oh, how I love photo editing

original photo straight from the camera

using my iPhoto program

online filter: lomo.helloburin.com

online filter: rollip.com

online filter: phixr.com

do you have a favorite photo editing program that you already use?

is it software, an app, or online?

... let's share ...

... let's talk about it ...

some of us are old hands at this - and some of us are newbies

it's all good

tea and a giveaway

today's tea: Bengal Spice and a piece of cornbread ... a corner piece ... the best

(but the giveaway is neither one of those things)

I've had this blog for over four years now

and it's been almost 800 blog posts

- p h e w -

and I started a Facebook page last week

w h y ?

I don't even do FB that well

just giving it a go and we'll see how it goes

*

and the giveaway?

click the Facebook badge to the right and "like" my Art in Red Wagons page ... your name will be entered to win a "Spring Banner" .... made with teabag papers and my own hand carved stamped birds, flowers, etc ... it's groovy

* 

and here's what else is groovy:

about ten days of sky pictures - it's a daily show!

future WalMart

up til now my town and the towns nearby have been spared the WalMart intrusion

... up til now ...

yesterday's watercolor sketch is from a vacant lot in Monroe WA

the site of 

The New WalMart To Be

it's a typical vacant lot

gravel, weeds, unnaturally flat, curbs installed, driveway entrances to nowhere

waiting to become 

Something Big

but it is bordered by the loveliest forest of lodgepole pines

it is heartbreaking to know there will be an enormous concrete box here

my first painting is in a more realistic, impressionistic style

for some reason I became increasingly depressed as I painted

knowing the site is slated to become concealed in concrete

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the second painting, I recalled the aboriginal style of australia

as I painted in dots and dashes I felt a rebellious sort of happiness

... knowing the power of roots to break concrete to rubble ...

photo transfer

I made a photo transfer of my great grandparents several weeks ago

(but I was quite unhappy with the results)

so, yesterday, I add lots of color with watercolor pencils

and burnished it with beeswax

now I'm happy

for more about photo transfers

follow the "photo transfer" label

tea and pupcakes

today's tea is orange spice with an orange slice

... a cup of liquid sunshine ...

:)

and my dog has a birthday coming up soon

in fact, his neighborhood dog friends are having birthdays

are all dogs born in March?

ruff

pupcakes

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 vegetable oil

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup applesauce

1 egg

sour cream

mini dog biscuits

preheat oven to 350 degrees

line muffin tin with cupcake papers

whisk together flour and baking soda add the rest of the ingredients and mix well

spoon into muffin cups - almost to the top (makes 6)

bake 25 minutes

let cool

give sour cream a quick mix and "frost" cupcakes with sour cream

top with a mini dog biscuit

(remove paper before serving)

*

hope your first day of spring is a beautiful one

both inside and out

ruff

almost color

day eight of rain

and a little break in the weather

... a good time to walk ...

I'm glad I brought my camera with me

now I have evidence that spring is coming

... even when it seems doubtful ...

enjoy your day!

the almost daily

my daily watercolor sketches are

"almost daily"

... but it's not the rain that stops me ...

(it's other stuff )

but not today

today I brought my camera, so you could see what I mean

it's rain for sure:

but I'm warm and dry in my car:

an occasional break to wait for paint to dry:

and bring it home for the finishing touches:

all in all it takes about an hour of my time

my artistic aerobics I guess

I'm usually not happy with the finished piece

but sometimes, when I revisit it after about a week

- with fresh eyes -

I like it a little bit better

watercolors are hard because you very quickly reach a point of no return

then what you have is

M  U  D

today feels like one of those days

but I'll just give it a lower case

m  u  d

twilight tea

I love daylight savings time

I took these pictures around 7 pm

(7 pm has been black as night since early november)

it's so nice to have some daylight still hanging on

... even after I've gotten all my chores done ...

everyone has been fed and the kitchen is clean

I've made a pot of orange spice tea

and I can sit down at my desk again

it's my favorite spot in the house

with a view of the peach tree

and the old farmhouse across the street

and it only gets better from here to the end of june

(twilight will be at 10 by then)

* * *

do you have daylight savings time?

... I know that people who live in Arizona don't ...

maybe where you live it doesn't make much difference except on the clock

up here in washington state, 

if we didn't have the time change, 

daybreak would begin around 3 am in the summer

peace - heiwa

someone in mind

my favorite way to work is with someone in mind

... like my sister-in-law ...

who is battling breast cancer

she has a great attitude

sure, there's fear

but she finds plenty to laugh at

I made this little picture for her:

and then I realized I ought to share this

... so I put it in my shop too ...

just in case someone out there is needing to laugh in the face of the fear

my sky in a week

 ... march 1st through today ...

(not in that order)

this is today:

blue sky and thin wispy clouds

whoo hoo - no rain! or snow!

come in out of the weather

I've taken a break from the day

and it's just begun to downpour

constant comment tea and oatmeal cookies

a favorite cup from a dear friend

an orphaned saucer

and an old tablecloth

they all seem to go together

and now it's begun to snow

... march ...

in like a lion is what they say

hoping you're safe and sound with all that craze weather out there

... and looking forward the lambie side of the month!

what was that orange thing?

... in my previous post?

(Lynn was wondering)

it's a wall medallion I made (back in December) with dried oranges and moss

beeswax collage

I just love working with beeswax

it gives an age and patina that is so natural and real

I made this collage using an old book cover and one of my own photographs

the book text is from an old french textbook

I used a bronze chain with jump rings as a hanger

*

and then for this one, which is quite a bit smaller

I made inchie collages and attached them to 2 inch portions of an old book cover

I used glue to adhere everything first

then I mod podged tea bag paper over it all

and then dipped them in beeswax

the beeswax was in pellet form

I simply put some pellets in a foil tray

and heated it in a 200 degree oven

(be careful to heat the wax JUST to melting - the burn point for beeswax is 181 degrees)

then immersed the pieces into the melted wax

you can rub the beeswax with a soft rag to get a bit of a polish

or leave it rough if you'd like

either way is beautiful in my opinion

*

I have many more posts about using beeswax

just click the "beeswax" and "beeswax how-to" labels below to get to them