More Calendar Previews? Vote Now!

I received a comment from a friend yesterday that she was torn between getting to see previews of the calendar pages, and having them be more of a surprise. So, I'm putting it to a vote! There's a poll up in the sidebar - let me know what your opinion is!

C'mon now - this is good practice for November 4th!! In fact, this poll ends November 4th. Now get to voting!

This Just In!!

Private Shopping Parties are now being offered at Waves of Creation! For details, click here.

(p.s. I'm the one "teaching" the optional Photo Tile workshop!)

Calendar Preview - January

I got some good feedback about my calendar yesterday. So, I've decided to sneak preview one month per day, here on the blog. Hopefully that will help ease your suspense - the calendar will be in my shop soon I promise!

I showed you the cover concept yesterday... Today, here's January, enjoy! Be sure to let me know what you think - this is my first calendar and I'd love to hear your feedback.

Hump Day Happiness

Hello all! I've been lax with posting my Hump Day Happiness lists of late, but not this week!

Here are 5 things I'm grateful for today:

1) Sunshine on fall leaves
2) Homemade bread
3) My amazing and supportive friends and family
4) Having energy again after being sick
5) Being able to sell my work at The Greenery

How about you?

Waiting in the Wings...

Exciting news - today I finished designing my very first calendar! I am eagerly awaiting my test print. If all goes well it should be available in my shop by mid-November!

Here's a sneak preview of the cover, what do you think?

Fisheye

Here are some pics from the first roll of film taken with my new Fisheye camera...

How it looked on film...


How it looks after digitally "correcting" for distortion...


A double exposure.. as it looks on film


The double exposure, digitally "corrected"


I can't decide on exactly what to do with these - I like the circular look, but I'm not crazy about just printing them as standard sized prints, with the black borders. Perhaps I shall find some circular or oval frames. What do you think? How do you like the "corrected" versions?

But Wait, There's More!

Here's another Diana camera image for you! (Can you tell I'm having fun playing with my new scanner today?) I'm loving the vignetting and the light leak at the top!

Midwinter Lake

New Toys

What does a photographer get for her birthday? New photography toys, of course! As you may remember from a few posts back, I bought myself a new Canon Powershot SX110 with some accumulated B&H Photo gift cards. Well, my very generous friends and family got me...

A Fisheye camera



and a photo/slide/film scanner!



These go very well together, as I will be able to scan in the film from the Fisheye (and my Diana camera) and use it in the digital darkroom. My dream of having a wet darkroom is still alive, but sort of low on the household project priority list.

Here's the first image to be scanned with the new scanner - the shot was taken with my Diana camera, which sometimes has trouble advancing the film. In this case, I think it's a pretty interesting effect.

And Then He Walked Away


I also got some amazing handmade soaps (I have a talented family), a yogurt maker (super excited about this!), and a case for the SX110! Woohoo!!

By the way, I think I need to give the SX110 a name. Saying "SX110" out loud is rather cumbersome. Any suggestions? Here's what it looks like, if you need a reminder.

It's my Birthday AND my Etsy-versary!

It's an auspicious day today! I am 28 today, and my Etsy shop is officially a year old! I'm pretty sure that this was the very first photograph I listed on Etsy:



To celebrate, if you order anything from my shop today (by midnight Eastern Time), you'll receive a free gift!!

The Perfect Store, Mm?

Great news! I am officially a vendor at The Greenery in North Scituate, RI! I am thrilled to bits. If I could create the perfect gift store to suit my tastes, The Greenery would be it. Bridget, the proprietor, stocks her shop with everything from Fair Trade items to handmade and local gifts. The Greenery has the perfect blend of natural, responsible, fresh, and modern. Bridget was even playing my favorite Pandora station when I dropped off my cards, framed pieces, and wood-mounted prints. Isn't it wonderful when things align like that?



Stop by The Greenery at 132 Danielson Pike, North Scituate, RI to see it for yourself! You won't be disappointed.

Waves of Creation Events

Just another quick announcement:

Waves of Creation welcomes author Karen Chilton and illustrator Gary McCluskey for a signing of The Haunting on Devil's Den Road, Book One in the Ghost Girls series of young adult novels just released by Snug Harbor Press.

Karen and Gary will be available to sign books at Waves of Creation on Saturday October 25
from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m; 330 Main Street, Wakefield, RI.

Stop in for some Halloween-season treats:

• Cider and cookies
• Souvenir bookmarks and pins
• Giveaways and prizes
• A special Waves of Creation discount of $2 off the cover price of The Haunting on Devil's Den Road, during signing hours only!

Visit www.ghostgirlsbooks.com for more information.

Arts in RI October Contest!

Arts in RI is sponsoring a Halloween contest and offering a treat with no tricks. All you need to do to enter is search for the Halloween pumpkin logo (above) among the featured items in our shops. When you find the Halloween logo (above), contact Paula with the name of the shop and the item name and number where you found it. You will need an Etsy account to contact her - you can register for one free here.

You will then be entered into a random drawing to win this beautiful glass pumpkin hand blown by our very own Suzanne Tanner of Tanner Glass.


The pumpkin is made of transparent orange glass with a transparent green stem. It measures 4" tall by 3.5" wide. It is signed and dated on the bottom by Suzanne, and a gift box is included! The suggested retail price is $35. Suzanne was kind enough to make this pumpkin especially for this contest and it is one of a kind! For this reason, Suzanne doesn't have these in her shop but if you contact her she is happy to take special orders.

Now, enjoy your not so spooky trip through Arts in RI. We would love for you to ring our doorbells along the way if you like what you see! The contest ends at midnight Eastern Time on Monday October 27th. The winner will be notified through Etsy and will be featured on the Arts in RI blog and on the Etsy forums on Tuesday October 28th. Thanks for playing!

Time to Start Raking...

Over the past week, the leaves have really started to come down in our yard. Time to start raking! Frost has been threatening, but hasn't quite happened yet. Maybe tonight. During the next few days we'll pick what's left of our peppers, green tomatoes, and herbs to dry or freeze. We'll bring in the rosemary plant, and mulch the garden beds with straw to protect the root vegetables. But, today, we sat outside in the sun, amidst the fallen leaves, and soaked in the warmth.

Fabric of Autumn


I love this time of year, hopefully I'll learn to love raking as well!

Working Together

Check out this great video documenting the collaboration between painter Julie Beck and glass artist Kim V. There's high speed painting footage, and who doesn't love that!

My New Toy!!

My new Canon Powershot SX110 arrived today! I impatiently waited for it all morning, and I am psyched that it's here. The hubby and I have been wanting a point and shoot for a while - as much as I love my D70, it can be a bit too much for certain situations.



The macro is fun - I literally bump into things before getting too close for the lens to focus... The image stabilization is helpful for those low light situations... It's great to be able to control aperture and shutter speed even with a point and shoot... But, I am disappointed that it doesn't have drivers for Windows 2000!! Yes, I am still in the dark ages, with Win2000 on my machine. Luckily, the hubby has XP so I used his to download my first few pics. A pretty minor concern, all told. Worst case scenario I'll get a USB card reader.

Playing with macro...


It works with my duaflex, too, though with some quirks. This may spell higher resolution TtV photos in the future! I don't yet have a good macro lens for the D70, so the SX110's macro ability plus it's 9 megapixels will be useful! (The D70 is a 6mp camera - there are also a lot of differences between point and shoot sensors vs. SLR sensors, etc. But I'll leave that to my husband to understand thoroughly!)



I've got a lot more to learn about the camera - I'd like to refine the white balance and test out some of the other functions. I'll let you know how it goes!

Aglow

Tiny Dancer


Yellow Light

Joy, Awe, and Wonder

It was a perfect fall day.

Autumn 2008


Wee Ones


I'll Shelter You


Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain. -- Thoreau

The 'Net

The internet is such a wonderful resource - sometimes it even makes me feel like bursting into song ("It's a Small World", to be exact). Last night I met a client of mine and her sister, and we had a great chat. My client, Jess, lives in California. She found out about me through Funky Finds, then contacted me by commenting on this blog. We got to emailing back and forth - it turned out she had grown up in Rhode Island, was coming to visit, and we ended up being able to get together! And, will wonders never cease, her sister is a fellow Etsy seller - Snuggle Works. It's so great to know that the world is full of friendly, creative people... and that the internet makes it easier to connect with them!

The internet also makes it possible to see goofy pictures of the Arts in RI Team... we're the headline of a Storque article today!



Annnnnd... the internet makes it easy for me to get new toys! Yesterday, I ordered myself (ok, and my husband too) a sweet point and shoot camera, a Canon Powershot SX110. I love my D70, but when climbing up mountains in the rain, it's nice to have something pocket sized. And, the SX110 still allows me to keep control over exposure, depth of field, etc. I can't wait to play with it! (Sadly, ordering on the internet means waiting for shipping!)




I also have my eye on this baby....


Yes, it's pink. Yes, I hate pink. But it does add to the kitsch value. This little technological wonder takes technically terrible photos. Depressingly low resolution, grainy, weird lens effects... It's a $13 camera on a freakin' keychain, what do you expect? But, as an artistic tool, this pink plastic thing is pretty cool. The flaws lend mood. The lack of an LCD screen means no instant gratification, and there are only 20 images of room on it's built-in memory card. An exciting proposition when out and about - will I get a good shot? Will I waste all of my "film"?

So, yeah, it's sort of like a digital version of my Diana camera. Hopefully I'll be getting one of these for my birthday so I can embark on a digital lomographic journey of discovery! (hint, hint, oh family readers!)

The Photography Files

Oops! I missed posting an installment of The Photography Files last week! Amazing how things can slip through the cracks, isn't it? Well, I hope to make it up to you this week with my showcase of a more modern, but no less masterful, photographer - Annie Leibovitz.

Annie Leibovitz got her start at Rolling Stone magazine, which was itself brand new at the time. She now works for Vanity Fair. Over her career she has pushed the boundaries of conventional portraiture, creating intimate, artistic photographs. She often works with celebrities and was notably the last person to photograph John Lennon before his death.

Her career is a testament to the fact that one can make a living as a photographer while still retaining artistic integrity.



(photographs above by Annie Liebovitz)

Hump Day Happiness

Can you believe it's Wednesday again already?? Time flies.

So, it's time to think some happy thoughts, people. It's not always easy, but it is a lot more fun to go through life with a positive attitude, don't you think? So - I challenge you to rally the courage to come up with 5 things that are making you happy today!

What am I grateful for today?

1) Getting to spend lunch break chatting with a college friend
2) Having more than enough food to eat, unlike so many others
3) The beautiful, vibrant red fall foliage I passed on my way to work this morning
4) Living in a Democratic country
5) Roasted turnips from the garden

Lovin' the Woodgrain

Ok, so I haven't gotten more complex in my digital collages yet, but I have been playing around more with pressed orchids and woodgrain. This image makes me happy that I don't get rid of any digital images unless they are utterly unusable (e.g. exposure is way off, they're really blurry). The woodgrain in the background is from a photograph I took in Connecticut in 2006!



Not only am I grateful for my digital packrat ways, but I am also grateful that my hubby's computer has a TV card, so I can listen to the debate while working!

(The orchid photo was taken courtesy of the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, Roger Williams Park, Providence, RI.)

To boldly go...where I haven't gone before

Today I began my foray into digital collage. I've been wanting to try collage for a while, and figured a digital version would be more my speed at first. I am only beginning to understand how to bring different elements together to create a cohesive piece. By using digital means, I can experiment without wasting paper, glue, or other materials. I'm sure I'll waste plenty once I feel ready to get my hands dirty!

Here are my results - I do like how this came out, though in future I'd like to get more complex. It's a balance - I tend to have simple sensibilities in art, but I really admire layers of texture as well. I think I'll print this one out on my inkjet, hang it on my inspiration board, and mull over where to go next!



If you're interested in seeing more complex examples of collage art, check out Dollface Design - her work is amazing!

(The orchid photo was taken courtesy of the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, Roger Williams Park, Providence, RI.)

New in my Shop

$15 Mini Prints!

Perfect for art lovers on a budget, for small nooks that need decorating, or for a unique Secret Santa gift!

I Can Do Anything....

So, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed today. There are definitely not enough hours left to get everything done that needs doing. We'll see if I get to eat before rushing off to my Foundry meeting tonight!

But, just as I was reaching the peak of frazzled, here's the song that started playing on my Pandora stream... (ignore the video - it's the song I was after!)



I think I'll make it through today after all!

All in a Day's Work!

I've spent a decent portion of my afternoon keywording photos. Why? To get them ready to send over to Farmboy Fine Arts (FBFA). Yup, it's official, I've got my first photo licensing agreement signed and I'm in the process of getting FBFA the images! I've been pretty excited about this for a while, but wanted to keep things quiet in case something fell through.


(from article in FASHION magazine)

FBFA uses the artwork they've licensed to create installation pieces for their clients, often hotels. Their client list includes big names, like Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, and faraway places, like the Four Seasons in Hong Kong.

So, who knows, maybe by this time next year one of my photographs will be gracing the walls of the newest luxury hotel in Thailand!

Team Sunday!

A quick Team Sunday post today - we're hosting a birthday party for my dad and I've got so much to do!

The Street Teams I am so proud to belong to are:
Arts in RI
Photographers of Etsy (POE)
Design Style Guide
Cabinet of Curiosities

Today I'd like to feature House of Six Cats - the fearless leader of Photographers of Etsy!


Do check out his shop!

Postcards!

Now available in my Etsy shop - postcards, waiting to fly to far away lands with messages for friends and loved ones!

Random Bits of Today

Today I

...found some cute nesting dolls at a yard sale....


and picked some herbs and chilis to dry...


What are some moments from your day?

How I Spent My Evening

Packaging new cards for Waves of Creation, then taking a chai break...

Hump Day Happiness

Time to take a few minutes and reflect on the things I'm grateful for today!

1) My husband's home-roasted coffee
2) Finally seeing the sun after a long, dreary week of rain
3) The simple luxury of using rosemary-scented hand soap
4) My neighbor's chickens
5) The fantastic dynamics and energy of the Arts in RI team

Comment and let me know what's making you happy lately!