Keeping With The Times

living, learning, and keeping with the times

Just Another Day in Arizona

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Palm-Trees-AZ

Today we spent most of the day at our local park. We found a spot on the grass, set up our little picnic area and enjoyed a delicious lunch of homemade chicken sandwiches and fresh fruit. When we finished, the boys went to play on the slides and us adults sat and relaxed for a bit.

It wasn’t long until I wandered off to “take photos” and came back with some lattés and cinnamon coffee cake. It just doesn’t get any better, I tell ya!

Hubby and I have so enjoyed having our family with us and we are really, really going to miss them. I feel teary remembering the ginormous hugs that we received at the airport when we picked them up a week ago (I was almost toppled over by a 3-year-old). And now, already, we are soon going to be saying our good-byes. It’s going to be pretty quiet when we get back to our condo (except for the snores).

A Big Day at the Zoo–It Was a Tall Order

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giraffe

Today we spent five hours with our daughter and grandsons at the zoo and we had a blast! There’s an incredible amount to see, from scorpions to rattle snakes, to jaguars. I have dozens of photos to process but I’m going to have to leave you with this giraffe I captured on my iPhone. There’s only so much I can cram in into one day…

(processed with distressed fx)

The Beauty of the Grand Canyon

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grand canyon

Our trip to the Grand Canyon didn’t start out too hot. As a matter of fact we ran into a blizzard and had to sit in a gift shop for an hour or so where we busied ourselves eating hot dogs. (I believe the one I ate is still haunting me…)

I took this photo with my phone as we tore across the parking lot to get back to the car. I tell you that wind was biting and that snow was wet. Did we not just fly 2236.44 Kilometers to get away from this stuff?

But, being the troopers that we are, we swiped the snow off the car and proceeded out onto the highway thinking that if we could just get to our hotel, we could warm up and regroup. However, it wasn’t too long until a bit of sun peeked out of the clouds and the fog parted enough and we got our first glimpse of the Canyon.

I can’t even describe how it felt. It was absolutely awe-inspiring.

To be continued…

A Palo Verde on Fire!

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arizona, palo verde

Well, not really… it just looks like it.

Can you guess where we are? It’s hot. It’s sunny. It’s gloriously beautiful. There are flowers and flowering trees everywhere.

I took this photo while in the parking lot at Costco… (why do I always seem to be there?)

I want to share a bit about our holiday so I guess if I’m at Costco, well, there I am. However, I was wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and sandals – no complaints in that department.

…hello spring?

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digi scrap tutorial

Just playing around in Photoshop and revealing a bit of my inner digital scrapper persona…

This is my latest Digi Scrap Tutorial for Digital Scrapper.

Layer Mask Reveal! 03.19.2013

Stitches: All Stitched Up by Susie Roberts
Flower: Jubilee by One Little Bird
Beads: All About Me by Amanda Taylor
Paint stroke: Vicki Stegall
Background paper: Anna Aspnes
Font: Vintage Typewriter

I used the technique from the tutorial to create the winter scene as an overlay. The brush was #45 Watercolor Textured Surface. I duplicated the overlay and set the top layer on Color Burn.

Thanks for looking!

Going a Different Direction

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barb brookbank, kim klassen, anna aspnes,

I just can’t get over the twisting and turning of this hyacinth.

When I bought this plant, it was about 5 inches tall and very compact. I wondered if the flowers would even open up because the blooms were so small and tight.

But what did I know? This hyacinth is just doing what hyacinths do best and it’s happy about it.

I’m inspired.

 

 

Texture: kk_edith by Kim Klassen

Word Art, papers: Anna Aspnes

Go Your Own Way

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Hover your mouse over this image to see the “before” photo

I am loving the way this hyacinth is behaving. Very unruly, wouldn’t you say?

Do you ever struggle with what your blog is about?

Some days I act like a food blogger, some days I act like a diy and home decor blogger, and some days I act like a photography blogger, and then I’m an art blogger, and on and on…

My “other” life revolves around Photoshop and scrapbooking, which I don’t feel comfortable sharing here. Not just because of privacy, but because I don’t think this is the right audience for it.

I’ve slowly been categorizing my blog posts so that I can take advantage of the drop-down menu here in WordPress. I think that’s what has me wondering about all of this. I look at a post and think “what the …. is this about?”

I’m having blog angst…

Thank you for dropping by, and please join the fun over at the cafe today!

 Textures:

kk_1402, kk_sybil by Kim Klassen

I Must Have Flowers and Cameras

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This winter I’ve tried to pick up a bouquet or a pot of flowers every couple of weeks. They certainly are a mood booster as well as a great motivation to get my camera out.

daffodil, flower, bulbs

I was so drawn to this pot of daffodils. The flowers with their sunny faces, the lush green leaves, and the textured bulbs were a balm to my winter weary eyes.

daffodil

Spring is around the corner (I’m sure) but in the meantime I’m happy to have these simple delights.

daffodil

As I was photographing these, I noticed yet another speck of something on the sensor in my camera. I’ve been meaning to take it to the “shop” to get it cleaned but I haven’t gotten around to it. Lightroom and Photoshop make it easy to avoid such inconveniences.

But now I’m dreaming of a new camera and I’ve been digging around the Nikon site and formulating a list and a plan…

I remember when I bought my Nikon D3000. I didn’t have a single clue how to use it – not a clue. But I took several classes and practice and practiced and practiced. It wasn’t too long before I was out of auto mode and into manual. Buying that camera was one of the best purchases I have ever made, but something tells me that it’s time to move on… and I’m listening.

Sweet Hyacinth

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hyacinth bulbs, gardening

Are you bragging or complaining? That’s the great old question.

When it comes to us Canadians and our weather, I think you could say it’s both. Either way, we certainly love to talk about it.

Over the past 24 hours we received another 20cm of the white stuff. And it’s darn cold out there too.

It looks like January and it feels like January.

So I went for a little drive and brought home a garden in a pot.

Call me weird but I’m loving the dirt and the bulbs as much as that sweet white hyacinth.

Seashells and Soap

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seashell art, instagram

I’ve become fascinated with this “from above” photography.

I find it mysterious. What’s the story here? A handful of seashells, a little sachet of dried lavender, handmade soap, and flowers…

As a matter of fact each item does have a story but that story is most likely meaningful only to me. And yet, when I look at these little vignettes made by strangers, I have the feeling that I’m getting a tiny glimpse into their life and I wonder what it all means. And that’s where I want to be left… wondering.

 

Texture Tuesday at Kim Klassen Cafe

Texture Tuesday

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I added the link to this post to the Be Still 52 class even though it’s over a year old. I just really liked it and thought it fit perfectly with the class. I’m working on a new one which I hope to post soon. Thanks for understanding!

Inspiration has been coming at me from all directions lately.

This week’s TT theme is “Free and Easy”. Anything goes as long as you use at least one of Kim’s textures.

In the 2B class, our assignment was to create a photo “from above” and Kim hinted that phones would be a great way to capture one of these. But I kinda thought I would use my DSLR until she mentioned the part about falling off a chair when using big cameras. I know she is right because I’ve been there…

So here’s my creation for the combined TT and 2B assignments.

Traces

pics play pro, instagram, from above

Today as I was going through my mother’s sewing basket (as I have done many times) it felt so different. I think it was because I was really looking. I wanted to create a vignette for this exercise and I had to choose my items carefully. After I took my photo and processed it I was quite moved by this poignant scene.

Traces left behind by loved ones.

Tiny spools of thread, and thread wrapped tightly around pins. An unfinished sewing project (a hot pad). And those scissors… my mom was very territorial about all of her scissors (and consequently, so am I). Thimbles, needles and little parcels of (salvaged) hemming tape. And ever so heartbreaking… the cigarette (butt) filter. She used it as a pincushion.

Textures:

kk_1402

kk_1402 magic

Snow is Always Welcome Here

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(ahem)… I know some people will not be agreeing with me…

snow

but, lots of snow=higher lake levels …

IMG_1995

not so good – hubby up on treacherous roof to clear off internet receiver (addiction? what addiction?)

IMG_1997

a bird’s dream…

IMG_1999

 and, it can’t last all that long, after all, it is March.

I hope you are having a wonderful Sunday! Thanks for dropping by!

Finding Light on a Winter Day

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texture, photoshop, photography, kim klassen

Today I was inspired to work on an “assignment” for the 2B class. Kim shared a beautiful and informative post with us this week. There were many different subjects – so many that I think it’s going to take me at least a week to digest it all! Oh, thank you, Kim, for all the inspiration.

I went in search of light on this grey, February day. It’s not really to hard to find light in my house – actually, sometimes it’s blinding. But the trick is to find soft, white, diffused light. Quite often I head to my basement (weird, huh?) where I have an antique white Hoosier cabinet. There is a rather large south-facing window to the right of it.

I set up my little vignette – pink carnations in a cream vase sitting on top of two of my favourite Somerset magazines and I liked what I saw. But I couldn’t get it quite right until I set one flower on the books and zoomed in. That’s when I felt the little burst of excitement – I recognize it now – it means something I’m doing is working…

I used my 40mm fixed lens. Settings: 1/6s, f4.5

Then I took my photo into LR, cropped it and applied the lovely preset that Kim gave us – I was astounded! Never could I have done that myself! Next, I took it into Photoshop and played around with gradients and levels. I ended up discarding them and I simply used kk_sybil on soft light. Dreamy.

I guess this will qualify for tomorrow’s Texture Tuesday where the theme is “Like a Dream” where we are to use soft gentle, whispery photos.

Sweet Dreams – see you in the morning.

Only Dreaming

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texture tuesday, lilacs

 

February 19th. Up north here we are in the grips of winter. Spring arrives on March 20th. That is not to say that on March 20th we will wake up and the trees will be budding, birds will be singing and we’ll be running around in shorts and t-shirts. Most likely there will be a snowstorm.

So this morning I went into my archives and stared lovingly at all my flower photos. These beauties are at least 3 months away…  but dreams can happen at any time and dreaming is what I am doing.

Today is Texture Tuesday at Kim Klassen Cafe. The only requirement is that we use one of the textures from the Downton collection. I chose kk_cora on soft light, white oak on soft light, and sheet music on darker. I played around with the opacity of each layer until I was happy.

Speaking of Downton – we’re catching up on the third season – I’m not going to discuss it because I know others are still catching up too. Wish I could talk….

One more thing – I just found out that one of my recipes has been accepted to Food Gawker!!!! Oh Happy Day! I’ve only been rejected a hundred times… It’s my Roasted Sugar Pumpkin Soup – it will appear sometime today – do check it out!

Here’s my texture recipe (oh, yes, and that sweet font is “I Love What You Do”)

lilac recipe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday Veggie Art

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instagram-carrots-vegetable-web

#bunchacrunch

instagram-veggie-art-web

#abundance

It may sound corny but every time I walk into a grocery store I am amazed at all the food we have at our fingertips. Piles and piles of it – and sometimes the stores are nearly empty (of people). Does it all eventually get eaten up? I hope so. And I hope I never see the day where food is not as readily available. I am truly thankful.

Wordless Wednesday at Project Alicia

Creative Inspiration

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pineconecollage

I’m taking a(nother) class with Kim Klassen and this is the result of our first assignment. I was trying to set up a still life with some objects I had gathered up from around the house but no matter what I did – it just wasn’t happening… I was feeling a little frustrated… so when hubby suggested we go for a walk, I grabbed my camera and off we went.

I’m always scanning ditches for wild flowers and any other treasures that Mother Nature serves up – I’ve done it all my life. So of course when I spied these pine cones I braved the scrub and scorpions and went in to retrieve them. When we got home I set them down on a small vintage trunk (a flea market find) and inspiration hit! I was immediately in love with the shapes, and colours and textures.

I also know that in order for me to create, I have to have a connection with what I’m doing. To me these pine cones were not just some pretty things to put in a bowl (which they are)  but they are also a souvenir of our walk together.

A reminder of a warm, sunny day and how truly happy and grateful I am for all my blessings.

 

Texture used: kk_1412

Dining at Davanti

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Hover your mouse over the photo to see the original.

One of the main things we do when we’re “down south” is EAT! And we like to try out new restaurants. Last night we went to a lovely little Italian restaurant in Scottsdale – Davanti Enoteca.

We started with a crunchy bruschette that was like a mini salad on toast – complete with teeny frilly lettuce leaves that tickled my nose…

Then we had mascarpone polenta with ragu… mmmmm delish!

To finish it off we had their focaccia di recco which is a flat foccacia pocket filled with soft cheese served with a glob of honey that is still in the honeycomb – very interesting and very tasty!

This little bench with the potted plants is what greeted us at the door and I knew I had my TT image! And now that I’m working in WordPress – I’ve had to re-learn the mouseover technique. Aaaackk, my brain hurts. Hope it works!

WOOT!! IT WORKS!! THE MOUSEOVER WORKS!!

Oh, and I edited the photo in Lightroom – used several presets and then applied Kim’s “calamity” on overlay.

Thanks for stopping by!

Flying Over the Grand Canyon

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Grand-Canyon

Flying over the Grand Canyon – what an amazing view! Someday, we’re going to go there. I’ve officially put it on our bucket list.

It feels so good to be on a bit of a vacation. We’re looking forward to warm weather and lots of sun (and hopefully, fun!)

As soon as we landed in Phoenix, after we picked up our luggage and got our car, we headed straight to our favourite little restaurant “Sofritas” . As we were enjoying our lunch on the patio, we marveled over the fact that just that morning hubby had been shoveling snow… and it was -20C and dark… so very dark…

As much as we love our home, it’s always nice to get away for a bit in the winter, and I’m grateful, so very grateful.

 

Tina’s Wordless Wednesday at Tina’s PicStory

My Topsy-Turvey World

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Well, here I am at my new digs… and it seems I’m not doing too bad.

It looks like I’ve been able to publish a post – three cheers!

I use the WordPress editor for my blog posts at Digital Scrapper so I’ve had some experience. But it’s one thing to publish a post, and quite another to run the site.

Therefore, I’m feeling off-balance. Everything I’m doing lately is new – here and at my new part-time job.

Oh, yes. I haven’t told you about that yet . I can’t because it isn’t public yet. But I’ll just say that some nights I go to bed thinking that I’ve bitten off too much and wonder what the heck I’m trying to prove? But then, after about 7 hours of sleep, I wake up and make a bee-line to my computer with new determination.

This morning when I looked at the clock it said 3:45… arrghhhh… and my creative juices were flowing and my mind would not stop. But maybe if I had gone to bed at 10:00 pm instead of 8:30… (ya think?) I couldn’t help it – I was dead tired and I fell asleep immediately.

Now I need to get to WORK or I”m going to lose steam. My poor blog has to wait. It just has to wait.

Thank you so much for dropping by. I’m not sure how my comment function is working, so I apologize if you can’t comment, or something else weird happens. If you feel inclined – shoot me an e-mail to let me know what hoops you had to jump through.

I’ll be around to your blogs tonight.

Have a wonderful day!

The Art of Tea

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… make sure you heat the teapot first …
… add the tea …

… let steep for five minutes …
… pour into simple cup …
… breathe in the winter spice scent …
… enjoy …

kim klassen texture

… uh oh …

does anyone else see “f art” in there? :)

art-of-tea-01

Ah, yes… we must be able to laugh at ourselves… this is the revised version!

I’m moving my little blog over to WordPress. It should be finished sometime this week. I understand that if you are following me, you will still see me in Google Reader. But if you don’t see me for a while, check me out on Google+ for updates and maybe you can find your way back to my blog and I to yours.

I have a Google+ Followers Gadget on my sidebar (not the same as Google Friend Connect) if you want to follow me there. I follow back!

A book, a cup, and a handful of hazelnuts…

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Oh joy! Kim is back! giving us inspiration and cheering us on. One of our little “pushes” this week was to take a photo of a book, a cup and an unusual object.

Now, teabags are not unusual – but I think this one is. And then there are the hazelnuts…

My friend gave me this tea for Christmas. All of these cute little tea bags (boxes) were nested together in another cute little box. I was loathe to open them up and destroy the orderliness of it all. But pretty things are meant to be used, right? No use saving things and then finding them 3 years later at the bottom of the pantry all stale and tasteless.

The cookbook was my Mom’s. It has dozens of yellow newspaper clippings of recipes and there are handwritten notes all over the place. A treasure if there ever was one. What would she think if she could see it here right now, out in cyberspace. I doubt she could have fathomed it.

So this afternoon I had a pleasant little photo shoot, a cup of (very tasty) tea, and a handful of hazelnuts. All is good.

Note:
I’m moving my little blog over to WordPress. It should be finished sometime next week. I understand that if you are following me, you will still see me in Google Reader. But if you don’t see me for a while, check me out on Google+ for updates and maybe you can find your way back to my blog and me to yours.

I have a Google+ Followers Gadget on my sidebar (not the same as Google Friend Connect) if you want to follow me there. I follow back!

Have a wonderful weekend!

“Chaos” by Kim Klassen at soft light.


I’m moving…

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Egad! I’m taking the plunge and moving to WordPress! I’ve been mulling it over for so long I’m starting to get sick of myself, already.

into the wild blue yonder…

My poor little blog is going to be experiencing a bit of a hiccup in the coming days… weeks maybe… but I’m optimistic that it will be worth it.

Keeping up with the times will soon be at a self-hosted WordPress site. That means I will own my content and will have full control over it. Other than that I don’t know why I’m doing this except that the voice in my head telling me to do so has been so persistent – arghh! I can’t shut it up!

I’m not doing it myself. Not a chance. I have enlisted the help of Kristi at Linauer Designs. Kristi specializes in Blogger to WordPress migration. I’ve handed the reins over to her and fully expect to wake up some morning in the near future to find that I can’t find my blog…

Oh my word, what did I just say? Can’t find my blog? Can my heart take it? I’m filled with anxiety. But also excitement.

I’ve decided that it has a lot to do with my mantra to “learn something new, try something different, blah blah blah…” I just can’t seem to leave well enough alone.

So, I am going to lose my GFC gadget. Now that HURTS! But I understand that anyone who is following me will still find my posts in Google Reader. And you can still subscribe by e-mail and RSS. You can find me on Google+ too. Oh, I do hope I don’t lose anyone!

If you are out there – and you don’t see me for a while, please check Google+ (if you are so inclined that is) for updates.

Wish me well.

On my walk today…

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I saw deer tracks that looked like hearts…

 

beautiful, snowy landscapes…

and… what are the chances of this…

When you live like a hermit in the country this is about as exciting as it gets. I don’t mind. It’s a good thing I have my toys.

Hope you are having a great January so far!

Feels like spring today…

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I had plans to WORK today but I ended up going for groceries, which led me to a clothes store where everything was 50 – 70% off… so needless to say I didn’t get home in good time…

Then I decided the day was shot, so I went for a walk. It’s simply gorgeous here with temperatures in the 0 – +3 Celsius range. This is what gets us northerners through our long winters – we dream of spring in January.

Seeing Through the Lens

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I was looking for “patterns” for the December 28 – One Word Project (Instagram) at Shutter Sisters. I thought I was just getting the wire fence, but I also got the two sets of branches – almost like a mirror image! I didn’t even see them until I processed the photo in Picfx. I’m constantly amazed by what our cameras reveal to us and once again I am reminded that I’m missing so much that’s going on around me by not paying attention.