A Simple Flower Photomanipulation

I saw this photo of a magnolia blossom on Witty Title Here and couldn't resist playing with it.

the original photo

my edited version

First I adjusted the Exposure.  Then I added a new layer, filled it with 50% gray, set the Blend mode to Overlay, then used the Dodge and Burn tools on it to bring out the highlights and shadows.  Finaly, I adjusted the Color Balance to give the photo a warmer tone.

Friday Favorites: Flowers

If you know me at all, you'll know that I absolutely love things that are different from the ordinary.  So it should be no surprise to you that one of my favorite kinds of flowers is the anemone  They're like if you took a photo of a poppy and inverted the colors, sort of.  Here in Seattle, we had one week of sunshine and then it went back to rain.  It was enough sunshine to make the flowers bloom though.  And I'm pretty conflicted because the flowers are so pretty, but they drive my allergies crazy, even with allergy medicine.

So I've been getting my flower fix online, where they don't make my eyes water and my nose run.  I even have a whole board full of lovely flowers (and flower crafts) on Pinterest.  It's here if you want to see it.

via Indecora

Simple DIY Hair Flower Holder

I bought some really pretty hair flowers off of eBay recently (from this seller).  I wanted a way to store them that would also display them nicely.  When I was really little, my mom always stored my hair clips on ribbons hanging from my wall.  I had some vintage lace that I found at Goodwill for just a dollar.  I decided to just fold it in half and not cut it so I can still use it later for jewelry if I want to.  Since I'm moving down the hall at the end of this month I just hung it from my portable closet for now, instead of poking more holes in my wall.  All I did was fold the lace in half, loop one end around the closet rod, clip the other end on with a flower hair clip, and clip the other ones on at regular intervals.

To Put the Spring Back in Our Steps

I've been feeling extra stressed and worried lately, which might be the reason for my nightmare, so I need these as much as I want to share them with you.  Spring is such a wonderful reminder that no matter how hard life gets, it goes on.  And I plan to try my best to thrive just like the spring flowers. (I never claimed to be a philosopher.)

I'm happy that I can wear my "happy shoes" again.

I had my "new" camera die while trying to take the pictures of the birds.  Then my second oldest camera died.  I ended up havng to use my old camera, which somehow isn't inserting the awful color noise anymore (which was the reason I quit using it.)  Even if these pictures don't make my stress go away, they at least put a smile on my face for a little bit, and that's all I can really ask for.

Stillness

The air is so still and not a person is in sight, not even an animal or insect.  No life at all.  Not a single sound.  It feels like something is brewing.  Maybe a thunderstorm.  Maybe a zombie apocalypse.  I don't know what exactly, but definitely something.  I get back to my apartment and the crocuses outside have bloomed.  In the one hour that I was gone.  It feels like time has been sped up while I was away.  I think that I've just been watching too much Doctor Who.  But I also think there's no such thing as too much Doctor Who.

crocuses at 1:00

crocuses at 2:00