Texture Love

Thank you to everyone for your wonderful comments and emails about my blog anniversary, it's been a fun 2 years!

I thought I would stay inside today and play with textures.  It's a blustery day outside, and I've messed up my ankle somehow and have to stay off of it, so processing pictures is a perfect way to pass the time.  And, messing around with photos is way more fun than vacuuming!

In the photo above I used one of Kim Klassen's textures, and I have no clue which one.  I should write this stuff down, but that's probably not going to happen...sorry!

This one has another one of Kim's textures and I used a brush texture on it too to give it a more painterly look.

Kim creates such beautiful textures, I find that I go to them time and time again.  And she is also so very generous with her free textures.  If you've been wanting to try using textures, I highly recommend you sign up for one of her e-courses, she has some starting soon.  Click here to find out more.

My sweet neighbor gave me these beautiful pink tulips yesterday.  I had given her a needlepoint pillow that no longer looked good in my house, so as a thank you, she gave me these pretty flowers.  I think I made out in the trade!  Although the pillow does look mighty nice in her green velvet wingback chair, so it was a win, win for both of us!

I put the flowers in this pretty pink vase I have had for years.  It came with the sheer pale pink ribbon which I love, so I thought it was the perfect choice for my pretty in pink flowers.  The texture I used on this one is another free one but from Boccacino.  I don't use these textures often, but when I do I fall in love with them all over again!

And here is the same image, but with script added from a free brush set by French Kiss...I love cool new brushes to play with!

Well that's it for now.  I hope you are finding something to hang out and do that makes you happy today too!

Holiday Cards and Other Stuff

(click to enlarge any photo)

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, and to those of us who stuffed ourselves silly, I hope you are now feeling a little better!

We spent the holiday with extended family, and then the past few days were occupied  with yard work and hanging Christmas lights.  We also have our daughter to blame for our new addiction to the show Glee.  I had never seen it before, so she suggested we watch it on Netflix from the very beginning.  We watched 4 episodes back to back on Saturday evening and then another 2 this morning before she headed back to DC!

I have to say that I love nothing more than to have all of my birdies in the nest, so this weekend was wonderful for me and Mr. Tide.  My Dad used to always say how nice it was to have everyone at home during the holidays, and I now understand why it meant so much to both he and my mom.  And it's funny, but my mother in law said the same thing when we left after our recent visit, that she remembered her own grandfather being teary eyed when they all left their family cabin each year.

I guess that's how life works, you rush around raising your little chicks with the intention of them flying from the nest.  But it sure is nice when they fly back home for a few days!

And speaking of birds, Mr. Tide and I have now officially declared ourselves old people.  And about a week ago we purchased a bird feeder.  The reason I say "old" is because when you are younger it seems like only old people enjoy watching or feeding birds.  Shoot, even in the movie Mary Poppins the lady that feeds the birds is older!  So we've always assumed, and maybe wrongly so, that bird watching was for old people, or maybe we ARE old now!  I would like to think that maybe we aren't old, but that we have just discovered a new found appreciation for everything ornithology! ;-)

After waiting a week for birds to grace our feeder, we were welcomed this morning by lots of little birds anxious for their own version of Thanksgiving leftovers.  I don't claim to know them all, but since I'm embracing my old person persona, I will likely have to break out the bird book soon so that I can be in the know about which ones are which!

I did however recognize a female cardinal without too much thought, and so I happily snapped away at her as she perched atop the wrought iron shepherd's hook that holds the feeder.  I was amazed at the clarity of some of the shots, so I decided to turn a few of the images into holiday cards.

I know that these would be more striking if it had been a male cardinal who had visited us today, but I still think Mrs. Cardinal deserves her due.  It's kind of like Santa and Mrs. Clause, no one lines up to see Mrs. Clause...poor dear!

I used a combination of things on these photos including the new free texture I got today from Kim Klassen, it's called Poetic, and I think that is a fitting name for this lovely new texture!  The top textured photo also has a free texture by Leslie Nicole.  I also highly recommend you purchase some textures from these lovely ladies as they have some great ones to choose from, and some are even on sale right now!

The other overlays I used (except for the one in the photo above which I can no longer find the source for!) all came from The Graphics Fairy.  I love finding beautiful license free imagery from The Graphics Fairy, it is one of my favorite places to go hunting for special clip art and backgrounds...especially for holiday projects like cards!

So there you have it, I'm slowly getting into the holiday spirit.  I was so pumped to get going on decorating this weekend, and then my dear husband lugged all of my Christmas tubs inside only to realize that my enthusiasm had waned slightly upon seeing just how much "stuff" I have!

In my head, I had visions of boxwood wreaths and all white trees, but my tubs full of holiday decor did not agree with my pared down simplistic approach this year.  And had Mr. Tide not pulled a muscle in his shoulder bringing said tubs into the house, well I probably would have sent them right back to the garage.  Instead I am letting my brain battle it out to see which will win, simplicity or surplus!  Until I do, those bins will act as wonderful ottomans for nearly every seat in the living room.  Which is perfect for watching more episodes of Glee right?!

Hope Springs Eternal

Today is one of those glorious days that you want to bottle up and save for a rainy, cold day!

The kind of day where you can't be sad, even if you try, because spring is bursting forth all around you!

A day where birds sing and flowers dance.

And everywhere you turn there is something coming to life...

Something making the world a more beautiful place.

And your worries slip away like grains of sand between your toes.

This is my kind of day!  One that reminds us that Hope Springs Eternal.

Hope springs eternal in the human breast;

Man never Is, but always To be blest:

The soul, uneasy and confin'd from home,

Rests and expatiates in a life to come.

-Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man

I hope you all are having this same kind of day wherever you might be!  And if you want to try out the wonderful free Silence texture I used on several of these photos, be sure to visit Kim Klassen's site by clicking HERE!

Spread the Love...

Better After

Warm Sun

 (Kim Klassen Warm Sun and Playing With Brushes Song Texture)

Yesterday the weather was gorgeous here.  Sunny skies, a light breeze and temps in the high 80's.  I was in heaven as I wandered around outside without anything more than jeans and a short sleeved shirt on.  Mr. Tide and I even ate outside last night...so I was a very happy camper!

 (Kim Klassen Warm Sun and Love Textures)

At 5 am this morning the weather took a decidedly nasty turn, and we had strong winds, heavy rain, lightning, and even the threat of a tornado.

The winds have died down some, and the rain has stopped, but the temps have fallen and it's looking like early April once again around these parts.  So with a break before I needed to head out and run errands to get ready for a show I have this weekend, I decided to try a few new textures on some of my recent photos.  I'm also linking up with Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday Party.

 (Kim Klassen Warm Sun & Boccacino Textures)

I snapped these daffodil pictures while we were over at my parent's house working last night.  I love the ruffled variety above.  I think my sister M gave these bulbs to my mother, and they remind me of ruffles on a lady's petticoat.

I just love how applying a texture can change the whole look of a photo.  Just look at the egg photo "before" any texture was applied...

(Kim Klassen Warm Sun Texture)

And here is the "after" with Kim's Warm Sun texture.  I erased some of the texture from the eggs and love the vintage look the texture creates.  Be sure to visit Kim's site to sign up to receive your very own free textures, and I highly recommend purchasing a few of her great sets too!  And you can also see all of the other great texture shots on her Texture Tuesday meme party by clicking HERE!

Sunday Sanctuary

With Spring just around the corner for some of us, I think the thought of flowers is on everyone's minds.  I've visited several blogs this weekend where talk of flowers and gardens was top on their list.  Brenda from Cozy Little House posted about a beautiful bouquet of flowers she picked up to help boost her spirits while she waits for her own garden to be in bloom.

When I read Brenda's post, I could relate.  After having been sick with the flu this past week, which was the weirdest flu virus I've ever had by the way, I ventured out yesterday and ran errands.  The usual suspects...the grocery store, the post office, the pet store, etc., and while I was at the grocery store I picked up some flowers.  I was going to be a good girl and walk right past the flowers to help save money, but Mr. Tide was with me and he insisted...who was I to argue?!

They actually had a lovely assortment to choose from, and I was really torn between buying an orchid, which I knew would last a while, or picking up some cut flowers that I knew would only be around for a week or so.  In the end price won out, and I grabbed a small bunch of Dutch Iris.  I love iris, they are so delicate and have an Asian feel to them, and at only $4.50 I thought they were very reasonable.  They are also a nice departure from the tulips and roses I have purchased recently.

When I purchased them, they were all furled up and barely showing much color.  I cut the stems and arranged them in a cream colored vase and set them on my bucket bench where I can enjoy them while I'm working or surfing the net.  This morning when I woke up bright and early, the iris had also begun to open and come out of a deep sleep.

I grabbed my camera and began snapping away.  I think it's my way of preserving them well beyond their life span.  Then I played around with actions and textures, and I was so busy that I don't even remember what I used on these.  I know I used a few Flora Bella actions and textures plus a few Kim Klassen Textures, but I honestly was so in to what I was doing that I forgot to write them down.  I love how these turned out, they are all the same flowers, but by playing around in PS Elements you can completely change the look from photo to photo, my favorites are the 2nd picture from the top and then the one above.

I hope each of you had a good weekend and that you are enjoying a bit of rest and personal sanctuary if it's still Sunday where you live.  I also had a visitor show up on my doorstep on Friday...a roaming Gnome who has been quite the house guest.  I'll be posting about his adventures in the near future so stay tuned!

Spread the Love... (oops sorry I forgot to add this before)


Isabella and Max Rooms

Relatively Unique

In The Country

Like My Dog

It's been a crazy weather day today here in Maryland. High winds, thunderstorms, and heavy rain one minute then blue clear sky the next!  The view above was looking west from my back patio...

While this was the view east at the same time.  The wind has been howling all day with gusts of up to 60 mph, and what you can't see in this picture is how it was pouring down rain with the sun shining at the same time.  My grandmother used to always say that the devil was beating his wife when it was raining while the sun was shining.  

If you look really, really hard at the photo above you can see a very faint rainbow that runs along the tree branch tips on the closest far left tree.  It's so faint you probably can't even see it, but it's there I promise.

I was supposed to meet my dear friend Connie from Hartwood Roses today at the Ekster Barn Sale outside of Leesburg, Virginia, but my flu bug put the brakes on that pretty quick.  So instead I stayed inside out of the weather and played around with pictures.  I had taken some photos of Misty Belle the other day when the sun was shining brightly and decided I would try some of Kim Klassen's wonderful textures on my latest puppy pictures.  If you visit Kim's website and register, from time to time you'll receive wonderful free textures like the ones I've used here.

 

I also finished up 2 stories this morning and then decided to take some pictures of a box full of dog collars that I had volunteered to photograph for Connie and a charity she works with called  Greyhounds Rock.  Connie actually sews these beautiful collars to sell and the proceeds go to help support cancer research in not just Greyhounds but all dogs...and I think that rocks!

Misty Belle agrees that anything that can help eradicate cancer in humans or animals is a very worthy cause!

I had so much fun shooting these beautiful and very well made collars, there was one in almost every color of the rainbow, and something to suit every dog or owner's personality.

Misty Belle, being a preppy girlie girl said she liked the brightly colored ones the best.

I caught her eyeing the two pretty ones above several times, and I think I heard her say that a girl really needs to look her best when she goes out to meet people, but I'm not sure if I heard her correctly!  Whatever she said, Miss Kylee nodded and wagged her tail in complete agreement.

Mr. Quinn also put his two cents in and said that he thought he would look dapper in this lovely houndstooth number, and he was quick to remind me that his current collar still has a bit of a skunk smell to it!  

I think it's so great that Connie, with her busy schedule, does so much for dog rescue and Greyhounds Rock of Fredericksburg.  And if you are in need of a collar and want to support a great cause at the same time you can contact Connie through her blog by clicking HERE.

And although we weren't basking in the sun today like Misty was in the photo above, it was still a pretty good day aside from missing the barn sale.  

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and if you do have a dog or cat, what sort of collar do they usually wear?...something with spikes, or something frilly and feminine...I'd love to hear all about it!

I recently heard this song and thought it was pretty cute...

Spread the Love...

Sheer Serendipity

Stitchfork Designs

Cozy Little House

Humble Pie and Other Goings On

The very talented Kate from Chronicles of a Country Girl often enters her beautiful photos into the photo assignments challenges on Pioneer Woman's site.  Kate was even a finalist in a recent contest with her gorgeous cardinal photo, a well deserved accolade when you consider the hundreds of thousands of people who enter each of these photo assignments!  It really is quite intimidating and awe inspiring when you see some of the photos which get submitted each time.

I finally got brave enough to put one of my photos out there, the pear picture above, since this round's assignment is all about Food.  You can click here to see some of the finalists so far.  You might think that photographing food would be a piece of cake...sorry, pun intended, but it's actually quite hard.  Shooting in sunlight is a must, not getting too close, yet close enough to your food is important, and motion is also a good thing for food shots, like pouring something, etc.

Of course I did shoot my pear in bright sunlight, probably too bright actually, but hey it was my first attempt with these assignments and after seeing the competition I was served a big 'ole slice of humble pie...perfectly lit, expertly composed, and mouthwateringly beautiful of course.  There is some serious talent out there people, and just scrolling through all of those photos is enough to make a person want to pack away their Kodachrome and pull the covers over your lens.  But I won't do that, instead I'll study the winning photos and take heed of all their subtle tricks which take a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and turn it into a masterpiece.  Hmm, I seem to be talking a lot about food in posts lately don't I?!

 (photo with Random Inspirations Texture)

Feeling slightly deflated and very much inadequate after viewing some of the photos in the contest, I did pick my chin up long enough to visit a few photo streams on Flickr of those whose photos I envied.  I came across one person's stream, which I have since forgotten their name because that's how many photos I looked at, and she had the most beautiful textures on many of her photos.  I'm talking drop dead, stop you in your tracks gorgeous textures.  Words gracefully blended with flowers, they had me at hello!  So I decided to crack open my photo archives from last spring and buy myself some textures, you know as a way of making myself feel better.

The textures I used on each of these photos are all from the very talented Kim Klassen.   Although the textures I used weren't free, they were all very reasonably priced I felt, and if you sign up to be on Kim's email list she often sends out freebies for folks like you and me to try.

I purchased a total of 10 textures, for $20.50 which I thought was fair, and after applying them to some of my flower photos from last spring I was convinced that if I ever decide to sell art prints or create note cards, these will be my "go to" textures!

The two pictures above both feature Kim's Layers Texture, I adjusted the lighting, the color burn, and erased a bit of the texture in the top cherry blossom picture so you can see that the same texture can be applied in a variety of ways to create very different looks.

On the photo above I used Kim's All My Lovin' texture, I love the mix of type written words, script, and music found in this texture. 

I also purchased a set of textures called The Vintage Collection.  I combined several textures from this set to create the photo above.  I love how some of the textures in this set give a subtle lace like quality to the photo and subject matter.

This last photo is my very favorite out of the group I created.  I used the All My Lovin' Texture once again and I simply adore the juxtaposition of the sweet sentiments with the delicate cherry blossom buds.  I actually think something like this would be so pretty for non-traditional wedding invitations or even bridal shower invites!

I want to thank Kim, who up until today I'd never really known much about, and had never used any of her textures.  She truly is a gifted artist and a very giving person.  We exchanged a few emails this afternoon and she was more than helpful in answering all of my questions regarding the compatibility of her textures for Photoshop Elements, which they are, HOORAY for me!  She also offers some great videos on her site to teach you how to use her textures and to help you take better photos!  She jokingly told me that this texture thing can become quite addictive, and I have to say that with these textures and others I'm planning to purchase from her, I may be in need of a 12 step program very soon!

You might have noticed that my watermark has changed too, I'm now using the name Kat W. Photography, not just Low Tide High Style.  I've decided that it's time to take off my training wheels and get serious about this photography stuff, so we'll see where it takes me, but for now I'm enjoying the ride, and I have you all to thank for constantly giving me support and encouragement...thank you!

I want to say thank you to those of you who have been brave enough to send me your house photos, if you missed it, read this post, and there is no time limit for submitting pictures, so keep them coming!  I wish we could feature single rooms, but right now we're looking for whole houses.

And also, there is still plenty of time to enter my latest Giveaway, click HERE to find out how to enter.

I hope you each have a wonderful weekend!