Clare Davis Etheridge

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Six Word Saturday

This morning, we joined the local parks department and REI for the annual Stream Clean Up. Breakfast snacks and coffee were provided, we got trash bags, gloves and grabbers and off we went.
In a couple of hours we had all filled about 10 trash bags with rubbish and debris. Time for lunch. Hot dogs, veggie burgers and chips – the lunch of trash gathering champions!
As we were gathering cans, plastic and household debris, we came across a couple of golf balls, a little hexagonal tile and a lovely coat button!

Have a happy weekend! What are you up to? Hopefully you have some lovely weather to enjoy.

Through The Lens Thursday 14. Self

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

I am joining Greta at GFunkified and Alison at Writing Wishing this year for a weekly photography improvement and practice challenge. We have to use our camera on the manual setting, none of this auto, doing it the easy way nonsense and each week there is a prompt/theme to follow. It is proving to be a great challenge and I am learning lots from other people’s photos and the prompts themselves.

This week brings the dreaded self portrait with the prompt ‘self’. In true selfie style I held my camera at a full arm stretch and snapped away! As it was pouring with rain, I held the camera just inside the door while I stood just outside and got a bit soggy.

I am just getting the hang of the F stop numbers the camera and which light works best with higher or lower numbers. This was taken at F4.5 and ISO200. Lots of learning and experimenting, I took 44 pictures of only half my head, some out of focus and some very weird faces. In the end I had about four to choose from which I felt worked.

How do you like having your photo taken? Do you take selfies? Sometimes they are fun and sometimes excruciatingly awful!

Fancy joining the challenge? Next week is ‘books’ which should be a good one.

March 2014 Photo a Day

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

So begins the March Photo a Day challenge round up! Yellow is one of my favourite colours, so a great start.

March saw snow and snow days off school, we had a few trips out to local State Parks and the zoo which is always a treat.

I read ‘The Hive’ by Gill Hornby and laughed all the way through it. Being a Brit living in the US, it always a joy to find such an ‘English’ book. None of the colloquial language had been edited and I loved all of it! Now what to read? I think I am going to give ‘The Goldfinch’ by Donna Tartt a go. Have you read it? Any recommendations?

The garlic is growing nicely in the raised beds and I have planted some Basil, Coriander/Cilantro and Ancho chili pepper seeds in pots, so we can’t wait to see them start to shoot up.

And of course I took a photo every day following the prompts provided by Chantelle of Fat Mum Slim. Thanks Chantelle!

1. Yellow

2. Something borrowed. Lots of library books.

3. My name is…

4. On my mind. These gorgeous beads and what to make with them.

5. Something beginning with i…

6. Chair

7. Fly. Wonder where this plane is heading?

8. In the Corner. Of the St Louis Public Library.

9. 10am. Found a tennis ball!

10. Far Away. Ha ha, this guy looks far away!

11. Something Good. Clouds, they are good.

12. Partial.

13. Fresh. Bread dough going to be a pizza.

14. Care. Taking care not to step on the little flowers peeking up.

15. Evening.

16. Beautifully Ordinary. Magnolia tree with the sun and oranges, combined with the Diana photo app.

17. Today’s Weather.

18. Five Years Ago. A visit from my little brother.

19. Cropped. Powerpuff Girl.

20. Letter.

21. Full. Flowers in full bloom.

22. Morning. Spotted our first cake to celebrate St Louis’s 250 birthday at the farmer’s market in the morning.

23. I’m Loving… this book, very good!

24. One of a kind. New tassel necklace made by me, heading into my Etsy shop.

25. Soft.

26. I am Here. Metro link station.

27. Something I Made. New adjustable necklace with wood beads and sage green leather.

28. Nostalgia.

29. Sticky. Lovely mini cupcakes.

30. Fast. Speedy seals at the St Louis Zoo.

31. Faux. My hair colour!

All done! Do you do this challenge? Or any other challenges? I do find them good, for a little jolt of creativity every day and I soon got into the habit of taking a photo daily.

I think I like 16 and 17 which were ‘made’ using the Diana app on the iPad. Of course I love Buttercup the Powerpuff girl too!

Happy Wednesday!

Weekly Photos 13/52

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

A chilly Spring break was had last week, we had a couple of trips out around St Louis and a nice time was had. We came across a couple more 250 year Birthday cakes for St Louis, which really is a baby city age! I do like all the cakes though, good idea. I wonder how many we will see? So far we have clocked about 8! There will be 250 cakes in total by the end of the year all over St Louis and the surrounding area to celebrate 250 years of St Louis.

We caught the train into the city and went to the Soldier’s Memorial and visited the City Museum. The highlight of the trip for me was the hippo atop a neighbouring building and the life-size manatee sculpture also in a neighbouring building. The manatee is suspended from a ceiling and can be seen through very dirty city windows, which is my excuse for the bad photo. I had to photo him though, he is so magnificent.

At the weekend the weather warmed up a touch and we went to the zoo to see the seals and the hippos and the prairie dogs. The hippos were sunbathing out of the water, but Mr Y snapped the cool picture of one of the fish who share the hippo’s enclosure and pool.

On the way back to the train from the zoo we stopped off at the St Louis Art Museum to take in my most favourite painting which I snapped Mr Y looking at. I always love to see the Spectrum painting too, just to breathe in all of that colour.

The silver tree is another of my favourite things and I have never really got up to it to get a good look because we are always coming or going when we pass it. I have never noticed the silver fungi growing on the trunk before. Glad I did.

I am linking up with Em at The Beetle Shack this week for the Weekly Stills collections.

I hope you had a great weekend and are looking forward to a fabulous week ahead.

Six Word Saturday

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

The grass almost needs cutting, so I thought I had better see if my lovely old lawn mower works.
Hurrah! It does, my trusty mower lives to cut another season of grass and weeds.
Six word Saturday is also over on Instagram, go see and add yours.
Happy weekend.

Through the Lens Thursday 13. Looking Down.

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

Saw this fella laying on the floor of the Aquarium in the City Museum today.

I cheated and waited until Friday, thinking I would get a great ‘Looking Down’ photo at the museum. Alas, that backfired as there were no great shots to be had at all, it was very crowded and very dark in there. That will teach me to rebel won’t it!

Next week I will be sure to post Through the Lens Thursday on Thursday. Fancy joining in? The prompt next week is ‘Self’.

Taking Stock 4.

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

Thanks again to Pip at Meet Me At Mikes for the Taking Stock list. Let’s see what I have been up to lately.

Making : New wood and leather necklaces with my brand new beads.
Cooking : Indian food starting with a Lentil Stew from Laurie David’s ‘The Family Dinner’ book which is one of my best used cookbooks
Drinking : Frothy coffee always and more water, I don’t drink enough water, do you?
Reading: ‘The Hive’ by Gill Hornby, Mollie Makes, Jamie magazine and Folk magazine. Trying to catch up on magazine reading.
Wanting: The weather to warm up just a little bit.
Looking: At my boys grow up before my eyes.
Playing: With our new ‘Nerf Howler’ frisbee in the back garden.
Deciding: Whether to go to Goodwill before or after my dentist appointment tomorrow. I hope there is treasure!
Wishing: For a lovely trip out on Friday with the boys.
Enjoying: Spring Break.
Waiting: For the plumber to come and fix the water heater.
Liking: The fabric I just bought, it is gorgeous and is desperate to be made into long long scarves.
Wondering: If I should make tassel necklaces or dreamcatcher necklaces, or both!
Loving: My crazy boys.
Pondering: What to make for dinner.
Considering: Running at the Y this evening.
Watching: ‘Frozen’ on DVD at last.
Hoping: My friend has a successful last chemo this week and beats breast cancer.
Marvelling: At all my lovely, talented friends.
Needing: To understand Photoshop and how to make pretty graphics on the computer.
Smelling: The sun slowly warm up the grass and soil.
Wearing: Jeans and sweaters, hoping for sandals and skirts weather soon.
Following: The Fresh Exchange blog, I love it.
Noticing: Daffodils are nearly in bloom.
Knowing: I can do it, if I try really really hard!
Thinking: About my new blog.
Feeling: Like I want to make lots of new things.
Admiring: People who make.
Sorting: Jewelry to recycle.
Buying: ‘The Little Old Lady who Broke all the Rules’ by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg.
Getting: Very dry skin and I keep slapping on coconut oil.
Bookmarking: An e course in Journalling I am part way through.
Disliking: Computer games and trying to get the kids off them.
Opening: Noodles for soup.
Giggling: At the chats we have when all of us are home.
Feeling: Creative.
Snacking: Trader Joe’s Cashew and caramel cookies. They are a nightmare, keep them locked in a cupboard away from me!
Coveting: Antropologie crockery.
Wishing: On a star.
Helping: Myself to cookies….
Hearing: The washing machine spinning very loudly, I fear it may take off.

Fancy a stock take? Here is a blank list –

Making :
Cooking :
Drinking :
Reading:
Wanting:
Looking:
Playing:
Deciding:
Wishing:
Enjoying:
Waiting:
Liking:
Wondering:
Loving:
Pondering:
Considering:
Watching:
Hoping:
Marvelling:
Needing:
Smelling:
Wearing:
Following:
Noticing:
Knowing:
Thinking:
Feeling:
Admiring:
Sorting:
Buying:
Getting:
Bookmarking:
Disliking:
Opening:
Giggling:
Feeling:
Snacking:
Coveting:
Wishing:
Helping:
Hearing:

Weekly Photos 12/52 and Living Arrows

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

This past week I started to fill my album of photos for 2014, I am using Project Life by Becky Higgins photo sleeves and a ring binder to keep them in. I think that this may mean that I am dipping my chilly toes into the world of scrapbooking, but I am mainly using the albums and sleeves for photos and write up about the photos, rather than stickers and stamps and quotes. Of course I can’t promise that I won’t enter the world of stickers and scrapbooking doodads (is that an actual word? I am not sure), but I am thinking I can hold off for now. I have painted a few cards to go with the photos and I am happy with the way it is turning out so far. I will get a few more pages done and I will share them with you. So far here are some of the cards I painted with brush script to go among the photos.

The bulbs are starting to peek up through the dead grass, they look like eggs with their white petals and yellow stamen!

I am loving these wooden beads and I can’t wait to make jewels with them.

At the weekend ,we went to the Farmer’s Market at Schlafly Bottleworks and spotted one of the 250 birthday cakes celebrating St Louis’s 250th birthday.

Then at the Mastodon State Historic Park, there was another one! We had a great time at the park and museum checking out the dinosaur bones and hunting for cool rocks in the creek, we found a trilobite fossil which was very cool!

This last photo is part of the Living Arrows project headed up by I Heart Snapping, perfectly catching Mr Y as he leaps of a mound of gravel!

We are off school this week, so we have a few adventures planned! Have a great week.

Six Word Saturday

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

I love the new flower buds on the trees, they are there for such a short time. A flash of a colourful bud, then flowers, and leaves. Got a Six Word Saturday? Pop it in the comments or on Instagram with #sixwordsaturday.

Have a lovely weekend!

Bead Soup Blog Party Begins

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

I have my hostess gift (for Lori at Pretty Things) and I have my wonderful bead soup from Cassi at Beads Rolling Downhill blog. Now I just need to get my party hat, a drink and join in!

I am quite happy that this is a virtual party on the interweb as I am not a party person at all, I would be the one standing at the door smiling inanely all night until I see someone I know.

Thankfully the whole point of the Bead Soup Blog Party is to create jewelry from a selection of beads (the soup) sent to you by your allotted partner. I like that we get random partners and that we are not paired with someone because of similar styles.

The beads we send our partner are supposed to be a little bit of a challenge, a little out of their comfort zone. I am sure most of us who take on the BSBP challenge are in agreement that any beads are good beads. I mean I don’t want broken beads or completely mismatched beads, but pretty much any selection is good by me. As Tim Gunn would say we just have to ‘Make it work’.

I was very happy to see my beads sent by Cassi, they have so many possibilities and I can add all sorts to them. I can’t wait to get mixing and matching and making! No problem with ‘making it work’ here.

This last photo is the soup I sent to Cassi, a mix of shell, freshwater pearls, stick pears, Botswana agate and metal charms amongst Czech glass, quartz crystal and glass pearls. I love this summery mix and I can’t wait to see what Cassi creates with it. I know it is in good hands!