I'm so nervous...

...I'm getting ready to enter three of my photos in a juried gallery show!  First of all, I'm nervous that I won't get picked and second of all, if I DO get picked, where do I begin!  Should I have framed work, canvas wrapped, printed on metal, float mount....so many choices!  And I still haven't even decided which three photos to enter!  Perhaps ya'll can help me out a bit.  Here is a link to my "favorites" on Flickr.  I would really appreciate any and all feedback from you!  And, to make this grueling task [lol] worth your while, I'm giving these away:

They are called "Lilac" and they are for sale in my Etsy shop, if you want to read about them.  But, all you have to do to win your very own pair is leave a comment indicating your three favorite photos from my Flickr favorites.  Ozzy will be picking a winner Monday morning [09.05.11] ~ Good Luck and Thank you so much!!!

Back to the grind...I have three shows coming up!  Click on the "calendar" link here on my website and see if, perhaps, you can come see me at one of them!!!  That would be awesome!!

Happy Wednesday Lovelies!!  xo ~ Kathy

"Things done well and with a care, exempt themselves from fear." ~ William Shakespeare

taking it all in...

...I woke up this morning with a sense of calm.  It's 61 degrees outside, the sky is as blue and blue can possibly be and the birds are singing like crazy!  So I sat here drinking my coffee and made this:

but since I couldn't think of what to name it, I wrote a poem instead:

Today I heard a song, oh so sweet.

A little bird just by chance I did meet.
He flew high in the sky with a wink in his eye
And a feather floated down to my feet.

I love this little necklace!!!  Of course, I had to make two!  One for me and one for you!!  It's for sale in the shop, if you simply must have it...and you won't be sorry you bought it.

[Picture Share]

Happy, happy day!!!  xo ~ Kathy

"Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better." ~ Albert Camus

Learning...

...I'm always trying to learn new things, buying books, watching tutorials, reading blogs, etc.  One thing I've "learned" is that you can't "learn" everything.  In the last couple of months, I've bought 4 new books about PhotoShop CS5...really?  I don't know what I was [am] thinking!  First of all, do I "really" want to know all of this stuff and, if so, WHY?  It's like, okay...I turned 50 this past May [I know, whatever!], so I only [realistically] have a few more years to learn things and retain the information.  So today I'm thinking, is this something I want to even retain?  Seems as though there are more important things to remember...like my husband's birthday, the way he smells when he comes out of the woods, the way Ozzy looks at me when I ask him "wanna treat!!", the way my sister laughs on the phone when I tell her something funny, the way my son smiles at me when I tell him he's the best human being on the whole planet, the way my mom gets "giddy" when I talk to her about sex...these are the things I "really" want to remember.  But, I really am enjoying "learning" PhotoShop, but I just hope it's not something I remember when I'm 64! 

And, before I go, I must share this awesome photo of my little Hummingbird visitor today:

 And Ozzy :)

Thanks PhotoShop!!  I'm glad I decided to learn {a little bit} more!

Happy Friday everybody!!!  xo ~ Kathy

"Our task must be to free ourselves...by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty." ~ Albert Einsten

Eyes wide open...

Wow!  Little critters are all over the place these days...either that, or I'm just "seeing" them.  And, I think the reason that I'm "seeing" them, is because I'm "looking":

Yesterday I met with a wonderful artist and her painting just won this contest!  I'm designing her a necklace for the event next month and it's going to be awesome!!!  More [much more] about that later.  On the way home from our meeting, I stopped off at a local farm to pick up a few fresh veggies and this little guy was on the back windshield of a car parked next to me.  Of course, I had to take his photo and what a cute little fellow he was, indeed!!

And on my way to the mailbox this morning, this little guy was on my flag pole.  He was caught up in a spider web and the spider was just sitting back waiting.  Needless to say, after I took this photo, I rescued the little fellow.  Sorry Mr. Spider, you'll have to find another food source today :)

This photo also inspired this quote: "It's not about the way you look at things, it's about the way you see them."

Happy Thursday!!!  xo ~ Kathy

Farmer's Market Finds & Local Goodness...

What an awesome day at the Transylvania County Tailgate Market!  I love peddling my wares out there.  The people are all so awesome and always showing me the love!  And now all of the fresh veggies are coming in and everything taste soooooo good!  Yesterday I got more sweet corn on the cob and the most gorgeous green peppers I've ever seen in my life!  And the heirloom tomatoes are awesome!  Wayne cut one up in thick slices and cooked it on the grill and then topped it off with some local goat cheese...delish!!!

Last night we went into town to hear a new local all girls band.  They call themselves "The Sundogs" and they are awesome!  

Here's a short clip...

And when we were walking around town, we spotted this huge caterpillar in a potted plant right along Main Street!  

 Come to find out, he's a Cecropia Silkmoth.  Isn't he awesome!  He's huge!!  And then we were greeted by this on the way home:

 Lots of Luna!  Happy Sunday everybody!!

xo ~ Kathy

"When I do good I feel good.  When I do bad I feel bad.  And that's my religion." ~ Abraham Lincoln

Wasting time...

This quote suits me perfectly!  According to John Lennon, I never waste time, never!  I'm dying for a swimming pool!  I've been trying to talk Wayne into it...fingers crossed.  It's just so good for me, swimming and all.  Floating around with my wine, swimming with Ozzy, getting much needed exercise, all of those things.  I've even picked out the perfect spot for it and offered to pay for 1/2!  Although, if I do get a pool, just think of how much more time I'll be "wasting".  Hee hee ~ I would certainly enjoy it.  And speaking of wasting time, I had a high school friend come visit us over the weekend and we had a blast...he's way into his camera, just like me.  Of course, the funniest thing about our hikes was the "planking craze" ~ here's Greg "planking" on top of Black Balsam Knob:

and then there's also "Owling", of which I've just recently heard of:

But Wayne would have NO part of either.  He said once you turn 60, you don't plank, or Owl anymore ~ lol.  This is the closest I could get him to do either:

And just when you thought I had been wasting all of my time, I've been making some new things and they are listed in the shop.  My favorites of late are these:

I'm in love with those little gunmetal birds ~ they are adorable!  And the patina Olive branches are gorgeous...of course, I had to name them "Peace" ~ nothing else would fit.  They are for sale in the shop, if you want to see more.  And today I got in a whole box of feathers that I'll be making things with.  So check the shop often for new things, Autumn is upon us, as is my busiest time of the year!  Enjoy the dog days of Summer!!

And I just had to share this little guy before I signed off.  He was so cute!  He was way up at the top of Black Balsam...enjoying the view like us :)

Have a great weekend everybody!!  xo ~ Kathy

"Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life." ~ Jackie Robinson

Soliciting votes...

Thanks everybody!!