Tuesday, December 21, 2010

ribbons & bows

I have a thing for old office stuff.  Like my old printer's cabinet.  And the dusty, musty old drawers (of which I still need about 7 or so).  I love it, and was fortunate enough to have a friend with a station wagon with me on the day this was marked down to $300.  Score!

The drawers, with all their little nooks and crannies, left something to be desired.  Like cleanliness.  I scrubbed and scoured and scraped off all the paper in each cubby, and repurposed it as my new holder for my ribbons.  This is only part way through my inventory of ribbon, but I'm so excited about this I had to share now! instead of later when it's full.


I love all my ribbons, but especially the teeny, tiny ones my sister sends up in little boxes.  All cute and matchy-matchy.  Not enough to do much, but just enough to make something special!


Saturday, December 11, 2010

the best game you can name

I have a little bit of time on my hands while I sit and scan in photos for a client (1986 - present... I'm only on 1999!)  So while the scanner chugs away, I thought I would get a head start on next year's batch of Christmas cards!  (I know, I know, I should be cleaning up the studio and doing my books, but this is so much more fun.)

I started with the sentiment "May your holiday be filled with joy and good cheer"  and then I saw my hockey sweater stamp.  Perfect!
Then I coloured it in with a watercolour pencil, and donated my current glass of water to the project and wet the pencil markings with a brush.





I adhered the jersey to a plaid piece of paper, adhered it all to the card, and presto!  10 cards done and out of the way for next year.



Oh, and the best game you can name, is the good ol' hockey game!  If you're from Canada, you already know this, of course.

Monday, November 29, 2010

'tis the season


Best Shot Monday question - how do I keep my wits about me during the holidays?  Hmm... well, I focus on others.  Like my friend's guinea pigs.  The best photo shoot companions ever!  They sit still, and love the click of the camera.  I plopped them on the dining room table, with the fibre optics Christmas tree as a backdrop, and poof!  instant Christmas photo.

I plan out my December to make sure I can fit in as many relaxing evenings with friends as possible. I'm not always hosting, and they're not always hosting. A dinner for four, or an evening with 30 - it's all good just as long as it's easy and fun. I don't do a tree because I don't find it easy or fun. I have a couple evergreens on our property, so I'm good with just leaving them be. Santa Baby can slip the sable directly into my hall closet instead of under the tree. :)

The other things I do are: shop during the rest of the year and wrap & mail before December hits.  I have little patience for malls to begin with, and a mall filled with impatient people doesn't exactly fill me with the Holiday Glow.  I also have to wrap for extended family so I get it done earlier so I don't start grumbling about it all.  As well, I have a lot of clients wanting cards made and photos altered, so I want to leave time open for them too!  As for being outside in the wonderous snow, I prefer watching someone else shovel my walkway, and preparing some hot chocolate for him (my Charlie Brown, my husband).  I snuggle with my puppy, and sit by a fire (we're lucky enough to have a real wood-burning fireplace!)  The more I can stay off the slippy ice & snow the better.  Hey, we can't all be Snow Bunnies!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Surfin' the Net, finding textural gold!

Kim Klassen Cafe

So I’ve stumbled upon a fellow Canadian, and a prairie girl to boot, who does amazing things with Textures in Photoshop. I must admit, I have not been at the computer forever, due to all the crap that 2010 has been, and my focus is totally off – I’m running every way but loose. However, all that being said, I think I will concentrate on Kim Klassen and her Cafe in the coming months. These Textures and what they can do for the average photo are just too cool to not play with!

Thought you should know about them too. 

So I played around with a photo I took of Ji-Sun at her wedding to my brother-in-law, Harrison. 
Who could get a more perfect model?  She's just stunning.

Then I took out the 'unwanted' elements in the background.

Then I added two of Kim's Textures, and played with the levels and saturation.

 Then I added a subtle border to the edge. 
Love it!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

November already!??

Where the heck did September and October go?  One minute I was dealing with bronchitis and the next I was in MN to visit my sister (above) and her family & friends.  This shot was taken on the last day there after visiting JKL Gifts (KA's new pop-up store) at Snuffy's.  We had bacon cheddar cheese burgers and chili cheese fries and a malt.  It was great!  But more importantly, the trip was great.  I was able to spend another Hallowe'en with Andrea's kids, connect with friends and spend some good one-on-one time with Andrea as well.  And talk about a busy household!  There wasn't more than 20 minutes in the whole 10 days where we inserted a little down-time.  Only to be interrupted by laundry.  I really do wish I lived closer so I could spend more time with all of them!

As for the studio, not much is happening right now in the creative department.  Just back from one trip and on to the next!  I'm hoping to have more Craft Fairs to attend (the last one was a success - yay me!) before the snow and cold makes me refuse to leave the house.

Monday, October 25, 2010

I don't like Mondays (tell me why)

It's been a rough couple weeks around here, and it's not looking much brighter.  Mum & Dad are of the age where their friends are getting sick and some of them have recently passed away.

Last week my sister came up from Minnesota and we attended JTMM's funeral.  Over a thousand people attended, and my Dad was an honourary pallbearer.  It's all too unreal - Jim has always been there, and now suddenly, he's not.  I painted this large abstract landscape during this last week, and although I've titled it '103 Miles to Chicago' it sorta reminds me of the autumn mornings when Jim & Dad would go out hunting.

This morning brought more news from Mum - another life-long friend is in the hospital, along with a new friend who had a mild heart attack, and my favourite Auntie needs to have an angiogram.  (sigh)

 I'm heading off in two days to Minnesota to spend a week with my sister and her kids, and in the thick of things up here preparing for my trip I've gotten a whopper of a headache and have been kinda grumpy for the past couple days.  The snow on the ground today didn't help either!

But then, just as I was planning on grumbling some more, the lady at Staples re-did my botched print order for free, along with two extra pages!  And then the guy in front of me at Starbucks bought me my Chai - and apparently does this all the time - lucky for me I was behind him in line.  So although there is a lot of clouds lately, there is also a silver lining (every once in a while).

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Riverbend Community Centre Craft Sale

Riverbend Community Centre
Craft Sale

Saturday, October 23, 2010 ~ 10:00am – 4:00pm

19 Rivervalley Drive SE Calgary Alberta


A wonderful variety of homemade crafts; as well as gift based home businesses. Concession sponsored by the Heritage Lions Club; drop by for a snack or lunch. Admission is free ~ advertised to all of Calgary media Donations accepted for the Calgary Interfaith Food Bank.


Kennedy Ink will have a table at the Riverbend Community Centre’s Craft Fair.

I will have a variety of art available, as well as some photography, and if I get my act in gear some cards as well. Come out and get some Christmas shopping done early!

Michelle
Kennedy Ink

http://www.google.com/profiles/KennedyInkCreative  check out all my creative explorations!

Monday, October 11, 2010

consolidating

In my studio, and in my business, I have a lot.  I find I get attracted to new techniques and new tools, and after I acquire them I forget about the old tools & techniques... so I go back to those and forget about the new... I think you see where this is going.

Time to consolidate.  I have the ability to do anything, I just don't have the time to do everything.  Which is a hard lesson to learn.  But with too much diversity comes too little production, what with all my resources spread so thin.  Now I just have to decide what goes and what stays.  No.  That won't be easy at all.  (sigh)

Monday, October 4, 2010

and so it is






































Here we are at the end of an Indian Summer, waiting for the Globe Thistle to shed the last of the tasty bits the bees like to get at.  I must admit I'm feeling a little prickly myself.  We had an awesome Garage Sale on the 18th of September, and that night I came down with 'something' which turned into a cold, which became bronchitis.  I'm still coughing and sound like an old lounge singer who smokes a pack a day... and I'm half expecting pneumonia to be next on the list.  So far my antibiotics aren't kicking this bronchitis thing to the curb.  I've had to cancel a number of plans as well.  Just me and my dog napping on the couch leafing through magazines and ripping out pages to keep.  At some point, I expect I will start to not feel like a pile of poo, but I haven't gotten there yet.  So there you have it.  I'm as prickly as a Fall Globe Thistle, but still super cool.  :)

Sunday, September 26, 2010

end of season mulch

Finally!  The weediest spot in our garden was attacked by my brother-in-law in early August.  A few blades of grass crept back in over the last month and a half, and were finally eradicated by my husband.  To add to the no-weed look I like, he put down landscaping cloth and then went to buy bark-chips.  End-of-season bark chip selection is not top knotch - we got black... which looks a lot like dirt.  Oh well.  At least there isn't any chance of grass growing under that bench!  Next year I'll put a few pots on the broken bench and have flowers cascading down off of it.  It'll be so pretty!  Thanks for all your hard work Ty & Austin & Scott!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

'puter games

Who knew playing typing on the 'puter (or a placemat in this case) could be such fun?  L came up with this idea and Scott jumped on board, and then E and my sister got in on it as well.  Pretty soon there was the Coast Guard against a Secret Society bent on taking over the World!  I missed out on most of it because I was busy working (on a real computer, not a wooden placemat) while all this imagining was going on upstairs.  Never a dull moment when the niece and nephew are in town!  Even Maggie (our dog) got in on it (she's in hot pink on the back of the sofa basically ontop of Scott).

Sunday, September 12, 2010

family visit

L and her other Aunties


As a favour to my brother-in-law I sucked it up and drove with my sister and her two kids to Vernon to visit the other side of the family.  Kidding!  I love those kids & getting to spend more time with them is a blessing, so I actually jumped at the chance.

It was nice to see the other side of the family again.  I've known K (the woman looking at me taking the photo) since I was 18, and met her sister B shortly afterwards.  So we were all friends and my sister knew her mother-in-law before she even met her future husband.  It's a tangled web we weave, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

L was just enamoured with J, who is K's little boy.  And E visited with his much older cousin S, who was incredibly tolerant of all the little ones and their lack of understanding about personal space.

We laughed, we cried, and A got incredibly sick, and then the kids got a little ill, and I even managed to attend a scrapbooking class and visit an old friend.  It was a great start to the summer visit, and as a little payback, my sister helped me get my studio back in order from the renovations.  I know, I know.  It's been a long time coming!  But having my appendix removed, and then myomas removed, and then a 3 week vacation to Sonoma, and then... well, you get the idea.  I didn't do much this summer in the studio.

I did make up for my lack of actual work by taking a boat-load of pictures.  Here's a couple more from my time in Vernon.  I hope I get back out there next summer.  What a fabulous little town!



Tuesday, August 24, 2010

time ticking away

Best Shot Monday's theme this week is about time moving quickly.  And in those small moments where we see it slipping past, what holds our attention.

Most of what has held my attention this past week has been planning my brother-in-law's wedding and the logistics involved with planning in Vancouver while I'm here in Calgary, as well as the fun of trying to get other family members to 'buy-in' to my ideas.  My ego is pushing my ideas, because, of course, I figure they are better ideas than anyone else's.  Hmmmm....

And then I had the opportunity to spend time taking care of Molly (above) who is, sadly, on the downward slope of life.  She's thin, has a lot of lumps that may be cancer, wheezes all the time, has hips that don't work and cloudy eyes.  And look at her!  She's just as happy as a clam to be out for a short walk.  She doesn't much care about anything except that I try to keep up with her, and give her food to eat, water to drink, and a few bellyrubs for good measure.  No ego.  No positioning for accolades.  No hurt feelings if someone doesn't agree with her outlook on life. 

So even though she's in pain and sauntering towards the exit door, she still has lessons to teach.  Even if the student is a little slow and pig-headed.

Oh, and when I die, if I get to come back, I want to come back as a well-loved dog.  Like Molly.  With lots of bellyrubs, please.

Monday, August 16, 2010

gratitude

I'm not usually grateful enough for all the wonderful things in my life.  I generally get overshadowed by the non-wonderful things and end up brooding to the point I forget about the wonderful things.

However, this past July I stayed at my sister's friend's place in Glen Ellen for 16 days.  This is her view up Sonoma Mountain, with the fog just lifting off in the morning, the bees buzzing on her masses of lavender, and the olives ripening away on her trees. 

I am grateful I have been able to carve out a life that led me to this place.  I am grateful I have a husband who supports all my weird artful follies and sees value in them.  I am grateful I have a Mum who came along and made it much more fun than being alone.  And I'm grateful for my sister who told me about the house-sitting option.  Oh and to the owners, for letting us stay in this wonderful place.  I really really hope it's a yearly thing.  I could totally get used to that.  :)

Monday, August 9, 2010

growth?

As per Best Shot Monday, she has requested that we look at the growth that has taken place in our lives lately.  The only growth I have is my ever expanding butt.  Most of everything else is contracting.  I've found, over the years, that I've put myself 'out there' and then promptly get put down.  So I've slowed down in my zealous attempt to be flayed continually.  Funny that.

And I know where it all stems from.


This is one of the very few photos I have where I know I'm pregnant when the photo was taken.  And this is one of the very few photos I have where I still think (at the time, in the photo) that life turns out the way you expect it to.  6 years, 5 miscarriages, and 80 pounds later, I know life definately does not turn out the way you expect it to.  And that sucks.  Hard. 

Hence the shrinking of my life, not the growth.  Sorry.  Not really playing along well this week.

Monday, July 26, 2010

best shot Monday - obsession

My current obsession is this horse.  He's by the side of Bennett Valley Road on the way to Santa Rosa California. And I think he's just beautiful.  Mum and Scott aren't as convinced.  But we've now stopped twice to photograph him.  And I believe we're going to stop one last time in the next couple days.  :)

Monday, July 19, 2010

my best shot Monday

I am forever trying to take photos of fish, and never really getting any due to the reflection of the water.  I think this one worked out pretty well.  It was in the Japanese Garden in Spokane and there was no sun overhead, so there was no big glare either.  It's still a little distorted due to the angle of the water and refraction and all that science stuff, but a huge koi shot nonetheless.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

away

I'm away on yet another holiday.  Mum and I drove down to Glen Ellen California from Calgary Alberta.  It was a long drive (took 3.5 days) and we've not really stopped driving since.  There have been too many things to see and check out!  And then, of course, there was the "let's drive up Highway 1" issue that lead to "let's head back from here" problem, that meant 3 extra hours on the road. hmmmm... Perhaps that wasn't the best way to spend a day.
Regardless, away on holidays and yet still working, so is it really a holiday, or just work in another location?  It would be great if my 'work' could be always just wandering around checking out new things and reporting back (not exactly like Star Trek, but then again, I've always liked the beaming aspect of their travel).

It's been an interesting year so far - trip to Vancouver Island in April, appendix out in May, then another surgery for a myomaectomy days before our driving trip in July.  And when I get back my sister will be popping up for a visit... and then it's fall.  Very busy.  I really feel as if time is slipping by and I'm not using it wisely.  Best laid plans of mice and men and all that. 

But I am taking some great photos along the way!  Well, at least I think so.


Tuesday, July 13, 2010

best shot Tuesday??

Okay so I was travelling yesterday!  That is my excuse for not publishing a photo on Monday.

What have I seen through my lens this week?  Well, a lot.  Mainly ... rose gardens.  And my Mum.  We're travelling down to Glen Ellen from Calgary.  That is quite a trek!  Along the way, we stopped at some gardens (well, not in Redding - it was too hot to get out of the car!)

I love the lens flare on this - an automatic vignette!

Monday, July 5, 2010

best shot monday

impossibly delightful??  This is a tough assignment.  Well, for me it is.  I'm not much in the mood for delightful.  I keep having health issue after health issue with no resolution to any of it.  "Uncertain medical significance" has been the term-of-choice from my GP.  Currently awaiting a myomectomy at 6:15am Tuesday morning.  I know some have it worse and handle it better, so I should suck it up or something.  But I'm not that resiliant.  So, let's see....  impossibly delightful....

Let's go with my niece last summer with the bubble maker toy.  I wish I had had a bigger telephoto to catch her pretty little face better, but she's in full jump/run mode, complete with her hair still falling down from her latest jump.  I find her impossibly delightful.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

summer away

I am not going to be here for part of the summer.  And I wasn't able to plant anything for the spring, and I wasn't able to weed much either.  Suffice it to say - my garden is a little weak this year.  I've managed to get AC to come by and weed a couple times, and I've broken down and purchased some annuals instead of growing from seed.  And then I have to leave it to (gasp!) other people to take care of for 3 weeks, and hope I don't come back to a jungle.  sigh   My dream is to come back to a fence painted and a weedless flowery garden.  Ha!  Good one.

Monday, June 28, 2010

best shot monday

That's Mum & Ginger (@ 5 months) after Ginger got schooled (read: bit) by Sophie for being too annoying.  Ginger even had her paw wrapped around Mum's leg.  Very sweet.  And so was Mum & Dad for coming down that weekend and helping get the studio practially done!  With my appendix coming out, I wasn't exactly able to help much but they are workhorses and got it done, pretty much without me, but with Scott's help.  Now all I have to do is load all my stuff back in.  I'd like some garden gnomes in the middle of the night to come and do that for me too!

Monday, June 21, 2010

best shot monday

I spent the weekend up in Red Deer with Mum & Dad.  For some reason their lilacs have not yet fully bloomed whereas mine are already done.  Are our weather systems that different?  It's back to the grind today, with the studio in a bit of a mess, a project half painted, and a canvas of the proper depth yet to be found.  Cell phone is ringing, laundry is washing, and the grocery list is growing.  There are so many things to do on Monday when I take off for the weekend!  I guess I had better get to it!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

best shot monday


I haven't participated in a while.  I guess I've not had any good shots lately.  But here is a bunny who sits outside my husband's window at work sometimes.  I had the opportunity to sit on the floor inside and take photos of him outside.  He could see me but didn't budge because he couldn't smell me.  It was a great opportunity to take a bunch of photos and get really really close.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

spammers

I'm not sure.  Should I find it hilarious or sad - the most comments I get on my collective blogs are from spammers?  "Thank you for publishing this it was used as a source for a paper I am currently writing for my finals."  "I've been around for a while and just wanted to let you know what a great blog you have." "Just wanted to say what a great blog you have here."   All with a person's name and then a link to some site selling Gucci or something else.

I guess I'll opt to find it hilarious.  I'm not sure how or why spammers got a foothold and have been able to maintain and prosper.  Maybe because most of the spam I see is fear-based and nothing gets people to act faster than fear.  Or maybe because they send out feelers for the naive and then hook them in (I guess this is why it's called 'phishing'.  I, for one, don't give them the time of day.  Delete Delete Delete.  I can spot them a mile away and avoid them. 

I also don't forward emails with other people's addresses still attached - this is a great way for a spammer to get all sorts of email addresses to send to.  I'd like to tell my nephew to forward properly, but I'm not so sure his dad would be so receptive to my fussing.  As well, I have an email address that is disposable so I can delete it and start fresh if the spammers get ahold of it and it starts to be an issue.  Poof! it can disappear and a new one in its place, with my secure email address in the background quietly receiving forwards.

But one is always going to come across the aggressive sales person and their minions.  A polite hand up and "I'm sorry, I'm not here to talk to you." type attitude can dissuade a few.  And, unfortunately, a less polite action can stave off the others.  Where did respect and common courtesy ever go?

Ah well, enough of my spammers rant.  I'm supposed to find it hilarious, right?  Well here's something I truly do find hilarious - my dog.  She's camera shy and doesn't like to look at me when I have the camera in her face.  Ah, where did respect and common courtesy ever go in dealing with taking photos of my pet?  (insert evil laughter here)

Monday, May 31, 2010

bye bye appendix

Yes, that is a teddy bear.  My husband brought it to the Rockyview for my overnight stay while I was monitored after my surprise! appendectomy on May 8th.  Thankfully, I'm semi-cleaned up here and have been weaned off the morphine a bit.
It's been a few weeks now and I'm getting there, but I'm still not back in the saddle totally.  Maybe in another couple weeks, if I don't push it too much!  It's been a bit of a bummer not being able to participate in everything I had planned for May, but I guess "better out than in" takes priority over silly little things like plans.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Ginger

at only 4 months old, Dad's new dog Ginger is already huge.  All she wanted to do was carry the bucket.  Nevermind that is was full of water for her to drink and she had to knock it over and empty it first.  Silly girl.  Just look at those paws!  She's going to be a monster!!!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Decluttering

I'm starting up a little article posting spot at www.scribd.com/KennedyInk if you want to come and take a look.  I'm working with Karen Biko with http://www.31daystodeclutter.com/ as well, so you will find the articles will coincide with the decluttering that's going on.  If you feel so inclined, maybe join the challenge and declutter your home.  Feel the call of Spring?  I do.  And that always involved some decluttering.  Karen is taking it to the next level.  Check it out! 

I did my own decluttering of the studio a two years ago.  I hope my renos will be over soon and I can get back to actually doing something enjoyable in my space.

Monday, April 26, 2010

best shot monday

Sophie
I have to admit I stole this idea from a client I have been helping to organize her photos.  Her dog, a golden retriever, was in a field of dandelions and it was such a great picture!  I saw my opportunity near Cowichan Bay and had to place Sophie in all the yellow.  Not bad, even for full mid-day sun!

Monday, April 19, 2010

best shot monday


It seems like I can't blog lately unless it's for best shot monday.  I'm blaming it on my holiday from my usual routine.

This shot was taken on the Yellowhead highway, between Edson and Jasper.  It's not a snowstorm - it's sand.  Yup, sand.  There is this one spot where a riverbed is totally exposed and it looks like a desert at the bottom of the Rocky Mountians.  Very odd.  Very ethereal.  Love it.

It has that melancholy feeling to it, which goes along with the end of a holiday.  Welcome to Monday.

Monday, April 12, 2010

best shot monday

going back a week for this one - outside of Vernon, beautiful spring blossoms!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

best shot monday

ok so it's Tuesday, but who's counting?

this grey beauty was wanting me to have better food than her hay.  Nope.  I just had the camera.
Taken in Pritchard BC, on Harrison Road.

Monday, March 22, 2010

best shot monday

I have a slight obsessions with the Moon.  I was trying, unsuccessfully, to take a picture of it on my birthday.  My husband suggested I push the button down halfway to 'set' the brightness of the light below and then pan up to the Moon, thinking this would yield a brighter shot.  Nope.  But it's a much cooler shot than the grainy bleakness I was capturing before.  Ah, to be able to Shoot the Moon.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

best shot monday

I'm not sure if I'll have time on Monday, so I thought I'd get on here on Sunday.

This photo was taken on Saturday on our way back to Calgary from Lethbridge, on Highway 3, past the turn for Monarch.  Apparently, this highway is "Dead Old Truck" highway - we saw about 10 by the side of the road.  Love the blue happy face on the side of this one.

Monday, March 8, 2010

best photo monday, March 8


March 1964 - a photo of my Mum (in white) and her friends watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Shoe, whoops - I mean 'Show'