New Journals!

I had so much fun making these flower design journals! You can buy them at my store: Spencer Photos in a section designated just for journals!

This particular one is my favorite. It has bright orange zinnias that are so warm and welcoming. It has a very fun font that says Journal and two beautiful butterflies: a monarch and a variegated fritillary butterfly.

There is a journal that has all pink flowers: a rose, zinnia and another beautiful pink flower.

I digitally altered three black and white flowers (2 daffodils and a wild rose) to add color. My primary colors journal are of course colored red, yellow and blue. Purple Flowers Journal of course has been colored, you guessed it, purple.

These are so much fun to make because I took parts of some of my favorite photographs and combined them together for a beautiful journal cover. These journals are a perfect place to jot down poems, keep a diary or write out to do lists.

Scribble important stuff - lyrics, recipes, addresses, and more. The journals are Wire-O bound with 160 pages to journal away in. The pages are unlined and measures 5" x 8", a handy on-the-go size to fit in your backpack. Go creative and let the muse flow.

Coming soon - journals with more pages and lined!

Photography Posters

I've recently added a new section to my store: Spencer Photos.

Photography Posters will have a selection of some of my favorite photographic prints. Lovely Rose and Curious Meerkat are the two posters currently displayed in this section.

Lovely Rose is one of my favorite floral prints. (If you hadn't noticed, I really enjoy the floral prints). I've edited this image in photoshop. I darkened the background and enhanced the rose so it would have a very bold, artistic feel to it. I've added a black border around the image and then at the bottom added the title and the by line.

The other image in this section is Curious Meerkat. This friendly animal was a joy to photograph. The meerkat stood right up on the rock. I think it was trying to get a better look at us. Every time I see a meerkat, I am reminded of "The Lion King" with Timon the meerkat.

Enjoy!

Abstract Yellow Rose

Here is an awesome yellow rose abstract that can be found in my store: Spencer Photos. I've named it Abstract Yellow Rose. It is very similar to my other Abstract Yellow Rose but this one doesn't have the geometric layer. I love the warm yellow and red that makes up this design.

I think this design looks interesting on a tote bag. I use tote bags all the time as they are an Earth friendly solution to plastic bags.

I use tote bags for our trips to the library, trips to daycare and trips to the grocery store. One of the grocery stores by my work no longer packs groceries in plastic bags. If you want a bag to pack your groceries, you must buy them. Wouldn't it be better to purchase a fun canvas tote bag like this to carry your groceries home in?

More designs coming soon!

Orange Rose - Chalk

I just finished adding a new design to my store: Spencer Photos. This is a fun artisic version of one of my favorite floral photographs. I've named it Orange Rose - Chalk.

A little bit about how I made this design. I took the orange rose photograph, cropped it into a circle. I then added a chalk filter and added the word rose in an orange color.

This floral image is available on shirts, mugs, bags, children's clothes and more!

I had fun making this design and I hope you enjoy it.

I'm interested in knowing what you think of this design. If you love it or hate it, leave a comment.

Abstract Yellow Rose

I just finished adding a new design to my store: Spencer Photos that I absolutely love. It's called Abstract Yellow Rose. What I like about it is the bold yellow and red colors, the orderly geometric pattern combined with the messy but still patterned swirl of the brush strokes. This fun design was made using filters, masks and slight alterations. I started with one of our photographs of a beautiful yellow rose.

Yellow flowers seem to be very popular right now. I love yellow flowers because they remind me of the sun and of summertime. Winter can be a hard time for people because the sun hides away as do the flowers. I use this time of year to go through our floral prints and alter them for new and unusal designs.

It's shown here on a pillow that is available for purchase. This design is also available on t-shirts, mugs, a teddy bear, bags and more.

I'm interested in knowing what you think of this design. Comment on whether you think it's bold or blah.

More designs coming soon!

Helping the homeless

I've added 24 beautiful stars with a stained glass feel to them. Don't Fear the Darkness came to be because I was inspired by a very motivational quote.

"To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don't worry about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest” ~Unknown

As a case manager for a homeless shelter I see people go through so much. Being homeless is hard, especially if you're homeless with your children. The parents are under so much stress as are their children.

I've also seen people gather enormous amounts of strength while times are their darkest. When I found this quote I really felt it was the perfect one to describe the parents that I work with.

These beautiful star designs are a reminder that even in our darkest of times there is strength, hope and beauty. Profits will be used for an emergency fund to help families who are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless.

Here are some information for you that I learned from The National Alliance to End Homelessness. Most Americans underestimate how the problem of homelessness affects families. About 600,000 families and 1.35 million children experience homelessness in the United States. Family homelessness is more widespread than many think, but it is not an unsolvable problem. Across the country, hundreds of communities are planning to end homelessness, and a handful of communities and many local programs are making progress in ending family homelessness. I also learned that over 5 million low-income families pay half of their income for housing or live in severely substandard conditions.

The fact of the matter is many of our families cannot afford housing. Lack of education, lack of job skills and lack of daycare bring about this problem. Many of them are single moms struggling to just make ends meet while living in unsafe communities.

Moving into housing takes money. Money for first month's rent and security deposit, utility bills, moving expenses, furniture and household items. That is just a small sample of what is needed. I will use the money earned from Dark Fear the Darkness to help homeless families secure housing.