First of all, I use the Manual setting, “M,” on my Canon XTI Rebel camera.

Next, I place the floral arrangement outside where there is a bright light source behind the vase; not direct lighting but bright lighting. This creates an effect that washes out most of the background, only leaving muted images off to the side that I can decide whether to crop out or leave in for added interest. For example, the garden pots on the left side of the above photo.

When photographing the flowers, I play around with different shots. For example, this next photo cuts off most of the vase but provides an close up of the flowers.

You can also alter your camera’s position from horizontal to vertical, which includes the vase and an up close of the flowers.

The manual setting will shoot in raw format, which will allow you to make adjustments to the image when you open it in Photoshop.

I reduced the clarity of these images to create the soft, romantic effect.

I also love to take photos of flowers when the sun is streaming in from behind. This will wash out the images saturation but provide an interesting lighting effect.

If you want the flowers to become more pronounced, you can increase the saturation and adjust the hue with Photoshop. The actual color of these lilacs is a pale lavender, but the added saturation makes the flowers pop. Also try increasing the “blacks” setting for added depth.

I increased the vibrancy of this blue iris to create a deeper blue center. Then I reduced the clarity to give the image a blurred effect. Cropping decisions are also part of the artistry. I decided to leave the yellow flowers in the left background of the image because they were yellow, a complementary color to blue.

Try placing your flowers into interesting objects, such as this silver teapot. My sister-in-law, Belinda Scheurich, co-owner of Buds in a Vase, created this arrangement.

Here’s a close up of the arrangement.

So if you are looking for a relaxing and creative hobby, try growing, photographing, and altering images of flowers. I guarantee these activities will clear your head of worries while providing unique, creative expressions.

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and a mother via marriage…

I am a mother most blessed, to have so many wonderful children, both naturally…

and through precious relationships…

So today I celebrate the women and children in my life who continue to pour blessings upon me; these are the precious people who make my life worth living. May I never forget to make them the priority!

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I created this first mixed media, “Forever,” for my son and his fiance using a background of acrylic paints, lace, vintage-style tissue paper, and Golden Gel Medium.

You can use Photoshop to make the photo look aged; however, there are many free photo applications that you can use to create this vintage look.

Other embellishments, like the heart, were added using Golden Gel Heavy.

I used plaster cloth to create the smaller heart.

This mixed media piece includes pressed leaves and flowers from my garden.

You can also cover part of the photo with vintage-style tissue paper to create an aged effect.

For other posts featuring creative ideas and diy projects, select the following image link:

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We freedom walkers cheer for American idol contestants while our guitars sleep in coffin-like cases, tucked away in closets.

We sing to modest audiences, shampoo bottles perched on soapy ledges that hug shower walls.

We work hard and long, and steal artistic time like famished thieves snatching loaves of fresh-baked bread.

Although we long for powerful promises fulfilled to lift us above the average, few will ever know our names or celebrate our crafts or adorn our graves with flowers.

Yet, we help other little feet find their way.

The allure of seeking success in and of itself is our Achilles heel, the intoxicating potion that unravels reasoning, the kiss of death to pure desires.

So we work at the fine art of sipping slowly from notoriety’s cup to keep our minds from swelling and our feet from stumbling.

For God measures freedom walkers’ impact on a heavenly scale, which reads the motives of the heart, acts of obedience to His will, and the ability to cherish what He cherishes…helping a child learn to read, listening to an elderly person’s story, creating a piece of art that inspires someone sitting in the darkness of desperation.

And in thousands of little ways, we touch the lives of others, as we stumble along life’s path.

Yes, we are freedom walkers, those who walk with both feet on the ground. Those who embrace the Birds of Paradise along our paths.

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Recently, I wrestled with acceptance of a situation that was causing me consternation; I was challenged to trust God during a directional change I was not prepared to take. I wanted to scream, “Wait, Lord, I’m not ready to move on.”

Then an unexpected comment appeared on my blog:

“Hi, I found your website by looking for a picture of a tree by a river. The picture you took of a willow tree by the river is what came up.

Would you be willing to allow us to print a 17 X 22 copy of that photo for use in our church for one year?

I would like to include a Bible verse – Jeremiah 17:7-8 – with it and hang it in the church. One of our themes for this year is trusting the Lord and this is exactly the picture that Jeremiah gives of a person who places his trust in God…”

(The Tree of Life and the Hidden Element)

When I read this request and then looked up the scripture, Jeremiah 17:7-8, I knew a spiritual message had come my way:

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
And whose trust is the Lord.
“For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.

As I read the scriptures, an awareness overwhelmed me. The promise of fruitfulness only had one condition: “whose trust is the Lord.” I realized, in that moment, that no human being can create fruitfulness in me; the source is spiritual in nature, so not dependent upon circumstances or people.

And then the rush of serenity followed: I don’t have to be afraid of changes outside of my control. I just have to trust in His trustworthy character.

Yes, often we are not privy to the ways and plans of God. We can get so attached to the last direction we pursued that the sharp right turn throws us off-kilter.

Yet, it is when we trust in God’s ability to produce fruitfulness in and through us that we truly blossom.

*I have since discovered that the person requesting use of the tree is a missionary in Japan involved in church planting, so the scripture on the image will be in Japanese. God does work in mysterious ways .

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Masterful artisan and floral designer, Belinda Scheurich, co-owner of Buds in a Vase (and my delightful sister-in-law) demonstrates how to make an elegant floral that will brighten up your kitchen and serve as a focal point for any event.

Step 1: Slice oranges and put them into a tall vase. Next, put floral foam into a square container that fits snuggly into the top of the vase. Belinda snipped filler from my red tip bush to start her arrangement.

Step 2: Add snapdragons, coral roses, and baby hydrangeas.

Step 3: Keep adding flowers while designing a shape that appeals to your sense of artistry.

Continue to fill in any empty spots with a selection of snapdragons, coral roses, ranunculus, and baby hydrangeas.

Tweak your design as desired.

Add more orange slices as they float up to the top and leave a space underneath.

Lastly, sit back and enjoy your creation.

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“Where’s my avatar?” Have you ever wanted to explore exotic lands? My daughter and her boyfriend’s journey through China has taken them to some pretty amazing places, like the mountains where the movie “Avatar” was filmed in Zhangjiajie, China.

Elya and Chad longed for an adventure so they set out for a month-long trek through China before teaching English in Thailand for a year.

Sounds romantic, huh? Well, when you hear the back story, you’ll be tantalized on one hand and horrified on the other. She got lost in the mountains and had a random man drive her back to her hotel. Doesn’t that just give you the warm fuzzies?

Here’s Chad and Elya on their adventure into the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

“Happy before the food poisoning incident…the mushrooms had gone bad.”

Elya’s Instagram comment warmed my heart. NOT! I heard all about her brush with death while in these mountains. Apparently, she ate at a small road stand and the mushrooms were bad. She vomited for 12 hours straight and barely made it back down. What’s a mother to do with that news?

You’re probably wondering “Why China?” Well, according to Elya, “China has the most exotic places.” Having already traveled extensively in Europe and Asia, Elya set out on a quest to “one up” her previous adventures. Here she is eating locusts. I thought I raised her better than this.

Who would imagine she’d feast on these foods?

But feast she does, on China’s interesting edibles and on the adventurous side of life. From captivating cities so full of life, such as Guilin…

to the breathtakingly beautiful Longji terraced fields…

Yes, Elya and her boyfriend, Chad, have thrown all caution to the wind and embarked on the trip of a lifetime. They meandered down a river in Xing Ping, China…

Found a Spot on the back of the 20 Cny bill (whatever that means).

and I’m sure pondered life atop the Great Wall of China.

So as I prepare for my other daughter, Andrea, to join them in Thailand in a few days, I ponder what it means to practice letting go of those you love so they can discover what they love. I also might come across as a real coach critic; however, I wrote in Andrea’s card, “Have an exotic adventure so I can live vicariously through you.” If truth be told, I have seen the world through the eyes of my children as they’ve documented the extraordinary.

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Recently, my daughter, Andy, decorated some masks for her dance group.

She used acrylic paints, glitter glue, ribbon, and feathers. Here is a photo of Andy applying glitter glue.

I enjoyed watching each mask emerge with its own unique look.

Here is a side view of the mask and feathers.

Some of the masks were already painted by my other daughter, Elya, and just slightly altered.

The vibrant colors of this mask flow into spindly feathers.

This mask is decorated with gold glitter glue and gold leafing.

Andy used maroon ribbon to create a theatrical effect.

Yes, decorating masquerade masks is a fun activity, which can provide hours of entertainment. Here is a photo of the finished masks Andy gave to the members of the dance group she performs with. She later told me that they were ecstatic to receive such treasures.

If you are a multi-faceted creative person in need of inspiration and tips for developing a creative life, check out my book: Refrain from the Identical: Insight and Inspiration for Creative Eclectics.

Check out these posts for fun diy mask making ideas:

How to Make a Masquerade Mask Part I 

How to Make a Masquerade Mask Part II

How to Make a Plaster Cloth Masquerade Mask

How to Make a Vintage Mask

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This teen writer decided to craft a book about teen romance because “She just wanted to read something that didn’t involve vampires, werewolves, or fallen angels,” contributing writer, Nina Mandel, explains in her article for Today News: “Teenager lands 3-book deal with record-breaking romance.”  As the Kissing Booth” storms the e-book market, another writer’s dreams come true.

I often imagine my words blowing over the wall of my writer’s life. When they do, the results are far from Beth’s success, but I still feel the warm fuzzies that happens when someone thanks me for something I’ve written. I don’t quite know how to describe this feeling you get when your words encourage and inspire someone, but anyone who has experienced this knows what I’m talking about.

The challenge for the rest of us “Word Gardeners,” whose seeds blow over the wall in modest amounts, is to continue tilling regardless of how many readers we have. We write first and foremost for ourselves—to get the streams of dialogue and diatribes out of our brains and onto paper or into word docs and blog posts.

We write because to not do so would surely result in our brains imploding, and the mess would be far grislier than any zombie attack.

We write because we are madly in love with words, and we relish the results we see in others when our words land in fertile soil and burrow deeply into hearts and sprout new ideas that eventually blossom.

We write because God has crafted our genetic code with the desire to capture the human essence into explanations and poetry and dialogue and any number of other written expressions.

We write because we feel closer to ourselves and to our Creator when we plunge the spade of the wordsmith deep into the soil of possibilities.

So if you need a fresh breath of encouragement, read about Beth’s success. I know doing so has empowered me to pick up my word gardening tools with more vim, vigor, and vitality than I have in a while.

Today I give a shout out to Beth Reekle and to all of the writers out there that are tending to their word gardens. May your words blow over the wall of your personal life and into the gardens of others, and may you enjoy the rush when they do.

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Call it modern living or just a disorganized creative eclectic, but this is my reality—one that discourages pensive pondering and a worshipful presence.

But then I remember what day this is, and because it is Easter morning, hope flutters in my heart like a tiny sparrow testing new wings.

Whether I sing out this hope in the midst of a worshipful throng or whisper “Thank for giving your life for me,” while alone, hope blossoms anew.

Today I will smile when little children rush for hidden eggs. I will hug my loved ones tightly and enjoy the feasting and fun interwoven through the day. But most of all, I will remember the sacrifice Jesus made so that I might have eternal life, whether or not I feel on top of my “To Do List.”

Yes, because it is Easter morning, a smile will creep over my face and these words will echo through my mind and spirit, He has risen.

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