Inktober 2026 - Day 17

Inktober 2026

Day 17

Nature Lines 

I decided to represent nature with lines.

Yellow Sunshine, Pink Flowers, Stormy Skies, Furrowed Fields, Green Trees, Prairie Grasses, and Lake Waves.

 

2026 Slow Stitching Project - Page 27 - N1 - Needlework, Nature, Ninety Degrees

I am following K3N's Slow Stitch project for 2026 where we do stitching A-Z. One week K will choose a prompt then the other week it will be a Community Choice prompt.  We are free so anything that works for us. We are starting the second half of the alphabet and the year.

I chose Needlework, Nature and Ninety Degrees for my piece.  I tried to include as many elements of Nature as possible - flowers, mammals, birds, fungi, sun, wind, clouds, grass, and insects. I framed the Needlework with 90 degree corners in Navy.

This was a tough one.  I have changed my top piece of fabric because I ran out of the beautiful linen. This white cotton is more tightly woven than I would like. I will keep looking for an old sheet that would work better.

2026 Nature Photo Calendar

 
The 2026 Photo Calendars are ready! 

2026 Nature - Here is my nature calendar which features flying creatures from several locations taken this summer. Visits to the community garden, the St. Albert Botanic Garden, the neighborhood front yards,some from Beaumaris Lake & Heritage Hills Wetlands and the pond at the new place. Butterflies were very hard to find this summer. The year had several renovations planned and unplanned and a move so it took time away from photography. It has been my one sane place this year.

The holidays have been marked in red.

This calendar has 13 4x6 pages which is 12 month pages with an index/title page.


January - Cedar Waxwing                       July - Question Mark Butterfly

February - Dragonfly                              August - Northern Flicker

March - Black Cap Chickadee                September - Gorgeous Sunrise

April - Orange Jelly Fungus                    October - White Egret

May - Lady Bug                                      November - Great Spangled Fritillary

June - Bumble Bee Hoverfly                     December - Dogwood Berries

2025 Nature Photo Calendar

 The 2025 Photo Calendars are ready just in a nick of time!

2025 Nature - Here is my nature calendar which features flying creatures from several locations taken this summer. Visits to the community garden, the St. Albert Botanic Garden, the neibourhood front yards and some from Beaumaris Lake & Heritage Hills Wetlands. Butterflies were very hard to find this summer. The year had several renovations planned and unplanned so it took time away from photography.

The holidays have been marked in red.

This calendar has 13 4x6 pages which is 12 month pages with an index/title page.

January - American White Pelican          July - American Robin

February - Copper Skipper                      August - Northern Pearly Eye

March -  Yellow Jacket                             September - Honey Bee

April -  American Avocet                          October - Canada Goose

May - Lady Bug                                       November - Red Dragonfly

June -Bumble Bee                                   December - Hoverfly

Art Show - AAC - Photography Show

I managed to get 2 pieces ready for the Allied Arts Council - Photography Show this year.

Delivered these on Saturday and they are in the gallery.

This photo was taken for one of my regular photo challenges on line at Flickr.  I love the bright colors and the abstract presentation. It challenges the brain to work out what it is.  I had several folks ask about it.

Title: Bright Edges

Size: 11.00 x 13.00 inches

Medium: Photography

Print: 08 x 10 inches

Mat: 11x13 Black mat

Frame: 11x13 Metal Champagne Satin Finish

This is the same photograph that I had prepared for the Value of Color Show in December which I glued to cradle board which had a blemish and it ruined the photo.  I has to paint over it.

I decided to print it again and frame it.

Title: The Maw

Size: 16.75 x 13.75 inches

Medium: Photography

Print: 08 x 10 inches

Mat: 11x14  White double mat with black edges

Frame: 14x16 Wood Black Low Profile 

I have named this because the plant is called Mother of Thousands and it looks like a monsters mouth.

2024 Photo Calendar - Wings

2024 Wings - Here is my nature calendar which features flyers of different descriptions.  This features birds and insects. It represents what I have seen on my trips to the Edmonton Valley Zoo, the U of A Botanic Gardens, several wetlands in the area and my regular morning walks. The holidays have been marked in red.

This calendar has 13 4x6 pages which is 12 month pages with an index/title page.

January - Snowy Owl                                July - House Sparrow

February -  Golden Dragonfly                   August - Ashy Mining Bee

March - Tundra Swan                                September - Peregrine Falcon

April - Fritillary Butterfly                             October - Honey Bee

May - Black-crowned Night-Heron            November - Spotted Sandpiper

June - Hoverfly                                          December - Fiery Skipper

2023 Photo Calendar - Nature

Here's the Nature 4x6 Photo Calendar for 2023. It's always so much fun to go through all my photos for the year, collect the best then choose 12 which will make it into this calendar.

I had some good bird photos this year and not so many insect pictures.  Not sure why that is. I had several first time birds like the Gray Partridges.

The calendar has 13 4x6 pages with 12 month ones and the index/title one.

January - Cormorant at Beaumaris                    July -  Grey Partridges at Patricia Lake

February - Honey Bee on Salvia                       August - Early Morning Sunrise

March - Yellow Warbler in river valley             September - European Skipper

April - House Finch in a Evergreen                   October - Barn Swallow at Big Lake

May - Common Conecap Mushrooms               November - Rocky Mountains from Calgary

June - Lady Bug on Crown Vetch                      December - Red Maple Leaf at St. Albert Botanic Park

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I found this little chipmunk on my walk the other day.   

Spring green is slow to come so I hope they have enough to eat.

I have not seen many yet this year so I don't know if the population is down.  I generally see quite a few.

It may been that some have decided to stay in their little warm homes for a little longer sensing that things have not warmed up a lot.

I finished this book this week.  Fireside by Susan Wiggs.  The title does not seem to match the story to me.

Bo Crutcher is a baseball player hitting his stride a bit later in life and has achieved a place on a pro ball team.  Just as things are turning around a call sends his life into a spin.  Heading to Texas to pick up a boy he has never met.  He knew he had a son but the mother had not allowed him to be involved.   Now she is in trouble and turns to Bo to help out.

Being a father is a huge learning curve.   He does his best and makes slow progress in gaining AJ's trust.

In the meantime he met a girl quite by chance as her life was spinning out of control.  Later, they meet again and she is able to help prepare him for his professional career and still be a Dad.

All works out in the end but the ups and downs are challenging.  A good book.

The hiccups with the sewing machine have been sorted out.  I can say the servicing as restored all the functions and it purrs!

These machines are real workhorses.  So despite being 50 years old it just keeps on sewing like a dream.   I will make sure that I oil it more regularly.

It was out of commission for a month with the back and forth visits.  I guess I needed time to design my tote and purchase the fabric so it all worked out.

You will see that I have already put it to good use on a Tote project.

Here's the bespoke tote I designed and sewed over the weekend.

I needed a bag to carry my camera, my purse and my everyday bag.

You can read about all the details in this post.

I have used a couple of times already and I am very happy with the result.

Of course, the color combo is perfect.

This is a small books as far as the size of books I normally have been reading.  True Believers by Linda Dorrell.

It was a quick read and very compelling story.  Set in the mid 1050's in the southern states it deals with racism, ignorance, and social expectations.  She is a single white woman of privilege who bucks the tradition when purchases a church with her inheritance.

She is led to ask a black man ,Otha Lee which she has known most of her life to work on the restoration project. He is a handyman, a bit of a farmer and a preacher.   He has no building to worship in so his congregation has been meeting under a large tree.  He agrees to take on the project and as luck would have it a younger man, Joseph has recently come to town looking for work. Perfect!  

They make a great team but the very hot summer makes progress slow.  The project is a success once Peggy, Otha Lee and Joseph address their pasts to reveal that this was the perfect project for them.  Excellent read.

2022 Photo Calendar - Nature

 Another winning year for nature photographs.  A lot of walks and visits to wetlands garnered some new species for me.  The Blue Heron was the first time I got a good shot of one.  I have seen them before but they were hiding in the reeds.  The Bunny and the Lesser Yellow Legs are also firsts. 

01 Jan - Lesser Yellow Legs                                07 Jul - Muskrat

02 Feb - Wasp                                                      08 Aug - Barn Swallow

03 Mar - Downy Woodpecker                              09 Sep - Dragonfly

04 Apr - Bunny Rabbit                                         10 Oct - Red Wing Blackbird

05 May - Rednecked Grebe                                  11 Nov - Fiery Skipper Butterfly

06 Jun - House Finch                                            12 Dec - Blue Heron                   

Are you a planner?  

Do you want to see a date in the upcoming month?

Is your calendar stored in the black metal holder?

This calendar can deliver.   Just slide the current month up about a third of the way up to reveal the next month dates.

This idea came from one of my calendar users who has had one of these on his desk for nearly a decade.

Thanks for the tip!

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I captured this cute squirrel having a late afternoon snack. 

He had been digging under the snow at the foot of a small birch tree and I wondered what he was looking for. When he found it he came and sat in this tree and nicely posed for a photo.

Love how the color of what he is munching on is repeated in the orange on his head and tail.

I have put up the second photo shelf in the front hall.  I placed my award winning "Silver Roadster" framed photo on it along with a white ceramic tree.

This shelf is Mosslanda from IKEA which is 21.75" wide which was perfect for this space.  They make on which is 45" wide which I will use in the living room.

I ended up with black ones because that is all they had when I went shopping. With shopping in the pandemic I was not willing to just come back at a later time.  I was really wanting to test out how these would work before I invested bigger money in the 6 or 7 needed for the living room wall.

I am happy with these and will move forward with getting the wider ones.  I means painting the walls as well so it is not a quick job.

This is the reverse side of the blue one I posted last week.  It is a back drop for my photo studio made with a 18x24 inch artist board which I recycled.  

This is the actual canvas textured side of the board. I was going for warm tones on this side.  I cleared out a lot of my acrylic paint a couple of years ago and only kept a small box.  

The color I chose is Artist Pigment Burnt Carmine which was lighten with Warm White.  I created 3 tones, the original color, the base coat which has some white added then the lightest with more white added.

The whole board was done in the medium base coat.  It was recommended that we then apply some dark and lights and work them into the somewhat still wet base coat. On this side, this process almost completely removed the base coat from areas.  Maybe it's because it had been painted before but I had put 2 coats of primer on before the base coat.  I did the best I could then let it completely dry.  I then went back it with all three colors to cover the near bare spots.  Turned out alright.   And as luck would have it, I found a large cellophane envelope this morning which will protect it when it is stored with the other backdrops.  Yeah!

I've changed up my exercise routine.  I have been doing the last one since October 1st. With a new year I was ready for a change of moves.  I started doing the 1st mile of this DVD by Leslie Sansone.  I can choose to do any of the 5 miles so I can a different routine every day.

I don't think I will ever do 5 miles at one time which would take about 2 hours.

I created a stand for my new backdrop.  

I used some 2x4 and cut it into about 6" tall pieces. I sanded the edges then held them together with very long nails. I drilled a pilot hole through the first piece so it would be easier. Worked great!

In the video, they used big clips which I did not have so I used 2 small ones. A bit of a pain but it will do for now.

 
The challenge at Flickr Macro Monday is "Lockdown Song".  Music is not a big part of my life and then trying to interpret it into a photo was very challenging.  I was ready to pass this week but I went on line and search happy song.  The song HAPPY by Pharrell Willimas from Despicable Me showed up.  I had a Minion toy so I thought this could work.  This is the shot I submitted because I did not have a lot of options. 

You can check my Flicker photostream (SMDPics).

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #115 and Mersad who hosts Through my Lens #276.

2021 Photo Calendar - Nature

I found a few new to me bugs this year!  A good variety of subject matter for this calendar.

01 Pond Reeds                                 02 Milkweed Beetle                  03 Pussy Willow

04 Ink Cap Mushrooms                   05 Mallard Duck - Male            06 Bubble Bee

07 Red Turnip Beetle                      08 Phoebe                                   09 Rust Lichen

10 Water Drops                               11 Common Skipper                   12 Lady Bug

They are for sale on the Calendar Page.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

A new bird for me this week!  It' a  Say's Phoebe which is quite a small bird as the cable she is sitting on would suggest!

Beautiful bird! I did not hear it sing.  I checked on line and it is a quite subdued singer.

Love the coloring and the shine in the eye!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been looking for a container to hold some Extra Virgin Olive Oil need the stove.  The one I was using required that I tip it over a lot to get liquid out of it.

During my visit with my sister she said "Would this work?"  It is a bottle of coconut oil she purchased for her salad dressing.

"Yes!" I said. That would work very well. It has a nice pour spout, hold about 1 cup which is a great size, and it's easy to clean. 

 It works really well.  Glad to see manufactures adapting their bottles to what works for the consumer.

Love it.

The friend who celebrates her birthday this week shared her cake with me.  Her sister purchased the cake.

This is a Black Forest Cake created by one of the best bakeries in the city - Bon Ton Bakery.

It was delicious.  I cut the large piece in two pieces and enjoyed it twice with a cup of green tea.

I chose a few bugs for my mosaic this week.  The Spotted Tussock Moth Caterpillar comes out in August.  I remember being scared of these as a kid, still not that crazy about them.  I mentioned Dragonflies last week as predators.  The Yellowjacket Wasp was getting some moisture from this spot on the the wood. 

The challenge this week at Flickr Macro Monday is Push/Pull.  What a great choice. The variety of objects for this challenge is unending. Buttons of all sorts, zippers, rubber bands, tools, and so much more.  

You can check out my Photostream SMDPics to see which image I submitted.

Sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #93

and Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #253

Have a great week!

Senior Show Submissions

Our Senior Show at the AAC is being juried and hosted on line.  We are fortunate to have a tech savvy gallery manager.  We have hosted 3 shows since the middle of March.

This beautiful pink bloom is on the Flowering Plum.  I love the moody shot where the flower is the focal element.

Title: Nature - Cheaper than Therapy
Size: 17.5 x 13.5 inches
Mats: Double archival mats in black and granite green
Frame: Black wood
Print: 8x12 inches

This is my Mercury Glass votive holder with a tea light burning. Love how the body is lit from the inside. We need a bit of light in our world to bring hope for the future.


Title: Light Dispels the Darkness
Size: 14.25 x 10.5 inches
Mat: Single archival mat
Frame: Black metal
Print: 9x12 inches

I took this shot for the Macro Monday challenge - shadow earlier this year.  You can see more examples here. I really enjoyed taking shadows.

I loved how this clear plastic spoon turned into a ladle when the light was at the right angle.  I added the words on card stock above the photo.  I thought it was appropriate for the attitude we need in these challenging times.

Title: Life is Fuller
Size: 8.5 x 10.5 inches
Mat: Single archival mat
Frame: Silver metal
Print: 5x5 inches

The submissions in the show are on the Allied Art Council website - On-Line Senior Show.

UpCycled Christmas Card

My friend gave me a bag of commercial cards she has received and asked me up-cycle the card fronts into new cards.

I just loved this beautiful bird with snow on the branches.  It is a Christmas card. 

I trimmed the right hand side and then reassembled to attach the purple foliage which was adhered to a dark purple layer then onto a light blue card base. 

The insert has a Christmas sentiment.

Photo Calendars to Gallery

I bought 3 more calendars to the Gallery this afternoon after getting a message that the ones I brought Saturday had sold.

I brought 2 nature ones and 1 Dewy Petals one.

That means that my sales will be at least as good as last year and maybe a bit better.

I only have one set of coasters left so I am working on more of those to drop off on Saturday!

2020 Photo Calendars

My 2020 Photo Calendars are ready!  

These calendars contain twelve 4x6 pages with an index of the thumbnail images which come with a clip to display it on a wall, bulletin, or file cabinet.  It can also be placed in a frame for an custom presentation.  The image below presents 2 full images and the central image gives you the index of all the images in the calendar.

The Dewy Petals calendar features wonderful flower photos from my photo collection taken in 2019. Poppy, sunflower and a few different blooms grace the pages of this calendar.  The amount of rain we received this summer has been captured in several shots.

January - Dandelion                      February - Tulip                       March - Iris

April - Echinacea                          May - Rose                               June - Pansy

July - Astrantia Major Alba          August - Pasque Flower            September - Sunflower

October - Jacob's Ladder              November - Poppy                    December - 

The Nature calendar contains birds, critters, and leaves from my 2019 photo collection. The interesting squirrel, wonderful leaves and some winter shots are some of the images in this calendar.

January - Leaf                                   February - Squirrel                         March - Frosty Leaf

April - Mallard Duckling                  May - Sparrow                               June - Bumble Bee

July - Chickadee                               August - Lady Bug                        September - Aspen Leaf

October - Mushrooms                       November - Red Berries                December - Snow on Evergreen

The Little Bird calendar has seasonal images for each month of the year.  He is participating in every day activities like hitting the beach, picking apples, and decorating a tree for Christmas.

An art calendar with featuring compositions created with my Cobalt Glass collection.  Several have a pop of yellow to provide a bit of variety for the eye throughout the year.  The bowl of lemons is one of  my favorites which sits on my microwave oven.

Photo Blogging Challenge - Nature

Nature is the challenge for September at the Photo Blogging Challenge.

I chose 5 photos taken in recent days.  This rose was found on a bush which must be one of the final ones as we move into autumn.

It is a bright spot in the park as nature turns to more quiet colors.


Love the bright deep pink color of the layered blossom.  A domestic variety planted planted in a park.









Of course, another fall activity in nature is the gathering of the birds who are preparing for their migratory journeys.

This pond in the park had many Canada Geese as they rally to migrate south.

They are eating and gaining energy for the long flight to winter grounds in California and Northern Mexico.

There were a few ducks but mostly geese in this pond.

This was taken on one of the last days that we have seen wonderful sunlight late in the day. 

The leaves turn color as nature adjusts to the less light and cooler temperatures.   The color was there all along and as chlorophyll disappears the color is revealed.

Most leaves here in the west turn yellow with not much red or orange. 

I believe this is "River Birch" tree leaves.

The leaf was backlit by the late afternoon sun.

As the growing season runs down the plants are making seeds to ensure their continued propagation  next year.

This is a Canada Thistle seed head ready to release thousands of seeds in hopes of making more plants in the spring. 

It is considered a weed in our area.

As fall returns the sun sets earlier each week. 

I caught this grass seed head against the setting sun.   I am amazed at how fast to comes.

Sharing with P.J. at A Lil Hoo Haa who hosts the Photo Blogging Challenge.

Photo Cards - Frameable Art - Craft Sale

I love the leaves on this bush with their rounded ends and beautiful coloring of green transitioning to red as fall arrives.

My best guess is this is the Barberry - Crimson Pygmy bush.  I love the shadows captured along with small and medium leaf sizes.

With that coloring it could almost do a Christmas card if you did not expect it to have snow.

Love it.













Here I have captured a group of maple leaf tree seeds back lit by the morning sun.

I love how as your eye goes up the photo the seeds become darker and but still outlined by the light providing texture to the overall image.









A red poppy converted to the 4x6 format for this card.

It was taken at the Community Garden this summer.

These all make wonderful all occasion cards.

A note to the friend, a birthday greeting, the maple seeds could be a sympathy card.

You may recognize this image which I submitted to a photo competition this summer.

Resized into a 4x6 for photo cards.

Love the calm water and the water drops on the leaf.









These cards are easily framed in the 5x7 frame.  Arranged singly or in a trio would quickly perk up a room, front hall or office area. Great value too.  I`ve selected a small profile frame in basic black with makes the most of the Nine Bark flower in the photo.

Happy Halloween!

Wishing you a 

Happy Halloween day!

I hope you enjoy my natural ghost photo.  I found this leaf about mid September on my walk in the morning so I have been sitting on it for a while.  I was so excited when I saw it and knew exactly how I would use it.

This is the way I found it.  I don't know what created it.  I have cropped the image, converted it to black & white and increased the contrast a bit.

Halloween is not a typical day I would indulge but I just could not not share this super image.


Sharing this image with

Thru My Lens #167 hosted by Mersad

2019 Photo Calendars

My 4x6 Photo Calendars are ready for sale!  The calendar contains thirteen 4x6 photos which come with a clip to display it on a wall, bulletin, or file cabinet.  It can also be placed in a frame for an custom presentation.  The central image gives you a thumbnail of all the images in the calendar.

The Pretty Petals calendar features wonderful flower photos from my photo collection taken in 2018. Roses, lilies and a few different blooms grace the pages of this calendar. 

The Nature calendar features birds, animals and insects from my 2018 photo colletion.  The cutest squirrel, exquisite butterflies and a beautiful sunset are some of the images in this calendar.

As always there is a tea calendar. This year it is the Tea Pot Calendar featuring some of my tea pots and a few new ones acquired or borrowed to add some variety. 

An the fun calendar this year is Monkey Moments where the monkey is up to different antics and situations.  He is trying his hand at travel, gardening, painting and much more.