another shadow shot sunday

hot, humid morning here in ohio. i feel very lazy and uninspired. maybe a second cup of coffee will help. i'm planning to take it easy and read and play in the art room today. i cleaned and organized closets yesterday for about 7 hours and i feel the aftermath of that for sure!

for more shadow shots from around the world, visit hey harriet's blog!

rejuvenated

more photos from my trip to the country last sunday. the second i spied this old car and a few others in a roadside car lot, i knew i had to stop and take pictures. as always, my hubbie was most accommodating! my interest in taking some photos of old rusty cars was spurred by photos i saw and loved in kelly's etsy shop, kelly warren photo art. hers show rusty old cars abandoned in a field and they are just stunning.

i decided my photos needed more character and so i rejuvenated them in photoshop. i love taking something old and making it new again. that's what i thought of as i added neon funk to these old relics. i'm seriously thinking about opening a second etsy shop to sell my photography so i can keep my original art and my photo art separate. more on that later, i'm sure.

lazy day here in the art studio. hubbie and presley are still sound asleep and i'm loving the peaceful serenity. off to make a pot of hot, decadent robust coffee!!

country road

weeds
more majestic
than any
fancy garden
sing a peaceful
melody of
times gone by
when life was simpler
and more carefree

hidden treasure
around each bend
long forgotten
abandoned
echoing
stories
of simple
journeys in
enchanting times

rustic cottage
sheltered by
overgrown trees
falling into
magical ruins
where children
once caught
lightning bugs
at twilight

country road
siren call
for my heart
temptress of my soul
share your wonders
sing your song
that i may
feel at home
again

poem & photos
(c) 2009 julie king

gifted

just a quick post to say again how much each of you "gift" me with your visits and comments to my blog!! i value each and every one of you for the time you take to say something sweet, supportive or relevant. as i collage, take photos or write a poem i'm always feeling the blessed presence of each of you fanning the wind under my wings. heartfelt thanks and hugs to each of you!!

the photo is of the original mixed media collage i sold this week in my etsy shop. it is all wrapped up in my original handmade wrapping paper, a pretty bow and a handmade tag, ready to ship out to the new owner tomorrow. you can see which original sold here. thanks, kelly, for making my day!

and finally, some of you asked if i was going to list any of the journals shown here in my etsy shop. yes, i have and the supply is limited so go check them out here.

peace, hope, love and joy!!

morning or night?

"morning clover"
(c) 2009 julie king

sometimes i'm asked if i'm a morning person or a night person. and i think do i really have to choose? there are so many things i love about each one. perfect mornings are for sleeping in a bit and snuggling with hubbie. a hot cup of coffee and those first few precious good morning moments with presley are relished. i like the twitter of the birds, the dew on the grass and the hopeful anticipation of a blessed new day.

"dayton by night"
(c) 2009 julie king

evening walks to view the gorgeous sunset sky or a bike ride down a rambling country road make night a favorite. the golden glow of a full moon and the starry night sky make me smile. i like to stay up late puttering in the art room or watching a movie. have you ever gone to the dairy queen drive-thru in your pajamas for a chocolate dip cone late at night? we have and i'm not at all ashamed to admit it.

so if you had to choose, could you? which one would you pick and why?

courage to fly free

this week's inch by inch piece is a little watercolor i did very quickly on saturday morning. i've titled it "courage to fly free".  i use watercolors very infrequently so my technique is not honed. i did enjoy doing this little one, though. to see more 3" x 3" inch by inch projects, please go to remembering paris for the list of participants. 

mushrooms

photos (c) 2009 julie king
taken with nikon d-60

my relationship with mushrooms goes way back to my childhood when my grandma johnson took me to the woods to hunt them. we walked across the field at the back of the house and into the mysterious woods. mysterious because it was filled with a plethora of sights and sounds unfamiliar to my 5-year-old senses. baby squirrels played their chase game in the boughs of the trees. the forest floor was carpeted with tiny white spring flowers and lilacs. dried leaves from the previous fall crunched or squished underfoot. it was early spring and we were hunting the legendary morels, tall thin sponge mushrooms with all the crevices in the surface. they grew in the woods in a variety of shapes and sizes, some yellow and some black, some an in-between color. it took a very sharp eye to spy them but once you found a few it was easier to know "how" to look for them. you see, mushrooms like to hide out under dry leaves and in the center of a clump of early may flowers. whoever found the very first mushroom of the day would yell "i found one" for all to hear. now that i think about it, i probably yelled it every time i found one. what a thrill it was when you stumbled into a mushroom patch where there were dozens of the delightful delicacies just waiting to be picked and gingerly placed in the plastic bread bag brought along to carry the booty home. once we were home mom soaked the mushrooms in heavily salted cold water for an hour or so to ensure all the bugs had vacated the premises of their previous homes. each mushroom was then dipped in a mixture of egg and milk and then heavily coated with bread crumbs. quickly they dropped into a large iron skillet of hot butter to be fried up until crispy golden brown. we ate them as quickly as mom could fry them up -- yes, they were that good!!!! but as good as they were, for me they never compared to the thrill of finding them, especially that first one of the season!

these 2 mushroom photos were taken yesterday with my nikon d-60 in my dad's yard. there is a grove of old trees in the hollow in front of his house. these small mushrooms were growing at the base of one of the trees. i literally laid my hand on the ground with the camera cradled in my hand to get these shots. i rotated the zoom, pushed the shutter down, heard the "i'm in focus" beep and snapped away. call it beginner's luck, folks, 'cause i sure had no idea if it would work or not!! there's no photoshop work -- just the raw images.

my heart overflows with gratitude for all the wonderful comments you've all been leaving me lately! i'm off to get caught up on all your blogs!!! enjoy your evening!

shadow shots with new nikon d-60

i finally broke down and bought a nikon d-60 which i've been drooling over for some time. i love it! tons of things to learn and explore but so far i'm finding it a breeze to use. all this week's shadow shots were taken with the nikon. for more amazing shadow shots from around the world, check out hey harriet's blog.

lifetime reflections

reflections
of my life
bounce back
unexpectedly
in moments
of quiet
solitude

mirror
impressions
differ from
the view
in my
youthful
mind's eye

fleeting
glimpses
of that
innocent girl
are fondly
relished
and held

with joy
and longing
for what was
and what can
never be
i did my best
forget the rest

today
i see
an older me
a wiser version
of what
i used to be
growing

older in years
younger at heart
deeper in compassion
liberated to fly free
over still waters
and relish my
reflections

still blooming

photos (c) 2009 julie king

when i look at my life today and all the blessings i hold so dear i think of blooming. who would have ever thought that a grown woman could still bloom at 56?

at 26, i was a shy, somewhat socially awkward mother of one and a half kids living on a farm, organic gardening, sewing my kids' clothes and trying to be a dutiful wife. i was young, gullible, immature and far too trusting.

at 36, i was a single parent of two working 2 jobs and trying to prove my worth by being superwoman by day and supermom by night. i had a large chip on my shoulder and was fiercely independent.

at 46, i let the chip fall, giving myself permission to love and be loved again. i wondered where i would pour all my creativity now that my life's project (my kids) was complete. i sometimes lost my way and felt unfulfilled.

at 56, i'm blooming in so many creative, happy and fun ways. the self-assured, positive and energetic me wants to learn, experience and explore. i push myself past my comfort level and set new goals. best of all, i can choose to be a daisy today and a rose tomorrow. maybe i'll be a dandelion on tuesday. it's all about choices and how i want to live my life. i choose to see beauty and hear a symphony. i choose dancing in the rain and eating chocolate ice cream at midnight. i choose to bloom.

how about you? in what ways are you blooming in your current phase in life? i'd really like to hear about it.

merrily we roll along

those who know me well know that i spend many happy, creative hours in my art room. over coffee on saturday morning bill suggested that i get some things ready to take to the hotel gallery in tipp city. my art has been hanging and selling there since last fall. so i spent the bulk of the day saturday printing images, assembling greeting cards and journals and packaging everything up. what fun i had! the above photo shows the journals i was able to prepare. only a few went to the gallery.



here's a close-up of the hope floats journal all tied up with a bow, inserted into a cello bag and embellished with my header card. for some reason the process of assembling these made me hum that little song merrily we roll along, roll along, roll along. the pretty much mindless task of this kind of production work makes me happy.

i'm off to get my hair cut . . . loving my new super short summer style but going to the salon every 3 to 4 weeks is a drag. it takes away from my merry time in the art room!!

sunday at the lake

bill and i drove an hour north on sunday morning so we could kayak at this peaceful lake. the weather was perfect with a slight overcast and a steady breeze. we saw mallards, geese and cranes galore. shortly after bill snapped this photo of me skimming along the shore, i closed my eyes and paddled along for a bit listening to the sound of the birds and the wind rustling the leaves in the trees. every sound was so much louder, clearer and crisper when heard with no visual clues. even the sound of my paddle sluicing thru the water was profound.



the lake was peacefully still allowing me to capture some great shots of tree reflections. i enjoyed watching several father-son pairs fishing along the shore. one little guy literally basked in the glow of his dad's attention. my heart was touched.


a pair of mallard ducks took cover in this bed of lily pads, catching my attention and drawing me in to snap a few photos. again, the quiet and stillness of nature was intoxicating.


my camera was never out of hand during the drive. the cloud formations were quite dramatic in the morning. photoshop helped bring out a bit more character and color in this shot.


three hours of paddling and photography and then an hour drive home created the perfect level of drowsiness. i slipped back into my pajamas and my bed for a long nap. the fresh air, exercise and snooze rejuvenated my tired body.

i'm behind on visiting your blogs but hope you all know i'm thinking of you. thanks for staying in touch and your always encouraging comments.

drea featured the original she bought from me on her blog today. thanks, drea, for your sweet post!! please take a minute to stop over at drea's blog and welcome her to bloogyhood. she is into crochet and has a wonderfully creative sense of humor!! she offers her delightful wares in her etsy shop!!

rain washes

rain washes
my soul
refreshes
reawakens
revitalizes
my senses
renews
rejuvenates
reveals
my love
resounds
rejoices
recaptures
my life
rain washes

presley hugs

presley hugs
mixed media collage
8 x 16 x 1 canvas
(c) 2009 julie king

i fear life is getting the best of me these days, friends! i'm feeling run down and t--i--r--e--d!! work is extra busy as i battle to get all our new products photographed so the packaging can be created. i have 13 products -- car seats, travel systems and high chairs -- ready to take to the photographer over the next 2 days. i just have to battle thru even though i feel like i could sleep for 18 hours straight -- maybe more!

the above collage is a piece i worked on a week ago when i posted this about dear presley. i was feeling sad and wanted to just wrap him in my arms in the world's biggest hug. i was inspired to do this collage. it looks very little like me but i think i did presley justice. it is a work-in-progress and i'm sure i'll be revisiting some aspects of it one day soon.

presley is hanging in there quite well. the vet took him off of his prednisone and onto a strong anti-inflammatory. his appetite is better and he's been able to take a very short walk every evening. heartfelt thanks to all of you for your comments and e-mails wishing him well. they mean so much to me!!

i'm off to read and relax a bit even though i just want to go to bed!!!!!

joyful sunday shadows

check out more shadow shots like these at hey harriet's blog!!

everyone have a wonderfully relaxing sunday!

no more sorrow!!!

today was a long, grueling day at work trying to dig out after 2 days of training last week and then out with a flu bug on monday. i arrived home at 6:50 and found this note from the mailman in my mailbox, "parcel at front door". my heart soared as i knew it was this delightful original painting i bought from magaly ohika at itsy bitsy spill!!! magaly and i found each other's blogs just recently and i was immediately captivated by her art work. her characters are quirky and adorable and enchanting in all their colorful imperfection. i knew i had to have a piece and waited patiently for one to speak straight to my heart. this piece titled "no more sorrow" did just that. it is gouache, gesso and charcoal on kraft paper and a 10 x 10 wood block. she has handwritten this on the back "life has a way in making things right but it is up to you to trust that it will and have the strength and the power of faith guide you!" love, love, love it! it's sitting on a shelf in my art room to keep me motivated and smiling. you can check out the itsy bitsy spill etsy shop here and her blog here.

more

photo (c) 2009 julie king

during quiet moments of reflection photographing remains of this evening's rainfall, i thought "i want more . . . more time with family, more sunset glow on my face, more peaceful conversations with nature". i look back over my life and wonder how much precious time was wasted chasing material things that bring no lasting joy. did i work when i should have read to the kids? did i pause to listen to the loon's call, smell the rain, laugh with the wind? is my cup running over with vivid images of smiling children, foggy dawns, incandescent snow falls? was there more and i missed it?

a few years ago a friend signed me up for a free subscription to more magazine. i was humored by the multitude of full page ads for the latest anti-aging cream and intrigued by the fashion suggestions for the over-40 woman. but mostly each issue left me with a feeling that i was missing something important in my life. each page told the story of women who felt more fulfilled than at any other stage in their lives. they were finding themselves in new hobbies, exploring new paths and experiencing life to the fullest. for me, the void got wider and deeper with each issue.

and around that time, i discovered my passion for mixed media art. "aaaah," i said, "so this is what more feels like. i like it!" and so, i spend time every day soaking up the more of life . . . looking for the beauty in every little thing, taking happy photos, stringing words together to bare my soul. i'm living, breathing, teaching, experiencing the life of more.

how do you live the life of more? haven't found it yet? keep searching; no matter your age, your economic status or your station in life -- your more is out there just waiting for you. seek, grow, find, fly free, soar, my friends. fly free & soar!