Inspired by . . . old book – new book

 

Shh . . . don't tell . . . . Jonathon Graham here, hijacking June's blog again, to share some words about old books and new books!

 

I love the smell of books. Don't you?

Old books, especially, seem to have a mysterious scent about them. It's interesting to think about all the different people who might have held the book, what they thought when reading it, how it impacted their lives. Hmm, I might suggest to June that she write a book about the journey of a book one day, lol!

I have a fair-sized collection of books. Nothing extraordinarily valuable in the eyes of the world. But each book that I've kept, I've kept because it has value to me.

My wife and I have limited space in our little bungalow, so most of my collection is currently boxed, awaiting the day when I'm able to shelf them again.

Since moving to the bungalow a few years ago, I've been purchasing most of my books in eBook format. One of the things I really like about eBooks is that, if I have my cell phone with me, I have access to my library! Now when I'm waiting at the doctor's office, or other similar appointments, I can catch up on my reading!

I must admit, though, I do miss holding a book in my hands and turning the pages.

So why am I talking about books anyway? Well, because I have some exciting news to share with all of you!

 

Starflower has just been released in eBook format!

 

 

I know a lot of you prefer eBooks, and June and I are so thankful to be able to offer Starflower to you in this format!

 

 

Even more exciting, for those of you who still like holding a book in your hand, when you purchase the print copy of either Heart's Desire, or Starflower, you can get the eBook version for free!

 

 

For those of you new to eBook reading, you don't have to purchase a Kindle to read these books.  The eBooks can be downloaded onto your personal computer, or your smart phone. This also applies to those of you who have ipad, tablet, or nook. You can still read eBooks purchased from Amazon on your personal computer!

Oh, and one more thing before I go – and June would definitely NOT want you to know about this – so don't breathe a word!

 

Her birthday is next month!

 

And I happen to know that she has some special gifts lined up for YOU during her birthday week!

So stay tuned!

 

Well, I'm off to hijack her Twitter and Facebook accounts!

 

Be Blessed,

Jonathan

 

PS – For those of you wondering about June's new book, No Tomorrow: it wasn't released last month as expected, but we have some exciting news about this title, coming soon!

Inspired by. . . lilies

I had the privilege of visiting the Vanderbilt estate, Biltmore, in Asheville, North Carolina this past week. The grounds and gardens on the 8,000 {not a typo} acre estate are breathtaking.

Here are just a few of the pictures I took at the lily pond.

 

Textured with Kim's Sybil

 

Textured with Kim's bentedges

 

Originally, a Star Maiden had looked down on her people and longed to be with them. Falling from the sky, she had first hidden herself in a white mountain rose. But she was too far away from the village, and became lonely. Then she hid in a prairie flower, but the trampling buffalo made her afraid. Finally, she floated over a lake and saw her reflection. This pleased her, and she floated down and rested like a canoe upon the cool bosom of the water. The next morning the lake was covered with great white shining star-shaped blossoms, with golden fragrant hearts.

“The night stars have bloomed again in the water,” sang the children, and hand clasping hand, they bent over the water-edge to dip their noses into the big, sweet, wonderful flowers. “Wahbegwannee,” the children sang. The White Star Flowers.

Then the winds caressed the white flowers' petals, and the birds kissed her golden heart. Through her long slender stems, fish guided their darting course, and upon her flat green leaves dragonflies sparkled like gems. The moonbeams wooed her by night, but she shut her heart and denied them entrance, for she loved only her people.

The heart of the Star Maiden grew full, for the joys and sorrows of her beloved people were at last her own. And the men sat no more around the council fire, but smoked their pipes on the shore in sight of the lily pads.  ~The Legend of the Starflower, excerpt from Starflower, A Novel

 

 

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

Sharing inspiration here:

Inspired by... toadstools

 

Being surrounded by all this damp, earthy smelling goodness (we've had rain for three days now!) reminded me of a trip we made to the Adirondack mountains in upstate New York several years ago.

Growing up (literally, I was less the 2mo old the first time) my parents made a summer visit to their friends on Big Moose Lake every year. Half a lifetime of memories inspired the setting for the book Starflower. We had gone east for my cousin's wedding and, since everything in the northeast is within driving distance, decided to take a few extra days and drive to Big Moose. I hadn't been to Big Moose for (at the time) probably over 20 years and it was really neat to visit all the places I had recently written about in Starflower.

The abundance of mushrooms was a great delight! Having lived in Arizona for the previous ten years I had forgotten what wild mushrooms were like!

I think this is my favorite photo. Straight out of the camera!

This was really big. I wish I could have gotten closer.

Here is some texture lovin' fun with Kim Klassen's cinnamon texture!

Another large tree fungi.

I tried to look up the names of all these for you, but I just wasn't getting the satisfaction I wanted on Google.  This is possibly bracket or flatbush fungi (above). Unfortunately, many of the photos took me to nonsensical websites.

I found a lot of pictures of this beauty (below), but none with a name. One website listed it under edible fungi, but I would never (and don't recommend you do) eat any wild mushroom/fungi without first getting an okay from an expert. A friend of ours in Vermont used to grow edible mushrooms and knew which ones in the forest were safe to eat.

I do know what these are called: Indian Peace Pipes! They are really neat and I was excited to find two or three clumps while we were hiking around the lakes. Many times you will find them with their heads turned down so they look more like their namesake, but it had just rained which, I believe, is why these are standing straight up.  I used Klassen's waterstained frame texture @ 61% on this photo. It gave the pipes a nice sharp contrast.

I know sometimes it's hard to appreciate the use of textures when you don't know what the before shot looks like, so for the next one, I've given you the before and after!

 

I really liked this little purple fungi, but thought he (or maybe she?) was getting lost in the photo. So I added Klassen's canvasback, hue blend 100% and masked back in the fungi. It didn't quite give me the look I wanted so I kept adding layers and masking parts of the image in (or out) until I got something I was happy with. The 2nd layer was canvasback, multiply mode 100%, then a 3rd layer of canvasback, hard light at 57%.

Here is the result:

Your eye is drawn to the fungus, which was what I wanted for this image. I have to admit, I'm usually a purest when it comes to stuff like this, but the artist in me loves playing with Kim's textures!! Sometimes adding a texture and clicking through the blend modes produces some fun and exciting results!

Remember the smelly succulent blossom from yesterday's post? Here is one image I didn't share with you:

Klassen's vintage texture using the Difference blend mode produced this fun result! I'm lovin' me some purple!

If you're interested in learning about this "blend mode" / "texture" stuff but are new to Elements or Photoshop, Kim is offering a free intro class. I took it a couple of months ago and really learned a lot!

You can sign up by clicking the link below.

Okay, one final texture lovin' picture!! Kim just finished this really heavy texture called Ugg Love! I thought the old woodshed on the Big Moose camp property would be perfect to handle such a heavy texture. I really love how it turned out!

What do you think?

Do you like textures or are you a purest all the way?

 

Blessings,

 

Sharing inspiration here:

Inspired by... butterflies

Do you know anyone who doesn't love butterflies?

There is just something about these flying flowers that lifts our spirits and makes our hearts smile.

The are so free and delicate...

... their beauty and allusiveness appealing.

Understanding the complete transformation...

Source

...and rebirth they go through is a beautiful picture of what can happen to each one of us when we come to accept, know and love the person of Jesus Christ.

Butterflies are such a powerful example of this and have been such a blessing and joy to me in my own life, that I have included mentioning them, in some way, in each of The Books.

In Starflower, in particular, I use them as a physical and visual reminder to Sarah about living in victory over sin. 

Here's an excerpt:

With a jolt, Sarah realized that although she had confessed her sin and turned away from it, she hadn't forgiven herself. She was still allowing her past to control her future. In both her relationship with Jerry and Daniel, it was her shame that was controlling her actions and her responses.

I give it to you, Lord! I know you’ve already forgiven me, but this time I’m releasing it to you. I accept the washing of your blood. I forgive myself and ask you to restore my joy. Help me everyday, Lord, to live in the victory you died for me to have. Amen.

      A tickle at her fingertips caused her to look down and she marveled at the creature still perched on her finger; its golden wings moved slowly, up and down, as it continued to cling to her. Suddenly it took flight joining the others in the air.
      New life! Rebirth! Thank you, Jesus!

(If you're interested in reading more, click HERE)

My friend, M.E., is particularly inspired by butterflies.  Her love for them inspired me to create this subway art for her for her birthday this year.

It's sized 8x10 and I'm offering to you as a free printable. 
I only ask that you become a follower and take a moment to comment and let me know how you think you might use it.

To download: you must first click on the image to open it in a new window in its highest resolution. Then right click to save it to your computer.

I also want to give a big shout out to Janet at Today's Fabulous Finds.  As the name suggests, she always has something fabulous to offer and her subway art prints are the best! 

Click on over to get her latest, Summer Subway Art printable now!

Thanks for the inspiration, Janet!

Are you inspired by butterflies?  I'd love to hear about your experiences.  And if you like subway art, both Janet and I would love to hear your suggestions!

I hope these pictures of God's flying flowers have brought joy to your heart today.

Blessings,

Linking up with these parties: