Success!

One of the most annoying/disappointing things last year was the realization that my camera was taking poor quality photos.  I use a mid-price Canon, and must have scratched the lens or something.  What used to be sharp and clear was now slightly blurry.  Always.  Especially when I was trying to take call-for-entry photos. 

Enter my decision to replace my camera.  Charlotte found what I could not (specific model, on sale) and within a couple of hours, I was the proud owner of a new Canon.  That was in early December.  Today, I put it to the test.  I needed photos for Sacred Threads, of publishable quality.  And I think I got them!

The day was overcast.  I hauled my "new" design wall out to the backyard and snapped away.  I put the quilts through 3 "sittings," as I checked my results between each.  harumpf.  Shadows!  harumpf.  Crooked!  But in the end?  I have images that make me smile, rather than cringe.  Such a nice way to begin 2017!!

Here is where I found unshadowed light.  I was this close to the edge of the pool.  Steady, now...

 

I am thrilled to be able to cross one of my Week 1 goals off of my list.  Or maybe I should say two, since I've also blogged a second time this week.  So far, so good.

Carry on!

A Day of Sewing

Wow.  I can't believe it's been 10 days since my last post!  I don't know where the time goes, but it's definitely flying by!  We had an amazing week in Sisters, though I did not finish my project.  It currently hangs in pieces on my design wall.

Mother's Day came and went, accompanied by a lovely bouquet of flowers from my middle son and his wife.  They're looking a bit worn, but I still find them bright and cheery.

I adore Shutterfly.  I am especially fond of their photo books, and put together another one.  This one features images from my garden, along with some of my garden-inspired quilts.  It's my favorite Shutterfly book so far.

I can't wait to do the next one.  I'm just waiting for inspiration to strike.  It will probably be something featuring more quilts, and the photos that inspired them.  I like this one better than the ocean book I made.  The words ruined that one.  Maybe I should just do it over, without the words, and let the images speak for themselves?  Now there's an idea.

Over the weekend, my husband and I hosted a thank you party for the quilt show committee and their spouses.  Then, yesterday, I hosted a sew-in, to really thank the ladies. Only about half of them were able to attend, but we had a grand time.

 I even found the time to sew together not just the blocks,

 but an entire baby quilt top.  woohoo!  LOTS of babies have arrived or are on their way.  I am quite behind.

And with that, I guess I'll sign off.  I am hopeful that the remainder of May might hold at least one finish.  The goal is more than that.  Goals are good!

A Little of This, A Little of That...

A little shopping (for a BIG fish),

 A little inspirational/idea-generating photography,

 A little beach walk, at low tide,

 A BIG rock, exposed by low tide,

A little sea-life (notice the size, compared to the grains of sand),

 A bit of debris,

 A hint of fog,

And a camera loaded with 208 new images.  I'm ready to think about stitching...

Fine Art and Photography

One of my favorite things to do at the Tulare County Fair is to enter the Photography competition. You may have noticed? I snap pictures of everything? I don't always work to make sure that the composition is perfect, unless it's the composition or a subject I'm really crazy about. If it's a picture of my latest Estate Sale find, what difference does the lighting make? ;)

Not that I would know how to adjust it if I noticed!

Anyway, I've been entering the photography competition for 14 years. My first year, I won a second place on a photo of my son, who is now 26. He was at the beach, covered with sand, grinning from ear to ear. I LOVED that photo. I still do.

From that point on, nothing. Until last year. I earned a fourth place on a picture taken at Best of the Valley. woohoo!!! Ribbons are few and far between in the Fine Arts/Photography building. The competition level is high, and any mention sends thrills up my spine.

Yesterday I entered the building, and found my first two photos. They were landscapes. Nothing.

Then I found the "People Grouping/Families" section. Woo!! Woo woo!!! See that?!!! That's my Committee!!! And they earned a ribbon!!! I looked around for someone to tell...A uniformed CHP officer happened to be strolling by. "Look! My photo got a ribbon!" I'm pretty sure he thought I was a nut case, but I explained to him that no one was with me and I had to tell someone! Poor guy. But if that's the worst thing that happened to him yesterday, it was probably a pretty good day.

I turned the corner, and, BAM!! The picture of Monica's fabric, taken at the quilt show, was also wearing a ribbon!!! Two ribbons? In a single year?

And then, BAM!! A THIRD ribbon. My third picture of Best of the Valley, and my third ribbon for photography in a single year. Wow! I should have taken a picture of the entire display, so that you could see the wonderful photographs and the limited number of ribbons.

oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!! I was like the cat who swallowed the canary, and I'm pretty sure I drove all the quilters crazy yesterday. "Guess what?!! I won ribbons for PHOTOGRAPHY!!" They were all very nice and congratulatory, but I think that by the time I left they were thinking, "Enough already!" ;)

The other picture I have for you today is from the County Building. They used to have a fierce competition between the various communities, but apparently people have better things to do these days than promote their communities. Tulare and Pixley were the only displays I saw. Pixley went all out, Pixley won. Yay, Pixley!!

You may be familiar with Pixley, if you ever watched Green Acres or Petticoat Junction. The shows took place thereabouts. As you can see, it's a farming community, and they are very proud of their produce. Congratulations, Pixley! Thanks for feeding us!

Photography Studio

I'm supposed to be working on that quilt for hire, but this is what I'm doing instead. The light is STILL not bright enough to give me a clear photograph. sigh. But it's better than what I had before, that's for sure. I'll take a few more shots, then I MUST get to work!!

Sorry about the angle - it was the only way I could get the lights, quilt, etc in the picture from the wee space in the doorway.