Happy New Year!

Worked on this one yesterday. I'm not entirely happy with it so I've made sure to save all the layers so I can go back and change things. It was taken in Geneva in November. I wish our little grocery or veggie market was like this.

Not sure what will get done today as we have friends coming over tonight and I'm making a huge lasagna in our new Emile Henry dish. I have to do my requisite number of pages for review and clean.

Motivation

Trying to get motivated to go outside today and maybe take some pics. It's been ages. But it's so grey out and warm inside...

Anyway, hopefully I will do a bit more French review and work on photos today. Here's a couple from yesterday. Both are from Lyon.

Tilt-shift faked

I've been meaning to try this Photoshop technique out for a while. It's for faking the look of a tilt-shift lens and since I can't afford such a lens that's what I have to do. I'm really using this week between the holidays to try stuff that I've been meaning to try. I also have to do some reviewing for my French class starting in January.

This photo was taken in Geneva in November. I'm sure there are some things that should be changed but for a first go, I'm pleased.

Photography

After a write-off of a day yesterday (spent most of it asleep) I'm feeling a bit better today and ready to tackle going through my photos from France and Switzerland and thinking about the Contact show in May. Very excited about this upcoming show. A lot is invested so I have to get working on it. Before you know it, May will be here. I know it doesn't look like that outdoors.

I hadn't planned on doing this shop photo taken in Lyon in black and white. Really I wasn't planning to have any b&w for the show. I just happened to hit an action I had downloaded and I liked it. It probably won't be used for the show and may end up being in colour again but I feel better about just creating something today.

I also took the first steps to creating a new blog for design in Toronto. There's a welcome post but that's all for now. When I really get going I'll post a link here.

Cooking

Not actually creating art but we are creating meals. Thanks to my Mom and Dad we're now the proud owners of Staub pans. We have a 10" skillet and 10" grill and tonight's test was steak with left over gratin dauphinois from Christmas Eve (with added Comte cheese) and green beans and mushrooms in the skillet. Yum! Love the texture. Looks like we've coverted from the competition Le Creuset as we should since Staub are made in Alsace.

It's been quite the cooking weekend with baking before that. Last night's Christmas dinner was duck with cranberry sauce, potatoes roasted in duck fat, green beans in butter, carrots in wine and orange juice and leeks in wine with bacon topping. Christmas Eve was filet mignon. I sense a diet is needed.

Merry Christmas (a day late!).

Christmas baking

Trying to still get in the holiday spirit. Baking usually helps and after seeing some new baking gear in the stores, I'm trying to stop myself from getting more and baking more. We probably won't see many people over Christmas so I don't want us to be eating everything I bake. That would be very bad indeed. I may go for a madeleine baking tray and one for baking baguettes. We'll see. Guess that shows our desire to live a bit of a French life even if we can't be there. Although no one really bakes their own baguettes there when there are so many wonderful bakeries.

So I managed to fit in making these fantastic cookies on Friday in between working at home (the joys of working for yourself). Then I made the chocolate cupcakes for a party last night that we didn't get to. Hoping someone will drop by to help us eat them!

Post sale

Well it was a really nice day spent with some great ladies. Luckily I wasn't responsible for bringing in the punters since only one of my friends was able to make it. That's what it is like this time of year. I told myself not to take it personally like I'm "Billy No-Mates." I managed to sell two bigger photographs. They were two of my favourites (the two on the far left).

Here's a shot of my set-up.

Getting ready for a Sale

Still haven't updated why the disappearance. Too busy! But the reason is that we were in France (again) for a couple of weeks. We went to Paris and Lyon and a side trip to Geneva for the day.

When I got back I had to finish up work at my old job and prepare for a bit of a transition. I'm planning a blitz of courses in digital media and art business. I'm allowing time for a bit of a re-group. I'm also updating my French skills.

But first I'm hoping to sell some of my photos at a show tomorrow. One day only with a bunch of creative gals. Wish me luck.

Above is a photo taken as a storm was threatening in Paris on our last day. We were staying right across from the Pantheon. I was really hoping to be snowed in and have to stay but oh well...

Starting to look like Christmas

It's been a while and I'll go into more details why in a post this week. Just getting back to normal around here and having to get into the Christmas spirit. I decorated the tree this past Friday after it sitting bare for two days, despite a cold. Afterwards I collapsed and put my feet up to get better and to just have some quiet time. The week seemed to fly by. After taking some Christmassy photos of a friend and her family today with a Christmas market nearby and some gentle snowflakes it certainly does feel like Christmas even if part of me feels like it was just December last year.