Holiday Card Challenge

I originally wasn't going to enter this challenge, because I didn't have a photo. But then, little elves made their way to my home and transformed my puppy into a glorified reindog—what are the odds?!

This is one of the very first pictures pictures I took on my brand new Nikon d3100. To say I'm excited about this camera is a huge understatement; I can't wait to start shooting more. Since this is a brand new toy, I played it safe and took the photo on auto (flash off) and then added a soft light layer, screen layer, sold color in navy blue with an exclusion filter, and then I lowered the opacity (I'm really hooked on this soft retro look). After the editing was finished, I added some fun little extras...er...I mean, some elves worked their magic! 

Click the button above for more fun holiday photos!

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

I had great plans for this week, but life got the best of me and this Scavenger Hunt got put on the back burner. I'm still happy with a few of my shots, but wish I tried a little harder for others.

 The View Above

I spent the weekend in Savannah and couldn't resist taking a picture of their Christmas tree!

Something Hot

This is my husband and I think he is incredibly hot.

Something Cold

This is another shot from Savannah. They have several candy stores and in one of the stores was an old-fashioned Coca-Cola ice box!

Electronic

My husband's mini netbook.

Sparkle

We put our Christmas tree up late last week...it's incredibly sparkly right now!

See more fun shots here:

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

Well, what do ya know; I actually got my act together and took these throughout the week instead of scrambling around on Saturday! I had a lot of fun with these. 

1. Self-Portrait

Well, this is me! I altered this photo using tricks I'm using in Kim Klassen's e-class. Despite starting with a blown out photo, I really like the way it turned out.

http://www.iheartfaces.com/2010/12/photo-contest-self-portrait/

2. Handmade 

I made a lemon meringue pie—from scratch—for my husband's birthday. It's the perfect combination of a zesty lemon and a sweet pie.

3. Orange 

I came home one day and noticed a tree in the backyard illuminated by the sun. It was an absolutely gorgeous shade of burnt orange, and when the leaves danced with the wind it made it look like the whole tree was on fire. It was just gorgeous. This is SOOC.

4. Candle

Wow. Capturing a candle flame is hard! I took so many photos and this was the one I liked the most. I liked that the candle was off center and that the flame peeked above the rim of the glass.

5. Traffic Signals or Signs

I created a few versions of this photo, but in the end I went with a basic, almost SOOC version. I just touched it up by enhancing the red a little bit and adding some contrast to bring out the texture on the sign. I really like the trees reflection peeking through.

Fixing it Friday

Since I'm pretty gung-ho about learning and practicing with photoshop these days, I've been looking forward to I Heart Faces' Fix-it Fridays. But as of 9:30 am, their photo to fix still isn't up. Luckily, Ashley with Ramblings and Photos found another link-up dealing with fixing photos! I seriously love the collection of photo challenges Ashley has on her blog, thank you!

So here's my version of Trendy Treehouse's photo. 

The original: 

Cute picture and I LOVE the water!

My first edit:

I wish I knew what I did to this photo, but I just play with it until it looks right to me. I lightened up the whole thing and then boosted and sharpened the image. That's pretty much it.

My second, "fun" edit:

I'm taking Kim Klassen's e-course for PSE and I'm LOVING it so far. This is basically what we learned to do yesterday. I gave my original edit a "slight light" layer and then a "screen" layer. Then I added a navy blue solid adjustment layer and ran "exclusion." Then I changed the opacity to make the water less yellow and more blue. I really like the retro look this picture has now!

 

 

Which is your favorite?

Grazing Time

This just proves that I need to take my camera with me wherever I go. I went on a two-mile walk around base the other day and right before I got out of my car I grabbed my camera. Good thing, too, since the horses were out roaming around searching for food early in the morning. I'd like to go back and take more pictures of them.  Practice makes perfect, right?

It's the Little Things

It's the little things that I absolutely love about being married. For those of you who don't know, I'm a newlywed (I got married in February), and my husband and I dated long distance for about three years before tying the knot. 

 

This weekend we were standing in line to pay at Target and he reached out and grabbed some tic-tacs. But not just any tic-tacs, orange flavored! Out of all of the goodies to impulsively buy at the register—chips, gum, candy, etc.—orange flavored tic-tacs probably would've been the last thing I'd ever buy. Really, it's the little discoveries that make me appreciate being with my husband (almost) everyday.

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

I had fun with these again. See more by clicking the button below, but after you look at mine first!

1. Boo! 

Boo! I made this jack-o-lantern for Halloween last Sunday.

2. Black

My husband likes his coffee black. The darker the better, actually.

   3. Texture

Bibles have unbelievably soft, smooth, and thin pages. I've always loved running my hands along the edges just to feel the texture.

4. Wet

Ice!

5. Language 

'nuff said.

Fix-it Friday #77

Click above to see more edits...after you check mine out, of course!

I absolutely adore this weeks photo. I loved the angle and the perfect crop it already has, so I didn't see any need to adjust it any more. 

Before:

Edit #1

I used PW's Boost and added some green hues into the photo. I also lightened it up a bit and then erased part of it over her face so her cheek wouldn't get too blown out.

Edit #2

I kept the edits from the photo above and then ran PW's "seventies" action. At first I thought I liked this one the best, because it gave her almost an angelic and soft glow, but today I'm drawn to the first edit.

Which do you like best? 

Before and After

I really need/want to start taking more pictures. In the mean time, I'll work on some of the challenges I see around the web. Hope you all don't mind!

Before: 

Kinda dull and "blah."

After:

Used PW's "boost," and warmed it up by changing some levels around and brightening it up a bit.

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

Each week I have every intention of getting these set up and ready to publish Sunday morning, but I always end up missing one or two photos, which is why I'm publishing this on Monday morning instead!

 
1. my town

My husband and I flew home for a few days and I took this at the Albuquerque International Sunport. I loved that the phone book had "ABQ" on it, and couldn't resist taking this picture, especially since the New Mexico flag was in the background.

2. vintage

I pulled this from my archives. These keys are from a vintage, 1940s Royal Aristocrat typewriter.

3. tilt photo

Again, this is another one from my archives, but I think it works perfect for this particular category. The picture was taken in Savannah, Georgia, about a month ago.

4. dress up

My cousin my kill me if she sees this picture up here, but she was absolutely dressed up for Halloween!

5. chocolate

I made these "Creepy, Crawly, and Dirt{y} Cupcakes for Halloween.