pokety patch

OU La La ~ Rue La La!

2011-04-22T15:13:00.001-04:00

Want a fun bargain? If you join Rue La La today you will automatically receive $20.00 in your account to use right away. There are many stylish boutiques to choose from, and with my $20.00 I snagged a lovely pink leather phone case from Graphic Image New York Leather for only $2.85. ($12.90 + $9.95 shipping - $20.00 = $2.85)!!! If you shop through this link you will have until 5/25/11 to use your $20.00!

aware and alert

2011-01-29T20:38:00.001-05:00

aware and alert, originally uploaded by Still Pond Photography.

"Not being tense but ready.
Not thinking but not dreaming.
Not being set but flexible.
Liberation from the uneasy sense of confinement.
It is being wholly and quietly alive, aware and alert, ready for whatever may come."
— Bruce Lee (Tao of Jeet Kune Do)

time in dreams is frozen

2011-01-28T07:22:00.001-05:00

time in dreams is frozen, originally uploaded by Still Pond Photography.

Time in dreams is frozen. You can never get away from where you've been.
— Margaret Atwood (The Blind Assassin)

~~~~~~

This shot was taken yesterday while I was home for a snow day. Luckily, I headed out on Wednesday well in enough time to miss the horrible traffic jams around the Baltimore beltway. The snow fall overnight made this place look like a winter wonderland for about half the day, and then, thankfully, it started to melt.

The shape of this piece of ice reminded me of the jewel on a tear drop necklace or earring - with the bottom portion so perfectly shaped.

With regard to this quote, I have started and never finished The Blind Assassin about three times. I liked the book and plan to finish it at some point - I think I am about 3/4 the way through. Why can we finish some books in a night and others take us years?

Uploaded by Still Pond Photography on 28 Jan 11, 6.31AM EST.

Compose your blog entry

< wild geese <

2011-01-25T09:04:00.002-05:00

< wild geese , originally uploaded by Still Pond Photography.

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

~ Mary Oliver, Dream Work

swingsnowswing

2011-01-13T19:10:00.001-05:00

swing*snow*swing, originally uploaded by Still Pond Photography.

stay this way

2011-01-12T15:27:00.001-05:00

stay this way, originally uploaded by Still Pond Photography.

"Certain things, they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone."
— J.D. Salinger (The Catcher in the Rye)

Calling a Distant Animal

2010-10-11T15:36:00.012-04:00

Calling a Distant Animal, originally uploaded by poketypatch ~ Still Pond Photography.

Here it is once again this one note
from a string of longing

tightened suddenly from both ends
and held for plucking

tone torn out of one birdsong
though that bird

by now may be
where a call cannot

follow it
the same note goes on calling

across space and is heard now
in the old night and known there

a silence recognized
by the silence it calls to

~W.S. Merwin

The photograph above was taken during an outing I made alone to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, located 12 miles south of Cambridge, Maryland, was established in 1933 as a refuge for migratory waterfowl. The refuge includes more than 27,000 acres, composed mainly of rich tidal marsh characterized by fluctuating water levels and variable salinity. Other habitat types include freshwater ponds, mixed evergreen and deciduous forests, and small amounts of cropland and managed impoundments that are seasonally flooded for waterfowl use. The Refuge has walking and driving trails. I was lucky enough to capture this blue heron, as well as some ospreys. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Birdhouse - Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge - Still Pond Photography

Marsh - Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge - Still Pond Photography

The photos have been sitting on my hard drive for several months. I don't have a telephoto lens and this makes getting good photos of wildlife very difficult. I used my 55-250mm lens for these photos; however, it still doesn't capture the details very well. For the blue heron at the top, I played around with layers in photoshop adding a little motion blur at the edges and throwing on a couple of textures. I feel that it gives the photo a painterly effect - which makes it a more "artsy" type of photo rather than a good wildlife shot.

Osprey feeding baby - Still Pond Photography

I have been reading The Shadow of Sirius by the Library of Congress's seventeenth Poet Laureate, W. S. Merwin. It is a wonderful collection of a multitude of poems which explore the mysteries of light, darkness, temporality and eternity. The words are so meaningful and thought provoking. I enjoy thinking about the

words when paired with my photography. I have always been a "challenged" writer, so to have these remarkable words coupled with image is another form of interpretation.

Hearing the Light

2010-10-03T15:40:00.008-04:00

hearing the light, originally uploaded by poketypatch ~ Still Pond Photography.

"Hearing the light" is a phenomenon that occurs on an intuitive level when you feel that the photographic image is right and that the moment has come to record it... Invariably, a moment arrives when everything feels right; when the image sings. I hear the light and then proceed to record the image."
~Wayne Rowe (Zen and the Magic of Photography)

I am enjoying reading and contemplating on Wayne Rowe's book, Zen and the Magic of Photography. Mr. Rowe has put into words the way that I feel about photography. The first part of the book discusses experiencing Zen through photography and photography through Zen. Mr. Rowe believes that if one is drawn into the light, one will then focus better and become more open and aware to one's surroundings.

"Open yourself to the light, images and reality around you."

"Experiencing real moments will lead you to a culminating moment of satori - a moment when you hear the light; the image sings ; and form, content, and feeling are one."

"looking with the capacity to feel"

Rainy Day Pleasures

2010-08-15T12:37:00.003-04:00

Rainy days
are for
reading

art

reflection

knitting

cooking joy

eating

drinking

playing

renewal

and finding pretty new things to look at...

Open publication - Free publishing - More art

the view from here

2010-08-14T09:47:00.000-04:00

the view from here, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

I was driving along our country roads and the tops of these silos popped out at me as they were reflecting the bright sunlight in a sea of green. The silos are several stories high and are used to story grain. The green is actually corn which is about 7 feet tall. I actually had to drive a ways until I got to a spot along the road where you could actually get a good view of the tops of the silos. The corn is so tall this year that it was hard to find the right spot. I took this photo with my 55-250mm lens whilst parked on the side of the road.... otherwise known as a "drive-by shot"!

"Invisible threads are the strongest ties"

2010-06-16T18:44:00.001-04:00

"Invisible threads are the strongest ties", originally uploaded by poketypatch ~ away....

— Friedrich Nietzsche

s e e * t h e * w o r l d

2010-06-09T20:28:00.002-04:00

s e e * t h e * w o r l d, originally uploaded by poketypatch ~ away....

"Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories."
— Ray Bradbury

Or just listen...

I Heart Faces - PLAY!

2010-06-08T17:12:00.004-04:00

T G I F, originally uploaded by poketypatch ~ away....

Play Along!

b r e a k ~ t h r o u g h

2010-05-28T21:29:00.001-04:00

b r e a k ~ t h r o u g h, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), "Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?" chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death."
— Steven Pressfield (The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles)

More Fix It

2010-05-28T09:07:00.006-04:00

It is already Friday? I need an editing fix....

here it is!

Fix It Friday!

Before:

After:

I edited it in
Lightroom and CS5.

I added a texture by Skeletal Mess - The Fauxlaroid!

FiX It!

2010-05-22T13:29:00.001-04:00

I am always looking for fun ways to improve my photo-editing skills. My usual routine is to shoot in RAW format and then upload to Lightroom for initial edits. I then export it over to Adobe Photoshop - I use Elements 6.0. I have been contemplating moving up to Adobe CS and recently downloaded the trial version of CS5. CS5 has much more "power"; however, I am finding that it will be a long learning process.

Today, I ran across the website I Heart Faces. They run weekly contests for editing fixes. The "fix-it Friday" challenge was to "fix" this photo.

I decided to try, and here is my result:

Here is what I did:

1. I sent the photo to Lightroom where I applied a sepia toned preset. I also used the adjustment brush presets to lighten up the eyes and soften the skin.

2. I cropped it down so that the baby's face aligned up at the far side of the photo. I use the Rule Of Thirds Grid to make sure I get it right in Lightroom.

3. I sent the photo to Adobe PSE. There I worked on the eyes a littler more with the dodge/burn brushes. I added a pink toned fill layer to give it the pink tint. And, I added a texture.

It was a fun exercise, and I have entered it into the thread on the website.

rose worship

2010-05-21T19:33:00.001-04:00

rose worship, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"It may be that our role on this planet
is not to worship God--but to create him."
— Arthur C. Clarke

welcome to my world

2010-05-18T11:36:00.004-04:00

welcome to my world, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

I used to watermark my photos - then I stopped because I felt it was just another distraction. Being a fairly trusting person, I believed that my images would not be stolen or misused without my permission. Unfortunately, the reality of the world today is that anything posted online has fallen prey to people who are dishonest; people who are thieves; people who lack the artistic creativity to be able to produce their own work; and, worst of all - people who are predators. Recently, some of my photos have ended up in places where I did not intend for them to go. I honestly doubt that watermarking will deter criminals from stealing something that they desire; however, at least if it is there, I am officially making the statement that my photographs are copyrighted by me, and any use of my photos without my permission is in violation of copyright law. I know that many of my contacts are experiencing similar issues. What a shame it is that a few bad apples can victimize so many...

wildflowers with texture....

I will now get down off my "soap box"... and welcome you to my world - the magic I found this weekend when I took a Walk in the Woods!

Jack in the Pulpit - one of the last blooms of this species left in the woods!

tgiff - saturday edition

2010-05-15T08:15:00.001-04:00

tgiff - saturday edition, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Take a Walk...

Follow a Fence...

The ordinary

Can become

Extraordinary

If you give it a

Chance

horse farm fences

2010-05-07T07:21:00.001-04:00

horse farm fences, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

This is a "drive-by" shot taken last week of a farm in Queen Anne's County, Maryland. I actually got out of the car to get this. The grass was so deep It that it make getting good DoF with the flowers in the foreground much easier. However, I was a bit worried about ticks!

b l o o m

2010-05-02T16:36:00.004-04:00

b l o o m, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"Let all of life be an unfettered howl.

Like the crowd greeting the gladiator.

Don't stop to think, don't interrupt the scream, exhale, release life's rapture.

Everything is blooming.

Everything is flying.

Everything is screaming, choking on its screams.

Laughter.

Running.

   Let-down hair.

   That is all there is to life. "

   — Vladimir Nabokov

Rainy Days and Mondays

2010-04-26T12:48:00.004-04:00

Rainy Day Mondays, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

It is raining and cold again. Last night it actually hailed here. It was so bad that we ran outside to check the cars for damage! It sounded like rocks were being thrown at our windows. The plants have really taken a beating too from all the rain. It is so ironic that a few years back we were struggling with drought conditions and now we have had so much snow and rain in the last six months.

This morning I woke up with "Rainy Days and Mondays" by the Carpenters on my mind. The only problem was that I couldn't remember the tune. Thanks to You Tube, I got the full video version.

Then I thought of Karen Carpenter and what a beautiful voice she had. It was so pure and perfect.

Puddle Ducking

2010-04-25T20:10:00.004-04:00

More Puddle Ducking, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"Jemima Puddle-duck became quite desperate. She determined to make a nest
right away from the farm.

She set off on a fine spring afternoon along the cart-road that leads over
the hill.

She was wearing a shawl and a poke bonnet.

When she reached the top of the hill, she saw a wood in the distance.

She thought that it looked a safe quiet spot."

Beatrix Potter, "THE TALE OF JEMIMA PUDDLE-DUCK"

We have had a cool spring and everyone, people and animals have been enjoying the beautiful weather. Last week, I spotted these little ducks crossing the road as I headed back in to Still Pond after a long day's work. I pulled over and grabbed for my camera. I wanted to get them crossing the street but I wasn't fast enough.

By the time I had my camera ready the threesome had crossed a big puddle and were heading off into the field toward the forest. They really looked like they were off on some big adventure.

When I looked at the images I had captured, I was reminded of Beatrix Potter and the wonderful personalities of all of her characters. Jemima Puddle-duck came to mind. I was so glad that I took the time to stop so that I could capture these images. This is why I always have my camera with me - even on my days commuting to and from work. You never know when the opportunity will present itself and you will have the perfect photo opt in front of you!

T O A D

2010-04-18T16:52:00.004-04:00

T O A D, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"The world has held great Heroes,
As history books have showed;
But never a name to go down to fame
Compared with that of Toad!"
- Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, Ch. 10

As I was taking a stroll in my side garden, this little guy surprised me as he hopped amid the new plants. He looked a little grumpy at first, but patiently posed for this little photo shoot. He even turned towards me at one point so that I could get a better view!

He reminded me of "Toad" in The Wind in the Willows. Kenneth Grahame wrote: "It's never the wrong time to call on Toad. Early or late he's always the same fellow. Always good-tempered, always glad to see you, always sorry when you go!"

A Light Exists in Spring

2010-04-17T12:24:00.007-04:00

the hint of spring, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

A Light exists in Spring
Not present on the Year
At any other period --
When March is scarcely here

A Color stands abroad
On Solitary Fields
That Science cannot overtake
But Human Nature feels.

It waits upon the Lawn,
It shows the furthest Tree
Upon the furthest Slope you know
It almost speaks to you.

Then as Horizons step
Or Noons report away
Without the Formula of sound
It passes and we stay --

A quality of loss
Affecting our Content
As Trade had suddenly encroached
Upon a Sacrament.

~Emily Dickinson

we grow partially

2010-04-09T19:26:00.001-04:00

we grow partially, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations."
— Anaïs Nin

v i o l a

2010-04-08T12:41:00.005-04:00

v i o l a, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

~ Welcome spring ~

These little flowers are growing in mass all over our yard - in light blue, white and dark purple. I love it just before the first mowing when our field turns lavender with hundreds of these little clumps.

"Viola (most commonly pronounced /vaɪ.ˈoʊ.lə/ in US English and /ˈviː.ə.lə/ in UK English[1]) is a genus of flowering plants in the violet family Violaceae, with around 400–500 species distributed around the world. Most species are found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, however viola species (commonly called violets, pansies or heartsease) are also found in widely divergent areas such as Hawaii, Australasia, and the Andes in South America."

"Most Viola species are tiny perennial plants, some are annual plants, and a few are small shrubs. A number of species are grown for their ornamental flowers in borders and rock gardens; the garden pansy in particular is an extensively used spring and autumn/winter bedding and pot plant. Viola and violetta are terms used by gardeners and generally in horticulture for neat, small-flowered hybrid plants intermediate in size between pansies and violets."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_(plant)

All I ever needed to know in life, I learned from the Easter Bunny...

2010-04-04T08:24:00.001-04:00

All I ever needed to know in life, I learned from the Easter Bunny..., originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
Walk softly and carry a big carrot.
Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.
There’s no such thing as too much candy.
All work and no play can make you a basket case.
A cute little tail attracts a lot of attention.
Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.
Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.
Some body parts should be floppy.
Keep your paws off other people’s jellybeans.
Good things come in small sugar-coated packages.
The grass is always greener in someone else’s basket.
An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare.
To show your true colors – you have to come out of your shell.
The best things in life are still sweet and gooey.
Author Unknown

Happy Easter!

r e a l ** g e m s

2010-03-30T21:42:00.001-04:00

r e a l ** g e m s, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"Each day is like a treasure box of gifts from God, just waiting to be opened. Open your gifts with excitement. You will find forgiveness attached to ribbons of joy. You will find love wrapped in sparkling gems. "
— Joan Clayton

s e c r e t s

2010-03-29T12:43:00.003-04:00

s e c r e t s, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"If you reveal your secrets to the wind you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.”

~ Kahlil Gibran

c o x s w a i n

2010-03-28T12:25:00.016-04:00

c o x s w a i n, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Coxswain

Noun

1. The helmsman of a ship's boat or a racing crew.

Coxswain Kog is Norwegian for a cockboat; Welsh, cwch; Italian, cocca, etc.; and swain, Anglo-Saxon for a servant, superintendent, or bailiff. (See Cockboat.). Source: Brewer's Dictionary.

Spring sports have started, and this year I have the pleasure of having each of my three sons participating in a sport. My goal is to try and document their involvement with photography that is purposefully artistic. Like many parents, I bring my camera to most events and try to get some good photographs. I have multitudes of images from hundreds of competitions. Now that I have learned some new photographic techniques, have a pretty good lens (Canon 55 - 250 mm) that lets me zoom in a little closer, and have some great post-processing software (Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop Elements 6), I want to try and make the average sports shot into something special.

The photo above was taken at my son's crew regatta this weekend. He is the coxswain for his boat. The challenges I faced in trying to get a good photograph were many. First, I was positioned up above the pond where the race occurs. The course is a long distance, so the starting point is far up the water. Since I didn't have a schedule of the races, I had to use my lens to try and figure out if my son's boat was in the race. Once I determined that he was racing, I had the choice of zooming in as far as I could go, to get a better view of him, or staying out and getting a more panoramic view of the entire field of boats. The choice was made for me, because I was zoomed in to try and confirm it was my son, and by that time the boats were under me and I had to shoot. Thus, the next challenge involves time. In races like this, or like track events, you only have a few seconds to get the shot before the race/event is over. Many of the newer EOS cameras have a setting that takes continuous photographs. I didn't use it here, but in the past I have, and it works really well as long as the light conditions are sufficient.

The processing stage of the photo entailed my normal procedure:

Photo is taken in RAW format
Upload to Lightroom
Work on Tones
Export to Photoshop
Play with Image (Working on Lighting, Color Saturation, Applying Effects like Textures, Blur, Gradients)
Presentation

In the top photo, I used sepia tones in lightroom, while keeping the red school color and the greens in my son's sweatshirt. Once in photoshop, I added a fake tilt-shift effect. I did it the easy way by just using a Gaussian Blur of around 4.6 and then erasing out the center. There is a tutorial for a better looking, but more complicated way to do it here. I also added a subtle texture to the top one. In the one below, all I really did was blur the top and bottom, to draw your eyes to the boat.

My other two sons are playing lacrosse this season. Since you have a full game of playing time to catch photos, the time limits aren't as pressing. However, when looking back at some of the photographs I took, I am finding that composing a good shot takes a bit of thought in terms of getting the timing right and making the photograph interesting.

This photo is one I took last week of my son who is the Goalie of his team. It is a little easier getting him, because much of the action surrounds him. One handy feature in lightroom is the crop setting. I often pull that up because it has a nice grid for the rule of thirds. That way I can crop my photo and make sure it is properly balanced. I did that in this one, making the goalie line up right at the 2/3 line.

The last photograph is of my oldest son. He is #22 in this shot. Unfortunately, most of the photos I took of his games involved him running up the field, with other players in front or behind and they were all pretty boring. This one seemed a little more interesting as it showed multiple players (full body) the Referee and the Score. Unfortunately, it was a little blurry. I worked on it in lightroom - using a lightroom preset that simulates hdr. Then I moved it to photoshop and added a motion blur on the edges (at about 18%) and a texture. Basically, I decided to make the blur work for me instead of against me. It turned out okay (not great) but the main thing was that I learned I probable needed a higher iso ( I was shooting at 200 ISO) level to help out with that blur. I will make that correction at the next game!

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.

2010-03-27T07:40:00.001-04:00

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden., originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"Love is like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it"

2010-03-24T20:41:00.001-04:00

"Love is like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it", inserito originariamente da poketypatch.

"The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful."

2010-03-23T18:23:00.001-04:00

"The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful.", originally uploaded by poketypatch.

2010-03-22T13:40:00.001-04:00

002.spring1, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected."
— Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist)

"If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for a moment." — Georgia O'Keeffe

2010-03-21T19:02:00.004-04:00

"If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for a moment." — Georgia O'Keeffe, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

I have always liked the paintings of Georgia O'Keefe, and often think of her when I am shooting flowers up close. I don't have a macro lens, so another way to get up close and personal with your subject is to use the "reverse lens technique". For this "poor man's macro", you take your lens off the camera, invert it and hold it up to the camera, focus and shoot. It takes a little practice, and you have to be careful hold tight so no dust gets into the camera. There are good tutorials for this technique online here and here.

stitching little touches

2010-02-25T06:29:00.007-05:00

stitching little touches, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"Sometimes I imagined stitching all of our little touches together. How many hundreds of thousands of fingers brushing against each other does it take to make love?"
— Jonathan Safran Foer

With all the snow keeping us indoors this winter, I have started to sew again.

Last year, I treated myself to a new Brother SE350 Computerized Embroidery-and-Sewing Machine
but have just not had the time to play around with it until now.

Starting with easy, little projects is the best way to get your feet wet with a new hobby!

These woods are lovely, dark and deep...

2010-02-24T19:26:00.004-05:00

These woods are lovely, dark and deep..., originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"These woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

~Robert Frost

Last summer, I started visiting Turner's Creek Park, a county park near my home, and began a series of photographs. The property is surrounded by Turner's Creek, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, and there are trails through the forest where most of my photos have been captured. On Flickr, I have a set of photos - Into the Woods - consisting of some of the images I have taken on my hikes in the woods. The photos in the two previous posts are from my most recent visit to the park. This one, was from a visit in November. My plan is to try and get photos from all the seasons, and then put together a little exhibit. Also, a former Congressional Representative from my county is trying to lobby for funding to establish the park as an educational site for local school children. I would like to offer these images as proof of what a magical place Turner's Creek Park is! Here are a sampling of some of my photos from the park:

flare

2010-02-23T11:25:00.009-05:00

"A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows ", originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows "

— St Francis of Assisi

One of my favorite things to photograph is white tulips. The simple beauty that they exude is a dream for me. I bought a bunch at Trader Joes last week for the bargain price of $4.99. By placing them on the dining room table, they caught the light from our windows perfectly. One of the tulips lost a petal, which gave an interesting view to the inside of the flower. The subtle flare of the sunlight (late day) coming in and hitting the tulips was too good to pass up.

I used my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens because it works so well in low light. It was definitely the right choice for this group of shots.

I really love to use monochrome with white tulips and tend to process them in sepia or black and white. I actually thought about throwing on a texture in Photoshop Elements (and tried it on the top version), but felt that this was one of those situations where "less is more". Sometimes subtle restraint takes a photo to the next level....

w e e p i n g w i l l o w

2010-02-21T10:05:00.011-05:00

w e e p i n g w i l l o w, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"But what Tyler longed for was to have The Feeling arrive; when every flicker of light that touched the dipping branches of a weeping willow, every breath of breeze that bent the grass towards the row of apple trees, every shower of yellow ginko leaves dropping to the ground with such direct and tender sweetness, would fill the minister with profound and irreducible knowledge that God was right there."
— Elizabeth Strout, Abide with Me

I braved the inches of snow to take a walk in Turner's Creek Park yesterday. I have been trying to photograph this little forest in all the seasons, and I had yet to get any winter, snowy shots. It is amazing how barren the forest is in winter. The views that you have are so different than during the lusher seasons when trees are full of leaves and the brush makes you feel like you are hidden away!

The photo above is of a willow tree that stands on the outskirts of the forest. It is a massive tree, and I have often thought it would make a great spot for photographing someone's portrait. Yesterday, the draping, naked branches were stunning - even in the mid-day light. I combined some of the shots into a tryptich - a set of three photos shown together. Unfortunately, it looks like a diptych here, but if you click on the photo and go to my flickr you will see the true triptych! Here are the originals before processing...

What about the quote? I am currently reading Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. This quote, from another of her works, just seemed to epitomize the essence of how it is to look at the weeping willow with it's grace and with the light shining through its branches. I love finding quotes to go with my photography. Writing has always been very difficult for me, so I seem to gravitate to letting the "experts" do it for me. The trick is finding just the right meaning. The way I usually go about it is to look at the photo and think of one word that describes how it makes me feel. I then go to (this is my secret source!) GoodReads and search that one word in the quote section. Usually, something will come up by a favorite author of mine - many times I will have read the book! It makes it more meaningful to me if it is a quote of someone I respect or from a book that I feel is a classic or was just a great read!

Secret Gate

2010-02-19T17:10:00.010-05:00

secret gate, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate
And though I oft have passed them by
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun."
— J.R.R. Tolkien

I had a few extra minutes to kill today, so I decided to drive around looking for something interesting to photograph. I passed a country church with old iron fencing that was buried in the snow. The photo above was taken from inside the car, through the front window glass. I took a couple of shots with the window rolled down, but thought that the glass added a dreamlike quality to the image.

Taking photos from behind glass, give a photograph a new feel. Some people use windows that are wet with rain, or are dirty, to add such texture to their photography. Another way to get this result is to use photoshop processing and add a new textural layer on top of the original image.

In contrast, here is an image that I took outside, focusing on the gate. It is SOOC (straight out of the camera - which means no post-processing.) Even though it is a photograph of the same gate, taken at the same time of day, it has a completely different look to it. My focus is set on the gate and in turn gives a nice blurred background of trees and sky.

In the next shot, I moved around a bit and used the red church door as my background. The red contrasts nicely with the green vine growing on the gate. I like this angle zooming in on the gate. You really get a feel for the curves of the fence.

These shots (and some others of the actual fence) were taken in about 5 minutes. They illustrate how just moving around, changing your angle, or adding unexpected elements (like shooting through glass) can make an ordinary object come to life in many different ways!

Little Sparrow

2010-02-15T12:01:00.002-05:00

Little Sparrow, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Birds provide so much inspiration for craft. I especially love the plump, little ones that live in the bushes beside our home.

Good photographs can help you get an idea of how these little birds look in nature. With just a little creativity, sketches, collage and other mixed media projects can be adorned with these sweet creatures.

Here are some of my easy little projects.

An ATC I made using fabric, paper and paint.

A simple sketch with colored pencils.

My first attempt at watercolor.

Shamrock pattern

2010-02-14T14:34:00.000-05:00

Little Quilting Projects - Easy Coasters

2010-02-14T13:12:00.007-05:00

I have been wanting to work on my machine quilting skills. However, since I don't have large blocks of time to work on big projects, I have been looking for simpler, smaller projects that can be completed in an afternoon. This tutorial for Reverse Applique Coasters proved to be just the easy pattern I was looking for in order to try out some basic techniques.

The tutorial pattern is one for heart coasters for Valentines day. I decided to take it a step further and get ready for the next holiday, St. Patrick's Day!. I found a shamrock graphic online. I worked on it in photoshop so that it would fit a 4 inch coaster.

more tomatoes please - no ooze thank you

2009-07-06T13:59:00.001-04:00

more tomatoes please, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

It was a dew drop bonanza day - dew drops are very popular on flickr these days. So, I rushed in to get my camera for a dew drop photo op. I took about 6 pictures and then my battery died, so much for the dew, and I headed in to look at what I had gotten.

The pictures were okay. I was struck by some that I had taken of a tomato plant getting ready to blossom. The dew really stuck to the hair on each blossom, and looked sort of cool. Once I was finished processing something clicked in my brain... Yesterday, I watched the old classic "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". That is the one where giant, pea pods produce oozy zombies that take over the bodies of the people in the town. I realized that I must have unconsciously found this interesting as a result of that movie! I just hope thatmy tomato plants produce tomatoes; and, that nothing extra terrestrial will be growing out of those little buds - eek!

Fourth of July Jam!

2009-07-04T13:59:00.002-04:00

Fourth of July Jam!, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Last weekend, I decided to visit a nearby farm that had fresh berries to pick. I came home with three baskets full of black raspberries, red raspberries and blueberries.

All week we have been enjoying the fruit. It is yummy on cereal, yogurt, or just to sample as snack food straight out of the fridge. I made a batch of muffins.

I used the remainder of my handpicked raspberries to whip up some Old Fashioned Raspberry Jam this morning. I thought it would be great hostess gifts for the parties we will be attending today! It was a cinch to make, here is the recipe:

Old Fashioned Raspberry Jam

4 cups (1 liter) granulated sugar
4 cups (1 liter) raspberries

1. Place sugar in an ovenproof shallow pan and warm in a 250°F (120°C) oven for 15 minutes. (Warm sugar dissolves better.)

2. Place berries in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a full boil over high heat, mashing berries with a potato masher as they heat. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

3. Add warm sugar, return to a boil, and boil until mixture will form a gel (see tips, below), about 5 minutes.

4. Ladle into sterilized jars and process as directed for Shorter Time Processing Procedure .

Tip: To make a small boiling-water canner, tie several screw bands together with string or use a small round cake rack in the bottom of a large covered Dutch oven. Be sure the pan is high enough for 2 inches (5 cm) of water to cover the jars when they are sitting on the rack.

I found this on EPICURIOUS.COM here:

still doing crafts -even though you wouldn't know it from my blogging!

2009-06-26T09:29:00.001-04:00

yes, I still do crafts too, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

playdate on the farm

2009-05-29T09:06:00.002-04:00

playdate on the farm, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Guess who showed up to play yesterday?

PLAYTIME!

fun for Daisy (golden retriever) - not fun for Viper (8 foot long black snake)

Eventually Snappy (the schnauzer) got involved too - he took it much more seriously (the ratter in him) than Daisy who thought Viper was just a new toy.

I won't say how this story ended, because it wasn't a happy one for Viper. You can use your own imagination.

tea time

2009-05-28T19:01:00.001-04:00

tea time, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Harvest chamomile flowers for drying and for fresh use when they are fully open.
To dry, snip the flowers off with scissors, then rinse and pat dry. Place flower heads on a rack or mesh screen and set to dry in a warm location. When flowers are completely dry, store in jars in the dark.
Harvest fresh leaves as needed.
Use fresh or dried chamomile flowers to brew delectable herbal tea. Deciding which chamomile to use is a matter of personal taste. German chamomile is sweeter than Roman chamomile, which has a slightly bitter bite. Whatever your choice, both make excellent tea.
To make chamomile tea, infuse 15 mL (1 tablespoon) of fresh flowers or 10 mL (2 teaspoons) of dried flowers in 250 mL (1 cup) of boiling water. Steep for 5 to 10 minutes. Strew a few Roman chamomile flowers over a tossed green salad, and season cream sauces, butter, and sour cream by adding small sprigs of either type.

my garden's gift to you

2009-05-27T07:27:00.001-04:00

my garden's gift to you, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

“To get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with.” - Mark Twain

Make a Salad!

2009-05-22T19:20:00.002-04:00

Make a Salad!, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Organic Arugula
So easy to grow!
Just fill an old crate (or container) with some bagged garden soil. Plant the seeds. Keep moist. Until the seeds germinate, I just leave the box on my back porch - getting indirect sunlight. Once the seeds pop through, I move to a sunnier location - but not too bright at first. After the plants are established, they can take full sun. I also planted baby leaf spinach the same way.

Once you have a good crop, just pick the baby leaves and throw in your salad. Tonight we had Arugula, Romaine Lettuce, Dried Cranberries, Pecans, Asagio Cheese and some Balsimic Dressing. YUM!

ready-set-go---plant-a-garden

2009-05-21T20:48:00.001-04:00

ready-set-go---plant-a-garden, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

guess what I am growing this year!
I have all the tools I need
my mulch carrier aka radio flyer wagon
lots of mulch
a good trowel
a great pair of gardening gloves
lots of seeds
and some organic veggies already started
from a local organic farm!

chocolate lollipop and teapots

2009-05-20T13:06:00.002-04:00

chocolate lollipop and teapots, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

I made up these little beauties for a swapbot potholder swap. The inspiration for them came from Pink Penguin. Ayumills is just so talented that you will want to try out her sewing tutorials. The teapot tutorial is found here and includes a downloadable pattern. My advice is to have your computer nearby while you are making the pattern, because I didn't and the photos would have really helped my attempt turn out a little better. The brown potholder is made from some chocolate lollipop charms I bought a while back. Can I just say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE Anna Maria Horner's fabric. It is awesome. I am going to try to make one of Ayumills' other tutorial patterns with the rest of the charms - a Reversible Patchwork Bag.

Gardener's Journal

2009-05-17T08:40:00.003-04:00

I have always wanted to keep a garden journal - but never followed through. Maybe if I start making some digital pages - it will inspire me to get on with it.

I need to remember to get the zinnia seeds in the ground - I want lots of these for flower arrangements! if only it would stop raining.

Sitting on My Front Porch...

2009-05-16T11:35:00.002-04:00

Sitting on My Front Porch..., originally uploaded by poketypatch.

No, it's not really me
it was
created for the Textures Only ~ Competition #43
on flickr

I am really starting to get the hang
of photoshop
it only took me
about
one year...

kokeshi dotee love

2009-05-16T06:49:00.003-04:00

kokeshi dotee love, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

received in a swapbot swap
I am in love with her
she is simply perfect
thanks to rubberstampcollector
for making her

{Kokeshi Dolls are traditional Japanese dolls. They were orignally from northern Japan and hadmade of wood. They have a simple trunk and enlarged head. The facial definition is made up of a few thin, painted lines. The body usually has a floral design painted in red, black, and sometimes yellow, and covered with a layer of wax. One characteristic of kokeshi dolls is their lack of arms or legs. The bottom is marked with the signature of the artist.} Wikipedia

zebra-socks

2009-05-15T09:34:00.001-04:00

zebra-socks, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

when i picked up my son from school yesterday with them on
the first comment out of his mouth
"zebra socks"
I thought he said
"zebra sucks"
I was confused
then I looked down
and saw my most favorite socks ever

chives in my herb garden

2009-05-14T09:26:00.003-04:00

chives in my herb garden, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

What will I do with them? How about some
Creamy Chive Salad Dressing
175 ml (3/4 cup) non-fat buttermilk
50 ml ( 1/4 cup) reduced-fat mayonnaise
75 ml (1/3 cup) finely chopped fresh chives
15 ml (1 tbsp) chopped fresh parsley
15 ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice
15 ml (1 tbsp) Dijon mustard
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
In a bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, chives, parsley, lemon juice and mustard. Season with salt and pepper.
Full article found here.
How did I process this photo? I used a photoshop cross-processing action found here.

Wordless Wednesday: Poetry of the Earth

2009-05-06T06:10:00.000-04:00

Poetry, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

THOUGHTS ON CONSCIOUS EATING and STRAWBERRY MUFFINS

2009-05-04T13:53:00.011-04:00

Well, at least one person read the post on my muffins, and busted me on the fact that I posted a link to the recipe I “adapted” but did not post my “adaptations” to the recipe. Unfortunately, for me this is a bit harder than it might be for someone who does a lot of cooking (you know someone who actually plans ahead, does shopping for ingredients, reads the recipe, follows it to the tee, and has yummy food all the time). I am the exact opposite. I don’t cook a lot. When I get the urge to make something from scratch, I usually don't have all of the necessary supplies. So, I have to get creative and compensate. It doesn’t always turn out well. This time I was lucky. But, I must backtrack a little…

I recently checked out a new book, Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes, from the local library. Since I was a little late in returning it (and had accumulated a $1.00 fine), I decided to renew the book and actually read it! Boy, am I glad I did. Salon.com reviewed the book as “an unusual blend of manifesto, self-help manual and cookbook designed to convince people that they can drastically improve their diets with relatively little discomfort.” The book contains healthy advice; and, provides lots of recipes for meals and snacks.

In looking over the recipes, it was the snacks that got me to thinking. I am constantly pestering my kids about eating too much junk food. Mr. Bittman provides recipes for alternative snacks, that are so simple to make, but the kids might actually eat them. So it was this pondering about snack food and what we had in the cupboard, that led me to start thinking about all the good food we throw away unused, which brought me to open up the refrigerator and look inside. Yep, there was a huge container of fresh strawberries that were going to go bad if we didn’t eat them quickly.

And, them came the AHA moment. I will make strawberry muffins! Those wonderful strawberries wouldn't go rotten after all!

Searching online I found the recipe at Smitten Kitchen. Since I had most of the ingredients, I thought that it would be pretty easy to wing this one. Here is what I did (my changes are in RED):

Whole Wheat STRAWBERRY Muffins
ADAPTED FROM SMITTEN KITCHEN that was Adapted from King Arthur Flour

These dark, crazy moist muffins will keep well for several days, and the brown sugar on top, should you not skimp on it like I did, adds a crunchy touch, perfect for those of you who know that the lid is the best part.
Yield: They said 12, I got 15
1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat flour (USED ORGANIC WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR)
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 cup DARK BROWN SUGAR plus 1/4 cup for topping
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 CUP ORGANIC GREEK YOGURT and ½ CUP 1% MILK

ABOUT 6 BIG RIPE STRAWBERRIES CUT INTO LITTLE PIECES
1/2 cup ORGANIC GRANOLA

Preheat the oven to 450Â°F. LINE MUFFIN TIN WITH MUFFIN CUPS and set aside.
Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. [AT THIS POINT I WAS NOT FOLLOWING RECIPE WELL AND PUT IN THE WHOLE ½ CUP OF BROWN SUGAR – IT MADE MY MUFFINS EXTRA SWEET THUS THIS WAS A GOOD BLOOPER) Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. ADD THE YOGURT AND MILK – BEWARE I DID NOT MEASURE THE MILK BUT I THINK IT WAS ABOUT 1/3 CUP SO THAT THE MIX WAS WET ENOUGH TO STIR BUT STILL THICK. Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the STRAWBERRIES and the ORGANIC GRANOLA HERE.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400Â°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT. MY FIRST EVER ADAPTED RECIPE (MY FIRST RECIPE EVER!) ON THIS BLOG. THANKS to SANDI a::k::a KnitMy Rhino for nudging me along. If you make these muffins and like them, you should go tell SANDI at CRAFTING WITH RHINOS.

BEWARE...you can't eat just ONE!

strawberry goodness

2009-05-03T18:15:00.002-04:00

strawberry goodness, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

There is nothing like fresh strawberries! And, I have a whole bunch in the fridge that need to be eaten. So, I decided to make some strawberry muffins. I used as many organic ingredients as I had on hand - organic whole wheat, organic yogurt and granola, as well as some sugar, milk and fresh laid eggs! I found a great recipe online at the smitten kitchen, which I adapted to what I had in my cupboard. The results were fabulous! My 12 yo son even stated that I had "outdone" myself.

look what flew in this weekend...

2009-04-27T12:38:00.003-04:00

look what flew in this weekend..., originally uploaded by poketypatch.

This guy decided to fly into our kitchen this weekend. It took 3 of us to get him out the kitchen window. I swear at one point (the first shot in the collage) the bird was catatonic - we thought that he was paralyzed with fear. But really, he was just waiting to go for my dh...it reminded me of a scene in THE BIRDS...and thus we got the broom out. It was quite an experience!

This is him afterwards - I think that he enjoyed driving us crazy!

Lilac blooming in my garden

2009-04-25T22:08:00.001-04:00

Lilac blooming in my garden, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

I think this would make a wonderful painting!

blossom hidden in my yard

2009-04-24T14:45:00.001-04:00

blossom, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

war by any other name - how about PEACE

2009-04-15T20:10:00.001-04:00

war by any other name - how about PEACE, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Fun with ATCs

2009-04-11T20:27:00.003-04:00

Mamma challenge: Stamp ATC, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

I am having a lot of fun making and swapping atcs. It is satisfying to have a way to use of all the odds and ends of recycled things that I have been saving too! I have it bad - I just don't like to throw things away that could serve some crafty purpose. Today I ran across a great use for recycled envelopes...bookmarks at Go Make Something.

There is a wonderful tutorial. Basically, you cut off a corner of an envelope and then decorate it like you would an atc. It forms a pocket that can fit over the top corner of a book page to mark your place. What a great idea!

Love Chocolate Bunnies

2009-04-09T15:05:00.001-04:00

Easter Bunny Dotee

2009-04-08T17:38:00.002-04:00

Easter Bunny Dotee, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

So now I can post this little guy, because I know he got to his destination in Iowa safe and sound. He was really fun to make and extra special because his new owner is Iowa Sunshine who I know will take great care of him!

TShirt Makeover - Tuesday Tutorial Link

2009-04-07T14:22:00.005-04:00

Due to global warming and the fact that it never gets really cold here in the winter, I wear tons of white tshirts (both long and short sleeved). I especially love some that I have gotten at Target. They look great and the material wears well in them all for a decent price (ususally under $10).

This is one of my favorite ones. I like the long sleeves for warmth in the airconditioning during summer, and cooler warmth during the winter.

Today, I ran across a great tutorial for making a cardigan out of old tshirts. This is really a unique twist on recyling old tshirts!

Cal Patch provided the inspiration for my Tuesday Tutorial Link

"How to Upcycle a T-Shirt Into a Cardigan"

The instructions look simple enough. It involves cutting, sewing (with a machine and by hand) and crocheting the edging for the front. The crochet edging might get a little tricky, but I think I can do it!

Head over to CRAFTY STYLISH for this great tutorial!

The best thing about a good spring rain...

2009-04-06T17:10:00.002-04:00

The best thing about a good spring rain..., originally uploaded by poketypatch.

...is diamond droplets on baby columbine leaves!

Go make a Honey Bunny

2009-04-05T14:13:00.011-04:00

Picture by Orange you Lucky

Here is a fun project for a sweet Sunday, "honey bunny", a free pattern to embroider just in time for Easter. How cute is that! Thanks to Helen, who is quite a talented gal. In addition to her blog, Orange you Lucky, she has her own website, One Lucky Helen, which features her illustration, pattern design, paintings, and her toys! She even has published her own book, Embroidery for Little Miss Crafty: Projects and patterns to create and embellish which is out this month. It looks pretty sweet!

I think I might stitch up my own honey bunny a little later, after I finish cleaning up my garden. Luckily, it won't take too long, since I have a great little honey of a helper. My very own honey bunny. He is really an English angora rabbit. I spin his fur into snuggly soft yarn! I put him to work mowing the grass, since my dh isn't around to do it (like he said he would!).

I hope you have a great Sunday! Here is a little heart for you. It greeted me in one of my tulips this morning. My flowers have a lot of heart!

Egg Love

2009-04-04T17:00:00.003-04:00

natural colored eggs, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

I bought these at a local flea market today. The lady who sold them said that the colors are all natural. The chickens that they came from have blue feet and blue beaks! I am in love with these colors. They are too pretty to eat!

Easter Fun

2009-04-03T09:53:00.006-04:00

Putting together Easter Goodies made easy and adorable with help from generous freebies...

Adorable Tags from Tricia-Rennea Illustrator

Scrapbook page from Aussie Scrap Designs

Decorate your own basket from CancerMoon Creations

Artsyfartsy Queen's Vintage Easter Images

Bunny Hand Embroidery Pattern at Urban Threads

Force your own paper tulips tutorial at Cheeky Magpie

MonoPrint ATC

2009-04-02T11:41:00.002-04:00

MonoPrint Atc's for Swapbot Swap, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

I joined the "Easy Mono Print" Atc swap on swapbot. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I found that making a mono print that was acceptable for swapping was harder than it looked!

What is a Mono Print? Well, it is the most basic form of making a print. You apply color (paint) to the surface of something, then place another surface on top (paper or fabric), press down, remove your paper, and you have a unique painted print! It has been described here as:

The monoprint or monotype is often thought of as a halfway stage between painting and printmaking. The process is simple: the artist paints, rubs, or wipes the design directly onto a plate, using a fairly slow drying paint or ink. The fleeting image must be printed before the ink dries. Printing may be by press or by hand, and as the name monoprint implies, one can usually get only one strong impression. The effect must be guessed right from the start; there will be no trial proofs or different states unless the design is redrawn for a second impression. This term is used to refer to any print made in one version and incapable of being repeated. A monoprint cannot be editioned.

Mono prints are supposed to allow for artistic spontaneity which I found out pretty quickly. In my usual "fly by the seat of my pants" way of doing things, I decided to give this a try using the directions on swapbot:

Use a roller or a paint brush to spread the paint over an area big enough for your work. You will have to work rather quickly before the paint gets too dry. Using a stick or end of your brush or a pencil, draw a pattern or a quick sketch into the paint. It will be printed in reverse so remember this if adding text. Now place your paper onto your glass and give a quick, even rub with your hand and peel off immediately.

First, I tried flowers.

This didn't work out so hot. My designs were too intricate and didn't show up well. I decided to try something simpler, like an egg.

I used an old ipod box as my glass surface. It is exactly the size of the atc. You can see where I scraped off the paint for the print.

I tried this a bunch of times, some worked and some didn't!

I let them sit for a day, and then went back to them. I thought that if I embellished a couple, they would be ok. So, I picked one and added some glitter, gold and little jewels.

For the next one, I figured that if I used something wider to lift the paint off the surface, it would make the design stand out more. I found a pencil with a nice round eraser on top and used that. It worked great on this little chick.

So, this was a fun, get your hands full paint, type of project. Today, I did a quick search on how to make a monoprint and found some sites that would have been helpful to me before I started this project.

How to make a Mono Print
MonoPrint for Beginners and Children
Janet Clare's Tutorial
Making Monoprint Background Papers - I quickly discovered that all the rejects would make great backgrounds for other ATC's. This little tutorial will show you how!
Take it one step farther with a Monoprint Mini Book!

If you like to see how rather than read it, you can find lots of tutorials for monoprints on youtube.

Wordless Wednesday: The Little Green Road to Fairyland 1922

2009-04-01T12:23:00.003-04:00

http://www.doverpublications.com/designsampler/0401/

Follow me while I blog hop!

2009-03-31T12:14:00.013-04:00

little girl freehand machine embroidery, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Does this happen ever happen to you...You start visiting the blogs you "follow" and one link leads to another which leads to another and then your head feels like it will burst because there is so much inspiration and ideas on your journey? It happens to me a lot.

This happened to me last week, starting at the blog, Pimp Stitch. This blog focuses on crafts, sewing and embroidery; and, it often has links to fun tutorials. I am trying to work on my embroidery skills, so I was enticed by a new entry on Friday, "Boy + Girl Pocket Pillows". What are pocket pillows you ask. Well, they are toddler sized pillows that can fit into toddler sized pockets! And, they are really cute. Since I love really cute kiddy stuff, I decided to hop over to Lauren's blog, goody-goody, for little girl and boy pocket pillows free PDF pattern.

With my new pattern printing out below, I decised to check out Another website I love, Illustration Friday. This is one of those sites where a member suggests a topic and then everyone who reads can submit an illustration in the medium of their choice on the topic. I love it because many talented artists submit each week and there are links to their blogs which are full of inspiration! The topic for this week was "poise". Interesting, I thought, and I began to look at what artists were submitting.

I started with Golly Bard, who suggested the topic. I headed over the her blog, Golly Bard's Drawing Room, and was blown away by her wonderful drawings! What talent! She has her entry for Poise, "A Voracious Appetite", available in her ETSY Shop.

So, I ask myself, what inpires Golly Bard; and, I click on the first name atthe top of her list "Visual Feast". And, that would be, Cathy Cullis's Etsy Shop. When I arrived at Cathy's shop, I realized that I had been there before. Cathy is a talented mixed media and textile artist. Her work evokes classic simplicity, and I had been awed by it when I happened upon her in another of my blog hopping episodes.

So, with my head full of ideas and images, I decided to try and machine embroider the little girl PDF that I had gotten from Lauren. The first picture above is what I came up with. It is really cute, and I am going to make it into a pocket pillow for a little girl I know.

Then, I decided to take it one step further. I remembered some silhouettes that were posted by a contact of mine, Suzee Que, on flickr. Suzee Que often posts vintage artwork to share for use in art projects. She had posted this silhouette

Some are Vintage..some are not, originally uploaded by Suzee Que.

Here is my interpretation of it:

Learning how to Paint?

2009-03-26T18:16:00.003-04:00

sunflowers atc, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Moving into untested waters, I decided to try my hand at watercolor painting an ATC. I quickly learned that, like most art, this type of media is more complicated that it looks and probably requires years of instruction in order to do it right. One website I looked at stated that the first 100 or so paintings don't even really count.

So, I am really going out on a limb here posting my first attempts at watercolors. I may have overdone the sunflower theme, but I found that it helps to do it over and over until you figure out the best way to get good results.

dreaming of spring

2009-03-25T11:26:00.002-04:00

butterfly in black and white, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Traveling and Knitting Hints for Socks

2009-03-19T10:39:00.012-04:00

There haven't been too many posts lately because we were off college tripping again! This time we went up north and saw Princeton, Yale, Connecticut College, and Wesleyan.

One thing we learned, it is really cold up north! We are so used to the mildest of winters in Maryland, that neither one of us was prepared for cold. There is hope for us, however, as one friend indicated that it takes two weeks to adjust to a different climate.

There was a hint of spring in Connecticut. There were crocus blossoms in Redding; and,

witch hazel was blooming in New Haven.

Since the trip was spur of the moment, I forgot to take along a "travel project". Usually, I try and bring some knitting for the car ride, and for quiet moments on vacation. Once I was allowed to do a little sightseeing on my own, I headed out to find a local yarn shop. Luckily, A Stitch in Time, located in nearby Bethel was easy to find! The yarn shop was full to the brim with yarn and needlepoint supplies. I decided that starting some socks would be the easiest thing to do, so I picked up 2 skeins of Summer Sox by Classic Elite. I find socks are the easiest thing to knit while away. The yarn and needles can fit right into your purse! And, once you get used to knitting simple sock patterns, you will find that it doesn't take a lot of brain power or planning to knit them!

Since I haven't blogged about knitting for a while, I thought I might walk you through the process of making these socks.

DECISION #1: YARN CHOICE

I chose this yarn for several reasons. First, for it's fiber content: 40% cotton, 40% superwash merino, and 20% nylon. I thought that the cotton/wool blend would be a bit cooler for spring socks! Second, I believe that superwash wool (wool that you can wash in your regular wash) is key when knitting socks (especially if you are making them for someone else!). Socks always find their way into the wash and dryer, so 9 times out of 10, if you use 100% old fashioned wool, and someone else does the laundry, your beautiful knitted socks will be beautifully felted tiny socks! Another reason I chose this yarn was for the nylon. Nylon in the yarn gives it some elasticity, so it stretches better. Depending on how much yardage is in the ball of yarn you may need 1 or 2 balls. The general rule of thumb is that you need anywhere from 350 to 450 yards of yarn to make one pair of adult sized socks. Some companies sell all the yardage in one ball or skein, but for others (like this one) you will need two.

From summer sox

DECISION #2 - Needle Size

This type of yarn calls for size 2 needles and says gauge should be around 7 stitches to the inch. Since I have knitted tons of socks, I know my gauge works for this type of yarn with this size needle. I also know that I DON'T LIKE to knit on needles any smaller than a size 2 (I knitted some lacy socks on size zero and it wasn't a pleasant experience). So, just in case, when I purchase sock yarn, I always check with the knowledgeable sales staff to make sure the yarn will work with Size 2.

DECISION #4 - Type of Needle

A lot of the cotton/soy/natural fiber sock yarns are slippery. So, I think that bamboo double pointed needles grip the yarn better, and you are less likely to drop stitches. Sometimes, midway, I might change to one extra long addi turbo circular and do the "magic loop method" to make the knitting go a bit faster. But, I like turning the heel and doing the toe on double points. I have also knitted socks with two circular needles, but this is my least favorite method.

DECISION #5 - Pattern Choice

This is where it gets tricky. Since I have bought the yarn and needles before I chose the pattern, I have to come home and figure out what to do with the yarn! Usually, I have three choices: 1. I can search for a pattern in my many knitting books and magazines; 2. I can search for a pattern on line; or, 3. I can make one up myself. To make it interesting, I decided on #3 - Make it Up! WARNING: I don't recommend this option if you are just starting out with knitting socks! You must remember that when choosing a pattern, make sure your yarn weight matches that of the pattern you decide to knit!

DECISION #6 - How many stitches to cast on.

I think that 60 is a good number because it can easily be knit on 3 or 4 needles (with stitches divided equally on the needles). I started these by casting on 60 stitches onto bamboo double pointed needles (size 2). Also, I find that 60 stitches gives a good women's (or boy's) sock size.

DECISION #7 - Stitch patterns for Ribbing and Body of Sock

With 60 stitches, I need to choose a pattern for the sock that will have a repeat that is a multiple of 60.

For the ribbing I decide on an easy K2, P2 ribbing. I decide that about 10 rows will be what I need (I eyeball it - but it's about 1 1/4 inches).

Now the fun part, choosing the stitch pattern. Actually, you should choose this before the ribbing, because you might want a ribbing pattern that goes well with your stitch pattern. I didn't do it this way - I am not good at planning!

To choose the stitch pattern, I pulled an invaluable resource from my bookshelf, The Complete Book of Knitting" by Barbara Abbey. I found mine at a secondhand book shop - it is the original 1971 hardback version. It has been reprinted and is available on Amazon in paperback.

From summer sox

This book has instructions for pretty much anything you need to know about knitting. I wanted to search for a stitch pattern that will give me a multiple of 60.

From summer sox

I didn't have to look too far until I found one that would be perfect! I chose the Herringbone Lace Pattern.

From summer sox

Here is what I have so far

From summer sox

This is one round of the 12 row pattern.

TO BE CONTINUED....More choices like how long to knit the sock body, how to turn the heel, how long for the foot and knitting the toe!

Wordless Wednesday #7: One Happy Pig!

2009-03-18T13:19:00.002-04:00

One Happy Pig!, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Wordless Wednesday #6 - Welcome Spring!

2009-03-11T12:26:00.002-04:00

triplets, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Blog Swapping

2009-03-10T17:27:00.009-04:00

I am in my second round of blog swapping on swap-bot. I think that cittylou is to be commended for organizing another successful swap!

For this swap, we were given three blogs to go take a look at and leave comments. Three bloggers got my name to do the same for me! I have been trying to be a good swapper and return to all the blogs I was assigned and leave comments. It isn't hard to do, because the blogs are fun to read!

Today, I visited Ros at the Hmm. blog where there was a tutorial for a newsprint covered shopping bag. What a fun idea!

Originally uploaded by hmm.

She also had a link to a blog, Molly Likes to Draw, that has a nifty tutorial for making packing tape transfers! Did I say NIFTY? You bet!!! I couldn't get this little project out of my mind, it seemed so, well, innovative! Especially for the ATC chic design wannabe that I want to be!

In a nutshell, you take packing tape, cut a piece and tape it on top of a magazine picture that you want to transfer, cut out the taped picture, drop in a bowl of warm water, once wet peel off the paper, and VOILA - you miraculously have a transfer. Yes, the ink just sticks to the tape. Its magical!

I decided to try right when I got home. I just couldn't wait. But, unfortunately, I couldn't find any packing tape. Not to be thwarted, I did put my hands on some scotch tape, which worked amazingly well!

Here is a quick one I did of James Dean

What a great way to add some life to ATC's!

Museum Fun

2009-03-07T15:50:00.005-05:00

I was lucky enough to visit the Smithsonian's American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery on Friday afternoon, following a college visit trip to American University with my 17 year old son. We were going to visit the exhibit, 1934: A New Deal for Artists. The exhibit features the paintings commissioned by Franklin Roosevelt when he created the Public Works Art Program in 1934. Artists from all of the United States were asked to create art that depicted the "American Scene" in hopes of uplifting the spirit of Americans during the great depression. It is a wonderful exhibit, and worth the trip to catch a glimpse of life in the 1930's!

We had a little extra time, and decided to venture over to the Portrait gallery which is in another wing of the museum. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Shepard Fairey's poster of Barak Obama is now on display at the museum! That poster is so ingrained in everyone's mind as the iconic image of the 2008 election. It is AMAZING to see the original, which is actually the screen print on an ornately collaged background.

Here is a link to hear Mr. Fairey discussing his poster at the Gallery. It is pretty interesting to hear him speak about the process of making this piece of art!

There are tons of other wonderful portraits and photographs - everything from Abraham Lincoln to Andy Warhol! Speaking of Lincoln, there is also a wonderful exhibit, One Life: The Mask of Lincoln. It features many photographs, as well as two "life masks" made of President Lincoln. I was taken aback at how big of a man that he must have been!

If you are in the DC area, you should definitely put this museum on your list to visit! It is at 8th and F Street, NW - so you have to travel a little further away from all the main Smithsonian museums. It is right across the street from the INTERNATIONAL SPY MUSEUM, which I will be heading back to DC in a couple of weeks with my 12 year old. I hope that I can sneak back in to the Portrait Gallery to look at the Fairey poster again!

Also, if you go, you should definitely check out the website before you go. You can now download the audio tour onto your MP3 player. So, you don't have to rent the earphones anymore (am I dating myself...it has been a couple of years since I have been to the museum!)

Wordless Wednesday #5: just a broken star

2009-03-04T15:19:00.001-05:00

broken star, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Ouch!

2009-03-02T17:58:00.002-05:00

Ouch!, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

We had our first real snow storm today. It was absolutely frigid outside. The wind here is horrible on a normal day, but today with the snow it was like WHITE OUT! We had the mother of all icicles on our back porch. It was about a yard long and very SHARP!

Snappy, our miniature schnauzer, had fun running in the back field. There were loads of birds at my kitchen window feeder. The cardinals are especially beautiful with a backdrop of white snow!

I stayed home on my first real snow day in such a long time! Inspired by the birds at my window, I added to my painted bird ATC stash.

Red Bird

2009-03-01T18:08:00.003-05:00

Red Bird, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

This was my first attempt at doing a little folk art painting for an ATC. It was fun to do, but it looks pretty primitive!

Easy Ragwork ATC

2009-02-27T15:13:00.003-05:00

Sunflower ATC, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

I have been going crazy trying to get ATC swaps done before my boys get home for spring break this weekend. But, I am have terrible glue issues. I just can't seem to get rid of air bubbles, and it is driving me mad. So instead of pulling my hair out, I decided to return to what I do best - FIBER!

I have had this book checked out from the library for several 3 week cycles, but have never gotten around to trying anything. Today, as I was cleaning, I found a bag of old t-shirt pieces, an old burlap ham bag, and the book. I decided it would be a good day to try my hand at ragwork.

The book, Beautiful Ragwork: Over 20 Hooked Designs for Rugs, Wall Hangings, Furniture, and Accessories has easy directions and good pictures (important for visual people like me)! I was able to come up with all the supplies from my stash (burlap, tshirt strips and a crochet hook (fake rug hooker but it works!)

I make a quick design and was done before I knew it!

Very Easy!

Simple Beauty

2009-02-26T20:13:00.007-05:00

mono tulips multiple, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Most times, pictures come more easily to me than words. I guess you could say I am think "visually".

Some more tulilps appeared in my kitchen this weekend. They are white tulips and are simply beautiful.

Today, I decided to play a bit with tulips. I used the monochromatic setting on my camera and a simple desk light to get these effects. I didn't photoshop at all. I softened the one above and played with the tone. That's it!

I think the results are quite pleasing to the eye!

Wordless Wednesday #4: FeltColors

2009-02-25T09:53:00.001-05:00

FeltColors, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Keep it Simple

2009-02-23T13:59:00.003-05:00

Keep it Simple....Keep it Simple....

Having the constant inclination to make things more difficult, confusing or just cluttered than they need to be, I try to keep the "keep it simple" mantra in my brain.

Simplifying my surroundings has been a goal for the new year. In that vain, I ran across this wonderful poster today. Readymade Magazine asked five artists to "reimagine" the populist posters the government commissioned from artists during the Great Depression, and to design some modern posters for our current time. I absolutely love the one above, designed by Nick Dewar. It is available for download in pdf form HERE.

Here are 4 other wonderful posters available for download.

I think that they are all pretty terrific!

Appreciation ~ Kate Greenaway

2009-02-20T09:18:00.003-05:00

Language of Flowers, London,
Routledge, 1884. Engraved and
colour printed by Edmund Evans.

Kate Greenaway was an illustrator of children's books in the Victorian era. Her work depicted children as dreamy little figures who play amid the English countryside, dressed in frilly smocks, mob caps and sunbonnets. I own several books with drawings by Kate Greenaway, including the one above, Language of Flowers.

This morning I was pleasantly surprised when the weekly Dover Publications design sampler had some downloads from the book Kate Greenaway Illustrations CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art). If you haven't signed up for this weekly download, you can do it RIGHT HERE. Each week you get an email with a variety of downloads from different publications. The offerings are always great, and they are also perfect for use in many different crafts like Atcs, scrapbooks, and homemade postcards. Here are the samples from Kate Greenaway that are offered this week:

I think they are just wonderful!

ATC Wallet Tutorial

2009-02-19T06:57:00.000-05:00

I have been getting so many Atcs in swaps, that I needed a quick and easy way to keep them safe and tidy. I also wanted to have quick access to admire them. So, on a Dollar Store run today, I found a little photo album that I thought would work perfectly for storing my treasures.

Here is a little tutorial on how I did it.

I probably should have gotten a picture of me gluing the large piece of fabric to the cardstock here. Just use your imagination - position the fabric on the gluey cardstock and press it down real good. You might also need to let it sit in the middle of a thick book for a few minutes, to get rid of the curling page...

Once it is reasonably dry, you can embellish the front with a label. I rubber stamped ATCS on a little piece of ribbon and glued onto the fabric.

Once it is all dry, just slip the front into the vinyl sleeve. You can repeat the process for the back, or just leave the back clear and empty if you are lazy like me.

Here is the finished product.

Wordless Wednesday #3: orchid blossom

2009-02-18T14:22:00.001-05:00

orchid blossom, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Artist Trading Cards

2009-02-17T20:12:00.001-05:00

I have been working on my own Atc's. I am a "newbie" at this, and the whole process is a little daunting, but also very addicting. There is lots of help along the way, however! First, there are many wonderful images on flickr. All you have to do is search atc and lots of wonderful images will pop up. Googling, "how to make atcs" will also bring up multiple guides and resources for making these little works of art. You can use just about any media you want to make an atc. I tend to want to use fabric or some sort of fiber in my cards, probably because that is what I am used to working with!

Here is a series I just finished. The challenge was to use a brown bag on most of the card. I had a lot of fun sewing the newsprint to the fabric.

Coraline

2009-02-15T08:41:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, for a Valentine treat, I went to see the new movie "Coraline".

::coraline movie poster::, originally uploaded by .renato guerra.

This movie is based on the young adult fantasy novel, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Amazon reviewed the book this way:

"Coraline lives with her preoccupied parents in part of a huge old house--a house so huge that other people live in it, too... round, old former actresses Miss Spink and Miss Forcible and their aging Highland terriers ("We trod the boards, luvvy") and the mustachioed old man under the roof ("'The reason you cannot see the mouse circus,' said the man upstairs, 'is that the mice are not yet ready and rehearsed.'") Coraline contents herself for weeks with exploring the vast garden and grounds. But with a little rain she becomes bored--so bored that she begins to count everything blue (153), the windows (21), and the doors (14). And it is the 14th door that--sometimes blocked with a wall of bricks--opens up for Coraline into an entirely alternate universe." Karen Snelson

Since I had not read the book, the movie was my introduction to this story. I had read about the movie in various blogs, and was going for the graphic/animation/crafty tie ins that had been blogged about. I was not let down. The graphic details in the movie were awesome, and the story was hauntingly delicious! My only regret is that our tiny, little movie theatre could not support the 3d format. Not to worry though, because I have convinced my 12 year old son, who said that he wouldn't be "seen" at a "gothic chic flick", to travel with me to an undisclosed location, far away from our town, so that we can inconspicuously wear our 3d glasses and devour the movie in all its 3d glory!

If you would rather listen to Neil Gaimon and Henry Selnick talk about the genius behind this book and movie, they were interviewed on The Sound of Young America.

There are lots of fun links popping up all over directly related to the movie. Knitted items have a recurring theme in the movie. Althea Crome of Bugknits designed and made most of the miniature knits used in the movie. If you prefer to knit on toothpicks, you should definitely check out her site where she offers her miniature patterns and needles for sale.

For all the rest of us knitters, several free patterns have become available online. If you want to knit the wonderful blue sweater with stars that is given to Coraline by her "other mother". The pattern is offered at the offical Coraline website in PDF form. I loved that outfit, especially the bright blue boots!

coraline star sweater, originally uploaded by Nipperknits.

Or, if you prefer to knit gloves, the blog, Largely Unrepeatable, has come up with a pattern for the orange striped gloves that Coraline wants her "real mother" to buy for her.

Coraline Glove - Final, originally uploaded by TikaBelle.

Buttons have a special significance in this movie, since all the "robots" have button eyes. The official Coraline site has a vintage button poster up for grabs. You can download it here.

Coraline vintage buttons!, originally uploaded by susanstars.

These button keys are available on Ebay. That is where this one was purchased by Laura Hall.

Coraline button key, Poladroid-style, originally uploaded by lhall.

There are even a couple of Coraline Swaps forming as well. On swap-bot, there is a Atc swap and a mini stuffie swap. There is also a chance for you to join one of a 50 box swap, which was started as a follow-up to the 50 boxes that were sent out to top craft bloggers late last year to promote the movie. If you want to join a box swap, My Little Mochi has organized the Coraline Mystery Box Swap. Sign ups start tomorrow morning, and there is only room for 50!

Heart-Felt FLICKR Love

2009-02-14T19:32:00.001-05:00

Heart-Felt FLICKR Love, originally uploaded by mexycan.

Lucky Week!

2009-02-13T16:36:00.001-05:00

It was my lucky week, as I received a bouquet of Atc's this week from my various swaps. Here is what made it my way:

This one was from jenken for a February Quilt Atc on swap-bot. I think the pearls are just lovely!

This one made it to me in time for Valentine's Day!

It was made by Lisa at Ivory Blush Roses. Her blog is beautiful! In addition to her pretty Atc, I am also in awe of her crazy quilted fairy flower garden blocks. They make me wish for spring!

The last two I received were from a Brown Bag Atc swap. For this one, the challenge was to make cards and use recycled brown bags in your design. Barbara on swap-bot sent me these:

I am hoping that my luck continues. I signed up for a give-away at Amber Alexander's Blog. Her drawings are amazing! The contest is outlined at her Etsy Shop. Here is one of her prints, perfect for Valentine's Day!

Last Minute Valentines

2009-02-12T20:38:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

I fell in love with the valentine bouquet that Val and her lovely daughter made. I finally found the link ;), and, decided that my 12 year old son and I would make some for his Valentine Day celebration. Guess who made the flowers? ME! Unfortunately, 12 year old boys would rather be outside in the 50 degree weather playing lacrosse than inside crafting tissue paper flowers! He was more interested in EATING them than making them. (Note the guilty grin above!) But, he was very appreciative of the bouquet, and happily took them into his teachers today!

I also wanted to give a link to a wonderful site with cute, free wallpaper and a template for a sweet little valentine gift box. The blog is called Bric.A.Brac. She also has a cute storefront, Jinjerup. This is where I found a selection of wallpapers, like this one:

And, here is a photo of the little box that I made:

There is a PDF download with several different designs. It is perfect for that last minute Valentine gift!

Wordless Wednesday #2

2009-02-11T09:17:00.001-05:00

i heart you

Candy Love

2009-02-10T11:18:00.000-05:00

I think I am having too much fun with this one! You can try it too at the CANDY FACTORY!