3 Am Art Productions

Dear Etsy, Pinterest, Flickr..

2012-01-17T13:34:00.000-08:00

and anyone and everyone else out on the net': HIT ME with all the wee bambino piccies you can muster up. I KNOW now what will be happening during the month of MAY. Once my baby is born, I will be so finger snap happy click happy joy joy it will be all sorts of insanity around here! WEEE! I'm so so so excited. I'm 5 mos preggers now & anyday now.. awaiting a wee little girl. My first girl. I have two boys already, and now a little girl. YAY! I recall taking 1000's of photos of my sons when they were both born & know this birth will be exactly the same way.

Look at this cute dress!! THRIFTED! YAY for recycling!

I'M FREAKING OUT FOLKS! YAY! Babies RULE! I can't wait. Deep breaths! You should see the pink & purple my house is becoming. I am keeping a lot of it stacked up in my closet it's a riot of pink & purple & red in there.

Check out the cute Baby Bjorn big I found! We won't need that right away, but couldn't say no to it at $1.99!

I even managed to find a Pottery Barn Kids Boppy in HOT PINK! WOOT!

I am just so darn excited! Here she is in all her glory! Getting ready for the world!

I assume she will look something like this cutie pie here!

That's my middle son, Roosky when he was wee & small. So cute! I can't wait for another baby to be here! We will be having the best year ever! YAY 2012!

XOXO Heather :)

Small Business Saturday!

2011-11-23T14:25:00.001-08:00

Friday kicks off a huge weekend of shopping, getting holiday shoppers all aflutter! Black Friday precedes a Saturday of supporting small businesses (Small Business Saturday) and Cyber Monday, online shopping's biggest day of the year. EtsyVeg member shops on Etsy (your place to buy and sell all things handmade) are celebrating by offering great sales and perks, giving you a chance to not only support small businesses by shopping with our independent artisans, but the chance to support handmade and more compassionate living!

Take the Pledge to Buy Handmade for the Holidays and the pledge to Shop Small, while supporting vegan and vegetarian artisans- kick the holiday shopping season off ethically while buying gifts that are unique, made with a personal touch, and filled with love! :)

Check out these shops for awesome savings:

AndLive~
30% OFF everything in shop Thanksgiving morning through midnight on Cyber Monday.
Code: ETSYONSALE

Arthurs Plaid Pants~
10% OFF everything in shop on Black Friday, 11/25/11 only!
Code: BLK10
15 % OFF everything in shop on Cyber Monday, 11/28/11 ONLY!
Code: CYB15

ClaynFiber~
20% OFF from Thursday, November 24th through Monday, November 28th.
Code: HOLIDAY20

Ideology~
Save 30% on everything in shop from Black Friday through Cyber Monday (the weekend included)! Cyber Monday buyers will also receive a free gift!
Code: 30PERCENT

KarinaManarin~
FREE SHIPPING on all domestic orders through Monday the 28th!

Krug's Eco-Logic~
$20 & up ... 20% off code: 20PERCENT
$40 & up ... 30% off code: 30PERCENT
$60 & up ... 40% off code: 40PERCENT
$110 & up ... 50% off code: 50PERCENT

LuniqueUK~
20% OFF Friday through Monday.
Code: LOVEXMAS

M's Knits and Things~
25% OFF orders from Friday morning through Monday night at midnight.
Code: BLACKFRIDAY25

Mom, Baby & Me~
FREE SHIPPING NOW thru Black Friday/Cyber Monday Weekend!
Code: FREESHIPPING

Twig & Leaf Botanicals~
30% OFF on black friday, small business saturday, and cyber monday!
Code: ETSYONSALE

Veganville~
30 percent off everything in shop (except gift certificates) from midnight Thanksgiving through midnight cyber Monday. Yay!
Code: BIG30

Vivace Crafts~
15% OFF everything from Black Friday to Cyber Monday! :)
Code: BLACKFRIDAY1

Have fun! Support Small Businesses! Buy Handmade! Go Veg!

Vacation Time!

2011-08-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry for no recent updates--I'm on vacation now. Back closer to the fall.

Have fun, Heather :)

RIP Kenda

2011-06-14T10:27:00.000-07:00

I dunno what to think or say, but I'm just so sad she's died. Really going to miss going to see her at the Ecotarium. I will just try to think of the good times seeing her. Here are a few of my photos from my flickr stream of Kenda in better times.

You can read the story of Kenda's passing here.

RIP Kenda, you will be sorely missed.

XOXO Luv Heather :(

If You Don't Have a Dog.....

2011-06-12T17:40:00.001-07:00

Then Go Get One! Do it now!

DOGS are AWESOME! My dogs have several types of barks that they do. I've been watching, listening & learning from them for some time. When we moved here to this podunk hood' some of their behaviour changed a bit. (I can say Podunk, it's OK, I live here. We even have a Podunk Street, nearby.) But I've heard their UPS man bark. Their next door neighbor's are walking by with their dogs, bark and I've noticed each type of bark is a little bit different. The other morning I heard a weird bark from both of my dogs. Sounded almost panicked to some degree.

I came home the other morning & my dogs were barking LIKE MADCAP CRAZZZZZZAY In the house. Even the black lab cross was going nutso--I thought they must have got bit by a rabid (rabid, not rabbit) skunk or something. WHOOOEEEE Nutso barking! Before I could figure out what was going on inside the house, my nextdoor neighbor came over. She ended up explaining to me why my dogs were going crazy in the house barking. She said: "I was working on my computer, and saw a shadow pass by the window & thought it was one of your dog's lose or something. Looked out & no it was a pretty big bear walking by the window. Saw him walk into your yard, the next neighbor's house & then wander down the street to the other neighbor's.. and then I couldn't see him anymore." She was freaked out a little bit. She's heard a few stories of other folks in the area having seen and or heard him. Neighbor's up the hill from here have horses & sometimes the bear spooks the horses & makes them jump around & bray in the middle of the night. One neighbor reports hearing the bear whacking at his barn's door. Like he was trying to get inside.

So that MADCAPPPP CRAZZZZY barking I mentioned?? Member that? That was my dogs warning me that there was a bear outside, sniffling around. I know my dogs 'love me' but they are fed solely by me, with only small nibbles & cookies that are given to them by my sons. With the occasional pizza crust handed to them by my husband. But the main amount, the bulk of the food they get, I cook & prep it for them. Then hand it to them to eat. So without me, in a dog's mind--they'd be shit out of luck. So they are both very very overprotective of me, a lot more here, than where we lived in the past (city/ city) here they won't let me out of their sight, I had long been wondering why. "Well sheeeeit, Floyd, looks like you done figured it out. BEAR in tha hood' freaks the dog's out." ;)

Wow. I'm impressed & very thankful to my dog's for taking care of me, their meal ticket. Even if I'm just a meal ticket to them, which I'm guessing I'm not exactly. I mean my Chihuahua always wants to sleep by my feet & sleeps behind me on my computer chair (right this very minute) sure it might be chilly out today, and she's staying warm behind me, but it's cause she loves me. I know it is.

--Heather :)

Massachusetts ROCKS!

2011-06-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

On June 1 2011 we had a devastating tornado in Western/Central Massachusetts.

The very next day, folks began getting together to help those in need! I LOVE Massachusetts! I'm on an homeschool mailing list & folks are pouring in with help & donations! The letter is below:

Dear Friends

I know we have all been touched in one way or another by the events of June 1.

I spent this morning at Hitchcock Academy in Brimfield. When I walked in the door I was overwhelmed and in awe by the amount of clothing, shoes, bedding and toy donations that have been given by neighbors to help neighbors impacted by the June 1 tornadoes . As I sorted clothing and organized packages of new underwear and socks, cars and trucks continued to pull up and the donations continued to pour in. Hitchcock Academy truly is a COMMUNITY Center.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

-GET THE WORD OUT to all those in need. Hitchcock Academy in Brimfield will be open this week Monday through Friday 9 AM to 9PM. Families can come in or send a neighbor, relative or friend to pick up pillows, towels, blankets, shoes, crayons, toys, bubbles or even just a shirt or new pair of underwear or socks.

-VOLUNTEER to help at Hitchcock. Call Sue Gregory at 413 245-9977. Some jobs are best done by adults but some can be accomplished with children.

At this time additional donations of goods are not needed .

In ending, I wanted to share with you my experience and to thank all who have donated, and Hitchcock and their staff for opening their doors to be a center for the community.

If you need more info please contact Stacia at scaplanson at gmail dot com

Stacia Caplanson
Cedarbrook Learning Connections

Now I'm doing my small itty bitty part & passing this onto you. I'm also sell photos in my Etsy shop. Now until July 1st 50% of all sales will go to help the people affected by the June 1 Tornados. I'll donate by way of buying items to donate to Hitchcock Academy for dispersal that way, or directly to the Red Cross & let them pass the money onto folks who need to rebuild. I myself had a fire when I was young newlywed & we lost everything. The Red Cross was great giving us a place to stay, and a coupon voucher to get anything we needed. I'd love to be able to give back & help them out!

--Heather :)

Looking for a good car.. Lemons need not apply.

2011-05-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

HAH HAH HAH! This just made my day! "Car performs beautifully with good acceleration and crisp handling. No funny noises in this one." Wonder what happened to the 'other' one with the noises??? EH? TY used car dealers--for the chuckle today!

And now for something completely un-car related, mainly cause I need something pretty & cars in general are irritating me so fully right now, I'm considering moving to Boston so I can ride the T instead. Without any further ado, some of my most recently captured photos:

Ahhhhh the sights of the country in spring. Guess I'm still looking for a car. :/

Thanks for looking, Heather :)

What Kind of Bird is This?

2011-05-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

Yay! It's a chipping sparrow! I have four winners from this giveaway! I'm in the process of contacting everyone & will let you choose up to 6 images from my shop on note cards & for the folks who did the extra credit a free 5x7.

Thanks for playing!! Heather :)

NEW Listing in my Shop

2011-04-27T17:10:00.001-07:00

A hyacinth macro that I shot just this afternoon. New in my etsy shop. Lots of purples and blues... with a touch of pizazz & black border edited around the edges to give it some interest.

Enjoy! Thanks for stopping by, Heather :)

Quote of the Day!

2011-04-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

“Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love.”

Neil Gaiman

--Heather

My Photography As A Mantle Banner

2011-04-25T19:15:00.000-07:00

It gives me great pleasure seeing these three butterfly photos together like this. When I was shooting them & watching the Monarch flit & flutter & flirt with me. ;) This is how in my mind's eye, I saw them being hung. On a mantle as a banner or even hung on a wall in triptych form. It's really fitting having them flit on a piece of ribbon like this. I thank Heather of the Bluewindmill for graciously sharing these photos with me. What a lovely setup she has on her mantle, I think these really go well here. Lovely!

Thank you, Heather for sharing these with me! I love it!!

XOXO--Heather :)

Making Vegan Yarn

2011-04-25T18:44:00.000-07:00

To answer the age old question of "Whatcha doing?" This is the answer. I'm making my own vegan yarn. It was dyed by Spinup, but I'm doing the spinning with my new to me drop spindle. Oh so fun! Well, I do have a thing for monotony. IE: Married to the same man for 15 years, making each special moment with him, special, different & exciting.

Anyways, before I go too far off the clickety clack track, it's a very simple process spinning the fibers into yarn. Not that hard at all. It's really fun! Check out this video, she's doing it with wool, but it's essentially the same thing.

The only reason I don't use wool yarn, is cause there is so much 'I don't know' about it. I don't know how the animals are treated & or if it comes from New Zealand where they do mulesing. If you have a weak stomach, don't google mulesing. Just take my word for it, you'd not wish it on your worst enemy, let alone a gentle lamb. Anyways, this is not meant to be a political speech. If you want that, hit up my vegan blog.

Let's look at the banana wool again instead:

Here it is on the drop spindle. This was fibers, I could use it for felting or needle felting, but I'm fooling around with it & making it into yarn.

Oh & again with this image. Ohhh just look at all that colour!!!!!!

It's so pretty! So lovely, I could eat it with a spoon. ;) Well, no not really. I just say that to my sons all the time, when they are being cuddly or cuteh. I call it a Heatherism. I can't wait till the yarn is spun, then I can begin thinking of what to make it into. I'd like to go small with this selection of yarns & make some small, fun pins & maybe necklaces, cause I think this will give me the most pleasure, making small things & passing them to friends & family, so they can get some enjoyment too.

Lovely lovely lovely.. Oh & yeah, I'll be buying some more soon. So you'd better get to her shop & quickly if you know what's good for ya!!

Thanks for stopping by! XOXO Heather :)

Love WiseStamp

2011-04-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

I just downloaded it yesterday & I love it. It's so great, I can put all my links into one place & I don't feel like I'm screaming at folks (GO vegan, I'm a Starving Artist!) in my email. So cool!

--Heather :)

Boy Troubles..

2011-04-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it's what it feels like anyways. I'm only partially breaking up with flickr tho. I still will use it for sharing with friends & family & a couple of other features. But I will not be sharing my images there publicly any longer. Mainly this copyright discussion on etsy got me thinking, that's not as safe as I had once thought it to be. Granted, maybe I'm anal. Maybe my images aren't THAT good, that someone would 'borrow' or steal them for a IPAD or other device's APP. But, I LOVE my images. I adore them. I will share them of course, as long as folks can follow the rules & understand that I'm the only one who will make any money off of them. Not to sound greedy or anything. I'm not that way, at all. I trade my images a lot of the time with folks & I'm very happy (as long as Etsy gets their percentage) to continue doing that now & forever.

But no more potential for someone to rip me off. Cause that'll piss a girl right off. Trust me, you don't wanna see me mad. ;) I'm looking into setting up my own website & hoping to find something to be able to share & allow comments on my photos with, on the website. We shall see. Gotta be something out there, right?

--Heather :)

Music Saves the Day!

2011-03-31T05:23:00.000-07:00

Got up weeeeally early this morning to exercise, gee fun! It actually went a lot better, than I thought it would. Thank you @LATE JULY for saving my workout! I even did some stretches, yoga and also hit that wretched treadmill too.

Yippeee! My legs are feeling like jelly!

This song, (below) is one, that I listened to. You really NEED the whole album tho, it ROCKS! I was lucky enough to hear the EXPLICIT VERSION of the song below! LOVE IT! Oh I LOVE it so much more for the explicit, since that's the way I talk.. well, when, I'm mad I do anyways. Right hubby? He nodded yes, as he recalls our once yearly, annual blowout very well. Like I'd let him forget it!! Not evaar!!

It's a pretty awesome album too! Love it! I have her previous album as well, it's wonderful too. Check her out over on YouTube!

Since her song got me thinking about it..
General things I know about guys, women, life, and relationships in general.

1. Men don't change.

2. Men are slower mentally & physically, than women to mature.

3. What you see, is what you get. So choose the finest specimen you can find. Seriously, ladies be very very picky! Listen to Indiana Jones; "CHOOSE WISELY"

(I've got a theory going, if you're choosier, there will be less garbage out there.)

4. Don't expect miracles. Or beds of roses. Those are just movie props!

5. Men are not women. Some of course, are great communicators, but most aren't. Please clearly & calmly explain your thoughts, wants, desires & feelings. "Be up front in the very beginning." IE: SWF seeks cool MUSIC loving guy who MUST love Kids & Dogs.

6. You do not need a man to complete you. That's just your tick tick, tock clock talking to you.

7. Don't listen to advice from girlfriends, *unless they have a SUPER, AWESOME, wonderful husband & relationship with him. Cue to fade in @ Photo of my SupER AweSOME HUBBY who for some odd reason after almost 20 years together, still effing adores me & thinks I'm hott! (He's only slighly insane, but I'm not going to wake him up! SHHH!)

8. When dating or wanting to have a relationship with a man, or woman for that matter, it's only about YOU TWO, not what everyone else *sees* or *thinks* about your relationship. It's YOU & HIM or YOU & HER against the world. Think of it like you two are a super duo superhero team, not you VS someone to manipulate to your wishes.

9. Relationships end. Sometimes it's inevitable. I think the younger you are when you begin dating, the more likely you will end relationships & move on because they just don't go the same way as you any longer. (that guy I dated who liked Baseball. I hope he's happy & adores his baseball loving wife, that just isn't me. I'm sorry.)

10. Don't date someone *JUST* cause they think you're pretty. Chances are it won't work.

11. Don't date someone who doesn't agree with your religion or beliefs.

12. Don't let people try to change your religion or beliefs, so they can date you.

13. Looks are not everything.

14. Find someone who is a little bit like you are. Sure, if you're a stubborn old coot' (like me) and they are too (hubby) sometimes you two will butt heads. But that's OK cause Beavis & Butthead are pretty funny at times. Fights do happen, there is no happily ever after, that is just a Disney Flick. Remember that. Repeat as needed.

15. If it's meant to be, nothing, no one can break you up, even if they try.

Thank you, that is all. Please leave your questions in the comments bin. I will file them & answer the ones, I can. I am not a matchmaker, nor am I a wizard. But Love is Magic!

--Heather :)

Update on the Sprouts..

2011-03-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

Aren't they cute? They are growing super fast! I have been helping them along a little bit too, I have a heating pad under my SCOBY and I placed these guys on a tiny corner of it at night, so they can keep all warm & snuggily. Then, during the day, they are sitting on my sitting on a sunny window sill enjoying the sunlight.

I wish I was this cool & could make these glass terrarium necklaces, but I'm not. This girl is tho. You can see my last posting & learn more here.

XOXO Heather :)

FEESH!

2011-03-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

FEESH is FISH, in my silly language. So happy with how this photo came out!

--Heather :)

I'm a Winner!

2011-03-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

The other day I was notified by the BIGBADARTCOLLECTIVE that I had won their blog giveaway! Yes I had to all caps that. Such a cool name! Yippeeee! I was so excited! YES, I am a WINNER! I always knew I was. ;)

This is what I won! I won a mini moleskine & a postcard with little hearts all over it, from BlackbirdandPeacock! SO CUTE! Check out that super awesome biz card too! NICE!

I have since written in the moleskine & doodled in it! LOVE it. I have always wanted a moleskine. They are so nice to draw in. Now I know just how cool they are up close & personal! The pencil just glides on the paper.. and you want to draw in it more, and more. Of course, I chose one with little hearts all over it. Since the 7th grade I've been in love with hearts & drawing hearts & coloring hearts.

So very sweet! <3 it! Thank you so much, Hope!

--Heather :)

The Hysteria Surrounds Me..

2011-03-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

and I don't even have to leave home..

Let it be known: I am completely safe here in the boonies. Completely and 100,000% protected. My fair self is completely safe, even from the UPS man bringing me a mere package. My kids & dogs take this way too seriously. The dog wouldn't let me grab her/get in front of her, when I tried to take the package from the UPS driver and simutaneously get her to stay back. She ran out barking & possibly swearing at him in her native tongue. Her fur was up on her back & she sounded serious. Cripes sakes, dog. Ridiculous! Plus add in the comic genius factor of my two kids one wielding a stick & the other with two snow shovels. Running around in the yard & keeping the UPS man from getting anywhere possibly near me, just to hand me the package. Which incidentally was dog food. I mean WHY are we trying to keep this nice guy away & from giving us DOG FOOD? Huh, doggies? WHY? Should have seen the UPS man using his signing pad like a shield.. I bet he's done that before. I asked my son why was he acting so strangely. He told me this: "Just making sure there was no funny business." {Slaps forehead} I guess my son takes the NO Talking or going near strangers thing seriously. Way too seriously.

But I'm very safe. So do be warned. PLEASE call first! I'll cage the animals. ;) Oh & yes, sometimes I do get dressed before noon.

--Heather :)

P.S: am I the only person who always says THANKS & I'm sorry each and every time someone delivers me a package? Unbelievable!

WAY cuter than Kawaii

2011-03-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

Look what showed up the other day. I found it in my mailbox & immediately was in LOVE! In love love love! Oh so, sweet love. I love glass & the little seeds. OH MY this is sooo cute. It sprang into my head, it's cuter than KAWAII!

What is it? It's a glass terrarium that will house some weeeeee tiny plants. (Yes I love the word weee, almost to excess!) I will wear it around my neck & bring the weeetle garden with me everywhere I go. Oh yes, I'm talking baby talk again. Ruh roh. I can't help it. It's so cuteh! Watch out, she's going LOLCATZ! But look at that wee little seed holder!!!!!!!!! Oh I can't stand it! Adorable! She even made me a little tiny seed planting tool to match it! So dang cute! I haven't been this excited, since my Birthday! Well no. No one has ever given me something this COOL! This is hands down the best present ever. Perfect for a person who loves to garden or enjoys plants! It's so easy to plant the seeds & then enjoy the sprouts!

I have added water & the seeds to it, so now I get to wait. Wait wait wait wait, for them to sprout. But look what will happen, when mine sprout!!!!!! I stole this picture from her store, to show you the growing seeds.

Now how did I get this weetle cutie to come live with me, you ask? I was lucky enough oh, so lucky to be the tester, the pilot person to check the necklace out for a friend. Her shop is here. My friend, Abigail makes these adorable & gorgeous lampwork necklaces all on her own! She's a really nice person too! Amazing stuff, what an artist! Check them out! Do it now! GO!

Seriously adorable!! AND bonus here: MADE IN MASSACHUSETTS!

Check out her Facebook page too. Such pretties!

Thanks for stopping by, Heather :)

kNiTtInG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-03-24T18:21:00.000-07:00

OK so knitting has been a tedious process, at least with the knitting needles, for me. A royal pain in the... yeah, let's not go any further with that thought train, mmm, OK! I have no troubles with the straight looms by Knifty Knitter and I now have a KnittingBoard sock loom & that seems to be going swimmingly, so far, at least with the easy straight edge knitting stitches, I haven't progressed to the purling or any of the more complicated stitches, as of yet. I also have the round looms from knifty knitter, and that is AOK as well. I do have more dropped stitches with this round loom, than the others, but once off the loom, the items are still usable. Well, the dog is warm, anyways & the kids LOVE their cowls. I even made a skirt from the straight knitting looms, so I have the idea down. I had totally given up hope on learning to knit, with knitting needles. I even joined a group & they all tried to no avail. I also paid for a lesson & no go there either.

Then one of my friends offered to trade with me some knitting needles & a SCOBY for some of my artwork. Since she had made them herself, how do I say no? I just love handmade items! I appreciate people who DIY, in all areas. Well, how do I say no to that? How do I not try to learn then?

Well if your me, you try, try again, even tho other tutorials and people had failed. I again turned to youtube. I had had a lot of luck with this guy's tutorials for the looms. So I figured, if I could figure out the round & straight looms, and even the flower looms, I should be able to find a youtube vid for knitting itself, and I did. I found many many many of them, and not one of them showed it to me in quite the right way. Until, I found this wonderful set of videos by How Cast. Kind of reminds me of my fav site, how things work, a little bit, except it's lacking in the dryness & it is a little bit more interesting & expressive.

Isn't she cute? I love her!

So far with these videos, I've managed a slipnot, which I already learned with the looms, and I can cast on & I'm sorta in the middle of moving the stitches from the left needle to the right. In my glee I logged into ravelry the other day & found I had messages waiting. Lo & behold there is a place closer than the Worcester knitter's group I found, that knits together each week. I will try that place next week & see if we can progress some more.

But yay! I'm finally getting it!

--Heather :)

We Made Paper..

2011-03-24T18:01:00.001-07:00

Now we just need to figure out how to make rocks & scissors!! ;)

This is step 1, cut paper into shreds, add to blender, wet to soften & blend into a slurry.

This is actually red, but I took the colour from the photo, since the flash made the tin-foil yellow.

This is step 2: Slurry of paper pulp & organic all natural eco geeko food dyes, spread out on a pan lined with tin-foil. I used a folded up towel to press the excess water from the slurry.

Sorry for the crappy photos. This was a science experiment with my kids, just to see what paper was like when we made it ourselves, by hand & to learn that paper does grow on trees, but still not good to waste it.

Step three: Bake in a 200*F oven for about 30 minutes give or take. Let cool, then peel off the tin-foil slowly. As for using it for anything... well we need to get a better way of pressing the water from the slurry, hint hint, @ MOM! (She has a paper press, and I want her to lend it to me, indefinitely, as I'd love to make paper like this on a regular basis.) I might use it with some thick markers for labels in the raised garden beds this spring, or perhaps as tags for presents. Next time I want to put some seeds into the paper & make seed bombs or seed gift tags or something, I think these would be fun for the kids to use & gift to friends & family.

XOXO Thanks for stopping by, Heather :)

Relief for Japan

2011-03-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

See it larger & on a black backround here.
I am donating all proceeds from this item to Shelterbox.org
The Butterfly is available here for purchase.

XOXO Thanks for looking! --Heather :)

Dogs in CT Need Your Help!

2011-03-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

Got a message about some dogs in need, in Hartford CT. Please get there if you're in the area, or pass the info onto folks who are! Message below the photo. Dog shown is not one in need. Just an example.

The kennel is full and several dogs are out of time and need a safe place.

Since I have been out on a medical issue, the site is not updated. PLEASE take this time to get to the pound and save an innocent life.

AN OFFICER WILL BE AT THE POUND TODAY FROM 3P-6P(FRIDAY) AND WILL BE THERE TOMORROW (SATURDAY) FROM 10A-2P

THE POUND IS LOCATED AT THE SIMON FOUNDATION IN BLOOMFIELD CT.
120 RESCUE LANE BLOOMFIELD or use 87 WEST DUDLEY TOWN RD(gps or mapquest).

PLEASE HELP THE DOGS IN THE POUND..PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO SEE WHATS THERE AND NEEDS HELP..

DO NOT RESPOND TO MY EMAIL (PIZON67@YAHOO.COM) AS I HAVE NO CURRENT INFO ON WHATS IN THE POUND..JUST GET TO THE POUND

Thank you for your efforts to help the dogs while Im NOT able to..

PLEASE CROSSPOST EVERYWHERE!!

Sherry(Htfd aco)

Thanks for taking the time!

--Heather :)

Purple Tulips.. Spring is on the Way!

2011-03-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

Sometimes treasuries on Etsy are art in of themselves. When that happens, I try to post them here, so you & I can enjoy them. This one is especially beautiful, IMO. Just so wonderful. I am truly honored to have my photo featured in it. The actual treasury is here, if you care to view it closer or purchase something. WOW! I love that bag! I also am a big admirer & fan of other people's photography. I get inspired by it, and come up with new & fascinating ways to shoot when I'm out the next time. If you like you can fan my fanpage & stay up to date on any of my new treasuries & new listings on Etsy, here. My shop is here as well.

All my best. Thanks for stopping by, Heather :)

Working on a new listing..

2011-02-19T15:04:00.000-08:00

When it's listed, it will be available here.
Thanks so much for looking, Heather :)

Thanks Mom!

2011-02-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

Recently my Mother found some of my eco-geeko, photos & memory stuff of mine from my Middle School & into my High School years.

In 1988 at a friend's wedding, with my dearly missed Grandfather:

Me reading poetry at 1990 Earth Day in High School, IIRC the very first one there.

{Terrifyingly awful poem that I read}

Here's everyone who came to the Poetry reading:

Me reading the poem in colour:

{Me and my sister}

Showing off the T-shirt I helped create with my Aunty.

The T-shirt close up:

Soon after creating the Environmental Peace Movement in the High School, I joined up with Amnesty International program in HS also. Some of the kids were in both groups with me.

I joined them for two reasons. One to give back to the folks helping me with my program & two cause I <3 Amnesty! Once I had heard about the good work they were doing, they became my #2, sometimes #1 cause, depending on the issue & the day. I still sign tons of these petitions & other petitions too in the same kind of idea.

It's a little irritating that some of these issues we dealt with in the early 90's we are still today in 2011 dealing with. This is why I posted this to remind folks. We're still dealing with this & need to work on all these issues, still. Plus it's funny seeing my mindframe of the time & the ridiculous poetry!

Wanna see more ? Course you do! ;)

Here is the High School Literary Magazine, the one, the only: Sachem!

Is that ^ David Bowie? I don't know, think so tho.

War #1:

War #2:

I think I listened to a lot of U2 at the time, plus I spent many formative years hanging out with my (above shown) Grandfather & my other Grandfather, both of whom spent a lot of time fighting world wars. Too much time if you ask me. My Grandfather (above) was in two of them, actually. WWI & WWII. He hit it right for the ages in both wars, but thankfully managed to make it out alive. I believe he thought this was a good reason as any to work with Church for the rest of his working life. He hoped to change things in the world & how folks thought about each other. He ran a used shop in Brighton in one of his Churches around the time I was a little girl till when he retired in 88'. During those years he helped many people find used but inexpensive items they needed or wanted. He also employed some folks there & helped them. He had the right idea there. He was a very strong light, force whatever you call it. He was a very important person in my life. I miss him every day & I follow his ideas in my life, as much as possible & the ones I feel are the right way to be. Some of his Ideas & mine don't intersect, but we lived at two different times & grew up in two different times, so that is to be expected. I still respect him & always will. Still miss him too. Anyways, I just wanted to show some of the things my mom found. Now I'm off to hunt for my old High school photo album.. I'm sure it's chock full of more fun stuff to look through & stroll down memory lane with.. ahh fun!

Thanks for stopping by! XOXO Heather :)

A Funky Saab Wheel Photograph

2011-02-12T19:01:00.001-08:00

A lovely photograph that I have in my Etsy shop.

Thanks for stopping by, Heather :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-01-31T14:59:00.000-08:00

A new item in my Etsy shop. A new item for your loves..

This is four of my photos hung on vegan acrylic yarn. Two 4x6's & Two 8x10's. I punched out the photos into heart shapes & glued them to string. This is a simple way to say , I love you. A simple way to say, you're grand!

You choose the photos & I do all the work. I can also do these in snowflakes, squares & circles. Of course, you can choose to DIY this as a project of your own, with whichever photos you decide on in my shop. Just tell me in notes to seller, when ordering.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

--Heather :)

I love hate Boston..

2011-01-30T14:05:00.000-08:00

Love Boston for all the lovely places you can go, not that far from home.
Love Boston for all the fun we have there.
Love Boston since I get to see my familia faces.
Love Boston since it has lots of transportation choices, some more eco than others.

Hate Boston for the lack of parking in some areas.
Hate the huge traffic issues it has..

Mostly tho, I love Boston. Too many good things, vs the negatives.

XOXO Heather :)

2011-01-30T10:57:00.001-08:00

Framed Hydrangea Print

2011-01-18T19:41:00.000-08:00

This is an example of how I like to frame my artwork for hanging here in the house. My house is a modernized hunter's cabin. Snicker. A vegan living in a hunter's cabin, yeah I know, it's funny. ;) We have oodles of wall space & they need covering, so this was an inexpensive way to go about doing a large amount of artwork at one time. Plus I really just like the way these frames are & look. Very easy to frame with them. The glass is front loading, you pop it gently out, remove the paraphernalia and add the photo. Pop the glass back inside, and hang it on the wall. Simple, quick & easy and best of all I can DIY this simple project without having to wait for Mr. Fussy. Er, I mean my Darling husband. This way he can sit & enjoy his glass of vino when he comes home, and not have more work to do after his long day.

He likes projects like this, even better if I'm dressed up in stilettos while doing these projects. --Heather ;)

New Photos in my shop!

2010-12-30T04:39:00.000-08:00

Wampa Monster from Hoth, strikes a pose. He's a fun image in my etsy shop.

--Heather :)

New Necklace in my Shop!

2010-12-20T00:06:00.000-08:00

I've been wearing a similar one for ages & ages & been meaning to list one for some time! FINALLY that day is here! YAY!! I really like it & it's so much fun! I can't wait to see what folks want for colours! It's as fun to make as it is to wear! Simple, straight forward and clean lines. Love love love!!

Thanks for stopping by! Heather :)

Art Slideshow

2010-12-19T10:30:00.000-08:00

"Picnik Show"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

Thanks for looking, this was very fun to make!!

--Heather :)

New Photo!

2010-12-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

I haven't listed this in my shop, as of yet. I'm thinking about it. I've also got to print it out, first. Make sure it prints correctly. I think it will be going in tho, I quite like it.

--Heather :)

Working on something new for the shop..

2010-12-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

Some photographers, myself included often do some "test shots" of the subject, to see if they have the right light. These shown here are "test pins" of my photography decoupaged onto little round 1 inch & 1/4 wooden forms, to see how I like them as wearables. I pinned one to a jacket last night, to get a feel for the weight I want for the wood. It feels right & they look nice pinned to a jacket or a sweater. I'm hoping to use more recyclables in my art, so I would like to glue these to wood that we recycle. I've got tons of oak that I'd love to use. I also have some tree branches drying that could also be used. Just need to get some cut & sanded & begin cutting & gluing.

I happened to have these two photos lying about, so I tested them first. I love the Lion photo, it's one of my absolute favs!

Now I'm just awaiting these photos (below) in an order to do some more "test pins" with them. I for one, cannot wait for Darth Vader on a pin! Or how about the Bright Lights.. so festive, I think! I love bright colours! What do you like pastels? Sepia tones? Bright colours?

--Heather :)
Etsy shop

My kiddo!

2010-12-01T22:53:00.000-08:00

I really wanna work on taking more pics of kids! I get along well with them, and think I can bring some really good smiles to their faces being all goofy & silly. This is my son, just as his lovely hair was beginning to grow out & get longer. SO awesomely long now, he looks just like a surfer dude. Just as I dreamed he would look all those years ago, when I first dated his father. I had a strange dream when we went camping, in the "early years" of the Sean-Heather pairing. I had been thinking of marrying him, what would the future hold & all that mystical "the future is not ours to see" crap. Later on that evening, I had a dream that if I did marry Sean, I would have two little boys, one brunette & one blond. I now have both of them, it was a premonition, I spose. A little ESP? Maybe a warning? Hahah, anyways, couldn't be happier--my dream came true! Two little, adorable, fun loving boys! So much happiness, so much fun! Right now, I'm busy homeschooling them, which is my fav thing to be involved with now!

Hopefully one day I will do more photography of kids, they are the best subjects! So fun, free with their emotions!

--Heather :)

New Photos in my shop!

2010-12-01T20:57:00.000-08:00

Thanks for looking! My shop is here!

XOXO Heather :)

New Photos in my Shop!

2010-12-01T20:54:00.000-08:00

Thanks for looking, my shop is here!

XOXO Heather :)

Almost Done!

2010-12-01T17:09:00.001-08:00

This is my Benetton Sweater, that I purchased used. It was rather pricey for a used sweater too. I was shocked, I spent $12 on it. I'm just waiting on some fusible interfacing & figuring out what kind of button I would like to use for closure.. def thinking vintage.. or handmaking something from polymer. Oh and the striped sweater behind it is an Old Navy sweater (purchased used) that I'm doing next. All my laptops will be sleeping in style! Oh yes!

If you'd like one of these, I'd be happy to make one for you. Check out my etsy shop & send me a message that way. I'll give you a price quote. I will need a little information,like laptop size, or if you'd prefer it as a messenger type purse. Just tell me colours you'd like & fabric type.

XOXO Thanks for looking! Heather :)

New Photos in my shop!

2010-11-18T12:03:00.000-08:00

I just added some fresh shots to my shop, located here. Please come check them out!!

--Heather :)

Butterflies in Boston

2010-11-11T18:36:00.000-08:00

My legs are tired. My brain is tired. My feet are sore. My toes are aching. There is a little spot in my neck that is aching & sore too. But, I saw Butterflies in Boston in November, so this pain I have endured is well worth it. This is my favorite {shown above} photo of the day, of my butterflies. If you'd like to see more. Check this set here on flickr.com You will have to scroll down to the bottom of this page to see the new stuff.

Now I'm going to put those tired feet up & relax with a cuppa tea!

XOXO --Heather :)

Squeee!

2010-11-06T23:34:00.000-07:00

I HEART thee! This is a sleeping bag I am handsewing for my lappy. Not sure if my lappy is worth such a lovely bag, but I saw this sweater & it yelled at me. "I must become a laptop sleeping bag." So I listened. It really is quite nice, if I say so myself, and I must. I'm so damn proud of it & happy with the way it's coming out. Just wish I could be finally done. It does take a bit longer to handsew items.

I even have some more that I'm working on now. I will update this blog when they are all finished. Even with the extra time spent sewing it.. it def seems to be well worth the time. Oh I am soooo happy with this bag. I need a matching purse. Alas, this was the only sweater I found like this when I bought it. Durn it all.

Eh well, OAK is fine with me.

--Heather :)

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

I Love Halloween!!

XOXO Heather :)

Apple Picking, the best part of Autumn!

2010-10-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

On one lovely, warmish sunny day..

We went apple picking..

These are some snaps I got of my boys..

enjoying the day..

and having fun..

They had a ball....

Thanks for looking, Heather :)

Come Haunting with the Etsyveg Team!

2010-10-23T22:08:00.000-07:00

Not only are we having a great team event, check below for a Giveaway, as well!

First we have, CricketsCreations is joining us with $5 off anything tagged Halloween in her shop.

Then, SilentLotus is joining us as well. Please check her shop for details!

Also, Palafoxstudio23 is joining us as well. See her shop for more info!

Our friend, Magglepie is also joining us.

Also, Adrienne, from the shop: auclairdelalune.

We also have, Hope from blackbirdandpeacock joining our promo.

Our dear friend, KimbasCritters is also joining in! Please check her shop & other members' individual shops for more details on sales!

Lastly, in my shop, I'm having a BOGO Sale on all Photography!

If folks will comment here in the comments section, of this blog post, things they purchased & where from. I'll use a random number generator on the 31st and select MANY winners for some lovely prizes. We have LOADS and LOADS of lovely items to give YOU! You can see some of the actual prizes folks' will win below in the photos. I'm creating prize packs of items to give to folks'. For example someone will win that lovely pink necklace below & a magnet of my photography for their fridge. I will be giving away prizes till they are all gone! Please leave your email address in the comments section, so we have a way to contact you! Thanks!

A lovely pendant from JFIllustrations

Three cards from blackbirdandpeacock

One:

Two:

Three:

From Palafoxstudio23

Another lovely necklace, from Palafoxstudio23

Some rings & even some pretty earrings from Palafoxstudio23 as well.

Photos & magnets & stickers from my shop.

And another example from my shop:

Please check back, as I will continue to update this blog post, if there are more folks' shops to add to the list!

--Heather :)

{Please note: my giveaway items, are only photos so the winners can choose their own magnet, stickers, or photos}

I'm not thinking about you....

2010-10-22T21:08:00.000-07:00

I'm not thinking about you.
I don't go on and on talking about you.
I'm not going to bother an call you.
I'm not going to waste that kind of time.

My life is perfect without you.
I have no need for the complications that you seek.
I have no need for the feelings of the meek.

I'm not thinking about you. I am better off without you..
I'm happier this way, alone is the way, the order of the day..
I'm not thinking about you.

I've got much better things to do.
Don't care if I sit all alone, at a table just for two.

--Heather :)

Note:
I wrote this song, poem.. whatever when I looked at this photo. Made me think that perhaps this isn't a romantic photo, but instead a breakup photo, or something. Like the person is sitting somewhere they used to sit with their beloved, and now sit alone, trying not to think about them.. and not succeeding very well. Just came to me while editing photos tonight. To the best of my knowledge the lyrics, words are mine, and mine alone.

{this is a copyrighted blog}

New Shoes!

2010-10-21T22:22:00.000-07:00

I found some new shoes, I never go to the mall. This was a complete fluke & especially shopping in this store. But they were so cool, I had to leave with them.

Then I thought I should shoot some pics of them, and lo and behold a new photo for my Etsy shop! I couldn't be happier with them or happier with the way the photo turned out. So fun! Would be a neat photo for someone's bedroom or desk area. ALL women love shoes, so I think this one is fabulous addition to the shop & so different from my regular subjects.

--Heather :)

Happy Birthday John Lennon!

2010-10-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

"I'm not going to change the way I look or the way I feel to conform to anything. I've always been a freak. So I've been a freak all my life and I have to live with that, you know. I'm one of those people." --John Lennon #FAV #quote evar!

Lennon has always been an inspiration to me. His thoughts, ideas, music, etc. We're cut from the same cloth. If I could pick one person from history I'd like to meet, it would be him or Dr. King, or JFK. I wonder what the world would have been like, if John Lennon hadn't died. Would it be a better place? I like to dream so.

XOXO Heather :)

Fan Photos!

2010-10-05T17:17:00.000-07:00

These were sent to me from my friend, Heather. She bought the photo prints & framed them for a friend, who was married last weekend! YAY! Congats to the Newlyweds! Hope they enjoy their Honeymoon! Heather's shop is so lovely, it's located here here. She has amazingly lovely just gorgeous artwork!! Go! Check it out! Right now!

Thanks, Heather for the sale & fan photos.

XOXO Heather :)

New Photo!

2010-09-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

You can see it for sale here. I shot this at the East Brimfield Dam. It's on the line between E. Brimfield/Sturbridge, Ma. It even has it's own webby page.
Very cool Massachusetts history that you don't read about often.

--Heather :)

QOTD!

2010-09-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

"I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult." -- E. B. White.

--Heather :)

New Peacock Treasury!

2010-09-26T16:40:00.001-07:00

Sooo pretty! Love all the colours! You can check it out here.

--Heather :)

Thinking......

2010-09-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

People say they are loving, affirming and open to others & other beliefs. But they're not. They get a set of friends who believe the same way & get comfortable in that. That's wrong. We should be open, loving and helpful to all people, all kinds of ideas. Yes, I get set in my ways too. We should all strive to not get set in our ways, into our comfort zones, but to learn from & enjoy many kinds of people.

--Heather :)

QOTD!

2010-09-16T01:55:00.000-07:00

If someone tells you you cannot do something, then prove them wrong. --ME

--Heather :)

(this is my quote as far as I know anyways.)

There's no school, like a homeschool!

2010-09-07T12:16:00.001-07:00

School has just started for much of Nation, here in the USA. Here at my house, it has been going on all summer long, and all year long before that. Actually every moment we spend together, we use it wisely and try to use the good moments, for learning. Yes, there are some bad moments, some stress and yes, even the occasional, let's call it a heated argument, and leave it at that. Most of the time, we're peaceful & loving, and happy to be together, a hunky dory sorta family. We're a pretty simple family. A Mom, a Dad, two kids, two dogs, and a motley assortment of bugs, snakes & frogs, from time to time. Yes, my sons have my 'bring every stray home that they find genes'. They're learning, not all of them can stay. Especially, the snakes. I'm the St. Patrick for my yard, yes I am. Well, when the Chihuahua hasn't dispatched them first.

Why am I homeschooling? So many people have asked me, time and time again. In a nutshell you could read this article and it sums it up. I will also say; I'm doing it because right now, it's right for my family. I've looked at the pros, the cons, and every little piece in between. I want the best education for my children. The best that I can give them. We cannot afford Montessori schooling, and I don't believe that Private Education is all that it's cracked up to be, it's only marginally better than Public School is. Seeing all the fundraiser's a Catholic Private School sent home, to a boy's family I nannied for years ago, gave me some part of that inkling.

Some more reasons include: I don't like getting up & rushing in the mornings. I don't like having to yell at my kids, to get them to move. I don't like the crying jags my older son had nearly every morning when he had to take the bus, to kindergarten. He began hating it right off. It wasn't fun for him. He hated it, hated the teacher. Tell me something, does that sound like a happy learning environment to you? Having a kid hate something, all on his own? Come home crying every day? Unhappy? I don't even know the teachers, their moods, type of person, belief systems of those who will mold the people I created & have been molding till sending them to Kindergarten. believe me I bought right into the if I live in a nice suburban town, My kids will get a better education spiel and I was wrong all counts. The school system doesn't allow for parents to be involved. In Kindergarten, a year of school that technically isn't legally required to take? They don't promote the parents & teachers & togetherness that we are ALL on this learning ship together? WHY? Why don't they want me seen as a viable place to learn from? WHO is running this school system anyways? What is their end goal with MY kids? WHO Do they think they are anyways??

Ok 1-10. Breathe in, breathe out. I'm OK. Your OK. We're all OK. But I wasn't OK, I wasn't happy. I was guilty. I was miserable. My son was miserable. My other son was miserable. It was rotten. It felt wrong. It just wasn't making us happy & my son wasn't learning. His art was getting more and more dull, and he had less and less drive to learn & wasn't enjoying himself, at all. Let alone actually learning or retaining anything.

Fast forward button: Click.

Now, we are happy. Now, we are having fun, learning new things & loving every single second of the day, for the most part. Sure sometimes it's hard. Isn't everything worth doing, difficult to some degree? Even making a cake takes time.

I'm no longer guilty, sad & depressed. Neither are my sons.

The amazing part is, I'm teaching them & they are retaining the information given to them. They are sucking it in, like a sponge & regurgitating it back out to me, and in their daily works. They are also enjoying it. My older son is reading books all on his own, and I taught him how to do it. My husband also helped, possibly more in this case, as listening to him stumble annoyed the heck out of me. He was more patient in this instance. Me, of all people.. is in charge of the math detail. GO FIGURE! One book later, and I'm a math geek! If only they had had this book when I was struggling & hating school, er math!

Thanks for stopping in. XOXO --Heather :)

BIG FROG!

2010-09-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

This is what I believe to be a Bullfrog. He came to my house the other evening, around Midnight, to eat some bugs, I suppose. We heard him thumping around & bumping into the house, while hunting. Hubby decided to go check it out, and find out the story, or if it was someone trying to get in. That's how much noise he was making. Very loud. He didn't seem to mind me shooting some pics, but he didn't exactly smile for me. So I guess the lights didn't feel all that great for him, either. So I kept it as brief as I could. Gosh he was just sooo big, you don't just see these kinds of frogs out & about much anymore. Last time I recall seeing a Bullfrog was as a kid, my dad picked one up & he had a photo taken with it. There were tons there, in NH, as I recall. Course, I'm in Massachusetts, maybe we don't have as many anymore for some reason. Cough, cough, (Big Business/toxins in the air, lakes, streams) cough, cough. Sorry, had to clear my throat. ;) I'm alright now. Anyways, not really sure why we don't see them that often, but here we see frogs all the time. So that's good news. I'd love to see more, though.

We all watched & looked at him for a little while. When we started to go in, we noticed another froggy. He was sitting on the house light. Doesn't seem all that remarkable, but the light was up high next to the front door. So he climbed up there & was sitting underneath the bright light, snapping up anything that came near him. I'd show you a snap of him, as well, however, it didn't come out all that good. Seeing that the house light was on & even off it reflected too much with the glass there. I do have policy of no bad pics by me on this blog, it's a personal pride, sorta thing. He was cute tho, I can see why Kermit the frog was hatched. He kept opening and closing his mouth, maybe the camera flash made him nervous, or he was digesting.. he he. He was real cute. I believe he was a grey tree frog, as I've seen the babies of that kind of frog lately, and I used to have one as a pet for a bit.
Noisy lil' bugger. Used to keep my husband up when he worked a job overnight. Peeping and barking, so adorable tho. Spose not so adorable when you need to sleep, so we will leave these ones alone, plus we need them to live long and prosper. The more frogs the better the environment, they say. So come on froggies, you're welcome here. We also kick all the snakes out of the yard on a regular basis. This is the Chihuahua's job. She is good at it.

Thanks for looking. Have you seen any animals near you, lately? If so pop down to the comments section, and tell me about them. Love hearing about them!

XOXO Heather :)

Castle on the sands..

2010-08-25T13:07:00.000-07:00

This is actually a Church, not a castle. It's located in West Boylston on the resevoir. It's called the Old Stone Church. It has it's own Wiki page here for more information on the location.

It's a fun place for a picnic, and a walking excursion. Lots of people frequent the area in all types of weather. Usually, there is a hot dog truck nearby also, if folks need a snack or something. Not too far from other establishments either. The road leading up to it runs all along the area of the resevoir and folks who walk, hike and cycle just love this area, as it's quite gorgeous. I have a few other photos of this area, as I always find something beautiful to capture when we visit there.

Which means basically, my shutter clicking fingers cannot stop working overtime, on all of our visits here. I've been going here since I was a wee bairn, with my parents & sister. It's a lot of fun & a place full of memories.

The plaque was hard to read, so I snapped a photo of it to bring it closer to view easier. Wiki has some more information on this, on the why the Church was put here. It's basically to commemorate the taking of the homes, lives, and the land for the resevoir. It was done to better folks' lives and make drinking water in the Boston area easier to get. AFAIK pretty much all of Boston, and the area surrounding it depends on this resevoir and the water from it.

Oh and no, you cannot boat or swim or enjoy the water by doing anything in it, but looking at it.

You can go inside, and see the dirt floor & also the reminders that seagulls don't just like the ocean. Well, actually all I saw was Pigeons. Having your wedding here is allowed, I'm fairly certain. I have seen many a photographer shooting photos here. I'd love love love to lend my hand to something like this in the future.

Thanks for looking, Heather :)

Quote of the Day!

2010-08-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. (Maya Angelou)

--Heather :)

Dog Days of August?

2010-08-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

I for one would LOVE to know where they went to. Rain this week is the pits, so far. Anyways, I was looking through my brighter, hotter, shinier photos & this sprang to mind. So I edited it with weee tiny sprinkles of hearts. SO CUTE! Plus as an added result it lightened my mood a touch.

Hope it's HOT & Sweltering where you are. ;) Here it's miserable, cold & rainy.

Happy to trade ya! XOXO Heather :)

L@@K what I won!!

2010-08-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

Aren't they pretty? I'm so excited! Can't wait to get them!

I won them from Starfirewire. Her facebook fan page has giveaways sometimes. Check her out. Her shop is here, if you don't wanna wait for another giveaway.

So pretty, I'm very excited! Thanks Starfirewire!!

XOXO Heather :)

I've been waiting ALL summer for this COLOUR!

2010-08-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to Hudson, Mass on Saturday afternoon, to see the local Hot air Balloon festival. Hudson is not far from our hometown & we enjoyed an afternoon/evening of hot air balloons. We'd have loved to have been there at dawn, when they went up into the skies. But Friday was a long, hard day for us. Up early with Daddy to the Doctor's office, and then we spent the rest of the day at OSV, Old Sturbridge Village. It was Free Friday there, so everyone in central Massachusetts, their grandmother, kids, Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, yes even our cousins were there too, kids my kids go to camp with, and then some folks we didn't even know were there too! OMG it was packed solid!! I was scared to look for the fire exits and not see any. ;) It was fun tho. I'll see about posting some of the photos I captured there in another posting. Backwards, perhaps. However, I couldn't help myself...these balloons were sooo bright, so colourful, I was smitten instantly!! I Love COLOURS! All of them! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOO! I LOVE Colour! This was so much fun, a feast for the eyes!

Thank you for looking! XOXO Heather :)

Crowded a Tinted Photo of Mine.

2010-08-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

Just a little bit crowded in here. Don't you think? Could you take a moment to think with me? Consider this, scientific information at this time suggests that when fish aren't numerous enough, jellyfish thrive. Altho I've seen it shown that turtles feed on jellies, jellies on fish, so perhaps this includes lowered turtle numbers, as well.

One of the reasons why fish & turtles have a harder time thriving, pollution. Something simple as kitchen sink soap is deadly to fish, and all water leads to the ocean eventually. We are changing the face of this planet with everything we do or buy & use.

Time to THINK before we ACT!

Thank you for looking, Heather :)

Purple & Yellow!

2010-08-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

Tinted Jellies..

2010-08-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

Just working on some colour options for a new photo, that I'm thinking of offering in my shop. These jellies are really white, not blue & purple. Since they are just white, I found them boring, they needed some oomph. So I added some colours.

Still a work in progress, because I believe that the purple & blue is too bright. Need some shadowing or darkening added to it.

Thanks for looking, Heather :)

Quick Political Post aka QPP!

2010-08-02T21:17:00.000-07:00

Or perhaps that stands for Quick Political Poem..

Just a thought I had had today, after thinking about the Tea Party Campaign, Sarah Palin and the unrest & unease they are causing our country.

"It was two if by sea, not one by the land.
We lived together, united, strong, we'd guided and held each hand.

Now we are divided and weak.
Sometimes I find that hard to think of, or to speak.

Back then, the enemy came from abroad
Someone posing as a friend, that was really a fraud.

(working on a refrain of peace & prosperity for so long.
The people got lazy, greedy and and and and..)

Folks have long wondered and thought.
What will bring them down, back down to their knees.

Will it be another from overseas?
Or will it be folks from much closer ashore.

Hard to tell, there's been so much lore,
So many changes, so many years, so much sin.

One thought I will leave you to mull & to stew,
An enemy is an enemy, even if it comes from within."

Copyrighted: Heather O'Connor/3 Am Art Productions/2010 & beyond.

Quote of the Day!

2010-08-02T18:41:00.000-07:00

Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you - not because they are nice, but because you are. ~Author Unknown

--Heather :)

EFA Charity of the Month!

2010-08-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

25% of my shop sales for the Month of August is going to the EFA Charity of the Month. See our website here. This month I won the choice of charity. I chose Winslow Farm Sanctuary in Norton Massachusetts! See their site here!

I chose Winslow Farm Sanctuary, since I heard about them via the Facebook account of Turtle Mountain. MMM try their ice cream, it's delish! They were having a 4th of July event at the farm here in Massachusetts where I live. Wished I didn't have any 4th plans, as we would have gone to visit them then. The story on their website just sounded so nice, so wonderful. A great thing to do for some animals in need of our compassion & love. Seemed like a place that was right up my alley, one we should rally behind and give our support to. My goat photo shown above isn't from their farm. As soon as I get up there to visit, I will be happy to post a photo montage here for you all to see what it's like there at the sanctuary.

Thanks for checking it out!! XOXO Heather

Slideshow of Some of my Photography & Artwork

2010-07-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

"Picnik Show"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

Thanks for looking! XOXO Heather :)

Yay I'm in a Treasury!

2010-07-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

--Heather :)

We're "still" selling to help the Animals affected by the BP Oil Disaster

2010-07-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

Here(below) is an updated list of folks still donating a portion of sales to the gulf rescue campaign & some folks with specific items for sale with all of the proceeds going to help. Also see my treasury, it has some more folks selling items to help!

A new EFA member, 60% helps gulf animals; shop is here.

My shop is still doing 20% to Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary.

KathleenMarieKellyy is also still donating.

Pippi's Thrift store is continuing with her fund drive.

This shop also is selling to help out. She writes: "Please visit 'Gulf Coast Disaster' section in my shop. All proceeds from items in this section, minus Etsy & Paypal fees, will be donated directly to the National Wildlife Federation's efforts to clean up the oil spill in the gulf. You can learn more on their website: http://www.nwf.org/. I will post the receipt here once I have made a donation. Thank you for supporting this critical effort."

Thanks everyone. Any new folks to add or updates, please contact me at hskoconnor@gmail.com subject line: Selling for the Gulf.

XOXO Heather :)

A Precarious Landing..

2010-07-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

& A visitor, just before fall.

Thanks for looking, Heather :)

Time for this 'Well Kept Secret" to be told..

2010-07-14T09:55:00.000-07:00

I met Miss Late July via the Vegan Etsy team, and Team EFA, probably well over a year or two ago. My first "meeting" was via an email to the yahoo group we're both subscribed too. I liked her right off. She likes animals just like I do & volunteers in rescue & networking for an animal shelter she helps out. Excellent, I thought. Just great, these are the sorts of folks I wanna surround myself with, and have them bumping into me often to spur me on to doing more giving back. At some point Facebook & My Space links were passed around & folks added or followed each other, if they so chose to.

Once I found out she was a singer, songwriter.. I just had to check her out! If she is good at dog rescue, and photography, then by default her singing must be amazing I mused.

WOW! I hit the nail on the head. I was correct! She's wonderful, amazing, soft, light, fun, catchy, cute, funny, honest and refreshing. All that and more. I was so happy I clicked and found her. I probably played the songs on My space at least 40 times. I know I overplayed this video when it was posted. Then I began to wait, for when her demo was released. I finally got my wish and I ordered a copy!

I was not disappointed at all. Best musical purchase of the year by far! Literary Kings her first video was one of the first songs I heard, and I love it and it's one of those songs that will stay with me forever, and long be a fav! The above song is a fav as well, and it does my heart good to see her doing a slow song too, as it shows the artists' range. I think that is all too important to show your range. That's why even tho I'm more fond of bright, loud colours with my photography, I keep pushing myself to do more black and whites.

All in all, my fav song of hers isn't online, in video form, as of yet.

But if an artist keeps us wanting more.. that's a very very good thing!

You can find Miss Late July here: Late July Her album is available for download for free on her website.

XOXO Heather :)

Ohhhh Cabana boy......

2010-07-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

Please bring me another Margarita!

--Heather :)

Justin Case..

2010-07-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

He's a good pal of mine. Dear old Just in. ;)

Kookoo for Lulu is hereby MINE. My boys will be in a band, and you all will be Kookoo for Lulu. --Heather :)

Words....

2010-07-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

You know what, pretty soon we won't be able to say ANYTHING. Cause all the words will be owned by someone else. Will we have to pay royalties to say HELLO? WTF? I am hereby trademarking/owning/copyrighting this phrase: "BITE ME."

Course I've been saying it since at least 1985 and I know many of my friends have also been doing the same thing. So I won't charge ya. That's what friends are for.

--Heather ;)

Foiled again! By my nemesis, Urban Blight..

2010-07-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

Right dead center over the top of a pine tree. There lurks a cell phone tower. DOH! I hate them. The placement of them, the look of them. The ones hidden in churches etc are much better than these faux bois tree ones tho. It's been scientifically hypothesized that BEES hate cell towers too. Be nice if there didn't need to be so many, however it's a needed evil. Or is it? I lived without one for about (guessing here) 6-9 mos. It was pleasant. Less calls, less interruptions, that's for sure. People called me, I was out, I came home to a message. If my car died en route.. I'd have had to wait for someone driving by to be kind to ring someone, and that might take a while. That would be an inconvenient part. Helps that we work on my car & his often, so we know what's going on under the hood. Certainly helps one. Which isn't a bad thing altogether. Sure wish more folks knew more.. specially the part about NOT mashing the gas & never letting up. {not good for the engine or the longevity of the oil in the engine} But I'm digressing now. It was definitely nicer sans a cell phone.. in fact now I hardly remember to bring this one with me. Not sure why I ever had the cell phone bug, at all. I sure as heck didn't miss it. Which is a shame really, I had a awesome purple one for a time. I have purple purses & shoes and other things I like equally as well. So I doubt it was the colour that drove me to it. ;)

I'm not even sure what it is about cell phones I don't like the most. Is it the possible brain cancer tumors incurred by them from using them on the same side of the head all the time. Or is it the lack of wild bees pollinating the fleurs, that I dislike more? Actually it's neither. It's the lack of a solution forthcoming. I like the cell phone, as it's handy when you need it. It's also tiny & easily loseable for the times when you don't want it around. I really really wish there was a way to solve the problems that we have because of cells. *If that is the case, of course.
Cause science could be wrong...

Maybe I don't dislike cells.. all that much after all. Perhaps, it's something else.

--Heather :/

New photo....

2010-07-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

This is one of several new shots I'm adding to my shop, not taken by me. This is by my Husband, Sean. He's been working with me for a year now & learning the how to on photography. I'd say he's doing great at it! I was so excited to see this on his memory card! Thanks for looking, Heather :)

By Jorge, I do think he's got it!

2010-07-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

I do think he's doing well with it, it's definitely progressed over time. Photography that is. This is NOT my photo. This is my husband's photo. Tho sometimes he joins ridiculous FB groups to annoy me. (not working BTW) he's a pretty good guy & apparently can use a camera too!

Nice having a hobby that can include those that you love and spend time with. The kids are learning as well.. they're doing fine. Soon I'll scan in some of their photos. We have a couple of 35 MM film rolls to develop. I'm out of habit with dropping off rolls & keep forgetting. Used to do it all the time with my old Kodak APS film camera. Been years. Probably even ten or more years, since I used that camera. Lately I'm working on re-learning 35 MM, been even longer since I've used those kinds of cameras.

More to come soon!

--Heather :)

My new biz card...

2010-07-05T10:04:00.001-07:00

This is to showcase several different photos of mine. I will put them into a clear plastic envelope, and stamp the information onto the rear of it.

--Heather :)

New Photos.. fresh from the weekend..

2010-07-04T14:10:00.001-07:00

Just a couple shots I've been working on this weekend in my downtime. Shot at a local fair near my home & at my Mother's house. It was a tiring weekend, but oh so fun. Kids had a great time. We had a great time. It was worth the extra work & being tired out after it was all over.

Thanks for looking, Heather :)

Animal Rights Conference

2010-07-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

I've been linked to the fundraiser page! WOOT! So exciting, my artwork is going to be seen by animal folks from all over!

--Heather :)

Quote of the Day!

2010-07-01T19:50:00.001-07:00

I think of the camera as a tool for others to see the beauty, I have experienced. It's a gift to be able to show people the beauty, the tiny moment in time I have saved. I was there, right there, at that moment when the shutter clicked. I saved it for you.. and that is an art. --Heather Henry 2010.

Jelliesssssssss..

2010-06-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

*if this photo was of a person, it would have hit the cutting room floor. Since it's not. It's pretty, colourful.. and in my etsy shop. Not sure it's gonna stay there tho. Altho for me.. I love it! Folks buying might not.

--Heather :)

New Shop Banner for Etsy

2010-06-29T14:39:00.001-07:00

For the days when I'm blue..

For the days when I'm pink..

--Heather :)

Old meets new..

2010-06-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

This week was one for the history books. No, not like that. I saved a few items from obscurity, from sitting in a closet or sitting in a shop just waiting to be re-loved. I purchased a 35 MM Camera, the donation (see here) price is going to charity. Then, over the weekend, I found a Vintage Elvis record, as in a LP. You know, a vinyl record. I do have a record player, and plan on showing the kiddos how it works. I had one in middle school & loved fooling around with it, till I met the Beastie Boys on a mix tape, of course. I'm all about history & learning from the past, and keeping it alive somehow. My Grandfather's both of them were in the Wars/Great Depression and told me a lot about the subjects and it left a great impact on me, that I find has helped shape the person I am. One with a very deep soul, and I want that for my kids as well, so they can learn and use the skills and history in their lives & make a difference.

I also found a lovely used dark turquoise wool coat. Considering using this to make some mp3 player socks, and sweaters. Also a sewing kit, which will possibly become a X-Mas/Solstice/Hannukah/Kwanzaa present for family members.

Found a pair of leather clogs too, used of course. I don't believe in buying leather new and having any more animals hurt because of it. I do however, believe that if something is already made & used, then this is OK to wear or buy. I'm all about recycling in as many ways as possible. Now the shoes are cool as is. I was planning on painting them tho, course every time I find a pair I end up liking them too much. Perhaps my old Danskos will become painted instead. I wanna have really LOUD arty footwear, that is also comfortable. Hence, the used shoe angle.

I also found an old Hamilton beach mixing bowl, stainless steel. In excellent condition, I know this isn't that exciting. Cepting I have two, count em, two Hamilton Beach mixers. One was my Gram's and one was my Mom's. Mom's is stainless, and Gram's was white. Gram's was different in that it came with white bowls vs the stainless. Makes me wonder what colour bowls the robin's egg blue mixers came with. The mixers both still work just fine. Altho kinda slow in comparison to some newer mixers out there today, but they get the job done just fine. Usually I use a egg beater or something when mixing batter, but once in a while for a special occasion, or if I'm doing two different batters at once I break one or the other mixer out. Yes, it's because of posterity that I keep these mixers & memories and for one of my son's when they begin cooking on their own. I also keep them, since they still work. Amazing craftmanship, they just don't make things like this anymore, or at least, not without a big pricetag & made in China attached.

I also have a used treadmill. I had set aside the moula to buy a brand new one, when craigslist insanity struck! I decided to find one used, or almost new. I lucked out stellar! A lady had one and had partially put it together, lost a couple pieces and gave up. So brand new, never used, just waiting for me to come along with my reused ingenuity and buy the parts needed for it & put it together. DONE! I love it, it's awesome and has been keeping me happy for a long time now.

Lastly, I saved a Bodum Coffee Press from a secondhand store. It's not vintage, or different, they are pretty popular out there. Since my off brand one was dropped after 10 years of love, I needed a new one, but decided I'd try to find a used one. Or at least give it a good College try to locating one. Basically, I'm walking the walk and talking the talk. Not only do I talk recycle, I actually do the recycle thing to, in more ways than just sending items to the recycle bin.

XOXO --Heather :)

And The Winner of My Blog Contest is!

2010-06-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

Valerie, of palafoxstudio23 !! Congrats Valerie! Enjoy the photo book!

XOXO Heather :)

How do I love thee, Slidel..

2010-06-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

Sooooo very much! He's one of my fav photos! Just sold another photo of him in my shop. 20% of the purchase price is going here: ***20% of all sales from this shop all month long: go to the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary who are preparing to clean and care for animals affected by the horrible oil disaster happening in the Gulf Coast: http://www.seabirdsanctuary.com/ ** The rest of the money, I'm going to send to Sea Shepherd's Clean the Gulf Campaign.

XOXO Heather :)

Come with me into the NIGHT!

2010-06-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

--Heather :)

Another Pink Sky At Night

2010-06-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

Does not lessen the Sailor's Delight. {Wink, GRIN} --Heather :)

Blogging is more than a writing thing for me..

2010-06-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

Sometimes blogging is just a record. A log even. A log of the photos I have taken, the ones that are important, either for the shop or even just to record the daily changes of my face. So scary that these photos are. They are important on some level. Just posting them to flickr isn't enough this day in age. They need to be copyrighted, so that someone doesn't go off and steal them & use them for their own gain. yes, I hate to mention this, at all. My husband on the other hand is always, always getting red in the face about this to me. Just five seconds ago actually. So this evening is a tribute to saving, recording, and copyrighting my artwork & photos. Sorry for the extra mad crazy amounts of posting I'm doing. He's right. He often is about things. He has some intuition about things. He thinks my photography is worth saving, making sure that it's safe. That it is that important to him, to mention the being careful thing to.. this just really impresses & flatters me. I had to mention it. He's cool. I love him so much. I'm so glad he's got my back, and that he is so supportive of me. I'm very very lucky, in this regard.

XOXO Heather :)

Driving..

2010-06-24T19:51:00.001-07:00

Three of my fav things are shown in the photo. Driving. Photography. Volvos.

--Heather :)

My Son is an Artist!

2010-06-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

So cool.. so proud of him! XOXO Heather :)

Capturing Nature..

2010-06-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

Is my fav thing to do! --Heather :)

More New Shots!

2010-06-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

Some Brand New Shots!

2010-06-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

--Heather :)

I made a PINK treasury on Etsy!

2010-06-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

Some fun pink pretties.. just in a pink mood lately. I'm happy, smiley and wearing a lot of pink recently. I love it!

Hope you enjoy PINK too! --Heather :)

For a limited time you can see the PINK treasury here.

Quote of the Day!

2010-06-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

God made man stronger but not necessarily more intelligent. He gave women intuition and femininity. And, used properly, that combination easily jumbles the brain of any man I've ever met. Farrah Fawcett

--Heather :)

Press Release for SOS Thrift

2010-06-17T19:07:00.000-07:00

S.O.S Definition..

1.The letters represented by the Morse Code signal · · · - - - · · ·, used as an international distress signal, especially by ships and aircraft. 2. A call or signal for help. 3. Now a call or signal to shop SOS thrift, an online marketplace to help Sea Shepherd Conservation Society clean up the Gulf Oil Spill and efforts to save animals and habitats affected by the oil crisis.

The ocean is crying out for help. I think the distress call is loud and clear. Every year it gets worse, we treat the oceans, the planet worse and worse. While this might be the understatement of the century, we can do something to help. Luckily, someone has heard that call and is doing something positive about it. In her spare time from raising two lovely little girls, Pippi has opened up a weekend thrift store online. Items are being listed (as they come in or as time allows ) and will continue to do so. You can donate or you can shop! Wonderful quality items are there for your perusal,from the handmade world and also some gently used items as well. You get two kinds of shopping in one convenient, online place.

Please head on over to check it out: www.SOSthrift.blogspot.com

All monies collected, sans shipping is being donated to Sea Shepherd's Gulf Rescue Campaign. See their site here: http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-100517-1.html Sea Shepherd is working with the US Gov and others in the campaign to stop and rescue the Gulf area from the BP Oil Spill. They will be securing a third boat and training volunteers in Hazmat work. Cleaning animals they find and rescuing them from the oil spill effects. We are all hopeful they will save many, many lives and do great work. We are all here to lend them our support and stand behind them in pride.

Pippi's enthusiasm has already spread to several of her friends to help donate their time and expertise to getting the message out, and donating and also helping to facilitate the shop as well. One person sure can make a difference, it only takes some action.

Sincerly, Heather Henry

Artist and Photographer