Halloween guest post team up - iPhone style

Happy Halloween!  If you missed yesterday's guest post you should definitely check it out to get you in the holiday spirit.

So, when I was doing the call for Creepy Countdown guest posts, I was thrilled to receive this image from the very talented Camaca.  If you love Phonography or like to look at beautifully designed photos then I highly recommend visiting her blog.  It seems like every one of her posts replaces the previous with a new favorite photo for me...very talented.  Even though I ended up not doing the Countdown her creation was far too great and too perfect not to post today.

Since I also wanted to post an image for today I thought I would use Camaca's creation as inspiration to create a little iPhone duo.  I thought, "Who What would live in this cave waiting to surprise a trespasser??"

How about a pair of monstrous twins?

A zombie?

Or this entity perhaps?  Creepy right??

Enjoy your Halloween!  May it be filled with tricks and treats, sweets and sights.  Speaking of which, be sure to check out Camaca's site!  You will be happy you did.

The best Halloween blogger around, a guest post

Still not in that festive Halloween mood?  Then I have the person you need to meet!  Brandy of Brandyson Zen Master Flash.  Out of all the many blogs I read Brandy has filled her October posts with the most wonderfully entertaining Halloween tricks and treats.  It's two days until Halloween and I still don't have a clue what my costume will be.  On the other hand, Brandy has thought of at least one for every day!  Why didn't I think of this?  Or THIS?!  You gotta check out her blog and catch up on some of her hilarity from the month, you will be happy you did.  Oh, and if you are needing any un-dead make-up tips, Brandy and her man are some of the best zombies/attacked victims, bloody messes I have seen around this side of Hollywood.  But first, read the below guest post written by her.  At the beginning of October I had hoped to do my Creepy Countdown as I did last year.  But October came and with it came my toddler, the holiday farmer's market preparations, more house hunting, and well...priorities shifted, my writing has taken a back seat...well, maybe a middle seat.  But Brandy sent me this post mid-month to add to the countdown and it would be such a shame to see it disappear like a ghost on Hallows' Eve.  So enjoy the following true tale of fear- it will make you laugh and gasp, and feel an entertainment in the spirit of Halloween.  Thanks Brandy, you are awesome.

---

I think it was around autumn; I remember being cold and thoughts of Halloween were on my mind so it actually could have been any time of year since I tend to always be thinking about Halloween. I had just walked in to our apartment after getting home from work. At the time we lived in a large two bedroom, two bathroom apartment. I performed the usual routine, let the dog out, get the mail and use the restroom in the bathroom attached to the master bedroom. After I walked out of our bedroom I thought I heard something coming from the other bedroom which was on the other side of the apartment. I'm not trying to say that we lived in a giant space but the spare bedroom and bathroom just weren't areas of the house we hung out in frequently. As I walked over to investigate the noise I stopped in the kitchen to grab a steak knife. Picture the dumb blond in some B movie that you're screaming at not to go towards the noise. I mean, I admit I thought about how dumb this was, going towards the noise but in my mind I was smart enough to grab a knife. That was my justification; a freaking steak knife. That would for sure save my life. But you see I'm a weapon kind of girl and not in the NRA sense I just mean that if I feel that my life is threatened I WILL look for the closest thing near me that could possibly cause the most damage.

What's funny about this story is that my dog wasn't acting weird or barking at any strange noises. That is definitely the other reason for my brief moment of invincibility and or stupidity. He has a very comforting protective bark that is distinct from his other barks, you know the annoying ones? So I wasn't too worried because the dog wasn't giving me any clues.

I entered the hallway between the spare bathroom and the closet which housed our washer and dryer and began gingerly peering into the bathroom and then into the bedroom which was at the end of the hallway. As I leaned into the room like a stealth ninja or more so like a Charlie's Angel, which is what I prefer, I braced myself for well, nothing. I thought for sure I was just losing my mind and wouldn't find a darn thing. I mean, let me tell you I have heard many noises, in many places, in various situations where I'm alone or it's just me and the dog and I have reacted nearly the same way, knife-in-hand, ready to bust some ass only to come up short. But this apartment was different, it was actually built really well. I never heard the other neighbors through the walls. Never. I'm not kidding. I never heard a loud TV or radio or even some newly married couple yelling at each other in the middle of the night. I never even heard a dog barking outside or even kids playing out on the grass. In return, we never even had a neighbor complain about us either. Not a single time did anyone complain about our dog running around on the floor or barking or how loud we like to listen to our gangster rap or that one time I repeatedly stabbed that door-to-door salesman in the back. No one said a word about his screaming. It was pretty much the perfect place to live aside from the OUTRAGEOUS monthly rate and the jerk-off management.

I took a deep breath before letting the steak knife proceed me when entering the spare bedroom and just as I exhaled I heard someone behind me. It was definitely not my dog and it was for sure a human. I think I was hoping for an alien or even God himself. I quickly turned around and with all of my strength I flung that steak knife around and aimed straight for....wait....what?.....looking up at this intruders face I realized that it was my husband and I immediately clammed up in fear and then almost instantly I fell to the ground and began sobbing. I sobbed like a little girl who saw her stuffed animals get thrown into a giant compost machine and watched as they were ripped to shreds. I sobbed because I almost just stabbed my husband right in the stomach. I sobbed because this time I trusted my instincts when I heard the noise and it turned out I was right that someone was in our apartment. I sobbed also because it scared the living poo out of me when I heard that person standing behind me. Oh and did I mention I almost stabbed my husband? My husband. My young, vibrant, sexy husband who's abs I happen to enjoy, yeah him, I almost freaking stabbed him. I could have killed him. Dead.

My husband, above mentioned guy, in case you haven't been paying attention, is a huge prankster and he was kneeling beside me excreting apology after apology trying to hug me yet failing at it miserably. I definitely wanted to kill him now but for completely different reasons. He was always sneaking up on me trying to scare me even though he knows it only pisses me off. I don't like to be startled it ignites an anger inside of me that I can't explain. I just flat out hate it. Get me in a haunted house and I'm less likely to punch some teenager wearing a crappy mask who scares me than I am if I'm in my own house getting a drink of water and someone comes up from behind to scare me. It's different; totally diverse situations (humor me).

I distinctly remember him spewing a hallow promise about never scaring me ever again but I can't even begin to count how many times he has scared me since that day even though his life was threatened. Death won't even stop him from being annoying and that's pretty much how the rest of my life is going to go.

Hauntingly,

Brandy

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Read more from Brandy here and buy her goods here!

The Ladies of Jay's Market

Loving Kim Keever's Underwater Dioramas

I love seeing people use photography in new ways.  I feel like photography is still a young art by comparison with painting and sculpture and so think there are still many ideas out there left to discover.  Check out Kim Keever and watch the short documentary about his process - it's sure to inspire!

Scavenged

Fly

I pass by this corner almost every day.  Whenever I get a red light I shoot a photo of the same spot.  This one was taken the other morning during our first taste of winter chilliness. It's also the first time in over a year that I have taken this shot with a bird in flight...  must have known it was a scavenger prompt.

Words  

I am using this image for the next round of the ACoLab {the theme is "Haunted", due the 23rd}.  It felt appropriate to post too because of Halloween.  The words read:

What came into mind was in the other’s mind
Bothered, brooding brothers both amazed by the sights that stood before them
Confused, this was the first time that they had each felt fear

Always Look on the Bright Side

I went to a children's museum the other day.  There was amazing amount of set-ups, images, and literature depicting life during the time of  WWII.  I thought it was an odd and interesting place... Well, I guess I found it interesting because it seemed an odd place.  There were many little set ups showing what life was like before the war and during the war... not so much after the war really.  I guess I thought it was strange to have so much WWII info in a museum marketed for toddlers.  It was unexpected although I suppose it makes some sense since the museum is in Oak Ridge where the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is located.  There were also cabins set up to show what life was like for those who lived in the mountains of TN, a life-sized dollhouse for children to play in {think: dollhouse from the 1950s then make it life-sized}, a train to play on, a rocket ship to climb into, and masks, artifacts, and musical instruments from Africa and the hills of Appalachia...Oh, and there was a life-sized Polar Bear.  See?  Odd, right?  Cool, but odd.   The large photo below is one scene I particularly liked.  Please note that amongst the happy-go-lucky "perfect" breakfast {albeit, no bacon} and cookbooks is also a "Home Manual for Defense".  I love this scene so much I may have to print it large for my dining room/kitchen...at the very least it's going on the fridge.

I guess, as far as the theme Always look on the bright side is concerned, the 50s always appear to be a lemonade from lemons kind of life.  Even if there was an under current of issues, even if life was difficult, or problems were ignored, the way life was often portrayed seems very sunny-side up.  I find these sorts of scenes charming even if they sometimes are manufactured. In fact, I think that's why I like them- they are charmingly odd, just like the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge. I guess that's also me looking on the bright side!

Under & Orange

Here is a shot taken below {or under} a chandelier.  I edited the image to the left using Photoshop.  Although I still think I like the original better, I did have fun experimenting and may re-visit this shot later to see what I can create. 

Thanks to Ashley for hosting this week's Scavenger Hunt.  It's always a challenge and very inspiring!  You can check out the other Scavenger Hunt collections here.  Happy Sunday to you!

I Can Feel Winter Approaching

Stowell Cabinet Card

I came across these beautiful cabinet cards the other day.  Here is one of them.

I love the faded painterly background of the image and well...I guess I love everything about this card.  I also find it amusing that this image, taken so long ago, by a person who had enough money and worldliness to have their portrait made in this fashion, would one day end up in my office among modern day tchotchke.  I wonder if this man thought for one second that this image would end up in the hands of someone who didn't know him or that it would end up being used in a project, hung on a strangers wall, or posted on a blog of all places.

Collecting these antique images has made me start to wonder where all of my family's portraits will end up.  Will my daughter hang them proudly?  Will some hipster in the year 2070 be cutting out parts and using them in some 3d mixed media installation on Mars?  Probably not.  But in all seriousness, this man probably would have thought it quite ridiculous if somebody mentioned his portrait would be on this thing called the Internet, right?

I love to mix new photos with an antique frame!   I love visiting a blog and seeing a snazzy frame.  I love it even more when they share their frame with me!  So, I am giving a go at my first mediafire upload...let me know if you have any problems and I can try and send you the file in another way.

Download files here

I have made the PSD file available complete with a clipping mask so all you have to do is slip your image into the frame and resize your image as you desire.  There is also a PNG file for download for those without Photoshop. 

This card is free to use however you would like to.  I would love if you left me a comment or link letting me see what you do with it, but it's not necessary.  I just think it'd be fun and I'm curious.

Hope you have some fun with it!

Blank Stare

Joining Mosaic Muse {blurred}

I love this - Matthew Cox Mixed Media

I am in love with these new creations from Matthew Cox, pure genius.  I have been doing some mixture of embroidery and photography for awhile now but it never occurred to me to use x-ray film!  Brilliant and so well done.  Look at these!

Bird Talk

This time of year has all of the birds and squirrels hanging out together waiting to be photographed.  I pass by this spot everyday and have been noticing that lately that this corner has become a little hub.  The other day I couldn't pass it up without taking a photo.

I like this particular corner because of the way the two poles connect.  The birds always seem to sit on the same side of the street, on the same lines.  Every time I have passed this spot I think about how cool it could look from right underneath.  It felt like I was shooting from the danger zone but it was worth it...I love those lines!

Pixlr-o-Matic

Thanks to Amberlee for introducing me to Pixlr-o-Matic!  My mom actually works for Autodesk so I am surprised I hadn't heard of the application.  It is hours of fun for those of you who like to experiment with photos.  Check it out!

Linking with the Creative Exchange

Scavenged

This week's Scavenger Hunt items are Landscape, Complimentary Color, Food, Black and White, and Blank Space. You can see many other interpretations by visiting Ashley's site. Thanks for stopping by!

Landscape

Complimentary/Triadic Color  

and 

Black and White

This was the last photo I took for this week's Scavenger Hunt.  I had blue and orange on my mind and was thinking of what I could edit or set up to get those colors.  I really didn't know what I would post but then yesterday while walking to dinner I went through a parking lot and came across this.

It was twilight so the sky had that lovely blue color and one light was glowing orange.  I thought it would be a fun idea to try and use the same image for both the color prompt as well as for black and white. The color wheel prompt was a great exercise.  {Thanks Kat!}  I think that I like to shoot color but don't ever think of finding certain color combinations.  I will have to keep this idea in mind for future inspiration.

Food

Twila and I took Cookie Monster out for a special treat the other day.  He wasn't the only one loving our cookie tea time!  Here we are having a philosophical conversation about something...probably food related.

Blank Space

I know that I'm supposed to take new images from the week for the Scavenger Hunt but I decided to go with another image from the beach...it's the first one that came to mind when I saw the themes.   I am enjoying adding text to images lately as part of my new 365 site.  {I just recently made it public for fear that I wouldn't post for more than a week!  Now that I have made it public it feels like I have committed myself to the project more officially...we'll see how that goes.   It could use some sprucing up but should you care to visit please do!}  I wrapped up my last 365 project in September and thought it was such a good exercise that I would try something similar.  Instead of concentrating on shooting an image a day I am trying to edit an image every day.  I also want to work around the theme of words whether it be photos of words or incorporating words onto the image when editing.  I like this image because, to me, it's simple and fun just like the moment it was taken in. 

Have a great week!

Fall Walks

I am so happy Fall is lingering.  Evening family walks are the most special part of my day now.  A nice stroll around the neighborhood is the perfect way to re-cap the day with Doug, spend some quality family time, and enjoy the beautiful change of season.  It's interesting too to watch Twila take the same walks she took a year ago this time.  She's growing up rapidly.

Although she is still interested in picking up interesting rocks and little acorns here and there she seems to see things with different meaning.  For example, the leaves she used to pick up were appealing for their color and size.  Now, those same looking leaves are "maps" she uses to tell us which way to go on our walks.  Her imagination is so fun to be a part of.

AColab #29 - Illusion

I gotta be honest, this is super artsy super-freaky-deaky artsy.  I am not one to judge but if I saw this at an opening somewhere I would be intrigued, like it, and then feel like making fun of how artsy the "work" is.   Does that make any sense?  It may after you watch the video.  This was another very fun collaboration with John.

I shot the {almost 400} photos for this video two days before the ACoLab deadline while on a two and a half hour drive home from Nashville.  I took my glasses off for awhile while sitting in the passenger seat. {Side note:  I am really visually impaired.  Imagine not being able to see a face of someone standing two feet in front of you or not being able to read anything more than two inches away and that's how I see.}  But, I occasionally like to take off my glasses and see the world in bokeh.  My vision is so bad without glasses that everything just becomes balls of light.  If I squint a bit the bokeh becomes more defined and if I relax the bokeh widens.  About 10-15 years ago I did this series of images entitled "How I See".  It was a collection of moving bokeh shots and it was as I see things.  I love bokeh so I do take the lemons and turn them into lemonade.  Although I very much appreciate being able to see well with glasses, lately I have considered getting Lasik surgery.  My eye doctor and the nurses are always astounded at my lack of vision and try to convince me to get it done.  Now that I have Twila I see the saftey issues that go along with my vision- if she were to fall into water and I had to dive in to rescue her I wouldn't be able to see her; if we were in an accident and my glasses fell off I wouldn't be able to drive.  Did I thoroughly bring this post to a depressing place?  I will get back to the point...  On this long drive home I began to think about missing that ability to see bokeh when I please.  That may be totally insane but I did and I am glad that I did because it then made me think about those photos I used to take.  While thinking of those photos I remembered the theme of the ACoLab, "It's All An Illusion".  I thought about what my eyes see and what my vision sees in comparison with other people.  I began to think of sight as an illusion.  So, I took some shots of what I see while driving at night.  By the time I got home I knew I wanted to add movement to the images of the passing cars.  The next day while working on the video I thought it would be interesting to obscure the bokeh even more and make it less recognizable as bokeh.

So this:

became this:

Then after making the movie I thought that maybe john would want to make some music for it.  He made up a soundtrack and then I re-worked the video to fit the music and change the timing a bit.  I am happy with the result and I am okay with feeling a little artsy about it all.  It's so much fun to let ideas spiral into something out of a moment like riding in the car.  It's cool too that a moment that could easily be forgotten is now what I will remember as a spring-board for inspiration.  The ACoLab tends to do this for me and I am grateful to all those who contribute and fuel the fire.  If you would like to join in the fun please do!  The next inspiration {due on the 20th of October} is "Haunted".  I'm excited to see the submissions for that one!  If you would like to see the rest of the submissions for round 29 you can click here.

She could see the future

I just got back from Nashville.  It was a lovely trip.  We spent time with two of our favorite people and also saw some new sites.  It's also exciting to edit images taken from a city since I am still wading through images taken at the beach.  Not that I am complaining by any means, love the beach!  It's just nice to mix things up a bit...  keeps inspiration flowing in new directions.

This is an image of a solar-powered, robotic scarecrow.  {I don't think I ever would have put those words together if it weren't for this creation.} Her eyes are motion sensors.  She twists and looks back and forth when someone passes in front of her.  In the hot sun she was spectacular.  I didn't think that this SOOC image did the mannequin justice.  It was that hot sun that I loved most about seeing her in this spot.  So, I edited the image a bit to make it seem a bit hotter and a bit more vintage-futuristic. 

To me she looks like something that was futuristic from the 50s or 60s.

I like her.  Really, what a great idea for a scarecrow.  On the ends of her hands are nozzles from a hose.  So, not only would your crops be spared they would look very hip too.

A little of this, a little of that

{This post is so all over the place that I feel like I should put up an "Excuse the Mess" sign!}

Wow, I haven't been meaning to ignore my blog this last week {or two weeks really!} nor have I neglected some of my favorite reading spots on purpose.  But it's happened...   Fall has shown its face and it just feels so good to be outside in its presence.  It went from being in the 80s last week to 30 last night! 

Last night we spent time around a fire having a delicious dinner with friends, doesn't get much more perfect than that really - Fall, friends, food, and fire.

Thanks so much for those who continue to stop by and leave sweet comments even though I have been horrible returning emails and such.  I promise to get back in the swing some time soon. 

{Isn't this the cutest little thank you?!  I made it into a card and brought it to the market this weekend.  I think she did well for a slow market.} 

Oh, while I am rambling...did I mention my little one started school??  It's so cute to witness.  I suppose this is another reason I haven't been around my computer...lots of firsts happening so quickly and I don't want to miss one of them.  I feel lucky to have her in my life keeping me smiling and laughing all the time. She loves it there.  "There's lots of boys and girls and other boys and other girls... and toys, Ms. Ingrid, and a sandbox!"

I hope you are enjoying the magnificent change of the season wherever you may be.