Texture Tuesday

Do you ever wonder what in the world to photograph?  At times I find myself thinking that there's nothing left to photograph...at least not close by.  I dream of walking the streets of great cities and snapping photos with wild abandon.  I long to visit the elegant, yet haunting cemeteries of Europe filled with exquisite statues in poignant poses capturing their essence as this very talented photographer has.  Instead, I searched the house for inspiration.

 A sweet bracelet my mother wore as a girl rests in my jewelry box. Books and a bracelet...how romantic

I found four slim volumes in French with a 1925 copyright.  There's something about the French language that invites romance, even when I have no idea what the actual words say.   

Dreamy fabrics always catch my eye and once upon a time I had a small shop where I concocted delicious potpourris from the leftover petals and leaves of herbs and flowers. Sweet bags were sewn from the brocades and I recently found the box holding the leftover fabrics.  The soft floral background is one  of those brocades.

    
I added layers of detail via Elements.  A gaussian blur and levels adjustments captured the soft feel I was looking for. Then it was time to layer with textures. I used Solitude by Kristy at Live and Love Out Loud. Kim Klassen's Sweet Treat texture was added twice using soft light mode.

The other two photos also have textures and I used a brush from the French Kiss sampler on the top photo.


I'm linking up with other photographers who are sharing their texture creations at ....

Focus on Comforts

This flu bug has kicked my butt over days, through one week, and into another. Thank goodness for small comforts.

Tea poured from a flowery antique pot into a favorite thin, porcelain cup with the words, Vienna, Austria, stamped on the bottom.

A wedge of Florida orange, juicy delicious in its imperfection, waiting to be squeezed into the hot brew.

Curled up with a warm throw and the words from Michele Roberts book, The Looking Glass,  dancing off the page.

"It's appeal lay precisely in its simplicity." 

And comfort foods like tapioca made fresh with cream, still warm in the bowl. 

Oh how I hope these days of sneezing, wheezing, coughing, and aching are soon behind me.  Thank goodness for simple pleasures that comfort the body, mind, and soul.








CELEBRATE!
I've been meaning to mention that each week, more or less, I'm focusing on a blog, a website, or a link that has touched me in some way.  It may be a new found read, a way to thank a supportive fellow blogger, or just for giggles.  If you have a moment to follow the link in the sidebar titled Celebrating!, I assure you...you'll discover a pleasant diversion.

Books, Buddies, & Busy

Oh how exciting to find a box on the doorstep.  I discovered four books inside and a lovely purple tulip note card all from Christina at soul aperture.  I became enchanted with Christina's blog the first time I read her inspiring words and viewed her elegant photography of simple things.  How lucky I was to have my name drawn for a gift of books. When I’ve finished all four books, I’m planning to carry on Christina’s book giveaway and pass them along.  Thank you Christina!  I can’t wait to get started on…

Astrid & Veronika by Linda Olsson

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick



The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster

Today is Buddy Day at my grandson’s school.  I’m going to meet him for lunch, devour a hot dog and then off we’ll go to the book fair.  He is my buddy in every way.  We share a love of cookie dough and fresh from the oven cookies. We both love words.  Who knew a 7 year old would find words so fascinating that he'd begin writing his own stories.  With heads together we giggle and conspire.

Yep!  He sure is my buddy!






As the holidays approach I’m finding myself incredibly busy.  It’s that time of year when I want to get organized and clean from floor to rafters until the whole house shines like “the top of the Chrysler building.” 



The orders for fresh, mixed-green wreaths have started coming in.  I’ll be spending a lot of time in the garage turned workshop for the next few weeks.

I’m finding beauty in the day with books, buddies and that I am once again able to be busy, busy! 

Winter Thoughts on Old Books

Winter days and nights call out for dreaming when a fire flickers in the fireplace and a glass of wine warms from the inside out. This the time I reach for two books that I am fortunate to call mine. Old books carry the marks of fingers that turned pages and dust collected over time. Holding the first book close to my face, I breathe in the heavy scent of age. Just inside the cover a handwritten note appears…

Miss Esther Jackson

From the Glendale Branch of the Plant, Fruit and Flower Guild

In a more childish script:

1911

First prize for school Garden

Little Esther knew as a child, that there’s magic in watching plants grow. I have no doubt she found amusement in the diminutive book, Flowers Shown to the Children by Janet Harvey Kelman. Pressed petals, browned and fragile, lie hidden among the pages that describe Great Wild Valerian, Small Bindweed, and Foxglove creating a bridge from that time to this.

Over the years, I’ve kept the book secure with its treasures inside a glass secretary, but every once in a while I must take it out, leaf carefully through frayed and spotted pages, sighing at the soft muted azure of borage. With the turn of each page the memories of my first blue ribbon awarded to me by an aging Esther leap forward and I am touched by this very special gift, a book that she carried with her until her garden ceased to flower.

A thin volume of British Garden Flowers by George M. Taylor, published in 1946 and 1947, sits on my bookshelf. While not as old as Flowers Shown to the Children, the scent of age is catching up to it. The plastic covering, placed over it at the Bryan Library, protected the cover from spills and fingerprints shows signs of wear.

Bits and pieces of history accompany color and black and white illustrations taken from old garden tomes like The Temple of Flora by R. J. Thornton and P. J. Redouté’s Choix de plus belles fleurs. I take a moment to thank my lucky stars that I picked up this book for a dollar or two at the Bryan Library tent sale.

I love the rich antique illustrations that bring floral history to life. The deep red of a peony, the twining stems of a clutch of sweet peas, and the glorious wonder of pink roses captivate me, holding me spellbound in imaginary gardens of the past.

A connection between me and the past forms each time I look through these two old books. I ponder who might have read the book and why. With little Esther’s book the mystery of who is solved, but still the image of a wee girl pouring over the descriptions, the enchanting illustrations and dreaming of gardens to be touches my heart.

Do you have a favorite old gardening book?