Melting Moments & Hydrangeas in the garden

Do you sometimes have a day when you set out to do something, and then it ends of as something completely different? That's how my day was today.

Inspired by a recent photo I had seen of afternoon tea in a lavender garden I made a batch of Melting Moments from my Mum's recipe that I used to help her make when I was a child. It is a happy memory I have from my childhood, pressing the top of the biscuits with a fork to make the pattern.

While the biscuits were in the oven I set up the chairs and table in the garden. 
It's nice to use pretty cups sometimes don't you think?




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Open your hearts

Sometimes we just need to take time for ourselves, look after ourselves, only do what and when our heart tells us. Time to reconnect and appreciate the life we have been given and the beauty around us. Think about what is important in life. Be calm. Grant ourselves peace. Open our hearts and spread our love. And let light into our life.

And remember - When you open your heart you add light to the world. 

This is white roses with texture - for Kim's "Texture Tuesday".

The brief was to use an image centered around the colour white - so here is an all white rose image (except for shadows) overlayed with Kim's texture - "Annabelle" multiplied, levels & brightness adjusted.
Quote came from the back of an envelope!
Along the bottom is a "stamp" pattern that you can download to your "brushes" in Photoshop. Always learning something new!

Have a wonderful week.

To check out Kim's website and learn about textures or join Texture Tuesday  - go here - Texture Tuesday at Kim's Cafe

Learning about textures

Well I have finally done it - after a year of looking at other photographic artist's texture work on Flickr and their blogs, I have finally signed up for a couple of texture e-classes with Kim Klassen.  Thanks Kim! You can check out her blog and classes by clicking on the link - you might be interested in learning about textures. Click here - Kim Klassen Cafe 

So for today's Mosaic Monday I thought I would share with you some of my texture work. Please remember I am only new to playing with textures! Textures is not for everyone. I see it as adding "art" to an image.  And certainly not every image would benefit or should have texture added. It really depends on what look you are wanting to achieve.  For instance, I probably wouldn't add texture to a grand landscape. Textures can also help you rescue a less than perfect image as I think my last image "baked" demonstrates.

In each of the images I am showing you the original image, and the textured image, as I think it is interesting to see both and compare. Playing with textures you can come up with all sorts of effects.  It's fun, and can be very time consuming!

 Hydrangea - On the left you see the textured image
with textures added from Kim's textures - "beach sand" and "peacock" with painterly effect.
On the right is the untextured image - straight from camera.

Lavender - One of Kim's textures which I have used on this image, on the left hand side, is called "empty page" - fitting I think because doesn't every day of our life start as an "empty page"?

 I have just learnt this neat little trick where you can pick the colour of your text from a colour in the image - as in purple from the lavender in this example. Neat! thanks Kim!

Mourambine church - wheatbelt, Western Australia. My father's family lived in Mourambine between 1939 and 1942 - there is only the church and one or two houses there now. My grandfather and grandmother are buried in this church yard.

I think it is interesting to see the before and after when playing around and learning about textures. Texture used here, on the bottom image, is "paper stained light" from Kim Klassen's skinny mini e-course.  I think it certainly adds to the "aged" effect. What do you think?

This is one of my favourite images - I have played around with it before. This is an everlasting (Western Australian wildflower), treated with Kim's "awaken" texture. Original on the left, textured on the right.

This is a bunch of dried roses that I have had for many years. They are starting to look a bit worse for wear.

The texture I have added I created myself by scanning a section of a piece of bought "scrap booking" paper. 

And the inspiration? - Currently we have aging parent issues which are taking up a lot of our time and energy. As I look at my father who is my mother's full time carer, it comes to me the beauty of his love for her that has never faded.

So I have used the dry roses to represent the beauty of a love that endures time, and the trials of health issues encountered during the winter of their lives.

Dare to dream and follow your dreams.

Perhaps using the frangipani to represent this is me dreaming of escaping and laying on a beach in the Pacific! 

This is a frangipani flower treated with Kim's "Plastered Square" texture. Original on the left, textured on the right. 

Some of you might know that my project in 2011 was food photography. However, I am off to a slow start this year, as family matters are taking my energy - and it is too HOT to cook!

 We are in the height of a HOT summer, when Australia is baked and the colours and landscape can be harsh. In fact when I look back over my images I don't know if I know how to photograph "soft-light-dreamy" - perhaps my Australian environment has something to do with it!

So I am representing "baked" with a cooking theme. Taken in full midday sunlight! I positioned the elements so I could have some negative space.

Thanks to some processing tips I have learnt from Kim, I have -
added a blur layer (then rubbed some off to achieve more selective focus)
adjusted the levels
added two textures - "plaster square" and "pumpkin grunge" (thanks Kim). The pumpkin grunge gave some extra oomph to the wooden tools.
and added a new font called "pea snowflake" - you can check out free fonts here - kevinandamanda.com/fonts/fontsforpeas/

Thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog - I welcome your comments, and look forward to hearing from you.

Have a wonderful week.
I am linking up with Mosaic Monday at Little Red House. To see the work of Mary and other wonderful photographers around the world, please click on the link here - Mosaic Monday

You might also like these posts - please click on the links - 

Give, love, inspire

My First Texture Class

Meet you on the porch

My first texture class

Well I have finally done it - I have taken the plunge and started a new artist direction.

With a huge thank you to Kim Klassen from Kim Klassen Cafe - I just completed my first lesson of my "Art of Texture e-course". Below is the result - it is a hydrangea from my garden.  What do you think?  I have wanted to learn about textures for so long - having seen the work of Kim and also other artists on Flickr.  Perhaps this will be my project for 2012. 

See here with textures added from Kim's textures - "beach sand" and "peacock" with painterly effect.

the original - straight out of camera..........

 I am joining Kim and other "texturists" for Texture Tuesday - please click on the link to see the work of Kim and other contributors - Texture Tuesday at Kim's Cafe

Thanks Kim! I am on my way!
ps - this took a while, but I was doing it step by step with the class video as I went. With luck as time goes by, with practice!, the process will speed up!

 I would be very interested which you like the best. You can be honest! My husband prefers the original!
Thanks all - I look forward to hearing from you.

I hope in 2012 you all dare to dream, start a new project, and enjoy the simple things in life that bring you happiness.