Saturday, July 5, 2008

Too wet to sit outside.

It rained pretty hard earlier. Thankfully, the cushions on my chairs are covered in a rainbrella fabric that dries very quickly. You have to remember to lift them and empty the puddles of water that collect in the fanny impressions. My geraniums are 3 or 4 years old and winter over nicely in the house. I used to buy new ones every year and finally wised up. Wouldn't a solar-powered greenhouse be nice? The ultimate adult sandbox!

I am catching up on my movies this weekend. All free rentals from the library. I just finished MISS POTTER and loved it. I have always been a fan of Beatrix Potter and found the story of her life to be quite enchanting. The English countryside was breathtakingly beautiful too. I almost never buy movies, but this DVD just might be the exception. I definitely want to watch it again and again.

YIKES! Big moth on the loose! (Photo Manipulation)

This is one of my favorite pictures of my mother taken about 20 years ago way before digital. She is almost 88 years old and still just as beautiful. She has actually outlived the huge old tree. It was on Main Street in Mendham near a white church with a red door near the pizza place and it has been cut down because it was destroying the sidewalk. What a shame! I scanned the snapshot and when to town with Photoshop Elements ~ my favorite processing program. I am still learning how to use it. I started out with 4.0 and am now using 6.0. I collect and sell antique prints. If I sell something amazing, I usually keep a high resolution copy. The moth you see on the tree was one of many on a single sheet of an 18th century entomology engraving. I picked the one that was easiest to outline and deleted the background. Then I moved it to the tree and added a drop shadow. I added a drop shadow to the entire composition to make it float in mid-air. I love the end result and hope you do too.



Content in a Cottage

Friday, July 4, 2008

Independence Day 2008



Have a Great July 4th Celebration

I think these cleomes in the rain look almost like fireworks. They reseed themselves every year and by the end of the summer they are very tall. This photo is from last year. They've just started to bloom this week. The sky is gray and it looks like rain so I thought this photo was fitting. Enjoy your holiday!

Thursday, July 3, 2008

I wear many hats.

I have been collecting antiques all my life. My grandparents were collectors and I was taught at an early age to appreciate old things. I have a hard time buying anything new. I have been told that I have a good eye and from time to time I will share something wonderful with you. I sell on eBay too under the seller name springvalleyantiques. I am also a realtor. You can reach my website from the sidebar.



Content in a Cottage

So much to learn.

Well, my first post was a disaster. I have to learn how to use Blogger, won't I? I wanted the picture to be under my post...not above it. And there is too much white space in between. I will try again. I really have to organize my photos so I can find them more easily too. I am going to add my logo to see if I can make it appear below this text.

That's better. Just what I wanted to do. Hooray! This is going to be harder than I thought.




My first post!

I have been wanting to do this for soooo long. I have a lot to share and hope you will visit me often. I live a simple life in a delightful cottage in the most beautiful part of Morris County, New Jersey. I can honestly say that I am content too! How great is that? I enjoy my Nikon D40 and will post at least one of my photographs in every post. I think my bluebird house looks wonderful with the blurred background.



Content in a Cottage