harvest

is there anything more soothing then the smell of lavender

it was such a wonderful first fall weekend

 what a perfect day to harvest

 

I spent time cleaning my garage

 making space for all my garden ornaments and furniture

wondering through the garden, taking photos and planning next years design

 

it will be sad to see the garden go

but I will have this bundle to remind me

that spring will come again

and I will be ready to get my finger in the dirt

and nurture it back to its glory once again

 

 

 

 

change in weather

i've been hibernating this winter, mostly due to a "popped rib"

its been a problem since late november and i've done everything possible to make it better

some days better than others

going a little stir crazy, watching too much tv and no art

on the weekend there was a huge change in the weather

temperatures reaching 13c 58f 

the 2 foot layer of snow on my front lawn is now completely gone

i decided to head out with my camera, i got as far as the bluffs near my house

the marina was filed with ducks, geese and this wonderful swan

i really wanted to play in ps  when i got home but sitting at the computer is difficult

so i finally "rigged" a spot on the couch, with lots of pillows and got some time to play

i found several interesting masks and bokeh at shadowhouse

a half and hour later i was happy with the results and getting a chance to create

now back to rest!!

classes with marie

just a "heads up" for anyone interested

my friend marie is teaching two of her fabulous classes

starting in the next few weeks

i have take all of her classes and

have really enjoyed them and learned a ton

marie's classes are filled with wonderful project

and lots of tips and tricks for creating

beautiful photos

see some of my projects i've learned from

marie on my flickr page here

one thing always leads to another

for weeks now i have been working on a flagstone patio

first i had to dig up the sod, then level the ground, added some fabric screening and

i was ready to head to the local landscaping store

4 trips with 200lbs each

did i mention i love my bug!!! it's great for any job

once i got all the stone moved from the car to the backyard the puzzle began

it took me several day to finally get it just right

i used sand to level and heighten some of the stones

once it settles a bit i will add in the mortar

while i was at the landscaping store i found some really interesting rocks

and of course the forklift had some great texture on it

which lead me to photoshop where i converted it to b/w and added it to my poppy photo

i duplicated the poppy  and texture photos several times

tried on several filters and played with all the blending modes

finally i added a layer mask from shadowhouse

paint, sketch, play

with the garden finally taking shape

i found a little time to work in ps

and get some homework done for marie's class

paint sketch play

i've been combining all the lessons from week one and two

so that i can catch up

it's been fun discovering all kinds of  "looks" for just one photo

texture challenge

i can't believe this is my eleventh texture challenge

i've really enjoyed creating these textures

but most of all i love all the different inspirations that have been created

by all who have joined in
above, one of my country road photos with 3 of my latest textures and a layer mask from marie

if you would like to join in

you can download these textures from my flickr page

the key to this challenge is to play and have fun

use one or all six,try all the blending modes and see what happens

if you would like to share your work you can e-mail me at

nancy_allpulpedout(at)yahoo(dot)com

i will be posting results in 2 weeks so there is lots of time to play

texture challenge

this months challenge was a lot of fun

i loved playing with all the textures

above i added all six with various blending modes and a filter on my photo

the mask is from shadowhouse

below are some wonderful samples from the participants

deborah


caryl

kathleen holley

johanna

joanne

kaylene

marilyn

marion

glory

jill

today i am celebrating my fourth year of blogging
i can't imagine not having this outlet

(i love looking back and seeing my art life )

it has been wonderful
"meeting" so many talented people
sharing ideas and art
and being inspired by it all
i greatly appreciate every ones
comments and encouragement
and would like to say
" thank-you "
sincerely, nancy

------

(above, one of my country photos using several filters

my grunge textures and a mask from shadowhouse)

texture challenge

for this months texture challenge i looked through my cemetery folders

i have thousands of photos to choose from

i find it very peaceful to wander , enjoy the nature and learn some history

(above a simple photo from the farm, using several of these grunge layers)

there is the best texture found here

if you would like to join in the challenge you can download them from

my flickr page here

you have 2 weeks to play and if you e-mail me your finished project

i will be posting results on april 24th

above the original photo and 4 samples of how a blending mode can change the mood

happy easter

wishing everyone a wonderful weekend

above, a shot from a local cemetery, a few grunge layers and some text
i used the burn tool on the edges

paint, sketch, play

this is going top be so much fun!!

i can't wait!

marie's classes are always packed full of wonderful

techniques, project, tips and tricks
this will be my fourth class with marie

i have already learned so much from her

by the looks of the samples it is going to be a great class

if you want to register class starts april 20th

see details here

save $10 if you sign up early-- promo code PSPEBR

homework

catching up on my home work for susan tuttle's on line class

week three's projects

above, the holga technique on

a kewpie doll i found in an old barn

cross processing

photo from the cne last year



and fisheye technique
photo taken in paris

sketchbook challenge

over at the sketchbook challenge

this months theme flowers

with the warmer temperatures , my garden is ahead of schedule

which lead me to look through last years photos, which inspired me

to get some sketching done.......

after scanning the sketches i really wanted to add some color

once i started playing with some brushes in ps i couldn't stop!!!

texture challenge

another great texture challenge

thanks for playing along

kathleen h.

karen arts

joanne

juliet

johanna

glory

marion

kaylene

deb s.

catching up

i'm a little behind on my homework for

susan tuttle's on-line photoshop class

toy camera effects

below--- weeks 1 and 2--- before and after

diana

pinhole
polaroid

silver gelatin

------

i'm working on week three right now and can't wait for week 4