Photo Art Friday - November 30, 2012

Wow this is the last Photo Art Friday of 2012.  Bonnie asked us to share our favorite piece of Photo Art this week.  I'm a bit late getting mine up but I chose this piece as my favorite:  I chose this because I just loved how the flower and the texture looked together.  It's cheery and the verse is something that I am trying to practice everyday.  In fact this piece is the very first piece I've done that I actually had put on Canvas.  The finished worked hangs over our television so I can be reminded of the verse on a regular basis.

I have so enjoyed the challenges Bonnie has offered this year for Photo Art Friday and all the wonderful texture's that she has graciously offered.  It has challenged me to look at photography in a different way then just taking pictures (although I love to do that as well).  I look forward to learning and growing more in the coming New Year.

I've been absent from my blog for a week or so and just wanted to let everyone know that if I haven't been by your blog or commented much it's just that this time of the year is super hectic for me and I am not always able to spend time on the computer like I would like too.  I want to thank everyone for supporting me in my Photo Art and Photography.  Your comments mean a lot to me and I appreciate your input and blog visits more then you will ever know.

I'm leaving you with a photo I took this week of a brave little flower still attempting to bloom even through the colder weather that we are now experiencing.

Please stop by Bonnie's blog and check out the other participants and also there are some great new texture's there available as well.

Take care & I'll see you back in 2013for Photo Art Friday when it starts back up.

Photo Art Friday - November 23, 2012

Greetings! - Wow, Thanksgiving is over here in the US and I survived Turkey Day!
It was a quiet day here with just our family of 5 as we tend not to have big family gatherings at Thanksgiving.  Lots of cooking for me and I tried a few new dishes, some tasted good and others will go in the,  (Don't ever fix this again) file.

Now it's time to join Bonnie over at Pixel Dust Photo Art for Photo Art Friday.

This week she asked us to use one of her textures: Signed and Sealed in our art pieces.

I wasn't sure exactly what to do with this texture so I decided to go through my photos and see if I could find one that I thought it would work with.  I am not sure why exactly I chose the photo that I did but I think it went well with the texture.  I also added a layer of  Vintage Craquelure to my piece. 



Here is the original photo:

This Dinosaur figure is one of the many animals etc...that are displayed at a local RV Park.

Here is what I transformed him into:

After adding both of the textures, Hardlight @80% and erasing the script off the dinosaur I used the Intrepid edit feature on Pic Monkey to give it a bit of a different effect.  Then I went to Pixlr-o-Matic and added the sparkle, I thought it added a whimsical touch to the piece.  Pretty different for me but I think it's rather fun.

Don't forget to check out the other participants.

Have a great day.   Off to help put up the Christmas lights. 

Scavenger Hunt Sunday - November 18, 2012

My PAF can be found HERE:

Welcome! - It's been a busy week.  PT on Monday and Friday. - For those that don't know I have been having problems with my ankle and started taking PT.  They tell me I have a classic case of Achilles Tendinitis.  Let's just say it's a bit painful but the Ultra-Sound treatment and the Cortisone Medication are helping.

Oh and I survived my Dental appointment on Wednesday.  I was dreading it because I had to have a lower tooth worked on and the last time they did work on that area of my mouth they hit the Lingual nerve and I've got partial numbness (permanent) on the left side of my tongue. 

But you didn't come here for that did you?  I didn't think so.  So let's get started on the hunt.  This weeks prompts were:

Vision, Strong, Buttons, Map and Favorite Fruit.

You can view the other participants by clicking on the link to Ashley's blog, (Ramblings and Photos).

I struggled to be creative this week and to even get photos.  So some of these are archived photos or I would have had to pass on the hunt this week.

VISION: - Cat's (big or small) have keen vision.  This cougar is a statue taken at a local RV park.

STRONG: 

I had Coleen do some "strong" poses for me using my shaker weight.  I loved this one with her tough girl look.

BUTTONS:  Not to original here but I need a button photo so this is what you get.

MAP:  Again I just wasn't all that creative this week and didn't want to take a picture of a map to post so I dug through the archives and came up with this.  It's a "picture map" layout at the Whitman Mission showing what the area looked like during the period that the Whitman's lived at the mission.

FAVORITE FRUIT:  -  Again my other Archived photo because seriously, Strawberries (my favorite fruit) are out of season here locally and I didn't want to post a picture of the store bought berries in their plastic tub so you get a picture of a Strawberry Pie that I made earlier this summer with our fresh, delicious local berries.

That wraps up another great hunt. - For my American Friends and Viewers I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving this coming week.

Photo Art Friday - November 16, 2012

Hi! - It's so good to have you stop by for a visit.  I hope you enjoy your stay.
It's time to link up for Photo Art Friday over on Bonnie's blog, Pixel Dust Photo Art.
This weeks optional theme is, "Still-life." -  I must confess that I was intimidated when I read what the theme would be.  I had no clue about creating a digitally altered still life at all.  Bonnie sent me a nice email reminding me that she had posted a link about creating a still life.  I checked it out today and came up with something that I am happy to share.  Since we here in the U.S. will be celebrating Thanksgiving next Thursday I decided to create a Thanksgiving themed still life.

Here is my original photo:

Here is my finished piece:

For this piece I used Bonnie's texture, Leafy Landscape - Multiply 80%
Then I added an Overlay layer of Vintage Vellum at 80% as well.  I did some minor adjustments to the brightness/color as well and then added the text. - I did all of this on Pic Monkey - Which by now you may have guessed is my favorite go to place for photo editing.  It's really easy to use and it's free.

So there you have it.  My first digitally altered still life.  Thanks Bonnie for the challenge.  Be sure to stop by the gallery and check it out.  Amazing work is posted there.  You won't want to miss it.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday - November 11, 2012

Welcome - How was your week?  Mine was busy, busy, busy.  Seemed like everyday this week I had somewhere to be or something to do.  I wasn't sure that I'd even get to the prompts this week but somehow I managed.  I started off the week with good intentions of getting all the prompts as quickly as possible.

Monday was a gorgeous day here in "Wally World" (aka, Walla Walla).  It was actually 71 degrees outside!  By the end of the week though the temperatures had drastically dropped and today it was barely 40 out and it tried to snow a little.  Brrr...so not ready for winter.

Tally Ho it's on to the hunt!  You can find all the other participants by click on the link to Ashley's blog right HERE:

The prompts this week are:  Nature, Vintage/Retro, Whimsical, Cooking and Weeks Best.  - Thank you Danelle for the great prompts.

Click to enlarge photos:

NATURE:  Wow this category was hard....Why?  Well there's is just so much in nature to photograph it was hard to narrow it down.  However today we took another drive up Scenic Loop, probably the last one of the year since it's a dirt/gravel road that is generally closed in the winter.

It was cold out and there had been some frost or snow in the area and we spotted some apple trees on the side of the road so I stopped and snapped this photo:

VINTAGE/RETRO:  Ah the best laid plans...I had intended to head to a local antique/farmers market to photograph there but when I arrived I discovered it was closed until the 14th so they could get ready for Christmas.  So instead I headed to a different store called, The Country Store which sells all kinds of old stuff.  The last time I was in there they had the coolest retro couch that I fell in love with.  Sadly it was gone today when I looked around. 

Instead I spotted this:

So is this Vintage, Retro or Vintage Retro?  Whatever you call it I think it's really fun, cute and kinda cool.

WHIMSICAL:  My 1st shot of the week for the prompts.  I took this on Monday the day it was 71 degrees outside.  I remembered this RV Park here locally that has all these animal figures and such placed around the park in various locations.  They have this cool chicken, a dinosaur, deer, elk, mountain lions, long horn cattle, etc...but when I got there many of them had been stored away for the winter.  I did spot this Giraffe and thought it had a rather "whimsical" expression on it's face.

COOKING: I confess that I tried to take a picture of this while it was cooking but the photo's just didn't turn out that great.  I mean taking a picture of something baking in the oven is hard.  So instead you get the results of my cooking efforts:

Fresh out of the oven (and probably still cooking a little) Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream on top,  Yum!

WEEK'S BEST:  -  Well I never know what to use for prompts like this.  I take a lot of picture during the week, some not so great and other's not so bad.  So how do you pick one as the best?  Still I'm going to go with this one:

This is the same field that was featured on SHS on October 28th.

See the photo below and see what a change has taken place in this field.

Next weeks prompts are:  Vision, Strong, Buttons, Map, and Favorite Fruit. 

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Photo Art Friday - November 9, 2012

Come on in and join me on a photo art journey.  It's time for Photo Art Friday
over on Bonnie's blog, Pixel Dust Photo Art.  This week our optional theme was the use of Lines in our art pieces.

I had a bit of fun with this first piece.
Here are the original two photo's that I used:

I cropped and then combined the two photo's and added the frame to get this...

I also decided to play a litte at BeFunky.com and came up with this pop art version.

I did a 2nd piece using this photo:

For this piece I cropped the photo.  Then added Bonnie's texture, Vintage Vellum overlay at 75%.  Did some adjustments with the color etc...(all on Pic Monkey) and ended up with the piece below.

"Whatever" Wednesday - Autumn Beauty Edition

Hallelujah the Election is over!!! - No more political ads on TV every 5 minutes, no more annoying political phone calls at all hours of the day, no more signs plastered all over the place urging you to vote for this canidate or issue.    I look forward to Peace and Quiet now.

So today instead of voicing my opinion about the outcome of the election I'm giving you Autumn Beauty!  Our fall has been spectacular after a slow start and would you believe it was 71 here on Monday.  Of course (_ _ _ _) is expected this weekend.  You can fill in the blanks.  I'm hoping that maybe if I don't type the word or say it that it will not happen.  I'm so not ready for it, that's for sure.

       Took this shot while waiting at the stop light the other day.  Look at all that color!

 

I love the way the leaves carpet the ground.

I spotted this lovely autumn drenched stream the other day and had to take a photo.

                   I love the lacey look of these green leaves edged in yellow with those little tips of red.

Spotted these beauties in a parkling lot of a local church and popped in to take their picture.

I liked this vining plant and the rain soaked leaves that had fallen on top of it just added to it's charm.

These pretty leaves had drops of rain just hovering near the edge waiting to fall to the earth.  Such delicate beauty.

Finally the sun was out on this day and just made this tree alive with gorgeous color.

Have a wonderful day and remember to give thanks for all the good things that are in your life.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday - November 4, 2012

Howdy! -  Welcome to the hunt.

Ashley (Ramblings and Photos) hosts Scavenger Hunt Sunday and you won't want to miss it.  So please click on the link and join in on the fun.

This weeks prompts were:  Wild, Welcome, Adventure, Vibrant and Classic.  Thank you Teresa (Tiaras and Tantrums).

Coleen did not join me this week in doing the Scavenger Hunt due to all the Halloween festivites. 

So let's get started:

WILD - I've been waiting for the right time to post this photo because I think it's so cool.  When I saw this prompt I knew I had to use it even if it's an archived photo.
It's my only one this week so hopefully you'll forgive me.  I could have used some of the wild costume's from Halloween but I like this better.

This is one of our cats, (Snickers) looking very much like a "wild" cat.  She's actually yawning but it looks more like a lions roar.

WELCOME: - This one was a toughie as I didn't have a single decoration with the word welcome on it.  I did borrow one from my mom but then I thought about this photo that I took this week and decided it fit the prompt perfectly.  The rainbow is a "welcome" sight after a rain storm and a wonderful promise as well.

ADVENTURE:

Every Friday now for sometime Coleen and I have gone for Frozen Yogurt at, Blue Palm.  This is one of the murals on the walls there.   I added the frame and the Wish You Were Here sentiment because it reminded me of what a great "Adventure" it would be to be on a trip enjoying sights like this and send one of those postcards back home that say, "Wish You Were Here." to rub it in!

VIBRANT:

   The colors of the fall leaves here this year have been stunning and quite "vibrant."

CLASSIC:

I bought a poster earlier this summer that was part of the summer adult reading promotion.  It features two "Classic" movie character's reading two classic novels with a fun, modern twist.  I put it up on the wall today to photograph it but eventually I want to buy a frame for it because it just humors me.  I am a huge fan of Gone With The Wind and thought it was hilarious seeing Scarlett O'Hara reading Frankenstein and the Monster crying over Gone With The Wind.

Next's weeks prompts are:  Nature, Vintage/or Retro, Whimsical, Cooking and Week's Best if you'd like to play along.

Flower Art Friday, November 2, 2012

Please note this is NOT my Photo Art Friday entry.
People have been stopping by but they don't click on the link (which I provide) to go to the correct entry.  So if you are here for PAF please click on the link.

Flower Art Friday  

 has been on a brief hiatus and today is back.  LeAnne is showcasing autumn colors today and I wanted to share this shot that I took this morning.

                                             I love the colors of Autumn.

Photo Art Friday - November 2, 2012

Welcome!

Please join me on a journey to the wonderful world of Photo Art Friday

This week the optional theme was to use this awesome texture:  Cobblestone Road.

We could either use it as a texture or as a background.

I started with this picture of our adopted outside cat, Piglet

Note the steely expression in his eyes.  It's as if he was saying, "What are you looking at?"

  Here is the texture and photo combined.  I used Pic Monkey to do my editing.  First I uploaded the texture then uploaded the photo as a texture and erased out the grass and sidewalk until just the cobblestone texture was showing.  I fiddled around with color temperature and the Orton Effect as well and ended up with this:
You will note that the position of the cat has been reversed.  I am still learning how to use the "Erase" tool on Pic Monkey so bits and pieces didn't get totally erased.  Still I like how it turned out.

So I tried it again with another photo of Piglet:

I think this one is my favorite.  Which one is yours?

Blogger is NOT my friend tonight.  Almost 2 hours to get this post up. UGH!!!

More Halloween Fun

Welcome! - Well Halloween is officially over for another year but the pictures are still coming.  As promised in yesterday's post here are a few more Halloween shots.

Vampire Queen Coleen.

                                          Looking pretty scary with those teeth!

                                                My favorite shot of her.

Mommy dressed as a witch with her little Vampire Queen.

                                             Having some Broom Fun!

Next up a few of my favorite's Costume's from the Downtown Candy Give-Out.

                                        Clifford (aka Leo) The Big Red Dog.
                Seriously they spray painted their dog red and he certainly was big!

The Staypuff Marshmallow Man

                                               A cute little Gnome

            Everyone in this office dressed up as characters from Alice in Wonderland.

  
                                             This next one just cracked me up....

A Pregnant Nun!

Here is the Master Pumpkin Carver hard at work!  What a technique.

Finally here are pictures of our Pumpkins.

Greta carved the Dinosaur (that was the pattern Coleen picked out).  Coleen drew and carved the 2 pumpkins in the middle all by herself.  Mike carved the Ghost and the Cat (see next photo).  I took pictures!

This one sat on my mom's porch next door.

It was a wonderful evening weatherwise for Trick-or-Treating but we only ended up having about 22 kids come by.  With the downtown candy give out, church harvest parties, the Truck-or-Treat put on by the Cheerleaders etc...kids just don't go door-to-door Trick or Treating much any more.  I miss the Good Old Days!