Dreams April 2016

Dreams...
"What are your dreams," he asks. I sit there, numb.
Do I even have any, anymore? What happened to them? Everyone has dreams. Where did they go?
I believe I may have given up on each one without even a fight. After awhile it proved to me they would never happen so why push it. Even though a lot were small they seemed too big for me to handle by myself. I felt unsupported in them and I didn't have the energy needed to make them a reality.

You see, I think anything worth having (a dream fulfilled) comes with a cost. It may be a mental thing to overcome or physical, or even emotional, or more than likely all the above. There is usually a "wall" that needs to be pushed through or perhaps some old bones in the dirt that need excavating before the foundation can be laid.
After all, Rome wasn't built in a day and it took more than one person.
Support is crucial.

I'm on a new journey now. One that I am actively and fully engaged in. I'm not blaming anyone but myself. I'm the one that chose to lie down and do nothing.

I have been given a new view of the future and it involves boldness and empowerment. That part of me somehow got lost.

Funny... my word for this year is 'intention'. How appropriate.

Mobile Art Monday No. 43

Five of my regularly visited apps were used in this edit. 

The original...

The first, Retouch to "mess" up the background and get rid of the extra flower.

The second, Snapseed for general tweets and a little vintage filter.

Third, Repix to "paint" the background. (Use the eraser brush to take brush marks off the flower.)

Fourth, in iColorama I did three edits.

Style>Coherence with these settings.

Style>Sketch with these settings.

And Style>Water with these settings.

The into Stackables for texture and brightening.

Hope you've had a great Mobile Art Monday!

Tulip Stills

I struggle to stay caught up with what I think at the moment is important. Today I really should have already gone to the grocery store, I have tomatoes to plant that have been in the garage for 4 weeks, a few other flowers, and a 1 week class that I haven't looked at today. (I figured I could start and finish a class in one week right?) Let's not even talk about the other ones I took on this year. This kind of stuff is just breeding ground for negative self talk. Enough with that!

The fun thing I did in the past 24 hours however was borrow my friend's new Velvet 56 Lensbaby lens and shoot a bunch of flowers! I'll try and have that ready for Friday. But today I did finish my tulip still life shots. They are simple…

Some presets used are mine, Kim Klassen's, and Pretty Presets Pastels.

This is an old photo of my great grandmother. She loved to grow roses I know. I was too young to really remember what was in her flowerbed. The small china pot in the second photo was hers. After brushing her long hair she twirled the hair from the brush and coiled it up and put it through the hole on top.

It's been a long time since I layered up some textures on a photo in Photoshop. It was fun to 'play' for a change just for the heck of it.

A few mobile edits done on the iPad. 

First up with Stackables.

The rest are Hipstamatic shots on my iPhone.

Now I'm ready to go tackle that grocery list!

Hope you're having a great week!

A Flood of Tulips

My purple tulips I planted last fall gave me far more than I could have asked for. By the end they had turned into peony wanna-bees.
So here is my flood of photos, from just two days of working them over. (I have still life photos that I'll share later.)

Even though they really are purple, I love these pink edits.

Linking up with Kim for Texture Tuesday.

Friday Finds April 10

I've found a new project this week. I'm not sure where it originated. You can ask 'the Google' if you're curious. It's called the 100 Day Project.
It apparently started on April 6th and will end 100 days later in July. My track record stinks on things like this. So far I've done four days in a row and am posting to Instagram (but I didn't post last night). I actually didn't get totally finished.
I'm branching off in a new area doing sketches. I've decided to draw what's in my garden as the year progresses and then also to do a mobile edit of the photo I've sketched from. I will most likely include a few other happenings along the way and maybe make journal-type pages with each one. Hopefully in the end I can make a book and will see how my drawing evolves and improves. I'm quite excited about it.
So far my favorite one this week was of these purple tulips I planted last year. (Yes, I know, they look pink in my edits.) First time for tulips at this house. They look more like peonies than tulips. (Speaking of peonies, mine are 2 1/2 feet tall and full of buds already!)
I will not force myself to draw every day. Or at least not feel guilty if I miss.
This shot was from my Canon.

My sketch…

My edit in Stackables on my iPad.

My edit in Lightroom.

Another view.

Selfie with Tulips. Snapseed, Retrolux filter. iPhone.

Sorry I missed posting this week for Mobile Art  Monday. I was just so busy with my big girl camera and my 100m lens. :) My granddaughter turns 3 in 4 days and my dad turns 80 also. So much to do, so little time.

Wishing you a restful weekend full of creativity and fun.

Linking up with Kim for Friday Finds.

Six Ways

More homework...
Which is your favorite?
A little Lightroom, a little Photoshop, font Noteworthy. Coming soon, video tutorials.

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