Adventures in Photography

This was taken outside - no light adjustments or focus. Cropped

Inside using a 100watt bright effects lightbulb.

Inside using the ottlite light bulb - no big difference!

Inside in my sunroom

So, like many of us, I'd love to be able to take great pictures of my creations. Like, I'd love to be able to click at any time of the day. Not wait until the next bright day. I've taken some decent pictures outside. Two of them made it to Craftgawker! Yes...hold the applause, please. But I'd love to get the same results inside without adjusting the white balance and exposure and all those settings afterward. After all, I own an ok camera and if it works outside, it should work inside too, right?
After spending a lot of money on handmade light boxes - I have three - and light bulbs of all kinds - I have enough to last me until the next century, I decided to invest on a very popular light bulb. The cure to all my photographic disasters! A natural light - ottlite -bulb. These guys are expensive and promise a high definition effect. But, as the pictures show, not a big difference!
I'm sticking with the most amazing and biggest light bulb ever.
As for the not-so-cheap-lightbulb... I will be adding a lamp in my workroom but will continue to experiment and add to my photo adventures.

We Had Snow!

Yes, just when you think spring is coming, right? We had a few days in January when it was 65 degrees! Well, mother nature had other plans to reminds us who's in charge here. After all, it's still Winter.
This is our golden retriever Rocky.

I'm hoping Ficus is not really dead.

I have to start by saying that I love gardening. I have planted flowers, vegetables, trees, shrubs, etc. And they are all happily living in my backyard right now.
Now to the story of Ficus the tree. I though it would be a good idea to bring it outside last year when the weather was nice. It loved it outside! It grew like a weed. I wish I had a picture to show you. Then winter came. Our winters in the south are very mild so it wasn't until the end of December that we started to get really cold nights. I kinda, sorta, forgot about the tree until it was too late.
But like a good gardener who can't just let go without a good fight, I'll try to bring Ficus the tree back to life. I don't know if this is possible. I'll let you know. For now, I think it is enjoying the comfort of my sun room. I water it, talk to it, gave it a little fertilizer....and I hope.

Stamped Heart Necklace

Stamped Heart Necklace 4
Originally uploaded by jemmdee creations

The newest addition to my Valentine's Day Collection.
A handcrafted fine silver pendant stamped with a handmade heart. It comes with leather cord, lobster clasp, and a 2" tarnish resistant chain.
Adjustable length 16" to 18".

Mosaics are Here

This is my other passion. I've been making mosaics for a long time and I've decided is about time I list my work. This one comes just in time for Valentine's Day.

Yay! for virus protection.

So, it seems like my computer was infected by some very distructive virus. The kind that practically fries your computer. How do I know that? Well, after I hit my all-in-one virus protection software scan, there it was. A high risk virus. But with my handy dandy, awesome protection, I watch it come to a quick and hopefully painful death. Yes! Deader that dead virus. Go back to where you came from. No. Go deeper you no good, evil, wrong doer you.
I love my virus protection. I'm sending it kisses across the screen. And it knows it. My hero.

Three Kings Day

Three Kings Day or Dia de Reyes was the most awaited day by my generation living in a tiny town in Central America. Even more that Christmas, which was celebrated mainly by going to church and eating delicious food that was only cooked at that time of the year. No gifts. Gifts would arrive on Dia de Reyes, January 6. Aside of receiving a present or two, the tradition was that the night before, shoes were placed near a window - Only one pair per child; let's not go crazy here. In the morning we would find a little surprise, usually something small that fitted inside the shoe. Coins, little dolls, small books, all wrapped in tissue paper. No big gifts, no Nintendo, no PS3 (or whatever number we're up to now) Then came the excitement of comparing what we all got. I have to say that the 'Wise' Kings were very fair.
I tell my kids about this wonderful tradition and told them one year we would celebrate the way I did when I was their age. They love the part about getting gifts from the Three Wise Kings, not so much about not receiving Christmas gifts. Oh well, at least they have something to talk about.