Friday, March 16, 2012

Winter Photography

A question on an Etsy Team got me thinking. What would I do if I had a week off and could do a road trip. Well my answer was a trip along Lake Michigan would be my choice. So off DH and I went. We only had 2 things going out that we wanted to do; photograph a picture barn I was told about and stop at the Chocolate Garden.

On our first day we accomplished both.



For winter shooting I take besides a winter coat, a vest, wristies, gloves, ear covers, a hat, and fleece socks, besides the usual camera gear. We haven't had much snow, at least not where I live, and it has also been warm so we didn't know what to expect.

We started in Michigan City, Indiana. The vest was the first to go, it was in the sixties. Nice and warm, but the wind was vicious. I walked out to the the old lighthouse along the beach, had to look for a place I could get up the sand dune to access the pier. Even though there were fishermen on the pier, I stayed back where it was safe. There are all kinds of warnings about going out during high winds that create waves that can knock you into the icy water.




To save time I decided to walk back along the boardwalk. Big mistake. The sand was reclaiming the walkway. I had to place my camera under my jacket, turn away from the wind and hope for the best. I was being sandblasted. It took me a long time to get all the sand out of my hair.

From there we headed north to St. Joesph.

To Be Continued...........


Cathy 3 / 12 / 2012

Sunday, February 19, 2012

5 Years Coming Up!

I find it hard to believe that on April 15, 2012, I will have been on Etsy for four years and will be starting my fifth year! I joined in March but didn't listing anything until April 2008.





Where does the time go?

It has been quite a ride! I love Etsy!

2011 was banner year for Celtic Cat!

Etsy has given  me the chance to sell off season, which for Celtic Cat Photos and Thistle And Shamrock Publishing is Dec. 10th to the springtime. 2012 will be the first year we won't be doing outdoor summer shows. We are selling our tent, I will miss my summer vendor-friends, but I won't miss putting up that heavy KD tent, sitting in heat, the long summer hours and early mornings.


Cathy Feb. 18, 2012

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Winter In Michigan

Usually In Michigan we have temps well below freezing and in the single digits at night. Not this year.



In fact my Day Lily under a pine tree came back in December because the weather turned warm. The poor plant has been struggling, until it finally got too cold and it died. One day it is cold here, then it gets warm for a day or two, then cold again.




Not that I am complaining. I haven't had to shovel snow this season.

Cathy 2 / 1 / 2012

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my friends out there, in cyber-space, at Etsy and GCU. 

In 2012 may all your wishes come true!















Cathy  12 / 20 / 11

Monday, December 5, 2011

Greeting Card Maker of the Month: Jennifer of Scrap About Love







I'm Jennifer. By day, I work in TV and IT, by night I'm a wife to a wonderful husband, Josh, and 'mom' to adorable pups, Fry & Leela(Named for the Futurama characters). When I'm not at work or spending time with my family, I have a small time photography business doing portraits and sports photography, as well as my photography oriented Etsy shop: By Jennifer Leigh. My biggest hobby has come to be scrapbooking and card making, which is where my shop, www.ScrapAboutLove.etsy.com comes in.


I have found a huge creative outlet with ScrapAboutLove. I get to play with paper, markers, stamps, ink and glue ~ it's like being back in Art class in grade school (except with a more sophisticated result, lol). When I'm not scrapbooking adventures taken with my family, I'm usually trying to keep up with birthdays and holidays and the like, and on occasion, I find a new idea popping into my head, and that is what ends up in my shop.



The reason I have found that I have taken a liking to creating cards was the reaction I got from my brother of all people. I felt if he could appreciate the time and effort(and love!) put into a handmade card, there would be other people that would appreciate my cards as well.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

To all my followers who are in the United States:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't eat too much turkey and enjoy the football games





Cathy 11/ 22 / 2011

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Greeting Card Maker Of The Month: Royal Regards


I'm Sara, of Royal Regards Handmade Greeting Cards and I am a member of the Michigan Trolls on Etsy. I was born and raised in Michigan and have lived here my entire life. I grew up on the East side of the state, attended college in the middle of the state and moved to Southwest Michigan with my husband after we got married a little over 8 years ago. I work full time in the commercial real estate industry (not a realtor though) and spend my weekends and evenings (often into the wee hours of the night) making cards and working on my etsy shop. I enjoy scrap-booking, reading, shopping, movies, photography and interior decorating.





My motto when making cards is that "less is more." I like a clean, simple yet cute and elegant look. I especially love the look of embossed cards so I have a pretty large selection of those in my shop.