New Camera Lens

Three, in fact!

I've been considering this pack of lenses for quite some time. The list price of $50 was holding me back. Then, last week Amazon had them as a daily special for $11 so I jumped on my chance to get them.

As camera lenses go, even $50 is pretty cheap. But these are not lenses for my "big" Canon camera. These are three mini-lenses to use with my smartphone's camera!

As you see, the kit comes with a fisheye lens, a wide-angle lens, and a macro lens. They clip easily onto the phone.

It also has lens covers, a cleaning cloth, and a carrying case.

Preliminary tests are very encouraging. I'm looking forward to practicing with them and sharing photos as I learn.

In addition to playing with these new lenses, I'll soon be starting an online photography course in taking professional-quality photos with a smartphone. Gosh, I love learning about photography and watching my images improve over time.

Our Yard in Spring - Tulip and Friends

This pinkish-red tulip popped up all alone on the hill far after the rest of the tulips bloomed and faded.

.
.
.
Hidden inside, a tiny busy universe.

A Little Bit o' Magic

One of my high school teachers turns 85 next week. A bunch of his former students are surprising him with a flurry of cards. Besides teaching math, he was also a magician. Each week after most of our classwork was done, he'd give his class a mini magic show. So I made a birthday card with a magical theme.

I used card stock, the inside of a security envelope, some sparkly felt for the silhouette, and some star "gems" for the cover.

On the inside, I used more felt for the hat, and shiny star stickers for the "pow!"

Best, I got it in the mail on time!

Our Yard in Spring - Periwinkle

The north slope of our yard is very shady for most of the day. The moss loves it (sigh).

But so does the periwinkle.

Our Yard in Spring - Rose

We've been in our home nearly 23 years.
This rose was here when we arrived.
Each Fall we cut it back.
Each Spring it emerges once again.

Each Summer it blooms a deep and fragrant red.

Our Yard in Spring - Grape Hyacinth

These purple beauties had their week in the sun.

They covered one slope of the yard.

Our Yard in Spring - What's Up, Buttercup?

The yellow tulip in full bloom

Bless You

I finished another small stitchery today! So nice to have a tapestry needle in my hand again.

As you see, I changed the colors slightly to brighten up the pallette. I think these colors work better with the 18ct aida fabric I chose and the backing fabric I plan to use. Like the heart I finished earlier this week, this will be made into a phone case for a friend of mine.

Pattern: Bless You
Designer: Heart In Hand copyright 2000

If you'd like to purchase the pattern from me, it's $2.50 (includes postage); paid via PayPal.
The chart is originally from a kit.

Recycled CD Christmas Ornament

Project Pinterest 02

Yesterday's self-challenge was to open one of my emails from Pinterest, find an interesting project, and using only materials found in my stash, make the craft immediately . That's saying something for me, because I'm quite a planner. I usually don't start any project until I've thought about it a good long time.

The project that caught my eye in the very first email I opened was this: a plain glass Christmas ornament covered in a mosaic of pieces cut from a CD. The original post showed a glittery ribbon inside to add to the sparkle.

I rummaged through my CDs and found one with old photos on it that I didn't need any more. I know from experience how difficult it is to cut a CD with scissors. Often it will shatter. I wanted more uniform pieces.

So I used some tin snips to do the job. That worked fairly well, but was still pretty rough on my hands. Were I to try this again, I think I'd experiment with my paper shredder to cut the CD into uniform strips, then cut the strips into bits with the tin snips. To contain all the small pieces, I used the top of a plastic shoe box. The pieces did like to fly with each snip!

Deep in my stash I found this plastic cup left over from a package of cupcake papers. I decided to use it to hold the glass ornament steady while I used hot glue to attach the CD mosaic bits to the glass ornament.

I removed the top of the ornament before the next step. I first tried using some silver glitter hot glue sticks to attach the mosaic pieces, but that didn't work very well. So I switched back to clear hot glue. The sample ornament was covered with larger pieces of the CD in various shapes with wide-ish gaps between the pieces (see below). I decided to use small bits of rectangular CD mosaic pieces with small gaps between the pieces. Jodie and I chatted via Skype while I crafted, which made the time fly by rather than having this step feel tedious.

When all the pieces are glued in place, it might be wise to use some rubbing alcohol and a soft cloth to remove any hot glue "spiderwebs." I tried putting ribbon in the orb like the inspiration piece, but because my mosaic doesn't have a lot of space between the pieces, the ribbon didn't add extra sparkle. I decided to leave the ornament empty. I replaced the top of the ornament. Then, using some silver ribbon from my stash (re-used some of the ribbon from the 25th anniversary cake!), I formed a small loop so the ornament can hang from the tree. I also tied another length of ribbon around the ornament top to complete the piece.

I'm quite pleased with the result! I'm going to challenge myself to do more of these "spur-of-the-moment" projects using materials I already have in my stash. Fun!

---

Inspiration Mosaic Ornament by Shelterness

Our Yard in Spring - Cherry Bush

The last cherry blossom

Shortly after I took this photo, I bumped the bush and the petals floated away.

One step closer

Way back in October I started this very small stitchery. I dug it out of my Studio stash a few days ago and took time to finish the stitching this afternoon. I like the feeling of accomplishment.

I plan to turn it into a phone case for a friend of mine. Let's hope that doesn't take another 6 months.

Dishes

This week in #CornerOfMyHome, the dish cupboard in the kitchen.

The dishes ... Feistaware interspersed with look-alike bowls and plates from the dollar store. Amazing how well they look together.

The cupboard ... a hand-me-down from my mom. I'm pretty sure it was her mother's hutch. My dad was tightening screws in the doors and broke them. He always did like to over-tighten screws. What an odd memory this photo conjured.

Gosh. That shelf paper is looking quite dated. Time to replace it during Spring Cleaning.

I believe that one of photography's greatest gifts is that it helps me see the reality in front of me. I get so used to my "stuff" being a certain way, that I don't realize how it looks until I photograph it and see it through fresh eyes.

Our Yard in Spring - Phlox

Last year, our phlox bed was lush with flowers.
Then it got overgrown with weeds and wild grass, so we had to tear out the phlox and start over.
This year, we have just one little survivor.

Flower Mandala 1

Today's coloring meditation

Drawing by Thaneeya McArdie from her book Flower Mandalas

Our Yard in Spring - Hosta Sprouts

The hosts are beginning to push up through the bark

and reach for the sun.

Our Yard in Spring - Oregon Grape

Bright yellow blooms among the dead pine needles and new grass shoots.

This plant grows like a beautiful weed along our fence line.

Our Yard in Spring - More Tulips

They bud

They radiate

They bloom

Our Yard in Spring - The First Tulips

The sun was sliding over the treetops to the west when these tulips called me outside.

Our Yard in Spring - Hyacinth

The hyacinth made a quick show last week ... then faded quickly.

Some Wear Their Heart on Their Sleeve

Apparently, I wear mine on my bathroom counter.

I got out of the shower and was drying off. I looked down at the counter and saw this happy heart watermark.

Seriously. It's like hearts follow me around. I'll take a little lovin' wherever I can.

One More Anniversary Celebration

Saturday was the last part of our week-long 25th wedding anniversary celebration. Jeanne dropped in from the Spokane Valley. Julie and Jeff drove up from Moscow.

Pre-game Groupie

We made it another laid-back day of chatting, playing miniature golf (Jeanne got a hole in one on her very first try!), laughing, having BBQ, and watching a 3D movie here at home.

Watch Out, Julie!

I received what I wanted most this week  -- time with our daughters.

Many thanks to Jeanne for these photos.

25th Wedding Anniversary

On Wednesday, Dale and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary!

We celebrated simply. I cooked a meal for him of crock pot Hawaiian chicken, rice pilaf, sauteed vegetables, and some sparkling cider. (I used chicken thighs because they are more flavorful than breasts). Then I set the table with linens, stemware, candles, and silver decorations.

I made a miniature 3-layer white cake, too! I decorated it with with silver ribbons, white ribbon flowers, and silver beads. It mimicked our wedding cake in that we had flowers and pearl beads around the edges of our cake 25 years ago.

When Dale got home, he gave me a box of my favorite chocolates and these 25 beautiful long-stemmed red roses!

For Dale, I found a frame for his abstract art painting, a couple silver ties, and a personalized tie tack. After dinner, we did one of our favorite activities - a ride in the convertible. It was such a lovely evening! I am so very grateful for our living, breathing, happy marriage.

The Forest Floor

There are a lot of changes afoot on the forest floor these days. A couple weeks ago, Kiwanis Park was covered by a sea of delicate camas flowers.

Click for a larger image

. 
They are a lovely sign of the change in weather here in north Idaho.

An Engagement Celebration

Last weekend Dale and I had the great good fortune to travel to Oregon to spend time with our Jodie and her new fiance, Ken. We kept the pomp out of it and enjoyed the heck out of our days together in simple, fun ways.

First, Jodie took me to the Dorris Ranch which will be the site of their wedding. What a beautiful spot, rich with local history. While there, we even found a geocache.

After eating lunch at a cozy hangout in Eugene, we headed back to Springfield for 18 holes of mini golf. It was a great course where we even got to travel under a giant waterfall!

I'm happy to say that I tied for 2nd -- a rare bit of good luck.

After the game we headed over to a new-to-Jodie park in town. We ducked out of the sun, sitting under an arbor between a river and a train car and drank some water and root beer to cool off. Now Jo can mark another park visited off her list.

We ended the evening with some kettle corn and Notting Hill back at their duplex. An ideal end to a lovely day.

All photos by my daughter Jodie.

When Evening Falls

Dale and I went out for a long drive in the convertible after he got off work today. We drove through downtown Coeur d'Alene, then east through Nettleton Gulch, then north on 15th Street to the road that overlooks Hayden Lake.

Beautiful dusk. Good company.

Along the way we saw at least 20 white tail deer having their evening meal. I only had my phone's camera with me, and this (sketchy) photo was the sole slightly decent capture. But I'm putting it here as a reminder to myself of a lovely evening with the best guy I know.

At Dorris Ranch

When Dale and I were in Oregon celebrating Jodie and Ken's engagement, Jodie took me out to Dorris Ranch, the setting for their nuptials. It's a really beautiful setting. She'll marry in a meadow near a grove of filbert trees (otherwise known as hazelnuts ... but don't call them that in Springfield!)

After looking around for a while, we decided to find a geocache. It was near this cavernous structure.

click for a larger image

What is it, you ask?
Some enormous fungi on a giant fallen tree.