Take one red sunshade umbrella and add pixel magic

Deb set us a challenge to transform her photo and add a quote

Now that was a challenge that I couldn’t resist so once I received the image from Deb I set too with PSE.  The red is, well, very red so I removed it by turning the photo sepia before adding textures.

then I decided to add some red back as it is the defining component of the sunshade.

I was intrigued by the strong lines and pattern of the internal structure so I decided to play some more using these structures to create an abstract piece.  I added a photo that I had taken on the river just before I read Deb’s challenge

and then duplicated and flipped the image to create a kaleidoscope effect which really uses the strong structure to create patterns

and repeated with 3 other blending modes and order of flipping

and found some good kaleidoscope quotes to go with them

At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities (Jean Houston)

Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope – a slight change and all patterns alter (Sharon Salzberg)

Thanks Deb for a fun challenge and looking forward to seeing what others do with the red sunshade.

blogland baby shower for Cate

When Deb sent out an invite to an online baby shower for Cate I was intrigued, mostly because I’ve never attended one.

Deb’s idea was for us scrappers to create the basics of a page, using Cate’s favourite purple, so that Cate could then add a photo and some words and have a lovely album of her newest baby. Well I have plenty of purple stuff so putting together a page was fun.

I didn't really send her the photo of Carrie, me and Deb! I just preferred the photo of the page when I had a photo in place and that one was on my table when I made this in late April.

I though that Cate could use the ‘5’ in various ways – 5 days, 5 weeks, 5 favourite something, 5 facts, a hand or foot closeup (5 perfect digits) etc

So raising my glass to Cate and her new baby and to Deb for organising the shower and off to check out what else is happening for this blogland baby shower

Look up Look down on a dune

With some lovely sunny days at the moment, Dad and I went for a walk through a local protected reserve between a golf course and the sea. Our turn around point was the top of a sand dune where I captured my up and down

The signpost in the down photo says ‘footpath and points up the dune.

As you can see it was very windy

sculpture park with cameras

yesterday for my birthday we visited a local sculpture park

Me, Dad, my sister and her partner all had our cameras so we all have plenty of photos of photographers (Mum stayed in the cafe)

the park has many large amazing and intriguing pieces spread through the woods

and my favourite – sculpted grass mounds that you can walk around, by Charles Jencks

Look Up look Down at the theatre

at an interesting and energetic dance performance by men and wooden boxes – intrigued? there are some great images on their website. 

I took the down photo first, from our seats in the circle.  Nothing much of interest, and too many lights looking up so took one of the building when we left.

This week my down photo came first but I seem to be finding the up photo first most often at the moment – anyone else finding a pattern of up or down first?

bunting

My knitting group is branching out into other crafts as we are all crafty and creative at heart rather than diehard knitters. 

Our first project started with nice mugs of tea, yummy biscuits and busy hands cutting (and taking photos)

We all mucked in for the preparation of lots of triangles with each finding their niche in folding, drawing and cutting.

Then we each set to work to create a row of bunting and it was lovely to see the different approaches to designing the pattern and spacing along the ribbon.  Our host started in the middle with a symmetrical pattern and 2 finger widths between each piece while our artist participant kept the triangles touching and graded from dark to light.  Really nice to see that each of us set off with a plan and that each was totally different.

Then through the sewing machine on a nice big zig zag stitch and we each had a length of bunting – here is mine – the triangle that look white are actually cream with fawn dots.

Bunting was a perfect collective project as we could all help in the preparation and having 4 of us taking part meant we could use more different patterns.

#bytheriver goslings

On my daily walk by the river I glanced across and noticed that the geese had goslings with them (memory flash of school homework learning the male, female and young of different birds and animals).

I walked round closer and realised there were three families together – I was interested to see that one pair is native (orange beak, above), one is Canada Geese (black necks, below) and one pair is one of each (below left).

They were comfortable with people around and long as they were not too close. Just as well as I was not the only person watching, or taking photos.  Lots of people stopped to look and everyone left with a smile.

I took lots of photos and decided to put them together in a montage

I’ll be keeping an eye out for them over the coming weeks – they don’t stay fluffy for long.

Look Up Look down from the back of the car

I took advantage of the roof window in my Dad’s car to capture a straight up shot of the tower as we drove over the suspension bridge over the Forth

and captured the shadow of the car for the down – there is a pathway and barriers outside the road so I couldn’t get a down of the water.

I’m enjoying seeing the different ways that people are using this meme to explore stories, photography and everyday details.

Liberate Your Art Blog Hop

I joined in with Kat’s Liberate Your Art this year, after watching in envy as people in blogland sent and received postcard art last year.

I enjoyed the whole process and hope Kat is willing to run this great exchange next year.

Choosing pieces of  my digiart to turn into postcards was fun and receiving the package from Moo was affirming.  Then I sent them off and kind of forgot about it all as I pottered along in my normal routine.

Then two cards arrived for me, and over the weeks others arrived and joined them on my display case – so lovely to see them throughout the day and to appreciate the work that had gone into each piece and that someone I had never met had made them and sent them off into the unknown.

My lovely cards were made by

Penny

Kat

Teresa

Nellies

Darlene

Lisa (whose email was obscured by the postoffice’s black lines at the bottom of the card)

To visit others and see the postcards they received go to Kat’s blog and follow the links on the linky.

And a big thanks to Kat for thinking of this and for making it happen.

Playing with colour again

I’ve been playing again with the design seed palettes and multi layer flowers that I posted about last week.

I was interested in the different impact when I use the same palette but place the colours in a different order and created some pleasing pairs which I then placed together



and I thought the design called out for words

I think I could create a great series of cards this way.  Any suggestions for quotes that would work well with these images?

Look Up Look Down for bunting

Shadows are a recurrent theme in my photos so I couldn’t resist this pairing

Yes it was windy which is why the bunting is pointing upwards, but there was enough sun for shadows on the pavement below.

Enjoying the different ways that people are using this meme and the window onto life in different places

Signs of Summer

For the last 2 years I have participated in 2 fabulous creative online challenges and I’m delighted that both hosts have posted their ‘get ready’.

Rinda’s summer photo scavenger hunt has me snapping new images; hunting across town for items; walking along scouring the ground; and visiting new places (a labyrinth last year and an historic graveyard in 2011).  I enjoy the variety of items that Rinda includes on her list.  I enjoy the challenge and having all summer to find the items.  I enjoy the need to be aware of what is around me so that I don’t miss the elusive angel statue or person on a unicycle.  And I really enjoy seeing how others are doing and learning about the international differences on something as basic as a washing line.

If you haven’t participated before then I highly recommend you take the plunge this year – all you need is a camera and a willingness to keep your eyes peeled for the items.

Here are my 2 collections

 

Kristin’s Summer of Colour invites us to create something each week based on a colour, or group of colours.  One of the things that I enjoy about this challenge is that participants use a wide range of mediums so alongside my digiart I will see embroidery, drawings, mixed media, photography and nail polish.  I also enjoy the challenge of creating using particular colours without adding any others.  The challenge involves 6 weeks of creativity and I, along with many others, create 6 pieces that come together, such as a banner or set of cards.  Last year I created pieces to spell the word ‘create’ to hang on my craftroom wall

 

The year before I created pieces using Dr Seuss quotes

and had some printed onto mugs

Each year I have found this challenge and the gallery of work that is shared to be really inspiring.  I’d encourage you to participate in whatever medium you love, or want to play with.

Now I have to decide on the format I will use to display my scavenger hunt and the theme for my colour creations.  And of course I’ll be sharing my progress over the summer.

April Account

And so another month finds its way into a numerical summary, thanks to the meme started by Julie. 

As I’m typing this I turned to look out of the window at the garden an noticed 2 more dandelions that need removing !! Looks like weeding will feature this month too.

a joyful afternoon playing with colours

I was reminded recently of the fabulous resource of colour palettes on design seed – each drawn from a beautiful photo.  As I looked through the archive and admired the new ones that popped up on my blog reader I wanted to do something with them, to have a play with the colour combinations.

Quite separately I took a photo of a carnation that is on my shelves because I loved the shape and structure and with the black background I knew it would be easy to extract in PSE

The I had the creative lightbulb –use this shape to create a multi layered flower that I could then apply the colours to.

It worked [I turned the flower image black and white then copied 4 times so I had 5 layers and made each layer progressively smaller and rotated each the same amount clockwise – then applied a different colour to each layer using a design seed palette to select the colours]

And then I tried another, and another, and another, until I had 21 !  Totally addictive and creatively rewarding and I only stopped to make a cup of tea.

I put them all together on one page and I love the repetition of shape and form with the lovely range of colours.

Do you have a favourite?

irresistible shot

One of my regular walks is along the promenade by the beach with a stop at the cafe at one end, before heading back again.  This cafe makes great coffee but I also enjoy the seats outside next to the beach and, in particular that there are always pots of flowers on the tables.

At the moment there are small daffodils which I couldn’t resist snapping; in December there was heather, even when there was frost on the sand; and last summer there were geraniums.  No, I don’t have a fantastic memory for such details – I clearly find the image of the flower pots of the tables irresistible as I easily found these in my albums

 

Do you have any shots that you find irresistible and have taken several times over the year?

Look Up Look Down at daffodils

Last December, when I was thinking about starting this photo theme for 2013, this was one of the pairs that I had thought about. 

I love that daffodils appear over most areas of grass in Edinburgh – and they did too in Aberdeen where I grew up.  I love the riot of bright yellow as the weather improves. And because Edinburgh is built on the sides of hills, I knew that I would be able to take both an up and a down of the flowers.