Under a blue moon

2.26.12

The week in review:

February 20 - D is for Daisies

February 21 - Q is for Quilt

February 22 - M is for Milkglass

February 23 - S is for Set-up.  The gyrations I go through to try to get my feeble light to cooperate with me.  This is the best spot (morning light comes in through the windows on the right) but I don't always want the view through the window so I put up vellum to block it and then hang sheers over it so it doesn't look like a piece of paper taped to the window.  The spray bottle is to smooth out wrinkles in the cloth on the table.  The foam board is to bounce some of the light coming in from the left onto the subject matter.  The cat is just there to ensure things run smoothly.

February 24 - C is for Chicken Eggs (I found some delicious light in another part of the house - I think some of this photography stuff is starting to sink in...)

February 25 - V is for Vegetable.  It's gotten to the point that I'm wandering around the produce aisle picking up various vegetables and thinking "hmmm - this would photograph well..."  Not the most interesting picture but I was trying to take a photograph of things of various thicknesses and have them all be in focus.  Didn't quite get there but it's close.  

February 26 - X is for Railroad X-ing.  Captured out a moving train.  I do like the small town feel of this picture.  I don't even know what town I was rolling through when I took this. 

 

Friday's Favorites

Flickr Favorites (please click link to see the source of these beautiful images)

• Are you doing anything fun for the Oscars?  We like to do a tapas type party and yell at the television whenever Russell Crowe comes on (my mother disliked him for some reason so we boo him in her honor).  This looks like fun:  Oscar Bingo!
• Isn't this a pretty table runner?  Original photo from the Carter and Cook site
• If I ever had to live in a drafty old garret (What? It could happen) this is what I would want it to look like
• Another one of those graphic-y signs that I like.  This would be cute in a boy's room
• Lovely looking Etsy site: Curate & Love

We have another one of those weekends with nothing planned.  I'm not quite sure how we will spend it.  I think just relaxing around the house sounds like a pretty good idea.  

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

2.22.12

1.  2.  3.  4.

 

I love earrings.  If I'm not wearing earrings I feel kind of like I'm not properly dressed.  I also lose earrings with an alarming regularity so I tend to like inexpensive ones that can be easily replaced and I won't be too broken-hearted about losing.  

Even though Forever 21 isn't geared towards my demographic I do find them a good source for fun, inexpensive costume jewelry.  One thing I will say is their earrings tend to be really long so I always pay attention to the dimensions when ordering online.  I'm not opposed to MacGyvering a pair of earrings to suit my tastes.  I have removed extra loops to shorten them up.  

I thought this collection was fun for Spring.  And for less than $25 for all four pairs you won't break the bank.

(This is not a sponsored post.  F21 has no idea who I am or why I'm shilling their earrings for them.  If F21 would like to compensate me by sending me the above earrings feel free to drop me an email.)

2.21.12

I wanted to share a couple of recent Etsy finds.  I love Etsy for finding vintage treasures.  I like it ever so much more than eBay just because I don't care for the whole bidding business.  

I also feel that Etsy is more personal than eBay.  I feel like the sellers are more accessible.  I'm sure there are lovely eBay sellers too - I just have a hard time finding them. 

Anyway - on to the goods.  These are fairly recent purchases.  I did go on a bit of milk glass bender last week but I'll save that for another post.

The first thing is this gorgeous kimono.  It is the most beautiful shade of creamy white with lovely pink, green, white and gold embroidery. And those are hummingbirds, not butterflies. 

I envision myself swanning about the house, drinking my tea all while looking elegant in my lovely kimono.  The reality is I'm afraid I'll slosh tea on it so I haven't swanned yet.  

What is that saying about not saving your precious things for a special occasion?  I need to remember that.

The other thing I bought was this pretty pin for my brooch collection. To me it is kind of masculline looking in that is appears to be a medal or emblem of some kind.  Yet the white makes it very feminine.  

I have no idea if it is the emblem to some fraternal organization but I imagine wearing it and some elderly gentleman coming up to me and giving me a secret handshake or salute.  

Here's a funny side story - years ago one of my coworkers, an older man, asked me if I would retype the bylaws to the fraternal organization he belonged to.  This was before electronic file keeping and most documents were hard copies.  So I spent a couple of hours typing it up for him.  

I cannot tell you how tempted I was to insert a couple of my own bylaws.  Like naming me as the Grand Poohbah-ess over everything. Or having a parade in my honor every April 1st.  I resisted though. 

Feel free to call me Grand Poohbah though.

2.19.12

The week in review:

February 14 - O is for Olive Tree

February 13 - W is for Walk.  Taken with my iPhone3.  I can't tell you how many times in my lifetime I have walked this path between our neighborhood (growing up) and school.  

February 15 - A is for Asphalt.  Taken at my elementary school. There were a couple of kids playing basketball about 10 feet away and I didn't want to freak them out so I just snapped the one picture with my iPhone and kept walking.

February 16 - R is for Ruin.  This was taken from a moving train.  The original is quite boring.  So I cropped it and played around with textures and adjusted the color.  It has a 70's vibe to it that I kind of like.

February 17 - U is for Utensil.  Kind of like this one.  If you look closely you can see the photographer. 

February 18 - G is for Gardening (Or galoshes.  Does anyone call them that anymore?).  Taken with my iPhone3.  I should have taken an after picture so you could see all the weeding I did.  I also got two bareroot roses planted.  Yay me!

February 19 - E is for Experiment.  I made my own lightbox to see if that would help with the light situation (still fiddling with it...) and then I played around with black and white actions for Photoshop Elements.   I liked the b&w versions better than the color ones.

Friday's Favorites

Flickr Favorites (please click link to see the source of these beautiful images)

• Please and thank you - magic words indeed.  I love the colors, typeface, the message.  This would be cute in a kitchen, don't you think?
• I'm a bit obsessed with finding the perfect ballet pink ballet flat. This would be on the top of my list if they weren't so pricy. They look cuter when you see them on someone's feet
• Pretty earrings.  For all the pale aqua or blue earrings I post here you would think I have a ton of them.  Maybe I should just BUY a pair and then we can move on to another style
• Free digital ephemera.  Vintage children images or Reusable Art
• This would make a cute garden shed, doncha think?  

I didn't mean for this to be a twice a week blog.  Sorry about that. I'll try to do better.  I've been away from home for the better part of this week so I am going to especially enjoy our long weekend.  I have bareroot roses that are soaking in the laundry room sink as we speak that need to be planted.  So see lots of relaxed puttering happening this weekend. 

Hope everyone has a splendid weekend!

 

2.13.12

The week in review:

February 6 - J is for Jars

February 7 - H is for Hankies

February 8 - L is for Letters

February 9 - Y is for Yo-Yo's

February 10 - I is for Ikea

Unfortunately there are no pictures for February 11 or 12.  On Saturday I got a call from my son that his car had been stolen.  That kind of takes the starch out of you.  The car was recovered about 10 miles from his apartment, minus the wheels and tires and a tank of gas.  Somehow during all the excitement I neglected to take pictures. 

 

Friday's Favorites

Flickr Favorites (please click link to see the source of these beautiful images)

• I know most of these but a few surprised me.  I do admit to mispronouncing mauve
• One of the prettier uses of old typewriter keys that I've seen
• For font geeks.  I love Jessica Hische's work.  And I particularly covet the Brioche font
• I saw this paper plate flower installation on Pinterest and looked in vain for a tutuorial.  I may have to come up with one myself...
• Valentine's Day is coming up - get your sweetheart a sweetheart brooch.  Like this lovely one.  Or this one (love the forget-me-nots).  Or this one.
• Edited to add:  WHAT?!!  Yay!!!!

Sorry to be missing in action.  Just a busier than usual work week.  

We are having houseguests this weekend and then early on Sunday we are headed off to the Sacramento Antique Faire.  

Have a splendid weekend everyone!

2.5.12

The week in review:

January 30 - My vanity

January 31 - Failed project

February 1 - Start of my month long photography class.  B is for Brushes (all will be inspired by the letter of the alphabet)

February 2 - K is for Kitsch

February 3 - P is for Perfume

February 4 - N is for Negligee (This one made Explore in Flickr!)

 

February 5 - T is for Teacups

Hey!  This is my 1000 post!  What a blabber mouth.

 

Friday's Favorites

Flickr Favorites (please click link to see the source of these beautiful images)

• In time for St. Patrick's Day - delicate four leaf clover necklace
• Love the typography, the message and the self-fulfilling prophecy you'll have by ordering it (okay that is a slight mis-use of the term but you know what I mean)
• For my fellow Downton Abbey fans - check out how the actors look in real life (O'Brien!  You hottie!) and just for fun take a survey to see which Character you are most like (I think it is is flawed though - it pegged me as the Dowager Countess when surely I am more like the gentle and kind Anna)
• You know I find stop motion videos utterly delightful - here is a lovely one: Her Morning Elegance

Friday - my favorite day of the week with the promise of the weekend stretching before me.  No plans really.  I think there is some big football game happening where I am required to bring snacks. Actually we turn it into a tapas party which, to me, is the only way to make it tolerable.  

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!  I have to rush off to take a photograph while the light is right in my garage....