{Playing with the Falling Leaves}...

Enjoying autumn leaves by making a pumpkin festival garland.

A photo op with the leftover leaves scattered on my front steps

that I used for Nancy's Texture Challenge which you can see here on Tuesday night.

We don't get a lot of falling leaves here in Arizona so I had to go hunt some down and

brought them home where I thought they looked so quaint on my front porch.

{Nancy Donaldson's Texture Challenge}...

I know I've been gone awhile so busy, busy, busy.

But I got this texture challenge from Nancy Donaldson using her texture.

You can see her post on her blog here

Nancy's Texture

I used a shadow photo of myself which I took a couple of

months ago.  I caught the photo "op" by chance when I walked in my front

door early one morning.  The sun was shining directly behind me

where it created a shadow image of myself standing in my front doorway.   I have an old metal calendar hanging on the wall just inside the front door which created an interesting background.

I wasn't sure how I would use it but I really liked it and didn't dare miss this photo op.

So I took the photo and waited to see what would come up for it.

I added a boken photo layer and several blending modes and duplicate layers later I created this

It's the perfect color for my Erosion Bundle art journal

I'm in the process of putting together. 

I hope to be able to post that art journal soon.

{SP-Pausing}...

SP-Pausing

I got these hugh roses at a new local floral shop

A Garden Within

The folks there are so nice and helpful.  The store has some really unique quality gift items as well.  (which I went back for the next day).  Anyway if you live local you should check it out. I went in to get some

Peonies but the color was not quite what I was hoping for - turns out it's a bit late in the season for them.

So they helped out by generously offering

three hugh pink roses instead. 

I took a bunch of photos (more to come later) including a couple for

another SP. 

It was early evening and the light inside was very low so I stood near the doorway to catch as much light as possible which created a backlight photo.  I was excited to work with it a bit so I took

just a few minutes this morning to see what I could come up with.  The backlight is my fave but while I

was at it I thought I would do the other at the same time.

But that's enough time inside.  It's great outside so I am off to play in the garden.

Till next time :-)

{self portrait-sp}

New series of self portraits.

 I call this the feminine

I did a series of sp a couple of years ago.

And now that I have time to work on personal art projects

one item I want to explore is an art journal based on self portraits 

It can be difficult to take and accept pictures of yourself

and even more so to post them on a blog.  So not all of the sp that

I take may make it on to the blog.  We'll see.

Anyway

I plan on using different themes to help. 

 Misty Mawn's sp inspired me a couple a years ago and she

again is my inspiration.  In her new book just out unfurling she discusses self portraits.

And I wonder who am I, what makes me tick, why do I like what I like, what

does my style tell about me, and on and on

Self Portraits from VisualPoetry workshop...

Having a really delightful time using the new techniques I am learning from theVisualPoetry workshop. 

Playing with photos like this is like getting a tattoo without having to commit to it for live.  and  ohhhhh the options




It is a happy talent to know how to play

                   ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

{SP~Shadow Play}

Self PortraitsShadow Play this morning.
Just me, my camera, the Sun, and a bit of Photoshop
I had so much fun taking these sp. I will be doing this again.
I have a watering can and a large flower I want to add to the shadow play.
But for now this was a first try

SP Wednesday

Self Portrait (SP)

SP

I'm joining in on Misty Mawn's Self Portrait (SP) Wednesdays.

I have been wanting to take different SP for a while now.