Free November computer desktop calendar page

I thought I'd share an image made into a calendar page for anyone that wants to download to their desktop.
Just right click on the image and click "set as desktop background".

Seems like some pretty spring tulips would be just the thing for the rainy, snowy, cold month of November.

Coming for December will be a great Christmas image! Stay tuned!

Hope you enjoy!

I ♥ my anemonies

I ♥ my anemonies, originally uploaded by slcook52 (Sylvia).

Every once in awhile I still get outside to take flower pics.
I took this shot (and many more) of the Japanese anemonies in my front yard last week. I love how they hold themselves up on those skinny but wirey stems.

The only problem I have with them is that I can never spell it right without going to an online dictionary!! There's just something about that word!

I used an action from Michelle Nicole called bluebell, just to give the image a bit more blue

shabby and chic

shabby and chic, originally uploaded by slcook52 (Sylvia).

This is one of my favorite prints that I have in my Etsy shop.
Again I used Florabella textures to enhance it.
These are roses from my garden, when it looked much better in the Spring.
The summer has kept me so busy with photo sessions on top of work and everything else, my yard looks pretty worse for the wear. I did just discover a whole new second bloom of roses though on one of my plants, so of course I had to cut them and bring a vase full into the house to enjoy.

Maybe I'll have time to process a new photo of them in the next few days.
Hope the summer has been wonderful for everyone!
Fall is just around the corner!

"This world is but a canvas to our imagination."

My latest texture work, some lilacs from May.
It sure is easy to spend hours and hours and hours playing with photos and textures. I could make 100 different combinations with these beautiful actions and textures, and have a terrible time choosing when to stop and what to upload!!
This was finally my choice for today.

Again, the texture is from the Florabella Collection from Shana Rae.

On the Iris I used an action called "bluebell" from Michelle Nicole

You'll find the lilacs in the Etsy shop

Nostalgia

I don't know what it is about old vintage beach/ocean scenes that I love so much.
Maybe they just are so nostalgic, they take you back to your childhood.
I didn't live at the ocean as a child, but went on family vacations with my cousins to Lake Erie...which when you think about it, is so huge it can pass for an ocean.
We used to go to Geneva-on-the-Lake. My cousins had a trailer on some property, and we would spend the days at the beach or walking around the little seaside town along the boardwalk. All kinds of fun arcade games and rides...just what every kid loves!

So when I see pictures of the beach or ocean, those memories come back to me.
I have some shots from a trip back to Connecticut that I made a couple years ago, and have been re-working them in Photoshop to look like old vintage postcards or photos. It's so fun to totally see the style and mood of the image change with just adding a few vintage actions, layers and textures.

I already posted a few a while back, and here's some more for you to check out.
These and the others are in my Etsy shop for sale. I printed out some of them for myself and I really like the way they look together. Also printed up the 11x14 collage with the 4 images, and it looks awesome. Now I just need to figure out where to hang it.

With a little help from my friends

It's such a nice thing when friend and contacts work so hard on Photoshop tools for the rest of us!
I've been more and more lately using textures and actions written for Photoshop to change up an image. Sometimes it's hard for me to decide if I want a clear crisp straight out of the camera image, or if I want to enhance it. I usually like them both.
Here's a comparison I did to show just one of the many possibilities you can do with some great textures and actions.

The texture is from the Florabella Collection from Shana Rae. I am so hooked on these, I love them all. It's a very worthwhile investment!

The action is from the Morning Garden Glow Action set and is being offered for FREE from Isabelle LaFrance.
I used the Myosotis glow action from the set on this.

All in all, I think I came up with a winning combination from these 2 very talented ladies. Be sure and visit their websites for plenty of inspiration!!

Falling behind

It's been extremely hard to keep up with this blog, even though I don't really write much. But even just posting photos, I can barely remember to do.
The Spring was filled with so many beautiful blooming flowers and trees here in the Pacific Northwest, I took tons of pictures.
This one is a Pink Dogwood obviously, but I worked it a bit in Photoshop to make it a little less vivid than it really is. I guess I'm going through my faded and "pale" stage. I like the look of the old faded photos, the vintage or shabby chic appeal.
So this one is also featured in the Etsy Shop.