Honesty Flower or Lunaria annua.

Love this little plant....it blooms rather inconspicuously at this time of year (well, if you can call magenta flowers inconspicuous) but it is its amazing seed pod that it is known for.  Which of course I can't show you now, because it's just now flowering....well, you see the problem.  Still I'm sure you're all familiar with it. It is apparently native to the Balkans and southwest Asia, but it has naturalized throughout the temperate world.  And it is having a go beside the driveway in my yard, in

a small, fairly wild patch filled with rosa rugosa, snowberries, native goat's beard and a holly tree (ok, not so wild).  And now this sweet thing is trying to bloom.  It will have to fight off the deer, however, that are constantly pruning my unfenced front yard.  (And I live in the city, honestly....deer, raccoons, rabbits....what next?!)  Anyway I hope it makes it because I do love the seed pods.  We'll see.

In the meantime, I snapped this shot this morning (loving my iPhone!!) and played with it in Photoshop.  (Content from 2lil owls and Anna Aspnes)

Another beautiful sunny day.  No complaints from this end!!!  It's all good.
Thanks for stopping by.  I'll be back.

Spring at last!!

We are at last getting some lovely spring weather and the trees that were waiting for some warmth are all blooming at once.  I think we are about a month behind, but at least it's all happening now!!  I love it!

I went out early yesterday morning to feed the birds and the sun was shining through the garden gate.  And catching these sweet bluebells.  I grabbed my iPhone and snapped a couple of pictures.

I love being able to catch these quick photo opportunities with my iPhone....what an invention!!  And so very portable.  Why didn't I discover this sooner???!!  But just happy to have it along with me now.

I'm off for my morning walk!!!  Yay!  Life is good!!!

Back soon.
Thanks for staying with me....

The dance with Photoshop continues!

I am continuing on  my adventures with Photoshop and my various classes.  I have been taking an Advanced Brushes class with Anna Aspnes and have been learning lots about creating and using brushes in Photoshop.  So interesting.  I created this piece from one of my France photos from a few years ago.

As one approaches the Musee d'Orsay, the time is displayed on a large clock face on the Museum's wall.  Quite lovely.  But even more interesting is the room one enters whilst touring the museum, the room that houses the clock itself.  In this room, one looks out on a view of Sacre Coeur, seen through the clock face itself.  And the silhouette of the clock against the sky is exquisite.  This is my rendition of the clock face, using several brushes that I made and various blend modes in Photoshop, starting with my photo of the clock face and the distant view.  Still a long way to go in terms of the learning but such fun to play with what I am learning so far!!!

Oh, and I made myself a brush that allows me to create a stitched line, that curves and sweeps wherever I want!!  More fun!!!

http://www.annaaspnesdesigns.com