Color Splash Sunday - More Bling!

<center><a href="http://purple-hippie.blogspot.com/p/color-splash-sunday.html"><img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/prin367cess/colorsplashsunday.jpg"></a></center>Welcome to Color Splash Sunday!

Color splash photos are those that have been converted to black and white, but one object has been left colored. Sometimes, it's easy to just isolate your colored object and you're done. Other times, more editing is required, such as adjusting color levels/light/shadow/etc.

This is an open themed link-up, so there won't be any specific themes for your photos. Any photo is fine, as long it was taken or setup by you, has selective color, and you haven't posted it before. You can read more about CSS guidelines by clicking here.

I have a selective coloring photo for you all today! Now, I know I already showed off a photo of my bachelorette bling here, but I found another pretty shot when I was editing self-shot photos of my rings. (I say 'self-shot' because I am not a professional, and probably never will be. So they are not high-quality. I also didn't want anyone to think I was illegally editing photos from the professional photog who shot my wedding.)

Anyway, here is my photo for this week:

Even though the subject -my bachelorette bling- is the same, there are two major differences between this photo and my previous one: This one was shot with my dad's Nikon D80 (which I borrow constantly... I want my own.) and edited with LR3 (which I got as a gift just after Jon and I were debating buying it for me during their sale a couple weeks ago). The previous one was shot with my Samsung point and shoot camera, and edited with pse8. I seriously love this photo SO. MUCH. MORE!

Before you all link up, I want to thank the 6 of you who participated last week! It was so great to see all of your selective coloring photos. I know I said that I would pick a Top 3 anytime we had 6 or more participants, but I can't leave anyone out! I really tried, but it's too difficult. No one minds, right?!

And one more thing... I have a giveaway going on right now over at my book blog. I am giving away a finished copy of Traci Houston's debut novel, Blood Drive. It's a vampire novel, and it's not for kids/teens. It's got blood, gore, and adult activities. My husband and I both read it, though, and loved it! Click HERE for more info. Low entries, high chances of winning!

Okay, now you can link up. :)

Texture Tuesday - Children's Books

The theme for Kim Klassen's texture challenge today is Gratitude. Just after I read the theme last Tuesday, I had a brief conversation (on facebook) with my husband's SIL about her local library. At the end, I stated how thankful I am that years ago, I started collecting children's books for my personal library. Going to college first for elementary education and then for literacy meant that I spent more on children's books than I did on textbooks or clothes. In my college dorm room, I had children's books strewn everywhere! They were stacked up in laundry baskets, interspersed with my YA and adult novels on my bookshelf, and usually scattered on my bed, as well.

With the price of print books going up, libraries charging membership fees, brick & mortar bookstores disappearing every day, and e-readers becoming the new fad, I'm always grateful for my personal collection of children's books. I am so excited about the days (WAY off in the future) when I'll be reading these books with my children. My parents, especially my mom, instilled me with a deep love for reading, and I hope I can do the same for my kids.

After adjusting sliders in ACR, I added a haze and a gentle vintage look. Here are my layers with KK's texture love:

EDIT: So, when I was reading Kim's blog just now to see next week's challenge, I realized that I didn't add 2 layers of texture to my photo, as instructed. I only have 1 layer. Oops. I was going to try to add another layer on top of my saved photo, but I kinda feel like it might ruin it. I am going to leave it. Just don't tell Kim!

Shutter Love - Selfie!

One of my favorite themes.



Alice is my absolutely favorite character from the Twilight saga. I'd much rather read a series of books about her than any other character.

i heart faces Challenge - Slices of Life... and GTKY!

1. what inspires you? lots of things... the sun, newly bloomed flowers, brand new crayons, an empty SD card, a new action or texture, a favorite song. and people, too. people like Kelle Hampton and Beth Fletcher and Keli Hoskins. people like my younger brother and his friends.

2. what was the last thing you bought yourself? I had to get gas 2 days ago, does that count? Oh wait, I have a DD gift card, so I treated myself to store-bought coffee last Friday.

3. would you rather watch a movie in a theater or from the comfort of your own home? the comfort of my own home. theaters are only fun for 3D movies. I hate the smell of all the different snacks, and the kids running around, and people talking on their cell phones, and sticky floors. one hot mess.

4. household chore you don't mind doing? Believe it or not, laundry! I love the smell of clean clothing, and how everything is warm straight out of the dryer. I actually get sad when Jon does the laundry for me. I also don't mind cleaning toilets, even though most people hate it. I'm weird.

5. coffee or tea? Ah, depends on my mood. Usually tea in the early morning or late night. I never drink coffee later than 6 pm.

6. what could you eat every day and not get sick of?? sushi and pasta. I'm seriously craving sushi right now because I haven't had it in a few months.

7. what's the last book you read? Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. 2 months ago. I had planned to reread the series, but then I decided to take a random college course for professional development.

8. do you think you look you "look" your age? Nope. I have always looked younger than my age. I remember a teacher thought I was in 2nd grade when I was in 4th. Then, another kid (who was also my age) thought I was in 4th when I was in 6th. In high school, everyone thought I was about 12. In college, everyone thought I was in high school. I was even told to show my hall pass when I picked up my younger brother from his JUNIOR HIGH (6, 7, 8th grades). Now that I have graduated college (4 years ago), and am visiting high schools for my job, most people think I am still a college student. Some people even think I am a high school student when I walk through the hallways. I used to hate it, now I don't mind it. I hope I love it in 10 years!



And this is what you really came here for: a photo for the iheartfaces challenge this week, which is Slices of Life.



This is what you'll find Matt doing on a random sunny afternoon. Sitting at his desk, listening to music. That's Life for this kid.

Click on the button to see more entries!

Getting to Know YOU... is BACK!!!

Remember the Getting to Know YOU meme? It was run by Keely over at MannLand5. She ended it a few months ago, and I was very sad.

But now she has decided to start it up again! YAY!

And with a new button, too.



Here are this week's questions:

1. if you won the title of miss america, what would your platform be? Public education. Our nation's teachers are underpaid and underappreciated. They should not have to take the blame for students who come from illiterate homes, and thus do not understand the importance of education.

2. outdoorsy or indoorsy? outdoorsy, even though I love my home comforts. I told a friend recently that if there were no bugs outside, I would live outside.

3. pajama's out in public..classy or tres tacky? I have to admit, I wore pj's to high school on dress-down days (aka no uniform days). Once I started college, however, I quickly realized how unprofessional and immature it looks to wear pj's out in public. The only exception is going to a pharmacy if you're sick and need medicine.

4. what's your favorite room in your house? When I lived at my parents' house, it was my bedroom. In my little condo with Jon, I honestly like each and every room!

5. nook, kindle, or book? Book. There is nothing that can replace the solid feeling of a book in my hands, the pages in my fingers, and the sound of the paper whispering its story to me.

6. would you rather wear the same outfit for a week or not brush your teeth for a week? Same outfit! I hate the feeling of gummy teeth.

7. what's your favorite blog at the moment? MannLand5, for bringing back GTKY!

8. lately i've been daydreaming about.........? Babies... Well, I've been daydreaming about babies since I was 15. Something else... My wedding!

And I'll end with a photo for Allie's Happy Monday challenge. This week's theme is Spring. My mom bought these pretty spring flowers to dress up her dining room.

Taken with my iPhone and edited with instagram.

A Visual Representation of My Hobbies

Today, we are planning to relax by the pool, hang out, and then go to Medieval Times for dinner.

I am just going to give you a random photo for today. Stayed tuned for the guest posts!



PS - If you have been reading my blog in a reader, you should click over and see my new design! I redesigned it myself using the blogger designer because I didn't like the way it looked on wide screens. Now, it should look fine on all screens. Please let me know if it's stretched out or squished. Thanks!

Black and White Wednesday - A Gazebo

Black and White Wednesday is run by Lisa over at
The Long Road to China.



This gazebo can be found at Osbornedale State Park in Derby, CT. I started my parks project here at this gazebo back in September 2009. I had found a entertainment map of CT and I was just skimming over the map, looking at all of the parks, when the idea hit me. I have SO MUCH free time in between my day appointments and my night fairs. Some days, I would sit in my car for 3-4 hours, just waiting. Why not make use of my time? That was when I decided to make a personal goal of visiting and photographing every single state park in the Constitution State.
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Outstanding Blogger Award



This delightful award was recently given to me by Ashley over at Ramblings and Photos. Considering that Ashley is one of my most favorite-est bloggers EVER, I feel quite honored to get this award from her! Many thanks to you, Ashley!

I have no idea what the rules are for this award, so I am just going to pass it on to some more outstanding bloggers.

Laura over at Blogging From Bolivia
Lynda over at Daily Window
Mama Hen over at Mama's Little Chick
Cherees over at Our New Life
Courtney over at The Story of Us
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Camera update

My Samsung point and shoot was sent back to the manufacturer AGAIN. In the meantime, I've been borrowing my dad's Nikon often, as well as a Canon from my future co-SIL, Melissa. I guess I should label my photos so you all know which ones have been taken with which camera. For example, the photo below was taken with the Canon.
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Blogging update

I made 2 new blogs, but I don't expect anyone to follow them (although you are more than welcome to, if you are interested). They are for other purposes besides "Artistically Me," and I wanted to keep myself semi-organized. i heart reading is strictly for books and reading, while Finding Joy in Simple Pleasures... Photos was created solely for Photo Hunts.
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Shutter Love



This week's theme is 4th of July.


I'm also linking up with Simplicity's Photography Blog Hop.
The theme this week is color.

I am FEELIN' the love!

How am I feelin' the love on this blog? Well, first, I had a new record in comments - 18 on one post. It was my yellow post a few days ago, and all the sweet comments have given me more confidence in my photography and editing skills. Second, I gained a new follower - I am now up to 12 (according to my Blogger dashboard). Third, I've had over 6350 page views since I added the counter (2/15/2010). My newest country is Mexico (muchos gracias). And fourth, I've been given 3 more blog awards! All of them totally unexpected, and very much appreciated.

First up is the "I Love Your Blog" award from Cherees over at Our New Life. Cherees is so loyal and so supportive. Many thanks for her because in addition to reading and leaving comments, she has also been taking part in my Color Splash Sunday meme.

The rules for this award involve listing 10 things I love, and then passing this on to 10 bloggers. There is no way I can pass it on to 10 bloggers, but I will pass it on to Gail over at Delightfully Diva-ish, because I really love her blog! And I am going to list 10 people I love, vs things I love, because I already listed 10 things that make me happy.

1. Matty - my younger brother.
2. Mom
3. Dad
4. Dave - my older brother.
5. Jon - my boyfriend.
6. C - my best friend. We went to high school together, and grad school.
7. T - my other best friend.
8. K - our moms grew up together, so we are basically sisters.
9. L - ditto above.
10.Angelique - my twin at heart.

*Yes, I used initials for their names because I don't know how they feel about being on here.*

Next is the "Versatile Blogger" award from Bec over at iheartblog. Bec seems to be like me - full of hobbies and a crazy creative personality.

The rules for the award are:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic! (in no particular order...)

4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

Thanks, Bec, for the award! And I love the new graphic you made - so pretty! I don't have 15 other bloggers to pass this on to, but I do have one very versatile blogger I recently found when she commented on my blog. It's Didee from Art Cupboard, and she is fantastic! She does photo editing and digiscrapping, and she has so many resources for textures and actions and kits.

Here are 7 random things about me:

I texted/tweeted during my graduation ceremony last weekend.
I never had perfect attendance in elementary or high school.
I am utterly addicted to computer games.
I can knot a cherry stem in my mouth.
I enjoy reading Shakespeare.
I can't eat crunchy cereal.
I hate to exercise.

And then there is the "Super Comments" award from Neel over at Being Zara & Zidan. I've already developed a super relationship with Neel, because she is the epitome of a supermom and superblogger. She has super cute kids, takes super photos, does super creative edits, and leaves super comments.

The rules for this award are to answer the ten questions, pass the award on to your favorite bloggers, and tell them to answer ten questions. Okay, I have to pass this award on to Cherees over at Our New Life. She leaves super comments; she is so nice.

1) Why do you blog? I needed another hobby, and a way to record my thoughts as I overcome my quarter-life crisis and move on to the next stage of my life.

2) What are the 3 best memories? My first kiss with Jon, walking across the stage to get my Master's degree, and laughing with friends.

3) If you had to change your real name, what would you change it to? When I was a kid, I wanted to change my name to Tiffany Dawn Crystal. Now, I like Amy. :)

4) What are the 5 things you can't live without? I'm not too materialistic, but there are a few. My cell phone, my laptop, my stuffed turtle, sneakers, and chocolate.

5) What are the 4 best books you have ever read? Ooh, tough one. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the HP series, Memoirs of a Geisha, and the Giver.

6) Tell me something unique & interesting about yourself? I am a very unique person. One interesting thing? I collected teaspoons when I was a kid. My family used to drive to South Carolina every year, and I got one everywhere we stopped.

7) What do you love about yourself? Basically everything!

8) What is the best movie ever made? Avatar.

9) If you had a freaky friday experience, who would you want to trade places with and why? An actress or celebrity, just for one day.

10) what's the best part about being a woman? It never fails to amaze me - women have this innate sense of creativity that is hidden deep within each of us. whether it is writing, blogging, photography, editing, drawing, baking, designing, painting, singing, dancing, or any other talent, we are each a creative genius in our own way. the moment a woman's creativity is recognized and allowed to grow, she shines. -me

Inner Monologue

This concept of a 'stream of consciousness' post seems to be a new trend in blogging.

According to Wikipedia (my source for all non-academic research), “[i]n literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode that seeks to portray an individual's point of view by giving the written equivalent of the character's thought processes, either in a loose interior monologue, or in connection to his or her actions.” (Since I’m not an English major anymore, this is not academia-related. It’s blog-related.)

The article gives examples of such, one of which is Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. I read that novel in my senior capstone course, Literary Criticism. (How ironic, although we never actually covered stream of consciousness in LitCrit.) We only read 3 novels, but we tore them apart by criticizing them from every angle and every theory. WSS was my favorite of the 3. Antoinette’s (Bertha) stream of consciousness occurs in Part 3 of the novel, as she is describing her destiny (her suicide and the ensuing fire).

I’m surprised that Hamlet is not listed in their long list of ‘notable’ examples. I had to memorize the To Be or Not to Be monologue 3 times throughout the course of my education (enough that by the 3^rd time, I just needed a refresher). If that speech is not a stream of consciousness, I don’t know what is.

I repeat the monologue to myself often. It helps to calm me, and keep me focused. It also keeps my brain busy if I am waiting on line or in traffic and start getting fidgety.

*coughGEEKcough*

That’s enough of that.

If you are participating in my Color Splash Sunday,
or want to but haven’t yet,
check out the list of upcoming themes.
Now that the deluge of color themes is coming to an end,
I’m adding other themes.
Some of them are fairly easy,
while others will be more challenging.
If I can get more interest and more bloggers to link in,
I’ll start offering prizes.

I also added an About Me page up above.
Please go read and let me know what you think.
Too long? Too detailed? I like to write,
so I frequently need to be reined in.

On that note, I’ve been thinking about my NaNoWriMo novel a lot lately. The goal was to write 50,000 words (175 pages) in 30 days. I LOVE to write and I have the words in my head, but I was never motivated enough to sit down and write daily. If I recall, I ended with 25 pages, more or less. My goal is to finish it by the end of June so I can partake in the festivities of NaNoWriMo again in November. I’m really hoping that without school and without traveling for work, I’ll be able to devote more time to writing.

And now it's time for bed. NO, I don't go to bed at 8:30pm. But I had this post drafted last night, and realized that I never posted it. But I am going to bed now. At 11:08pm.

RAW(e) - Around the House... Er, Dorm.

Yes, I live in a dorm. A twenty-something grad student that dislikes partying or loud music, and I live in a college dorm. We've covered this already.

Anyway, this week's theme for RAW(e) is Around the House... So, Around the Dorm, in my case. (And actually, another entry this week is ALSO Around the Dorm. Go check out Sailor & Company if you don't believe me.)



I'm not a mom yet, but I certainly have plenty of kids' books around my dorm room. That's what I spend most of my money on when I go to B&N. I love getting new kids' books, seeing the bright pictures, smelling the fresh paper. I use the books for tutoring and for lesson plans, but there's still something cool about seeing kids' books filling up my book shelves and scattered across my bed. Because I totally don't mind - I love it! It makes me think, oh yea, I'm ready.

RAW(e) - Distractions

I'm sitting here, being distracted by several things, while I am looking at my distraction photos. I am currently being distracted by little things like steam rising out of my hotpot, the smell of chocolate powder, and the brand new hairbrush I just bought that I am excited to try out.

My usual distractions range from concrete activities like watching movies, blogging, and listening to music, to severely abstract activities like daydreaming, planning, and hoping. They distract me from school, from work, from Jon, and from myself (even though I like to pretend that they don't).

Yet, at the same time, the things that I am distracted from can BE distractions. School can distract me from work, and vice versa. And Jon, well, he can distract me from breathing.

I just got distracted in the middle of writing this blog to make my hot chocolate. And eat some whipped cream out of the can. And drink half of my hot chocolate.



I chose this photo of the book I am currently reading as my RAW(e) photo of distractions for a few reasons. First, I like how it is focused on the words, "I am grateful." Second, I love to read. Third, books (in the concrete form) are a major distraction for me. Fourth, reading (in the abstract form) is another major distraction for me. It leads to daydreaming and hoping and imagining.

Link to your RAW(e) photo over at Sailor and Co. Just remember, don't edit it AT ALL!

Color Splash Sunday - Red

First official post! I am so excited about this; I really hope it all works out.






For the first few weeks, I chose simple themes: colors. This week, let's focus on red! I took several pictures of red objects (pj pants, a rose, a bow) and I decided to splash some color on this shot of some books.



I focused right on the red book when I took this picture, and then I softened it up even more when editing. I don't usually do that with color splash, but I just didn't like all the distracting text on the other books.

So, I know Laura and Lena both said they were interested. If anyone else decided to join us, I have the MckLinky below so you can share your color splash photos with everyone! You have 2 days to post your link; the list closes in 48 hours.

OH, also, if you want to show-off my pretty new button anywhere on your CSS post or on your blog, you can click on my Color Splash Sunday page located right below my header.

My first blog awards!

These were totally unexpected, so that makes them doubly as exciting!

Melissa over at The Zookeeper's Diary is one of those super-females that rocks at life in general, and it's entirely her fault that I have this blog. She's also Jon's SIL, so practically family at this point.

She passed on the Sunshine Award and Beautiful Blogger Award. These awards have rules that go with them, something about giving them to 98645 other bloggers, posting 236 deep dark secrets, juggling newborn babies while doing jumping jacks, and translating the Battle Hymn of the Republic into Arabic (a la Alice).

Not happening. I'm going to be extremely selective and pass each award onto one blog that I read, and then I'll consider posting some unknown facts about myself.

So the first award goes to Cammy at Classroom Confessions. She's a 20-something teacher, and she's so down-to-earth. And she's an amazing photographer. Her posts and her photos are refreshing and sunny (partially because she lives in FL, I think); thus, the Sunshine Award.

The other award, the Beautiful Blogger Award, goes to Lena at This devil wears Dior... sometimes. Another amazing photographer, and her son is adorable. Besides her family/photography blog, she recently started up a book club blog, which I am hoping to be able to take part in when I can get grad school under control (aka, when I graduate).

This post has taken up an outrageous chunk of my time, and I have a paper to write. So I'll leave you with these little tidbits about me:

+ I love pickles. I eat them out of the jar. I prefer sweet, juicy ones. (Get your mind out of the gutter!)
- I hate tomato sauce, even though I am Italian. I prefer alfredo and vodka sauce. I also don't like sausage, even though I am Polish.
+ I love reading. Anything, anywhere, anytime. I am currently rereading City of Ashes from the Mortal Instruments trilogy. (I am meeting the author in 1 week!)
- I hate two-faced people. I don't care if you hate me; don't pretend to love me so you can go bitch about me 5 minutes later. Just tell me.
+ I love back rubs. I am always begging Jon to give me a back rub. If spas were cheaper, I would go every other day.
- I hate feet (except baby feet). They are smelly, hairy, ugly, sweaty. Even though I prefer to go barefoot, I can't stand to look at or touch feet.
+ I love me! ♥