Japanese Gardens

Yesterday, I took the photog group (three fabulous teens) that I'm teaching to the Japanese Gardens to practice our skills. They took some fantastic shots and we all had so much fun!

From Japanese Gardens

From Japanese Gardens

From Japanese Gardens

Photo Editing: Vintage, Hand-Tinted Look

Yesterday's lesson from Jessica Sprague was on creating a vintage, hant-tinted look. I chose to edit a photo I took on Sunday at the Berry's house. She's beautiful!

Before

After

And for the super-duper double points, we added a frame & some stars:

I love learning about Photoshop!

I'm not looking forward to this afternoon - off to the dentist! :( Hope your day is fantastic!

11 years ago today...

...and I still do!

I love you, honey, and can't imagine life without you!

Adobe Class

Our first free Adobe class through JessicaSprague.com was posted today. We learned how to add frames and word art to photos. The frames and word art were provided through the class. I'm really enjoying learning how to use this amazing software that I have (Adobe)!

Mountain Man took this photo on the PCT - a rejuvenating sunrise!

Pun Family & new polarization filter

We had a lot of fun at today at the *Pun Family's house, bbq-ing, playing card games, and chit-chatting. We met this fun couple in our Antioch Adoptions classes and they instantly felt like old friends. They're full of energy and a lot of fun to be around. My favorite quote of the day was from one of their girls who said, "I can't wait to be full!"

And in other news...

Mountain Man bought me a brand-spankin' new fancy schmancy polarization filter. It makes such a difference in my photos! Here are a couple that I took today. I had so much fun talking that I forgot to take pictures! This happens more often than I'd like to admit...Anyway, I'm off to plan some fun stuff for our anniversary week!

*I have renamed them to keep their identity confidential.

Hope your week is full of sunshine!

Happy 4th of July!

Well, it's midnight here and it's still booming all around us! Our neighbors put on a magnificent fireworks display and I enjoyed playing with my camera. I just read how to photograph fireworks using my manual settings in my new favorite photography book, The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby. This was the perfect time to try it, so I kept the camera in manual, mostly on f/11.0, ISO 1600, and a shutter speed of 4 or "Bulb." I think some of them turned out pretty well, considering the distance of the fireworks were difficult to predict and my tripod isn't the easiest to adjust.

Please see my Friendly Fireworks album for more photos.

It's easy to get wrapped up in the festivities...bbq, fireworks, friends, family, fun, but I would like to take this time to list a few people that I know who have contributed to our FREEDOM! Many thanks to the late Charles McCoy (my Pappaw), the late Donald Crafton (my Grandad), Billie Crafton (my Grannie B), Tina (Grannie's friend), Tom Bristol, and Adam Ray. A special thank you to you for your sacrifices.

May God continue to bless the USA!

Blanca Lake, Take 2

This was our second attempt at hiking to Blanca Lake and we made it...just barely! This fat, out-of-shape, middle-aged stamper woman isn't ready for a 4-star difficulty hike! We really didn't think it was going to be that difficult, but 8 miles, 9 hours, and 2700 feet of elevation change later, this lady could barely walk! We wound up using our head lamps and getting back to the truck at 10:40pm. It was a long day, but it felt good to complete it, especially when my body was constantly telling me to go back!

Blanca Lake, still mostly iced over

Sun-lit mountains surrounding the lake

We spent the entire day recovering and good news - I can walk! :) For more photos, visit my Blanca Lake Hike on 07-03 album.

A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA Twilight Challenge

I'm having so much fun with the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA challenges - and we haven't even begun yet! This week, we were to be inspired by Twilight. Last weekend, I went to the A Muse shop just to get this cute little vampire set that someone said we would want for some upcoming challenges. Of course, I came away with some extra goodies, but it turns out that I love him!

So...in honor of Twilight (which I have yet to read), here's my card: My Type.

I used a white gel pen to write in different blood types on the DP on the bottom of the card. This is for my sweet hubby, affectionately known as "Mountain Man," so I didn't froof it up! A simple card with some simple stamps. :)

In this photo, you can see Eddie's pin-striped slacks, glittered vest, the dimension of his cape and the shiny effect of Crystal Effects. After I had shined his shoes, I decided to do the cape...don't ask me why! :)

Card Details

Stamps: Vampire from A Muse, Sentiment from MFT's Digital Girl set

Paper: Black, 2-sided Halloween cardstock by Scenic Route (Salem Scrap Strip SR882)

Ink: Versafine Black, Copic EEO, Green & Black Sharpies, Silver pen (for pin stripes) and white gel pen

Accessories: ribbon, dimensionals, green glitter glue

Thanks for coming by! Happy stamping!