Colorful Fall

 This fall in Colorado has been one of the most amazing color shows of all the autumn seasons we have lived here.  The bright blue skies have been the background for the blazing red, orange, and yellow trees.  We are blessed to live in such a beautiful state.

So very often we do not see the wonderful things in our lives as we run around doing those things we think we have to do.   Take a moment today to look around  you at the beauty in your life where ever you are.

The iPAD app Colorsplash was used to put the color back into the leaf after removing all color from the whole photo.

A trip to the mountains and rambling thoughts

It was such a lovely Sunday afternoon that The Donald suggested we go to the park up in the Thompson Canyon.  Our city owns the land and has preserved it for us to have a lovely place to enjoy the beauty of the mountains and river.  We almost never go there, so I was surprised and delighted.  Packed the cooler and the camera and off we went!

The leaves were starting to change and many bushes had berries. The bees were enjoying the last of the flowers...... and our food!  The sound of the river rushing by was so relaxing. We read and rested all afternoon.

The iPAD app Frame Magic was the app used to create the montage above. There were so many neat things to photograph that I had a super time wandering along the paths....and sometimes off the paths. (Don't tell the ranger.)

A portion of the park has the remnants of the old machinery that used to be used to generate electricity for the city.  Most of this was wiped away in the Big Thompson Flood back in the 70's.  The rusty remains are a reminder of lives and homes lost that night as the water rushed down the canyon in the dark. Many regular people became heroes that night.

Speaking of heroes, do you remember the videos shown on tv a few weeks ago showing people lifting a car to save a motorcyclist from burning to death? Amazing what people can do when they have to. I wonder how many everyday heroes we never hear about. Hats off to them!

As the sun went down behind the mountains we headed back to the city to re-enter our regular lives. It was a nice way to spend the day.....and now I have many more photos to play with!

Altering Photos and other iPAD Endeavors

The iPAD is useful for many things and, even better, it brings a lot of fun into my life. 

As for some people thinking that iPADs can be a great time waster, wellll....I have to admit they are right!  When one can carry a very light-weight "computer" to the recliner, the hours speed quickly by before you realize it.

I read the news on several different apps. One of my favorites is News360 which gives many viewpoints for each subject covered. Flipboard gives you a Facebook overview and lets you read blogs and RSS feeds all in one place.  What's on? is a great tv guide.....so you can use two time-wasters at one time....... Now, that IS efficient, isn't it?

Ever since taking classes from LK Ludwig using photos altered before and after putting them on the journal page, I have really enjoyed the new views of my world.  You just HAVE to be present when you are looking for new viewing angles for photos of all that is around you. You really start seeing where you are, now.  Being present.  Too often we pay no attention to that which is around us as our minds whirl with thoughts.  Be Here Now....sounds like a title for a book.

The photo above of the church was taken in Kodiak, Alaska when we were on a trip to the Bering Sea. Have you seen The World's Deadliest Catch on tv?  The boats head north out of Dutch Harbor looking for crab and lobster.  Our ship also headed north out of Dutch Harbor, but, thankfully, our seas were calm and the temperature was warm. We visited several islands with native villages, went into a Russian town so desolate that if you work there 10 years you get a double pension, and then headed over the Arctic Circle before ending the trip in Nome.  This photo was altered in the Dynamic Light app, and it will be further altered once it is printed and put into a journal.

Now, you will have to excuse me as I go to play Words with Friends with my friend Joy who lives in MN. She always wins, but I keep on tryin'.

Before and After

Pages never end up looking like they do in the beginning, but, instead, go through many transformations. Perhaps this is a metaphor for our lives, but I won't go there right now!

Both of the pages on the left started out with very several very bright colors.  Burnt Sienna was glazed over the top, and various stencils were used to calm them down.  A lot of moooshing and blotting also helped to tone them down.

The bottom left page (more blue)  started out as a depository for leftover colors from other pages.....see its beginning as a yellow sheet with blue and green blobs and smears in the right photo.  With the addition of many more layers, the glaze, and the stenciling it was totally changed into the complex page that you see here.

The right photo also shows one of my work tables which is at standing height.  The red surface is a very large teflon sheet on which I paint the pages. It cleans up beautifully and the pages do not stick to it. (usually!)  This is important as I often work on both sides of the page at the same time.  The two left pages in this photo are really the front and back of one sheet of Wausau cardstock.

You can see the spray bottle, paper towels, and baby wipes; all are my major tools along with old motel key cards.  Latex gloves are very helpful!  The paints are any brand of acrylic you have on hand, expensive to very cheap.  Each brand works a bit differently and learning about them is part of the play.

The App used to make this composite photo is PhotoWall for the iPAD.

Time to grab some tubes of paint and play!

Sketch a tree.......

Here is another process that I use in my journals.

I would love to have a sketch journal, but my sketches have a lot to be desired.  I do have an inner artist that can draw splendidly.... too bad she can never come out to play!  Here is a way to draw without having the necessary skills.

The tree photo was taken on a vacation and then altered with an iPAD app.  It was reduced to a light pencil sketch, which I am now using as a basis for "my" colored pencil drawing. Some of the branches are continued onto the page which was first painted with several layers of the typical scrape, wet, and blot technique. The left page is darker in the photo than it truly is.

I like not finishing a page so I can come back to it, almost as a child with a coloring book, spending several hours in peaceful contemplation.  A theme reoccurs.... getting away from the world into a quiet place with my trees.

...and other pursuits

What joy can be found in many activities of life!  Can anything be more special than visiting the grandkids?!  (Well, seeing their parents was also nice.)

We had a wonderful time reading, playing games on the iPAD, and doing some art activities.  I can hardly wait till they visit here one day so we can paint some pages and bind some books.   Alli and Amanda already have a small studio set up in their basement with a storage area for supplies, hooks for aprons, and an easel. It is never too early to start and they do love art time.

We were using the light rail and heading to the airport when the east coast earthquake was felt.  There was excitement and wonder expressed on the train as many were calling people to see if they were ok, and if they felt the quake.  Many buildings in Philly were evacuated and people were sent home from work making the train station a very crowded place. Trains were delayed and some tracks were closed.  The airport even closed for a short time and the security lines were the longest we had ever seen.

Back at home, the mail had piled up, but I quickly found my new Kindle 3 skin made from an image of one of my painted pages.  I had uploaded a photo of one of my pages to Gelaskins.com and here it is applied to my Kindle. Pretty cool!!    

                                                                                               

                              This combined photo was made in the Photowall app on the iPAD.

Well, back to the studio!  More donations for GW need to be sorted out and boxed up!  Purging time!!

Leaves of Green...This Time

Leaves and trees are part of my place of peace.  I could stare up (or down, as the case may be) at them for hours, loving the interplay of colors, lights, and shadows.

In this spread, the pages are painted, paste paper is adhered, another small page is tipped in, and the photos are altered.

The leaves on the plant on the left have additional color pencil added with the leaves being drawn out onto the page.  This photo was also altered with the Color Splash app on the iPAD.  That app turns the picture to black and white and then you draw with your finger over the areas you want color to reappear.

The plant photos on the right are scraps cut from another photo.

Written journaling will be added at the proper time.   WHAT is the proper time?  When the words come, when the thoughts need to be poured out onto the page....THAT is the proper time. Until then, turn the pretty pages and enjoy the colors and photos as they are.