

"About 4 years ago I was out hiking in the near by park with my camera. I sat down at a picnic table to rest and a squirrel jumped up on the table looking for a food hand out. The squirrel went right to my camera and sniffed around looking it over like he knew what it was. This gave me the idea and the next day I brought one of my old cameras from my collection.

I placed the camera on the ground by the table and the same squirrel as before ran out begging for food. Soon he was looking over the camera and I was able to get his picture. When I took the film to the camera store to be developed they asked me if they could post a copy of the picture on the store's wall. I knew I had something and all I needed to do was to get more cameras and take more pictures."

"I have been collecting old cameras for years. Most have been given to me or I find them in yard sales or thrift shops. I never pay more than a few dollars for any one camera. When the first squirrel (who I named Pops) got me started taking the photographing squirrel pictures I figured I would use the squirrels to help me archive my camera collection. I could photograph the camera with the squirrels and have something a little different than the normal collection."

"Photographing Squirrels taking pictures with old vintage cameras is something anyone can do.  I have found that squirrels just love to take pictures. The truth is squirrels are very curious and will often take time to inspect cameras that are placed where they can get to them. It just takes a little patience to photograph them when they are in the right position."

"The squirrels started a camera club called A.C.O.R.N. (American Camera, Organized Rodent Network) meant for only squirrels, but soon other animals wanted in. I have photographed frogs, birds, turtles and even a few insects all with cameras. Getting them to work with the cameras is even easier than the squirrels. Frogs and turtles will stand still for a long time letting me set up the shots. The birds and insects only need small cameras. Today any animal can join A.C.O.R.N. even humans. :)

The motto of A.C.O.R.N. is (Isn't it great to share your hobby with another species) " - Scott Alan Johnson

Whether it's the squirrels or Scott that are taking the pictures, they are a lot of fun to look at.

A big thank you to Scott. Check out his site photographingsquirrels.com for more great photos.

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It's getting close to the holidays and it's never too late to start planning your holiday cards so you can get them in the mail nice and early. Here are some holiday card ideas we have featured on the blog the past two years.

Tom Hoehn is known around the office as the Master Holiday Card Creator. Weeks of cutting and pasting go into his masterpieces. Here is the "extreme holiday card" he produced last year. Pulling on the end tab reveals a message.

Just so you wouldn't miss out on past years of his Extreme Holiday Cards, Tom wrote a post covering the past five years of holiday cards. Take a look for more inspiration.

Tom made a great photo holiday newsletter to include with this cards. He demonstrated a great photo idea of cartoonizing his photos for a comic book look and feel.

If you have some design skills you might be able to create a card like this amazing kid snow globe holiday card.

Shruti also designed this classic holiday card you can download and print.

I used my disarmingly cute pets to create a Martha Stewart holiday photo card on Kodak Gallery.

Here are some other holiday photo ideas you might want to tackle in your spare time. I posted instructions for creating your own personalized Photo Advent Calendar.

Diedra shared her idea for sharing holiday treat recipes with photo holiday recipe cards.

If you are running out of time and you can't get to any of these holiday ideas, you can always visit the Kodak Tips & Projects Center to download these print these holiday cards for your friends and family.

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There has been many a time I have said "If we had cookies here, this meeting would have gone much better!" Now there is a section on the Kodak Tips & Projects Center called Betty Crocker Connecting Through Cookies. A super idea I think.

One of the features on the page is Betty Crocker cookie recipes you can download and print. Being the dedicated bunch we are, it seemed that the cookie recipes should be "tested". My coworkers and I selected different recipes and baked our little hearts out. We brought them all into the office and had a Betty Crocker cookie feast.

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies and Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti

Mexican Chocolate Cookies and Tiramisu Cheesecake Bars

Here is the gang doing quality testing on the cookies. I personally tasted each one and can vouch for their yumminess.

These recipes are just in time for the holiday cookie rush. Check out some of the other great Betty Crocker ideas on the Kodak Tips & Projects Center.

And before someone asks... no, we do not eat cookies all day and yes, we really do work hard around here!

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Over at Kodak Gallery, a photo is chosen every month to be the Kodak Moment of the Month. Last month they were asking for presidential election photos and two were chosen as the winners!

There is one photo from Becky Kagan and one photo from Pamela Blackwell. There are also lots of other great election themed photos.

This month they are looking for photos that capture the spirit of Veterans' Day. If you have the perfect picture, be sure to enter it. And also be sure to take time today to vote!

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