the creative closet by cindy lawrence

project {365} week 8

Hello friends~

I'm back with another week of {365} photos.  It was a good week for scenery shots! :-)

Day 50:  As we traveled around hurricane-battered VT on this day, we stumbled upon this beautiful old church on one of our detours.  I just *had* to capture it on film... ♥

Day 51:  The Keene Pumpkin Fest was today...how could I NOT make that my photo of the day? ;-)

Day 52:  We spent Sunday at Six Flags, and the only photos I was able to get were taken with my cell phone. I was really pleased with how they came out!  This one is my fave of the day.

Day 53:   I've been wanting to get an "under the tree" shot. So, when I saw the vibrant red foliage of this maple tree, I knew it was the one. ...even if I did lie down in a church parking lot to get it! 

Day 54:  This is the steeple on the church at the head of the Keene common. I have always loved the beautiful detail on it...a real labor of love.  The angle I took the shot at makes you feel a little dizzy when you look at it (or maybe that's just me...lol).

Day 55:   I swung by hubby's office today to do a little work for him, and this lovely stand of trees was shouting at me to hurry up and snap a picture before their beautiful foliage is all gone. ...and so I did.

Day 56:  This shot wasn't actually taken on this day.  I just ran out of time; so I used one of the bazillion shots from our Vt vacation last week.  This is some beautiful Vt farmland along the Connecticut River, one of many beautiful sites from our train ride through the country-side.

As always, if you'd like to see my photos in all their full glory, you can check them out HERE (365project) or HERE (flickr). 

Hubby and I are at the Cape for the weekend...minus children! :-)

Hope you have yourselves a fantastic weekend!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

~Cindy 

project {365} week 7

Hello friends~

My family & I spent this past week on vacation in Vermont.  I managed to snap a bazillion photos while we were there, most of which can be viewed on my FaceBook page.  I will stick to my photo-a-day here on the blog. 

Day 43:  My son brought me this lovely pile of acorns.  He's collecting them to catch a squirrel. {grin}

Day 44:  This was THE craziest day I've had in a long time!  It was the day we left for our vacation; but I had a big ol' stack of work to do before we left.  I didn't get a chance to snap a picture until very late that night.  I love the clean lines and soft lighting of this light fixture.  Kinda cool, huh? 

Day 45:  We stopped to get coffee on our travels today, and I spotted this beautiful flower blooming by an old fence. It was just begging to be photographed.

Day 46:   I will smile about this picture for years to come!  This is a Scottish Highlander, badly in need of both a haircut and an attitude adjustment. ;-)

Day 47:  Such a friendly little chippy...posed for me so sweetly.  Wasn't that nice of him?

Day 48:  Mama said there'd be days like this!  It is so funny how turtles will climb right over each other for their shot at the best basking spot.  Greedy little buggers, aren't they?

Day 49:  It was tough to pick just one photo on this day; but I loved the ladybug hiding under the blossom on this one...didn't even notice when I took the shot.

As always, if you'd like to see my photos in all their full glory, you can check them out HERE (365project) or HERE (flickr). 

That's all, friends!  I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend immensely!  We are spending our Sunday at Six Flags New England...yippee!  

Thanks for visiting today!

Hugs,
~Cindy 

project {365} week 6

Hello friends~

Happy weekend to you! :-)  We are taking off for a week in Vermont.  Ready for some chill time with the fam!

This week's {365} project photos are almost entirely nature shots.  I am finding that I really enjoy re-discovering the natural beauty that is all around me.  It's so easy to take it for granted, when we see it every day; but we sure are blessed, aren't we?!

Day 36:  This is sweet Camille, who resides at our friendly neighborhood farm.  What a face, eh?
Um, Camille....you got a little somethin' on your face...

Day 37:  These are a few of my favorite things... ♥  Yup, I do so love those Copic markers. 

Day 38:  Most people visit an apple orchard, and come home with lots of pictures of apples.  Well, I did that too...but my favorites are of the BEES!  These guys were feasting on the cores left in buckets throughout the orchard.  I even had one try to get into my mouth...yumm!

Day 39:  I just love the way hydrangeas change so much throughout the year...such a pretty flower!  This particular bush started out pure white, and changed to the gorgeous shades of pinks & greens as the season wore on.

Day 40:  Splendor in the Grass - Okay, so it's just dew drops on the grass blades; but it sure is pretty up close, isn't it?!  I purchased a set of extension tubes, and this is my first attempt at using them.  This is one of my favorite shots this week.

Day 41:  Oh, how I love this time of year with all it's autumn splendor!  These gorgeous red leaves are on a sumac tree in my backyard.

Day 42:  Just a simple hosta leaf on this day.  I really love the contrast of delicate, feminine curves with bold stripes and sturdy stem.

As always, if you'd like to see my photos in all their full glory, you can check them out HERE (365project) or HERE (flickr). 

Thanks for visiting today!

I have posts scheduled throughout the week; so you'll never even miss me!  Have a great week!

Hugs,
~Cindy 

Project {365} Week 5 (a little late)

Hello friends~

I'm a bit behind with my photo collage this week; but here it is! :-)

Here's the break-down:

Day 29:  This was not the intended photo of the day. Rather it was one of those "in between" shots. We were working on a more serious shoot; but could not stop laughing. When I saw this picture, I knew it was the one. It's certainly not a perfect portrait; but it make me smile from ear to ear because it is so real and so Nick. He is one awesome 14-year old, with a fantastic sense of humor! 

Day 30:  Hubby roasted these garden-fresh sweeties today in some olive oil, garlic, and salt, and boy were they YUMMY! 

Day 31:  Abbi loves all things peace-related; so this shot is really perfect for her. :-)

Day 32:  Yup, another shot of Nick.  I've been playing around a bit with focus and lighting; so my kiddos are humoring me.  I did a super-soft, bright focus on this one.  Super happy with the result!

Day 33: We have these non-poisonous sumac bushes growing all over the place on the trail behind our property. I love the pretty shades of red and green, as well as the fabulous texture of the berries.

Day 34:  Ah, time...never enough it seems. I am so thankful for this project, which has given me the motivation to freeze at least one moment of time every single day. ...and that makes me so very happy.

Day 35:  New England is the land of covered bridges, and I am blessed to get to drive over this one every single day

As always, if you'd like to see my photos in all their full glory, you can check them out HERE (365project) or HERE (flickr). 

Have a FABULOUS evening, friends!

Hugs,
~Cindy 

Project {365} Week 4

Hello, all you beautiful people!  Happy weekend to ya! 

I have to say I love this week's pictures even more than the last set.  I also have to warn you that I may just be saying that every week! lol  I am having fun experimenting with different settings on my camera, as well as some fun photo editing techniques on my computer. :-)

Here's the break-down:

Day 22:  This is a shot of one wall of my craft studio.  I thought it would be fun to play around with my photo editing software, and colorize just the pinks and keep the rest b&w.  

Day 23:  Hubby harvested the carrots this afternoon.  I think this is the most we've ever gotten from our garden. What a beautiful bounty it was!  I did spend the whole next afternoon peeling, chopping, blanching, bagging, and freezing them; but it was worth every blister! :-)

Day 24:  One final round of cherry tomatoes in need of gettin' their ripe on. ...sure gonna miss having garden-fresh, sweet tomatoes on hand.

Day 25:  Although Abbi really does not like having her picture taken, she graciously agreed to do a mini photo shoot with me.  We laughed so hard the entire time that it was impossible to get a good shot...until I saw this one.  I love how it really shows her fun spirit and wonderful sense of humor.

Day 26: Today's shot was taken during my daughter's soccer game this afternoon. I really like the unusual perspective on this one. 

Day 27:  Our neighbors have this gorgeous pear tree in their back yard, and this one branch hangs over the fence....so very tempting! lol They probably wouldn't mind a bit if we picked a pear or two; but for now I'll stick with snapping pictures of them. 

Day 28:  Unless you're a big-time coffee drinker like me, I'll bet you didn't know that Thursday was National Coffee Day, did you?  Well, I thought it only fitting for this coffee addict to do a self-portrait with a mug of my current favorite flavor...pumpkin spice.  Mmm, mmm, good!

As always, if you'd like to see my photos in all their full glory, you can check them out HERE (365project) or HERE (flickr). 

That's all, friends!  Hope you've enjoyed this week's peek into our daily lives.

Have a fantastic weekend!  Happy October!!!

Hugs,

~Cindy

project {365} Week 3

 

Well, I made it through week 3...only 49 more to go! haha

Here's this week's play-by-play:

Day 15:  This is our sweet ginger kitty, Zachary.   He is afraid of my camera; so I don't get many chances to get a good shot of him.  Here he is sitting in a favorite sunny spot in front of the brick fireplace, while my son distracts him from the big bad camera. Isn't he a cutie patootie? 

Day 16:  Wood for the winter - Jim saved the last log for Nick.  I can't believe he's old enough to operate a chain saw!  My boy is growing up...sniff, sniff...

Day 17:  We spent some time at the neighborhood farm on Sunday, where Abbi got to feed, ride, and groom the horses that she loves so much.  Here she is having a little chat with her favorite horse, Scotty, and his buddy Ranger.

Day 18:  Some days are just not that exciting... Monday's theme: laundry...lots and lots of laundry.  Although, I must admit that laundry is not my favorite chore, I am quite thankful that I have loved ones to do laundry for. 

Day 19:  One of my favorite spots in the whole wide world...our porch swing.  It's just a happy place to be. :-)

Day 20:  This is one of Nick's gorgeous pumpkins, grown in his own little garden.  The boy has a green thumb, I tell ya! 

Day 21:  Window To the Soul - I've been wanting to do an eye shot; so today I got up the nerve to try it on myself.  I gave it a good color boost and softened everything around the eye, to really draw the focus in.  It was a fun experiment that I will probaby try again with my daughter's or hubby's baby blues. :-) 

As always, if you'd like to see my photos in all their full glory, you can check them out HERE (flickr) or HERE (365project). 

That's all for today, friends!  Hope your weekend is LOTS of fun!

Thanks for spending a little bit of your day with me!

Hugs,
~Cindy 

project {365} week 2

Okay, week two is DONE!  I am enjoying this project very much; but I can see that some days are going to be tough.  I am really trying to make sure that I have my camera with me everywhere I go, cuz you just never know when a great photo op will present itself.  ...and I'm gonna run out of ideas at home in no time! LOL

Here's the break-down of this week's shots:

Day 8:  This one is a self-portrait...gasp!  What's even more scary is that I wasn't wearing any make-up and still had semi-wet hair.  I know....right?!  Well, the gorgeous lighting from the window and some soft-focus editing made for a pretty nice picture, I think.  I actually like it! LOL

Day 9:  Three eggs in a nest... Yup, we have chickens, who lay big, delicious brown eggs.  It's a beautiful thing. :)

Day 10:  Sunday night homework... Ah, yes, someone forgot to do her homework over the weekend; so this was Sunday evening's activities.  Thankfully, she didn't have much to do! 

Day 11:  After last week's rather unhappy photo (still cracks me up), I thought it was only fair that I share a picture of Smokey on a GOOD hair day.  A tiny moth had just flown by, which caused him to bolt alert from his peaceful nap on the kitchen floor.  Love the big eyes!

Day 12:  Abbi's first soccer game of the season...  She did a great job!

Day 13:  Chick-chick-chicken...  This is one of our hens, who was somewhat wary of the photographer. {grin}

Day 14:  Close-up of our crab apple tree in the rain...think this one's my fave for the week.  

As always, if you'd like to see my photos in all their full glory, you can check them out HERE (flickr) or HERE (365project). 

I do hope you have a fantastic weekend, friends!  Get out there and enjoy your life...and snap a picture or two while you're at it. ;)

Thanks for stopping in!

Hugs,
~Cindy

project {365} - looking through my lens

Hello friends~

One week ago, on my birthday, I made a commitment to take a photo every day for a year and document it in what is known as a {365} project.  I have a bunch of friends who have either been doing this for a while, recently started doing it, or getting geared up to get started.  I have a wonderful camera (Canon EOS T2i) that I've had for about a year now, and really haven't taken the time to learn all that it is capable of.  I am super-excited to learn new techniques, and, more importantly, to create this wonderful photo journal of the year.

I thought I might share the photos with you here once a week on Saturday.  I hope you don't mind!

This week's photos are quite a mix, as I suspect every week probably will be.  I am trying not to spend too much time "deciding" on a photo; but rather just taking them as I feel inspired.  That may change over the year; but for now you get random. ;)

Day One:  These are my all-time favorite chocolates from a local chocolatier, given to me for my birthday by my sweet hubby....

Day Two:  Copic refills...much-needed and long-overdue!  Oh happy coloring day...

Day Three:  This is my favorite photo of the week...our kitty, Smokey, during his bath...not a happy boy AT ALL...

Day Four:  Family game night is a big-time tradition in our home, and on this night we played Scattergories only about a million times...

Day Five:  If summer had to end, at least it is followed by the wonderful month of September, which brings apples to New England...and is closely followed by delicious apple pie...

Day Six:  I am not a huge fan of bees; but this one was quite busy with our beautiful hydrangeas when I snapped his picture...

Day Seven:  We have had day after day of rain this week, and when the sun finally made an appearance, even the marigolds were smiling. :)

If you'd like to see my photos in all their full glory, you can check them out HERE or HERE. 

If you have begun your own {365} project, I would LOVE to see it!  If you are inspired to start one, but don't know where to begin, I would be happy to help in whatever way I can.

Thanks for humoring me, friends!

Have yourselves a FANTASTIC weekend!  I am off to teach a card class this morning. :)

Hugs,

~Cindy 

You Are In My Prayers

Hello Stampers~

I thought I'd share a quick card I made with Whipper Snapper's Chase image.  Isn't he a sweetheart?!  I often have need of cards like this, and this is the perfect image...plus there is a GIRL version too!  Coolness, huh?

I used some October Afternoon papers, a button, gingham ribbon, and twine to dress it up a bit.

Here's a close-up:

  

The image was colored in with Copic markers...shocker, huh? ;)

It's my baby's birthday today....she's 11, and I am in denial!  Here she is blowing out her candles last night at her grandparent's house:

...and here's one I love from a butterfly conservatory here in VA:

The kids & I begin our journey home from Virginia today.  We had so much fun at Hershey Park, PA on the way down here, that we're going back tonight and most of tomorrow...bring on the coasters! LOL

...only 6 hours in the car today, and another 7 tomorrow...yippeeeee! {grin}

Have a very happy Monday, friends!

Hugs,
~Cindy 

 

On Top of the World!

Hello Stampers~

I don't have a card to share with you today, because I spent the weekend hanging out with my family.

This is where I was on Saturday:

Amazing view, eh?  You really need to see it in person...pics don't do it justice.  This is the top of Mount Monadnock, which is the most-climbed mountain in the USA and the second most-climbed mountain in the world (right after Mt. Fuji).  I used to climb this mountain all the time when I was *young*; but it has been a couple of years since I ventured up.  I wasn't sure I would be able to do it; but I surprised myself by doing quite well. :)

My 10-year old daughter was amazing, and marveled at the beauty of God's creation as we climbed higher and higher.  At one point, she exclaimed, "Mommy, this is the most fun thing we've ever done together!"  "Even more fun than the Panama cruise???"  "Yup!"  "...even more than Disney World?!" "Yup!"  Well, gosh, if we had known she was this easy to please, we could have saved a lot of money! haha

My 13 year old son struggled a bit on the way up; but he persevered and pushed himself all the way to the top.  We were sooo proud of him!  Now they both want to do it again next weekend. {grin}

We are planning to try out a few more of the trails up the mountain this fall.  It's a great way to spend time together as a family, and get in shape at the same time. :)

One more thing before I go...

Stampers Dream is having an AWESOME sale today only!  Just for fun, they are offering an additional 10% off all merchandise in the Sales and Specials category.  The coupon code is good just through midnight today, Monday August 30.

All you need to do is enter the coupon code 10OffToday at checkout.  The order minimum is only $25 to activate the coupon code.  Happy shopping!

See y'all tomorrow with a fun new sample!

Hugs,

~Cindy