Monday, February 16, 2009

Photo Montage for my bio.


This past week I had to work on updating my bio. If you've ever had to write one, it really makes you stop and think about who you really are and what you have been doing with yourself. It makes you sum up all those crazy fly by weeks and months that make us say "where did all that time go anyway?"
After finishing mine I got to thinking about a picture that needed to go along with it. Do I even have one? Did I take the time to have a professional one taken..... no. (I know, I work with photographers every day, I have no excuse) then I got to thinking. Would they be able to capture who I really am? And then that lead in another thought and that thought brought me all the way around to creating my own photo montage of who I really am.
It didn't start out that hard. I've always wanted to use photoshop to improve the real me. The cartoon look is way out of my everyday world, so I started with that. Then came gathering all the images I wanted in it. Paint brushes, flowers, places Jer and I have traveled. One thing lead to another again and I ended up having to eliminate a few good ideas because my canvas was going to be big enough as it is. My kids will just have to wait till the next one.
Then came, taking out all the backgrounds. Lots of work but worth all the extra care. Arranging them was another four hours work. Then arriving at a pleasing color scheme was another few hours.
The bio is now done and the artwork was a rewarding experience. If you're thinking that your life is boring........stop and think of all your interest and try to write them down or create a photo montage to express it. I can guarentee you'll be amazed at your accomplishments.
It's time now to go play in the greenhouse.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Yellowstone Experience


Last September I traveled with my family to Yellowstone National Park. I have to say it was extrodinary! I never expected to see such beauty!
You stand there overlooking the endless beauty and then that voice starts creeping in. You know, that little voice that says.. " um..excuse me.....but you do realize you are standing on top of a LIVE volcano?" It's funny how sometimes danger is so enticing. Even knowing that soon after we left, it rumbled for a day, it doesn't stop me from planning another even longer stay at the park. At one point while capturing a coyote coming down a path at me, it wasn't until the lens stopped that I realized that I couldn't focus anymore because he was standing only 3 feet in front of me (hoping I would get off his path) that I was in reach of immediate danger. The coyote crouched down and I stepped out of his way with no hesitation. But I now can see how someone can get eaten or stampeded or whatever. The beauty and ahh of the whole experience kinda puts you in a trance of sorts.
If you get a chance, visit but take at least two or more days to see everything.
You can experience my visit at
I'll post the coyote under Curious Creatures sometime soon. As I'm not done with the whole PayPal thing yet.

Announcing PayPal addition

Last week I started out just tweeking the website. And you know how it goes.....one thing leads to another and pretty soon you get all caught up in doing ten things you really had no intension of starting until later. Much later...
Well, now I'm in the middle of adding PayPal onto the site. It's not as easy as it would seem to be. Just copy and paste this button on your site.........yeah right! @##$.... It's a lot of tedious patience. There's that word again...patience. It seems to be a constant lesson in my life. Not one I really want to deal with. Anyway I've come to appreciate web design people at a new level thought this process.
Please be a little patient and I'll keep copy and pasteing along.
Thank you!

Hideaway Hilda

Hideaway Hilda