Artistic Image

Tupperware!!

2009-02-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

Well...now I've gone and done it! Yup, I have joined the elite consultants of Tupperware :) I thought I was crazy in the beginning and sometimes I still wonder. But on the other hand, I'm having a blast with it and I get some awesome Tupperware for free! I remember this stuff in my Grandma's house and my mom still has it in hers! This stuff lasts a lot longer then our color schemes. I mean, hello? who has brown, mustard yellow, orange and avocado green in their kitchens still? Well..there are exceptions to every rule I suppose. I was thrilled to find Tupperware in Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and many other bright and cheerful colors. My kitchen is beginning to bust...but I can still cram one more piece in there....somewhere.... I have discovered the Fridge smarts. Let me tell you about these little wonders. I use to throw a lot, and i mean A LOT of veggies away. Since I've bought my Fridge smarts I'm not throwing anything away! These wonders keep my veggies and fruits up to 3 times as long!! I had strawberries for over a week and they were still firm! Now, that just sold em to me. I have found many awesome products with Tupperware. If you want some, I can do that for ya!! I have a Tupperware website where you can order or have online parties. You can also leave a message there for me to contact you. I do local Tupper Parties. Just leave me a note and we can see if your close enough :)

RMSP

2009-01-19T22:29:00.000-08:00

WOW! What a weekend! I was able to attend classes by the Rocky Mountain School of Photography in Portland. Wow! I feel as if my head would explode. I have so much info in my head now. I can't wait to get out and shoot some photos. I was able to get in at the last min. I was so sad when I got on the website to only find out that they were sold out. But I called anyways. There was a cancellation! Talk about fate. I met some awesome photographer and got to talk with some amazing teachers. This school is the place to be if you want to learn. I just wish that they were closer to me. Montana is a bit far to attend school. LOL But they do weekends and workshops. I hope to attend one of the workshops one day. I thought that I loved photography before, but now I have a better understanding and love it more. So many questions were answered over the weekend. I had so many light bulbs going off in my head, I swear I could have lit a room! It was money well spent. I came back with the tools to improve my photos. If you ever see them coming to your town or close by and want to grow in photography, go. You wont regret it. I'm actually excited about getting up before dawn to take pictures!! I think I'm crazy now :P

Radial Blur

2009-01-11T23:16:00.000-08:00

Hey there!
I am finally back! My pc is working great and can't wait to start working on things again. I took some pics while my pc was in the shop. I started messing around with them. Well, I wanted that radial blur in the background but didn't know how to go about it. So I did some research and come across one that worked. I had to do a few tweeks since this tutorial was for an older Photoshop but i'm happy with the results. I plan to play with it a bit more. I used a quick mask mode, hit "Q" and painted over the area that I didn't want to blur. After my selection...I hit "Q" again and then went up to Filter/blur/radial. I picked how much and tada! I got a radial blur in the background. I use CS3. So if you have a question, I will be happy to do some research for ya! I added the link to the tutorial I tweeked. I hope you have fun with it. I'm sure for all you experienced Photoshoppers...i'm sure this was a bit amusing :P hehe

Crash and Cry

2008-11-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

That's it!! I've had it!! Once again...the world of PC's have gotten to me. It's amazing how a pile of metal and fancy green plastic can control your world. You find yourself sitting there staring at the screen. Waiting for the most impersonal mail to load up. Typed letters of chain mail and sales ad's for the local stores. One word...Junk. You find your self surfing the net for no apparent reason. The endless searches and history builds up. Computer is about to bust at the seams. Well....mine did bust. Some how..my pc gave up the ghost and now it's in oblivion. It seems that my operating system has been corrupted. I will be sending it to the pc doc next week for a little tweaking. I really want to just chuck it but unless I can come up with a couple thousand dollars for my new Mac..I'm up a creek without a paddle. So all Ps work has come to a screaming halt and now I find myself on a laptop I'm about to kill! So...any and all donations are welcome :) Here's to the PC world we live in *raises her cup of coffee and salutes it.

Costco Baby!!!

2008-11-08T19:51:00.000-08:00

Wow! I just got some amazing news! Remember when I wrote about that photo shoot I did not to long ago. The family with twins? Well.....I just found out that they had their photos developed at Costco. I know....big deal...but it is. You see, they asked them who did their photos cause they thought they were awesome. I know, I know..big deal again, right? Well.....they wanted to use some of the shots for display! Yeah! My photos on the wall at Costco. It's a small feat but it's a big step in a ocean of possibilities. Ever feel like you can never get your foot in the door? I have felt like that most of my life. Nothing ever happens in my life concerning photos. But then...I've only been taking pics seriously for about 8 years or so. I can never remember exactly. The first time I got my hands on a SLR. It was so expensive to practice. My husband wanted to strangle me with the negatives. 7.50 a pop. And well...that first year I filled 10 mini albums that hold 100 photos. You do the math. That may not seem like much to some photographers, but it sure did put a dent in the pocketbook every week. It only got worse....thank goodness we upgraded to a DSLR. Welcome to digital world of photoshop and confusing mechanics. I was overwhelmed with it. I buckled down and learned the basics right quick. I learned on the fly. Snap a couple hundred photos and figure out the Ps stuff later. Before I knew it I had folders bulging at the pixel seams. I glued myself to my chair and fired up the PC. My husband groaned a little...well....actually a lot. But anyways....after many many tutorials and trial and errors, I go the hang of the new CS3. I fell in love all over..sorry Shawn.....I was riveted by the wonderful tools and the amazing filters. The possibilities were endless! And so, here I am today still glued to my Ps and smiling. I've come a long way in a short amount of time. I know I have much more to learn and many amazing photographers to look to. It's a world of color to explore. It's art.

Coffee Conspiracy

2008-11-06T22:05:00.000-08:00

Fingers tapping the keyboard.....glance at the empty paper cup of Dutch Bros. It taunts me with it's blue lid and pink straw. Empty....empty.... darn my caffeine craving. I find myself not being able to drive by a Dutch Bro. without stopping. The smiling face of a cute young man, ready to help you with your caffeine indulgence. "Would you like whip cream on top." You find yourself saying "why not!" How could you refuse that college boy. Why is it that it seems that every employee is these little coffee stands are adorable or just simply charming? I think it's a coffee conspiracy. A ploy to get you to stop everyday on your morning commute. Or on the way home from a hectic day of buying diapers and toothpaste. They will get you. And so I find myself a victim of a caffeine sweetened conspiracy.

Dodge? Burn?

2008-10-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

I was surfing the web one night and came across some great tutorials. I'm always up to learning more about my Photoshop. I learned how to play with these great tools, Dodge and Burn. What fun are these! I played and played with them until I got a photo that I loved. I was so excited about this that I wanted to show you all my results. I highly recommend trying these tools out if you have Ps. What fun!

A Little Recognition

2008-10-22T12:21:00.001-07:00

I logged into Etsy today and had a convo. So I opened it and found that a memeber of Etsy put me in her blog! I followed the link and found a great blog. Her treasuries are great and i'm honored to be among one of them. I know that I haven't been very attive on Etsy lately...maybe i'm just looking for inspiration? I hope I find some soon. I have been busy with taking photos of familys and kids. I recently took family pics of a co-worker of my husbands. We went to the part, found some leaves and snapped away. I was a bit nervous cause they have twin 18 month olds. I was expecting a little crying. But the girls were angels, even if I couldn't get them to smile. They sat still and watched me make a fool of myself. I tried several tatics to get them to smile. They seemed to just watch me. I just know they were thinking.."wow, she's really a dork" hehe. Oh well. It was a great experience and I found the whole family to be great to work with. One of these days I will take those girls' pictures again, and I will get them to smile! :P The parents were thrilled with their photos and said that I might become there family photographer. Its one small step towards doing this for a living. One of these days I will have a studio in my backyard. A dream that I wont give up on. I have lots to learn. I hope to intern one day when my kids are in school. I think they will be the big stepping stone. This is something that i've wanted for some time now. And I'm a firm believer that you shouldn't give up on your dreams. Even though there are times that I have. I have had stones set in my path, people telling me I can't do it and those that think i'm crazy. I guess they're not that great of friends if they try to tear my dreams down. So wish me luck! One of these days..........

Starfish

2008-07-11T07:58:00.000-07:00

My hubby and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary a couple weekends ago. It was wonderful. He surprised me and took me to the ocean. I didn't know that being lazy was such hard work! I recommend that everyone spend a weekend on the beach. It is so relaxing.

While on our little getaway we spent some time in Cannon Beach. Looking through all the shops, I came upon one with a million seashells! The selection was huge. I zeroed in on the starfish and had to get me some. I wasn't sure what I would do with them. When I got home I grabbed my cameras and went to work. I am really happy with the results. I listed them in my shop. I think these three would make any wall look amazing. It really makes me wish that my bathroom was in nautical.

Lucky Bullets

2008-06-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

Howdy! I finally opened up a new shop just for my Bullet Key chains! I use to sell them from my Luminescence shop but it is now closed. I really hope these key chains hit the mark and make me a killin'. I sold quite a few last year for the holidays. I hope to do the same this year. I plan on finding some ways of putting bullets on necklaces.

It all started when my hubby bought a key chain with a bullet on it. I kept thinking that I could make those. I finally got my hubby to show me how his reloading stuff works. I had a blast. He secretly enjoyed helping me :) I hope to offer more then just the .44 and .45 caliber. I have bigger plans :) I may be aiming to high but I hope that it will hit the mark.

I was trying to decide what kind of slogan to put on my shop. A friend offered one and I laughed. It was "Save a rabbit, buy a bullet." I got a real kick out of that. And let me tell you, I think I will be full of puns with this shop. So direct your aim on this target and come in. You will be sure to find your aim true and the caliber a sure shot :)

Canvas!!

2008-06-08T22:46:00.000-07:00

I have gotten my canvas!!! Through some trial and error and some printer issues.....I now offer a beautiful photo!! (not that is wasn't great before the canvas.....) :) After some photoshop work and adjusting the printer settings, I have a finished product. And I couldn't be more happy with it!! I think customers will be happy with it also. I hope to offer all my photography on this wonderful Canvas paper! Be sure to check out my listing in my Etsy shop.

Man Made Market

2008-06-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

Eseering from Etsy contacted me a few days ago with a request. She wanted some info on me and my shop for a possible blog spot. I got the note today that she had spotlighted me! YAY! I am very excited. It's so nice when people take notice of your hard work. I thank her for adding me to her blog. Please go and take a look!!

Canvas at Last!

2008-04-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be getting canvas paper for my photos! I just ordered it today. I can't wait to see how my photos print on it. If they turn out as fantastic as I am hoping, I will be listing them in my shop. I searched forever for paper. I finally asked my sweet cuz, Vol.25, what she uses for her artwork. She directed me to a company that has the canvas paper. I took the plunge and bought it.

With the textures I am already using on my photos, I think the canvas paper will give it the final touch. So within the month, I should have some posted in shop! So be sure to stop by Artistic Image!

Little bit of this and a Little bit of that

2008-04-10T22:34:00.001-07:00

Thats how I work with photoshop :) I take a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I like to play with curves and temperatures. Maybe a filter or two. Add some texture and you never know what your gonna get. It's my little Photoshop mixer. The problem is, is that I get to mixing so much that I can't remember how I got it! Good thing there is this little thing on the side to document all your layers :) My little cheat sheet. Well.....i've been playing some with a photo I took while up at my mom and dads. I came out with this variation. I'm not sure if i'm totally happy with it, so any comments would be great! Don't be shy. I don't think anyone can be a worse critique then me :)

Closing Luminescence

2008-03-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I have decided to close up shop. My Luminescence shop that is. I want to concentrate more on my photography. I feel like i'm spreading myself to thin. It makes it hard to enjoy myself. I feel that my photography would grow if I put everything into. I am doing lots of research on styles and such. Trying to find my own niche. I hope you enjoy the transformation. And while your at it, stop into Luminescence and get you a hat or scarf at that great discount price :)

Old Junkers

2008-03-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

I have an addiction to old rusty cars. The more rust, the better. I am always keeping my eyes out for old cars. I love the classics. If it's buried under brush or hidden behind the barn. I will find it :D I have several in my cross hairs. I intend to snap some shots as soon as the down pour stops. Gotta love living in Oregon :D So look for lots of upcoming Junkers and Classics.

Some Photoshoppin'

2008-03-18T20:51:00.001-07:00

I have been messing around with some pics I took that I thought weren't any good. Photoshop goes a long way. I use to never think to highly of altered photos. My thoughts were "if you couldn't get the shot to look good through the eye of a lens, then don't bother" a so called purest if you will. Well, my thoughts have changed. I started with photoshop a while back and I have become totally addicted. You can distort, eliminate, change and manipulate all you want. Just think, the delete button at your will. Wish I had that in real life. Or maybe a little nip/tuck. Photoshop is there to help. :D The possibilities are endless. I don't think my imagination can stretch that far. I find myself surfing the web for tutorials. Wanting to know how someone did something. The process amazes me. I only hope to learn more every day.

Way to Long

2008-03-12T22:33:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it has been so long since i've posted. Life is so crazy. I have kind of taken a break from everything to just breath. I've been working on some photos and hope to have them up in my shop. I've been thinking about hitting up my favorite cousin for a new banner for my blog. I love her artwork. Maybe she can help me out.....hint hint :) I just love her to death. She's like my own little sister. And to think she's pregnant! I can't wait to see what beautiful little baby she has. Boy or Girl. I wish I could be there for the arrival. Shhh, don't tell her but I thinks it's a girl :D I even found a cute little dress. I could be wrong though :D Anyways......I have been hunting down old cars and trucks. Trying to find my next target for Etsy. I just love working with rusted things :D I'm excited about it. I am going to be hanging some of my own work in my living room. I really need to decide which shots and what frames to go with. I can't decide between matting or floating...hmm. Anybody got an opinion? Well, I will try and post more often :)

Sold!

2007-12-06T09:12:00.000-08:00

It has been crazy and fun this month and last! I have been selling my Bullet Key chains like hot cakes! Of course, I never really understood that phrase. How can something sell like hot cakes? Are hot cakes that great? I just figured they were just pancakes. Well, to each there own. Anyways....got off track there. Sells on Etsy have been great. Christmas was looking pretty bleak until things started to sell. I have been able to buy some Christmas and other stuff. I hope the sells continue. I know that it will slow down. :( I have reached 90 sales!! I would love to reach a 100 before Christmas.

It's almost here!

2007-11-21T10:43:00.000-08:00

Well, my cousin got hitched. Whats funny is that he married my cousin. Let me explain.....Roman (aka the groom) is my cousin on my moms side. Shaela (aka the bride) is my cousin on my dads side. Who would've thought they would hook up. I think it's great! They look so cute together. I am very happy for them. I have posted several photos on my flickr. His sister (aka JessiLynn) also has some, of course! :) Besides the wedding things have been crazy around here.

My Sister-in-law's kids have the chickenpox. Two more of her kids have it now. I feel bad for her. I keep waiting for my kids to show up with spots. We will see. If they do, I hope it's after Thanksgiving and before Christmas. :)

Just a little kitty cat

2007-11-16T08:32:00.000-08:00

My husband has been gone for about a week. He has been parading all around the woods, hunting for elk. His dad and nephew have been with him. They all got drawn for muzzle loader for elk. They have been having fun. It's rained and snowed on them. Saw several elk, but no shots. Until one day...my husband (Shawn) was walking through the woods and spotted not one but two cougars. They were about 80 yards out. Shawn watched them and waited. So far the cougars didn't know he was there. When they got about 20 yards, he fired. He dropped the one in her tracks.

I think about it and can't believe it. We have been hunting up there for the past 10 years and we have only seen glimpse of these amazing animals. My husband and his family have been hunting up there for about 20 years and have only spotted a few. I know how dangerous these animals can be. I am very thankful Shawn saw them first. With cougars you never know. I think these animals are amazing and beautiful.

Stocking Stuffer for Men!!!!

2007-11-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

Do you have a hard time shopping for a guy? I know I do. Of course my husband isn't so bad, but when it comes to my Dad......well, that is a different story! I am here to make it a little better. My husband bought a key chain a long time ago that had a bullet on it. I thought, how hard could this be. My husband has all the re-loading stuff, so I raided his stash. He has so many casings and such. I enlisted my father-in-law to help me. He figured it out and voila! we have a bullet key chain. I want to offer different calibers eventually. Right now, I just have hollow point 44's. So, if your man likes to hunt or maybe hes a cop or how about that teenager that just got his driver license, look no further. These are the perfect little gift for the stocking!

Christmas is almost upon us!

2007-11-05T20:44:00.000-08:00

Oh my! Tis the season and Jingle bells and Ho Ho Ho's. I am so not prepared mentally! But you don't have to be. You can get your Christmas cards right in my shop! Just think, all you have to do is email me a photo and I do all the work. I send them to you and all you have to do is hand them out. Task one is done! Then on to the fun stuf.....road rage, penny pinchers and " darn it, that lady took my toy out of my basket!" All the fun things of Christmas shopping. Maybe this year will be different...........Well, I plan on being nice and let the lady have the toy. I mean, after all, if she is willing to take it out of your cart, then you should turn around and pat her on her back and say " Well done, I hope your child has better manners." And then proceed to kill them with kindness. :) I just love the Holidays! I think I will eat my fudge and stay home. Do my shopping online and grin at everyone that is yelling " did you see that! She cut me off! " Don't get me wrong, I do love the holidays. I already have plans for gifts. I'm not real excited about this holiday though. It will be hard not having Brian around. I know it will be hard on the family. I just pray that we can still smile and just remember those good holidays when he was still with us. So I guess you could say that I am a bit sour about the holidays. But time marches on.......

Knitting my brains out!

2007-11-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

I have been going crazy with the hat making! I can't seem to stop. I just sit down and whip em out. I average about one to two hats a day. Sometimes I will get a scarf in there. I have been trying to fill my shop up on Etsy. I think it's starting to get there. I have already sold four hats! Please come by and check them out. I try to get them on my Flickr too. I love to do custom orders. I did one for Thosegreathousewomen. She needed a hat that was bigger and wild. So I whipped one up for her. I am very happy with the result. I can't seem to stay away from the yarn isle any more! My slogan should be "Hand over the yarn and know one gets hurt" :)

Pendants with my Photos!

2007-10-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

This is so neat. EliNOpus was wanting photos to put on her pendants. I offered a few and wame, my photos are a necklace! They look really great. She is really nice to work with and I wish her many sales. Of course it's great exposure for me too. :) Be sure to check her shop out.

Back from Mom and Dads

2007-10-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

What a trip! We spent a month and a half with my parents. It was great! My husband had a job in there area. I was sad to leave. I know that sounds crazy. Anybody would probley be done in a week. I mean, we are talking about living with your parents. I thought for sure that Shawn would clash with my mom. But they were both on there best behavior and managed to get along just great. Don't get me wrong, my mom and husband get along just fine. It's just those little things that get in the way. The kids had a blast! Being spoiled and all. I am happy to be back at home, but it's a bitter sweet. It's hard coming back to life where we lost a loved one. Shawn lost his brother while we were away. He had sepsis. It's really rare. It was horrible. I hate seeing my sister-in-law so sad. They have four kids. I just pray that I can be there for her. I want to be a strong shoulder for her. I love her and the kids. It's been hard coming back. I know as a family we will get through this.

This photo is from a winery in Benton City, Wa. It was Crush Weekend. This winery is Terra Blanca. My brother did a show on it. You can check it out here http://www.northwestjourneys.com/ Just click on the videos on the left and go to Terra Blanca. It really amazing.

My logo

2007-08-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

I have been working on a logo for my shop Artistic Image. I dragged out Shawn's Fender, paper and a pencil. I began my sketch. I really like it so far. I am hoping Jess can help me with the coloring of it. She does such an awesome job. I am sure that we will come up with something great!

She made me cry

2007-08-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

I got a wonderful surprise today. I was checking out all my spaces, and there are to many, and I noticed at the top of my Flickr page there was a little envelope saying I had a new message. It's always nice to get one. This time, it was a little different. Before I go on, let me do a little history for you. Jess and I started this 365 days of photos. We have to take a photo everyday for a year. It's a big goal. Well, I don't have a pro account and ran out of space on my flickr to post anymore photos until next month. We are a little short of money, so I figured I would just get caught up on the first. It would make it a little harder to do the 365 Days. Now, back to my little envelope. It was a message from Jess saying that she bought me a gift. And that gift was a Pro account. I was stunned and so surprised that I cried. I know, it's silly but it's not often I get such a surprise. I thank her so much and I will put it to good use! Now we can continue our journey of 365 Days without any interruption's. :0 So in honor of Jess and her givingness, I give her this award.

Love ya Jess! Can't wait to see ya

Feature Seller has Bright Ideas

2007-08-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

An inventive Etsy seller. Mkendall Photographs has taken the photograph to the next level. Be sure to browse every page in her shop. Each photo is a wonderful work of art.

A little tid bit from the artist:

"I have been a painter for many years and the past few took an interest in photography. I began layering my images over each other to make collage (that's how my paintings are). That's grown tremendously and thus my etsy shop was born. I try to incorporate repeating images such as typewriters, light bulbs, polaroids and christmas lights. I hope you like what you see!"

Be sure to check out Mkendall Photographs

365 Days Update

2007-08-27T12:37:00.000-07:00

I have managed to take a photo everyday for six days. I will be posting my 7th one later today on my Flickr. I have to say that it was harder than I thought. Last night I remembered I didn't take any photos that day. I was working on a wash cloth and thought " hey, i'll take a pic of this. Afterall, it's something in my life i'm doing right now " It's not the best lighting, but it will do. I wondered last night as I was uploading it, if Jess had posted hers. She hasn't yet. Hmmmm, gonna have to get on to that girl :) Each photo has a description for it on my Flickr. Be sure to check it out!

I got an Award!

2007-08-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

The Nice Matters Award!

Jess was so kind to give this award to me! I didn't even know that people did this! In that alone says that there are many nice people out there. :)

I won't try and make a speech. I don't know if I could beat Jess' Grammy Speech :) I will say that it is very sweet that she sent this my way. Jess has been like a little sister to me. I only have a brother and he is 7 years older than me. So having Jess around was nice. I know that since I got married and moved away our relationship has been kinda up and down. I feel bad that we didn't keep in touch that much. Now...things have change and it's all because of Etsy. Since she introduced me to it, we have been chatting and brainstorming together. It's been really great! I am so glad that we now have a common ground again. Not that we never did before. Jess got married and has a child now. I feel that we have grown closer because of it.

Jess, just know that I love ya and always will be here for you. :) And thanks for the award!

365 Days

2007-08-21T22:10:00.000-07:00

Jess and I have started a new adventure. We have teamed up to keep each other motivated and on track. We are to take a photo everyday about our day for a year! Thats right, 365 photos! I just now getting my first one up. Every Monday, I will have a new post about how I am doing. You can see all the photos on my Flickr. I will try and do a recap of the week for all those who are keeping tabs ( like Jess ) :)

Here is my Day 1 photo. We are about to paint our trailer. We rolled out some kraft paper to protect the boardwalk and steps. I brought out some crayons and the kids had a field day. My daughters face was so dirty this day. She touched the trucks wheel and then proceded to touch her face. Yuk!

I've been Tagged!

2007-08-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

Whats this you might ask? I have no idea except to let everyone know a little about yourself and learn more about others.
My cousin Jess (aka Sparksfly) has so kindly tagged me. And I am so lucky to have only three letters in my middle name. Ha.... to Jess :)

Here are the rules:1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.3. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.

K= "Kind" I feel like I am a kind person and I hope others think the same.

A= "Artistic" I know, thats stealing my blog name. But, I do feel like I have inherited a gift. My Grandpa and many of my Aunts and Cousins are wonderful artist. I sometimes feel like I don't do enough and that i'm wasting my talent. Some people have even told me that. Maybe I don't have enough confidence in myself. One of these days, I will sell my drawings of my trucks and be darned if anyone tells me different. Wow, I didn't mean to write a novel! Moving on now...

Y= "Yo Yo" Some days this describes me perfectly. I feel like all I do is go back and forth cleaning up after my kids and husband. While going back and forth, my brain is thinking of all the things I want to get done for myself. So, I find my life has a Yo Yo effect. I'm afraid one of these days the string is going to break :)

So now I am off to Tag 3 other wonderful people if they want to participate. Be sure to check out there blogs

To and Fro
Joey & Aleethea
Blue Moon

Feature Seller is Smashing it Up!

2007-08-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

Smashgirl Mosaics

"I'm an obsessive plate smasher(mosaic artist) who lives by the beach in Sunny California. When I shop, I beeline for the pretty ceramics and dishes aisle, while my kids hold me back. Some people hide their candy from their spouses, I have to hide my dishes. I seriously have hundreds. I'll be smashing into my golden years! My husband wonders why we eat on plain white Correll dishes...well, I can't smash those ones, so they are safe from me. The best Mother's Day gift ever from my kids was a shopping spree to buy plates! It was so fun! Take a look in my shop to see what my broken dishes become!"

smashgirl.etsy.com

Come back often to see other Smashingly wonderful Etsy sellers doing what they do best "Crafting".

Treasury

2007-08-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

I was browsing through the treasurys and found me! I was excited to see my Dodge emblem. I thought I would share it with everyone! :))

Through the Viewfinder

2007-08-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

Here's the deal..... I have been seeing more and more of this type of photo. Jess (aka Sparksfly) is the one to introduce me to it. I wasn't sure about it at first. Then I started seeing what others were doing with this technique. I thought wow! this is cool. Jess has been doing some awesome things with it too. So I did some research. I figured I needed some expensive equipment, but I found out I didn't. I just need an old camera and my new one. So I went through some of the old cameras I collected from garage sales and what you know, I have one that would work. It's a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash. Now before I go any further, I will explain the definition of Through the Viewfinder (aka TtV). It's taking a picture with one camera through another camera. I dug out my priority mail boxes and made me a contraption. So here is my first shot with my contraption. It needs a lot of work but I like the outcome so far.

My first SALE!

2007-07-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

I am so excited! I made my first sale in my photography shop! I was beginning to wonder if anyone thought my photos were buyable. I'm glad someone thought so! I hope to sell many more. I feel like I have improved so much. I hope to continue to learn more everyday. I have been chatting with a lot of photographers on Flickr. It has been a great help. I see things now that I would have never seen before. So look for the future in my photos. Watch me grow.

The Car Show

2007-07-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

Shawn and I took the kids to the car show here in springfield. It was hot and muggy! I was hoping for a bigger turn out. But we still saw some pretty amazing autos! Shawn and I found our future car. It was a '65 Mustang GT fastback. It was totally rebuilt. It was awesome! I have photos from it but I have work to do with them. By the time we got through them all, Sydney was asleep in her stroller and Cole was dragging. I needed another shower! It was nice to get back in the car with the a/c going full blast! I worked up one shot and come up with this. I like how it turned out. Of course, I wouldn't post it if I didn't like it :).

Antiqued

2007-07-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

This was so much fun to do! I found some really great tutorials online and ran with it! I have been trying to master Adobe Photoshop 7 for some time now. Well......we all know that, that is impossible! There is way to much to consume. One step at a time. Maybe by the time i'm 80 or 100 I will get it all. Of course, by then technology will be beyond my imagination and no one will remember adobe. Then theres the chance that I will be to senile to even understand. Boy, it's not looking good is it? Upward and Onward! I will try to cram as much as possible in my head. So wish me luck!

Etsy Poster Contest

2007-07-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

This was so much fun! I loved looking through shops trying to find just the right thing. I started with a black and white. I had to add Sparksfly, so I added her cactus with red. I love it! Then I came across some green and blue and had to add. I think it turned out great. There were so many to choose from. It was hard to decide. So many talented people and to few of spaces on the poster! I hope you like.

It's just me and the computer

2007-07-16T20:27:00.000-07:00

What a day! The kids are finally in bed and I am enjoying some stir fry. It's been crazy around here. I've been working on photos for my nephews baseball team. They are going to the State Playoffs in Portland. If you saw them the first game they played, you would not believe how far they have come. What a group of troopers. They are all around the age of 10 and 11. I've been taking pictures like a maniac! I wanted to offer the parents a group shot along with an action photo of their kid. I hope it goes well. I have two done! That makes 10 more to go :)

X-Ray Vision

2007-07-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

I have found a way to see the goods! I have been messing around with photoshop and came across this. I love the way it looks. I want to experitment some more to see what else I can come up with.

This photo was of an old Kodak camera we have. Well, I should say one of the many we have. I collected them for a while. I ran out of room for them. I think are very interesting and we actually have one that still works. My husband has messed around with it and managed to get some pictures developed from it. It's work, not to mention not cheap to use. I think I will stick to my modern camera! The other photo is of my daughter on the beach at Winchester Bay, Oregon. I think it turned out cute and unique.

Blogger Street Team Orange Theme!

2007-07-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

Orange you glad you stopped by? I know, I know...... This headwrap was created from a thread idea. I have been particapating in the "Want a sale?....." thread. I asked everyone what color I should do next. It was unanimous! Orange along with a Lime green one too. So I made two. This Orange one was fun but a little out of my color favorites. You see, I live in Oregon and I am a Duck fan. And of course, the Beavers are the rivals. And there colors happen to be orange and black. I made myself do it and it turned out great. I love making these. They are a lot of fun. I hope you like it too!

So much, So little

2007-06-06T09:10:00.001-07:00

It's so hard trying to find the time to everything I want to do. My list is ever growing! There's so much I want to offer on Etsy. I am enspired everyday that i'm on there. There are so many talented peoples. Right now i'm trying to consentrate on my photography. I want to excelle in this. I feel that the options are endless! Thus, so much to do and so little time to do it in. My life is a little crazy right now. My two kids and home keep me busy. Not to mention the hubby:) I am trying to juggle to many things and can't decide what I should stop doing. I love to quilt and make different things. I found that beading is fun, but like I need another hobby! So I think I will get rid of that one. I will never stop quilting though. I just love fabric! I want to gain some ground in the photo department. Start collecting equipment.

My mini vacation

2007-05-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

I just got back from my parents house. It was so much fun! It was like having a mini vacation. We sat out in the sun and went swimming in the pool! My mom is the greatest. She is an amazing person and a wonderful gardener. She has some of the most amazing roses. My dad and her have made it into a hobby and a work of art. I took lots of photos and got some really nice shots. I hope you enjoy them!

2007-05-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

I hope to offer a large selection of photos in the future. My collection is ever growing. I hope you take time to check out Etsy.com. It is a wonderful place full of wonderful people. You can find just about anything!

2007-05-17T19:52:00.001-07:00