A Little Bit of Magic - Day 34 2 B

I don't know....I think I need to play with this 'magic' a litle bit more.  

The top is the final.  This lower is the original.  It's not hitting me in a 'magical' way for some reason.  Maybe I need to try a different photo, a different 'magic' layer maybe.  

Or maybe....working on it at late hours of the night after a day of brain work really does affect my creativity sometimes.

But..another thing learned...for future 'masterpieces'.

A Bit of Sunshine for Kim

This, my dear friend, Kim....is truly for you.  A bit of sunshine to brighten your day...as much as it possibly can considering the current events of your life.

I am sure each and every one of us are praying for you and John and the boys every day in hopes that you, our major inspiration, can one day wake up and breathe....breathe in the fresh air....breathe in the awesomeness of the surroundings of 'home' with everything that makes it home....studios, creativeness, John...healthy and happy, the boys to visit and laugh with....Ben so anxiously awaiting to go for a romp in the woods, through the fields of familiarity.

Your mantra....

"What good shall I do today?'

My goodness....the good that you do every day with the inspiration and friendliness and creativity that you share with us in each and every post, picture and lesson...and life story that you share with us.

I wish that I could share so well...if even a simple daily story of my life.

Some day, maybe....I'll learn from you that it is okay to open up...but for now...I'm okay with having just learned all the awesome creativeness that you have inspired me with to date.

That is what good you do each and every day with each and every post and lesson that you share with us!

I pray for you and for John's speedy and full recovery.

Have faith, Kim.
Have faith, my dear.

Thank you for the lovely textures.

(photo edited with a couple layers of Franklin and a final layer of frosted and then back to LR with reduction of clarity for the added softness.)

DOTS - A Friday Find

https://www.bagsunlimited.com/p-6023-dot-tape-runner-double-sided.aspx

I don't know that I particularly found this on a Friday but I know it saved me on a Friday and I'd like to share it for my Friday find.  If you are an artist or a photographer that likes to share your creations in a 'matted' perspective, you know how expensive it can be to have a third party do that work for you or the expense of selling precut matts at the local craft shops.  I sure do...with the amount I put into matting pictures up for a local craft fair or a recent competition.

So I do shop around on line for some less expensive matts...but not so inexpensive that they would be an embarrassing addition to my creations.  I found some reasonably priced at this bags unlimited website where you can buy the front mat and a backing matt.

Often times I use double sided tape to do the matting to hold everything together.  Not necessarily the fastest way to do it and not necessarily inexpensive.  If just for a competition and I want to reuse the mat, I will just use some of the painters tape - which for the most part can removed easily to allow reuse of mats for the next competition or display.

Well...i found these adhesive dots.  They roll on like the correction tape does and it is so much faster than applying the double sided tape.  I matted up 50 photos combination of 8 x 10 and 11 x 14 using just two of these.  You can buy one and then buy refills which is great.  Be sure to buy the permanent one though and not the removable - at least if you are matting for final presentation - for sale.  I wouldn't use this for competition purposes unless I know I want to frame them and sell them afterwards.

For competitions where I want to reuse the matts, I would still use the painter tape.

Share an idea you have to make our creations less costly and still professional and salable/presentable.

I hope this is useful to you.

2B - Day 32 - Autumn Tree Life

I love autumn.  It is, hands down, my most favorite season.  From the more moderate temperatures, to the crisp air, the awesome palette of colors that Mother Nature blesses us with, the sound of the wind rustling the leaves, watching them do aerobatics in the air, piling them in piles and jumping in them, (despite the work of keeping them cleaned up - always a good reason to have a boy toy around), to the smell of fall in the woods and the sound of the forest under foot.

One of the most fascinating things about fall that always captures my photographic eye is the nakedness of the trees...showing their every curve, every blemish, openly, gracefully, beautifully...down right awesome, peaceful, serenity.

So of course, this would be my choice of photo to edit for my 2B challenge today.

Once again a classical Kim inspiration.


Below....the before in its true original, crooked state...until I figure out the mouse over steps again.

Heart Warming Memories

...so after my rebellious day of pretending to be six again.....

I did get back to cleaning.  My house has been on the market for a year and half.  Things were boxed up thinking I wouldn't be here at this time of the year.  But I am and I'm tired of being without some of the stuff.  Winter is just around the corner.  I don't want to mess with the chance of someone wanting to see the house in the winter....or maybe I just don't know where to go next.  I'm guessing not many showings would happen at this time of the year anyhow....so I've decided to take it off the market for the next few months and...well....regroup....see what the winter will bring (other than cold and white fluffy stuff...yeah for white fluffy stuff....booh for COLD.

In the continuing effort of trying to get organized enough to find something again...it was time to get into the closets and go through things.  Thoughts of a rummage sale arose and I got into boxes that haven't been opened in over six years (hmmm...must be a six kind of week).

 I have boxes of Tom Clark Gnomes that I need to find a buyer for (in case anyone is interested).
Started a nice pile of hopefuls for the rummage sale.  In a box of scrapbooking paraphernalia, I started finding old photos...which of course slowed the progress down a bit.  Amidst it all, I found a box of smiles accompanied with a few tears....

My one and only awesome daughters....

Bronzed.  So glad I did that.  What a photo op waiting to happen.

Love notes from my little guys.....  The oldest......

...and my youngest, most sensitive....

Really Moms.....don't throw them away...there is always a day when a smile is needed...or a memory to trigger the soul cleansing tears.


To my threewonderful children...I love you now and forever, unconditionally, always and always!!!

(Warning...it may mean your household chores will not get done.)  Oh well...there is always the next rainy or cold winter day.

....Be Six Again

It was a beautiful fall day on Sunday.  After a very very hectic and photography filled October, I had major need to catch up inside the house.  I hate it when I can't find anything and unfortunately have no one but myself to blame.  Run here.  Run there. Throw this here.  Don't put this where it belongs.  Do it later. Shove that in the drawer.  I'll remember where I put it...when I can't even remember what I had for breakfast that same day. (Sure Trisha...keep believing.)

So I woke early and started in the back family room...or should I say...throw all room.  Boxes of photos packed up after the craft show.  Lenses here.  Lenses there. paperwork piled on the table waiting to be tackled.  Dresser drawers filled with 'let's hide it here items'.   But I tackled it and made really good progress....until...

Lexi needed to go outside.  I grabbed a cup of my addiction and walked outside to let her relieve herself and throw her Kong for her for a bit....

and picked up some pears that are now saying they need to be picked and canned...

and couldn't find my way back inside.....

Oh, yeah, mom needed help taking her gazebo cover down and I knew she needed help raking leaves....

Off we go.  Temps in the 5os.  Sun shining.  Little to no wind.  Birds calling my name.

My mental prison bars went up and locked me out of the house......oh no.  (Smiling.  Smiling. Smiling.)

Thank you Dear Lord for a beautiful day and leaves that needed to be raked.

As I went to rake the last of them into the last of the pile...something hit me.

Oh yes...camera in car.
Camera out of car.

It didn't even take much urging to get her to sit in the leaves...and not so much help to get her out either...

....and we were both Six again.  Throwing leaves in the air.  Taking in the fall fragrance.  Lexi got excited and started running circles.  Mom...laughing hard.  My heart...happy to see her laugh.

Where are the kids that should be enjoying these simple moments.

Inside...on a computer...texting their friends...

Thank you Dear Lord for giving me the memories of childhood.

Thank You.

In Memory of

She would be 55 years old today.  My sister, Loretta.  I know she is heaven driving faster than 55 in the slow lane, in her convertible Forest Green Mustang along the beaches of  'Heaven', enjoying the sun, with a vase of sunflowers by her side, a good bottle of wine and surrounded by the Pelicans we so love. When she isn't driving the Mustang...she's riding one bareback.   She knew how to tame 'em.  She was a natural born rider.

Oh, how I miss her and still...wish I had been there for her.

Forever, in my heart.  Forever in my mind.

Forever, my Sister.

Floral Dreams - 2B Day 18

Our challenge this week is with adding and adjusting presets and textures to photos.    I started with this picture, which I love in its original format and had already added it to my contest/card file to include in my upcoming photography contest as well as turning into a gift card.

In it's original fomat

Are. They. Not. Sweet?

So I played.  I added a preset in its original format of KK tea and honey and then I took it into PSE and added another layer of it and played with the blend modes.  Then i added a layer of KK May 2bsafe in a soft light blend mode.  I added another layer of the original photo in a color dodge blend and layered that again with another layer of 2Bsafe in screen mode at 17%.  I merged all of those layers down and then duplicated it and put it in a multiply blend mode at 100%.  I then took it back to LR and increased contrast a bit and then reduced clarity to give it a soft dreamy look.

My dear, Kim.  These are for you.  To dream upon through these tough times.  In hopes..they will bring a smile to your life.

2B - Beyond Portraits

In an attempt to try to catch up on my Beyond lessons...well..one of the recent ones had to do with editing portraits utilizing LR.  In my search to find a portrait recently taken that I could work on, I found one of my son and his, at that point in time, fiancé (now wife).  Well...I have to admit, I don't think I quite did what the lesson wanted me to do...but I had fun 'editing outside the box' per se.

I love TEXTURES.  Love love love!!!

And actually I had messed with this one

just the night before which I did something different with and that is where I kind of got the idea for the one above.

Just remember to play around with the blending modes and utilzing the brush to erase areas of texture to highlight some of the more interesting areas to make them pop.

LR and PSE...what a wonderful world it is!!

Inspiration through Weekend Walks/Rides

In an attempt to get myself up and going again...and trying to utilize my time in a more creative way, as well as cramming as much as possible into the little bit of pleasant weather there might be before the challenges of winter photography sets in, I've joined the inspiration of Weekend Walk Challenges.

These walks will be posted here on my Breathless Rambling Page.  Click on this link or the 'Rambling' tab on the home page of this blog.

If I don't get a weekend walk in, it is normally replaced by a weekend road trip...which may be only a couple hours of enjoying the countryside...but I normally always find something that makes my camera shout out.....STOP!!!

Enjoy.

Follow me........

A few wedding memories

I promised the wedding photographer I would stay out of his way.  I kind of regretted it.  I didn't even take my camera out to the ceremony itself...but I snuck in a few shots during preparation!!

Sister/Maid of Honor watching out the window at the out door photography session.

A Bride in waiting.  A beautiful bride.

Her grandma by her side.

A little review of the vows after a minor change.

Getting the veil put on .....

with Proud mom watching over her shoulder.  My best shot ever!!

Ready to go....and patiently waiting.

A Family Well Worth Meeting

I was asked by a friend to do a family reunion shoot for someone.  A family reunion consisting of approximately sixty people.  They basically just wanted to be able to get a good group photo of everyone there.  So I accepted.  It was a great group of people and in the end they all wanted separate family group photos also.

They were so fun and so easy to be around. They even invited me to stay for brats and burgers afterwards.  I truly felt like part of the family.

Thank you, Nadine!!

The DOOR

For those of you that know me...you know my passion for Owls. This door was made for me....I am sure.  Can you imagine what work it took to do this.  The craftsmanship was awesome.  This is at the South Coast Winery in Temecula.  They had additional workmanship that was also awesome but nothing can top 'An owl'.

I tried to fit it in my purse...guess I need a bigger purse!!!

Future Farmers

After rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, the girls were getting kind of antsy.  Tired of being 'well behaved' I guess you could say.  They were awesome.  So I took them for a stroll out in the wine fields and found a wonderful old tractor to capture some shots by.  That's Lucy on the front.  I truly did not think I was going to be able to get her off of it.  She truly loved it.

So, of course, I had to try to get a shot of the wedding couple.

Muses and Inspiration needed

Yes, I've been in a lul.  A Hole.  A dark alley.  Creativity all...gone. Squished.  Need major overhaul.

The year has been full of weddings, travel, and the downside of moods due to lack of home selling and a few financial surprises..to the red...not the black unfortunately.  Job changes.  Relationship glitches.  It has all taken a toll on my blogging and photography creativity and I MUST GET BACK. I Must.  It is my survival.

Yes, it isn't like I haven't photographed.  I haven't blogged half as much as I should. I've lost track of my Beyond buddies and miss them greatly.  Maybe..maybe the oncoming winter will allow me to re-charge.  But that, hopefully, is still a few months away and I can't wait for that..so..

Off I go.

I signed in to Beyond in hopes of grasping a lesson..much behind on and I have found I can't just start with the most recent because it looks as if they have learned a few things I will need before I can participate much again ....so back I will go...to try to grasp what I need.

Meanwhile, I just popped in to one of the links and found this wonderful place .  This one I must follow and try to play along.

Time to pull myself back out to 'life'.
Time to grasp that dream again.

Walks. I. Love. Walks.

Just need to make them a bit more interesting and not just the same place every time and must take my camera on each and every one of them.

Going to the perfect place to start this weekend.

Now. I. Am. Syked!!!.

What do you do to keep interested?  What...or who...is your muse?  How do you keep from falling in to that 'empty place' of being 'lost'?

After everything - VACATION

After the wedding requirements for the first three days in California we were able to get some enjoyment out of the trip sight seeing and relaxing.

A little enjoyment of the Torrey Pine Beach in San Diego looking for little crablike creatures.

Brown pelicans flying above so quietly.  I almost missed them!!

Kings of the Hill on top of the Torrey Pines hills.

Some San Diego zoo fun.

It was a rushed trip after the wedding. We definitely needed an additional day or two but it just gives me a reason to have to go back again!!