Challenge No. 1

Fall is basically over.  Frost is on my car's windows each morning.  Darkness comes early afternoon and leave late in morning.

We are preparing for winter. 

Yard has been raked.  Summer flower pots put away, as well as garden tools.

Winter gear is assembled and ready for grabbing when one leaves the house now.

Trash at West High now a Kaleidoscope

 
Will have to relearn coping skills for my nerves while driving in snow and ice again.
And I wait for the annual Holiday Bazaars.  As an artist I have to support other like 'handmade artists' so that they continue making the wonderful products that they do!  I love walking the aisles of the bazaars looking at creations that draw me to them like a moth to light.  Touching many of the items, wishing for myself or many times purchasing it for family or friends.

To each of you I also challenge you to do a new project before Thanksgiving Holiday.  To step outside of your usual domain and try taking photos of a total stranger.  Are you brave enough?  Will you step up to them and say 'I'm going to take your picture & thanks for allowing me' or are you one who will just snap shots and be anonymous?

 

Photoshop Fun

For the last few months I've been busy working.  Then I've also been playing every chance I had in my free time to play with Photoshop.

I love Photoshop Elements 9.  It's fun and the plug-ins that one can purchase or find free on the internet are a blast also!  Harry's Filters is my favorite, plus a kaleidoscope filter has became my right arm extension of my art.

 
Mr Fishlips tells me with each new creation that he thinks I'm a super artist.  I just laugh and run with his kind words.

A recent trip out to Hatcher's Pass on September 5th left us breathless at the beauty of Alaska.  

Although my guy doesn't like his photo's published I thought you would enjoy this one that I call 'Happy Hands'.  Yep those are his hands that make this kaleidoscope have special meaning to me.

Challenge of Color

As February slowly wines down from the excitement of Valentine’s Day, I find that a need to create new work is a must or otherwise I do believe I could just become a slug until summer arrives.  

It’s comfortable just daydreaming though.   

Sitting in my robe till noon was almost pleasant.  I felt guilty at 12:20pm the other day when just picking my nose, dusting the floor with my 20yr old bunny slippers which haven’t been washed since getting them off Ebay, on my fifth pot of coffee, and staring at the black spider on the wall make me want to pound my head on the desk like a two year old having a tantrum -> this is my sweeties version to hear him tell it.  I don’t pick my nose, never own bunny slippers, the robe is his, I swear it was only the 4th cup of coffee-It's too expensive to drink more than one pot a day, that spider I killed last month and most days I’m dressed by 11am!  But he is right I do throw tantrums except I've learned not to bang head anywhere cause it causes one to go blind (something like playing with yourself but no fur grows there)!

So I decided HEY SELF time for a Challenge. 

Never one to let a good thought get lost ~ you’re invited to do the challenge also!  I double dog dare you to do this challenge!

The Challenge is to work with a color for so many days.  I thought 30 days would be great but since I’m also easily distracted and living in a small city (Anchorage doesn’t even have a Sonic, or Red Lobster, or Olive Garden so YA we are small). 

The challenge is for 15 days.  On your mark get set GO!

Challenge #1 is the color RED –

 February 15 to March 1

Anything goes…just create and have fun!  Create something each day that has Red as the focus of your creation.

***If anyone wishes to share their creations I will happily showcase those artists during the challenges here on my blog (just leave a comment or send me a message on Facebook, or convo me in any of my shops - I triple dog dare my fellow artists and crafters to Please Please do this - it will be fun!!)

Feb. 15 - photo no. 1