Puppy Love

Remember this stamp? 

I used to have a stamp collection when I was little and this is my favorite one!

I remember watching the printing of this stamp on either Mr. Roger's Neighborhood or Sesame Street.

Just a heads up that my posting will be quite scarce this week due to Christmas and the fact that the new external hard drive I got failed and nearly erased ALL of my kids' baby pictures and Etsy originals. Thank the Lord for recovery software!!! I've been working for about the past week recovering those photos, and am only about half way done.

In case I don't *see* you later in the week, I hope you have a very safe and merry Christmas!

Oldies but Goodies

Last week I told you that my hard drive is full...as in busting at the seams full. 

A lot of you suggested that I get an external hard drive, which I did! Thanks for all the suggestions. 

I was hoping to have it by now, but a few days ago I received an email telling me my item was on backorder!! Ack! 

I guess I'll also be getting a lesson in patience...

While I'm waiting for my new 'toy' to get here, I've been going through my old photos. There were some that I had completely forgotten about! Isn't it funny what sticks in your mind and what doesn't?

I've also been working on my Etsy shop. 

I've listed a bunch of new prints, finally made a banner, and freshened up my avatar. 

This is one of those forgotten shots from early this year. 

I really like the colors and abundance of bokeh, so I decided to list it in my shop.

I titled it Effervescence of Winter - quite fitting, I think!

The theme this week for Sheri's photo challenge is sight.
Although it may be a long-stretch, I'm using this photo because without my contacts or glasses, this is about the quality of my sight! My vision is terrible. And although seeing everything in bokeh is kind of pretty, it's not very practical. :)

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This shot was also taken toward the beginning of the year. 

My son has oodles of Hot Wheels and they're all so colorful!!

This is yet another new listing in the shop: Car Show in Miniature.

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And here's one more from the beginning of this year.
My husband had gone to a food show for work and came home with a bouquet of gerbera daisies...just in time for our anniversary!

The title for this shot isn't near as clever as the above two: Daisy in Sepia.

Wednesday Potpourri

Last Wednesday we left to spend Thanksgiving with my side of the family.
We drove through fog for the entire 4 hour trip.
While it didn't make for excellent driving, it did make for some neat shots and scenery!

This little guy lives in the oak tree in our backyard.
He and his family often come up to our deck to sun themselves.
...and occasionally bury nuts in our patio cushions.







Seth and I had a rare treat while in Iowa: a date!
No kids, no car seats, no pressure to be home at a certain time - it was bliss!
On the way there, I looked out my window to see the above. I thought it was beautiful and wanted to share!

We saw the new Harry Potter movie on our date. It was great!

This one is from the archives. 
When I saw that this week's theme/prompt was tire, I immediately thought of this shot. 

One recent evening while bagging the remaining leaves in our front yard, I looked up to see this small plane flying overhead. Thankfully I've become one of those crazy people who carries my camera with me everywhere. Even to bag leaves. I especially love that you can see the propeller!

Weekend at a Wedding

This is the church where my BIL (and now SIL!) got married two weekends ago.

It's a 12th century church that was relocated from London to Fulton, Missouri of all places.

And it. Was. Gorgeous.

Underneath this church is the Winston Churchill Museum, which was incredibly gigantic and interesting to walk through. 

This was a mirror that was hanging on a wall in "Winston Churchill's office" at the museum. 

In a way, it reminded me of The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyke.

Oh, and that's my husband and daughter in the reflection!

This was a centerpiece at the reception.

The reception hall was attached to a house, where we and several other families stayed, which was incredibly convenient...although a bit unusual.

So, I was able to go out early the next morning and shoot the flowers in peace and quiet in the bright morning light. 

More Leaves

Before:

After:

This little oak leaf was stuck in between the boards on a step off our deck.

Something about it was kind of beautiful yet pitiful at the same time, how it just sat there almost looking at me as if to say 'Help! I'm stuck!'

:)

I use PSE 8 and here's what I did:

I duplicated the background layer and set it to overlay.
Then I added a Kim Klassen texture to it, and also set blend mode to overlay.

And that is it!

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This one tree has such deep oranges and reds and little hints of yellows.

Even the leafs on the ground show off their beauty.

(this is a zoomed out version of the shot I posted last Friday)