So Stuffed

Last week's creative theme was Stuffed and this is a prime example (which I adore!)

Her sewing box is filled to the brim. Reminds me of my scrapbook closet ...  An over abundance of craft supplies = A sure sign of a person that must CREATE 2 LIVE!    :) 

Thankful For Home

I'm thankful this week to report that there was at least one participant in the new weekly creative photo challenge and it is a meaningful shot taken from the steering wheel of a car. The challenge theme was "What I Usually Forget To Be Thankful For".

 The artist says about this photo, "This stretch of sand spit roadway holds many memories for me. I grew up on this peninsula, take the views for granted that I have driven by for years. Kick myself when I'm running late for work and don't have the time to pull off and capture the tendrils of fog hovering on the surface of the lagoon that is shown on the right side of the photo. If it is real clear, I can see the Olympic Mountains in the distance." 

Forgetting to be thankful for the beauty and comforts of our own hometown can be easy. I recently realized I am very guilty of this myself, and have challenged myself to take more photos of my own area. 

Great Finds

I just had to pass on the great finds I stumbled upon via the flickr group. These artists are far too talented to not share with the world.

Tell me how creatively cute these handmade crafts from Tamara are... She does beautiful things with felt and wool!

I love those felted autumn acorns too much! And this mug cozy almost makes me want to become a coffee drinker. You can purchase from her new Etsy shop, Earth, Wind and Fibre.

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Another Etsy store that I really want to mention is Photography By Anita. Her work is FABULOUS and you can purchase cards, prints and more from her store. These Christmas images make fantastic cards and this is the perfect time to purchase.

Seriously, how cute are those Santas??? I'm still wondering if she bought them or made them because they are awesome. Either way, the photography is great.  I also adore her 2012 calender. It features some of her most beautiful images (including her amazing beach photography) and is is for sale here.  Here's a preview:

 

This is a great time to buy next year's calender, too, for yourself or as a gift, since the holiday shopping season is upon us again, already. 

Speaking of the holiday season, I have to go put my Christmas tree up now because I'll be much too busy eating and shopping to get to it next weekend...

Be merry!

What I Usually Forget To Be Thankful For

Our Flickr Group finally has 50 members so I get to assign the first Creative Photo Challenge. Yay!

The topic of the week is "What I Usually Forget To Be Thankful For". 

Here is my example:

 

It's titled 'After Dinner' because after dinner, when it's time to clean up, I typically am tired and I forget to be thankful that I have dirty dishes to wash. I just want to turn in for the evening and go browse on Flickr or Pinterest.  I should always remember, though,  that I have those dishes to do because my family is blessed enough to have just enjoyed a nice dinner. So many others so hungry while mine is well cared for and that should never be taken for granted.... even at dish time. 

Please post your submissions to the group pool of the flickr group and also a link to them in the Challenge Thread.
I'll post the winner on 11.19.11.   Enjoy your week! 

Inspiring Neutrals

Today's object of my affection in the art department; I'm crushing on the neutrals of these today. Plus, the texture on these two images is too good to be true. The artist is giving credit to Flypaper Textures for that.

1. Pearly Whites    2. White On White

It's really worth the time to click the credits and view these two larger. Then press L to see them on black. Beautifully done, Sherry!

Adorable Boy 'In Thought'

Ok, I honestly just can not stop looking at this adorable photo and I wanted to be certain to share it.

credit

Isn't he the cutest?

Autumn Berries

My little one visits his Nana on Saturdays and I like to spend that time taking photos when possible. I was out and about exploring the neighborhood last weekend when I stumbled upon some interesting berries in my field that I've never seen before. After further inspection, the most interesting thing was that the vines were thorny. And still more interesting was that the leaves were even thorny! I didn't get any good pictures of them, but I took these just to show my husband:

 He had never seen them before either. I started researching and discovered they are a common, useless variety called Horse Nettle Berries. They are even poisonous to animals. I'll be killing those, needless to say.

I have seen some lovely berry and fruit photos this week, however, as several people posted beautiful photos to the Flickr group. 

{Credit 1}

{Credit 2}



{Credit 3}

I'd like to thank them for their contributions which are all lovely!

Creative Focus

The Flickr group is slowly but surely growing in members and in images, which excites me more than I can say. When the group has 50 members (and we are 21 away) I will assign the first Creative Challenge topic so I've been spending time considering the subject I'll choose. That in turn got me thinking about the term Creativity in general. Especially since one lady I've spoken with this weekend wasn't sure if she had anything 'good' enough to submit to the group.

What is 'good creativity', anyway? The definition of creativity is: "the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination".

My cousin and I discussed a similar topic last week and she stated that nothing is new or original anymore. Everything has 'been done'. Perhaps she is at least partially right. However, my definition of creativity is this: Creating, if not new, then perhaps, out of the box ideas. Even if something similar has been done, being creative means to me that I was able to put my own spin on it. No one sees things exactly as I or as you do. Creativity is essentially expressing YOUR view ... of anything. That definition makes me smile.

So while I'm talking about creativity, let me draw your attention to a few prime examples of what it means to put your own spin on something common.

This image was taken by a fellow Kentuckian and it says "CREATIVE" to me.

Yes, the idea is completely original to Sean; he came up with it himself. But furthermore it shows creativity because this subject is something we all see everyday, yet this is the way Shawn saw it. I look in the rear view mirror, see the side of the car and think it needs to be washed. Shawn looks in the rear view mirror and sees the entire picture, musing at the way his brain tricks him into seeing 'through' the mirror. Creativity, folks; HIS spin on it.

And here is another creative idea from Kristiina. She decided to shoot through a magnifying glass as a form of

a macro lens and ended up with this amazingly beautiful image:

 

Now there is an inspiring idea if I ever heard one. She has my applause.  

The rest of us may not be able to come up with ideas quite as original as these two examples, but we can still enjoy putting our own spin on things. And we can enjoy searching the common things throughout our world to find the beauty in them. Then we can capture it. That is my kind of creativity. 

(Don't forget to visit and comment each artist by clicking the images.)

Hope you have an inspired week!

Creamiest Chicken Casserole

I have a DELICIOUS chicken casserole recipe to share with you but I can't lie: This is adapted from my Mother's recipe. Actually, the majority of my 'original' recipes are adaptions from her kitchen. Oh gosh, is this a form of plagiarism? Probably. She won't mind, though. I haven't figured the nutritional content on this but I consider it a comfort food. The entire casserole serves approximately 6-7 one cup servings. I just know you'll love it.

Ingredients

1 can cream of chicken

1 can cream of celery

1.5 lb package uncooked chicken breast or breast tenders

1 teaspoon minced onion

1/4 cup sour cream

1 box instant stuffing mix (Plus the butter and water required to prepare it)

Approximately 15 buttery cracker rounds

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and place in frying pan with bottom coated with cooking oil. Fry slowly over medium heat until done. 

While chicken is frying, follow directions on stuffing mix to begin preparing it. Also, mix cream of celery and chicken in a saucepan with minced onion and sour cream. Warm over medium heat. 

Add chicken to the creams and mix well. 

Finish preparing stuffing. 

Place chicken mixture in a glass baking dish. 

Add shredded cheese. 

Top with approximately 10 crushed crackers. 

Add entire batch of stuffing to the top and sprinkle with remaining crackers, crushed. 

Place in oven and bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until top is brown and sauce is bubbling.

Serve and enjoy! 

Fog In The Stream

Trying to get both this blog and Flickr group on their feet is overwhelming but I am loving every minute of it! There are already several wonderfully inspiring photos being added to the stream. How exciting!

I chose a couple of them that were similar to feature today and the theme is Trees in the Fog.

Beautiful aren't they?!  Please be sure to visit each artist's photo stream by clicking on the images.



I have a recent 'Tree Fog' image as well. This one is mine: 

If you have creative and inspiring images to share, we would love to have new members to the group.

I WON!

Sarah Gardner is an amazing artist whose work I recently became familiar with. She is a photographer and creator of amazing  textures. She recently hosted a magnificent giveaway on her blog and I just got the notification that I won! And best of all the prize is her entire collection of textures! 

This is one of my images that was created using one of Sarah Gardner's textures.

She also moderates a Flickr group that I recommend to anyone who has an interest in Textured Art.

I just have to say thank you again, Sarah! I'm unbelievably excited.