happy birthday to me!!

thank you to this girl for her sweet birthday surprise!!
today has been pretty laid back here.
i couldn't ask for more on this day.
i have a wonderful family.
my husband has been so sweet.
and my girls know that just them being around
is my present for this day.
my mom, well...i am just always going
to be her baby girl...no matter what age i am!!
although, i did get some sweet gifts ;)
thank you for your well wishes.
they are much appreciated.
have a wonderful weekend everyone.
heck, just lay around and be lazy if you wanna. :)

gettin my ninja on...

cuz that is how i rooooollllllllll...
experimenting with some TRA(totally rad actions)
here are some samples. (free downloads--just for trying them out)

original SOOC (minor adjustments in ACR)

#1--SLICE like a ninja(sharpen)/Boutwell's Magical glasses

#2--SLICING like a ninja again ;)/dirtbag texture/Lux

#3--SLICING/b!^(#!*% B&W

interesting names for these actions for sure. go check the site and see for yourself!
hence my abbr. for the B&W one ;O


prolly will be MIA for a while.
tomorrow is my b-day!!!
yay!
La-la- lala-la-laaaaaaa!
Not bad for a chick my age!! ;)
Have a great loooooong weekend, peeps!!!

the latest...

this is my oldest dd (the one in plaid) and her BFF on vaca @ OBX this summer.
did this cuz of TAIF and i wanted to! :)
tfl, peeps!
it is almost Friday!!!
is that good or bad?
3 more days...

ttv & sweet somethings

all the rage it seems...
esp @ flickr.
i don't have a kodak duoflex or an argus 75
and i light-trap thing-a-ma-bob that goes with it (that you make)
but....yet again, i can photoshop!
it really is less expensive when you think about it.
takes up less space, too!
ha!
pays itself off daily.
so here is my one photo that i worked on with my
first fake ttv frame.

i chose this one b/c the hubs has been so super sweet to me the past couple of days!
i mean, it is still 5 more days till my actual b-day and he is...well, not being himself!
not that he isn't normally sweet. he just forgets. and he IS super busy.
who can blame him, right?
but this year is different for some reason.
and i like it!
keep it up, honey! ;)
tfl!

embracing this

the mojo-less-ness makes sense once i went through the process of this LO.
even though the idea spurred from dare#104 it was totally from my heart.
something that has been resonating within me for quite some time now.
when i make stuff it HAS to be from my heart...i leave a piece of it in everything that i make.
that is me and the way i need it to be.
so i have learned to refocus.
to choose.
to learn.
and sometimes to not do something.
so now i don't have to wonder
"why?"....
i can't get into the groove...
make stuff
create
scrapbook
photograph
sew.
and the process is so much more fun when
my heart is with my hands while i am
making stuff.
thanks for stopping by and allowing
me to share a little piece of my heart with you.
Hugs,

not much up...

just got back from a trip with the fam.
visited some friends.
went to a theme park.
now home.
with LAUNDRY to do.
yessssss.
i looooove laundry. *insert sarcasm here* ;)
school will be back in action in 6 days here.
bittersweet.
thank you for all of your kind comments and prayers
from the previous post.
from the bottom of my heart--thank you.
no creating being done here.
but i cannot post without a pic of some sort
sooooooooooo....
i am reminded of how seasons change and people do too, but i can keep on dreaming,
achieving, hoping, praying, growing through it all.
love to you all, my friends.
xo

in memory of...

my brother.
november 30, 1971-august 16/17, 2000

this is hard...
there are no words.
really
this video
pretty much says it.

please pray for my mom.
the reality of it all and the loss will
always affect her the greatest.
peace and love.
i am out for a few days.

dare 103

kept this one totally digi.
just sat down and created
this what i came up with.
tfl!

filmies

i have an older, not really old film SLR.
never used the manual settings when i first got it
b/c i quickly converted to a digital camera.
then the learning process began.
so, i decided since i had a roll of unused film
i would snap a few shots, BUT using manual mode this time.
24 exposures, 400 ISO Kodak color film.
it took me all of about, i would say, 15 mins to use up the
whole roll!! yikes!
how easy it is to forget the luxury of
snapping a pic with a digital camera and then just deleting if
you feel like it!!
these all had to be keepers.LOL!
i won't bore you with them all, but here are a few worth
sharing...IMHO! ;)

my lovely, fading hydrangeas



mason jar with birdseed on my deck


me and my sunnies


handsome hubs

we end with Happy Feet :D

not too bad...i will do it again. just for fun. and maybe i will try b&w film as well.
i bought more 800 ISO just for more grain!
i was happy to see some bokeh in my pics as well!
i think i have learned something! i have!! LOL! :D

Urban Cokeh Bokeh

For my photo ATC swap @ SiS...
got the idea from my sweet friend Jocelynne B.


and here is a little toe tapper for the rest of your day ;) LOL!


film pics tomorrow...hopefully!

i can't paint

but i can get digi in photoshop!
just a few randoms that i have played with!
plastic wrap, textures, brush strokes...galore!
~click~ each image as you must see them bigger
to get the full appreciation.


and snaps of a recent ATC from a swap to share soon!
drop me some love!
xo

20 Important things

this was a great e-mail sent to me today by one of my dear friends...click image
to enlarge and read on:


i think i am going to frame this and hang it in my house!!

august...already?

how did that happen?
yes, when we looked @ our summer we knew it was going to fly.
still hopeful, though, to hold the reigns to make it go slooooooow.
didn't happen.

back to august.
yes. people that is MY month in this house.
or at least the very last day is!
of course celebrating will happen around the 31st most likely.
so here is a reminder to my loving family.
ONLY 30 MORE SHOPPING DAYS LEFT!
who am i kidding?
i live in a house of procrastinators....
i digress!
happy Friday, 1st day of August peeps!!!
no LO....
so let's end with a photo, shall we?
what a hunk!
i miss this guy!