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Photowalk #03: Milwaukee Art Museum

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The weather here in Wisconsin is a bit frightful. We haven’t had as much snow as western New York, but we got several more inches last night, and it’s still snowing. In between storms (and illness–almost all of us have had a stomach bug) Tracy and I managed to get to Milwaukee to visit their wonderful art museum. We had been there almost 10 years ago. It was the first stop on our cross-country road trip, and we loved it. 

They have a lovely permanent collection that they rotate over time, and there are no restrictions on photography except for not using flash.

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This is the magnificent outside of the museum, which would be even more stunning if there were a blue sky behind the image! The wings open up at 10:00 when the museum opens, flutter at noon, and close at closing time.

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The view from the lobby of Lake Michigan. Again, these photos would be more stunning if only there had been some sunshine and blue skies. Nonetheless, the interior of the museum is nearly as dramatic as the outside.

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The hallway between the lobby and the galleries. There is art work along the hallway as well as views out to the lake:

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The same view through a piece of art. We got through only a small portion of the galleries and decided to become members to encourage us to return. Just three visits during the year will more than pay for the membership. One of the most interesting pieces of art was by an Israeli artist, Yaacov Agan. I put three views of it in a collage.

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The middle photo shows how the painting (oil on wood) looks as you stand before it. When you walk to the left, you realize it’s three dimensional and the design and colors change. Walk to the right, and another totally different view awaits you.

Another gallery I enjoyed was the Design Gallery from the 20th and 21st centuries. I loved this colorful chair by Garrrit Rietveld, a Dutch designer.

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I couldn’t pass up a photograph of Walking Cabinet by Wendell Castle, a well-known sculptor and designer from Rochester, New York.

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I’ll leave you with this piece of sculpture, sitting in front of more windows with a view to Lake Michigan.

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OLW 2019: Intentions

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My intentions for this year were inspired by a comment in an email from fellow blogger, Honoré, indicating she was thinking of 19 things to do in 2019. I thought it was an inspired idea and have settled on 19 things I’d like to accomplish this year.

  1. Complete a photo book about our trip to Istanbul and Greece.
  2. Complete a photo book about our trip to Morocco.
  3. Catch up with Project Life
  4. Project 52: complete 52 photowalks and post at least one photo from each on Instagram or on my blog.
  5. Master the controls on my mirrorless camera.
  6. Try 12 new techniques for card making. (I’ve got a list and a Pinterest board.)
  7. Conquer the Cameo.
  8. Master the art of layering stamps.
  9. Complete 100 sketches.
  10. Complete six online classes.
  11. Journal daily.
  12. Meditate/reflect three times/week when I’m not traveling.
  13. Read 50 books. (I keep a record on Goodreads.)
  14. Keep one day free of commitments each week.
  15. Work out 120 times. (My goal when we’re home is to work out 3 days/week. I set this goal by estimating the number of weeks we’re likely to be away this year—quite a few, I think.)
  16. Maintain the eating plan I’ve adopted in the last month. (I’ve been meeting with an integrative health practitioner and have had good success in eliminating discomfort from arthritis and other annoying symptoms of old age.) Admittedly, it’s a challenge.
  17. Do weekly meal planning on the Paprika app.
  18. Continue with my volunteering.
  19. Attend Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington, D.C.

Over the years, some of the words I’ve chosen have been transformative, and others not so much. Last year I lost track of both my word and my intentions, so this year I signed up for Ali’s course. I don’t have any desire to create an album, but I have set up a little notebook, some tracking pages, and intend to use Ali’s prompts to reflect on where I am each month.

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I think I purchased this notebook at Target a year or so ago, and I think it will work well. The pages in it are a bit heavier than most so I think it will hold up to some stamping and some embellishment if I choose to do that. So far, this is how I have it set up.

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My word and the inspiration for it.

Trackers

I have three Trackers downloaded from Elise Joy. I put them at the very front since I’ll need to access them regularly. Once I get home, I’ll start tracking all three items: diet, exercise, and meditation. There was no way I could keep up with that while we’re away, and besides I don’t have access to a gym here. I am, however, being very careful with my diet. In December, I started working with a holistic healthcare practitioner. I’ve been following an eating regime that is basically no carb, no sugar since the beginning of December. It also involves some supplements, and I have to say it’s been a good experience. I’ve tried in the past to follow an anti-inflammatory diet, but had a hard time sticking to it. Being accountable is key for me. At the beginning of November, I was seriously considering another set of cortisone shots for my hips and knee, but now I don’t even take across the counter medication for pain. I walked 26+ miles the week we were at Disney without any significant discomfort. I gave myself a break while we were there, but even with some “cheats,” the pain stayed away. An added benefit, is losing seven pounds. I’d like to lose three more, but this wasn’t about weight loss to begin with. 

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The last tracker and the list of intentions for 2019.

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More on my intentions and a calendar for keeping track of what I accomplish each month.

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And, finally, two of several lists to help me remember some of the things I’m thinking about for creative projects.

I’m hoping this will help keep me on track this year, and make YES one of those transformational words.

 

One Little Word 2019

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I’m off to a slow start this year, but not because I had trouble finding my word. It ended up leaping out at me from a wonderful blog I discovered through Michelle GD. (More about that coming up.) It’s a slow start because I’m not home. We left Rochester on January 4th and won’t return until the 27th. That’s a long time for us to be away, but we’re helping Sarah and Adam while both of them are attending conferences this month. The bonus was a trip to Disney World last week prior to Sarah’s conference in Orlando. We’re now settled in with Adam and the kids. When Sarah comes home, there will be a few days with everyone here, and then Adam leaves for several days. So, despite a lot of thinking about how I’d like to approach my word this year, getting the ideas down for the blog has taken quite a bit of time.

In November, I thought I had chosen my word. Then in December through one of Michelle’s blog posts or newsletters there was a link to ViewFinders, a wonderful photography blog. I happened on this photo by Lucy Loomis.

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The minute I saw it, I thought to myself, that might be my OLW. Then I read Lucy’s words and knew I was correct.

We don’t know the reason that someone would tack up a positive little sign like this, but I want to think that it was to encourage us to all say YES to this life, on the first day of the year or the last.  Say YES to the important things, say YES I will make a difference, say YES I will be kind and compassionate, say YES I will love with all my heart, say YES I will help and hope, and finally, say YES, YES, YES, I am here on this earth, in this beautiful and sometimes broken place, and I will give it everything I’ve got.

Lucy kindly gave me permission to share her photo and her beautiful words. So, YES, is my word for 2019. It feels just right.

So I’m saying YES . . .

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. . . to time with family

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. . . and friends.

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. . . to volunteering and helping others.

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. . . to healthy eating habits and regular exercise.

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. . . to creative pursuits-old and new.

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. . . to new adventures.

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. . . to reviving my photography practice.

I’ll be back tomorrow with more on my intentions for living with YES in 2019.

 

Seize the Birthday

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Seize the Birthday has become one of my favorite challenges; possibly because at least half the cards I make each year are birthday cards. Any birthday card is allowed for all of the challenges, but there is also a “topping” challenge each time. The current topping is “stamping only.” Theses cards almost meet that criteria. Both cards do use a Stitched Circle die from Simon Says, and a few rhinestones, but it’s probably as close as I get to a stamping only card. 

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Both cards use Simon Says gray cardstocks and Simon Says “Bohemian Lace” stamp set. The sentiment for the card on the right is from Papertrey Ink’s “Good Times” stamp set, and the one on the left has a sentiment white embossed on a thin black strip from Mama Elephant’s “Occasional Labels.” Here’s a closer look:

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I’ve put creating a stamping only birthday card on my “to do” list. The challenge is open until January 29th, so it just might happen!

 

CAS on Friday: Flowers

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I have another card made with the Pinkfresh Studio “Dainty Flowers” and “Noteworthy Frames.” This one is a thank you note for a friend who gave us a very generous and unexpected gift certificate for Christmas.

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The dainty flowers were die cut from metallic cardstocks and tucked into the “Noteworthy Frame” die cut in Soft Stone. That piece was die cut with my trusty “Stitched Rectangle” die from Simon Says. The sentiment from Papertrey’s “Thank You Kindly” set was stamped in black . Finally, that panel was adhered to a top-folded card from “Smoke” cardstock (Simon Says.) 

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This card is for the current CAS on Friday Challenge: Flowers.

Fan Friday

 

Photowalk #2: Animal Kingdom

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I had lots to choose from last week for my photowalk, but Animal Kingdom was definitely my favorite park. I’ll have other photos to share from this trip, but here are seven from our day at Animal Kingdom where I was consciously thinking about the photowalk as well as capturing our day there.

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I think this is the first black swan I’ve ever seen.

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The iconic Tree of Life in the center square of Animal Kingdom

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A Bengal tiger on the Maharajah Jungle Trek in Asia

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Prayer flags across a bridge in Asia

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Victoria Crowned Pigeons

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Giraffes on the Kilimanjaro Safari

I have no photos from one of our favorite events of the whole trip. The Rivers of Light–a new “music-filled spectacle of water, light, and legend” that takes place after dark. It truly was a spectacle. Stunningly beautiful. Here’s a link to a YouTube video which captures a lot of the show.

 

 

Take Three Thursday: Day One at Disney World

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We arrived in Florida late afternoon on Tuesday. Our first day at Disney World was yesterday, and I thought I’d pop in with three quick photos from the Magic Kingdom. 

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Balloons on Main Street

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Caleb and Sarah on Dumbo’s Flying Machine

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Hannah and Adam waiting for a ride

Tracy and I took a day off from Disney World today and drove to St. Petersburg for lunch and a bit of shopping. We’re meeting the family for dinner in about an hour, and will spend two more days in Disney World before five of us head home to Wisconsin. Sarah gets another week in the warmer temperatures while attending a conference. I doubt she’ll get a lot of time outdoors, though. It was chilly today, but way warmer than it is in Wisconsin, and the temperatures are climbing back into the 70’s tomorrow.

Time Out: Loving

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The current challenge at Time Out is “Loving” and although it’s definitely time to think about Valentines, I have a wedding card to share. It’s another CAS design, but one I love and will definitely use again. It would work for a wedding, anniversary, or a Valentine, I think.

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One of my favorite ever products from Papertrey Ink are their Mix and Mat dies. Each set has three dies that come grouped together. You can die cut them as is, or separate them and use two together, or each separately. In this case, I used the two inner dies from the “Pretty Brackets” set die cut in white.

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I trimmed it down and used foam tape to add some dimension before adhering it to a white card. I’m a huge fan of white on white, and all the card needed was a some heart from My Favorite Things heart dies cut from Pure Poppy cardstock.

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I love the stitched edge around the middle die cut on this Mix and Mat die. I decided against adding a sentiment to the front of the card, and went with the wedding messages on the inside. 

Happy Birthday Hannah and Caleb

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Hannah and Caleb have a shared birthday. On January 30th, Hannah turned 2 and Caleb turned 7. It’s the first year in many that we were not present for the birthday celebration. We did share the lighting of the candles and singing of “Happy Birthday” via FaceTime. When we were here in October I gave Sarah two sparkler candles from Paper Source in the shape of 2 and 7. A friend had told me about them and said they were what they used for each of their children’s birthdays. I thought they were really cool, but it didn’t turn out so well. As soon as Sarah lit the sparklers, Caleb jumped out of his seat and took off, and Hannah started to cry. There’s no blowing out sparkler candles, so we just had to wait for them to die out! By the end, they were watching with some trepidation.

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Thanks to Adam for the photos

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We waited until we arrived on Saturday to give them their gifts and cards. Caleb is quite an artist, and wanted to know if I’d colored in the images in his card. I got a “Good job, Grandma!” response when I said I had. Hannah tried to figure out how to get the fairy off the card, but Sarah explained how the card was put together, and it survived the inspection.

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Here’s the inside of Caleb’s card. Given the circumstances, it was the perfect sentiment. It’s also from the Winnie and Walter set.

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I purchased this Neat and Tangled stamp set (“Later, Alligator”) with Caleb in mind, but expected to use it to make a card with a favorite expression of his, “See you later, Alligator.” I was going to leave it with him when we go home. But instead, I used it for his birthday card, and thought the alligators would look cute holding the banner from Winnie and Walter’s “Wish Big” stamps. During the Black Friday sales, I purchased a small set of the Picket Fence “Life Changing Blender Brushes.” I have to say, ink blending is easier with them, although I ended up using a Tim Holtz “Distress Blending Brush” as well on the grassy area to add a bit of texture. All the cloud dies are from Papertrey Ink.

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The minute I saw the December Hero Arts Stamp Kit, I knew it was ready-made for a grandma with four granddaughters. This card is a close CASE of one Nichol Spohr posted at the tune of the kit’s release. The patterned paper is from an old Studio Calico 6X6 paper pad and the sentiment is from Papertrey Ink’s “Balloon Bash.”

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Hopefully, you can seen the addition of the glitter pen to many of the stars on the patterned paper, and the Nuvo glitter to the wings. I also added a sparkly Amuse raspberry star to the sentiment. (It’s funny how tilting the card makes the left side of the card base appear blue.)

Happy Birthday for Two Challenges

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I’m back with a CAS birthday card for the current challenges at Seize the Birthday and Wednesday’s Simon Says Challenge: Use Something New.

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Sometime in November I purchased two dies I’d been eyeing for some time: the Pink Fresh Studio’s “Dainty Blossoms” and the Noteworthy Frames. After Christmas I had time to play with them. Today’s card uses only the “Dainty Blossoms,” but I’ll be back later with some cards using both dies. I love the way they look, but I must admit that die cutting the blossoms requires some time and patience even with a metal shim. I do not, however, regret either purchase. 

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This card uses just two of the eight dies included, both die cut from metallic cardstock (which might have been one of the reasons they didn’t cut so easily.) I adhered them to a white card and added a bow tied with beautiful silver cord that my friend, Michelle, gave me. The sentiment is embossed with Platinum embossing powder on one of Papertrey Inks “Skinny Mini Banners.” I almost didn’t order that set of dies, but I’m already glad I did. It was the perfect size for one of Simon Says “Tiny Words” phrases (another new purchase with a lucky blog win from Simon Says.)

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It’s cold and raining here, and we woke up to no heat. A heating contractor is due here in an hour or so, and I’m hoping it’s a simple fix. We certainly don’t want to leave the house without any heat while we’re away for a week.

 

CAS on Friday: Christmas Card

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The latest challenge on CAS on Friday is “Make a Christmas Card.” I’ve shared a few of the cards I made, but haven’t shared the ones I made using the tags for Tracey McNeeley’s 25 Christmas Tags challenge. I spent the better part of a day right before the holiday turning some of the tags into cards. They’ve all been mailed now, so it’s a good time to share. I’ll be entering the first one into the CAS on Friday challenge.

The card I’m entering is the only card I made this year in non-traditional colors, and it’s one of my favorites. 

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The tag uses Papertrey Ink’s “Warmest Wishes” set. I ran the beautiful Altenew embossing plate through the die cutter with Raspberry Fizz cardstock, mounted it on a top-folded white card, and added the tag. 

Here are a few more:

This card went to Hannah. Sarah set me the cutest video of Hannah opening the card and giving it a very close examination. My grandchildren are young enough that I don’t expect much appreciation from them. Sometimes the card is destroyed in just minutes. It’s the pleasure of making it that matters. In this case, the card was truly appreciated, and it survived the holiday season.

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Using the Simon Says stencil “Falling Snow,” I covered a black card with white embossing paste to create a backdrop for the tag created with Neat and Tangle’s cute “So Foxy” stamp, Simon Says “Merry and Bright” and “Diagonal Stripes.” 

This turned out to be another fave:

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I die cut Simon Says “Diamond Pattern” from Blueberry Sky paper (PTI) and left the die cuts remain in place. I adhered it to a card made from “Spring Rain,” and then added the dimensional tag created with stamps from PTI’s “Winter Hills” and the “Tag Sale 10” die.

The next card uses the same “Diamond Pattern” die cut this time from Pure Poppy cardstock. In this case, I released all the little pieces to expose the white card behind the cute penguin tag stamped with My Favorite Things “Chill Wishes” and some more embossing paste with the “Falling Snow” stencil by Simon Says.

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And one more:

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The tag for this cards was die cut with PTI’s “Tag Sale 4” and the beautiful holly (and die) are from Hero Art’s “Happy Holly Days” which I watercolored with Zig markers. The bow was die cut with a die from Concord & 9th’s “Mistletoe Card Frame.” It’s hard to see clearly, but the tag is mounted on Pure Poppy that was embossed with Papertrey Ink’s “Tintype” Impression Plate. 

When I started making tags for Tracey’s challenge I didn’t expect to turn many of them into cards. In the end, I think I created 15 or 16 cards from the 26 tags. I ended up needing all of them so it turned out to be a worthwhile endeavor.

 

 

 

Photowalk #1 and 5 in 5

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One thing I wanted to do this year was come up with a photography project. I’ve completed two Project 365s, and didn’t want the pressure of taking a daily photo. In addition, I wanted to be more deliberate about the photography and was looking for a theme when I chanced upon the idea of 52 Photowalks. Perfect! It will get me outside every week, regardless of the weather and encourage me to find some new areas to photograph. 

We arrived in Racine, WI this morning on a beautiful, very warm, January day. The warm temperatures will be gone tomorrow so I wasted no time getting out. Tracy and I drove the short distance from Sarah’s home to the Wind Point Lighthouse. I took about 20 photos in the area, but am sharing just five of them taken within five minutes for Sandi’s 5 in 5 meme–this month on the 5th!

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Next week’s photowalk will be even more fun. Sarah has a week-long conference in Orlando, FL, and we’re all flying down several days ahead of time to take Hannah and Caleb to DisneyWorld for several days. Then we’ll leave her there for her conference and come back to Racine with Adam and the kids.