Merry Christmas
bokeh
All is Calm – All is Bright
Christmas Tree Lights – Bokeh
All is Calm…
All is Bright…
For now.
Relaxing by the twinkling lights of the tree
willing myself not to worry about gifts and wrapping and baking
and all of the “material” things that aren’t the things that make
the holiday season special.
All is Calm
All is Bright
I think that will be the theme this year!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Patient enough to wait
Even in the shadows
of cold, gray winter days
the Rose of Sharon seed pod
glows with vibrant light
and hope
and promise
of pink and purple petals
and green leaves
and summer sunshine
if only
we are
patient enough
to wait.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Two – ooo Turtle Doves
When I was younger, I laughed at my grandma, in-laws and later even my hubby, who is four years older (and dang it – I hate to admit – wiser!), when they would get so excited watching, feeding, and identifying birds.
And then guess what happened?
Yep – you guessed it! I became fascinated with watching, feeding, and identifying birds…. (and add PHOTOGRAPHING to that too!)
A true sign of “maturity.” (the positive way of wording the reality of getting OLD!)
And now our kids laugh at us… Hmmfff! Some day their kids will laugh at them.
This pair of Mourning Doves, which I’ve come to learn are also referred to as Turtle Doves, made me think of the beloved Christmas Song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” (hence my clever and witty post title – – tell me you got it and are singing along too?!??!!!)
They make a beautiful cooing noise and are so sweet. This is one of the larger birds that come to the feeder on our deck, and they are like the gentle giants. I think this pair is husband and wife. 🙂 I am fascinated with how the birds really pair up. The cardinal male and female are almost constantly together.
If three french hens come to the feeders, I’ll be sure to share.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Hello There in Watercolor Bokeh
Hello There Friends! It’s Friday! Thanks for visiting today.
For this week’s Friday card, I had fun experimenting with an abstract watercolor and bokeh technique Diane Dimich featured recently here.
For the blues/greens, I mixed some stamp reinkers with water, and I used some watercolor paint for the red/oranges – just to try a couple different ways. Once I decided on my color palettes, I brushed my watercolor paper with some clear, clean water using a water brush, then began randomly dabbing the colors all over covering the entire surface.
Once it dried, I daubed white inked circles in multiple layers overlapping from a template I created using a piece of acetate cut with the Stampinup Circle Framelits to give the bokeh effect I love so much in photography.
Once I was pleased with the effect, I mounted it onto cardstock with a white border, stamped the Hello There greeting in black and embellished with a few simple rhinestone gems.
I haven’t finished the rest of the painted sheets yet. I think I will save them for when I need a particular card that I can add just the right greeting and message to.
So here’s to Friday, the weekend, creativity, sharing, and all the wonderful things to enjoy at life in between.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Weekly Photo Challenge: Rule of Thirds with Bokeh
This week’s WordPress Daily Post Photo Challenge is to use the Rule of Thirds with a Bokeh Effect.
It’s been snowing non-stop here in Mars this weekend, but I took this photo a week ago when in Florida. I always love the way flowers look after a rain shower. I thought this photo was a good example of the challenge effect, and it also reminds me of warmer sunny days and wonderful memories with a dear friend.
Happy Sunday!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 