Sun Rays in the Evening

As my husband and I took a walk last evening, the sun was just beginning to set. It was such a beautiful view that I had to share.



The sun was very bright with a brilliant yellow horizon under the vivid
blue sky. Sunbeams radiated outwards. I like the trees in silhouette in
the foreground.



This view was taken with a wider angle. I didn't get the yellow horizon, as I
 wanted to capture the sunbeams radiating out into space. It was a rare sight here
 in the city. I wasn't sure they would turn out as well as they did in the photos.



I edited my photo with Pixlr Express and played around with various overlays.
 I liked this one adding a nebula to the background. It fits so well, that one could
almost believe this was the actual photograph, instead of an altered photo.

ATC Cards for Sept - Vintage School Days

The ATC groups challenge this month is Vintage School Days or Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes. I chose vintage school days. At my last guild meeting, I won the fat quarter exchange. The theme was "Back to School".  All the fabrics, but one, go together. The one that is mismatched is vintage school days! It was perfect to use for my ATC cards.

Vintage School Days fabric

I made up my 16 cards, with only a few duplicates, thanks to the material. I fused the fabric onto a 140lb mixed-media paper. I like the different school scenes with the children, mixed with writing from school books. After cutting the scenes out, I added some of the writing to be sure all cards had both a scene and writing. Then I used sepia watercolor paint to darken the edges to give them an aged look.

The various ATC cards created out of the fabric. (I had four duplicates that are not shown) The last photo shows the back of the ATC cards. We also had a sand dollar challenge. One of the members gave everyone one or two sand dollars at the August get together to decorate. Unfortunately, I did not get mine done, as I've been sick the last couple of weeks. I'm not even making the meeting tonight. My DH took my cards over for me. 

Zen Doodle: Tons of Tangles

Whoo-hoo!!! It's out! The book from F&W Media (North Light Books) that accepted 4 of my Zentangle designs for publication is out!!  (See post dated March 13, 2013).  I received an email from F&W Media today that the book is being listed for pre-orders.  The book can be pre-ordered at the North-Light website. It's on sale for 25% off right now. I'm not sure how long this sale will last.

Cover of the book.

I can't wait to receive my copy of the book!! They said it should be here by the end of September!! Whoo-hoo!!  (Am I allowed to toot my own horn??). 

Another AZ Sunset

You're going to get tired of sunset photos, but I love them. I love the contrast of oranges, yellows, and reds against the blues, purples, and mauves. Sometimes they are subtle and sometimes they are so bold and in your face.  You wonder why there aren't any sunrises? Well, I just can't get up early enough to catch those!! It's a personal flaw. I use to be an early bird when I was in my 20s and 30s, but as I've gotten older, with health issues, I've become a night owl! So sunsets, instead of sunrises, are more my speed!

Here's a couple more photos that I'd like to share that I took last night.

Sunset with bright yellows, reds, purples, mauves,
and  lavenders taken from the front of the house.

Sunset with bright yellow, reds, lavenders, purples,
and blues taken from the back of the house.