A Fanciful Life

Just Pretty Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Thu, 23 May 2013 05:36:00 +0000

Pretty

Just thought I'd share some pretty ranunculus flowers. I love the softness they exude. And who can resist pink? Or white with a sprinkle of pink?

The week is almost over and I'm so looking forward to the three day memorial weekend. Of course, I'll be making my usual trip to the farmer's market to buy more flowers. But it's also a great time to get caught up on things, and to spend some time relaxing too. So many things to do, so little time so yay for the extra day!

Keeping Up

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Fri, 10 May 2013 05:39:00 +0000

Well, I'm trying to take photos of anything other than flowers, but it is spring which makes it hard to do. How about a photo of a photo of flowers? Ha! I've been posting lots of my flower photos on Instagram. I love the immediacy of taking a photo with my iPhone and posting it right from there.

There's so much social media today that it's hard to keep up. Really, who has time for more than a few? There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. Then again, there's just too much on my to-do list. Yes, one more day a week would be perfect.

Ranunculus!

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 03:14:00 +0000

Just Beautiful

My addiction to RadLab is in full swing. I took a photo of these beautiful ranunculus flowers and applied these different RadLab treatments. I could do this all day (sigh). I hope you are enjoying your Spring days!

Pink Spring

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 17:35:00 +0000

Think Pink!

So loving all the spring flowers! Last week I bought a bunch of pink ranunculus and divided them into small vases. Let me just say it was pretty hard to decide which color bunch to buy as they were all so gorgeous. My farmer's market vendor actually had fewer colors to choose from but the trusty Trader Joe had lots -- my go-to place for flowers!

The roses are left over from a week or two ago but were still looking good. I just took them out and hung them to dry. I've got little flowers drying all over the place, it's so hard to let go of them. Fresh or dry, they all make great photo opportunities.

Cupcakes and Cats

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 05:30:00 +0000

Cupcake photo processed with textures from Kim Klassen for Texture Tuesday

Happy Birthday Nippy

Today Nipper, our black and white tuxedo cat, is eight years old. I'd love to show you a photo of her, but she sleeps all day and doesn't do much posing.

I wanted to put a birthday hat on her but, well, being a cat, she doesn't do hats either.

My sister discovered a new Kara's Cupcakes store while we were downtown in Burlingame today. Being the cupcake lover she is, she could not resist and bought three, including one for Gracie, our grey and white tuxedo. Yes, I know it was Nip's birthday, but she doesn't eat cupcakes while Gracie goes nuts for cupcakes. Actually, she only eats the frosting.

So here's Gracie (even though it's not her birthday) eyeing the lemon cupcake before she got her licks in. I noticed the pink bunny on top when we got home...they must have had them leftover from Easter. And Nippy? Well, she just napped through it all.

Spring Thing

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 05:04:00 +0000

All photos processed with textures by Kim Klassen for Texture Tuesday

Oh, the ranunculus are back - happy Spring!

The flower vendor at the farmer's market now has one of my favorite flowers. Ahhh, Spring. Now that winter is over, it's a joy going to the farmer's market each Saturday. So much wonderful produce and sunny days again. Asparagus is also back and we've been eating it almost every night. Oh, and chard sautéed with garlic and olive oil too. So much goodness at the market!

I also scored a bunch of faux veggies for home decor at a garage sale a few weeks ago. A home stager was having her annual garage sale - love those quality sales. The monthly flea market that I like going to is coming up in a few weeks. I'm trying to resist going because I don't really need anything (not to mention that I just bought a new lens for my camera - I need to stop spending for the next two years to make up for that one!).

Today I did my taxes and got a surprise, only it wasn't the happy one I was expecting. For the first time that I can remember, I actually owed taxes instead of getting a refund. And this was after I spent the expected refund and then some last weekend on my new lens! Ah well, it will all balance out in the long run. Enjoy your Spring days!

Busy Times

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 04:55:00 +0000

Photos processed using RadLab

Busy, Busy, Busy

Oh, what a busy time it has been.

Breathing a sigh of relief after doing an update on my Mac and seeing only bouncing icons afterwards. Looks like everything is ok - whew!
Put new white bedding on my bed today, which Gracie immediately pounced upon and claimed for herself. Spring is almost here and I want to be ready.
Didn't make it to the farmer's market yesterday so I spent some time photographing last week's ranunculus. They even look beautiful when they dry.
Finally made it to Trader Joe's this afternoon. They didn't have ranunculus but I'm happy with the bunch of white gerbera daisies. They look sweet and fab on the table next to my bed with the new white bedding. Goodbye red and gold winter comforter!
Did some big cleaning around the house, making bags for Goodwill, decluttering and cleaning. Oh, that feels so good. Always more to do though.

There's a new monthly flea market that opened today at the Cow Palace (don't you love that name for an event center in San Francisco?!). Unfortunately, I missed it as I was a bit under the weather and had to wait for my computer to come back (my IT guy was working on it). They tried it last year at Candlestick Park but the 49er games interfered with it - I'm just glad it's back.

With the one hour time change last week, the additional sunlight has been great. And now with Spring officially here in just a few days, I'm looking forward to warmer weather, more delicious produce, an abundance of flowers and the lightness of the season. Yay Spring!

Almost Spring

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 20:14:00 +0000

Almost Spring in California

Yay! It's Daylight Savings time today and that means it stays light longer. Love this time of year!

I purchased these lovely roses recently. Yesterday it was ranunculus from the farmer's market. Since last Spring, I've been buying fresh flowers almost every week. What a wonderful gift this has been to myself. In the past, I didn't buy them anywhere near that frequently. Now, I can't imagine not having them in the house.

When they get a week old or so, I like to trim them down and place them in several small vases. Then, I put them in different places around the house, or I leave them all together as a vignette.

While they are always beautiful as is, I've really enjoyed processing the photos in RadLab to get all these different looks as well. So that's my flower story for today except to mention that Nipper got into the flowers yesterday. She ate some leaves and bit off a flower head. Bad kitty! Flowers in the kitchen are not safe around her but she doesn't seem to bother them upstairs.

Spring is right around the corner and I'm glad for that. I adore seeing all the flowers that come up and it's time to buy more for the front of the house. My rose bushes were pruned last month and are starting to come back again.

I want to start walking more as I sit way too much during the work day, so it's time to plan some different walks in the neighborhood. Luckily, I live a block away from an inlet where the water from the San Francisco bay comes in, so it's great to look for the wildlife along the route. My favorite is the the egret bird, so lovely in their all-white feathers. We're still having a problem with the Canadian geese that stop over here and make this their permanent home. Why keep flying when you have nice weather, water and lots of food here? Occasionally I see the geese patrol guy with his two border collies that are hired to chase the geese off the lawns. Just a temporary solution but apparently job security for him!

Yay for Spring coming soon!

Gracie

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 06:22:00 +0000

Gracie

My sweet Gracie. Following me all through the house. Comes to greet me when she hears the garage door open. Talking all the time. Turning my bathrobe into her own little cat bed. Just the best.

Love this cat.

Dream Gerberas

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 05:16:00 +0000

Dream Gerberas

Rather than making the usual morning trip to Trader Joe's for groceries and flowers, Gracie and I slept in. By the time I got there late in the afternoon, the best flowers were gone and they only had a few orange gerberas. While they are pretty in orange, I really wanted a lighter color so I passed on them.

I've had these silk gerberas and ranunculus for some time and never grow tired of them. They are just so happy, they make me happy when I look at them.

So while I normally have fresh flowers as well, these always have a place in my home.

I finally got over my cold this week - I was so happy to go back to work. The week just flew by and now I'm off for some vacation days. Yipee!

Seven Photoshop Effects on One Photo

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 05:49:00 +0000

Bullet Tooth by RadLab

I was playing around with the RadLab plug-in in Photoshop Elements the other day. It is so addicting! I took a photo of the dried flowers and applied several of the different variations. My favorite turned out to be the effect called Bullet Tooth featured here above.

You can see more variations below...

El Capitan

Technicolor Dream World

Super Fun Happy

Clarify

Not RadLab - Processed with a texture and recipe by Kim Klassen

I also like this one very much. I used a recipe from Kim Klassen in her Beyond Layers class to desaturate the image and apply a texture.

Original Before Post-Processing

Finally, here is the original image I started out with. Not bad, but I love the variations I can get through RadLab (super easy!) or by processing and applying textures. Do you have a favorite way to enhance your photos?

A Dreamy Look

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 23:53:00 +0000

Sweet Pinks

So here I am, home sick from work still, not yet well but getting bored. Checking my inbox, I see that Kim Klassen has sent four fabulous new textures to her Texture Lovin' Listers. Ooooh, they were so pretty I had to try them out. The hit PBS show Downton Abbey was her inspiration for this set. I used this pink and creamy photo and applied three of the four textures (Cora, Sybil and Edith) to get this somewhat dreamy look. Makes me feel like Spring is on its way again.

To see the colors of the actual textures, go to Kim's site where you can also sign up to get on her list. While you are there, take a look at her own wonderful photos and how she utilizes her textures. So much goodness!

As for me, I've about had it with this cold and am willing myself well. Really, who has time to be sick? I've got so much to do and can't wait to do it. I think I feel myself getting better already. ;-)

P.S. Thanks to those of you who have left me get well wishes!

Roses

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 04:41:00 +0000

Oh my, still battling a nasty cold but did manage to take a few photos of flowers over the weekend. I could not resist these multi-colored roses - they look like Spring is approaching. Well, it's not too long until Spring. Yes, time to Think Spring!

Welcome February

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 06:49:00 +0000

No Flea Market This Weekend :-(

I'm missing the flea market this weekend so I am a bit disappointed. Yes, the virus that has been hitting everyone has found me. Ugh. I think my time spent at the preschool this past week is coming back to bite me! Let's see... the good part is that 1) I'm saving money and 2) I don't have to feel guilty for not going since I can't go when I'm sick 3) so far, it doesn't seem to be a very bad cold but we'll have to see tomorrow. Oh, and 4), my sweet kitty Gracie was very happy to have me home with her today.

Such is my start to February. Still looking forward to a holiday, a birthday, and some vacation days. Yes, February is still going to be a good month.

Just Chasing Kids With a Camera

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 04:03:00 +0000

Photo Challenges

I've spent several hours at preschool this week taking photos for a brochure. Can I just say it's like herding kittens?! I have to hand it to both parents and teachers as it can be exhausting being with little people. They move so fast! But, it's also very cute. Some love to have their photo taken while others are quite shy. Some of the best photos were taken of the children looking at bugs up close with magnifying glasses in the garden. Actually, they were mostly slugs. You could not pay me enough to pick up a slug but kids think it's pretty neat.

It also gave me an opportunity to practice using my external flash which was exciting. So interesting to see the differences in light depending on where the flash is aimed. It's really hard to get any kind of decent photo without the flash in the classrooms with fluorescent lighting. Those taken in diffused light outdoors came out like butter. Except for the expressions. Try getting all smiling faces in a group - now, that is a challenge!

Gerbera Time

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 07:06:00 +0000

Gerbera Daisy

Love the multi colors in these flowers. Somehow I seem to gravitate towards these versus the solid color flowers.

And yes, they came from Trader Joe's. It's the first thing I look for when I enter the store each week.

Nipper loves them too. The last time I bought these she ate a lot of the petals! She tends to eat any flower that's in the kitchen, but rarely bothers the flowers in my bedroom. However, the last time I bought gerberas (one of her favorites), there she was in the middle of the night on my nightstand, munching away. Gracie loves cheese and butter; thankfully does not eat my flowers. There's nothing worse than waking up to flowers whose petals are all on the table. Silly cat!

Happy Heart

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 06:40:00 +0000

Heartful

My sister reminded me tonight that it's almost February. I'm not sure heartful is a real word but it seems appropriate somehow. February is a special month for me with so many notable days.

National Heart Month.

Valentine's Day.

President's Day.

My birthday.

Plus, I often take a week vacation. So, with the end of January approaching next week, I'm looking forward to the new month. Not that I want the present to go by too fast, mind you.

Roses!

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 05:38:00 +0000

Photo processed with Happy Heart, Sweet Treat and Charmed textures by Kim Klassen for Texture Tuesday.

Roses = Happiness

Yellow roses? White roses? Pink roses? So many choices at my local Trader Joe's this weekend. I finally chose these multi-colored roses with pink and tinges of green and ivory. Totally enjoyed photographing these today. So much for my holiday; however, I decided this morning that I was going to do whatever I happened to feel like doing. No pressure of the must-do's. No, it was a total day off and I spent quite some time taking photos.

I also cooked up a pot of vegetarian chile and brown rice, sauteed Swiss chard, roasted baby golden beets and squash, made an apple/pear/orange/banana smoothie and cleaned the kitchen. That was after the oatmeal breakfast with apples, bananas, raisins, dried peaches, almonds, cinnamon, flax seed, and soy milk. Not bad for a holiday.

Be Inspired (Plus, Bonus Project!)

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 20:31:00 +0000

BE INSPIRED

Joy - the feeling I get when I process my photos in Photoshop Elements or Lightroom. Love how there are so many enhancements that can be done and take a photo from fine to something more special. Loving RadLab plug-ins which make it so easy to get so many different looks.

Fabric Frame Project
Take a photo frame and remove back and the glass. Cut a piece of stiff, thin chipboard (or cardboard, matte board or cork) a little shorter than the size of a photo and wrap it with batting. Lay flat on a piece of fabric (wrong side up) about an inch larger on each side (you can adjust to your comfort depending on the size of the frame). Fold over one edge and tape down. Pull tautly on the opposite side and tape down the side. Do the same for the remaining two sides. Place into the frame and replace the backing used to stand or hang the frame.

I love to use Dupioni silk on mine as it just adds a wonderful touch of elegance. The above frame was made with white silk.

Finishing touches: Decorate with jewelry, notes, swatches, or anything that can be posted or hung with pins. Bonus: use adorable pins like the heart pin above - there are many you can find with art supplies.

Enjoy!

Long Weekends - A Time to Catch Up

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 06:05:00 +0000

Yippee!

A three day weekend is almost here. Oh, how I love long weekends.

I'm still in the new year mindset, so I'll be making progress on my latest de-cluttering project. I boxed up lots of things last weekend and it made a huge difference already.

My goals for this year are almost complete - I just need to add more detail in the action steps.

Gracie will be so happy to have that extra day so I expect I'll be giving her some quality cat time. Did you happen to catch that great program on Nature about cats and dogs last night on PBS? A really wonderful program; if it comes on again I highly recommend watching it. It just made me love Gracie all the more.

Of course, my weekend will start off with a short trip to the vet because Nippy will not let me apply ointment to her paw. My vet has a hard time believing I can't hold the 15 pound cat who refuses to have her paws touched or be held, and apply ointment. Luckily, he's doing it for free for three days. Nippy is not too happy, to say the least. If only they understood.

So many possibilities for the weekend. I have some catching up to do on my reading, and a get-together with a friend. Maybe even a mini-adventure. Yes, three day weekends are a good thing.

Just Do It!

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 06:58:00 +0000

2013 Mantra

I'm adopting this as my mantra this year. It's something I need to do. You see, I tend to live in my head a lot. When I'm interested in something, my natural inclination is to find out as much as I can. Sometimes this goes too far as I spend more time researching, reading and taking classes rather than doing. So this year, I want to just do it.

I can tell you about all the newest movies, even though I haven't seen them. I know tons of tips for healthy living but I don't follow them all. Oh, nothing serious, just like not getting enough sleep, being less sedentary, getting five full servings of vegetables each day. I actually have a very healthy diet! But, I certainly want to take more photos this year and put into practice all of what I've been learning. And, I want to use Lightroom more rather than using Photoshop for my photo enhancements.

Those are just a few examples. So, just do it is what I need to remind myself. Oh, the chalkboard above is one of my flea market finds from my recent trip. Perfect for reminding me of what's important.

Do you have a mantra or words to live by for 2013?

Post Holiday Home

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 06:05:00 +0000

Must I put all the holiday decor away? Not only do I still have Christmas lights in my kitchen (by the Merry Christmas sign), I still have this little vignette in my bedroom. It's just so sweet that had to leave it up for a while longer.

Oh, and did I mention the pine wreath and garland that greets you upon entering through my front door?

Flea Market Finds

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 06:08:00 +0000

New Treasures From the Flea

After missing the flea market in December due to heavy rain, I made it back last weekend. Always a great time! I adore this glass photo frame with bird on top. I should have bought another but who knew I would like it so much? I do have a thing for birds.

Yeah, I don't really bake cupcakes. But, these cupcake holders were so pretty I figured I could use them to put things in. Really light things! Not sure what I'll do with them, but I know I'll find a use.

Among the vintage clothes, I found a cool yellow dress, a fluffy slip to wear under my vintage dresses, and a grey sweater with little pink roses. The sweater is actually too big for me, but it was really cold outside so I didn't want to take off my coat to try it on. Even the vendor was sitting inside her van trying to keep warm - I just paid through the window!

I'm so liking my Tom Thumb typewriter from the 1930's. Yes, it is a bit rusty and a lot of the paint is chipping off. But, that gives it character, doesn't it? I think so. It makes a nice prop and I can type little messages.

We arrived there at 8 a.m. where it was about 42 degrees. I was bundled up as usual but one of the first stops was getting hot chocolate. It didn't help too much but eventually it got a bit warmer. What I really like about being there is that I get so focused and absorbed into looking at everything, that I don't think of anything else. Of course, my sister is thinking about food since she knows that we'll be going to lunch once I've finished perusing every aisle at the market. The flea market = so much fun. Wish it was held more often; then again, it's a good thing it isn't!

An Artful Surprise

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000

I Love a Surprise

Some of my favorite magazines are those published by Stampington & Company. You know, Somerset Life, Somerset Home, Where Women Create, Holidays & Celebrations, and Greencraft, just to name a few. One of my very favorites is Artful Blogging.

A few weeks ago, I received my pre-ordered Where Women Create Business in the mail. This is a special issue and the first time it's been published. I was excited to get it in the mail before it even hit the newsstand.

So there I was laying in bed late one night perusing my new magazine. As I normally do, I savored each page as I turned them. Toward the end of the magazine, there are a number of ads cross-promoting their sister magazines. I turned another page and then, the surprise.

Holy cow! One of my photos was in the ad promoting the upcoming Spring issue of Artful Blogging.

In the upper left corner is a photo I took of me in a vintage yellow dress. It's not a surprise that my blog is being featured in this issue. No, I knew that, of course, as I wrote the article that will appear and supplied the accompanying photos. But to be one of six photos featured in the ad is a real honor. So looking forward to this. It's available on February 1; I do hope you enjoy it!

***

Just a reminder, I'm a guest blogger on the "WE" (Women Encouraged) Magazine website through January 8th. Linda Huffman has created a site with varied information for women. There's information on food, decorating, health, business and more. Thank you Linda for asking me to talk about creativty. If you'd like to read it, simply click on "Market Place" at the top left of the page. Enjoy!

New Year, New Start

noreply@blogger.com (A Fanciful Life) — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 00:35:00 +0000

It's a New Year

Isn't it wonderful how it always feels like a new start when January comes around? Yes, it's time for resolutions and for many, it's a time to start getting fit and eating healthier. I can certainly say I'm glad to be (almost) done with all the holiday food. As much as I enjoy it, I also enjoy knowing that I'm eating healthily. So this week, I made a vegetable soup with barley and brown rice; and another with roasted butternut squash. If it wasn't for all the delicious sourdough bread I had with it, I'd be feeling really good.

Resolutions are not yet in final form. I'm actually trying to pare it down from previous years. One that I really want to work on is less time on digital media. Being on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Words With Friends, blogs, websites and more, as much as I love it and find it interesting, it does take quite a bit of time. Seeing the face of my poor little Miss Gracie staring at me each night as she wants me to spend time with her is just making me feel too guilty. Yes, she is a cat that is quite like a dog!

So many interests, so little time! Four large goals for this year include spending more time on my:

photography
blog
calligraphy
setting up an Etsy store

Oh, there are more, but these are key ones for me in the area of creativity.

How about you? What are some of your goals this year?