Art/Photography in Heaven

my mind is usually going non-stop, especially after moments where i have been moved emotionally. captured this rainbow last night and it got me thinking. can you even imagine what art and photography will be like in Heaven? i mean, look at God's amazing display of color and texture here on Earth. so magnify that beyond our wildest imaginations up there. i for one, am looking forward to having my creative mind explode up there. to photograph Heaven..can you imagine? can't wait to look through my lens there...

blessings to you as you ponder this post!

shay



winter blues....

trying not to have the winter blues...

trying not to get crabby at the fine folks who already have their Christmas lights strung and shining...

i miss my momma terribly this time of year...

as we haven't spent the holidays together in a good many years...

so no decorations yet. but i am working myself up to it.

sooo looking forward to feeling yarn strung through my fingers as i knit by the fire.

went to Micheal's on Thanksgiving day with a coupon and hit the yarn sales. LOVE looking at and feeling yarn. (i need more like a need a hole in the head!) but found some, duh, lol, as i need to get going on some more newborn hats for my 'cross your fingers' upcoming photo shoots.

so that is what might get me out of the winter blues...

hearing the clicking of my needles, feeling the yarn, watching a fire glow in the fireplace as i sit in my studio, drink a cup of hot tea and ponder all i have been blessed with this past year. looking forward and being hopeful of what is to come.

blessings!

shay

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

been a hectic week here. only one day off work since our last hunt. appointments. cooking & baking. few days of rain. so, UGH i haven't touched my camera in a week. almost decided not to 'hunt' this week. but i LOVE participating in Scavenger Hunt Sunday with Ashley over at
Ramblings & Photos.

soo..i searched through my files and did a little editing for this weeks hunt items!

here goes...

1) Waiting~

i don't know why this scene moved me but it did. and as i was searching for this prompt, i knew why. a field of dried up, dead sunflowers against the glorious colors of the fall trees in the background, made me emotional. made me feel that even though we are drained, feel dried up and useless, we are 'waiting' and will shine again, to lift our faces towards the sun. (does this make ANY sense to anyone?)

2) Foliage~

LOVE this photo. the colors and the feeling.

3) Candid~

french toast anyone? meet 'tigger'..our oldest at 14 and a recently diagnosed diabetic requiring insulin twice a day..you need sugar-free syrup old man! good thing the griddle hadn't been plugged in to warm yet.

4) Knife, Fork or Spoon~

LOVE my antiques!

5) Rules of Thirds~

so these are some 'old' but made 'new' prompts. as always i'd LOVE to hear from you.

wishing you ALL a blessed week ahead!

shay

Hope

feeling hopeful this morning. small glimmers heading my way. and as i edited this photo, i noticed the little 'random heart' in the top left corner. a reminder of how much i am loved.

blessings!

shay

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

it's Scavenger Hunt Sunday!

trying to be 'encouraged' here. as winter takes away so much color. but it's forcing me to think outside the box and photograph some of the things i LOVE in my home. just like this weeks prompts did. and in order to start sending 'molly grubb' on her way, i started shooting photos for hunt on Sunday as soon as they were posted.

really enjoyed this weeks prompts.

so without further blabbing...

1) Mainly One Color:

finally got our wood burning fireplace inspected and given the okay to use. so excited as this one is in my studio. after our last storm, hubby and i started a woodpile from the downed tree branches.

woohoo, my very own first woodpile! this is SOOC and i love the simplicity of color.

Cole, my oldest son, is starting to bring home some of his artwork from his high school commercial art and illustration shop as he is a senior now, this was done when he was a freshman, a sunflower. untouched, SOOC. starting to build his portfolio for art college this summer. again, i love the simplicity of just the B&W.

2) Around The Home:

love yarn! love old salvaged stuff! this is the old door hanging thing mom & i built from 2 old cabinet doors and old found hardware, that i mentioned a few hunts back. holds coats, hats, scarves, ect. and i also LOVE the photos i got of some of my yarn piles, yummy colors! this is what feels homey to me. especially now in the winter weather. that and the homemade banana bread i just took out of the oven:-)

3)Reflection:

never..ever have photos of me! BUT i tried to take a few, and lo and behold, i got a little bokeh HEART! that's the ONLY reason this is in the hunt. i love finding random hearts!

amazed at the color this yellow leafed maple gave off in the water. i sat on this rock for quite awhile just staring into the water.

time for a moment of peaceful reflection.

4) Writing:

i have a thing for old typewriters, though i haven't splurged on one yet, i am always looking. you just can't duplicate the font or the way the written word looks on paper from an old typewriter.

5) Water:

actually got my 'water' prompts when i was looking at my 'reflection' tree. for some reason, the water was really splashing that day, making it look like tiny bits of light bouncing off the water. these 2 photos are SOOC, i thought they deserved to be left untouched.

click on over to SHS with Ashley at 'Ramblings & Photos' and check out some incredibly talented photographers.

as always i love to hear your comments!

blessings to you!

shay

Seasons come, seasons go....

fall is blowing away, literally so. the beautiful autumn leaves blanket the ground and flutter through the air on breezy days. as my favorite season, i can't help but be sad. losing the rich color and comfortable temps, breezy days. trying to remind myself about the things i love about winter. watching the snow fall through the kitchen window. soup simmering on the stove. baking yummy smelling breads, muffins and cookies. keeping my hands busy while knitting with comforting and colorful yarns. watching the glow of the fireplace while soaking up its warmth. feeling the cold, brisk air hit your face. snuggling, snuggling and more snuggling. scarves and winter hats. 'see?', i say to myself. 'it's okay, fall will return'. 'embrace winter', because i do love that too.

to everything there is a season...

a time and purpose under Heaven...

blessings!

shay

Tiny Blessings

sometimes when i feel like everything is falling apart, crumbling at my feet, i am blessed with these tiny little blessings to keep me moving forward. God's way of telling me, 'keep going child there is SO much more in store for you'. like my boys making honor roll and having a year beyond years with growth, maturity, love and focus. or...that one person giving you good news about something that will begin your dream (more on that when it's time). or even those little moments spent with my hubby that make me feel blessed beyond measure that i have him in my life.

these are the moments i have to hang on to.

as time goes by, i learn to overlook the dishes and the dust. there are things that are SO much more important. when i stand at heaven's door, knocking to go in, it will not matter if my dishes were always done or not a speck of dust could be found in my home. what will matter is that i raised loving, God fearing children, that i pursued the dreams and gifts God placed in my heart as i spread His glory to others and that i was a loving, supportive wife to my soul mate.

those are the things that matter.

so i pray, i may always see and notice the tiny blessings that are right in front of me..after all, they are really the BIG blessings!

shay

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

i've been in a funk here. didn't do the hunt last week and felt terrible about it because it forces me to be creative. so even though the 'molly grubbs' are still with me (UGH!) here i am this week.

hunt items were: Before & After, Opposing Lines, Custom Bokeh, Which Pair Of Shoes Should I wear? and Little Features.

1) Custom Bokeh: UGH! i tried, oh i tried, to follow the tutorial and make the disc with a star cut out, but, UGH again, i couldn't figure it out and was getting frustrated. sooo, i have a lot of lighting with pierced tin and shot that. kind of 'custom bokeh'? i know, not really!

2) Opposing Lines: LOVED the look of this old bridge across a creek with the lighting and fall leaves!

3) Which Pair Of Shoes Should I Wear?

well, i am a nurse and if i am not in those shoes i am a flip flop girl, even in the winter (can't take the FLA out of me completely!). so at my mom's urging for a pair of 'photoshoot' funky rubber boots (i tend to get muddy LOL), i went searching. (i LOVE sales & bargains!)

oh my...which ones?

so i got the pink plaids...LOVED em'!

BUT..they KILLED my feet..so i traded them in for the black & white polka dot pair! can't wait to try them out:-)

 4) Little Features: well, no little ones in my house anymore. except my lil' girl here. she is the youngest of my pets. i had to bottle feed her to save her life. she was so tiny she could curl up in the palm of my hand when the boys brought her out of a cornfield. she was actually our golden retriever's lil' girl. followed her everywhere. even ate out of the dog food bowl with her. they were best buds. but since our dog's passing in June, she has been my little shadow, as she misses her dog mommy terribly. i LOVE to photograph her, she is very photogenic for a kitty! meet 'TUCKER'.

5) Before & After: OK, this is the only one i pulled from the archives. as i stated above, 'molly grubb' has been visiting me, so me & photo shop have been avoiding each other. PLUS..i love the editing i did in this photo!

Before~

After~

hope to hear from you!

wishing you all a blessed week!

shay

Courage....

let this old life crumble, let it fade...

let this new life offered, be your saving grace...

(jeremy camp)

kind of been in a 'funk' lately. haven't blogged. had my camera out, but have felt uninspired. life feels heavy. i know i should be casting my burden, worry, insecurities and fears upon my God, laying it all at His feet, turning to the Word for comfort, but i haven't been.

are we afraid of the 'new life' at times?

i know i am.

even though the 'old life' is hard, heavy, burdened with fear and lonliness, we feel secure in it. we know what to expect. and come to expect nothing more. it is stable. nothing more, nothing less.

even though 'new life', with God as our father, leading our every step, holding our every tear...and our KNOWING that through Him, ALL things are possible, it's hard.

that's where faith comes in.

so then i question myself, my faith. i don't feel strong enough. i need more. i need to rid myself of worry and of insecurity. i know how to get to the 'saving grace', it's a matter of FULLY letting that 'old life' crumble and fade away.

courage.

this is about me, having the faith to trust. to believe in myself. and to see myself as my God sees me. as a beautiful creation full of gifts and glory to share.

i saw this bird's nest by chance the other day. it called me over and i was so thankful i had my camera with me. i saw that we all have seasons, like the trees. that even when the leaves fade away, crumble to the ground, there is still beauty left. bright red berries against God's glorious blue sky. and a nest that was once securely tucked away and protected, is now out in the open, sharing it's beauty.

i am rambling...

does anyone get me here?

i got out what i needed too, for now.

hope to see you soon.

blessings!

shay

Homecoming 2011

so blessed that both my handsome boys had a year to enjoy homecoming together. they grow so fast. thankful we can preserve moments with our lenses that will last a lifetime.



ShootEditSubmit

never noticed these 2 grasshoppers until i got home and transferred photos into computer. had to do a little editing to bring out their coloring a bit better as they practically disappeared in the dying sunflower.

Creative Outlet

i can't imagine not being blessed with that creative desire, deep down within me. it is my outlet. my way of centering myself. finding peace. i long to do this for a living. to wake up each day, refreshed and new. full of wonder. seeing God's beauty and using what He gave me to glorify Him.

i have a nursing job interview this afternoon. nerves consume me. not my lack of skill, but my desire to move on to better things. get back to my nursing roots so to speak.

so what am i doing?

playing around with a pic of 'Gordon' the cow on photo shop. experimenting with texture layers.

it is grounding me a bit. so i don't pace around getting myself in a nervous tizzy!

and i trust God will open the doors He has prepared for me.

here's my creative outlet for the moment.

say a prayer.

wish me luck.

shay