My Weblog

Bird chatter

 

 

I wish... {and some free images}

 
{applied textures from Kim Klassen}

I wish {and maybe you do too!} that I weren't so WISHY-WASHY! Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. But after realizing that moving my blog was going to cause a host of yicky problems, I changed my mind, AGAIN.

So with my little tail between my legs, and peeling egg off of my face, it's official. I'm going to stick with Typepad. But if anyone wants to know how to export their blog, ask me, I know how to do it!

All was not lost though as making the temporary move resulted in me learning a little more about the inner workings of a blog that will come in handy in the future. Did you know that by exporting your blog to a file on your computer that you have effectively made a copy of your blog complete with photos and links? Nothing was physically moved per se...my blog remained intact. I just ended up with a copy of it in a downloaded file on my computer.

ALSO!!!! I learned how to comment on blogs using my Typepad Open ID credentials...thanks to Wordpress. Long boring story. But for any other Typepad users who want to know how, holler. I'll share my limited wisdom.

 

Here's a beautiful print I snagged from the Graphics Fairy. The frame is one I made by taping some punched papers together. Feel free to use the image if you would like...

And heres a few more I made from the same template using Elements. You will need to use a photo-editing program that allows you to work in layers in order to slide a photo behind the frame. Enjoy! I only ask that you not sell the images themselves in a collage sheet or CD or anything of that nature.

 

 
 
And last, but certainly not least, as I am so looking forward to it...

 ...Christy Tomlinson's newest online class begins on Monday, May 23rd. You can still sign up through Sunday, the 22nd. Click on this picture over in my sidebar if you want more details!

I adore her style and this one looks packed with lots more yummy journaling goodness.

 

 

Xo, Sue

A Chick Magnet

Besides loving their beautiful singing voices, watching the bird world can be quite amusing... and entertaining... and enlightening.

Take this little guy for example:

 

he calls to them...

 
he watches to see if any will come...

 
a few do show up...

 
he smiles to himself...yes, he's still got it...

His secret, you ask? Can't say that I know, but I can't tell you how many times I've seen him pull this off in my backyard.  {Linda, I'm thinking he might be the Cardinal version for the Old Spice commercial}

Here's a couple of little facts on cardinals that might lend some perspective...

~Northern Cardinals are monogamous birds.*

~The male, clearly raised well by a good mother, brings his female cardinal food while they are dating and often feeds her seeds beak-to-beak.* 

~Both parents feed their baby birds, but the male cardinal will often take on this job single handedly.*

{source}*

What's not to love?!

********

As an added note, Mr. Cardinal often calls from this same maple tree and his chickee's always pick this same sweet gum tree to gather in despite the fact that there are numerous other tree options. Do they try to match their colors to their chosen trees I wonder? 

Hope you're finding time to enjoy all that nature has to offer as well. Such a sweet gift...

xo, Sue

Permission to play... {and free image, laptop repair...and...}

You gotta LOVE the bloggy world...I think....anyway....LOL!

Whining about my "must do" lists was met with.............go play...go play........only boring women live in immaculate houses..............ha ha ha! So with your royal permission[s] {or is it a co-dependency, enabler kind of permission?!!! Naw...couldn't be THAT...}  

I played some more...

If you're signed up to receive Kim Klassen's texture freebies, her latest, featured in my digital creation, are words from a song by Celine Dion. The birdie I snagged from a newly discovered freebie site called Vintage Printable. 

Here's a copy of the birdie if you'd like to save him in your files and use him some day when you too are trying to ditch some housework....

Not long ago, Terri shared one of her beautiful backgrounds that I placed in my files. And just for more fun, I added it as a layer and then bumped down the opacity...loved the effect! Thank you, Terri! You can grab your own copy here. She and her friend Roc have been putting together some fun videos on different artsy techniques as well....check 'em out!   

 
Didn't it add a fun dash of color-drama?

And speaking of color............and DRAMA...............and more excuses to ignore my must do lists....and more reasons to PLAY! Scream with delight......

 

The Mister of the house {who is sooooo organized, think: opposites attract} for no reason whatsoever, surprised me with a new IPAD! This is the coolest...........and I haven't even bought any of the zillions of apps you can add.............

And to make it even sweeter, he wrapped the gifts himself....with paper he purchased...in colors I adore...and even added bows!  Seriously sweet.

In my book, the thoughtfulness of his actions were as delightful as the gift itself. Took me completely by surprise...He does a lot of thoughtful things for me, but we don't usually get this extravagant...

So much for that TO DO list anytime soon...

But as I'm busy playing, I'll be doing this....

tee hee....{these are actually kitchen matches}

switching gears completely...

And to make this rambling post even longer, stay tuned if you have a laptop that got dropped or the screen got stepped on OR hit by a basketball. {All three have happened at our house!}

DID YOU KNOW that many times you can still access the info, or even work off the laptop still by plugging it into a computer monitor? Simply unplug the monitor's USB cable from your tower and plug it into your laptop's USB port. This is also a great way to enlarge your viewing size even on a functioning laptop. 

Here's looking forward to another week of creative fun {and a bit of housework perhaps!}

xo, sue

Online Photoshop Elements Course {& a free image!}

 

My latest little play time creation in Photoshop Elements {PSE}...

Long ago I purchased a very old children's picture book...a bit ratty, missing pages, but the lithographs that were left......just beautiful.

Cropped it down to just the little yellow bird...{please feel free to save it for your own personal use}...and employing some of the new "moves" I'm learning in Kim Klassen's online course for PSE...

 
...the ingredients that went into my creation shown in the first photo...1. my image 2. my image 3. flickr-free texture  4. flickr-free texture  5. flickr-free texture

Even though I've barely begun working my way through Kim's class, I am learning a lot about PSE. I am taking her "skinny" ecourse. Here's a quote from the class description:

if you do not understand photoshop, it's brand new to you, you are just getting started, or find it completely TOO MUCH...

 first.gear photoshop - the "skinny" eCourse is for you!

A perfect description of me and my competency level with PSE. If this sounds like you too, and you've been wanting to learn Photoshop Elements, I highly recommend her skinny course. It is self-paced and is basically taught using videos. Step by baby step she shows you where to click, how to adjust this, how to change that...what this tool is for, how to add layers, etc. etc. In other words, THE BASICS!

Click on the "skinny" ecourse link above for a complete description of the class and how to sign up! In my estimation, bargain-priced at $29!

Maybe I'll see you in e-class soon?

Xo, Sue

Digital Collage and Free Images

Playing around in my photos again...I could get lost for hours manipulating photos. The inspiration began as I walked along the beach and spotted these sorts of shells everywhere. Don't they look like little wings?

I thought so and decided to digitally extract them. Here's a copy if you'd like them for your own personal use as well.

As long as we're sharing, here's the little girl I borrowed from here...

Starting with a background of clouds from my own photos I began adding and adding layer after layer. Many thanks and credit given to Karen at the Graphics Fairy for the use of the dove {extracted from a postcard she shared} as well as using the vintage ledger page from her collection.

Peace... xo, Sue

Free birdie images and we're off to the beach....

How did it get to be so late, so soon?

The calendar indicates that tomorrow we leave for the beach. You know what that means...a million little details to attend to before heading out. Well, a million little details if you're the mother. And I am the mother. So logic would tell you that I've been busy attending to all those details. NOT.

Instead...

A little birdie told me to start another art journal... {"start" and "another" are key words...}

 

I used this little birdie in my journal and made two different versions for you to grab if you'de like to use them in your own creations.

Here's a few other shots...

 
...just felt good to play...and make a mess...and contemplate the wise words I used in this creation...still needs a bit more added before I'm finished, but those million little details I need to take care of need my attention first...

Hope to have some happy reports to share when we return informing you that the beaches of Florida's panhandle are still filled with white, sugar sand and not chunks of tar...

Xo, Sue

 
  One of several old blue canning jars I picked up recently stuffed with a few hydrangea from my garden. The sustained heat in this region fried a lot of my moppy head friends and cut short their season of gracefully showing off their beautiful colors.

 Some little creepy bug has invaded my being and I'm not enjoying its presence one little bit. Can't decide if it's a sinus infection or one of those viruses that have been going around. All I know, is that it is winning...

 
It chooses to visit me right in the middle of my "busy-as-a-bee" season....! Have lots of irons in the fire, many that are time sensitive so resting yesterday was not an option. Spent hours on the phone coordinating utility hook-ups for daughter's new rental. Seems they like to have parents on the hook for those bills instead of college-aged students. Hmmm...wonder why?

And while I was tucked away handling all those calls...

 ...this little family member with the white fur coat was busy in the kitchen eating the leftover pizza oldest son forgot to put away. Naturally, it was one of those mega-sized take and bake pizzas. And even more naturally, oldest son ate only a few slices so Miss Sophie (the one in the white fur coat) had herself quite a feast! But the revenge of such an over-indulgence was swift and severe...and was all mine to handle, each episode... for several hours.

All other family members were out and about...DH had a business dinner, the boys had soccer and what-not...just us two sick girls left to man the fort. One rested, and the other did not.

The one who didn't rest was originally planning to share some recent finds on her blog.

 DH and I have decided that we will plow ahead with having the house spruced up a bit and I've got a budget to work with for decorating and such. To that end, I've been hitting lots of antique shops...made some really fun scores at fabulous prices. The photo above is one of MANY of these late 1800's lithographs I made an offer on to a dealer and he accepted my offer. They are each 11 x 14...this larger format is harder to find and even more difficult to find at the bargain price for which I obtained them.

Hopefully this cruddy crud cold/virus will decide to release its grip on me and I'll have a chance to soon show you some other fun stuff in their "potential" state and what I hope to do with them...

Meanwhile, here's a scan from my personal collection you digital manipulators might enjoy having in your stash for your personal use...

In "real life" this is a four page, handwritten  French deed on that old yummy cotton type paper I just adore.

Hope everyone had a safe and memory-filled long weekend!

Xo, Sue

Where Bloggers Create Party

Don't ya just git giddy when something you've wished for, waited on, dreamed of, but mostly

WORKED HARD FOR, !!!finally!!! happens?

For most of my "creative life" which now spans decades, my creative space and supplies were scattered throughout our home in closets, bins, tucked under beds, and so forth. The dining room often became command central. And upon walking by such headquarters one would immediately receive the distinct impression that command central had been heavily bombed! Chaos reigned supreme.....
 

 But when I read that Karen, at My Desert Cottage was hosting her second annual WHERE BLOGGERS CREATE PARTY I knew this was the motivational spark I needed to get busy.

I inherited the bonus room above our garage several years ago, but as life goes, for a number of out-of-my-control-bumpy-mountains-in-the-road-of-life reasons, the room never got put together.

Until now....still have a little ways to go, but the hardest parts are behind me. NOTHIN' like company coming to set a body in motion, is there?!

I worked like a mad woman. Or perhaps madder than normal would be more appropriate...what is normal anyway, does anybody know? Stay on task Sue...

Jewels got sorted...

...dolls got hats...

...and with each little accomplishment I could feel the cobwebs that had taken my creative spirit hostage begin to release their sticky grip...speak nothing of the physical cobwebs in the actual room...

My rusty imagination began to awaken...it was all I could do not to stop what I was doing to follow the latest inspirational muse...but untrue to my given nature, I kept plowing through box after box, bin after bin, sorting, tossing, organizing...

Why, even fresh flowers were lovingly gathered from my garden and scattered throughout the room...they are such happy little creatures, aren't they? Not to mention that nothing, save a warm hug, says welcome friends more than fresh flowers.

Despite the fact that I am beyond blessed to have such a wonderful place to now work on a variety of creative pursuits, one major flaw in this room is the lighting. Although there are five windows, each is housed in an alcove which can be a real issue...especially at night. One thing I have invested in to counteract this challenge are Ott lamps. JoAnn's, Michael's, Wal-Mart, among others carry this brand and routinely put them on sale at 40% off.

The majority of my furnishings are hand-me-downs that were used previously in our homes through the years. Several pieces came from thrift stores and one piece was stolen. Yep. You heard it right. Theft. That would be the bin housing my stash of vintage wallpaper. It's original purpose was to house goober pairs of golf and other sporting shoes in our garage. The idea being that my family members would dutifully and joyfully place their shoes in the tidy little cubbies......NOT.

 

A year or so ago this vintage dress form came up for auction on Ebay. It is about three times the size of my other dress form I'll show in the next photo. She has been the perfect 3-D inspirational board, if you will, and I continue to pin new items to her daily.  And BTW, I was the only bidder and shipping cost me more than the dress form. Felt badly for the seller, but happy for me!

I've taken way too many pictures of my newly organized space...excitement about my new room and working with crummy lighting conditions most likely influenced my excessive photo snapping...

 

Here's an oversized spice rack I picked up at Goodwill for maybe $5 or so. I love making, giving, and receiving mail {handwritten letters....ahhhhhh....love 'em}. I used to be so much better at sending these personal greetings. Hence, I am hoping that having this little rack hanging on my studio wall will be a visual reminder to improve upon sending more snail mail to brighten someone's day.

 

Not withstanding the fact that I've rambled long enough, Typepad or my computer has chosen this point in time to go into total rebellion. Consequently, on both accounts, I'll bid my farewell and continue this tour in another post {or two+!} in the coming days.

Thank you for your visit and I'm anxious to head out to see all the other creative work spaces. But before I go, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Karen for what has had to be a monumental undertaking to keep an event of this size so well organized.

Warm wishes to all,

xo, Sue

Bird Watcher...or is it birds that watch?

Make no mistake, I am a bird watcher. bird listener. bird lover. But today, it was like nature in reverse.  The birds were watching us...for hours!

There was a pack of birds that continued to lightly bounce off the windows, sit perched on the outside sills and look in the house. Not once, not twice, not a dozen times, but at least a hundred times if not more...it was the strangest thing. One son called it downright creepy and qualified his statement with reminding me of the old Alfred Hitchcock movie, The Birds!

 

All the commotion caused this little girl to break the sacred rule of no paws on the counters.

 {Notice the little splotch of mud above her eye and the wet fur. The mud spot is from knocking down tennis balls with her head.  Tennis balls she drops in the pool and then expects me to fetch them and toss them to her, over and over and over again. She's quite athletic and could catch them in the air if she wouldn't insist upon keeping one in her mouth at all times.}

 

Still a little baffled by this steady stream of window peekers today, but it sure was cute while it lasted. Hope your days was filled with some unexpected, delightful little surprises as well!