Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Christmas Drum

Every year, my friend Lisa and I would go to a little shop on Cascade Rd. in Concord, Ohio. It was run by three sisters and was packed with the most amazing ornaments, like this toy-topped drum. The shop is long since closed, but I treasure the reminders of happy Christmases past.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Nearly Full

Used a Virtual Photographer filter called (appropriately) moonlit. This was taken along side my building, through bare sycamore branches.

December 28, 2009: Home

The living room, decorated for Christmas.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Jack

He's either a Haflinger or a Norwegian Fjord horse. I'm going with Haflinger, since his mane isn't roached.

Boxing Day

The Rockefeller Greenhouse in Cleveland's Wade Park has a spectacular poinsettia display every Christmas. Chuck and I visited on Boxing day and spotted this cute reindeer in the cream and pink section.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Messy


The Russian Teacakes are coated and packed away for tomorrow. This is my favorite part - covering the kitchen with powdered sugar!

December 23, 2009: Chill Dough Overnight

I made 4 batches of these - dough on day 1, roll on day 2, bake and coat with powdered sugar on day 3. Kind of a pain in the neck, but my brothers love them.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

December 22, 2009: Breyer Ornament

Confession time: My name is Mary Ann and I collect horse ornaments. This is Breyer's 2009 Christmas ornament, bought on sale at Big D.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

December 19, 2009: Acorn Alley



Shopping with Regina today. This acorn shaped lamp is in Kent's Acorn Alley. If you have the chance, Kent is a fun and quirky place to shop.

December 18, 2009: Garland



Just finished this today. Had to replace the lights and re-hang it. I've collecte the bird ornaments for years, and this seemed like a good spot for them.

December 17, 2009: Snoozing



Wondering why the heck I'm bothering him with the camera. Is nothing sacred?

Friday, December 18, 2009

POTD Layout, Nov 19 to 25, 2009


19. Choosing recipes for the Pre-Holiday Madness Brunch. 21. Messy house. 22. Clean house after a whirlwind of vacuuming, dusting, buffing and polishing. 23. Front door of Pufferbelly Restaurant in Kent. 24. Grocery shopping for Thanksgiving.
25. A very cold, drizzly, gloomy day - much better spent indoors!

Credits: Katie Pertiet Classic Embossed Christmas Cardstock; Font is Georgia.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Point & Shoot Wednesday

Goofing around at Panera.

December 15, 2009: Bubblelight

My Grandma always had wreathes with a single bubblelight in the sunporch windows. These lights remind me of her, and of Christmases long ago.

December 14, 2009: Writing Christmas Cards


Writing cards is one of my favorite Christmas activities. Shuffling through the addresses reminds me of old friends. Sometimes it's a bit melancholy, but mostly it's fun.

Monday, December 14, 2009

December 13, 2009: Kitten Mitten




Took some pictures for a layout on favorite ornaments. This is one I made a long time ago out of tiny pom poms, felt scraps, extra gold cord, and a couple of black beads.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

December 12, 2009: Larry

We had a glorious ride today. Perfect weather.


I had a tough time getting a clear shot of Larry. This little paint (below) wanted to know what I was doing. Or maybe he just wanted to see if the camera was edible. He followed me around the paddock and managed to get between me and Larry most of the time. So I gave up and took some pictures of him. Don't know his name, but he's quite a cutie!

December 11, 2009: The Lights are Up!

It's taking forever to get the Christmas decorations up this year.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Christmas Tree

Spent a very pleasant evening putting up the tree. Chuck started a fire in the fireplace, played on his laptop and watched some BSG, while I was fluffing the branches and stringing lights.

Shot this out of focus to blur the lights, added a thin edge in cocoa brown blended with color burn, and blended a photo of a ripe soybean field using luminosity at about 25% opacity. Kind of a cool effect.

December 8, 2009: Cooking Class

Cooking class last night at Summa's The Way program. On the right is Bill Bailey, owner of plays with knives and fire. He was demostrating a lighter version of tiramasu frosted with carob. Carob doesn't melt like chocolate - it looks like brownie dough - but it was very good. Bill's an amazing guy. When he's not catering and working as a personel chef, he's an ultra-marathoner. He and Lee Ann were having a causual conversation about his 100 mile and her 35 mile runs.

On the left is Ben, the class clown. Very smart guy and very funny. Tonight's topic was "the hell that is protein shakes".

Monday, December 7, 2009

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Front Door Wreath

Nature is my Christmas theme, so I try to keep the decorations centered around plants and animals. I love the pine cones, nut, berries and twigs in this wreath.

December 5, 2009: Kent Christmas Lights


26 degrees with wind is cooooold! We had dinner at Pufferbelly, then walked to the little plaza. Chuck froze instantly, and didn't want to get his camera out. I forgot to lock mine into the tripod, and only a very lucky catch kept it from hitting the cement. Got some pretty shots though. I like the car light streaks in long exposures.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Pre-Holiday Madness Brunch

We had friends over for brunch the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Chuck made French Toast and Fred and Cheryl brought mimosas. Great way to start the holiday season!

Crytallized Flourishes No. 3 brushes, Rejoice and Classic Cardstock Autumn Ice pps, all Katie Pertiet.

Fonts are Georgia, Retro Rock Poster, and Reservoir Grunge.

Neighborhood Lights


Thursday, December 3, 2009

December Desktop

Desktop by Katie Pertiet at Designer Digitals. That's my honey!

Thankful

I made these cards for Thanksgiving. Got a little bit of grief from my brothers, but everyone except Dave did one. They're in a little 4 x 6 album - I'll add everyone's photos across from their card and bring it to Christmas dinner at Sheila and Greg's.

Leaf by Katie Pertiet at Designer Digitals. Fonts are Hurrican and Georgia.