A Weekend Texture & Give Away Winners Announced

Texture Tuesday Update...oh and another give away....keep reading.

Hello lovelies..... 

More tea..... as you can see...
I'm on a bit of a roll..... perhaps you've noticed.... 'smile'.  
I'm working on a little project ... having loads of creative fun.....feeling really inspired, and for that I'm so grateful.

I must be quick... lots happening around here.
Oh my...do I have a story to share...soon....I have to bite my tongue for a little longer.... Can't wait to spill the beans!

Okie doke, I'm popping in with a new texture for you to try... I call this little gem '1301'.

Take a peek.

Click HERE to download 1301.

I used it on the photo below.... along with a layer of last week's 'return'. Good stuff.

Recipe Rundown
I processed the photo in Lightroom...(Round Trippers, remember the Lightroom develop preset for the sky image we made in class? ... well, I used it on this photo) then I moved into photoshop.....  added one layer of today's 1301 at multiply 44% and one layer of return at soft light 77%. Finally the quote, with a fav font.... Rough Typewriter.

Like textures? Be sure to sign up for my texture lovin' list and begin receiving your freebies immediately. Click HERE to get on the list.

Okie doke...before I announce Friday's give away winners, let's talk this Tuesday's Texture Tuesday theme! Woo hoo. It's back.

TT Schedule Update: I will now be publishing the Texture Tuesday links on Tuesday mornings at approximately 9:00 am CST, rather than Tuesday at 12:00 am CST.

This Tuesday's Theme (January 16th) 

The theme for this week is 'cuppa'.... I've been sharing a lot of tea & coffee photos lately... I'd love to see one of yours.

The only requirement - your image must contain at at least one layer of any of my textures. That's it, that's all.

See you Tuesday... I hope. 

Onto the Give Away Announcements

The winner of the lovely one word pendant is Cheryl C. 

The winner of a spot in my Round Trip course is Sabrina Kalleberg.

Drop me a note ladies and I will get you hooked up.

::

Round Trip begins this Tuesday. There's still lots of time to 'dive' in..... Click HERE for all the details.

Oh and Beyond, Beyond.... a year long mix of Lightroom, Photoshop, Textures, Type, Inspiration and even iPhoneography.... begins next week. Click HERE to get the scoop.

::

One more Give Away Opportunity

How 'bout a chance to win a spot in Beyond, Beyond?

To enter, leave a comment below sharing a favourite movie or tele show....old or new.... Do tell!

Side note
I will admit to a little too much Tele over the holidays.... It did give me a chance to shut down and just kinda be. (not always a bad thing)
John and I started watching Bones on Netflix, on New Years Eve... Yep we know how to have a good time...hah...
Anyhow we watched the first season and even moved into the second.... Can you imagine? We watched something like 30 episodes! We're a little tired of it now... The main reason I kept jumping to the next episode was to see if Booth and Bones got together....I'm not joking! Sadly I've heard they don't get together until about season 5 or 6 (who knows if it lasts...lol). There's no way I can watch that many episodes.... I'm kinda over it... ugh.
Ooops, I got a little side tracked... sorry friends.... 

Anyhow, as I said to enter the Beyond Beyond give away leave a comment below sharing a fav movie or television program.

I will announce the winner on Tuesday. Already signed up.... that's okay.... if you win, I will credit you back.

::

Until Tuesday.... here's to a truly inspired week.

Love & Gratitude.... always....

xo,

Lightroom Love & Mystery Give Away Revealed

Lightroom Video Tutorial & 2 More Give Away Chances
 

Hello Lovelies..... How are you? I hope this note finds you well......

I'm a day late with this post...Oops. Sorry... but things aren't quite back to 'normal' around here... We're definitely getting closer though.

I'm excited to pop in and share some Lightroom Love in a little video.... announce the mystery give away item...and of course the winner.....

First a little Lightroom video....  just a snippet on why I LOVE lightroom....

Lightroom is completely non-destructive, it allows you to edit your photo til your hearts content....none of the changes are permanent, you can always get back to your original photo..... Lightroom allows you to apply develop settings to one image or 200 images all at once. Oh and the catalogue feature has changed my life. I can now access my photos, quickly and easily... No more clicking on folders to find a particular photo. So good! Okay I could go on an on... 

Oh one more thing...  this lovely little mosaic took me about 3 minutes tops to make in Lightroom.... this feature alone would be enough for me to own Lightroom.... but oh my gosh... it's just a morsel of all Lightroom has to offer.

Here's my first Lightroom video.... Check it out.

View on Vimeo.

Now onto the mystery give away (s)..... I'm super excited about this..... 

Maureen of Cottage 960 makes the loveliest one word pendants for her etsy shop..... She has so sweetly offered a give away to my readers.... in fact she's offered 2. Today I will be announcing the winner of the first..... And there will be a second chance to win by sharing a comment below today's post. Keep reading.

Today's winner will recieve a Custom initial and one word pendant with 24" antique finish ball chain. 

The BEST part....These sweet pendants will be custom made just for you........ your choose of a meaningful word, vintage ledger paper or vintage sheet music for the background. Your initial is stamped on one side of the pendant with a vintage stamp set and last but not least Maureen types your special one word on the other side using her vintage remette typewriter. (so good)

The winner of the initial & one word pendant is Kathryn. Kathryn wrote:

Congrats sweet friend, please drop me a line and I will get you all hooked up!

::

Be sure to check out Maureen's shop HERE..... and pop over to her facebook page and give her a like.

If you are interested in ordering one of Maureen't lovelies... she's created a sweet discount. Kim Klassen readers  can receive 20% off by using code KKOLW in the Cottage 960 Etsy shop when ordering any custom one word or initial pendants during the month of January.

::

Today's Give Aways

Today I have 2 Give Aways to share . Winners to be announced on Sunday.

Give Away #1: A Custom One Word Pendant from Cottage 960. The details: The winner will receive one custom initial pendant, stamped on their choice of vintage ledger paper or sheet music paper and  one word charm.  The charm will be typed on vintage ledger paper, their word on one side, the year on the other. Both strung on a 24" antique finish ball chain.

Give Away #2: A spot in my Round Trip Lightroom class which begins on Tuesday! 

To enter, leave a comment below..... tell me do you pick a word for the year? Or maybe youhave a word that comforts you...always? I'd love to hear about it.... 

Side note: I can't reply to all the comments I receive, but I want you to know I read and enjoy every single one..... Reading your thoughts and comments is the main reason I love offering give aways. I love hearing from you!

Until Sunday.... so much love.

xo,

Update on January 14 by Kim Klassen

Thanks so much for your comments. This give away is now closed.

Finding My Way Back

Free Textures, Class Updates & a Give Away

edited in Lightroom and textured in photoshop with today's freebie, Return

Hello lovelies. How are you? I've missed this, I've missed you… It's been too long. It feels like months since I've been here.

'sigh'….

Where does one begin? Hmm, let's see.....

The hustle and bustle of Christmas and family gatherings happened, then a nasty cold knocked me off my feet for several days. Sadly on January 2nd, John's father passed away. What began as a short hiatus moved into weeks of time away….. I'm so ready to be back. I'm longing for normal again….I miss my quiet simple life…photographing treasures.... sharing photos and inspiration...such a huge highlight in my life. I want it back.

'smile'

How was your holiday? the new year? Tell me something new, dear friend….. 

This past week, in between the chaos, I've been taking lots of tea photos...... I suppose it's the season...the comfort of hot tea is so special..... I've also gathered a few new cups over this past month that I've been bursting to photograph.

Okay, It's definitely time for a texture….. or 2. Don't you think?

Check out today's lovelies.... 're-entry & return'.

Texture Lovin' Listers your download link should land in your inbox in just a few.... New to the site? Be sure to sign up for my list and start receiving freebie textures right away. Click HERE to get on the list!

Before I go.... a few updates and reminders.... don't miss the give away surprise at the end.

I wanted to remind you that a new year of Beyond is coming soon….. Class begins on January 23rd. You can find all the details HERE….. In this year long course I will be sharing loads of photography and processing tips & tricks; including lightroom, photoshop, texture and iPhoneography lessons.....
Good news.... early bird registration is still open. I'm not upping the price…. with all that's been happening, I didn't get in to make the change…. so I decided to leave it at $65.00 $52.00. There's also an option to access last years Beyond Layers course. Click HERE for all the details.

Also my Lightroom class, Round Trip, begins on the 15th… that's next week already….. I'm leaving the early bird price on it as well. Lightroom is amazing....I don't know how I lived without it...it's been life changing.... I know that sounds dramatic, but I'm totally serious.... It's truly an incredible program!

As for 2013….. I have some exciting plans brewing... One thing I'm excited about is sharing more Lightroom tips and tutorials here at the Café. Texture Tuesday will be back next week. I will have more details later this week. And I hope to offer a brand new collection of textures in the shop later this month! 

Other dreamy offerings I'm working on…. a photography course, a creative lightroom editing class….and... and.......more soon. :)

: :

So good to be back....  

To celebrate my 're-entry' I'd love to offer up a give away with a twist.....

The twist....The give away is a surprise..... I will reveal the mystery gift and the winner here on Friday.

To enter please leave a comment below.... perhaps a little note about your holidays, something new in your life or maybe a special wish for 2013.... Sound good?

: :

Until Friday.... love & gratitude...always....

xo,

Things I'm Loving - The Give Aways Continue

Hello lovelies......I'm back..... 

Thank you so much for all your kind and loving comments below Sunday's post. Truly THANK YOU! My heart is overflowing with true gratitude.

I'm finally feeling the Christmas spirit. I have the best Christmas-Tree story to share.... soon...it's so good!! I'm pretty close to bursting about it..... Stay tuned.

As promised I must announce the winner from Sunday's give away. I'm excited to send a copy of The Natural Home to ...... Beverly....

To prevent confusion....in case there's more than one Beverly in the comments.... here's Beverly's sweet note.

Congrats Beverly.... send me a quick email and I will get you 'hooked up'......

Today I wanted to share a lovely discovery.... new site to me.... Minted.

Here's minted's philosophy....
"Our purpose in life is to uncover exceptional design from all over the world and bring this to savvy consumers who won't accept anything else."

Love that!!

Anyhow, Minted offers the sweetest print designs....many are customizable.....one of my favourite offerings ....the personalized journals..... Here's a peek at a few....I really love. I've ordered a few myself for friends.....

This brings me to today's give away....I'd love to send a journal to one lucky winner....The winner can pick from any of the journals on the site. Take a peek, here.

To enter, leave a comment below.....
Tell me...what do you prefer.... to journal with, make lists, take notes...??
pencil; mechanical or traditional, pen, fine liner, sharpie.....
if you have a favourite pen, pencil or marker, please share......

I'm a mad stationary/supply junkie...... Honestly if i don't have just the write pen or pencil, even when making a quick list...I will go looking for it..... It's that important..... 'smile'

scroll down to read my follow-up confession...written after I read your comments.... 'smile'

Today's give away winner will be announced on Thursday.

Lately my favs are the Bic Reaction mechanical pencil and Sharpie pens! I could go on....I have several favs......but I will stop myself for now....

Okie doke.... until next time....

so much love.....

xo,

p.s. I almost forgot... a little homespun-christmas e-Tag download..... Click HERE to grab it.

Update on December 18 by Kim Klassen

after reading all these fabulous comments....I'm bursting to buy one of every suggestion...
oh my....

and now that I know I'm not alone.... with my 'statinary supply' obsession....I must confess......
I've been known to put people on hold ....while I find the 'perfec't pen or pencil to write down their message

xo, Kim

Five on Friday - Thoughts on Being an Excellent Introvert

and a give away.
 

Hello friends,

It's Friday...and it's so good to be here. I was away for a week.... another trip to California. It was fabulous, but it's so good to be home. I missed my boys and this blog so much.

It's time for another 5 on Friday. I'm linking up over at Reflection of You. Please feel free to join in... the more the merrier.

Today I thought I'd share some thoughts on being an introvert. I have a feeling I'm not alone...

Since Oasis, I've been thinking a lot about my introversion. I talked here a few weeks ago about how I didn't take as many photos as I would have liked, while at Oasis. I long for quiet... I need solitude....and it's in that setting that I am most moved to 'click'. I realize now...that is exactly why I don't take photo after photo when I'm in a group setting.... And I'm okay with that!

I think it's a matter of understanding who we are and what we need in order to be our best selves.

Dont' you?

Introverts do better in quiet settings.... that's a fact. But with that said, I do LOVE gathering with people who get me....people I can relate to, connect with..... and as much as I love quiet I would never want to miss opportunities like Oasis. 

It's fascinating. Accepting my introversion...in fact embracing it....is so empowering. I remember as a kid having no desire to attend summer camp....and feeling like there was something wrong with me. I realize now, it wasn't because I was less-than or even that shy....it was simply because I needed my space. I loved to spend time alone, in my room, quietly playing, writing, or reading. And here I am, an adult, doing pretty much the same thing. 

When I was at Myriam's she had music playing most of the time. I found myself longing for .... silence. I rarely have music or the tv on, while I'm working. I NEED to be alone and in-quiet...with my thoughts. Now that my boys are grown and away I seem to need it even more. I live/love a very quiet life. 

Funny, but true story....just the other day I was upstairs getting changed and ready to take Ben out for a walk....John was in the kitchen, doing the dishes and getting ready to make his homemade soup. The noise was so loud (to me) that I yelled down, please stop banging...He was like... I'm sorry are you trying to sleep?....and I said, and I quote...... No, I just don't like loud noise! The thing is...it wasn't really banging or that loud... but to me it sure seemed like it.

I'm sharing all this...not to say introverts are better than extroverts...or the other way around. Simply to say it's okay...either way....Loving and accepting who we are is really the only way. 

I was talking with Xanthe about being an introvert....and she said, you are not a full-introvert.... and I was like really? We can be a bit of both. Anyhow, we concluded I am an introvert with some extrovert tendencies.... and she is an extrovert with some introvert tendencies. (although she wasn't sure about that 'smile') The conversation was quite funny..... We laughed about how different we are... She likes to go out with friends, just be out and about... Me, not so much. We talked about our style.... mine very subtle, played down...hers super fun and colourful..... 

Anyhow, I could go on....and on.... I will stop soon....I promise.

But first....I shared a bit about needing quiet in Beyond this past week...and one of the lovely Beyonders shared a fabulous book called Quiet... by Susan Cain. I'm listening to it now....so good! Xanthe also told me about a Ted Talk by Susan Cain...check it out below. Introverts ..you are going to love it!

5 Facts about Introverts

Fact one: Introversion and shyness are 2 different things...however... introverts are often mistaken for shy..... 

Fact two: Many introverts are great communicators, awesome public speakers, and powerfully present... But they need more time alone, in-quiet, to refuel... than an extrovert does. 

Fact three: You can be an introvert with extrovert tendencies..... and the other way around. We are rarely all one way or the other.

Fact Four: Acting like an extrovert will not change who you are. There's no need to overcome it. It's all good. The world needs a mix. Of course it never hurts to push ourselves a little outside our comfort zone.... (not to self)

Fact Five: Many powerful people are/were introverts. ie. Einstein, Warren Buffet, Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, J.K. Rowings and Spielberg to name a few.

Before I sign off...I'd love to hear your thoughts.... 

Are you an introvert or an extrovert....or somewhere in between? Do you tend to fight against your natural ways...or embrace them?

Who do you gravitate to...introverts or extroverts? or a bit of both?

I can't wait to hear what you have to say......

In honour of sharing...how 'bout a give away or two?

Simply share your introvert/extrovert thoughts in the comments for a chance to win one of two prizes....

Give away 1 - a spot in my Lightroom eCourse Round Trip.

Give away 2 - a copy of the book Quiet by Susan Cain

I will announce the winner on Sunday.

Below is Susan Cain's fabulous Ted Talk. Enjoy.

Until next time.... so much love...

xo,

Update on December 10 by Kim Klassen

The Give Away Winners are Posted above. Thanks for sharing!

{5 on Friday} Five Photos, Make it or Take it & a Give Away

Hello friends,

I'm linking up with Reflection of You - 5 on Friday.... Please feel free to join in.... No rush... feel free to link up all week. Click HERE to get the details.

In honour of 5... I have 5 photos of the second mug I picked up at Anthropologie while in California.... such a little sweetie....Dont' you think? 'smile'

This past week ….. for Beyond Layers, I reflected a bit on Oasis…and the lack of photos I took while I was there. I took a lot of photos….but I imagined taking a lot more……. The same thing happened at camp in 2011…..

Hmmmm…. what's this about? I ask...... 

Xanthe was always taking pics….. with both her big camera and here iphone….. Me … not so much…… We talked about it on our drive to the airport…after it was all over….  and....we decided maybe I was more a make-it photographer…and Xanthe is more a take-it photographer…..

Let me explain….

Make it meaning…..I set up the picture…. then click the shutter…. Obviously you know I love setting up stills…… I dream in still-lifes… I'm a make-it photographer for sure. I love making pretty pictures....

Xanthe 'clicks' life....  a lot more than she creates/makes a photo…. So that would make her more of a take-it photographer….. She captures her busy London Life… her children… colour.... movement....quite often she puts herself in the frame… It's so unbelievably inspired.

I have the take-it part in me… (I'm sure we all have a bit of both).....My photos on the trail …. nature....of Ben…. my family (now and then if they let me)… those are my take-it photos….. 

We can definitely be both… but possibly lean more to one side of it… perhaps you might call it our comfort zone…. definitely making pretty pictures... is my comfort zone! I know that for sure.....

I also realized I take most of my photos...when I'm alone… in the quiet of my life…. Oasis…was very active… lots going on….and maybe that's another reason I didn't capture as many photos as I would have hoped. I was busy in the moment...and found it hard to step outside of it....or stay in it, while I was clicking the shutter?

Hmmmmm..... creature of habit... :)

I asked the Beyonders about this…. their responses were just awesome…. such a mixture of make-it and take-it photographers…… so much insight… truly the best. I love you all!

And so I thought I'd ask you…Make it or Take it? Do you do both equally, lean toward one way or the other? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Give Away

We've opened up Behind the Scenes for instant Self-Paced Access…at an amazing price…. We'd love to give a spot away to one lucky commentor…. Simply share your thoughts on Make-it or Take-it below. I will announce the winner back here on Sunday. 

Here's to an inspired weekend….

Thank you for stopping by.... I am forever grateful..... until next time.... 

xo,

Kim

{Weekend Texture} And a Round Trip Give Away

Hello lovelies,

Happy Sunday... I hope this note finds you well. 

I have a fab new texture for you to try.... inspired by the lovely colours of fall.... I call it Nested.

Take a peek....

Texture Lovin' Listers... the download link is coming your way..... 

Not on the list? Be sure to sign up HERE.. and start receiving some lovely freebies.

My Ben photo was processed in Lightroom....I'm telling you friends... It's magical..... So many possiblities.... More on Lightroom this week.... I'm excited to start sharing some tips with you all.

Anyhow, I processed the raw photo in lightroom...then hit the quick 'edit in photoshop' command... Voila..into photoshop ready for a little extra texture magic...and of course a quote.

Texture Recipe...a layer of today's nested...at multiply 26% opacity... then added the wise words of Einstein.... font used... Rough Typewriter.

Give Away Time

Today I'm offering up one space in my new Lightroom/Photoshop class... Round Trip. The next session begins October 30th. Get the details HERE. 

To enter....leave a comment below... The winner will be announced on Tuesday.....

Okie doke.... off I go.... Have a beautiful day!

xo, Kim