Just Call Me Rosebud
09 Aug 2013 2 Comments
in Just Photos Tags: Camera, Nikon, photography, roses, toghrapy, weddings
May Photo-a-day Challenge: Day 2 Path
02 May 2013 2 Comments
in May Photo A Day Challenge Tags: cracks, macro, moss, nature, outdoors, path, photography, weeds
Day 2 Path: This is a shot of my front walk – weeds and all. I love the fuzzy little moss that isย very slowly taking up residence in the cracks.
March Phoneography Challenge: TOYS
16 Mar 2013 6 Comments
in Phoneography Challenge Tags: phoneography, photography, radio flyer wagon, Red Dirt, toys
Here are some more iPhone shots, edited with Camera+
There isn’t a lot to shoot around my drought stricken yard yet; I’ve been keeping my eyes on the budding trees, just waiting to capture some color. So in the meantime, I turned my iPhone to the toys that my grands left scattered like last autumn’s fallen leaves around my place. ๐

I am adding this image to this blog, because it doesn’t fit anywhere else. I shot it a couple weeks after the other toy images, but I really liked it and wanted to add it to my challenge! I love the way the light plays over the new batch of chalk that I put out for my grands on Easter morning! Shadow and light make even the most mundane subject spectacular.

These play garden toys lay were they were left by my grands after playing in the dirt. The red is what is common for dirt here in Oklahoma – hence, The Red Dirt State.

The same wheel, but I wanted it in sepia tone so had to take it into photoshop to edited and save this way without losing the original. That is the only drawback of Camera+, you can only chose one feature to save.
Keep playing with your phones!
Phoneography Challenge: My Neighborhood
09 Mar 2013 4 Comments
in Phoneography Challenge Tags: community, ipone, nature, neighborhood, phoneography, photography, plants
I don’t actually live in a neighborhood. I live in a rural area where I and many of my “neighbors” have a least five acres. So when WP set the phonographic challenge of photographing my neighborhood with my iPhone, I was at somewhat of a disadvantage. Plus, since we are in the midst of winter in Oklahoma, it is rather a bleak looking landscape.
I accepted the challenge and walked around my place photographing small portions of my landscape. I hope it meets the criteria. ๐

Tiny little violas no bigger than the tip of my pinky grow heavily amongst the weeds. My grandchildren love these little flowers and hate when I mow them under.

The only thing that I have found that the iPhone can’t do is focus on something small in the foreground when there is a lot going on in the background. This was the closest I got; if anyone knows how to accomplish this, please let me know.

These dried weeds grow on my creek; they are about 7-8 feet tall. With the upward angle and the bright blue sky, they were a perfect subject for my iPone’s capability.
Have a great day!
Heartfelt Art
27 Feb 2013 13 Comments
in According to me Tags: art, Art With A Heart, cancer research, childhood cancers, family, Fundraiser, generosity, kindness, love, migraine headaches, painting, photography
As many of you know, my eldest granddaughter, Isabelle, has Leukemia – AMPL to be exact.
She has undergone treatment and is in her second year of maintenance meds. So far, she hasn’t been sick even one time in the past year (we give God all the glory for that miracle). The only problem she has is when she is on her ATRA rotation of meds. ATRA, short for something I can neither pronounce nor spell, is basically highย toxic levels of Vitamin A. When she is on this drug, she gets horrible migraine headaches. The kind that take a lot of pain pills, nausea medication, darkness and quiet to help her exist. Its not fun, but thankfully it is only 15 days out of every 90, and Rebekah thinks she only has two rotations left.
But still, 15 days is a long time to a child, especially when something important is coming up like the annual Art With A Heart gala. Isabelle works hard, plans and anticipates this event all year. This year was to be her second year to have paintings entered into the auction. She had worked very hard on two paintings, a piece of craft art and several small pieces that were part of the large combination pieces that were to be cut up and sold off.
You guessed it; her 15 days fell exactly on the much awaited event. Thankfully, her doctor, understanding the importance of these events to children, allowed her to go off her meds for two days so she was able to attend without any pain or throwing up!
Her two main paintings were Hey Diddle Diddle, a piece that she envisioned from the popular nursery rhyme that instead depicted her sitting on a dock of a lake with a cow jumping over the reflection of the moon. The little dog, the cat and the fiddle and the dish and spoon were also there along with fireflies, trees and a tranquil night.
Her second piece was a self portrait, that looked remarkably like her complete with cute little freckles smattered across her little nose and bright blue eyes. This one was in an adorable frame decked out with colorful buttons that perfectly match her bright personality.
The evening began with a twilight limousine tour of downtown Oklahoma City and a red carpet entrance on the arm of a dashing OU football player. The OU and OSU Tri Deltas plan and host the event and basically spoil all the children to pieces.
Isabelle looked beautiful in her black and white frilly party dress; she had picked it out months ago and refused to wear any kind of outer covering for fear it would impede the view of the roses on the top of her dress – she is such a girl! Her mommy warned her that it might be quite cold (who can know for sure in Oklahoma?), but she was determined. So, with instructions “to not look cold” Belle entered the front foyer of Children’s Hospital without even the appearance of goose pimples! Such a trooper!
The night was a success; Isabelle was a hit with all the patrons – go figure. Two gentlemen in particular were very keen on being the ones to win the bids on her works of art. In the final moments, a last effort was made to top the bids for assured success.
Her self portrait was purchased by one older man whose own granddaughter was in her fifth year of Art With A Heart. He purchased her self portrait with the express purpose of returning it to Isabelle!

Isabelle didn’t understand that he wanted to give her back her painting. I think she thought he wasn’t going to buy it.
The nursery rhyme painting and the beautifully crafted bowl of ย pears were purchased from a young man and woman who has a daughter just one year younger that Belle. The wife survived cancer while she was pregnant with their daughter.

The couple who bought Hey Diddle Diddle. They have a daughter Isabelle’s age and she is a cancer survivor herself! She was diagnosed with Lymphoma while she was pregnant.
As Isabelle was making ready to return home where she could dream of future art projects, limousine rides and pretty dresses, the second art patron returned to the hospital and presented Isabelle with her Hey Diddle Diddle painting. He said that he and his wife decided as they were driving away that they wanted this young beautiful artist to have her work back!

Isabelle was so touched by this couple’s kindness when they decided to give her back her favorite painting!
It is times like these that I am glad that I am part of the human race!
If you would like to look at Isabelle’s art, go to http://www.artwithaheartock.com; click on Fletcher’s Corner and then the 2013 artist. You can even help support childhood cancer care and research by putchasing a reporoduction of Isabelle’s or another’s arts. There really are some fine pieces in the collection. Isabelle’s are numbers 16 & 17. If they don’t come up, wait a day or so and they should be uploaded. I was told that they were there today, but only the party pics were up.

This is my new tea mug. It is hard to see the whole scene, but I keep rotating it. Items like this and many more can be purchased at Fletcher’s Corner to help in the fight against Childhood Cancers!
I have only picked up one piece so far, but am going to order more soon! I love my little Belly Dancer!
Weekly Photo Challenge: Hugs and KISSES and Everything In Between
16 Feb 2013 4 Comments
in Weekly Photo Challenge Tags: arts, family, home, Hugs, Kisses, love, photography, relationships, Wedding
This week’s photo Challenge was KISSES; I imagine this is in honor of Valentine’s Day.
But when I think of kisses, I don’t gravitate toward just the romantic kisses; I also take in all the sweet tender moments between family members.I am just as smitten with warm hugs and embraces of every kind.
A hug can as powerful as a kiss, it is the type of photos that I tend to get more often than not (except when I’m shooting a wedding, then there are enough kisses to fill a candy bowl). Here are a few of my favorite kisses, hugs and everything in between!
- A Wedding Kiss
- A Daddy Hug
- I love My Auntie
- Kissing A Little Bald Head
- A Kiss For His Little Man
- I Love You Mom
- Kissy Toes
- Sisters
- Baby Kisses
- Eskimo Kisses
- Make Me Laugh Kisses
- I Love You Hugs
- Swing Me Kiss
As usual, I have had trouble limiting myself, sorry!
A Word a Week Photography Challenge – Wood
24 Dec 2012 2 Comments
in Photographic Challenge Tags: art, moss, old fencepost, photography, rain, rough cut, trunk branch, wood
Wood, more specifically, bark, has always fascinated me. I love the texture that it imbues. How you can almost feel its roughness when you look at an image of a trunk, branch or even rough cut lumber.
So I’ve culled through a few specimens of woody shots to share with you. Hope you enjoy.
Merry Christmas
P.S. Does anyone know how to make a collage on WP? I’ve scoured the site and cannot find any link or instructions?