Red Rooster Days!

I made this little ad for our chamber of commerce back earlier this summer--whatcha think?
(The rooster isn't mine--it was designed for our city by a guy named Andy Grams and it will be going on the town's new water tower--he did a good job, huh?)

It is Labor Day weekend once again, but around here we know it as Red Rooster Days (and it is the reason I have been so quiet lately). We've been a-printin' banners, a-hangin' art up town in the Ergot Museum, a-updatin' info. on the local cable channel and city website (that's one of my part-time jobs), and a-workin' on puttin' together all sorts of people's frames.

Oh, and I've been a-gettin' ready for comp-ny, too because my brother from ID and his family are coming for a visit this week!

In the meantime,

. . . Lil' Hankers has been growing up.

Isn't he just the sweetest . . .

I think he likes me--okay, I know he likes me and Dan. He braves coming up onto the deck past the big, scary dogs that sometimes like to see if he is a good and tasty morsel just to meow at the door to come inside.

Speaking of big, scary dogs . . .

. . . they can be so vicious sometimes. See how they have crowded up around this guy? I bet they won't let him go until he gives them a belly rub.

Ahhhhh----

Some days just get so busy that it is nice just to sit back and look at pretty pictures.
(stole the good camera again!)
Well, back to the job, grrr (or not grrr, considering the months of Jan-June were really slow!)

A logo

Hey, I am back from my trip and have yet to scan in any photos of our trip (my dad seemed to want his digital camera on his camping trip rather than sending it along on mine--crazy, huh?)

Anyway, this is just a quick post to show a logo I did in photoshop and a brief description of how I did it. (maybe of no interest to anyone, but you never know).

© 2008 elisabeth schmieg and the midwest garden company

I made this logo by combining a couple of photographs. (The cabin in one and trees in another-erasing stuff and layers and all that)



If I remember right after I had done all that:
1. I then went in and upped the contrast
2. Went into the unsharp mask (under filter and then sharpening) and way over did it until it looked neat to me
3. Then did the poster edge filter (under artistic) moving the sliders around until it looked interesting.
4. Lastly, I did the palette knife filter (also under artistic) moving stuff around until I liked it.

I've done a bunch of fun things with these filters layered upon filters actually-

I thought this looked cool, but half the time I don't recall what exactly I did to stuff--I suppose I should write down what my favorite things are to do, but golly I have a bunch of knitting, drawing, musical stuff to do (plus the garden and my 3 part-time jobs---and the dishes (I think I'll do them last--do they make paper pots and pans that I can just through away once i am done cooking?)), so I probably won't get around to it.

Going on Vacay!!!!!

Well, tomorrow morning Dan and I are going to be headed out on a nice little vacation. (Well, not overly little--10 days!!!!!!)

Sometime mid-morning-ish (because when it comes to a vacation who really wants to be up at 4 am and on the road by 5? maybe you do, but not me!) we will drive away into the wild blue yonder. I know, I know gas prices are terrible, but if we want to go out to Glacier National Park and then on to my brother's place in Idaho it is still cheaper to drive than to take the airplane or the train. (crazy, I know it)

Anyway, before I go I thought I would post a couple of pictures of a couple fun items.

First and foremost, I have made and finished my socks from the Lorna's Laces Grumperina colorway that I won this past Spring!

I put a nice little picot edge on the top because I thought it would be pretty.

Here they are in all their glory!!!!

Next, I have now gotten the yarn to make a nice Clapotis. It is Malabrigo in the Loro Barranquero colorway (purchased from the Yarn Country)

Ain't it purty . . .

and a close-up of the gorgeous yarny goodness!

I will be working on this shawl on my trip (along with a cotton market bag, and a bunch of little Viking Hats for the nieces and nephews)

Last, but not least are some photos I took of the dogs a week or so ago playing in the yard. The battery was dying on the camera, so it wasn't wanting to auto focus very well and with the speed that these pups were going I couldn't keep up, but let me tell you even though a couple of these shot are blurry, they are well worth it for the sheer enjoyment that these pups show when they get to wrestle around!

Here they are being pretty sedate . . .

then . . .
they're off!

I think this might be some fancy wresting move that they use on the WWE (is that what it is called? It used to be the WWF back when I was little and I don't keep track of such things)

Now this last one is quite fuzzy, but it is quite a fun one anyway.

Look at the wild looks on those faces.

I think that not long after this dogs went to their separate corners--Dakota goes under the deck and Montana runs to the garage.

Have a good week all-see you again after the 12th (I'm not sure if you will be able to expect photos, though because I don't own my own digital camera and I don't know when we will get the film developed-we just developed a bunch of our film from last fall through the present a few weeks ago)