Tuesday Challenge: Paper

Give a child some red, yellow and blue paint with a clean sheet of paper and their work of art is only limited by their imagination.

Practical Yet Fun—Digital Photo Frames

I've got a friend that is diligent about changing out her picture frames. There's a different photo of her children for every holiday and occasion. How doe's she find the time? Then there's me.:-) I'm lucky if I can change out my photos every other year. For anyone that takes digital pictures, you can relate to the dilemma of taking so many photos it's hard to print them all, let alone changing out your frames with physical pictures. That's why I've decided to convert to digital photo frames from digitalframez.com. You can download all your photos to the frame and let it rotate as many pictures as you like. They have 7" up to 10" frames in different styles to fit your decor. You can even transfer video with sound! And you get a FREE 256 MB memory card with every 10" frame order! I'm thinking this would be an excellent gift for the grandparents so they would have a year's worth of photos of their grandchildren and their own personal slide show to present to their friends. Now I know what to get them for Christmas!

Illustration Friday: Visitors

"Visitors" used to always leave a calling card. Thinking of the challenge I thought this might be a little different from the norm.

Illustration Friday: Captain

I'm a week late on the topic, but I wanted here's my pirate for "captain". Aarrrgh, me mateys!

Thursday Challenge: Hot

This is an older picture. Recently temperatures have been up around 100. So this might not be so "hot" after all.

Shutterday: Closer To God

LensDay: Street

More like "under the street". One of many mosaics in the New York subway system. This one is at the Chambers Street station stop.

Wonderful Screenprint Artist...

I found this screenprint artist through Sub-Studio Design Blog.
This print on the left is what you see in the light, the second is what you see with the lights off (90% of ink is glow-in-the-dark). Check out all of Dan McCarthy's work. It's really amazing.

Thursday Challenge: Young

Photo Friday: Oddity

Found these in a thrift store. Oddly cute. Available in my etsy shop (click on link in sidebar).

Tuesday Challenge: Metal

My computer has been sick for a week and I finally got it back. It had a minor operation but is feeling much better these days. Hence, my inspiration for this challenge. :-)

Photosharks: Signs

A travelling snake show comes to town...

Illustration Friday: Missing

Thursday Challenge: Toys

Fun with bubbles. Saw a guy on The View this summer that did amazing things with bubbles. He enclosed Joy Behar and Paula Abdul in a huge bubble—now that's a feat.

**Found out his name is Fan Yang, Bubble Scientist His site is pretty cool and if you didn't see him, check him out on his site.

Early Christmas List...

Been reading about Gocco and found out that Paper Source has large print size Goccos in stock with all the supplies. Until now, Gocco had been discontinued and they were hard to find until Paper Source began stocking them. If you don't know about them they are like mini screen printers and seem to be a lot easier to use even if the format is smaller. In case you were wondering, it's pronounced like "Loco", as in "Loco for Gocco".

Drunk Love Anyone?

I first heard about Denyse Schmidt some time ago in Martha Stewart's magazine and fell in love with her funky quilts. I especially love "Drunk Love In A Log Cabin" (the first quilt on the left), then comes "Snake Charmer" and "What A Bunch of Squares". These are couture quilts costing thousands so I guess I will just dream. Denyse Schmidt Quilts

Shutterday: Train

I tried to find something a little less expected for this theme. Not your typical "train". It was fun to ride, though.

Thursday Challenge: Food

Enviro Bags to the Rescue!

Ever since I found the article about plastic bags and their effect on the environment (I'm sure I always knew, but this article really hits home with how serious it is), I have been taking my bags back to the store for recycling and have looked for some reusable shopping bags to keep in the car. I think Envirosax will fit the bill. They are fashionable and hold twice as much as the typical plastic bag. You can buy separately or in packs of five. They also have monochrome and organic versions. Found via Fabulously Green I can't decide which pack of five to get. Which do you like?

*Edit: 8/13/07 - I ended up ordering the set on the far right and they came in the other day! I used them for the first time on Sunday when I did some grocery shopping and got some weird looks from the checkout person, but I felt so great when I got home with NO plastic bags! These bags are wonderful and really are at least twice the size of a normal plastic bag if not larger. The pack of five also fit wonderful in a small purse and they are easy to fold back up after use! If you're looking for reusable bags that are stylish and easy to use you need to give these a try. :-)

PhotoSharks: Chaos

Yes, this photo is so photoshopped so I may be breaking a rule but I think it totally fits the challenge. (It's christmas lights doctored and filtered to look like the end of days)

Illustration Friday: Poem

Leaf Heart

While taking a walk in the woods yesterday I found this green leaf shaped like a perfect (almost) heart shape growing up from the forest floor. It was begging me to take it's picture.

Inspire Me Thursday: Goddess

Inspired by characters like June Cleaver who were expected to be every man's "Goddess": perfect looks and figure, great cook, and wonderful moms who always dressed impeccably. I used collage material from vintage dress patterns, old recipes and ephemera. Aren't we glad those days are gone? :-)

Shutterday: Street

Confetti from a street parade in Chinatown on our visit to New York City. Walking the streets of New York is unlike any other city I have experienced. Every step is something new to photograph, another sight that you wish to remember.

Photo Friday: Vacation

LensDay: Beautiful

Beautiful, lazy days of summer.

Thursday Challenge: Garden

A plant from my newly planted water garden. I think it's called a "Blue Water Forget-Me-Not".

PhotoSharks: Retro

My 74 yr old father's "retro" red, Converse sneakers he wore to the Fourth of July celebration. Perfect for the theme.

Plastic Oceans and Being More Green

Photo Credit: Gregg Segal

"Our Oceans Are Turning To Plastic—Are We?"

I came across this article via "Something to Say" and I haven't stopped thinking about it so I had to post it on my blog as well. Basically it's an article on plastics and how they are changing our world for the worse. How every piece of plastic that has ever been made (minus the small percentage that is recycled, since only #1 and #2 plastics are the only plastics that can be recycled) are still around and how there is a mass of discarded plastic floating in the ocean that is twice the size of Texas. It's a very sobering article and has me rethinking how I buy products and how I could do more to help the problem and become MORE green. One big thing we could all do is take a reusable bag to the store instead of getting a plastic bag. A very simple thing that would have a huge impact. It's a great read and here are some other "GREEN" links if you want to find other ways do more to help our planet.

Worsted Witch
Treehugger

LensDay: Smoke

Closeup up of our "Magic Black Snake" pellets we lit on Fourth of July. Love 'em!

Tuesday Challenge: Heights

View from Statue of Liberty looking back towards Manhattan.

Photo Friday: Busy

Thursday Challenge: Time

"How long will it take these Robin eggs to hatch?"

(These were not taken from a nest they were found on the ground)

PhotoSharks: Destruction

A church that was in the process of being demolished. Looks like it could have been some kind of natural disaster. This is my PhotoSharks entry for "demolished". Do you have an entry for this week's topic? Click on my Photosharks link to the right to enter yours.

See It Sunday: Dark

Taken in December of 2006. Grand Central Station in New York City at night.

Tuesday Challenge: Round

Photos from our walk-in Butterfly Exhibit visit. I snapped a picture of the Butterfly Diagram to match my photos with the correct name. This butterfly here seems to be a "White Peacock".

Shutterday: Free/Freedom

Got our fireworks yesterday. Haven't bought them in so long, I didn't know quite what to get. Our bag ended up costing $21.00—pretty good for us. We see a huge fireworks show anyway so this is to shoot off after the "big show". We ended up with an assortment that I hope will make everyone happy. We have ones that spin on the ground like flowers; ones that shoot a shower of colored sparks, ones that go up and (hopefully) make a colorful show, and also the coveted "Black Snakes" I remember from when I was little. I loved to watch the black pellets grow into long charcoal snakes (it's best to light all at once!). Have a safe and Happy Fourth of July!

Tuesday Challenge: Coast

My New Water Garden

Here's shots of my new water garden. We found a kit that included: liner, pump and fountain for around $80.00. With the plants the whole project cost a/r $110.00 and it was finished in a day! Very relaxing and beautiful. I love it.

A thought for Friday.

Just a thought for Friday.

We had a storm the other night that blew out the main TV our family had near the kitchen. You don't realize how much that thing is on until you turn it off and leave it alone. Another TV's cable doesn't work. We went from three TVs to one. It's so much more peaceful without that thing on. I've heard it said by others, but now I know it to be true. I don't think it will be replaced. It's so nice and quiet.

Like I said, just a thought for Friday. :-)

Thursday Challenge: Weather

Not your typical "weather" post. This is a "weathered" advertising sign painted on a brick wall. I love most objects with an aging patina: flaky paint, rust, old wood, you get the idea.

PhotoSharks: Perspective

How many of you have a coconut monkey head hanging in your closet? This is mine from over 20 years ago from a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii. He was fun to photograph. Kind of cute, kind of ugly, my kind of collectible. Thought you'd like to see him from my perspective. :-)

Illustration Friday: Camoflage

Another entry inspired by our Florida trip. We went to St. George Island and on the way stopped at St. Joseph State Park in Cape San Blas to snorkel in St. Joe's Bay. We've come here for years and on different occasions see: sea urchins, puffer fish, skates, sting rays, sand dollars, horseshoe crabs, hermit crabs, blue crabs and all sort of fish. Awesome experience. You have to look close because the animals are often camouflaged in their surroundings. :-)I'm still waiting to see a seahorse!

Photo Addict? Get Photojojo!

Looking for new and cool things to do with your digital camera or pictures? Photojojo is a great newsletter that offers so many tips and tricks to make cool stuff with your "bazillions" of photos you take everyday. Go check it out.

Invasion of the Miniatures

Wonderful photography of miniature people photographed in real world settings Little People Blog found via Something to Say

PhotoSharks: Remarkable

On a trip to New York in December I saw the Statue of Liberty up close and personal. She was quite remarkable.