Etsy -- The Place to Shop

Etsy is an on-line shop with three categories of products: Handmade, Vintage, and Supplies. For holidays searching handmade or vintage will save you lots of time and you will end up with a really unique gift. Just now I ran some searches in handmade. Click on my links to see the current results.

I personally am looking for a purple initial, which found 285 items.
A search for a forest green scarf yielded 131 results.
Search for Love is in the Air and then selected Art yields 64 items.
For that man, golf love found 29 results.
Searching for ballet dance and selecting mixed media discovered 32 results.
For the boys, I searched lego art and found 85 results.
Also, I am a member of the Photographers of Etsy Team, so I searched on poe team kiss and found a few good shots. This was the subject of my latest treasury.

So with a little refining, searching among the 4,982,408 items isn't as overwhelming as it could be. Imagine going to the mall and looking through that many products. Yuk!

Vision in White -- Fiction about a Wedding Photographer

Just picked up the latest book in Nora Roberts' Bride Quartet, Bed of Roses, which was published in November. This book is the second in the series and is about florist Emma Grant. Roberts' romance novels are perfect for a nice escape from everyday.

The first book, pictured to the left published in May 2009, is about a wedding photographer and her relationship with an English teacher. I enjoyed this book because I am a photographer. It was interesting reading about Vows, a full service wedding planning business. But, the reason I recommend this story was because of the honesty presented in Roberts' interactions between characters. This relationship includes some real-life fear of getting involved. My favorite part was when Carter Maquire cooks Mackensie "Mac" Elliot dinner. I've added a link to this book on amazon on the left below.

Shadow Assignment Week 8

It is our last week of class this Friday. Hope to see everyone! We will be shooting shadow shots this week. Please bring in 5 images... also bring your SD card with the past assignments on it, so we can print your work and discuss as a whole. I will try to give everyone direction for the future and challenges. Keep up with my blog because I will post more assignments even though we are not having class.

For inspiration check out a fellow Photographer of Etsy's blog, Hey Harriet. She has a shadow Sunday post every week.

Check out our photography on Etsy by searching in handmade for POE Team. Click here for the current results. There are some very talented artists on our team!

Halloween Fun! Photography Assignment Week 7

The assignment for this week is to take a photograph that tells a story. Please bring at least 10 images from this assignment and past assignments to class. Please print one or two of your images (even black and white is good), so we can talk about them and examine them.

Black and white is a great test of the contrast in your image. If the photo is flat without a lot of black and white range, try again.

At class, we will work on creating a scene. Bring in your Halloween costume (to get a second use out of it) and we will have some fun creating a set! We will use some props I will bring in (bring your own too) and create a mood! We will take photographs of each other dressed up  and ourselves with the self-timer and a tri-pod.

Whose Ball?

Ever gotten to the green and wondered whose ball was in the hole? Don't let that happen with these marked balls. Let me know if your guy will play with hearts!!! Buy this photograph on Etsy. 

Buy the box of balls (below) on Etsy too. You can specify a brand if you would like me to paint a different type ball.

Photography Assignment Week 5

Lyrics... please print the lyrics to a favorite song and then... illustrate it with a photograph. Have fun with this... and pick more than one? Concentrate on framing your image with a natural or man-made frame.

Happy Shooting!

Here is my illustration of Van Morrison's "Moon Dance," a song I really love. And the link to purchase on Etsy.










Moon Dance by Van Morrison

Well, its a marvelous night for a moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes
A fantabulous night to make romance
neath the cover of october skies
And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sound of the breezes that blow
And Im trying to please to the calling
Of your heart-strings that play soft and low
And all the nights magic seems to whisper and hush
And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush

Chorus:

Can I just have one a more moondance with you, my love
Can I just make some more romance with a-you, my love

Well, I wanna make love to you tonight
I cant wait til the morning has come
And I know that the time is just right
And straight into my arms you will run
And when you come my heart will be waiting
To make sure that youre never alone
There and then all my dreams will come true, dear
There and then I will make you my own
And every time I touch you, you just tremble inside
And I know how much you want me that you cant hide

Chorus

Repeat 1st verse

One more moondance with you in the moonlight
On a magic night
La, la, la, la in the moonlight
On a magic night
Cant I just have one more dance with you my love

Turquoise, Teal and Aqua Dreams

So, what is in a dream? I am talking about the rich kind we can control, change and affect. I find that writing them down and talking about them gets them out on the table and happening. Inside my head, they fester and die.

In June 2007 I visited Spain, specifically Barcelona. I was shocked at how different the city looked than the states. I could not put my camera down. In all I took 886 photographs. On the way home on the airplane I told myself I would become a professional photographer. I have been busy at this since stepping back in the U.S. By now, I have developed several different products. My business and dream are growing!

I created this Etsy Treasury with a house, couple, height, ocean, quiet, crafting and dance in mind. Hopefully there is something for everyone here. Open a word document and start typing -- What do you want?

My Treasury has expired (They are only around for 2-3 days) but here is the picture of it below.

Buy the Pound

I haven't ever been to a pumpkin patch, but it was fun! So was the carving and cooking dinner afterwards. Here are three pumpkins that impressed me! Thanks Rusty!!

Capturing Movement in a Photograph Week 4

This week's photography class will focus on movement. We will spend time in class practicing panning (moving the camera with the subject) to try and stop the movement. We will also test out our camera's sports setting to see what a fast shutter speed does to stop motion. The assignment this week is to

Take many shots to still movement.
Take many shots to illustrate movement.
Take several shots to capture moving lights at night.

Bring five best images to class.

Musicals about Music

There have been many musicals featuring the music of a musical artist.

Mamma Mia
Movin' Out
Jersey Boys
Rain

My favorite will probably always be Mamma Mia because I love it and have seen it at least three times. The movie of the show is very well done as well. This show features the music of ABBA. I listened to the music of the show many years after I saw it the first time. Dancing Queen and Take a Chance on Me both strike chords in my heart.

Movin' Out is interesting in that the music is sung by a pianist like Billy Joel would have done had he been in the show. I don't remember this show as well, but I've seen it.

I loved Jersey Boys because it really made me aware of Frankie Valli's life and obstacles. My rap-listening son downloaded at least three songs from this show on to his iPhone. This was very nice. Click on the Jersey Boys link to see my previous blog about the show.

Most recently, I saw Rain at the Fox last week. It wasn't my favorite show. I felt like I paid a lot of money to watch a video pieced together with Beatles' songs. Yes, the tribute band was very REAL... but there wasn't a plot to the show except to convince us through the video and players that they were an authentic copy of the Beatles. Having purchased multiple seats, I was hoping for a nice story line and some information about the Beatles besides how their appearances changed over the years. As my ex-husband said, "I don't want to go because I saw the real thing in Piedmont Park a few weeks ago" (about the Paul McCartney concert) I should have listened.

Photography Assignment for Week 3

Had a busy, busy weekend. This time I was looking forward to Monday to relax.

Our photography class assignment for middle schoolers is

Take a still life photograph of your favorite collectible. Take a still life shot of a stuffed animal. Take a still life shot of your choice. Bring three images to class.

For the class I created a simple one page photography critque questionairre. This may be helpful to all beginner photographers. Take a look!

Quick Click -- chirping your way!

Very cool birds out there on Etsy... But I'm sure you know you can search on anything and everything and find exactly what you want or need and need and want. So, I've collected them. Click to see them all and make a comment. Remember treasuries are only there for 2 days, so act quickly. This treasury has expired, but you can see it to the left.

People photographs Week 2

Continuing the photography class this week. We will discuss Annie Leibovitz's work. She is an amazing portrait creator. Here is a link to a recent New York Times article about her financial problems, which seem to be on-going. Regardless, her ability to capture amazing shots of people is something to study and learn from. While we discuss Annie's work and style, we will talk about capturing people on film. Most cameras these days have many settings to "get the red out" of eyes and photography programs help with that as well. Try different settings and lighting to determine what is best for your camera. BUT the most important part of capturing a person may be to turn the camera so that it is portrait. See my blog entry about portrait shots.

The assignment for next week's class is to create a portrait of a family member(s) only one person per shot please. This will require many practices to acheive a final image. Please bring multiple examples to class.

Here is a recent portrait I captured. This July, at a performance for http://www.culturedkid.com/, Michael Levine played and sang for a summer camp. Michael is an amazingly talented singer, song-writer living in the Atlanta area. He is especially gifted at playing guitar. CulturedKid is my birthday party business. I create art and science parties. Learn more at www.culturedkid.com/party.html.

New Etsy Treasury

Go on take a look. It's very fun to curate a treasury. I created one titled "uP, OVER and under." I found 12 beautiful bridges on Etsy. The treasury has expired, but the collection is to the left.

Camera 101 at Roswell Visual Arts Center for Middle Schoolers Week 1

Today is my first class for Camera 101 at the Roswell Visual Arts Center. The class lasts eight weeks and there are still a few spots. Click on the link above to learn more. Then click on Youth Visual Arts. I will post the assignments here on my blog to motivate you and just in case my students forget...

The assignment today is to practice off-centering the subject. Take ___ landscape shots. Bring 5 best to class next week. And, find another shot of Ansel Adams' that you like on the internet. Bring a copy to class. I found a nice bio and photographs on this site.

We will discuss the tic-tac-grid. Here is a visual reminder of where to place your subject. Place the main subject in the green areas and avoid the center or red ex.

New Menorah Image

I changed this just a touch...

Chanukah

Chanukah will be here before we know it! I really enjoy lighting the candles each night. Choosing just eight presents for my children is a nice exercise. With Christmas, we had no limit... I like the limit, but I do admit to wrapping several items together when the kids were younger... now their wishes are too expensive and eight is just the right number. But Chanukah is really about the lights, oil and the miracle of the oil lasting eight nights, the victory of the Maccabees, and reconsecrating theTemple in Jerusalem.

This is my favorite menorah!

EastCobber Parade was FUN

We attended the EastCobber Parade Sat., Sept. 12, 2009. Johnson Ferry was lined with moms, dads and kids. The parade was complete with several high school marching bands, politicians, area businesses and not-for-profits. Here are a couple shots of a band because I carried a base drum in high school! Go Wildcats!

High Museum Film -- Dorothea Lange

Atlanta:  Sure to be informative. There is a film and panel discussion titled Women in Photography on Thursday at the High Museum in Atlanta in the Walter C. Hill Auditorium Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 7 PM. Dorothea's son Daniel Dixon discusses Dorothea Lange and Her Impact on American Society in the film. Click on the Women in Photography link to learn more.
Lange was an important photojournalist of the great depression. One of her most poignant images is the Migrant Mother. Clearly this image is of a woman with so many thoughts, worries and troubles and several children. So much is captured in one click of the shutter.

Where to Hang a Child's Art?

My children attended Montessori schools for many years and I enjoyed learning Maria Montessori's philosophies. In general my belief in life is to gather lots of information about a subject and come up with my personal way.

One of my favorite Montessori views is of art. The littlest children are not too young to learn about the greatest artists! In the classrooms the art and work is easy for a child to reach. I set up our house this way. I am now moving the images up the walls, but I still have to bend over to pull out the china for the dinner table. (Don't worry... I think I've accidentally broken more china than they have!)

So, the next time you put a nail in the wall, check with your youngster to see where his eyes are on the wall.

Busy Puppy Potty Training

As if I had nothing to do, I am now also training my sweet puppy I adopted in Tennessee. We named her Tennessee. Here are a couple photos so you can get the picture about why I brought her home with me from my parents' farm house. I am using Everything You Need to Know about House Training Puppies and Adult Dogs. The logic of praising during the act and not punishing is very smart and seems to be working. Keep your fingers crossed! She is my full-time job right now. The kids LOVE her!

Cabbage Rolls

My Grandmother was from Lithuania, and she loved to cook! I enjoyed making cabbage rolls tonight with my father for dinner. We steamed the cabbage for 15 minutes. and then stuffed them with cooked rice and raw ground beef. (1.5 pounds meat to 1 C cooked rice.) We used toothpicks to secure and filled the very large pot with tomatoes (1 can), tomatoe sauce (2 cans), carrots, potatoes and water. We simmered for about 1.5 hours.

Arthur Leipzig

So. One of the lessons from school is that we artists are influenced by all the images we have viewed before our next work. Click on Arthur Leipzig's Chalk Games and then let me know how it compares to my Kickball in Parc Guell, left, taken in Gaudi's parc in Barcelona. Streetball Barcelona is shown here to the right. I studied Leipzig long before taking the Barcelona shots. Leipzig was born in NY in 1918. Leipzig has a lot of neat shots of children playing in the streets of Brooklyn. Click to read a short bio on the photographer. Study Leipzip's works and go shoot an image in his style.

Pittsburgh

WHAT A COOL CITY! I guess I am in love! I will return to Pittsburgh and just purchased the Moon Handbook titled Pittsburgh and a detailed street map to study up! Here is my latest shot.

Behind the Scene at the Art Festival

279 miles to Beckley, WV

Beckley is my father's old stomping ground... My grandfather worked in the coal mines repairing equipment in Minden, WV. There is a coal mine here in Beckley that we toured a couple of summers ago. The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine was operational and really portrays the hard work that went on in the mines. The tour takes you underground into the mine. The facility includes a coal camp and a gift shop.

So what is it like to stand in a booth all day? Honestly, I love it! The compliments were flowing this weekend. One of my favorites was a woman who told me she had just taken 16,000 photographs for a film. Clearly this was a true professional, and she told me I had a "good eye!" Thank you to everyone for the two days of compliments! A realestate professional asked me to shoot his properties... But I don't live there. This is an idea though!

I especially enjoyed talking to Julio (send me your links) and also Pete (I'll look for his card when I unpack) who are both photographers. One woman invited me to join in dancing next time I was in Pittsburg because of talk about the "Waltz" image. (If she only knew how tired my legs were at the end of the day...) And another neat lady told me about a purple bridge about an hour from the show. I can't wait to track that down!

Yes, I took many bridge shots in Pittsburgh. Here's the first from the Rachel Carson Bridge.