Happy New Year

I love "metaphysical gadgets", and one that I have followed for many years is a publication by Louise Hay, "your personal colors and numbers".  The book I have was published in 1987, given to me by my sister Merta, and "provides a fun way to associate colors, numbers, affirmations and spiritual ideals in your daily life."

I have followed along with the book religiously for the past 25 years, figuring out the universal year, my personal year, my monthly and daily vibrations.  While not complicated, it is cumbersome to explain, but what I would like to share with you going into the New Year is the Universal Vibration for 2012. Change is the key word for 2012 and goes as follows:

"Freedom and change are in the air.  Let this be your year to dress up.  Put your best foot forward.  Drop the routine.  Discard old ideas.  Do something unusual.  Be different this year.  Get out and experience life in a new way.  Make changes - in yourself, your home, your lifestyle, your business.  Make sure these changes benefit others too.  Look for good surprises.  Yet don't throw all caution to the winds.  Keep active, not restless.  This can be a very satisfying year."

"I WELCOME CHANGE AND EXPAND MY BOUNDARIES!"

 Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays . . .

and a

Fabulous New Year!

A time to share { Just 1 Picture }

Change

. . . and to all a good night.

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.  Charles Dickens

Twelve Days of Textures . . .

Still enjoying Kim's Twelve Days of Textures, in starts and stops, and the textures are so magnificent.  I'm truly enjoying playing with them . . . and Kim is so very generous in gifting them for the holidays.

Textures: Lilly and Storm

Texture: Annabelle

Textures: Wonderful Magic and Cosmo

"Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy."

And just so you'll know there are areas in my life that aren't all about the holidays, I'll throw in the kitchen sink!

Textures: Wonderful Magic-Stars and Storm

Tra la la la la, la la la la

A time to share { Holiday Sweets, Treats, & Feasts }

Bella at 52 Photos Project has asked us to share our Holiday Sweets, Treats & Feasts for Week 34.

Neither cook nor baker I, and the treats in our family don't seem to come out until Christmas Eve, so I decided to share my most favorite treat of all!  It is a sweet which I over indulge in all year long, but especially during the Holidays when I have the greatest excuse of all!

Not that I'm a "humbug" kinda person, but when it comes to sweets and treats, you can keep your cookies and cakes (I'll take the brownies and fudge) . . . just give me a FudgeBar and I'm one happy camper!

Happy Holidays!

Kim Klassen's 12 Days of Textures

Kim is generously posting 12 Days of Textures during the Holiday Season; beautiful soft textures, for us to use to enhance our photos.

We had some snow on Wednesday, December 14, a day that also included a lunch with a woman that I greatly admire which made it a perfect day!  Grabbed my camera on the way out and on the way home, took a few photos intermixed with some last minute shopping.  

In the high country desert, you have to be quick if you actually want to catch snow on the ground and in the trees because before you know it, the sky is blue, the sun is shinning, and the snow is quickly melting!.

Below are a few photos I picked to use with Kim's 12 Days of Textures:

I fell in love with the shape of this tree below, which I believe it is a native apricot and took photos from two different angles . . . 

This last photo of the native apricot does have Kim's texture, but I bumped it up a bit with two of Nancy Donaldson's textures from her garage series, to help show off the only blue trimmed window on the house! 

    

Today's weather? Crisp, clear, blue sky's and lots of sunshine!

Happy Holidays

I last left off . . .

I was excited about meeting my family for a photography session to photograph the lights on the plaza!  While I did get photographs, I was too lazy (too cold?) to change out my zoom lens, so  the majority of my photographs, except for a couple, were a maze of colors in a darkened sky!

Plaza Christmas Lights

Lumanarios/La Fonda

What I REALLY got into was photographing window displays, which I thought were beautiful and/or unique to Santa Fe!

Pottery Nativity

Pottery Santa's'

Indian Pottery

Pottery Sculpture

Nambe Christmas

Santa Fe Wish List

All photo's above were rendered using Linda Trine's textures, Snowflake and/or Winter Wonderland.)

The "snowstorm" they predicted two weeks ago was a bust, at least for Santa Fe and I really had to work hard to find enough snow to capture . . .

Snowfall/Texture courtesy of  Bonnie at Pixel Dust

Snowfall II

. . . but it is snowing now, building up, and I can hardly wait to get out with my camera!

Tis the Season to be Merry!

52 Photos Project ~ Colors of the Season

This week on Bella's 52 Photo Project, she has asked us to share "Colors of the Season" . . . 

All A Glow

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Having just gotten my living room decorated for the Holiday Season, I decided to try my luck at photographing without a flash with the lights off, also photographed the tree and mantle with the flash, but loved the drama of the photos' without flash.

I share my love of photography with my brother John;  tomorrow evening we have a planned excursion to the plaza to photograph the holiday lights . . . I'm excited and looking forward to our shared adventure!

Happy Holidays!

KK's Texture Tuesday/Celebrate!

Kim's challenge this week was to center around the word Celebrate! in honor of the upcoming holiday season!

I'm kinda known as the "green queen", as green is my favorite color, any color of green and in fact it is amazing how many shades and variations of green I have brought into my life!

In honor of green queen, as a gift to brighten my life and celebrate the holiday season, my sister Melinda brought me a "green" poinsettia!  Not a tinge of pale beige or pale pink, but actually a pale, pale green!  It is GORGEOUS . . . thank you sister!

Texture: Phoebe on color burn at 100%

Textures: Stamped Softly on soft light @ 71% and Music Lovin, on color burn at 100%

I'm a December Baby, and for years I took a pale pink poinsettia to my parents, who transitioned many years ago, on my birthday to thank them for being such caring, loving parents.  

While Melinda brought me the poinsettia for the color, to add to the celebration of the season and because she is a thoughtful, loving and generous sister, I'm not sure she knows the significance of gifting me a poinsettia in December.

I love my sisters, they are supportive, loving, my very best friends and an integral part of my life.

In the light . . .

Obsessing is not a good place to be, so I'm trying to turn from fear, anger and the feelings of helplessness to a place of positive energy.

We received a call yesterday that our sister Merta had been hit by a car while walking across a cross walk by an elderly gentleman who apparently just didn't see her. 

Merta is "fine", she is in the hospital with a shattered  knee and will have reconstructive (replacement?) surgery sometime tomorrow. 

My first thought . . . why Merta?  My (our) sister has survived a heart attack, is a cancer survivor, and most recently, a hip replacement . . . . . .

Trying not to delve into the negative, I thought of my Mother who stated, (at a particular time in her life when I thought she shoulda/coulda been angry and/or fearful) "God never gives us more then we can bear" . . .

Merta is a mentally and spiritually strong woman and she is surrounded by a loving, caring family as well as loving, caring friends.

What I can do best for my sister right now is hold her in the light.  Visualize her perfect healing; see her surrounded by the healing love and care of her family and friends, and envision the professional, compassionate care she is receiving is guided by the Hand of God.

And So It Is, and for this, I Give Thanks.

Texture Challenge hosted by Nancy Donaldson

Nancy Donaldson at all pulped out created 6 magnificent textures from her recent visit to the auto mechanic and has challenged our creativity to create renderings using her great textures!

I choose to use photos' from my recent trip to downtown Santa Fe, primarily because I never cease to be amazed by the town I grew up in and live in.

Museum I/Pueblo Style

Museum II/Pueblo Style

West San Francisco St/Territorial Style

St Francis Cathedral/East San Francisco St

Shopping Mecca

Santa Fe, has a population of 70,000 and has retained a "small town" atmosphere on many levels, yet is a town of many contradictions with its museums, opera, arts, tri-culture and shopping!  

The photos' above were all taken with in a one block radius of the center of town, the Plaza.

The Plaza (Original Photo: JM Hill, 2006)

Founded in 1609, Santa Fe is the second oldest city in the United States and the plaza has been the center of town since 1610, which was the end of the Old Santa Fe Trail.

Again my many thanks to Nancy for her contribution to my ever-growing obsession, and thank you for stopping by . . . .

Snow? Really? I can hardly wait . . .

Everyone wants to talk about the weather . . . making "weather" a topic of conversation is tedious, particularly the lament about weather changes!

Weather is not a disaster or a topic to bemoan, weather is Mother Nature; granted she runs amok occasionally, but "weather" is a part of our ever changing seasons . . . something to be grateful for!

Forecasters are predicting snow and I am eagerly awaiting it's arrival; snow is a blessing, snow brings moisture, snow waters my garden, fills the reservoirs, and allows the ski basins to open; snow adds natural beauty to the upcoming Holiday Season for all our twinkling lights to reflect off!  

I LOVE snow! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow . . . . I can hardly wait!

Snow, It Is a Coming

Winter Blessings

If you can't be in awe of Mother Nature, there is something wrong with you!  Alec Trebec.

PhotoArt Friday

Bonnie at Pixel Dust Photo Art, who sponsors Photo Art Friday, has asked that we challenge ourselves to try some edits we have been wanting to try, but have felt that may be too difficult or that we just haven't had the time to do.

I love the painting effects that can be applied to photographs by combining various filters in PSE.  Haven't really had the time to play with it a lot and the one or two that I have accomplished, I can't seem to keep the various processes in my mind . . . still can't , but maybe I don't need a recipe,  I just need to let myself play!

This is a photo taken in Thailand, love it, unfortunately I got a flash back . . . the rendering didn't help it a lot . . . but . . . I like it a lot better now!

Original Photo

Buddha with various PSE filters

Rendered Buddha with two Shadow House Creations textures

Rendered Buddha with pdpa texture "Fanciful"

I did  a couple of more PSE filter pieces, but plan to use them in Nancy Donaldson's Texture Challenge (all pulped out), 'cause I used her textures!  I'll upload what I did on Tuesday morning . . .

Thanks Bonnie for hosting and thank you for looking!

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing". George Bernard Shaw

52 Photos Project/Week 32 ~ Twinkling Lights ~

Bella's prompt this week for the 52 Photos Project is 'Twinkling Lights', which will soon abound all over cities and towns, from uptown to downtown, to our local neighborhood!

During the eventful, celebratory Thanksgiving this year, I seemed to have caught a cold/flu, something, and I'm not quite up to exploring the neighborhood or checking out the town for great twinkling lights . . . just yet, but . . .

I did take photo's of the lights on my mantle (still dressed for Thanksgiving) reflecting off my mental raven and my beautiful little occasional light that throws lights off its beads . . . a little mundane possibly, but I love my year round twinkling lights!

Thanksgiving Mantle

Warm and Welcoming

I do have a couple of great photos' of luminarios and Christmas lights taken over years' past, and I did think about substituting; I enjoy Bella's prompts and picking up my camera . . . so I decided that although maybe not quite "magical", I'll be presented with another opportunity to photograph this magnificent colorful Holiday Season.

KK's Texture Tuesday/Gratitude

This weeks Texture Tuesday theme, hosted by Kim Klassen, is "Gratitude".

I often forget what a enchanting little town I live in until I have out of town guests and we spend the weekend sightseeing around Santa Fe.  It is always new to me, seeing the beauty that is a part of this town, the beauty that surrounds Santa Fe, and I am grateful that Santa Fe is a part of my being, that I am not only grateful for the past that is a part of my life in Santa Fe, but the beauty that is the Santa Fe I live in.

Santa Fe, The City Different

(Original photo rendered in a black and white sketch, layered with the original photo, blending mode vivid light @100%; layered with Kim Klassen's "Poetic", linear burn @ 100%.)

I am also grateful for Kim's gift of her texture "Poetic" which is a part of my photo rendering, as well as the text "Gratitude" which was a texture gifted by Bonnie at Pixel Dust Photo Art.

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.

Meister Eckhart