Linda_O

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Mono Monday Plus # 35 & Mono Monday #49

GATORS MONO MONDAY # 49

MONO MONDAY PLUS # 35

Gator's link

Please push play button on the player!

Have had an underwater picture that I found when I did a Google search looking for pictures to do my grandaughters Ariel pictures... found one from www.wallpaperbase.com and have wanted to use it for something as I think it is so pretty all by it's self. So I took it this week along with some pictures I had taken at the Monterey Aquarium of the jelly fish.. we all love those jelly fish! And here is what I did!

First I took a jelly fish picture that didn't have but one jelly fish & cut it so all I had was water!

My Google search picture from www.wallpaperbase.com!

Jelly fish picture # 1

Jelly fish picture # 2

Jelly fish picture # 3

Took them all to GIMP ~ using the blue solid water as my base.

I put the "find" as a second layer and faded it just a little.

Than added the jelly fish in layers and played.

Put a "water layer" over it all and faded it.

And here is what I have so far:

Took all of this to Picnik and brightened it, than turned it black and white & added a shadow drop frame for My Mono Monday # 49.

Jellyfish sway to and fro at the Codfish Ball

Than went back to Picnik ~ back to the color version. Went to Boost ~ made it even brighter and than to duo tone ( the two colors blue and yellow) ~ brought the fade back about 50 percent ~ added a frame for my Mono Monday Plus:

HAVE A GOOD WEEK ~ TAKE SOME TIME TO ENJOY MOTHER NATURE!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

The Story behind Katie Melua

Having spent most of the day listening and finding Katie Melua's music, you would think when I was ask this evening about her and where she was from I could have answered those questions easily. Although I knew she was in the UK now, I didn't know how she had gotten there or from where. I did know I liked her voice and had enjoyed her music. I find that someone is doing to me what I did with my children when they were small.... and I am liking it... had to go right out and see what I could find out about her. Thought maybe I would share it too!!!

The link below is to her Official Web site:

http://www.katiemelua.com/biography.html

Also from her web site.... this Biography:

Katie Melua was born in Georgia (former USSR) in 1984, growing up under the communist regime in the capital, Tbilisi. The family left Georgia when Katie was eight and moved to Belfast where her father got a job as a heart surgeon. Katie didn’t always want to be a singer or songwriter. Her ambition when she was thirteen was to be a politician or a historian “I honestly thought I’d be able to bring peace to the world...if I ruled it!” The family lived in Belfast for five years before moving to South East London. After her GCSEs, Katie joined the Brit School for Performing Arts where she undertook a BTEC and Music A-level.

Composer/producer Mike Batt paid a visit to the school. Katie signed to Batt’s record label Dramatico, but stayed at the Brit School to complete her studies where she graduated with distinction in July 2003.

Unable to secure a contract with a Major record company, Katie and Mike decided to put her album “Call Off The Search” (containing the song “The Closest Thing To Crazy”) out on Batt’s own, small record label. After an initial struggle, followed by an appearance on The Royal Variety Show, 19 year old Katie shot to the top of the UK album charts and became the biggest selling female artist for the next two years. Her two albums, (the second of which contained the hit “Nine Million Bicycles”) have sold nearly 9 million copies to date. She is currently Europe’s biggest selling female solo artist. She and her family took British nationality in 2005.

The past years have been quite extraordinary for Katie (now 23). She has had a Dutch tulip named in her honour, toured America coast to coast, met and played for Nelson Mandela in South Africa visiting his Aids charity, has become a hard working Ambassador for Save The Children, raced at 160mph around Grand Prix circuit Silverstone, flown a plane, learned to dive and parachute freefall, descended 303 metres into the depths of the leg of a gas rig in North Sea (achieving a Guinness World Record), and picked up various prestigious awards within Europe, including a World Music Award, a Golden Camera Award, and two German Echo Awards. In December 2007, Katie had her first number one single with a duet with her idol, the late Eva Cassidy, entitled “What A Wonderful World”, with proceeds from the single going to support the UK work of the British Red Cross.

October 2007 saw the internationally successful release of Katie’s third album “Pictures” - a record which has delighted her legions of fans, confirmed Katie’s status as a unique and remarkable vocalist, and revealed the third chapter in what is destined to be a long musical career.

Katie’s fourth album, “The Katie Melua Collection”, is a musical summary of the 24 year old’s journey so far and was released in October 2008.

Music Video: Nine Million Bicycles by (Katie Melua)

Friday, March 6, 2009

PICTURE PERFECT FRIDAY ~ BLACK AND WHITE

PICTURE PERFECT FRIDAY

BLACK & WHITE

This week I have run my little snow pictures in the ground and I apologize to those of you that have been so kind as to visit them every time I post... (Last time for awhile I promise), but I could not resist as even though the picture is in living color (as you can see by the green curb)....

The snow made it feel like a BLACK & WHITE world...

Thursday, March 5, 2009

MM # 48 & MM Plus # 34

A little late on this one...

But as many of you know I spent some time playing in our snow this week!

Just can't let those pictures rest yet...

Took this first picture to Picnik and changed it to B&W

Than used the Matte which put more white around the edges,

and than softened the picture... trying to fade it out some.

(Had worked with both of these earlier in the week. Just didn't work out like I

wanted... lol ~ still didn't but a little better)

Took my results to GIMP Along with the 2nd picture

Added this as second layer in gimp and faded it...

Played around alot more.. but not really sure what I clicked on and what I kept

or didn't keep but came out with this picture and took it back to Picnik...

Back in Picnic I played some more trying to achieve what I had in my mind

from the beginning of the week, but never got there...

What I did get was the next B&W with a Drop Shadow frame for

Mono Monday # 48

And a much busier version for my

Mono Monday Plus # 34

A Weekend on it's Way...

Wishing Everyone Sunshine & Warmth

AND

One Full of Love & Happiness!!!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

45 minutes later and the next morning!

I posted a blog with pictures of our snow here in Alabama on Sunday.
These were taken 45 minutes after the pictures in the blog. I tried to take areas that I had put in my blog so you could see the difference. The last one was taken when I left work on Monday morning ~ Our Winter Wonderland was gone.
As you can tell we don't get snow very often and not much when we do
(There are pictures posted from March 8, 2008 of snow flurries we had then.)
Of course, I had to include my Buddy!

Photo Album 2009-03-03

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Such a fun morning in Alabama!!!

It is a Winter Wonderland here in Alabama this morning. Even after working all night, I just had to play a little and share it!!! At about 3am we looked out the window to see a misting rain and snow... by 6am the trees were all white and beautiful. When we left the building after clocking out, we had to be careful not to slip on the ice covering the sidewalk. It took 40 to 45 minutes to get my drivers door open on my car. I could not resist taking some pictures while others tried to huddle in their cars and keep warm. Threw a couple of show balls too. Everyone was talking about how pretty it looked.

Although the roads were not too bad, I drove home very carefully. After feeding Buddy this morning... took a few more pictures and came in to share them. While down loading these... I looked outside and the snow is still coming down fast... I may try and take a few more.. but must sleep for work tonight.