Time flies when you're having fun

Doesn't it though? I wish I could say it has ALL been fun since April (and this is October? Shame on me!), but at least some of it was fun.

For instance, I turned 80, and this event was celebrated in various ways for months--starting in May, with the Space Needle luncheon Shirley Rainman and Paulette Stanley hosted for me, Harriss Mueller, and Jane Keller. They turned 70.  Then there was the lovely party son Jeremy hosted, a wonderful barbecue in his back yard,  And next Monday, Kathy Barker, Robin Gebhart and Lisa Tsang are taking me to lunch for my birthday.

Husband Morrie and I went on a cruise to Alaska--Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage, with stops at Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchican. The weather was lovely, and the views spectacular.

When we got back, I was scheduled for cataract surgery. Had both eyes done five days apart. A very interesting experience. And so far, successful. I had worn glasses since I was four years old, so being without them is a bit strange. Still, I can get used to it. Friends who have had the surgery tell me it takes several months to get finally adjusted. I can hardly wait.

This first thing I noticed was the change in color intensity--everything is so vivid now, especially purple and blue. I had no idea how much the cataracts had impacted my seeing color. A welcome change!

During the surgery, one has to stare at a bright light; while the doctor is working, the colors around the lights change from a pale pink to intense fuchsia, with a few blues mixed in.. Here are some interpretations I whomped up in Photoshop.

Above is sort of what it looked like.

It did NOT look like this, but while I was working, this turned up, and I really like it.

All of these started out with pictures I took in Alaska, of sky and water. The big white blast is the sun.

I am taking a Photoshop class online, and today we learned to put text in a box. This was a failure--not done properly, that is.

I did see halos like this during the procedure.

Sometimes I saw two distinct lights.

Another happy accident.

Finally! Success at putting text into a shape.

Just for fun, carrying color to the extreme!

Oh, and the procedure, done with ultra sound and a teensy vacuum cleaner (not really, but some kind of medical sucking machine) took about 20 minutes--40, if you count both eyes. The waiting time was lengthy, of course, but a small price to pay for the results.

Until next time, Nan

Yes, I do get carried away!

A few weeks ago I took an online class in Photoshop Blend Modes with Ben Willmore, over at creativelive.com. Got to tell you, I am completely hooked on those Blend Modes! It's better than Solitaire for sucking up your time! Anyhow, Ben was back this Monday and Tuesday, and while he was teaching about Photoshop Basics, I was blending away--paying attention to what he was saying, but playing with blends in the few down times.

A couple of weeks ago I made my first encaustic collage:

and so I used it as a starting place for my blending mania. I made over 70 different blends, working long after class was over.

Here are some:

I had also photographed parts of the encaustic piece, so I blended some of those, too:

And what is all this good for, except to chew up your time? Well, I use these kinds of things for backgrounds for trading cards and other nefarious projects. For instance, I drew a face today and used it with some of the encaustic textures to make some pictures:

And yes, I did manipulate the drawing, too--this time using Photoshop filters.

That's all for now! Until next time, Nan

Last-Minute Louie Here

I have just a few minutes to post my entry into Tim Holtz' tattered floral challenge--and, naturally, if iut weren't for the lasr minute, nothing would ever get done around here.

Here are my efforts:

First, I made some cloth paper--that is layering all kinds of tissue on top of fabric, sealing 'em all in with a mixture of PVA and water. This is a close up of one section. The sheet I made was about 11x17 inches.

When it dried (which took a loooong time--I cut a piece off and ran it through my Vagabond with the tattered floral die.

Here are the flowers, sort of assembled, waiting to be used. I planned to make a necklace, using some kumihmo braid I had made.

Here is the necklace. It still needs a clasp. but the deadline looms and I need to get this posted!

Here is a closeup of the assembled flowers. I added some stamens and bling from a floral stem from Michaels, which I took apart and used to hold the petals together and then wire them to the necklace.

Another view of the whole thing. I think it will be a lot of fun to wear, once I get those wires embedded a little better! And of course add a clasp. I am thinking a simple toggle will do the truck.

Until next time, Nan

Just Messin' Around

I took some on-line Photoshop classes last week, and was inspired to experiment a bit. Here are some of the results.

And they all began with these three pages from my Stencil Journal:

It's wonderful what blend modes can do!

Until next time, Nan

I'm Sorry, I've Been Sick

Well, since early January I have had this rotten, lingering cough--which has really sapped my energy. And I have so much to blog about, too! Which I will get to; I am still editing the pictures.

I did kinda think about the placement of the comma in the title; should I have said "I'm Sorry I've Been Sick?" Both are true. And if you know a good remedy for a lingering and miserable cough, let me know! (Went to the doctors twice, and they couldn't help--either of them....)

What I will eventually get posted are the pictures and thoughts about our 50th anniversary, which we celebrated on the 29th and 30th of December, 2012. I was in the throes of editing the pictures from our fabulous dinner at the HerbFarm Restaurant (thank, you my lovely children) and a party we threw ourselves so we could celebrate with friends and family (thank you again, lovely children, for your hard work getting that going). But for now, I will try to ease the anguish of having to wait by posting a few of the digital art things I have been able to manage between and during coughing fits. (Bless, you, Fisherman's Friend and Ricola!)

This "Art Doll" was made using pages from my Stencil Art Journal and images from some of Beth Rimmer's kits for Digital Scrap.

Another "Art Doll" made from Digital Scrap kits. These include, but are not limited to, kits from Beth Rimmer, Mr Whiskers, Marta Van Eck, and Rucola Designs.

Both Art Doll heads are heavily Photoshopped.

This is an Artist Trading Card I made using kits from Creative Visions at Scrapbookgraphics and Out of the Box Design Studio from Deviant Scrap.

A birthday card I made for my friend Christina. The inside said "You're My Cup of Tea." The elements came from kits from Out of the Box Design Studio and Hidden Vintage Studio over at Deviant Scrap. Hmmmm. Maybe a link to their site would be in order. would you believe it's  http://deviantscrap.com/ ?

Another ATC. This was my "New Year's Resolution" card. The images are from Out of the Box Design Studio, and I forget who else, from Deviant Scrap. Maybe Rucola Designs, Holliewood, and Beth Rimmer...Sieve Brain Strikes again!

Yet another ATC. This one uses elements from Out of the Box Design Studio, Beth Rimmer, and Hidden Vintage Studio. Guess where you can find these kits? Oh, you peeked! Yes, it's Deviant Scrap.

Most of the above--and more--are posted on Deviant Art. Here's the link to my gallery page: http://nanner2.deviantart.com/gallery/  Most of my digital art is pretty quirky, so Deviant Art seemed like a good place to put it.

That's all for now! Hope your year is going well!

Nan