Wednesday, 4 June 2014

Being Thankful


Time flies by so quickly these days.



I have set a personal goal of becoming more mindful of the moment, and of becoming more consciously thankful for those moments.

 







Today I am thankful for the small kindnesses of strangers. I am grateful to the student who kindly held the door open for me today at work.




 I am thankful to the driver who let me in to her busy lane of traffic, and to the other driver who waved thank you to me when I let him into my busy lane.





I am thankful for a safe haven to call home.


Saturday, 8 March 2014

Bat in the Woodpile






We had a carpenter friend over last weekend to help us with sagging plywood under a corner of our deck. We had thought that water might have entered there and were preparing for the worst. Dry as a bone under there (thank goodness) but what we DID find was this little fellow, attached to the inside of the plywood up snug against the insulation. He obviously had crawled under the sagging part to get inside and keep warm. He is hibernating (alive and well). We called Wild Arc (an agency affiliated with the SPCA that deals with wild animals) and they told us what to do - To move a hibernating bat safely, use a dustpan (bleach it afterwards) and if you have to touch him use thick leather gloves (dispose of them afterwards), because 1% of bats can carry rabies (very small chance but use caution still ...). Anyway, I took pictures of him first, before moving him safely to a small woodpile under our deck that won't be used this year. Funny thing is, we have found a bat in that woodpile years ago (obviously not the same one but it's a popular bat hotel, I suppose!) We were told to tuck him in to a safe sheltered spot and he will awaken now and again to go out to feed. Bats are such great little creatures and we felt honoured to find this guy.

Saturday, 8 February 2014

Please Vote for Tia!

I entered a picture of our cat Tia in a photo contest. There are many cute pets entered, but if you would like to vote for my photo of Tia, your votes would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

http://www.petconnection.ca/photo-contest/




Friday, 7 February 2014

Kitten portraits for Broken Promises Rescue, Victoria, B.C.

I volunteer for an animal rescue agency here in Victoria, B.C., taking photographs of some of the foster animals that come in for placement in their forever homes.  Recently I photographed two kittens at their wonderful foster home.  Both these kittens have had a hard start to life before being brought into the care of Broken Promises Rescue (www.brokenpromisesrescue.com). They are not littermates, but have been fostered together and have formed a strong bond. Ichabod, the little long haired black kitten, was found with both eyes badly infected, and only one recovered fully. Edward, the short haired black and white kitten, was found nearly dead by the side of a road and brought to the agency, with a badly damaged eye.  Both kittens will lose their 'bad' eyes when they are about 9 months old (paid for fully by the agency). Both kittens have fully recovered, with a few bumps along the way, but now are ready for adoption to their 'furever home' together. They are thriving and bonded and healthy. And active! It was hard to get photos of them that weren't blurred!  Here are a few of the photos I took.





















Wednesday, 13 November 2013

Sneak previews ...

Time for a sneak preview of some winter photographs I am working on - soon to be available on both Etsy and Fine Art America.







Tuesday, 8 October 2013

Sneak previews!

Just a taste of a few of the new photographs I am working on, to list on both Etsy and my Fine Art America sites. Coming soon!

Monday, 30 September 2013

Limited Time Promotion!

On sale now until Oct. 3! Remember spring flowers? You can have them hanging in your home all year round. Take advantage of this Limited Time Special. I am offering this 20.00" x 16.00" stretched canvas print, for $160.00. The special is good until 10/03/2013.
Details found by clicking this link: http://fineartamerica.com/weeklypromotion.html?promotionid=126515 Please feel free to share this news and my blog.

Saturday, 21 September 2013

Grasshopper Photographs

I went for a walk today with my camera. I looked down just in time to avoid stepping on this little fellow. He stayed very still, and looked at me. I stooped down and he didn't move. I had the wrong lens on the camera (of course) and thought he'd hop away by the time I got out the right one. He didn't! He stayed still, I took a few shots, he hopped off, I lay down on my stomach on the ground and took a couple more, he stayed put and watched me. The first 3 are the best ones from our little photoshoot. The last one, where he hopped into the grass and looked at me, is a little blurred, unfortunately, but I had trouble finding him through the lens - he blended in so well! Feeling honoured.

Sunday, 15 September 2013

Photographing Geisha Girl

Recently I had the supreme pleasure of photographing one of my friend's furry children. The model in question is named, appropriately, as it turns out, Geisha Girl. I say 'named appropriately' because, as soon as the camera came out, she began to channel her Inner Model and posed for the camera. Here are some of my favourites from her photo session. I wonder which ones my friend will choose as her favourites?

Thursday, 12 September 2013

Picture Lake, Mt. Baker

My family recently enjoyed a summer vacation just south of the border, in Washington State. I have been busy editing the many photos I took there, and this one caught my eye tonight. The original photograph is of Picture Lake, on Mt. Baker. Although the day we were on the mountain was foggy and pouring rain, the photograph still shows the beauty of the lake.
While I was working on the original photo, I noticed how pretty the bottom portion of the photograph is, and began to envision how the wildflowers, reeds, and water would look as a painting. I paint like I draw (stick figures), so my paintbrush is digital. I cropped the image to show only the bottom part of the lake, making the wildflowers the focus. I softened the image, made the colour slightly more vibrant, and here is the first result.
On the second photograph (below) I kept the softness and the brighter colours, and added some lightness and texture to it. I like the result.
I just can't decide which one I like more, and I might play with this one some more to see what else I come up with. I'm thinking of maybe brightening the foreground just a little bit. Hmmmm......

Wednesday, 31 July 2013

Good morning!


                                                        Good morning! Enjoy your day!

Tuesday, 2 July 2013

Christmas in July Sale at Etsy

This month, in my Etsy shop, I am running a Christmas in July sale for the entire month of July.

Receive 25% OFF any item, with the minimum order of $8.00, using the coupon code JULY2013 applied at checkout.



Come on in and take a look around!  http://www.etsy.com/shop/CalicoSkyCreations

Custom orders are welcome! Any questions?  Please just ask me.  Thank you!