Looking Upward

Seeking...

 contemplating...

 looking upward...

 wondering...

 hoping...

 dreaming...

 wishing...

 admiring...

 reaching...

 feeling...

 looking...

searching...

 finding inspiration...

 

by looking upward.

All the best,

I Heart Hearts!

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share some of the hearts I've come across, several I've made, some my girls have made and a bunch from today's events.  The past year I've found myself going back to this same theme...hearts!  

Hearts can be a simple expression of love, affection and emotion.  

Love is all around us!

Happy hearts of encouragement...

Love one another!

Some pictures from today...

I wish I could say I made these, but I didn't!  Don't they look amazing?!

Here are our Valentine's Day cards...with a books of the bible book marker.

My two little Valentine's!  I love you my girls...you are my joy!  =)

 

Love is patient,

Love is kind.

It does not envy,

It does not boast, 

It is not proud.

It is not rude,

It is not self-seeking,

It is not easily angered,

It keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil,

But rejoices with the truth.

It always protects,

Always trusts,

Always hopes,

Always perseveres.

Love never fails.

 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Sneak Peek!

This is a sneak peek of what I'm working on now...Laura's custom quilted wallet...

She told me she likes pumpkin, crimson, turquoise & brown...

...almost done Laura...then it'll be on it's way to you, packaged with LOVE!  =)

Today my super crafty friend Leslie surprised me with a sneak peek of her own.  She is sending this amazing piece my way & I can NOT wait to see it in person!  Leslie has inspired me with her amazing color combination's, attention to detail & layer upon layer of texture in her paper crafting, Posh Paper Sweets.  I've been encouraging her...well, harassing her, to make the jump into fabric & work some mixed media magic.  It appears that my persistence has paid off because she has just begun her journey into mixed media & is LOVING it!  I'm so inspired by her creations and the LOVE that she puts into each piece of art...truly a labor of love.

And here is a sneak peek of another one of today's projects...let's see what happens when you add food coloring to the flowers...

 Have a beautiful day and get crafty!

Link Love & Texture Hunt!

I love taking pictures and last year I took on Project 365 & ended up with a TON of amazing pictures at the end of the year.  I got more familiar with my camera & tried a lot of new techniques, angles & actions.  One of my new favorite photography blogs is MCP Actions.  Another great resource for FREE actions is here on Pioneer Woman Photography.  My girlfriend Kristin is an amazing photographer & I am her biggest fan...you can soak up all her inspiration pics here on her blog.  Add them to your reader & learn how to add the wow factor to your pictures!  =)

You can join Project 365 with me right here & share your pictures with the group!

Today's "nature walk" with the girls today was more of a texture & inspiration hunt.  Check out the glass patio table...

  This is the community BBQ...waaaay up close!  I am practicing using my macro lens...love it!

This is me looking up at the gazebo...I really love how it turned out in black & white...all those lines & angles...very spiderweb-ish!

I love to take pictures of bugs too...especially with my macro lens.  It's somewhat difficult to zoom in close enough, but not too much as to make everything just blurry.  Any slight movement in this mode will cause the picture to come out blurry...this was the best one I got. 

 A cool looking mossy tree...

Typically, I do some quick & dirty editing in Picasa (free from Google) & then spice them up in Photoshop with some of my favorite actions...it's easy, fun & highly addictive if you're in to it!  Now bust out your camera & start shooting!