Pic Me Up: A Stroll in Williamsburg

It was the perfect day for a walk in Colonial Williamsburg yesterday. 

Here are a few of my favorite shots...

A door full of orange...as seen from the middle of the street.

SHEEP!

Yum, num, juicy pomegranate

Last of My 30's

I've been out of blog world for a little bit 'cause I was on vacation!  We went to Kansas City and spent some time in Abilene, Kansas, with the Velasquez and Marquez clans.  It has been a wonderful week but we head back to DC today.  Not only is it my last day in this awesome city, but it's also my last day in my 30's.  I got a note from my oldest and dearest friend, who has already made the transition, and she advised me to savor this day...so I'm working on it!  I'm enjoying an amazing view from my hotel while snuggled in a soft bed drinking coffee and digging in to my photos from the week.  Here's a shot of the city and the gorgeous blue skies of the midwest from atop the Liberty Memorial, built in 1921 in honor of WWI veterans.

We spent Monday, July 4th, at the WWI museum which really did a great job of articulating the confusing web of relationships that led to the war--plus, they tied the timeline to popular culture references of 1914-1916 that put it in perspective from the United States that was far away from "over there."  I've read a bit about the Lafayette Escadrille (thanks to my Air Force schools) so it was neat to see the displays related to the earliest contributions of air power.  This is the Liberty Memorial tower.

Our hotel in KC is at the Plaza and the gardening around the shops and restaurants is really well done.  I love the mix of colors and textures in this bed in particular.

While the flowers look almost good enough to eat, it was the BBQ that got the best of us.  My mom came along with Curt and I and we were excited to treat her to burnt ends.  I've lived at lots of places around the country and KC is the only place I've ever experienced these little chunks of meaty goodness.  We stopped at a little place called Roscoe's just after arriving in KC and it was the perfect way to start the trip.

Mom was a happy BBQ camper...

 I have plenty more to write about but I need to get back to savoring the day with a walk outside to get some fresh coffee.  On that note, though, I'll say that this is my 400th post on the day before I'm 40.  I'm working on a list of my 40 fave beady-crafty-artsty things to share in the coming week...along with a giveaway...we'll see!!

Beach Day Photos

I'm on vacation today!  It has been such a fabulous day off.  Curt and I actually got up and went out to Buckroe Beach for a walk.  The sun is shining, a breeze is blowing, and I'm not at work:  all is right with the world.  


As we were walking out of the apartment building Curt turned to ask me if I wanted to bring my camera.  How sweet is that?  He was watching out for my creative brain that didn't even think about the camera before we left.  He even ran back up to get it.  What a doll!  


So, here are a few shots from our little walk down in the sand...

Love the purplish smooth lines of the shell next to the amber stones and other rough shell fragments.

Under the boardwalk down by the Chesapeake...

Just a little bit of color in the piles of "ocean stuff" on the shore.

The beauty of worn and empty

Some cool signage on the way home.

Cheers to another seven days off!!!  Whoo hooo!!  I'm going to take some of these photos over to Picnik and see what I can come up with.  Or, maybe I should actually learn to use the Photoshop Elements software that I bought!

Sunday Blossoms

Sharing a little spring flower mood on this Sunday evening...

I happened to wander over to Studio Waterstone and an effort to share the love...up close.  :)

Rustico

Rustico, originally uploaded by jenjuddrocks.

I had a crazy busy week with lots to share, but not a lot of time.

Last weekend Curt & I had a phenomenal dinner at Rustico. This is the aftermath...except that I actually finished off the prosecco.

Tulips and Boys

I went picniking last night with this photo.  I was just taking some shots on Sunday afternoon as Curt was getting ready to hit the road and drive back to his house in the big city.  The cat was all sad watching him tie his shoes.  But, there were these gorgeous tulips on the counter that distracted me.  He brought them back after washing my car earlier in the weekend.  How awesome is that?  He even vacuumed the inside!  My french fry and crumb collection has been destroyed, but I can live with that.

Anyway, I finally downloaded Photoshop Elements, but I haven't figured out how to work it yet, so in the interests of lowering my stress from a long day rather than adding to it, I went to Picnik to play.

I can't decide if I love this pic, but I know I like it.  The foreground/background differences are cool!

I know it's supposed to be Bead Table Wednesday, but I am dealing with "real work" Wednesday and have to run off and get ready for work and staff meetings and dozens of emails and random bureaucratic crises.  Another day in paradise!  haaaaaaaaa At least I know there's a weekend in my near future!  

Twelfth Floor Baltimore

Just sharing a pic this Wednesday evening.  

It has been a long day and this picture makes me happy.

I took this shot up in Baltimore when Curt & I were at the Hotel Monaco.  This shot is of part of the bench and carpet out by the elevators on our floor.  

It made me smile every time we walked by because it's just such a cool vignette.

Le Fleur de Pittsburgh

Le Fleur de Pittsburgh, originally uploaded by jenjuddrocks.

My sweetie sent me some flowers for Valentine's day, but I haven't had a chance to tell him that they got delivered on Thursday just before I left for the weekend. They weren't very pretty when I got back. So, for today I'm posting a pretty from my Pittsburgh trip this weekend. I am proud to say that I didn't edit this at all...it's all my skill with the camera. haaaaaaaaaaaa

Simple Valentine

My valentine's simple.

All it takes is a little paper and a little tape to show some love.

Love to my Bon Jovi concert-going girlfriends.

Love to my girlfriends who should've been there for some Richie.

Love to my ma and pa.

Love to the rest of my family...especially all the cute nephews.

And, most importantly,

Love to my sweetie.

p.s.  Amy's special love-centric V-day pic is here!

Frankie Blue Eyes

I don't often capture pics of my little scaredy kitty cat, Frankie, because he's a bit of an anxious fella.  When he heard the treat bag tonight, though, he was all about it!  I was able to capture this shot with lots of luck since he didn't run off as soon as the flashes started flickering.  He's such a little sweetie pie!
 


In the middle of the night, he screams like a baby and then runs around galloping in the kitchen like a little tiny pony making all kinds of noise.  He only lets me pet him if I'm laying in bed under the covers.  Apparently I'm less threatening when I'm snuggled up like that.  I adopted him ages ago from the Siamese Rescue.  He's a "flame" point with his orange color, but I'd rather call him "creamsicle" point because that's more descriptive.

I'll never forget the trip to his foster mom's house.  It was about an hour and a half away from where I lived in Northern Virginia.  Two of my mostest wonderfulest girlfriends were with me and we took a road trip to pick him up.  I knew he was going to be a bit timid, but the anxiety was over the top.  Let's just say that due to his bodily functions it was not a very pleasant trip home.  The smell of poo was almost overwhelming.  But, we made it home, cleaned him up and he went into hiding immediately. 

Since his earliest days of hiding, he's become a bit more social.  I've actually gotten him to sit with me on the couch (as long as I'm fully blanketed and don't make any sudden movements) a dozen times.  He's only bitten me once hard enough to cause a trip to the emergency room.  He really didn't want to go to the vet and I was a little bit frustrated--I actually flipped the bedsprings up off the frame to get him out from under the bed.  You'd have thought my house had been through some sort of monster storm after chasing him around for an hour.  We ended up having to cancel the vet appointment because I had to go sit for a few hours surrounded by sick kids at the local Army post hospital.  It was wonderful. 

How did I end up going down crummy kitty memory lane?  haaaaaaaaa  Back to the good ones...I'm going to get the treat bag out again.  They can celebrate Superbowl halftime with their tuna-flavored faves.

My Lap is on Fire...

....because this laptop is burnin' up some photo editing:

The Capitol

I think I might have to print and see what it looks like.  When I first look at the colors in the sky it feels like they're pulling on my eyes...then the cool green settles them down.  Who would've thought you could actually feel a picture like that?

There are some more Capitol pics that I played with out in my Flickr album...let me know what you think!

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Okay, it's a rooster...but, still, he has to get across for some reason...

To shop at a cute little bead shop in Occoquan, Virginia, for a ton of pretty things

or

To demonstrate a perfect Project Runway walk.  (Mondo kicks ass!)

or

To get out of my sister's driveway so he doesn't get run over. (Like one of his relatives.)

or

Maybe it was just to get to the other side and get on with his day.  :)

Boys--A Great Reason for a Blog Break

Well, it's just one boy...and one boy cat.  :)

I've been off the blog for a while because my sweet husband, Curtis, has been home for a while on his R&R leave.  We've had lots of good time to catch up and lounge around together--since we've been married we've only really spent about two weeks in the same house, so it has been wonderful to have him here.  But, alas, he leaves again this week for another four months of his Afghan adventure. 

His kitty, Brando, was happy to have him home, too...can't you see the joy on his little one-eyed face!  haaaaaaaa

It hasn't all been just the two of us holed up here in the apartment...there has been some on-the-road adventures...and some beads.  We went out to Kansas City and had a wonderful visit with his family.  It was a quick trip, but we got to catch up with his Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters, and some fun nephews.  Plus, I was able to get the girls to stop into a couple of bead shops around the city--I have some serious goodness to share later on. 

The amazing discovery of the trip wasn't the bead shops, though, it was frozen margarita popsicles called Shark Attack Margaritas!!!  They're like those freezie juice things that you buy in a plastic sheath as liquid and then freeze.  They're only available in Kansas and Missouri at the moment, but watch out...they are awesome! 

I'm trying to get myself some projects set up for when my sweetie's gone and I get all sad and lonely...

- Teaching at Bead Haven on the 16th & 17th, so if you're around here in Hampton, come on down and get your beadin' learn on. 

- I'm in a jewelry swap courtesy of the greatest group moderator, Lori Anderson...I'm paired with Ms. Erin Prais-Hintz,designer extraordinaire.  We get to send each other a piece of finished jewelry from our stash--one that's okay, but just not awesome--and then tear them up and remake them into something new.

- I'm off to my cousin, Jacey's, wedding in Pennsylvania next weekend--I'll share the pretties that I contributed to her event afterwards when I have the full complement of pics.

- Oh, and there's the Fall Foliage festival back in my hometown...think orange & yellow leaves all over the place, the sound of a cider press, and the smell of funnel cakes. 

- I guess I should think working out, not funnel cakes...oh well!!  haaaaaaaaaa

Pic Me Up: Shutter Up? Never!!

I had a little more fun with Picnik after a recent Yorktown trip.  Looooove these pretty blue shutters in just a plain old picture, but with the funky photo tools, I love them even more and just want to share!

Pic Me Up: Yorktown's Tomatoes

Took a little trip up to Yorktown with my Ma today while Dad went on a bike ride.  I did some bead shopping, but want to share some Picnik adventures with some of the fresh tomatoes from Saturday's Farmer's Market...

I am loving on these colors!!

 

And here's what I started with...luscious and juicy...we had some with supper!

Pic Me Up: Rural with a Twist

Celebrating the good old country feeling of Pennsylvania and Virginia with a little bit of photo-editing fun.  I cannot believe how unproductive I can actually be!  haaaaaaaaa  So much for getting things done on this day off!  

A bit of bull up in Colonial Williamsburg

Neatly rolled wheat in the fields near my sister's house in Dutch Corner

More from Dutch Corner...usually these chickens are down in the road.

Wish me luck with getting the workshop set up this week.  Ms. Joanne from Bead Haven gave me some "challenge" beads to string so I have to get to work so she doesn't think I just took them and ran. Plus, I'm going to be teaching a class down there in a couple of weeks on designing asymmetrically; we're going to focus on a bracelet to keep it easy.  :)

Happy Summer!!!

A Flowery Chandelier Picnik

I was in a Picnik sort of mood tonight, so here's what I did...

First is the picture as it came out of the camera.  It's from an kick-ass antique market in Atlanta.  They had the most amazing chandeliers...I have more pics and will share eventually.  I'm still recovering from the phenomenal meals we had there at a couple of former Top Chef contestants' restaurants.  I had six types of protein in one day!!  It was heaven!

Here's the first cool effect:

Then this one that I LOVE!  It reminds me of my favorite polymer clay extrusion and layering methods, but this one is a lot less messy and only takes a few keystrokes.  :)

And finally this one...I love the yellow-green color in the background.  I actually just bought an armchair and ottoman that color...Curt says he likes the color, so we'll see!  haaaaaaaaa

Fine Art Glass in Montgomery?

Yep!  The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts has a pretty little gallery among its exhibits that features some really amazing and inspiring work.  I took these photos (under the watchful eye of the guard...no flashes allowed!) of some of the details that are just so cool.  I treasure the miniature works of glass art that I hoard so dearly in my bead collection, but these big-ass pieces are just so amazing!

If you click on the linked titles of each of them, it'll take you to the museum pages for each specific work where you can find out more about the pieces and the artists.

Dinosaur by Lino Tagliapietra, Free-Blown Glass, 2005

Prevailing Manic Jones by Stephen Rolfe Powell, Free-Blown Glass, 2001

Melon Bouquet by Cam Langley, Free-Blown Glass, 2001

Hope you enjoy!

A Quick Wink...

...from my one-eyed sweetie, Brando!  Isn't he precious?!  Of course he's in a permanent winking state, but I love that sweet green eye...especially when I catch it for a second before he sees a bird and looks away.

Don't feel bad for him because he's doing great!  He actually took off across the yard chasing a baby bunny the other day.  Don't worry, he's a little fat so he couldn't get through the fence to catch the quick little one.  haaaaaaaaaaa 

He's actually staring at me right now because it's about the time of night I either get ready for bed or get up and give them treats.  :)  Guess that means I have to go.

Orange Inspiration Around the House

In a spin around my house this morning, looking for the orange inspiration, it wasn't hard to find...

First, my kitchen floor...this wool rug that I picked up at my favorite rug shop near Pordenone while I was stationed in Italy at Aviano Air Base.  I couldn't resist the rich colors.  Of course, the vegetable dye left its mark on the carpet in my old house, but I still love it.

Over in the kitchen by the fridge is this little number by Danilo Soligo.  I picked it up at a flea market in Italy along with a couple of other pieces and framed them up with the bright colors.  I love picking frames because it always makes me think of my sister and how different our tastes are...she would have picked brown or grey for this one.  :)  (Love you, April!!  haaaaaaa)

And, in the dining room, a bigger drama by Kerin McBride.  I found her at an arts festival in Occoquan, Virginia and absolutely fell in love with her color!!!!  Her website has even more gorgeous goodness. 

Over by the front door is this sweet copper mirror.  It came from a vendor at a festival in my hometown, Bedford's Fall Foliage Festival, a couple of years ago. 

Back over here by my desk is the orange chair that came from my grandparents' house (which only shows a little bit of the cat scratch fever it has) and some fun pillows.

Can you believe I've been having trouble picking out colors for my wedding next year?  Uh, now that I look at these pictures, it seems a bit obvious.  Can you see orange and pink with cherry blossoms in DC in April?  haaaaaaaaaaaaa