Happy Birthday Surprise

I recently celebrated another wonderful birthday. My family and friends were very generous, as always! Some of my birthday winfall I took as cash from the bank teller, so imagine my surprise to see this random $5.00 bill that had written “Happy Birthday” on 10-03-10 to you from someone named Oscar.

Things that make me smile!!
🙂

Thanks Oscar!

Happy Birthday Surprise

Forgotten American Black Jockeys: Joseph Sheffey

My family’s photos

Forgotten American Black Jockeys: Joseph Sheffey.

Monarch Butterfly

Isn’t this monarch butterfly amazingly beautiful encased in this stunning cut faceted acrylic octagon.

I lucked up on taking this photo in the Boston Public Garden one morning but it looks so much better used in this design rather than as a regular photo.
Wouldn’t you agree.   🙂

Now, which of my granddaughters would love to have this for Valentine’s Day…or maybe even for me!

Boston/Cambridge, MA Skyline in Reflection

One of my favorite views of the Boston / Cambridge skyline is from the top floor of One Financial Center, downtown Boston. This shot of a snowy winter morning, was taken using my iPad. The Statehouse of Boston can be seen directly of the M! I then applied an app called Reflection creating the photo image below.  This was my first time using it and I have to say I really like it. Very easy to use and I believe it’s free. My all time favorite app is A+Signature. It allows me to add my name and  text directly to my photo and then save it to my iPad photo stream. A+Signature has a free lite version and a very inexpensive paid version. Well worth the few dollars to be able to post photos online with my name and personal text right from my iPad to WordPress, Twitter and Facebook.

🙂

Week 3 – Strawberries, Oranges and a Cinnamon Stick

Due to severe damage to my sciatic nerve  (while exercising!) I’ve been unable to perform my daily 2 mile walk. 😦

Faced with lots of food choices during the holidays and being unable to exercise, I decide to find a silver lining and totally revamped my eating habits. First, being in constant pain is a great binge eating deterrent and second, lack of sleep doesn’t help either, however I have found a ray of shine in all of this.  I’ve reduced the amount of sugar and salt in my foods and have taken up drinking lots of water. I’m not a fan of plain water and with all the fruits and veggies in my house it occurred to me to put them to good use.

Last week, my surprisingly favorite drink was chilled cucumber water with a cinnamon stick.

This week, I added ice cubes, frozen strawberries, two orange slices and a cinnamon stick to a jar of water which I will drink throughout the day. Three weeks ago I was an avid sweet tea drinker. Now I find that it’s way too sweet. The silver ray of sun during this whole process is I’ve dropped 18lbs!!! Just by reducing sugar in salt and drinking more water.

naturally flavored water drink

Heavenly Hawaii – One of my top ten places favorite places.

Oahu, Hawaii is one of my top ten favorite places I’ve visited.  One of my maternal cousins was married at Turtle Bay Resort and I represented for my Mom who was unable to make the long flight.  This blog article was published back in 2010 and Oahu still remains on my favorites list.

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My first series of travel and nature photographic greeting cards were a surprisingly huge success at art shows and Open Studio events, using a 35mm camera, actual color prints and applying them to card stock and supply the envelopes.

Now with the advent of online stores and marvelous software programs, anyone has the ability to bring their photography to a new level by manipulating images into colorful abstracts as shown below.  If one isn’t careful, you could literally spend hours experimenting with hundreds of different software photo effects until your computer says “low memory” like mind did today- ouch.

I find abstracts very appealing because they allow for a moment to dream and wonder versus viewing the very literal realism of photography. I’m attracted to and always create both realms, abstracts and photos, keeping my right brain (analytical) and left brain (creative) happily functioning together

🙂

I hope you’ll take a moment to vote on today’s poll.

Abstract images of Photos taken during my first visit to Oahu, Hawaii

Photos taken during my first visit to Oahu Hawaii

Some New Year’s resolutions take longer than others to begin

I did it. No more buts, no more because, no more reasons to keep it packed away in the box still unopened three years later.

After listening to yet another “manifesting now” video and finally just did it. I opened the package,
set up the table top photo studio and took my first product photo to sell this week. Setting up this
portable photo studio brings me even closer to my other long range goal of selling loads of collectibles on Ebay.

I’m very thankful that everything actually works.     🙂

So what will you do in 2013 that has been on your Resolution lists for the past year or two or three?

One of my 2009 New Year’s Resolutions

I Heart St. Maarten – first product sale in 2012 what was yours!

This morning, January 1, 2013, I thought it’d be fun to see the date  I made my first sale, in 2012 in my online store, as well as the product design.

Here is it, my hugely popular St. Maarten Photo Collage. This particular product included cute seashells as a frame.

St. Maarten photo collage

Share a link to your first product sale last year! I’ll be happy to post it.