2011.10.31 Halloween Party at Jeanne/Barry's

Once again,

let the Halloween celebrations begin . . 

This year, movies and cartoons were added

on a big screen in the outdoor lodgeport.

Featured was "Young Frankenstein" . . .

A large selection of goodies . . .

and two campfires to help us stay or get warm . . .

Linked to:

Fabulous Friday at McDougall Photography

2011.10.30 20th Annual Pumpkin Carving

On October 22, Vince and I hosted our 20th

Pumpkin Carving Party,

attended by 104 adults and children.

This blog post made me realize that my first ever

blog post in October 2008 was about our 17th Pumpkin Carving.

I've been blogging for more than three years.

My first blog post is here:

Arrange whatever pieces come your way / October 19, 2008

Here are the pumpkins about half way through the party . . .

Here are some photos around the pumpkin carving table . . .

And one of my newest nieces, Lydia . . .

And, my newest nephew, Abe . . .

2011.10.28 The last of my September 10th vintage cars

I've processed the last photos from the stash of vintage cars

found in an Indiana small town on September 10 of this year.

(ShadowHouse OldCanvas4 / PSE levels adjustment) 

(TheCoffeeShopBlog Orton action / Pixel Dust Photo Art Fanciful texture)

(TheCoffeeShopBlog MochaTint & UrbanGrit actions / ShadowHouse WornThin3 texture)

(TheCoffeeShopBlog IcePop & UrbanGrit actions / ShadowHouse UberGrunge2 texture)

Linked to:

Texture Thursday at The Daily Wyatt

Show Off Your Shot at And then she snapped

Photo Art Friday at Pixel Dust

2011.10.28 More . . . Finding joy in . . .

Ever since I had my ears pierced at the end of 2010

(see arrange whatever pieces come your way),

I've been collecting earrings.

Hmmm.

I've been trying to buy handmade ones because

1.  I want to support artists

and

2.  the earrings are different from mass-produces ones

and

3.  (sigh) I'm addicted.

A recent purchase . . .

This photo is a self-portrait taken on my walk to the mailbox this morning.

Which goes to prove that morning light (shutter speed = 1/30)

combined with 2 mugs of coffee

produces camera shake.

But, back to the subject . . .

These earrings are felted wool balls on a chain.

When I bought them, I didn't realize the chains are pull-through.

Yikes.

You can adjust them to any length.

I thought I would feel the chain as I pulled it through,

but, nope, no problems at all.

You can find these earrings and other jewelry by this artist here:  Tactile Melodies

I've also been making a few Etsy purchases

from Auryn Design

and Clone Hardware.

I'm reining in my attraction to earring purchases.

Mostly.


Linked to:
This or That Thursday at Deb Duty

2011.10.27 Finding joy in . . .

my nieces and nephews . . .

Linked to:

Share the Joy at Meri's Musings

2011.10.26 Annual family overnight outing

The "people" pictures . . .

(photo by Theresa)

2011.10.20 It started as my driveway

I've been playing in PhotoShopElements again.

Surprised?

Using a texture from Pixel Dust, I created this . . .

(PixelDustPhotoArt's Linen Blind)

and using PSE's watercolor effect, I created this . . .

The first is cropped from the upper right

and the second is cropped from the lower left

of this [boring] photo

taken on a gray, rainy day as I walked back from the mailbox  . . .

Linked to:

Texture Thursday at The Daily Wyatt

Show off your Shot at And then she {snapped}

Photo Art Friday at Pixel Dust

Fabulous Friday at McDougall Photography

You Capture at I should be folding laundry

Shutter Sisters

2011.10.19 Finding joy in . . .

. . . finding faces everywhere . . .

Linked to:

Share the Joy at Meri's Musings

2011.10.19 It's not my gramma's house . . .

. . . but that's what it reminds me of . . .

Linked to:

Black and White Wednesday at Me As a Mother

Black and White Wednesday at Like Christmas Every Day

2011.10.18 Quotes / One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

Worry is the facade of taking action when prayer really is.

[ This book has been added to my "Recommended Books" tab. ]

2011.10.18 As daylight lessens . . .

. . . more hours for candlelight . . .

Linked to:

The Creative Exchange at Lisa Gordon Photography

2011.10.13 Fall asters . . .

I picked these while watching my granddaughter

and then quickly put them in a vase when we came inside.

Late in the evening,

with only a single lit candle on the mantle,

they caught my eye. . .

(CoffeeShop's MoodyPop action / KimKlassen's GrannysCupboard texture)

Linked to:

Texture Thursday at The Daily Wyatt

Photo Art Friday at Pixel Dust Photo Art

2011.10.13 Finding joy in . . .

. . . the bounty of Goodwill . . .

Linked to:

Share the Joy at Meri's Musings

2011.10.12 October moon

(textures:  all ShadowHouse AgedPhotoEffect, AMB8, AllHellBreaksLoose)

Linked to:

Like Christmas Everyday

Me as a Mother
Shutter Sisters
And then she snapped
Fabulous Friday at McDougall Photography

2011.10.10 Annual October outing . . .

. . . for Jeanne's birthday.

Autumn is here, that bittersweet time . . .

(CoffeeShop's SunKissedAction / ShadowHouseCreations Bokeh1 and Vintage1 textures)

Linked to:
Creative Exchange
Shutter Sisters

2011.10.07 More vintage cars

On September 10, Vince and I found a treasure trove of "rusty relics".

I posted my first photos here 2011.09.15 Vintage cars

More . . .

(CoffeeShop's UrbanGrit action / ShadowHouseCreations AllHellBreaksLoose texture)

(CoffeeShop's IcePop action / ShadowHouseCreations PaintSet6 texture)

(CoffeeShop's CrossProcessing action)

And, there are still more to be processed :)

Linked with:
Photo Art Friday at Pixel Dust

2011.10.06 Finding joy in . . .

polished shoes and boots . . .

Linked with:

Fabulous Friday at McDougall Photography

Share the Joy at Meri's Musings

2011.10.05 A trio of black and white

I love black and white photos.

But, I rarely change MY shot-in-color photographs to black and white

or even try them in PhotoShopElements to see how they would look.

I must have been inspired by the piano keys . . .

(PSE convert to black-and-white)

(CoffeeShop Orton action / ShadowHouse NF1 texture)

(CoffeeShop Orton action / CoffeeShop StorybookVillage action)

Linked to:  The Daily Wyatt blog

Shutter Sisters

2011.10.04 Textured eggs . . .

I have grown to love and appreciate eggs . . .

(textures:  Kim Klassen's The Ladder, Autumn Burst)

Linked to:  Kim Klassen Cafe ~ Gratitude
ShutterSisters ~ outside your photography comfort zone

[Happy birthday, Jeanne! ]

2011.10.03 An earring junkie . . . Me

Today, Shutter Sisters asks how you've changed the way you see yourself.

Just before New Year's of last year, I had my ears pierced.

For the first time.

Anne had been urging me to get them pierced for . . . years.

With her by my side, I did it.

Now, I've become an earring junkie.
Different ones every day.

Some recent photos from my cell phone to show her what I'm wearing . . .

(frame:  The CoffeeShop Blog)

Linked to:  Shutter Sisters

2011.10.01 The tower and the trees

(texture:  Shadowhouse Creations Bokeh 4)

Linked to:
And Then She Snapped
Fabulous Friday

2011.10.01 Zucchini . . . altered

(texture:  Shadowhouse Creations Enigma)

Linked to:
Photo Art Friday
i should be folding laundry