A Weekend in Snapshots

I'll be around to check out blogs today because I'm back - and a little revitalized after checking out the Spruce Meadows Masters this weekend and then enjoying a couple days in Banff at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel for a work meeting. Here's a few of my weekend faves...

Eric Lamaze & Hickstead

Beezie Madden & Judgement
for Judgement's Retirement Festivities (he rec'd a HUGE bucket of carrots!)

Oh the fun that was had!! (If you don't count the second night in our hotel, which was spent above a rockin' wedding celebration until 1am...)

I also have a little comparison - two lights vs. four with the light box...

Two

Four

There's a few less shadows with four lights and I find it easier for editing if I have the four lights going (less shadows means less color correction extremes).

Horsin' Around

Today, I share an older card I created with you (I'll blame the fact that I did it a long while ago for the BAD photography - HAHA)


Stamps: In Bloom
Paper: Old Olive, Ruby Red, WW
Ink: Old Olive, Ruby Red
Accessories: Nesties, CM Circle Punches

Why was I too busy? Because I was doing this:

And another of Trapper & I (exuse the bad form!):

Alright, well these are just a couple of the 'stadium jumping' pics from the final day of our three day event clinic that one of the girls took for me. She used my camera for them and wasn't familiar with it at all, but I thought she did great considering the subject matter =) She got a cool shot of us doing a jump on the cross country course that was part of the area she was monitoring, so I'm hoping to get that one soon.

I had the BEST time! So much fun and everyone was so supportive. I hope I get invited back next year!

In the meantime, here's a favorite of one of the bravest (and most photogenic) young fellas I know...Twizzler!

Have a great day!

Tuesday Morning Cherries - on Monday!

I'm almost a week behind with posting this challenge, but tomorrow's Tuesday Morning Sketch is one I'm looking forward to. I stumbled upon their site a few weeks back and finally had a chance to play on Friday.





Stamps: Tart & Tangy, Sentiment from Pink Cat Studio
Paper: Summer Picnic DSP, Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Read Red
Ink: Old Olive, Read Red
Accessories: Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds, CM Wavy Cutter, Birthday Cuttlebug Folder

Since my niece is in love with cherry images, I thought she'd like this - it's sparkley, has texture AND cherries! (She's three, afterall) My only problem - it might be too heavy for her. HAHA! Well, it's not THAT bad, but it is quite heavy with all the layers.

Survived Day 2 of my cross country clinic, as well! Yesterday, we completed little bits of a jumper course, then put it all together at the end of the morning. In the afternoon, it was assembly of the entire cross country course and completion of it, jump by jump. LONG day but oh so fun! Thankfully, only two spills and neither of them was me! I did, however, manage to pull up some stinging nettle (at least that's what we thought it must've been) and give myself a sore finger. I guess it will match the rest of my body by the time today's over. Then Pilates tomorrow and another riding lesson on Wednesday. On Thursday - can you say REST DAY!?!

Bloomin' Mojo

Today's card was for Mojo Monday Week 97. I was pretty pumped to play when I had time on Friday =) Julee never fails to come up with great sketches that challenge and inspire.




Stamps: Bloomin’ Beautiful
Paper: Lavender Lace, More Mustard, Perfect Plum, Ski Slope DSP
Ink: Versamark Black, Perfect Plum
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Nestabilities, Silver Rhinestone Stickers, Basic Grey Wisteria Buttons, Dimensionals, Pearl Glimmer Mist
Techniques: Gamsol Magic

I love these flowers and they're so much fun to color, then spritz with Glimmer Mist to give some added sparkle. Looks like I stamped on shimmer paper, but I'm a hoarder with that stuff =)

As you can tell, I survived my first day of cross country clinic. It was the easy day to make sure everyone was comfortable riding together, so dressage in the morning (or rather, flatwork since we were in an open field without the benefit of dressage letters) and then we jumped a grid in the afternoon, which looks like this photo (from this website).



Today, we're doing a jumper course in the morning and this afternoon, starting over individual cross country jumps. Thank goodness for option jumps! I'm the 'oldie' of the group and have been taking lessons with my instructor for the least amount of time....but I'm having a blast!

Funtastic

Wow – last night was a late one! My riding lesson was extra busy (our usual class is about four of us, plus one on occasion). I thought the class max was 6…apparently it’s okay for the Barn Manager to dump in 4 additional “make up lesson” people for a crowded 10 horses & riders in the smaller indoor arena. Had it been the outdoor, it might have been a little windy, but at least we wouldn’t have had some near death crashes. Well, that might be a slight exaggeration. But we did transition to walks to change directions.

My assigned horse, Trapper, was especially ornery, having been ridden earlier and thought he had his workout for the day. I can’t really blame him….I can get cranky with too much exercise, too. His robust form, however, has leaned up and you can actually see muscles, unlike the first time I rode him in April when he looked like he was about to birth a set of Pillsbury dough-horse twins.

I did manage to keep my knee this week, which is always nice. When he’s tired and grumpy, he usually tries to rub me off against the wall. Maybe it’s the threat of his nose being ground off like a lemon on a zester, but he didn’t try to take me out at all! Maybe because of his earlier workout, he wasn’t the freight train that he sometimes can be when he hears the hoofbeats of another horse coming up behind. I call it off the track Thoroughbred mentality…maybe it’s just my wishing to be a jockey. HAHA At any rate, when we walked, we did our best Quarter Horse impression.

By the end of the lesson, we’d jumped our course twice and did it with more flare than usual (yay me!), managing to somewhat look like we belonged in the class instead of one for morons who haven’t ridden for ten plus years. To the other riders from last night, I apologize for making you look like amateurs. Clearly, Trapper and I are on our way to super stardom in the Professional Rubbish Spewer Master classes. =)