Plum Crazy About Spring

Too much gray...

It's that time of year...cravings for warm sun and bright flowers are stirring.

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge-Chalk

This photo was taken at an annual art event in my community. Each year various artists work in chalk on a theme. This particular year's theme was reproductions of famous artworks. As for the iheartfaces challenge, The human face is actually rendered in chalk and the live human face is shrouded by her hat. Does it qualify? I thought it would be fun to enter either way.

A little context shot of the art event.

To see more chalk themed photos, go here:

I Heart Faces Challenge-Collage

I promise you, this was but a moment of discontent, and it made for great camera moments.

It's a Good Friday

 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, {fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross}, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:1-3

And walk in love, just as Christ also loved you

 and {gave Himself up for us},

an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Ephesians 5:2 NAS

I Heart faces: Hands challenge

My dear Grandmother's hands. They have worked hard and loved gently.
update:
I want this post to linger a bit...my grandmother is living her last days, perhaps hours. This month marks her 90th year. It's time for here to meet her Savior. It will be glorious. She has been a precious gift in my life.
*
Beloved Grandmother March 1920-March 2010

See other great entries here:

Photo Challenge- Sun Flare

My entry for the Sun Flare challenge. (click button to visit iheart faces)


Click to view larger.

I thought I would be different and post a toned B&W sun flare photo. I would liked to have captured the subjects in the frame a little differently, but I like the feel of the photo.

My entry for the Autumn beauty challenge. (click button to visit iheart faces)


click to view large.

Plan ahead- Christmas Layout Idea

While "shopping" over coffee this morning, I saw this layout and it gave me an idea...

This would be a great way to scrap the gift tags from your Christmas packages. I have always thought the gift tags were charming and hated to throw them out. And often, they contain sentiment. (or homemade art)

you could lay them out and scan them or carefully photograph them, or go hybrid and use the real thing.

Capturing the year's gift wrap would be great for posterity too.

Be Lovely

To read my devotional Lavender thoughts, go here

Container Garden in June

These are the containers in my front yard. Already they are more lush. This week's heat should give them a growth spurt.

Oregon Blackberries

Made with Picasa collage, picture pile style.

Click to view huge-*giggle*

Sepia challenge

My entry for the Sepia challenge. (click button to visit iheart faces)



Click to see large

This was a raw edit that needed help. It was a spontaneous shoot with the very last light of the day. I played so much with this it's hard to recall. As a final step I did a bit of selective dodging to deepen the shadows in areas.

materials used from Crystal Wilkerson's 365 project kit.

Tip: Taking Photos in The Snow

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If you have a snow setting on your camera, be sure to use it! In a snow environment, your camera thinks there is too much light and darkens your photos. The snow setting will take a more normal exposure for you.

If you are shooting in manual mode or similar, take a test shot and use your exposure compensation to get a lighter result.

To lighten a dark snow photo, open photo in editing program, copy to a layer, set blending mode to screen. If this is too light, reduce opacity. If it is too dark, copy the layer again until the photo is correct. If the final layer is too bright, the opacity will help you to refine. Flatten. Save.

In Picasa, First gently use the highlights slider watching to preserve detail in the photo's brightest spots. Then carefully use the fill light slider. For the snowiest of snow photos, go to the "glow" effect. Reduce slider if need be, apply. Next go to sharpening, use the slider and watch to see if the sharpening improves your photo, apply if you like it, cancel if not.

*The glow effect is fabulous on snow photos, you gotta try it.

(paper by Summer Driggs)

This is Me: First Car

background paper: by Dielle

This is Me: Soul Therapy

Focusing my camera on summer flowers is soul therapy.

background paper: Summer Driggs