Welcome November

Welcome November!

It's the last day of October and we have a large bowl of candy ready for trick or treaters.  It's hard to believe that tomorrow we'll put away the orange pumpkins - and start thinking about the upcoming holidays.  The next couple of months will certainly fly by quickly.

The November calendars/wallpapers are ready - hope you like them!

November 2014 Calendars!

Grab them here:
Desktop wallpaper - click here - (right click on image and save as desktop image)
Phone wallpaper - click here - (click on image and save as wallpaper image)
iPad wallpaper - click here - (click on image and save as wallpaper image)
iPad mini wallpaper - click here - (click on image and save as wallpaper image)

Have an awesome day!

Be Wonderfully Odd!

Inspired by Paintings

This week in BeStill52 our challenge is to create a still-life image that is inspired by a painting.

 It seemed perfectly natural to texture the image - so I'm using it for Texture Tuesday too!

Pomegranates & Merlot1

I used two of Kim's textures - Pumpkin Grunge and Mustard Seed - for deep warm color.  I also added one of my own, a simple scanned copy of a piece of canvas.

Pomegranates & Merlot2

and one that is "water colorized" and textured with a canvas like layer.

Pomegranates & Merlot3

It's been quite a long time since I last purchased a pomegranate - not only did I love taking close-up photos of the beautiful color and shape of this fruit - I am enjoying eating the sweet juicy seeds!

Have a beautiful day!

Be Wonderfully Odd!

Poms - close-up

Knitting - A Boot Cuff

Friday Finds . . . me knitting a quick little gift.

There is something about the cooler weather that makes me feel like picking up my knitting needles and a ball of yarn.

Knitted Boot Cuff1

I've been seeing lots of boot cuffs lately - boot lovers like to show a bit of "sock" peek-up over the top edge of their boots.

There are free patterns for boot cuffs all over the internet - I needed something easy so I combined an easy one-edged ribbed pattern with a lacy (and difficult) pattern that was reversible (with two edges and two different colored yarns).

Knitted Boot Cuff2

I'm joining Friday Finds today with pictures of this little project.  Check out the button below to see other wonderful Friday Find images.

Knitted Boot Cuff3

The pattern is pretty easy - I cast on 52 stitches on double pointed needles (I used size 6 needles, but an 8 would work too).  52 stitches seem to work well for an average sized cuff (increase or decrease in multiples of four to make the cuffs larger or smaller.)
Knit 2, purl 2 for 10 rows.
Knit for 12 rows.
Change yarn and knit for 12 rows.
 Knit 2, purl 2 for 10 rows.
Bind off.

Knitted Boot Cuff4

Such a fun little gift for a boot loving friend or daughter.  Or maybe for a craft fair or church bazar.  And, it's a great way to use up all of those small balls of yarn left-over from other projects.

Have a wonderful day and a great weekend!
Be Wonderfully Odd!

Rock Island Swing Bridge

This week's assignment in BeStill52 class was to change things up and try something different with our photographs.

Last weekend we spent a little time at one of our local parks - Rock Island Swing Bridge.  The double-decker swing bridge was originally built in 1894 and served both the railway and automobile traffic - automobiles still used it to cross the Missippippi until 1999.

Six years ago half of the bridge collapsed.  Instead of tearing down the rest of the bridge, the city used parts of the old bridge to create a very long pier - a beautiful place to see the river and watch boats travel up and down the waterway.

I'm changing it up a bit by taking candid shots of people (something that I rarely do).  As well as a few images of the usual graffiti and some rusty bits (because I can't resist snapping pictures of tarnish and rusty things <3 ).

Rock Island Swing Bridge Park1

Rock Island Swing Bridge Park2

Sometimes it feels good to step out of my comfort zone :)

Rock Island Swing Bridge Park3

I hope that you have a great day!

Be Wonderfully Odd!

Swan Beauty

Have you ever picked something up and just had to have it?

It was love at first sight for me - a beautiful green gourd - shaped like a swan.

Just makes me smile <3

Swan Gourd 1

I used two of Kim's textures - Lola and Isobel.

Swan Gourd2

One more "gourd"-geous image (ha!)

Swan Gourd 3

Have a great day!

Be Wonderfully Odd!

Pumpkins & Gourds

It seems everywhere I go I see pumpkins and gourds for sale.  

So many choices!

I'm loving white pumpkins lately and the striped gourds have always been a favorite of mine - the more bumps the better.

Pumpkins&Gourds1

I'm joining Texture Tuesday today with this image - I used one layer of the "Kristin" texture rotated to darken the lower half of the image and one layer of "LightPaper3" for the wonderful script texture along the edges.

There is something about the stems that I find so beautiful - the texture, the graceful curve . . .

Pumpkins&Gourds2

And - just one more photo!

Pumpkins&Gourds3

Have a beautiful day!

Be Wonderfully Odd!

Cornbread and Honey

This weeks challenge in our BeStill52 class was to style a photo using four items - a loaf of bread, linen, twine, and a pair of scissors.

I do love the warm and yeasty smell of bread baking.  Although, since I've gone gluten-free any bread baking that I do is typically a simple corn bread.

A few ingredients, mix, pour, and bake - no kneading or waiting to double in size like other breads - perfect for busy weekday nights.

Cornbread & Honey

An herby cheddar cornbread with a bit of butter and a drizzle of honey - could be a meal in itself!

Cornbread & Honey2

Corn bread pairs so well with chili, soups, and stews - many of our dinners in the fall and winter.

Cornbread & Honey3

Enjoy your day!

Be Wonderfully Odd!

Gathering Fall Colors

Fall - it is such a pretty time of year.

I love the colors of fall, especially this time of year when we still have green leaves but some trees have begun to change into fiery red, golden yellow, and brilliant orange colors.

Below is a collection of fall colors from around my neighborhood.

Gather 1 - Fall Colors

And a few more images!

Gather 2 - Fall Colors

I hope that your day is beautiful!

Be Wonderfully Odd!