Photography

Better Late than Never – the Sheep of Sheep and Wool

| 2 Comments

 

Yes, that time of year has come and gone, and I never got around to posting my photos.

The pilgrimage that is Maryland Sheep and Wool.

You’ll recall (or maybe you won’t), I did post a photo of my stash of junk, but really, even though it’s a month late, I can’t dis the sheep.

So, without further babble, here are the sheep (and a llama, a goat, etc) of Sheep and Wool –

Wait – that’s not a sheep – that’s a dog – four dogs, actually.

Sheep dogs.

And this was the first time ever that the dogs failed to herd the sheep through the picket fence things.

I heard they succeeded later in the day.

I blame the sheep.

That dog certainly meant business.

Really, they just don’t look that smart, do they?

Anyway – I left the noncooperating sheep, and headed back up to the main fairground.

Now he looks smart!

And he wasn’t getting herded through any picket fence.  He was just chomping on his hay.  He definitely has it right.

A goat mosh pit – whole lot cashmere going on there.

But back to the sheep – it’s not Maryland Goat and Wool.

And now for my favorite – I really think this couple was the Brangelina of the festival:

And that’s it for this year!

Yep, again, no yarn.

Texture Tuesday – Quotes

| 4 Comments

Do you subscribe to 3rdWard?  You might want to, so that you can begin every day with daily inspiration like this:

 

Well, the mess is mine, the quote is today’s Daily Insight.

Today’s Texture Tuesday challenge was to use a quote, and one of Kim’s Textures.  I used ArtJoyTexture and Distress2, then I used one of my own – it’s under the Freebies tab if you’d like it – it’s called Light Blue Painted Texture, but for this, I turned it Black and White.

 

kimklassencafe

And now I’m going to rejoin my mess, already in progress!

Texture Tuesday

| 2 Comments

 

Let’s see, this has a gradient fill layer (in a blush pink), a gradient map layer (black to white, at 31%), and then an oldie but goodie Kim texture, Grey Day, on soft light 100%.

And the white rose is from our very own rose bush.

 

kimklassencafe

Texture Tuesday – Sheep & Wool Junk Score

| 2 Comments

Sheep & Wool was hard for me this year.  I made a promise that I wouldn’t buy any yarn (at least not for me – Mother’s Day didn’t count), and I kept it.   But, it was hard – I was like a crack addict under the El at Kensington and Allegheny.  Sigh.

But, I didn’t say I wouldn’t buy anything.

And, I told my husband right up front I was going to hit the junk vendor.  And for under $20, I brought back quite a haul –

 

So what do we have here – first, a printer’s drawer – someday to be a super cool shadow box.  Then, a Mason’s jar, filled with vintage stamps.   Several spinning wheel bobbins, and a couple of spinning wheel whorls.  Then, I have a tall thing you can’t see, that’s going to be the base of a doll.  Then, there are two long, thin things that I think are for spinning cotton, and then two more wooden tubes, with drips of paint running down the sides – awesome!  

And, here is the Mason Jar, textured up for Texture Tuesday:

This week’s challenge was to use two of Kim’s textures.  Both images have an oldie but goodie – Wet Tile, and both have her new watercolor texture, Oh My.  The first one even has a third texture – a real oldie but goodie – her Antiques Overlay.

 

 

kimklassencafe

So, that’s the junk.

But where are the sheep.

Coming my friends!

Baaa!

Texture Tuesday

| 3 Comments

 

Happy Texture Tuesday!

As anyone who reads the blog knows (all 32 of you!), I haven’t been as passionate about photography as I once was.

And, I don’t know why.

I do know the drop off started when I broke my 50 mm.  I like my zoom ok, but I loved the speed, the bokeh, the beauty of the prime lens.

So . . . the mantra  . . . when we sell the house . . . I’ll replace the 50mm.

In the meantime, I’m going to try to participate more in online photo challenges – again.

If I can get the knitting mojo back, I can get anything back, yes?!?!

Anyway, this image has a few layers of the challenge texture, “the little things”, Kim’s lovely brush “Enjoy the little things” (yes, the text is a brush – nice!) that can be downloaded at the same link as the texture, and a few layers of her water color texture, “Let Go.”

So go check out the other Texture Tuesday challenges – they’re better than mine.

Boy am I rusty!!

 

kimklassencafe

And, just thought I’d throw this one in – no texture, just tulip.

Weekend Endeavors

| 2 Comments

Very productive weekend here at 1639!

First, after months of hounding me to make a bird (can you believe it – my husband was actually nagging me to do a craft!), I finally made a bird to go in our birdcage.

Whaaa?

Well, back in the day, when I had first bought the house, and I was trying to think of clever ways to decorate it, inspired by a display I saw at Anthropology, I bought a bunch of bird cages from ebay, thinking I would put plants in them.  Unfortunately, the openings were so small on the cages, I could never figure out how to get the plant in. I threw most of the cages out, but I kept this one, because it was the nicest.

And now, it is home to a little fabric bird!

 

Because of the blobs on the fabric, he kind of has eyes, strange eyes, but eyes, and kind of a mouth, totally unplanned:

He was pretty easy to make.  The pattern is here, which is free, but Spool is also having a class this fall on how to make them, here.  I don’t think you really need a class, but the pieces are curved, and if your nervous about sewing curves, I guess the class is worth it.  I just sewed slowly, and it went ok.  At Quilt Odyssey, I got trapped for about fifiteen minutes by this guy selling a sewing foot for curves.  Very neat, but I had enough projects on my plate at that point – free motion quilting supplies, hexagons, and the feed sack squares. Maybe next year.

So, here’s the little guy in his new home –

Much easier to maintain than a real bird – although I’m sure Lemon would like a friend.  Too bad.

And then, after my bird obligation was complete, I spent some time with my Full Tilt Boogie Journal:

Here, I did some real journaling over a vintage thank you note – I blurred it because its just stupid stuff.  Then, on the next page, I practiced some water coloring -Mr. Blue Bird.  And the bottom thing, is a piece of an old letter than was in one of my ephemera pack, and if you can’t read it, it says:

“With one on the couch, one on the floor, a third in the kitchen, and a msall one raising hell on the piano, a dog at her feet while a tiger sleeps in the Easter basket, yes, your home is truely a happy one.  Granny White just rang the bell for dinner, so that’s al for now.”

I just liked it, and thought it worked with the little illustration of the family.

And, here’s my first whimsy girl, and some journaling/collaging on the next page.

And, another whimsy girl I did last night:

I call this one Candyland.  

So, that’s it for the crafties for the weekend.  Well, that’s it for posting about them, anyway.  I”ll probably work on the hexies during the Phillies game.

Go Phils.

Happy Sunday!

 

One Photo, One Street – Rain in the Morning

| 2 Comments

Photo Aug 18, 9 23 28 AM

Great, the first day of a new project, and it rains.  Bummer. 

Not that taking photos in the rain is a bummer, its just hard to juggle coffee, and an umbrella, and a camera.  But, on the first day, I soldiered through, because while I probably will take some iPhone shots, I didn’t want to start off on the phone foot.

So, in order to get myself prepared, I amped up my ISO to 1000.  I figured with rain, and mist, and what not, a little grit would be a good thing.  I tested a few settings in front of my house, and off I went.

This photo was not necessarily the best photo I took, technically, and I hemmed and hawed about what to post.  The technically good one, or the one that strikes me emotionally, because it tells a story.  I went with the story – the rain, the hesitation at the food cart, the steam . . . this is the story of today.

New Photo Project! – One Photo, One Street

| Leave a Reply

I’ve got it!

My new photo project!

Introducing, drum roll, big TA DA –

One Photo, One Street   

 

Photo Aug 17, 11 09 26 AM

So, here’s the idea.

Since last week, I’ve been ruminating about a new photo project.  What to do, what to do . . .

Another online class/workshop?  That would be someone else’s project, that I was invited to share.

Another 365 attempt?  No, I really don’t want to do anything that involves numbering, and I don’t want to do anything forced.  If I miss a sequential photo because I’ve had a shitty day in court, or I have a tummy ache, or whatever, I don’t want to feel guilty, or feel like I sandbagged my whole project.  I don’t want to ever feel like I’ve fallen behind.

What about 52 weeks?  Less numbers.   Only one a week.  Meh.  In general, I think I do take at least one good photo a week, but it’s usually taken in the ordinary course of business — one of my craft projects, my dog, something around the house.  Nothing that makes me stretch, or think really.  Just blog illustration.  No, I needed something that was going to get me out of my house, and out of my comfort zone.

Then, I started thinking of the idea of “project” not in terms of time, or numbers, or anything quantitative, but something thematic.  And, I started to think about what I wanted to accomplish with the project, what I wanted to learn.

Then I thought, well, if I want to learn, I should study.

So, a study came to mind.

I’m going to study South 15th Street.

Am I all that interested in South 15th Street?  Not particularly.  But, here’s what I am interested in – taking the ordinary and transforming it into extraordinary.

And on any given day, on my walk to work, down 15th Street, I’ve found it all very ordinary.  So ordinary in fact, I don’t see it anymore.  I can be so unaware of my surroundings that sometimes, when I do get to my office, I have absolutely no recollection of my walk to work at all.

That is going to change.

I will see South 15th Street, and if you pop in and visit the blog, you will too – one photo at a time.

Only one photo.  No exceptions.

My biggest fear when I go on vacation or visit my family, or whatever, is that I’m going to miss THAT shot, whether it’s because I’m not paying attention, or I’m slow getting my settings together on the camera, or I’m shaken into action, and my focus is all f’d up.  So, while I’ll probably take more than one shot, I’m only going to post one shot – because the project is about getting THAT one shot.

So, my goals for this project, this study are:

-to become more aware of my surroundings, and to see beyond the ordinary, to the emotionally compelling moment, and THAT shot

-to become quicker on the draw with my settings, and my focus

– to become more comfortable taking photos on the street, maybe of strangers, gasp!

-to become a critical editor, to narrow down a series of shots to THAT shot

And how long is the project going to last?

Until it’s finished.

 

 

 

Texture Tuesday – The Movie Edition

| 2 Comments

kimklassencafe

Today’s Texture Tuesday Theme is  . . . movies.

So . . .

Buehler? Buehler? Anyone? Anyone?

This would be The Quiet Man.

Although my husband has never seen The Quiet Man, and would have preferred if I had somehow managed Ferris Buehler’s Day Off.

Oh well.

Check out this week’s Texture Tuesday – really – everyone is so clever!

1 2 3 4 5 … 25