On hearts and other matters

I had a friend over for coffee today and got spoiled with some hearts! JIPPEEEEEEEEE!!

I've started making a few of them as well, over Christmas time in 2012, thinking how nice a Christmas tree would look with just hearts, but lost a bit of inters in it, or rather felt how my enthusiasm slipped down my legs, to my feet and then out of my shoes, when I've realized HOW MUCH hearts I would need to fill up my Christmas tree!

I was also stupid enough to make the hears VERY VERY small!! Which means a LOT AND LOT of extra work to get enough to make the tree look like something! 

Well, after receiving this wonderful gift I'm going to work hard on completing enough hearts so my Christmas tree of 2013 will be filled with lots and lots of hearts! 

May your heart overflow with love and generosity!

Imcke's Helpful Hints from a shoe-holick.

Shoes, however small, makes up part of your wedding day preparations. It's something (most of us) put on everyday to compliment our outfits, or in some cases it's use just to cover up our cracked heels!

Here are some helpful hints, tips, FYI's, call it what ever you want, for the perfect fitted shoe for your wedding or for that everyday comfort that a lot of us are looking for.

• Buy shoes that are comfortable and that you can walk in!! I decided that I'm going to wear flat shoes on my wedding day.A pair of pumps can be just as flattering to the dress than a pair of stilettos.  
• Break in your shoes!! Guys, this applies to you as well.  I always joked and said that my husband was the one who had blisters on his feet at the end of your wedding. Guys, you need to walk in those shoes for at least two day prior to the wedding to get all those kines worked out! Breaking in shoes is not just for the ladies!!

• When buying your shoes remember the following!! Try them on in the shop and WALK around the store for a few minutes. My mother use to tell us to do this when we were little, and I still do it to this day! When you do this you will quickly find out if they'll hurt your feet!
• Get creative with your shoes!! Shoes can make or break an outfit, but they can just as easily bring a fun aspect to your wedding dress / daily clothes. A pair of shocking pink stilettos of even a pair of funky rain-boots might do the trick... if that is too bold for you, try a pair of funky stockings!!
• Get more than one pair of shoes!!  this is for all the shoe lovers out there!! If you really can't decide which shoes to wear with your dress, do what my cousin did, have 4 pairs and rotate them during your wedding day. Wear the heals to the wedding ceremony and flats to the couple shoot. 

• For open toe shoes!! Painted toe nails always completes the look and compliments an open toe shoe. I'd recommend a bright or dark colour since it will show up nicely on photos!
• For those of you (like me) struggling with cracked heals!! Buy those dead skin remover booties at clicks, they work wonders!! Just don't use them 6 weeks prior to your wedding or event!! For those 6 weeks, wear closed heal shoes and put cream on your feet every morning and evening! ... or use your little finger to wrap your husband or boyfriend around it, and get them to give you a foot massage on a regular basis! 
• HAVE FUN with your shoes!!!!!!!!!  Surprise everyone by wearing funky shoes / boots/ stockings with your wedding dress. It will also make for great photographs!

In short, just be daring, full of fun and ENJOY THOSE SHOES! LET THEM DO ALL THE WALKING AND LET YOUR FEET BE COMFY :-)

Medusa

Photo Club Theme: Avant Garde.... Idea 1... well, you guys will have to wait for that one, still going to do it BUT the people that I want to use for this one was a bit busy, so we'll do it later this year....

Idea 2: What about Medusa? 

Problem 1: I don't really do the snake thing very well.... but hence, Medusa it will be.
Problem 2: I need a model
Problem 3: Will I have enough time and will they like it at the photo club?

Got rubber snakes, raided my mom's PC to get a photo of a real snake for the skin and got on the phone to ask a favor of one of her friends. 

I'll have to wait and see if the judges will like the photo, but at least I got it done in time!

It took about 2 hours to get the make-up and hair done, the snakes didn't want to cooperate with us, in the end paper clips did the trick to keep them in place.

We've spend about 2 hours in the studio (TIME SAVER TIP! Use your mother the day before a shoot like this to try out various lighting techniques and mark the spots!) and I've spend a total of 8 hours on the one photograph. 

I've firs did the basic color and contrast adjustments and some airbrushing. I then started to add the snake skin to the image.

Here I've started to distort the flair into a "sun". I've also added more snake skin, merging it into Debbie's hair and neck area.

Starting to add more snakes to the image, in the next steps I've merged the snake skin over her arm and onto the snake-fingers.

A bit more of a close-up image.