LOVE THIS QUOTE!
What made you laugh today?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
SLEEP-LESS, BUT FOCUSED!
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| SYCAMORE MINERAL SPRINGS LABYRINTH ~ Avila Beach
"The way to get things done is not to mind
who gets the credit of doing them."
~ Benjamin Jowett, theologian, tutor, great MASTER of an Oxford College
|
My right-hand partner {KA, I'm talking about YOU} understands when to "step-in" and take over a project ~ she has a keen sense in knowing when I'm at "the end of my rope" with "too many irons in the fire."
We are at the beginning of a period that is "labor & detail intensive" ~ so we've been meeting more frequently so we can "fine tune" our eight-week work plan! I'd say we're gaining our momentum, and we complement each other's work styles.
And, while I'm talking about work, there's another gal that's a WHIZ with numbers. Without asking, she created a spread sheet of budget figures that will play a key role in a mid-February meeting ~ about a subject that's TABOO in relationships {love can't conquer all}, friends {even the true blue}, and colleagues! M-O-N-E-Y... Thanks, KB, for thinking ahead!
As for "sleep-less" ~ I've been having the most bizarre dreams {some are even in black & white} ~ the kind of dreams that make you wake up & have trouble falling back to sleep. They are full of details ~ which I attribute to my FOCUS on completing tasks at work!
So, I just finished a warm mug of Ovaltine & a handful of animal crackers & now I'll pull my warm jammies out of the dryer & climb into our cozy bed & drift into a peace-ful & rest-ful night {with NO DREAMS}.
Nighty-night!
FOCUS = my ONE LITTLE WORD.
Read about it HERE!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 1.29.12
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| :: RUSTY + SOMETHING OLD :: Nevada City, CA |
SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY... this is getting to be a "habit" but I'll bet you look forward to it as much as I do. Some weeks I schedule picture taking into my work schedule... other weeks, it's a mad dash to snap those shots... and a few times I've pulled shots from my photo library. Of course, I have the best of intentions at getting my camera out, but life can get in the way of that!
So, with the best I can gather for this week, here's SMILE, STAND ALONE, RUSTY or SOMETHING OLD, ARTIFICIAL, & REPEATING PATTERN.
:: SMILE ::
This Mona Lisa style SMILE is found in the stone carving (located in the apex of the roof line) at the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. She watches over the various street activities along the San Luis Obispo Mission area... for more information & another view of our historical landmark, click HERE!
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| :: STAND ALONE :: |
Walking out to my car, I noticed this bright red leaf STANDING ALONE... I don't know if the gardener had blown all the other leaves away, but this one stayed behind... making it sure I noticed it! I DID!!!
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| :: RUSTY BUTTERFLY :: |
Mom's RUSTY butterfly watching over the newly planted seeds. Wonder what is emerging from the soil now?
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| :: ARTIFICIAL :: |
This was difficult... so, how about an ARTIFICIAL pear-shaped gourd ~ ornament dipped in brillant scarlet, deep burgundy & lipstick red colors; and decorated with hand-carved snowflakes & stars.
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| :: REPEATING PATTERN :: |
So - that's it for this week's SCAVENGER HUNT... ASHLEY is keeping the list of participants, so don't forget to visit HER!
Are you curious about next week's words? Grab your camera & begin snapping your interpretation of:
STRIKE A POSE, FOOTWEAR, HOBBY,
SHINY & COLOR ME GREEN.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
WINDOWS ON MY MIND!
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| TRANSPORT MUSEUM ~ London England "source of natural, indoor light" |
Are you INTRIGUED by WINDOWS?
This past month, Kat Sloma @ KAT EYE STUDIO posted an interesting challenge in her monthly EXPLORING WITH A CAMERA.- WINDOWS are a fantastic source of natural light, when indoors.
- WINDOWS are the perfect design element to explore shape, line and repetition.
- WINDOWS can serve as backdrop, frame and shelf, interacting with your subject in interesting ways.
- The glass in WINDOWS creates complex layers through reflections.
- WINDOWS are a storytelling element, creating psychological barriers that can evoke strong emotion.
So, I looked through my London, England file
{July 2010}
HOPE YOU ENJOY...
:: WINDOW Discoveries of a UK Variety ::
HOLBORN & INNS of COURT ~ London, England
"design element to explore shape, line and repetition"
These pictures demonstrate WINDOWS as a design element... The brick building, located in the HOLBORN area of London, provided lots of details that were difficult to capture - there were so many! The neck-wrenching heights, chilly brickwork, and architectural design elements are found on most of the buildings, which is the working community for journalists & legal professions. I wonder if they are so busy with their work, that they fail to notice the "elegance" of their work places?
My DAD, a SKILLED BRICKMASON, would have appreciated the design element of the brick work as it contrasts with the WINDOWS. Also, note the WINDOW shape changed when the WINDOWS tapered at the rooftop!
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| PORTOBELLO RD ~ NOTTING HILL ~ London, England "design element to explore shape, line and repetition"
Adorable, brightly painted homes in the Notting Hill area are adorned with crisply painted WINDOW frames. The upright WINDOW shape mirrors the shape of the buildings! Wanna see inside? so do I!!
|
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| NEIGHBORHOOD MARKET ~ CHELSEA ~ London England "serve as a backdrop.... interacting with your subject"
We shopped at this market... I had to add this to my WINDOWS post... JPE & I could see the activity on the sidewalk outside the market from our studio apartment WINDOW. If the market seems crowded, we would putter around for 15 minutes before heading over for our "daily" shopping trip.
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| KING'S ROAD ~ CHELSEA ~ London England "frame for your subject" |
A "high-end" women's store on the famously expensive King's Road, used fans to create interest in this WINDOW display. What a marketing strategy to lure customers into the store.
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| BATH, England "glass creates... complex layers through reflections" |
Although blurry (most of my photos from our BATH bus tour were blurry... an "off" day for the photographer??), this WINDOW near the ROMAN BATH HOUSE shows the effect of layers of old glass (the wavy effect)...
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| WESTMINSTER ABBEY ~ London, England "storytelling element... evoking strong emotion" |
Our first LONDON WALKS Tour was called "The Secrets of Westminster Abbey"... I won't divulge any secrets we learned, but we DID enter the abbey through the Dean's Yard (which is a private entrance, located off the courtyard for the monk's quarters & is now home for the 30+ boys who sing in the Abbey Choir). This ivy-covered WINDOW exudes a feeling of emotion ~ think of the monks "cloistered" here in the cold, damp winter.... you can read more about their life HERE.
This journey into my London archives was such a treat today! Didn't realize I had taken so many pictures of... umm, I have another twenty-seven WINDOW pictures from London. But, I'll save that for another post (perhaps?)...
See you tomorrow for SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 1.22.12
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| another of my collections |
Ashley, the hostess for this weekly hunt, shared some exciting buried in her post for this week's words.
The words this week are: SUNSET, BLACK & WHITE, FOUR, A DAY IN MY LIFE, & COLORFUL.
Don't forget to check Ashley's blog, RAMBLINGS & PHOTOS to see what she shared!
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| SUNSET |
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| BLACK & WHITE |
Last week, I mentioned that I collect CHAIRS... several of my December posts showed "treasured members" of my Ho-Ho-Ho collection - you can spot several of my SANTAS HERE & HERE.
I also collect HEARTS. This BLACK & WHITE HEART is actually turquoise-green (see the original color in the first post) & the top lifts off to hold my high school CHARM bracelet.
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| FOUR |
FOUR of my favorite HEARTS... I love each of them for their unique-ness! Which one do you like?
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| TIME |
My TIME seems to slip by "quicker than a wink" ~ how about yours? this little pin is smaller than a quarter ~ isn't that a cute HEART at the top of the clock?
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| COLORFUL |
Dumped out my BUTTON jar... yes, I collect BUTTONS too, don't you? Here are some of my most COLORFUL buttons! I used to have a tin with my BUTTONS, but it was misplaced when I moved from my last house ~ I found these BUTTONS tossed in the bottom of a sewing basket.
So ~ I almost passed on this week's SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY! but, it's pretty addicting... & it forces me to get my camera out, even if only for an afternoon.
Next week's words are: SMILE, STAND ALONE, RUSTY OR SOMETHING OLD, ARTIFICIAL, & REPEATING PATTERN.
Stop by Ashley's blog,
& share your
C-O-N-G-R-A-T-S!!
Friday, January 20, 2012
SEASON TO LEARN...
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| tree outside condo front door |
OH ME! OH MY!!
Do you use
PICNIK
for photo editing?
Just logged on &
So, what program
should I learn to use
in the next few months?
Suggestions appreciated!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
WEATHER?? OR NOT!
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| I COLLECT CHAIRS... red chair in the laundry room |
WEATHER on the Central Coast of California ~ our morning are brrr! chilly! which is high 30's (F)... RAIN is predicted for later this week {which would be a welcome change ~ need some moisture to "green-up" the hillsides}...
SLE's WEATHER in Washington DC is sunny, chilly with a slight smattering of clouds... I wonder, does SEA-BASS wear a raincoat?
ACE {who lives 40 minutes south of San Francisco} is due for some RAIN. Hopefully, it will start after school is out at 2:30! RAINY day schedule with 23 five year olds can be exhausting!
Our Cincinnati family should have SNOW flurries with daytime temps in the mid-30's & a low of 18 at night!
Mom {& So California family} are experiencing sunny days, with a slight chill {chilly to them is anything below 68 degrees F} ~ they'll have to exchange their shorts for jeans & pull on a sweatshirt... maybe change out their flip-flops??
Some of my blogger friends who've posted about WEATHER today:
Jaci @ BLUE CHINA STUDIO
Marzia @ MAKE EACH DAY COUNT
Kat @ KAT EYE STUDIO
Deborah @ LEARNING AS I GO
Perhaps I should have pursued a career as a... WEATHER-GIRL {ohhh-not the kind on TV! no! no!}?? NOPE - I wish I had pursued a career in ARCHITECTURE ~ love house plans {the paper kind}; but, I'm NOT good at manipulating numbers!
What's your favorite type of WEATHER? & why?
Monday, January 16, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 1.15.12
"STACKED UP ACROSS"
{placemats}
This week I took 4 of the 5 pictures, while JPE was making breakfast (just 35 minutes ago).
While "walking the loop"... I considered my options & decided to snap as many pictures as possible in 15 minutes. This week's hunt included: Stacked Up, Winter Wonderland, Sweet, Hole, & Frozen.
"STACKED UP"
JPE makes the "best pancakes" ~ ask any member of the family! I won't divulge his recipe {gotta keep some things a secret}... they were topped with a pat of butter & apricot or strawberry jam. I feel very pampered. Ummm... I split this STACK of pancakes with him.
"WINTER WONDERLAND"
WINTER WONDERLAND on the Central Coast of California resembles this scene... we need to do some serious pruning, as well as replace some of our bare root rose bushes. The ground critters (gophers) had a field-day & decimated some of our roses ~ even though they were protected with wire baskets. Today, the skies are covered with high clouds & the sun peeks through occasionally... our temperature is currently 61 degrees {F}.
"SWEET"
My sister is a cross-stitcher! Check out the adorable magnet! SWEET face, eh?!! this Santa didn't get PACKED AWAY with the rest of the Santas. I need to keep his cheery, red cheeked face on the fridge for a while...
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| "HOLE" |
My fifteen minutes was coming to an end {remember, I wanted to keep my photography time to 15 minutes}... I still needed a picture of something with a HOLE. So, I grabbed the red, felt placemat from the dining table & held it in the air. Got it! a snowflake HOLE.
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| "FROZEN" |
This was the ONLY photo taken outside my "self imposed" 15 minute, morning, photography session. My rear windshield was pretty frosty (eh, covered with FROZEN water) on Friday. Snapped this picture before unlocking my car door.
Limiting my picture taking to 15 minutes of shooting time was pretty ingenious - otherwise, I could have spent hours trying to get the perfect shot!
There are some great shots over at Ashley's blog, RAMBLINGS & PHOTOS. Be sure to check them out!!
You are OFFICIALLY invited to participate. The rules are few! check them out on ASHLEY'S BLOG.
The words to photograph this week include: Sunset, Black & White, A Day in My Life, Four {a set of four related photos}, & Colorful.
Friday, January 13, 2012
DOOMED TO DULLNESS?
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| purchased at The FOLK TREE ~ 12.30.11 |
"With color, for the price of a pot of paint, people can express
their own style and individuality. But, as with style,
a gift for color has to be developed by experiment.
If you don't dare, you are doomed to dullness."
~ Shirley Conran, British novelist & journalist
I tend to wear solid colors - usually darks! I actually think I look good in black, but really, who doesn't? But, when it comes to decorating, I'm really attracted to bold & bright colors!
When WE visited The FOLK TREE, in Pasadena, I bought a couple of adorable little "remembrances" from this spot.
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| check out his sombrero |
The wooden cross was actually very primitive - barely sanded on the edges! Just imagine the time it took to cut the tiny straw to create the images.
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| detail of the church |
The design on this cross is made up of tiny little pieces of colored straw. The pieces vary in size from 1/16 to 1/2 of an inch. YEP! incredible detail work.
"TE AMO" = I LOVE YOU {Spanish}
I collect HEARTS... so I couldn't pass up purchasing a couple of these HEARTS (one for ME! & one for MOM!)
side view of the artwork
Cute huh? bet you would have bought one too! ...wish I had gotten more...
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| a tiny HEART... |
Wanted you to appreciate the adorable handwork & intricate detail of this folk art {from Peru}... compare the size of the HEART to a spool of thread...
JUST ONE MORE REASON TO TRAVEL TO PERU THIS SUMMER!
~ adorable, intricately designed folk art ~
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