Beauty in Sepia

Beauty in Sepia, a photo by Arty_Kat on Flickr.

A beautiful friend who believes she has an ugly smile I was taking photos of her four children and caught her smiling. When I showed this to her, she couldn't deny that she does, indeed, have a wonderful smile.

Noni's Moon

Noni's Moon, a photo by Arty_Kat on Flickr.

When my youngest was three, I had a baby who only lived 30 days. His name was Noah. Ever since then, a fingernail moon has been called Noni's Moon. HIs little sister said "Noah" but it came out "No-nee." When Noah was born and thirty days later he died, the moon looked like this- from that point on, my older daughter and I called it a Noni's Moon. He would be 22 years old in October of this year, and we still remember his moon.

The raspberry bush

The raspberry bush, a photo by Arty_Kat on Flickr.

... is starting to show growth after deer chewed on it during the winter! We lost the blackberry, but maybe the raspberry will make it.

Liberated Art!

I joined this swap again this year, after having participated in it last year. I love it so much! Kat Sloma of www.KatEyeStudio.com is the host. It is an international swap and each participant submits five postcards that are photographs of their art - photography, painting, fiber arts, mixed media, whatever one's art may be. All of the postcards are then sent to Kat, and she sends them back out to all of us, plus she sends one of her own to everyone. We, of course, provide the postage and address labels to ourselves. 

This was my own postcard. It is a photograph taken on my neighbor's steep driveway that is on a high hill in the Appalachian town in which I live. The mountain range at the top right background is called Rich Mountain.Of course, as soon as I sent them in, I had a thousand ideas and photos I wish I'd used instead! Sigh...

Here are the postcards I received. Sadly, one never showed up. :( Makes me so sad. 

This one was my first, sent by Janet Kemper. The quote on the back said "Believe you can and you're halfway there."   ~   Theodore Roosevelt
           So true!

This painter table photo is from Renee Martinez of OR. It makes me want to paint! The quote on hers said "Life is like a camera, just focus on what's important and capture the good times, develop from the negative, and if things don't work out, just take another shot."   I think that is her own quote, and I really love it!

Siobhan Wolf of www.wolftale.wordpress.com sent this one, and it literally brought tears to my eyes when I saw it. There is something about it that spoke powerfully to me, and I am keeping this in a very visible place. She wrote "Greetings Beautiful Soul -- Thank you for spreading joy in this world. You are truly a blessing!  Wishing you all manner of good things"   Right back at you, Siobhan!

This is "Asna - Donkey of Stubbornness " a photo of a painting in acrylics by Linda Ursin. Her website is http://heksebua.com/gallery and she wrote on the back of the card "Be stubborn and you'll get there"   It has a rune hidden within the painting. (She practices witchcraft, but if that offends you, her art can be seen at the "gallery" tab).   She is right, stubbornness to be creative and a good steward of my time is needed in my life!












Finally, but not least, is Kat Sloma's postcard, entitled "Adorned and Alone."  Love it!

I have made some wonderful friends through this swap, both last year and this, and hope to make even more as the days go on. Below, you can see the Swap Blog Hop and if you want to add yours, you can do so. It will change as Kat's changes (the Other Kat haha)

I hope if you have visited here due to the Swap Hop that you will leave a comment to let me know you were here! Thanks!
Kat, the Arty one

Female cardinal ...

Female cardinal ..., a photo by Arty_Kat on Flickr.

visiting the feeder outside our window with blinds. This was taken with my Canon PowerShot as it is quite a distance from where I was sitting. Isn't she beautiful?

Waiting for the Fun to Happen

Waiting for the Fun to Happen, a photo by Arty_Kat on Flickr.

This is a neighbor's cat, Jimmie Johnson, who likes to hang out in our back yard, near the bird feeders. He is best friends with all of our pets, both dogs and the one cat who has indoor/outdoor priviledges

Male American Goldfinch.

Male American Goldfinch., a photo by Arty_Kat on Flickr.

This little guy was taken outside my window at our bird feeder using my Canon Powershot sX50. I love this camera! Amazing zoom photos!

I am starting my 365 Project today, since I failed miserably before. I joined Samantha Bennett's 365 Club today, through http://TheOrganizedArtist.com  and I'm so excited!