Joining Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday party. Used two layers of Yesteryear (multiply and soft) and one layer from the May magic pack.
If you've ever wanted to learn Photoshop, Kim is a great teacher! I noticed on her post today that she is offering up another session of her Photoshop Essentials course. The highlighted link above will tell you more...
Happy day to one and all...xo
...how time flies...blink, and we're now well into May.
My days have been jam packed with fun, and the not-so-fun...in other words, life. One of the funs is my continued love of taking photos. Today, to wish my sweet bloggie friends a Happy Mother's Day, I'll share a few of those photos taken of my flowers.
But with a little humorous twist...
You've all probably seen this somewhere along life's path, but it's just too stinkin' cute not to share again. It's entitled: Why God Made Mothers. The answers were given by second graders. Enjoy...
WHY DID GOD MAKE MOTHERS?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.
HOW DID GOD MAKE MOTHERS?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger
parts.
WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE MOTHERS MADE OF?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in
the world and one dab of mean. ha ha ha
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use
string, I think.
WHY DID GOD GIVE YOU YOUR MOTHER AND NOT SOME OTHER MOTHER?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mom like me.
WHAT KIND OF LITTLE GIRL WAS YOUR MOM?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty
bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.
WHAT DID MOM NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DAD BEFORE SHE MARRIED HIM?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk
on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to
chores?
{{having been a former elementary school teacher in one of my lives, i can attest to the fact that these answers are mild compared to what many teachers hear!}}
WHY DID YOUR MOM MARRY YOUR DAD?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.
WHO'S THE BOSS AT YOUR HOUSE?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof
ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the
bed.
3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MOMS AND DADS?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause
that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine..
WHAT DOES YOUR MOM DO IN HER SPARE TIME?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO MAKE YOUR MOM PERFECT?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of
plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.
IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR MOM, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid
of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did
it not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of
her head.
Here's sending out loads of gratitude to all the mothers of the world, and those who practice the gentle art of mothering {a trait found in many women who never had their own biological children}, the world is a sweeter place because of you.
And special hugs and whispered prayers for the precious hearts that for a number of reasons, find this day extra hard. May grace give you the strength you need...
Xo, Sue
p.s. Joining Miss Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday today!
...thirty-seven years sharing this special day with my sweetie...
...six of them while dating {{{high school sweethearts}}}
However, Valentine's Day isn't just for sweethearts. It's a day to remember all those special people in our lives.
Blessed are the we who have friends and family in our lives.
And for those who've had their hearts crushed because they've loved {and that would be most of us} love is always worth the risk. High risk, high reward. But I would rather look like my old Teddy Bear...with a few love-rubbed spots on my heart, than to have a heart that was never taken out of the box.
You too, I hope...
May your day be beautiful, however you plan to spend it...
Speaking of love stories, I noticed Karen at My Desert Cottage is hosting a Share Your Love Story event today! I always think the stories of how couples met are so fun to hear. As for my beloved and me, we met at the ripe old age of 16 at a bowling alley.
He loves to quote the line from the 1981 Dudley Moore movie "Arthur"...
"Usually one must go to a bowling alley to meet a woman of your stature."
YYYYYYYYYYY
credits: textures used on photos from Kim Klassen and Designerdigitals
Day FOUR of schools closed, no mail, freezing temps, and an icy blanket of snow covering metropolitan Atlanta.
Thank goodness on Saturday, during our pre-storm grocery run I grabbed this bunch of pink roses to bring home.
They were just meant to be enjoyed...
...and perhaps to even take outside, tuck into a tree and photograph.
Surprisingly enough, these little fellas proved to be quite hardy. The afternoon outing in freezing temps didn't ruffle, droop, or discolor their little petals one single bit.
I think there's a lesson from nature tucked in there somewhere for me.
Given to excessive quantities of "distractability" seems to be intrinsic in my nature...
or wait...
...maybe it's merely high levels of interest in a multitude of pursuits?
...or a volatile mixture of both!!!...
No matter...either way, "focus" is a word I often have to remind {{{beg}}} myself to do!
Another challenge for me in life is passing up beautiful bouquets of flowers at the grocery store that are reasonably priced. Like these beauties...3 pkgs for $12. Not only do they add enjoyment and beauty to my surroundings, but they are also fun subjects to photograph.
But adding to the pleasure of getting lost in my own world with a dozen pink roses, baby's breath, and a camera, was the reflection of light on the water! Ignoring my disdain for cold weather and sacrificing being able to feel my fingers, I headed outside in order to capture my newest "groceries" in the glory of the early morning light.
Before long I remembered that old window in the garage...the one that hopefully will one day soon house my favorite photos of our children. Plans are to convert some favorites to sepia tones and place them behind each square pane. So many ideas...
And as long as my old green chippy chair was still outside from another camera outing...
I took a pathetic number of pictures...roses floating on water, tucked in other flowering beds...you name it, I tried it. And I have the picture file to prove it!
Playing around with textures in PSE only adds to the fun of it all...I would love to take Kim Klassen's newest e-course on textures that begins soon, but that old naughty calendar tells me this would not be a good time. Poo!
So many details of life to attend to in the coming weeks...
...yes, I do believe that LIFE is in the details..
And a huge thank you for all the great suggestions on my paint challenge...! That's one of the details in life that needs my "focus" right now. I'm now mixing paints to find that perfect color...how pathetic is that?!
May all your details be fun ones!
Xo, Sue
credits: All applied textures are from Kim Klassen.
{{Laura at 52Flea interviewed a European artist here and when I read the words quoted above, they called to me...I loved those words...it's so easy in life to stay in our safe little comfort zones, but we all know that real growth comes when we step outside those carefully guarded perimeters of "safe"...}}
The little single pink rose was a summer gift that appeared on one of my rose bushes this summer. But learning how to glam up this photo was a direct result of learning a few of the basic manuevers in Photoshop Elements. Of course, I have to mention that there are also several layers of Kim's new magic pack textures applied to this photo as well...
...her newest textures that I am totally in love with....
"Technical" things like computers, sophisticated remote controls (!), blackberry's, elaborate software programs, etc. all give me major fits. I am not gifted at all in the world of technical. Photoshop Elements fell into this same category..........it was like reading Greek. And I don't read Greek. So if my latest posts are making me sound like a Kim Klassen groupie.....I only have this to say.....I admit it. I have become an avid fan........she taught me the gift of using photoshop.
If I can learn PSE, anyone can...so when I read that Kim is offering a FREE Beginner's class to Photoshop, I had to share this information. And if you didn't already know it, Adobe also offers a FREE 30 day trial download to PSE. Check it out here.
One thing that I am pretty decent at though, is math. And free + free = FREE! So what do you have to lose?
I dare you......
xo, Sue
My time in the mountains of western North Carolina was over before
I could blink. But it is always time well spent. Lots of laughter, good food, beautiful scenery, drives through the countryside...
...an hour or so walking through the shops...you could spend days in this area going through hundreds of unique shops if you so chose...
...each visit I usually try to check out a place I've never been before...
...most times I even remember to grab my camera...
...Mr. and I drove to one of my favorite antique shops tucked way back in the woods on a twisty, narrow mountain road that gives me the creeps because there are precious few guard rails...and someone in the car who shall remain nameless drives way too fast on those roads...
...I was so happy to have survived the ride that even finding the place closed barely even caused my emotions to fluctuate one iota...of course, finding these beautiful pink roses growing along their fence was more than compensation for having driven so far...
...and wouldn't you know it? On our way back to the cabin we just happened to drive right by my favorite shoe store in Highlands. Look at my {SQUEAL} new shoes! They are incredibly comfortable and just plain FUN! Just what I needed for all the traveling I'll be doing in the coming days....
Where am I going, you ask? Why I'm off to visit creative spaces across the globe during theWHERE BLOGGERS CREATE PARTY!
credit: free background image from rubyblossom [Flickr]
Sort of sounds like a nasty in-law story or something, huh? Happily so, that's not the case.
The company coming is about the HUGE tour of work spaces coming up next weekend and Mr. Fun {my DH} is talking about heading to the mountains for a getaway. Oh dear!
In my figuring little head I had a plan...a plan on how I would be ready on time...a plan on what I'd do each day......
What I didn't figure in was a trip to the mountains. Or that today I would get distracted and drive ninety miles off course because....
A. I am highly distractable
B. I saw these gorgeous pink roses Terri digitally altered
C. I had some pink roses
D. I had a camera
E. I am highly distractable {repeat intentional}
It wouldn't be so bad if I would just shoot a few shots and get back to business...
....but oh no....that would be too sensible....
Instead, I just clicked away and digitally edited for way, way, way too long....
That old Wizard of Oz song now comes to mind...If I Only Had A Brain....
Hope you're being more productive than I am today!
xo, sue
Timely words for me, indeed. You see, the first photo features a dozen beautiful pink roses I found at the grocery store on clearance. I look for them all the time in order to do this to them. But my time ran out as I was busily preparing to fly away for a week and visit my mother in another state. But wouldn't you know it...while I left these behind, I discovered these growing outside a restaurant back in the northern woods of Wisconsin where my mother lives.
After I placed my take-out order, I asked the young gal helping me who planted all the beautiful roses outside. This look came across her face as if she were thinking, "Beautiful roses? I've never noticed any roses outside." Seriously. I kid you not. But she turns to this man sitting behind her who she identified as the owner of the place, and asked him my question. His whole body shifted and he visibly sat straighter as a huge smile crept across his face and he proudly announced, "I planted them." Well, I only further made his day when I asked him if I could take some photos of them.
He might still be smiling for all I know. That would only be fair because everytime I look at these photos, they sure make my heart smile.
I hope you'll enjoy their little faces as much as I have...
There's lots more pink to be seen by visiting Beverly at How Sweet the Sound where you will find a complete listing of all of today's participants in PINK SATURDAY! But before you do that, I wanted to share a blog I've enjoyed visiting of one of our newer Pink Saturday Ladies. Her name is Tammi and the name of her blog is Visions of Vintage.
Thank you for stopping by! I always enjoy my visitors and your sweet comments.
xo Sue
Twelve dollars. I never pay twelve dollars for an old vintage clock. Especially one that doesn't work, mind you. But this one? I believe it was Katherine Hepburn who once said, "If you follow all the rules, you'll miss all the fun!"
Not wanting to miss any fun, I paid the twelve dollars....and gladly so. How big is it, did you ask? Where do you have it in your home? My, my. Aren't we full of questions today! Stay with me, I'm getting to that part.
It's sitting in front of this gorgeous, old bowl. The bowl that holds my chippy old lamp. The same bowl that measures nearly seventeen inches in diameter.
I have a weakness for chippy old tole lamps, or sconces, particularly when there are old pink roses adorning the twisted metal.
It's the same type of weakness I have for vintage crotcheted doilies. And when the price tag reads two dollars...well, you know the rest of the story. Which reminds me, I need to finish the rest of the story about that little pink clock. Well wait no more as I'm about to reveal where it resides...
It lives in my art room, sitting on the end table {a thrift store steal!} which is sitting next to the comfy reading chair, just waiting for me to grab a good book and snuggle in for a spell. At a whopping 2-3 inches in diameter, depending where you measure, it serves no purpose other than to look pretty. I'd say it lives up to "its purpose" pretty well, wouldn't you?
Last, but certainly not least, let me introduce a blog I visited for the first time last Saturday. Beverly had suggested such an inclusion for this week's post. It is with pure pink pleasure that I introduce Patty who blogs at Magpie's Nest. I've only scratched the surface of going back and looking through her earlier posts, and I've thoroughly enjoyed what I've seen so far. Be sure and take a peek at the links to her 2 tutorials listed on her sidebar. Great stuff! In addition to her artwork, I also enjoy her sense of humor.
Have a blessed Labor Day {for those in the states} and a big round of applause to Beverly for once again organizing this event.
Digital edges created by Sande Krieger/2Peas.
www.flickr.com
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