love is LOUDER

After reading this article on the fantastic blog Single Dad Laughing, I went to visit the Love is Louder website. Check out their video here:

And I was so inspired by all the amazing artwork on their site, I just had to make this:

If you know someone who is struggling right now, send them a little love note today. I know that I am only alive today because of love. I have had so many people help me over the years, but one moment in time really stands out. When I was in college, I started having panic attacks every time a visit from my parents was coming up. It was the beginning of me understanding just how abusive my home life had been. One of my classmates took me to the school counselor, and waited with me until I could get in to see someone. That act probably saved my life, so wherever you are Jessica, thank you.

If you see someone suffering, let them know they are not alone. You never know, you might just save a life.

Music Monday - Autumn Leaves

This week's Music Monday challenge comes from the classic jazz standard, Autumn Leaves

But I miss you most of all, my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall

I chose these lyrics for a couple of reasons. We are coming up on Halloween, which most people associate with witches, candies, and ghosts. But the origins of this holiday are actually deeply spiritual, and are about honoring and remembering our ancestors and others that have passed on.

For me personally, it is the three year anniversary of the death of Grandma Elaine, who passed away on October 27, 2007. This holiday is always a sad reminder of her loss. So this image is all about grandma Elaine. Her sewing is stitched into the fabric of this image, a reminder of the baby blanket for my son her death left unfinished. The central ghost image is a dead flower, which was in her garden on the first anniversary of her death. The third ghost image is a shot of the clouds over Fanny Bay, also taken one year after her death. And of course, the first ghost image is Elaine herself. Still miss you Elaine.

For those of you who would like to join the Music Monday challenge, please post a link to your image in the comments thread by Saturday night, and on Sunday I'll display all your works! Courtesy of the lovely women at Collage Obsession, here are instructions about how to link to your image:

Here is a very simple instruction how you can add a link to your comment. You don't have to use this, but it makes your link easy to use. Only thing you need, is this simple code:

<a href="link">text to click on</a>

First replace the link with the permanent link to your work (leave the apostrophes). Next replace text to click on with your own message.

Here is a sample: <a href="http://collageobsessionchallenge.blogspot.com/">my first entry.</a>

And a sneak peak for next week, the theme comes from a song title, courtesy of Madonna: Forbidden Love.

Have a beautiful day!

Joyelle

Music Monday - Lost in Beauty

I am so excited to show you what I have been working on! I had a scary moment this morning when my Macbook crashed while making last minute adjustments, but all is well now!

So today's song lyric comes from One Republic's song Come Home:

I get lost in the beauty of everything I see
The world ain't half as bad as they paint it to be

I am looking forward to seeing other interpretations of this lyric! Please add your comment to this post with a link to your image and on Sunday I'll post all your images here.

So for next week we are going with a classic jazz standard, Autumn Leaves.

I miss you most of all, my darling
when autumn leaves start to fall

I figured it's appropriate for the season :)

I have been working on a vintage image for the Three Muses challenge this week, which I will be posting on Wednesday. It uses the wings from this image as well. Just for those who are interested, I created the wings by taking a butterfly by Vinnie Pierce, erasing the body, then turning it into a mask, and filling the shape with a maple leaf photo I had taken. If you look closely you can see the veins of the leaf. Neat, huh?

Ok, so that's it for today. Have a beautiful day!

Joyelle

Texture Play

Here are a few images from Oahu that I played with using Kim Klassen textures and Vinnie Pierce script grunge masks.

Hope you are enjoying this beautiful day!

Joyelle

Photo Friday! - Luminosity

Ok, so more images from Oahu! Back home to the rain and cold of the west coast, I invite you to lay back and soak up the sun. Take a virtual vacation with me!

I chose this collection because I have a fascination with the play of light shining through leaves. To me, it represents a person at their best, appearing to glow from within as it captures the light and colours it into something beautiful. It's that quality in another person that attracts you to them, the spark that lights their eyes. When we are living in alignment with our core values, we shine from within, adding our unique colours to the painting that is this universe. If we accept the Jungian theory of the collective subconcious, then think as artists the power we have in this world!

Anyway, sorry about the rant, it's just a subject I find fascinating. There is a book by a pair of Canadian writers called Luminosity that really got me thinking about it. Now, onto the photos!

Photo Friday!

Inspired by other bloggers photo Fridays, I've decided to start one of my own. Here is this week in review, using some new Lightroom presets I was playing with, and one texture overlay that I created:

self portrait with overlay

my intrepid explorer

Have a fantastic weekend!

Joyelle

Music!

Just a quick post to share a photo from my gig last night at Frederico's. Thanks to Natalie McGinley for this!

 

And while I am talking about music, I wanted to share some brilliant lyrics from the new Little Big Town. I'm a sucker for clever lyrical concepts.

Shut up train, I’m trying to sleep • Can’t you show me a little sympathy • This is the only time, I can get any peace • So shut up train I’m trying to sleep • • •
(Chorus) Every time the front door shakes • Every time I hear the brakes • And that long whistle crying through the night • I’m reminded of the way I feel • Just like that cold black steel • Getting crushed
by your wheels tonight • I don’t need no more pain • So, shut up train • • •

I hope you’re happy, now I’m wide awake • Now I gotta deal with every ounce of this heartache •
While you’re moving on, I’m stuck in this place • It’s all your fault, so shut up train

Check out their new album, it is really beautiful!

Hope you have a gorgeous day! 

Joyelle

Favourite Things

Inspired by the Inspiration Staycation, I have made a list of a few of my favourite things right now.

Smelling my son’s head.

Hearing my son laugh

Watching my husband hold my son.

Dark chocolate

Vanilla coffee misto

Quiet moments alone

Girl’s night

Songs that make me cry

Discovering a new favourite music act or artist

Walking through an art store looking at all the supplies

Downloading a new CD from iTunes

Pedicures

Really good hugs

Books

And here is another image playing with Kim's Extreme Grunge texture. Funny story behind this image: My husband and I had a fantastic date on Monday going to a Bard on the Beach performance of La Boheme. I have to mention that the UBC opera cast were all amazing! Anyway, during intermission I went over and sat at the edge of the stage to get this close up of the bass, and I got in trouble from an usher, who almost made me delete this image from my camera, because apparently any images of Bard performances are copywritten. But I made it back to my seat with the one photo I managed to snag, so here it is!

Have a beautiful day!

Joyelle

Texture Play

So here is another experimentation with Kim Klassen's tutorials.

I took this image, which was a craft project Gabe and I did one day. You drop food colouring into egg cartons filled with water and use an eye dropper to make a collage on the Ikea paper roll. I let it dry, then hung it in a sunny window to get this image:

Next, I opened up this image:

And then used an adjustment filter to invert the colour to look like this:

Then I followed the steps of Kim Klassen's Extreme Grunge tutorial, substituting the image above for her grunge texture. The result looks like this:

And that's what I played with today. Make sure you play today too!
Joyelle

Funny Moments

You know you live with a boy when you find this collection on your bathroom floor:

Exhibit A: Tyrannosaurus Rex Skeleton, watering can, undies