Shelley Shockley's Views from Collinwood

Thank you!

The joy and elation pictured above is what I felt over the last few weeks as I read the comments left on this space. The birthday wishes, and just the fact that you guys took time out of your daily routine to stop by and see what I was up to! Thank you so much.

You know as a creative soul I started this blogging journey as a way of keeping myself in the practice of writing on a regular basis. Life kept getting in the way and I would find a reason not to post. Not enough time, nothing to write or the idea I wanted to write about was time sensitive and on and on. My next goal was to showcase my photography. Once again life got in the way and the number of posts continued to diminish.

Throughout this process what I have found is that the process is made a lot easier when you develop a sense of community – a following. When visitors stop by and greet you and comment on your latest postings there is a sense of accomplishment. With that accomplishment comes elation and a reignited sense of purpose.

So thank you all for helping me reignite my purpose and for helping me develop a new community. I hope you will continue on this journey with me and offer your views both positive and not so, but always with a sense of encouragement attached.

I hope to hear from you soon, and I look forward to sharing more highlights of this journey with you.

Enjoy!

Happy Friday ~ Five Fall Facts

Happy Friday all! Unfortunately your Friday is probably coming to a close, or you’re reading this over the weekend. Whenever you see this, I hope you enjoy and have a great weekend!

Today has been a whirlwind and at the close of the day I keep wondering ‘Did I really accomplish anything?’ Have you ever had a day or days like that? I’ve had a lot of these lately, but I guess it’s all good! No complaints. Let’s talk about a few facts to begin the weekend!

1. I will celebrate a significant birthday on Sunday!

Fifty year old button — Just where did the time go?

Yes, on Sunday I will celebrate my 50th Birthday and I’m excited! It’s a new day and I’m entering another phase of life but I don’t really feel like it’s a HUGE deal even when I know it is. There are many who have not been blessed to reach this age, so I feel blessed that I have. I don’t feel 50 and I don’t believe I look as mature as the number sounds. I also remember when I thought that was soooo OLD!

2. I’m missing my mother desperately right now. There are a number of times throughout the year that I long for my mother, but probably none other than around my birthday. I think we had a special bond because I was her first born.

Chris & Shelley — Oh what a wonderful birthday this was!

3. I’m participating in Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk tomorrow! Yippee!! This will be my second year and although the weather is supposed to be a little chilly, I’m really looking forward to it.

4. Fall is my favorite time of the year. The colors are just so beautiful, warm and comforting. It really makes me yearn for a hug from my Mom and to spend long Saturday afternoons with her knitting. Speaking of knitting, I’ve really got to get on the ball. I need new hand warmers and I have a number of gifts I need to work on.

Hand warmers — I knit these a couple of years ago for a good friend. Now I need a pair.

Autumn trees — The beautiful golden colors of autumn trees.

5. I baked my first apple pie today! Last weekend I went apple picking with one of my dearest friends MB so I thought what the ‘hey’ I’ll try a pie. The first pie didn’t look that great after it baked, but the taste was great! Pie number two looked much better. Okay, I’m not ready for you guys to see those photos. LOL, but here are some before shots.

Apple Pie filling — The filling for my first two apple pies.

So that’s it for the 5 Fact Friday! Enjoy!

Postcards & Portraits for 5 Fact Friday

So it’s Friday and time for a few facts. Today we’re going to mix in a little Liberate Your Art and Portraits into the mix. This may turn into a long post, but I’m really going to try and keep the words to a limit.

1. Today is the first day of Fall (I know it’s not supposed to be capitalized) my favorite time of the year!

The leaves are beginning to change colors – a true sign of fall.

Another true sign of fall is winter squash perfect for making soups to keep you cozy on chilly nights.

2. I’m disappointed that I missed the closing of the 2nd Annual Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap. While I received all of my cards I missed posting last weekend or the Annual Blog Hop. So, in honor of the blog hop here are my cards:

A lovely field of flowers from Jen Erbe

beautiful bold art for bold souls by tangerinepam

Deb C. liberated this piece of art urging us all to ’embrace amiguity’.

For the first attempt at abstract art I think Colleen was successful.

Mary Gordon’s gull was so serene – just love it.

This lovely bouquet comes from our host Kat Sloma

3. Today I had a portrait photography session – pretty cool to play around in a studio setting.

Natalie takes on the persona of the movie star.

Natalie poses as a librarian.

Charles was a very willing and photogenic model.

4. The interest in Help-Portrait Cleveland is growing, yippee!

5. The festival season is coming to a close, meaning I will hopefully have more free time! Yay, yay, yay!!!!

That’s it for today/night. I hope you all have a great weekend, and thank you to all who have stopped by and left messages or “liked” the posts!

Enjoy!

Seeking Cleveland photographers, other volunteers

I’m looking to launch Help-Portrait Cleveland this December and in order to make this a successful project I need help.

If you’re not familiar with Help-Portrait, please stop by their site. On the site you will find a lot of great information, but in a nutshell it’s an international photo project offering those less fortunate than maybe you and I to experience a professional photography session.

We will set up a portrait studio and take photos of individuals and families that are not accustomed to having their photos taken professionally and then present them with a print – all for FREE!

All of the details have not been ironed out just yet, but we are seeking volunteers and sponsors. The volunteers would be photographers, make up artists, graphic designers, and anyone willing to help bring a smile to the faces of Cleveland families that don’t always have a lot to smile about.

Photographers would provide their own equipment i.e., cameras, lighting, backdrops and anything else you feel you would need for portrait photography. If you have a laptop or printer you’re willing to provide that would be great too!

If you are willing to sponsor this event some of the items we need are photo paper, printers, computers and a site to set up our studio. The event is planned to concur with other events around the world on Saturday, December 8, 2012 – what a great present!

If you or someone you know might be interested in assisting with this project, please visit our page and leave a message, or respond to this post.

Let’s work together to bring some cheer to local families this holiday season! The more the merrier and all ideas and suggestions are welcome.

Enjoy!

5 Fact Friday for Saturday ~ long story

Happy Saturday! I hope you’re all having a wonderful day. It is a beautiful day here in Cleveland. The weather is perfect for late summer/early fall and it’s a busy time in our town. Now on to business.

I wrote this post on Friday and was oh so excited because I just knew I would have my first official post created on my IPad – NOT! It was such a disaster, but I’ll tell you more about that in a few. First let’s talk about the Facts! As you read these, remember they were written on the IPad first!

1. I am publishing this post using my IPad, yippee!

A shot of this post on the IPad…well that is the original post.

2. I am (originally) posting from Houston

This was the view I was greeted with as I entered my hotel room in Clear Lake, TX – Beautiful isn’t it.

4. I’m no longer a hater of all things Space thanks to Space Center Houston and a couple of cool Astronauts – Michael Fossum and Ron Garan.

Astronaut Ron Garan presents during the Ragan Communication Conference “Social Media for Government Communicators” at Space Center Houston.

5. I’m really loving my Kelly Moore Bag, what a lifesaver it was for this trip.

My wonderful new Kelly Moore Camera Bag, which holds so much more. What a lifesaver…I love it.

So back to the challenges with bringing you this post. I have downloaded the WordPress App and found that it is not very user friendly. As I wrote the post I was unable to add the photos and place them exactly where I wanted them. Then there was the problem with adding the header. Each time I added it, I was then unable to add text, oh and before that I couldn’t access the header and even attempting to download it again to my IPad didn’t work.

I vowed I wouldn’t let the device win, but I am sad to say I was defeated for now. I really want to make sure I’m posting regularly and I was so excited about posting from the IPad but when it didn’t work I needed to share the challenges.

If any of you have experienced similar issues and have suggestions, I’d love to hear them.

Enjoy!