Hello September!

Oh I can't tell you how happy I am it is September! The temperature dropped about 20 degrees in one day and has been beautiful for 4 days. I went to the doc on Friday and finally got some answers. I have torn bicep tendons in both of my arms! I guess I got a little carried away working out. If I don't have them healed up in a month, I can get some shots to help speed up the recovery. I also I got some new meds for my migraines. They make things happen in slow motion a little and wear me out, but I'll take that any day compared to what I've been suffering with for years. Who knows, maybe it will make these beautiful days last longer!  I just finished a piece of art using the photograph of a beautiful orchid I took at the botanical gardens in Oklahoma City. Hope your day is a blessed one!

Sick and Tired...of being sick and tired.

Well the Oklahoma heat just got me this summer.  We had over 50 days of 100+ temperatures.  Because of health problems, I can't venture out of the cool house for more than getting in the car to go to another cool place. It's really put a damper on my usual "Out and About" photography. Everything in Oklahoma looks dead like in the middle of winter. To top it off, I messed up my shoulder several months ago and it has not healed at all, add my normal migraines and you get the picture. Being self employed has it's advantages, don't get me wrong, but with the prices of health insurance and high deductibles, (not to mention a few other snags in the road) I haven't been to the doctor. Hopefully September is the month for me!

This did open up a new venture for me with the greeting cards avenue. I have been using my creative juices in photoshop using my existing photography and art. I just purchased a new bundle of Kim Klassen textures. I'm very excited to see what I can do with all these wonder overlays! I'm looking forward to autumn like no other year. I have a few senior sessions to do and am planning on taking advantage of the brisk air.

Well, I'll stop my belly-aching for now and leave you with my newest piece of art. Hope you enjoy!

Greetings!

I was so excited to wake up this morning to find one of my greeting cards featured on the home page of Greeting Card Universe as "Design of the Day".  They have hundreds of thousands of cards on the site to chose from. It gives me a huge boost to keep up all the work I've been putting in!  Here is the card:

Can't wait for the heat to die down so I can take some more photos!

Hurricane Howie

I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of the family...Hurricane Howie!

As some of you may know, I lost my buddy Scooter to diabetes on June 21st.  Scooter was such a staple in my daily life, my whole world was turned upside down.  We still have our other two rug ruts, Cheeko and Peanut, but I guess we are just a three dog family!  I spent weeks looking for a dog that could fit in and be the new addition to our pack. All of mine and John's dogs have been adopted and we didn't want to change this.  One night I stumbled onto a site and found this adorable guy, but kept looking because we originally wanted a female...but something kept bringing me back. He was the last of his litter from a breeder and no one picked him. Time went by and before the breeder knew it, he was almost six months old and she listed him on the adoption list.  John and I decided he was the one. We drove to Antlers, Oklahoma Friday night when John got home from work. The three hours it took to get there were so exciting, I thought I was going to bust! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Once I saw him I knew we had made the right choice!

It is uncanny how much he reminds me of Scooter. He is very shy and took to me very quickly. We are in the process of trying to socialize him. He seems to be afraid of men, including John.  In the last 3 weeks since we picked him up, his social skills have improved a lot.  He makes me smile every day with his playful antics and loves to be hugged and actually hugs back. Nothing could ever replace my Scooer-boo, but Howie is making it much easier to remember all the fun times I had with him.

R.I.P Scooter 1998-2011

P.S.
Yes!!! Howie is named after the original "Hurricane Howie" from Big Brother Season 6! I know he will bring me as many laughs as the original did!!!

My latest Fantasy Shoot

Hello everyone! I hope ya'll are having an awesome day! 

Last weekend I got to photograph one of my favorite subjects, my niece Carissa.  She was such a trooper. It's been over the 100 degree mark here in Oklahoma for a couple of weeks, and boy was it a hot one even at 9 a.m. I have to give Carissa props, she put on the formal dress and gloves and off we went. I love to photograph the unusual. I've always been a fan of Halloween and costumes and am moving toward this in almost every shoot.  I love the complexity of "out of the box" art, and love to bring the viewer into it. This can also give the subject something fun to look forward to and "play the part". I mean, who doesn't like to play dress up?

Thanks for stopping by!! I'd love to read your feedback!!!

Ever spend one whole day on a project?

Well today I did! I've been working on my greeting cards and wanted to put one together for a family reunion. I got a little nostalgic and decided to use a photo of my great-grandparents. I spent all day trying to tweek it and get it where I wanted it. What do you think?

What 3 day weekend?

Well, while most people were at the lake on Memorial Day weekend, I spent mine at home waiting for the phone to ring.  My 13 year old, four legged best friend, Scooter was in the hospital.  We took him in Friday to the vet and found out he has diabetes.  We picked him up at 5:00 and took him straight to the animal hospital where he stayed until Sunday night. We brought him home and now we have new responsibilities. A good diet and insulin shots twice a day. He's a trooper! It's been a week and I am happy to say he is doing much better.

While I spent the weekend at home, I got busy on making some new greeting cards to get my mind off of my sick baby.  There is a link at the top of the page that will take you directly to my store. The cards cost less than most cards you would buy at your local retail store and the quality is wonderful. I ordered some myself and I know I will never buy another greeting card from anyone other than GreetingCardUniverse.com. They have every occasion you can think of! Most retail stores only have the normal selection, but I just can't get over the categories available here. Here is a recent one I sold last week:

Inside of card reads: Congrats on your first home run!