Jack Frost Nipping

Yesterday when I woke up to take the dogs out just after the sun came up I was greeted by a canvas of white.  It wasn't snow of course, but it was a very heavy frost that blanketed everything in it's path.

It was quite lovely really, and got me in the mood to start thinking about the holidays.  And speaking of holidays, am I the only one who was completely caught off guard by the fact that a week from today is Thanksgiving?!

My sister and I take turns hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas each year and this year she has decided to take Thanksgiving again, even though technically it's my year to host it.  You won't hear me complaining one bit about having it at her house.  We all bring stuff, but the fact that it's at her house and I don't have to run around like a crazy woman making sure every nook and cranny is clean is a very welcome relief.

I spoke to her on the phone a few days ago and we were running over the menu and discussing who would be bringing what, when I said, "oh I'll just call you next week and we can chat about it."  She seemed a little quiet when I said that, and when I hung up the phone Mr. Tide promptly informed me that "next week" was Thanksgiving!  Oops!!!  I really had in my head that it was the following week.

I guess it just goes to show that when you are wrapped up in other things you can completely lose all sense of time...and clearly I did.  I'm back on track now, and I will have the corn pudding, candied sweet potatoes, and desserts all ready when the time comes...I hope!

A few more days of Jack Frost nipping at my nose, toes, and anything else he can freeze should get me straight and remind me that November is halfway done and Christmas is just around the corner.

Thanks for your sweet comments on my last post, and I hope if you are celebrating Thanksgiving next week that you are much more organized than I am! :)

Falling Leaves and Dimming Days

This old house is falling down around my ears 

I'm drowning in a river of my tears  

When all my will is gone you hold me sway  

I need you at the dimming of the day

You pulled me like the moon pulls on the tide  

You know just where I keep my better side


Thank you everyone for your wonderful thoughts, emails, and comments about my new venture...I will post more very soon and I apologize that I haven't responded to each and every one of you! 

P.S.  Don't forget to vote for Rough Linen once a day, every day!  Click HERE

The lyrics above are from this beautiful song

Up Close and Personal

No words today, I'm off to work, but I thought I would share a few up close and personal images from my yard.  I wish Blogger didn't compress my images and make them way less sharp when I post them on here...sigh!

I hope you each have a wonderful day!

And Then There Was One

My dad had a whole slew of sayings he used to describe certain situations.  Some were more tasteful than others, like when he would come in on a very cold evening he would say that it was colder than a well diggers ___...I'll let you fill in the blank.

On days when he had lots to do but felt as though he was spinning his wheels a little, he would say he'd been fiddle farting around.  See what I mean about his "colorful" way with words?!  No wonder I became a writer with those genes! ;-)

Today, I did a bit of fiddle farting around myself.  I left home at 12:30 pm and didn't get home until almost 9 pm.  And although I did get some things accomplished, like having a great lunch with a friend, visiting another friend in the hospital, and getting all of my hair chopped off, some of that time was spent getting nothing done.  Or at least not everything I wanted to get done.

Like getting all of the photos for the winners of my last giveaway sent out...I'm working on that so please bear with me.

I also spent a little time this morning playing around with some new textures from French Kiss Textures.  I love when I find pretty new textures to play with, it makes my day.  Both of the photos above have only French Kiss textures applied to them, and I'm really happy with how they turned out.

When I went outside this morning I realized that almost overnight our trees have shed their colorful coats and are now naked in preparation for the winter.  All of our trees save one, the one pictured above.  A rebel of a maple tree that is still awash in shades of gold tinged with orange.

I will be interested to see how long it can hang onto its showy foliage.  And then there was one!

My New Addiction

Remember a few posts back when I said something about not knowing if I would like using actions and textures...umm well I had a nice breakfast this morning as I ate those words!  It's only been a week since I've been using actions and textures and I'm completely addicted!

It's not that I don't like the photos I take straight out of the camera (or in photography lingo SOOC), it's just that actions and textures can enhance a photo and take it to a whole new level.

Take the photo above for example.  SOOC it was great, good color, nice contrast and I focused the image on the tiny patch of fog through the trees in the field beyond the woods.  Then I applied Pioneer Woman's free action called Boost (lowering the opacity by quite a bit) and then used another one of her actions called Soft Faded just to make it a little more ethereal.  Finally I used Edge Burn and again, lowered it considerably to help darken the edges and draw the eye toward the center of the photo even more.

If I had tried to do this by myself, and with my limited PS knowledge it would have taken awhile.  I would have figured it out eventually, but let's just say that this is WAY faster and much easier!

Actions can make life for people like me who haven't studied photography, or taken a class in how to use Photo Shop, so much nicer.  So to the people or peoples who thought these things up...Thank You!...you're a genius and if you're ever in my neck of the woods I'll make you dinner, take your picture, and make you look fabulous! ;-)

This photo looks almost exactly like the SOOC version, except the lowered Boost action gave it just a hint more light, and the Soft Faded action made it a tiny bit softer.  It was foggy here this morning, so even the SOOC shots had a soft feel to them, but I liked how Soft Faded accentuated that quality in the photo above.

Now, I'm no expert on any of this, I've been feeling my way around in the dark and just trying whatever strikes my fancy at the moment.

The photo of my vinca above benefited from Flora Bella's Vintage Summer action and a Flora Bella Texture...I forgot to write down what it was called...but it began with an "A"!

The picture above is such a great example of how actions and textures can take a photo and give it almost any look you want.  This is SOOC.  The sun was hitting my front yard so that hardly any color showed up in this photo, something I didn't really notice while I was taking the shot, because the camera sometimes sees things I don't...smart camera, since I love this picture!  I love the way the lack of color really gives you a sense of what it was like here this morning...misty and foggy.

But look at it here after applying the Vintage Summer action and a texture with color burn...be still my heart!  

So, see what a decent night's sleep, some wonderful actions and textures, plus getting a new puppy can do for you?!  

For those of you who already have textures or plan to get them, here is a nifty free little tool Mr. Tide found that makes applying a texture SO much easier.  It's a texture applicator action...I'm telling you, these people are geniuses, well that and Mr. Tide was tired of me buying things I didn't know how to use...hehe!

Until next time my friends.

My Autumn Almanac

 

 

From the dew-soaked hedge creeps a crawly caterpillar,
When the dawn begins to crack.
It's all part of my autumn almanac.
Breeze blows leaves over, mostly coloured yellow,
So I sweep them in my sack.
Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac.

 

 

 

Friday evenings, people get together,
Hiding from the weather.
Tea and toasted, buttered currant buns
Can't compensate for lack of sun,
Because the summer's all gone.

 

 

 

 

La-la-la-la...
Oh, my poor rheumatic back
Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac.
La-la-la-la...
Oh, my autumn almanac
Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac.

 

 

 

 

I like my football on a Saturday,
Roast beef on Sundays, all right.
I go to Blackpool for my holidays,
Sit in the open sunlight.

 

 

 

 

This is my street, and I'm never gonna leave it,
And I'm always gonna stay here
If I live to be ninety-nine,
'Cause all the people I meet
Seem to come from my street
And I can't get away,
Because it's calling me, (come on home)
Hear it calling me, (come on home)

 

 

 

 

La-la-la-la...
Oh, my autumn Armagnac
Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac.
La-la-la-la...
Oh, my autumn almanac
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

I had a wonderful day on Saturday where I did absolutely nothing, at least nothing I didn't want to do...now that's how life should be every day don't you think?!