Welcome Home Ritual

Week 4 of the Dogwood 52 Week Photography Challenge.

"Portrait: Head shot. You shot a selfie now shoot a 'selfie' of someone else!"

I don't know any people who want their portrait posted on the internet SOooo ---

This is my son's dog, Kona. I care for her during the day when he's working. When he arrives to pick her up she goes to the dogs' toybox and picks up the biggest mouthful of stuffies that she can manage. This time it was FIVE! She then prances around, head held high, moaning and groaning and waging her tail vigorously.

Kona is a Presa Canario/Bull Mastif Cross weighing approximately 70 pounds. She's an obediant, gentle, sweetheart of a dog that rarely ever barks.

RED

Week three of the Dogwood 52 week photography challenge.

"Shoot whatever inspires you. Red should be the focus of the image. Don't be afraid to be creative".

I prefer this first one but I wish I was skilled enough at editing to remove the distracting blue cloth. 

Love the glowing red of this second one but it looks incomplete without the stem of the glass. 

Tulusson's Afghan

All of the crocheting and sewing in of ends is done. The miniature afghan is finished and being blocked.

This is for the Tulusson family's living room.

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When it's dry they will be happy to post a photo of it arranged on their 1/4 scale couch.

Chew On That

Looky what I found on Pinterest! Okay, maybe you've seen this idea before but it's totally new to me. Mason Jar salads that can be made up in bulk four days in advance and they don't wilt and get nasty.

My husband is going to love this idea! No, not because he loves salads, because he doesn't and he would never choose to have a salad if given a choice. He's going to love this idea because *I love salads and now I'll be eating salads every day for lunch and will be less likely to serve him a salad with his entree at dinner time. Heh.   

Of course the main idea is to get all those great, healthy vegetables in each day, but it's also possible to add protein rich foods like eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds, shrimp, etc. Leftover grains like rice or pasta can find their way in there too. 

I'm late on this particular bandwagon apparently. I haven't yet unearthed the original source of this great idea, but it seems to have become popular with the health conscious or dieting crowd that must "brown bag it" during the work week. 

I'm just looking forward to being able to pull a healthy, complete lunch from the fridge thereby resisting the temptation to grab something less appealing and less nutritious but "fast and easy". I may not work outside the home but I am always busy with one thing or another. Stopping an interesting project to make a good lunch for just one person can be such a bother.

Bear Necessities

Flame watched expectantly while I put the finishing touches on a special outfit he's been longing for.

I used a Pukifee pattern by DGRequeim on Etsy. For it to fit the larger Realfee dolls I had to make a number of adjustments. I had it printed out at 131% and then added additional length to the body and legs and subtracted a little from the length of the sleeves.

Flame was eager to test the fit. 

And was thrilled to find it fit perfectly. I was more concerned than he was about the possibility of cold feet, but he agreed to wear the slippers I made to go with the Kigurumi Pajama costume.

He's been practicing his best roar all afternoon.

He's even found a "cave" to hide in waiting for a chance to jump out and scare the girls.

Honestly though, I think they are more likely to be jealous than afraid. I'll probably have to make a costume for Neelie and Peanut too.

Half Done

An itsy bitsy teensy weensy granny square afghan in the making. 30 of the 60 squares needed are now done. They are being made with fingering/sock weight yarn and a 1.75mm hook. Each measures approximately 1.75 inches square.

When complete the afghan will add a cozy ambiance to the Tulusson family's new couch.

Week 2 - Traditional Landscape

For the purposes of the 52 week photography challenge, "Landscape" is defined as: "this category is pretty broad covering both traditional landscapes and some non-traditional areas such as urbanscapes. Don't be afraid to really explore your surroundings in this category. If the focus is the environment you are in it will qualify as Landscape in this category."

For this week in particular the challenge was, "Shoot a beatuiful landscape and share it with the world. Find a nice foreground and don't forget the sky." With the weather lately being rather gloomy and dark that can be quite the challenge! I caught these three images on an early morning walk, just as the sun was starting to peek over the mountains. 

'Meh. I don't find any of them particularly inspiring. The sky was pretty but the foreground is lacking in detail. I hope to find time during the week to get a better image for this category, but these will do for now and in case I end up with nothing better.

These images were captured with my iPhone. When I'm walking the dogs I don't want to be carrying my heavier, bulkier, "good" camera, a Canon EOS Rebel T3.

I may end up with a different image altogether, but of these three which is your favourite and why? 

A New Challenge

Seems my muse is taking me in yet another creative direction. I've joined the 52 Week Photography Challenge. All 52 challenges (one each week of the year) are listed on the Dogwood Photography web page so you know ahead of time what is coming up. This week is "Selfie, Explore the self timer setting on your camera".  

Not being one fond of self portraits or even being in front of a camera someone else has pointed in my direction, I found this week's challenge particularly difficult.

Once I had a photograph I was happy enough with I had great fun playing with the new edition of "Photoshop" that I got for my birthday. This sketch filtered version is actually my favourite of the bunch. It captures the mood I was after (not as crabby or apprehensive looking as the photo above). I like the way the washed out look made my glasses frame and focus attention on my eyes.

And speaking of crabby looking, LOL, how's this patchwork filter? Amazing how a little editing changes things the mood so much.

If you feel so inclined, do join me, either in the Facebook group (7,000 members and growing!) or on the Flickr group -- or both! It should be a fun year of personal growth.

Packing Up 2015

I hope Christmas 2015 was a good one for you. I spent New Years Eve packing up the remaining holiday ornaments and taking down the tree.

I enjoy Christmas, the visiting, and all the pretty decorations, but by the end of December I'm happy to clear away the "clutter" and in so many ways, the excess. I welcome the peaceful days of January, the return of routine, and a leaner, healthier diet. 

May 2016 bring you much happiness, good health, and abundance in all ways that are meaningful to you.