Defining Age

Some mornings I just want to chill. Or do I really mean check out? 

I'll escape to the grocery store that has a large coffee bar and get my breakfast burrito and coffee and read emails, FB and my friends blogs. When I'm in this 'mood' I rarely leave inspired. It doesn't usually get me out of the lazy funk I'm in. 

Today as I look around it's very crowded. I'm counting 36 people out of which only four are women. It's 8:45 and the number of obviously retired folk are only five. There is a group of old guys that come here every morning but today a few didn't show up. I would image they usually try to schedule their doctor's appointments around their coffee time. 

Oops, another female just showed up. She appears in her 60s but is dressed in red leggings, knee high gorgeous grey boots, her top barely long enough to cover her bottom, long blonde thick hair that looks like a wig, red lipstick and expensive sunglasses. Looking at her reminds me of a friend (male) that is struggling to hold on to youth. He's without a job now for a year and a half and is in his latter 50s. And that's all I dare say about him. I see those cute clothes in the junior department and wish they would fit because the ones that do in the women's look like old lady clothes. Of course I don't FEEL like an old lady. (Except sometimes when I get out of bed). 

"Old"-  The definition is relative. It is calculated by adding 15 years to your age. (Or perhaps 20.)

We have in the past couple weeks crossed over into the "Caring For Elderly Parents" roll. And none too soon. Although last year they might have remembered more things than they do now. I'm learning about POAs, PODs, IRAs and RMDs. And what happens when you haven't done an RMD for 6 years. I can't imagine why a bank would let you NOT do one. I'm learning about filing amended tax returns and that the SSAdmin sucks. They will be or biggest problem unless we can find someone that has a good friend that works there. 

We feel honored to be able to take care of the things they need help with. But it's harder when they live 100 miles away.

The girl in the red leggings..... She has a heart of gold. I've now watched her interact with several of the people and one worker to whom she gave a present. They chatted and hugged for several minutes.

Life is good.

Yes, it is a wig. She just pulled it up into a ponytail. (Only a hairstylist would know. I think she is one too.)

Snapseed edit.

Linking up with Barb for App Happy Wednesday.

Linking up with Lisa for Life Thru the Lens

Friday Finds January 9

It's a new year with some new stuff.
Once again I've over-committed on class sign ups. I'm sitting here remembering this post the beginning of last year. I listed all the classes I'd signed up to take the year before and it was daunting. I am NOT a finisher. (with a few exceptions) Last month I had signed up for two year long classes and totally forgot about them when I promptly signed up for two more. Some one shoot me! (perhaps with a camera not a gun) Oh well… I'll learn what I will learn.

So I got a new journal, this one specifically for The Studio with Kim Klassen. It just happened to match my new cell phone cover.
By default I ended up with an iPhone 6+. It's not what I wanted and still hate the fact that I cannot sit comfortably with it in my back pocket. The rest of it I have come to love. With these old eyes I've even done a little photo editing on it's big screen.
The cup is actually pale aqua and was a Christmas present from hubby that I picked out. Soon I will get him set up on Pinterest so that I'll have a wish list he can purchase from and surprise me. (Valentines is coming up you know.)

I also found if you don't get the bare tree put away before the grand daughter comes over, she will redecorate it for you.

I have decided I will review that old class list. And make another list from 2014. It will be interesting to compare the two years. Right now I feel a bit overwhelmed with all the things I would like to do this year. I haven't totally settled on a 'word' either. Lots of things just swirling in my head today and year-end booking is calling my name. Besides my name I believe I hear some cuss words.

I will be doing a series called Mobile Art Mondays this year. My first post was Jan 5th. Join me on Mondays for tips, tutorials and inspiration!

Hope your year is off to a great start!
Linking up with Friday Finds.

Gratitude Day 7 -Friday Finds

I am grateful for a sewing machine that works, eyes (or glasses) that can see to thread a needle, and a sewing/art room to make a big mess in.
I found this most awesome fabric to make pillows to go on my new gray leather love seat at the salon. It was a special order from JoAnn Fabrics which I had never done before, but they had the perfect stuff and it was on sale that week to boot.
Linking up with Kim for Friday Finds. Speaking of Kim... I won her give away this week. The Kinfolk  book. How sweet! I had been thinking of checking it out at Barnes and Noble. Now I can check it out in the comfort of my home. Thank you Kim!

iphone

Canon

Canon

I decided at the last minute to add the fringe. If I'd thought of it earlier I could have just left off that darn piping. But I like using more than one fabric.

iPhone

Quite sassy I think. You know what? After a week of having a new love seat and a couple new chairs at the salon, I've come to realize people are just not observant. I asked everyone if they noticed and not one person did. Well, I'm really doing it for me not them. It's just nice for people to notice. After 11 years it's time for an update. By the time I finish with the window treatments and new photos on the walls some of them will. But like I say, it's for me, I'm the one that has to look at it all the time.

Friday Finds and Random Facts

I search for coffee cups on every trip I take. Lately I've been more picky about what I buy.
Yesterday I found this at our local grocery store. They really do have an awesome gift/decor area. This was another shopping trip where I had to go back and get a cart. I found a perfect 'vase' to go on the mantle, that I've put off redecorating, and it was heavy. Too heavy to carry with a cup and small watermelon and a cool package of napkins. I took one last glance toward the floral section and decided to go check out lest my purchase go over $100. That vase was more than what I normally spend on a purse. However I splurged on my last purse, and it's a gorgeous dusty coral!
This lovely holds a lot of coffee, I won't need a refill. Don't you love the scalloped edge? More coral. It's from Creative Co-op. I've noticed a few of their things at the grocer before. Now that I've visited their website I will have to investigate further. The nectarine was sooooo juicy, I will go back for more.

Kim Klassen's kk_teatime texture with a slight hue adjustment layer toward the green.

Edits in Lightroom and CS6.

Linking up to Friday Finds over at the Cafe and Random 5 Friday.

5 Random Facts

1. In North Dakota if you walk through tall grass, chances are you will get ticks. 
2. If you sit under trees, chances are you will get ticks. 
3. They crawl very fast. 
4. Insect repellent around your lower legs does not help. 
5. Don't try to wash them down the sink. They will crawl right back out.

  

Celebrating Photography

Kim's Texture Tuesday challenge is the theme 'celebrate'. This is the text on my page.

Today I celebrate my photographic journey. A year ago I would have never thought to take a photograph with light streaking through the blinds. This would have been called poor lighting.  I also probably wouldn’t have noticed the awesome reflection of the flowers in my coffee cup. If I had, I may not have taken their photo.

Paper background is from Positive Metal Health Addon Papers.
My favorite new font is Lavandria. I found it on the iPhone app 'Over' for adding text to photos. I did a bit of searching and you can download it here. Also used Orator STD.
Join us at the cafe blog. What are you celebrating today?

Rabbit Trails

This morning I sit down at my computer. I am feeling rather brain fuzzy. And I remember that I was going to check out the iPad app called Evernote. 

Remembering that Matt Kloskowski had written an article on his blog about Evernote, I start searching through my Safari bookmarks. 

I decide I have too many and start making folders and moving things around. Time passes and I remember what I was doing, Evernote. Well I never did find Matt's blog. 

By now my coffee needs reheating so I go to the kitchen. 

I decided that I should write a blog post called rabbit trails, use blogger on the iPad and dictate. So far so good. I have made many corrections though. 

Getting back to the bookmarks. It seems what I'm most interested in is at the top of the list. Right now that's iPhoneography. One of my favorite blogs is iartchronicles.com. 

Of course I have to go check it out. I noticed in her tweets that Vintage Scene HD for iPad is now free. Have to get it. Excuse me while I change pages on my iPad. Ok. 

It's downloading. I'm back. 

Let's search for Matt's blog. Well..... that would have been faster if I had spelled his name right! Here's his blog link. Now to go get the app. Maybe I will actually get organized this way. I just have to believe there is hope. 

I guess some Mondays are just like this.

Here is my first edit with Vintage Scene HD. Now to get back to downloading that Evernote App. 

I need to reheat my coffee again for the 5th time. 

So how is your morning going?

We took a fast trip to the Texas Hillcountry to see wildflowers this weekend. Those are bluebonnets. A rather scraggly patch of them I might add.

Beyond Beyond Day 9

Homework. Funny, now that I'm older I actually like homework. Especially if it has to do with photography. Class with Kim Klassen, Beyond Beyond Type Tricks.
The last couple days have been a bit rough, so when I saw this cup staring me in eyes from a TJ Max shelf, I knew it would come home with me. Fortunately I had just gotten the tulips yesterday.
Edited in Lightroom. Texture by Kim Klassen. Layers pallet below.

Linking up with Texture Tuesday, Kim Klassen.

Linking up with Tuesday Muse, with Nancy Claeys

Cuppa TextureTuesday

It's Texture Tuesday and today's theme is Cuppa Love. I've spent too much time shooting my coffee this morning, I'm really needing to drink it since I've been awake since 4 AM.

• Edited in Lightroom with basic edits, then added BDP Glamour 1 from Preset Pond (free). 
• Assembled with a template in Lightroom's Print Module. 
• 'Printed' as a jpeg to desktop.  
• In Photoshop added Kim's 1301 texture twice.  
• Yes, the cookies were so good I ate 3, then made more coffee. 
• See layers below and SOOLightroom.

Join us with your favorite cup photos and link up at Kim's blog, Kim Klassen Cafe.

Beyond Layers, Day 101 -Cup Challenge

Back to Beyond Layers... This week, a challenge: a cup, a book, and an accessory. The quote is so NOT me. But I liked it just the same. This is currently what my husband I are reading together at night. (Oh dear, I think we're in for it.) I used Chaos texture by Kim Klassen. twice, once at soft light and once at multiply with low opacity. Added a custom curves adjustment in the blue and green channels. Added brushwork using Grunge Swirl Brushes by me. and then took it into RadLab for a little more adjusting. Text is UglyQua and is set to multiply. see before below...
It was nice to get back to some Photoshop this week. I had been playing too much in Lightroom with editing photos and my computer gets slower if I edit from within Lightroom. sigh.... I may have to try and find a used one year old 17" Macbook Pro to replace my nearly 4 year old one.

After

Before, with just a touch of Camera Raw editing.

Sunny Summer Mornings

I used to be quite the gardener before my obsession with digital scrapping and Photoshop. Our summer gets quite hot, so the only decent time to spend among the vegetables was in the morning. Now it's usually spent on the back patio with a cup of coffee and my iPad. The morning sun fills our patio with that yellow glow only through the summer. At times you'll find me setting up a still life there with flowers or veggies from the garden which has become quite smaller.