{Day 7} ~ Quiet Beauty

Prompt for Day 7 for Picture Winter: "Quiet Beauty"

This shot was taken earlier this week, when I finally managed to get some frosty shots. I had wanted to do that for ages but there weren't many frosty mornings and when there was one, I didn't have my camera with me.

I absolutely love winter, the soft pastel colours of winter, the world all covered in snow. The withered flora looks so interesting and beautiful if you care to look more closely and when it's covered in frost, well, that's just magical.

I used several layers to bring out the purple/lilac shades of the light that morning and to give it that "frozen" feeling. My own title for this was "Frozen in Time", but I think that the prompt "Quiet Beauty" fits equally well.

My, I couldn't live in a country with no winter! :-)

{Day 5} ~ Intended For Everyday Use

Prompt for Day 5 for Picture Winter: Intended for Everyday Use

Last year on New Year's Day, I started a 5-year-diary. Five short lines a day to plot down whatever I consider note-worthy. I always use my favourite (and only) Caran D'Ache goldplated ballpoint pen which I got as a present from my Mum almost 15 years ago and which I love and treasure (and another thing I use almost daily). I try to turn the journaling into a daily routine but don't always manage.

At the time I started this, I was teaching myself to read and write the "Offenbach" script, an old German script which looks like this, and for some reason which I can't really quite recall, I started writing my entries in this script (though in English rather than German). I wonder if in 20 years time I'll be able to read it at all. Probably not...

Textures by les brumes and Pareeerica

{Day 4} ~ A Little Sunshine

Today's prompt for PictureWinter: A Little Sunshine

I found the prompt for Day 4 really hard. We were supposed to look for something that reminded us of the sun, like happy polka dots, something to "substitute for sunshine when you really need it". And that's the problem: I'm not really a sun person and I'm not looking for sun. I'm very happy about the misty, grey days & hope they're here to stay for a while. 'Winter Blues' doesn't exist in my vocabulary, but I know all about 'Summer Blues' - weeks and weeks of long, hot, sunny days. So depressing. The only "sunny" thing I could think of in my home were these cards from my colour memory set. I wasn't happy with the photo so I played around with some texture, brushes and fancy fonts. I must say, I really quite enjoyed that part :-).

So here's a bit of sunshine from me to everyone who is feeling the Winter Blues and in need of a bit of sunshine :-)

Texture by Shadowhouse Creations

{Day 3} ~ All The Possibilities

Prompt for Day 3 for Picture Winter: All The Possibilities

My books are always close at hand and they are an endless well of possibilities. I couldn't live without them. Unfortunately, those gorgeous old volumes in the pictures don't belong to me, though, but to the library where I work.

Textures by Shadowhouse Creations (love that glass plate effect!)

New Year, (yet another) New Project ~ 1*52 of 2011

I admire people who are doing a 365 project - 365 pictures, one picture each day. I know I couldn't do it. Picture the Holidays last month kept me busy and sleepless (spending far too long nights at the computer) and I didn't manage to take a picture for each day and prompt but had to resort to a picture from the archive in a few cases. PictureWinter will mean an equally busy January and I enjoy the daily e-mails and inspiration but I also know that at the end of the month, I'll be glad to get some breathing space.

On the other hand, I like the idea of a year long project, to get the challenge and opportunity to grow and develop. So I decided to join a 52 project - 52 pictures, one picture a week. I joined the Flickr group 52 of Twenty Eleven, which is a themed group, making it even more of a challenge.

The first week's theme is I wish...

I've given up wishing and hoping for too much for the moment. I just wish that the new year will be a better one than the last. And I wish for lots of inspiration to work and improve my photography and post processing skills. But I have no doubts that that wish will come true every day :-)

Texture by: rubyblossom
Butterflies: Lileya
Thank you! ♥

{Day 1} ~ Looking Out / A Breath of Fresh Air

Prompt for Picture Winter, Day 2: Looking Out / A Breath of Fresh Air

It was perfect weather for a walk in the snowy winter wonderland on Boxing Day and I walked for ages, long after the others had gone back home to coffee and cake, taking pictures. I so enjoyed walking in this area, close to where my cousin lives, on the this little dam along the river, the flat landscape, the huge sky, how far you can see. You don't really get such views anywhere in Switzerland. The place is close to the French border and if I had followed that path, I would have reached Strasbourg, which is only a few kilometers away :-). The sky was turning from bright blue sunny sky to a wonderful mid-afternoon sunset with long shadows, when I was walking back. No idea how long I had been out, but there was still enough cake left when I finally returned :-)

I absolutely love adding grungy frames to basically every image at the moment and I really had to restrain myself not to do it here well. But I think the beautiful landscape there doesn't really need anything :-).

{Day 1} ~ A Day for Rest

After having finished Picture the Holidays yesterday, the new year starts with a new challenge: Picture Winter.

Prompt for Day 1 was: A Day for Rest. I spent most of the day at the computer, learning the basics of how to use PSE and no it's time for a mug of hot white chocolate and putting up the feet :-)

Textures by Kim Klassen