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Sunday, January 1st, 2012

Looking Back At 2011

Well folks, it’s been a year. Let me start by wishing you all a Happy New Year!!! And, by thanking you for popping by my little corner of the interwebs when you did. As with every new year, I like to begin by taking a look back to see how far I’ve come. And let me just say, last year was quite a ride…

In January 2011, I took things quite easy on the blog as I was a) doing a lot of solo parenting (the hubby was directing a show), b) had visitors in town, and c) had two Monkeyboys to plan birthdays for. I started posting “Creative Inspirations” links (see also the list at right) to share with you some of the sites “out there” that inspire me. Of course, times and tastes change, so I think we may be due to overhaul the list… but I’ll have to see how busy January 2012 looks first.

February 2011 saw the return of some more time to create, and as a result it seems, some of my most popular posts. People apparently want to know all about iCarly Penny Tees and birthday parties, and Angry Birds crocheting. But I think my favourite creation blogged about that month was the fat quarter hostess aprons, which I both gave instructions for and created for myself.

March 2011 saw me going on a trip to LA, which led to some fun suitcase personalization, and was followed by me crocheting the cutest little Poko hat for Monkeyboy Junior Jr.

In April 2011, I got busy in my garden and made only a few blog contributions – like the quilty critter cards I made as thank you cards, a few yummy recipes, and the IKEA dog revamp.

May 2011 involved even more gardening and lots of spring cleaning in preparation for the garage sale, which meant little time to create “stuff”. But there were a few nice photos as I recall… like this, of my favourite flowering plum tree.

In June 2011, I was a ~~little~~ lot too busy with life – the garden, the kids, the house, etc. – to blog about much. But I made up for it in July 2011 by posting about tons of stuff – like making the backyard cabana, the gorgeous summer blooms in my garden, putting up more art, my temporary rock cozy crocheting addiction, and my favourite of all, painting the Kelly Rae-inspired “Love” girlie.

August 2011 saw me participating in Susannah Conway’s August Break once again, but with a new twist – the use of online editing programs like Pixlr-o-matic. Which <ahem> I have become quite happily addicted to. =) It also saw me starting on the Dancing Mermaid-inspired Words On Bodies project, taking some gorgeous photos of some gorgeous ladies (see Day 5, Day 9, Day 17, Day 25, and Day 31). I shall have to find some more “guinea pigs” for this project once the weather warms up again. Yup. August was a great month for my photography…

In September 2011, I finally purchased PSE9 and started playing around with it on some baby photos for a friend, but I really didn’t have much time to explore all of it’s offerings. Instead, I continued to play with the quick-and-dirty online presets I had grown to love, and began using my photos to create more mosaics for the “These Moments” Flickr group, and to pepper my new gratitude journal.

In October 2011, I continued to take lots of fun photos and play around with them in editing. But I also tried my hand at some embroidery (for the first time in years), completing the Alicia Paulson-inspired alphabet sampler and creating some “Naughty Stitches” of my own.

I also learned a bit more about PSE9 and created a wacky composite self-portrait.

Thanks to the arrival of my replacement spy-cam (woohoo!), I spent November 2011 and December 2011 mostly blogging with photos. But I’m afraid I was too preoccupied with working on tidying up the house, preparing for Christmas, and various travels and whatnots, to do much else. Except maybe make a few gifts, but I haven’t posted about them yet…

So, yeah. Even with just the highlights, 2011 has been quite a year. Not to mention all the stuff that I never got around to blogging about! Whew. Talk about ebbs and flows… As for 2012, I am looking forward to carving out even more time to get the house in shape, and to create some more fun goodies to share with y’all. Peace and joy to you! =) K

Tags: 2011, 2012, alphabet sampler, Angry Birds, art, August Break, baby photos, birthday party, blog, blogging, blooms, cabana, creative inspirations, crocheting, fat quarter, flowers, garden, gardening, girlie, gratitude, hat, hostess aprons, house, iCarly, IKEA, instructions, journal, KateWares, links, looking back, love, mosaics, naughty stitches, organization, painting, penny tees, Photography, photos, Pixlr-o-matic, Poko, PSE9, quilting, quilty critters, recipes, revamp, review, rock cozies, self-portraits, spy cam, suitcase, summary, thank you, tidying, words on bodies

Posted in Musings | 6 Comments »

Saturday, October 15th, 2011

Yummy

Went for an afternoon walk with the new spy-cam today. Had the prompt “simple” in my mind (even though I totally missed the deadline for submitting these)…

‘

And she’s baaack… Wheee! =)

Tags: fall, leaves, new, Nikon Coolpix S10, pics, spy cam, water

Posted in Photography | 12 Comments »

Friday, October 14th, 2011

NEW and Improved Spy-Cam!

It finally arrived – my replacement Nikon Coolpix S10!!! And I couldn’t be more thrilled! It even came with it’s very own family photos (note to all sellers of digital devices – you might want to make sure your memory is cleared before you ship things off )…

(Tee hee hee. The camera is living up to it’s “spy-cam” name, I see. At least I know it comes from a happy past…)

Anyhow. The new camera is a vast improvement over my old one. As you can see, the old one (right) has taken a bit of a beating over the years…

While the new screen is a little bit more scuffed up on the new one, you can see the old one (right) has been handled waaay more – the paint has been rubbed off a lot of the buttons, and the original handstrap broke off years ago.

See the giant ding in the old one (on the right)? And the complete lack of a lens cap (I broke the second one months ago…)? Which, naturally, resulted in…

… some wicked chips on the exterior the lens, and multiple micro-cracks on the interior. Which of course, has led to serious problems with my images lately…

Like an overall inability to focus well, and a “soft spot” in the middle of images, caused by all the refracted light bouncing off those micro-cracks.

And far too many missing pixels! (Though they are difficult to see at this small size, they are really noticeable at higher resolutions – like on Flickr.) I’m not AT ALL going to miss having to touch up photos this much any more…

So, there it is. Woohoo! Welcome to your new home, little buddy! I’m hoping to get a chance to take it out for some fun this weekend. Wish me luck! And have a great weekend y’all. =)

Tags: clear your memory, dents, digital devices, dings, dropped pixels, Flickr, higher resolutions, inability to focus, micro-cracks, new, Nikon Coolpix S10, old, replacement, soft-spot, spy cam

Posted in Photography | No Comments »

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

I Heart Neil Finn

Well, as you may have figured out by now (which is late on Friday night for me), I will not be sharing my proposed “fun wedding” post today. Long story short, yesterday was CRAZY. It was my son’s first day of school, our 10th “legal” wedding anniversary, and the unusual occasion of an honest-to-goodness “night out” with my husband (just to mention a few things). Ultimately, the end result was that I am a complete basket case today (albeit a very happy basket case), and I just didn’t have it in me to go through hundreds of wedding photos and write a proper post. Oh, well. Sorry. Maybe tomorrow.

Anyhow. In lieu of that post, I thought I’d quickly share a bit of my night out with you, which (as you also may have figured out by now) is why I heart Neil Finn. (And if you don’t know who that is, well shame on you! Go directly to iTunes and start enjoying Neil Finn, Crowded House, and Split Enz NOW!)

So. Twenty-one years ago (*sigh*) my friend Grant Harvey entered a Much Music video contest. The grand prize of this contest was having Crowded House come and play for the winner and his/her friends in the winner’s house. To cut to the chase, I was in Grant’s video, his video won, Crowded House came and played at his house, and I was invited. (How I know it was 21 years ago is because I ran into Grant last night and he was kind enough to remind me… *sigh*).

Paul Hester and Neil Finn of Crowded House playing in Grant Harvey’s basement, 1989. I have more photos, but you get the point.

Anyhow. To this day, it is still one of the most exciting nights of my entire life. I had never before been that close to somebody whom I admire so much artistically, and at the tender age of 20, it was an incredibly cool experience. Thanks again, Grant!

Well, last night Crowded House was performing in town, and my husband was kind enough to get us tickets to celebrate our 10 years together. This is just one of the many things I adore about my husband – he “gets” my musical/movie/television tastes and is really good at finding ways for me to enjoy them. The concert was amazing – musically brilliant, visually stunning, emotionally stirring. And although I am clearly not 20 years-old anymore (as my sore voice, achy body, and muddled brain can attest to today), it was totally worth “going out on a school night” to see them. Thank you David! I heart you more than I heart Neil, just so you know.

Here are a few photos I managed to snap with my wonderful “spy cam” last night. For those of you who were fortunate enough to enjoy the concert, I hope they bring back some fond memories.

Ahhhh. And YIPPIE!!! And now, I must to sleep. Sweet dreams, y’all!

Tags: Crowded House, Much Music, Neil Finn, night out, spy cam, video contest winner

Posted in Uncategorized | 14 Comments »

Friday, June 18th, 2010

But It’s A PHONE, People!!!

I’ve got to admit it, I’m something of a photography snob. Well, maybe “snob” isn’t the right word exactly, but I certainly do have some steadfast opinions about photos and cameras and the like. Which is why I’ve been avoiding getting a cell phone with a camera in it. I mean, come on! It’s a PHONE, people – how can you expect to take good quality photos from a phone?!?! I’d seen pictures taken with my husband’s iPhone, and they were okay…in a pinch, but certainly nothing to write epic poems about.

And then…there was the iPhone Hipstamatic ap with the whole Toy Camera thing. And suddenly, I had to rethink everything I though I knew about camera phones. Hipstamatic photos started appearing all over Facebook, and in spite of my internal snobbishness, I *Loooved* them! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the Kodak Instamatic X15-F was my first camera ever, but the fuzzy moodiness of these camera phone photos makes me weak in the knees. I don’t know whether they give “Average Joe iPhone User” bragging rights as an “artiste”, but I do know what I like.

A “hip’d up” corner of my studio, taken with my husband’s iPhone.

Still, it’s probably just the “exception to the rule” phenomenon…right? Well, then my bottom-of-the-line, use-only-in-case-of-emergency cell phone exploded from within, and my husband encouraged me to get something a little more advanced to replace it. While I balked at getting an iPhone for myself (I don’t need even more instant distraction capabilities, plus I can always borrow his to take my own Hipstamatics), I agreed to upgrade to the Sony Ericsson T715A, with it’s 3.2 megapixel camera/video recorder.

Hmm. Not bad for an unaltered “catching the light” photo.

So, as I was heading to the bank the other day, I was thinking about my next crafty project (a sign for KateWares) when I noticed the storefront of a quilting establishment. I loved the lettering on the quilt and wanted to “bank” it (pardon the pun) for future inspiration – but alas, I was without my trusty “spy cam” (my awesome Nikon Coolpix S10). *heavy sigh* Oh, wait! I had my phone. My new phone – with a camera in it. (How crazy is that?) Well, I snapped a few shots and I’ve got to say, I was reasonably impressed.

Taken through a glass window and then cropped for detail.

Not that I’m going to start shooting ALL of my photos with my phone from here on in, but it’s sure nice to know that there’s photographic goodness within. Isn’t it funny how often you end up in places that you didn’t at all intend to, when you’re willing to be open to new experience? Take this post, for example. It started out being all about collage and letters and making my new sign…but somehow I got completely sidetracked. Ah, well. I guess there’s always tomorrow.

Tags: camera phone, Facebook, hipstamatic, iPhone, Photography, photos, spy cam

Posted in Photography | 10 Comments »

Monday, June 14th, 2010

What the Heck Am I Doing?

Before I formally unveil this site to the world, I’d really like to have it pretty much figured out. And I don’t just mean the whole “How do I blog?” thing, I mean knowing what goes where and what exactly I want to focus on. Yes, I want to blog about the creative experience, but is there some aspect or theme I want to explore? Do I include “mundane” creations – like cooking? Should I force myself to be more “arty” than “crafty”? What the heck am I doing anyhow?!?!?

Well, I’m still mulling over all of the above, and I likely will be for the next little while at least. (If you have any suggestions, PLEASE feel free to share them.) However, I did make one decision. In addition to having at least a few posts already up for you to read, I decided to include an unchanging gallery of things that I’ve made in the past. Partly so that readers could get an idea of where I’m coming from, and partly for my own inspiration. There’s nothing quite like looking at things that you love to encourage you to create more of them.

A photography page was a must, seeing as I spent four years earning an art minor in the subject, and considering my lifelong enjoyment of the hobby. A page dedicated to sewing…and knitting…and embroidery…and so on, made sense too as I also spend a lot of time in these endeavours. Next, a papercraft page for scrapbooking and the like, and then… And then what? How exactly should I categorize the rest of my repertoire? And voila, I was stuck.

So, dear reader, I have spent today uploading photos of my various creations only to shuffle them around repeatedly, like an awkward looking sofa. And then there was the whole child-rearing, household-tending, and garden-weeding time conflict. And, as a result, I have had little time to challenge myself today to create something new. Other than this blog, that is. But with a few minutes to spare before dinner, I grab my “spy cam” and make use of the blooming peonies in the garden and my son’s old, rusted watering can to create this.

And this.

I couldn’t decide which I liked best, so you get both. Yay, me.

Tags: arty, blog, creating, embroidery, how do I, inspiration, knitting, papercraft, Photography, photos, Scrapbooking, sewing, spy cam

Posted in Musings, Photography | 2 Comments »

Sunday, June 13th, 2010

And So It Begins

This morning, the “fambily” (our version of the word which includes myself, my husband Dave, our 6–year-old, and our 1-year-old) went out for a walk around our neighbourhood. As we’re walking, my eldest notices a lilac blossom on the ground and joyfully gives it to me. Aww. Being too small to tuck behind my ear (it was a single tiny flower after all), I gently hold it between my lips and snap a photo for posterity. (For those of you that don’t know me, the whole snapping-a-photo-for-posterity thing is like oxygen to me).

We get home. We eat lunch. We go our separate ways – which consists of soccer, the kiddie pool, and nap-land for the boys. And then there’s me. Wanting to get going on my blogging/creating. Thinking about the flower in my mouth photo. Trying to figure out how to translate it into a visual that my sister (whose photos I adore) would love. It needs to be something simplistic. Something with few, but bold, colours. Something that makes me feel pretty.

So I head outside once more and pluck a pink daisy from the garden (exactly like the one on the theme I’m currently working with, I might add) and I start playing. Different angles, different cropping, different amounts of direct and indirect light, even different facial expressions. I love my little “spy cam” (a Nikon Coolpix S10 that I picked up after my friend Erin praised it so). It makes the arduous task of taking self-portraits easy and almost fun.

Once I download the photos, it becomes clear that the majority are heading to the recycle bin (oh, how I loathe the majority of photos of myself), but a few are salvageable. And with the help of Microsoft Picture It! Premium 10 to adjust saturation levels, brightness, and contrast, I whittle down the original image to this.