Fun with Photoshop

A friend sent me a picture of one of her granddaughters, enjoying for the first time the annual bluebonnets that are now gracing most of the Texas countryside.  The child is so adorable, and the picture so beautiful, that I couldn't help creating a little Impressionist-style "painting" of her in Photoshop.  Here are the two pictures ... the original plus the 'shopped one.  Everybody say, "Awwwwwww" ... and don't forget you can click on each picture to embiggen.

(original)

Impressionist "painting"

Farewell, little Baby

Baby Cat, in better days

I had to bid farewell to my sweet little Baby, 14 years old, yesterday.  She had been getting thinner and thinner, and had finally gone into kidney failure.  She spent most of the last month in my lap every time I would sit down, and slept curled up under my arm every night.

Rest in Peace, my sweet Baby.

The pain of losing our beloved animal family members is the price we pay for all the joy they give us in life.  Baby's big sister Mariah left us in May of this year, and Bouncer is now an "only cat".  He has been wandering the house, loudly calling for his lost sister, and trailing after me like a little dog.

Bouncer (aka "the meatloaf"), is now an Only Cat.

I will miss Baby and Mariah, but take comfort in the knowledge that they led a cozy, comfortable, pampered existence in my care.  Bouncer is so robust and healthy, I hope he lives happily with me for many more years.

Creepy Baby

Here's one of the babies in my Creepy Baby series ... she's not one of the creepiest, but she IS kind of weird! Her name is Circus Baby, and she is a beaded 4-1/2" antique bisque doll. She came into my possession without her original arms, so I created some happy circus arms for her.



And here she is from the back, so you can see her little bonnet:

Some people have asked if the beads are glued on. No, they are peyote-stitched around her body and head with size 15 seed beads, creating a little attached bonnet. My friend Larkin Van Horn (http://www.larkinart.com/) taught me how to peyote-stitch around a solid object, such as a bottle, and I translated the technique to the doll.

Her arms are stuffed, stitched fabric, beaded at the ends and wound around with some gorgeous silk waste yarn donated by a friend (thank you, Jo!)