Blessings

I photographed this colorful wooden figure, which I assume is a Buddha, at the Brass Armadillo antique store near our home in Phoenix. After removing it from its plain background, I added a dark brown texture and a texture mask, both from Shadowhouse Creations.

Venus in the Garden

A statue of Venus surrounded by a variety of tropical plants at Whitfil Nursery in Phoenix, Arizona.

Losing Hope

A sad-eyed doll at the Brass Armadillo antiques store in Phoenix waits to be "adopted" by a customer.

Mystery Castle

The Mystery Castle in the foothills of South Mountain was built in the 1930s of mostly salvaged materials. It was a gift from a father to the daughter he had left behind when she was still a child. After his death, she moved into the house with her mother and lived there the remainder of her life. It's a truly amazing place and a historic landmark in Phoenix. http://www.mymysterycastle.com/

Desert Living

This photo was taken last fall at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix. I've added a border mask from Shadowhouse Creations.

Pink Dress

Today we went to a street fair in the Melrose district of Phoenix. This photo was taken in one of the antique stores that line 7th Avenue. I added a couple of textures to emphasize the dress.

Cactus Corner

A grouping of potted cactus and succulents outside Webster Auditorium at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden.
Texture by Paree Erica.

Shelf Life

Potted plants and watering cans line a shelf at the Center for Desert Living, an area within the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix.
Texture by Shadowhouse Creations.

Autumn in the Desert

We visited the Desert Botanical Gardens today and enjoyed the Four Seasons sculptures by Philip Haas. These impressive sculptures are 15 feet high and were inspired by Giuseppe Arcimboldo's Renaissance era paintings.
Texture: Boccacino

David Lost in Contemplation

Here's another image based on a photo I took in one of the eclectic rooms at Whitfil Nursery in Phoenix.
Texture by Jinterwas.

Venus and the Early Bird

A collection of items found in the outdoor warehouse area of Whitfil Nursery in Phoenix.
Textures by Shadowhouse Creations and Joes Sistah were added.

Long Neck

This photo was taken at The Brass Armadillo Antiques Mall in Phoenix, a fun place to spend some time, and money. I was curious about this extremely long-necked mannequin. I've added textures from Shadowhouse Creations and iBrigs.

Gold Winterberry

From a photograph taken in my neighborhood while walking our dog. I've added textures from Shadowhouse Creations and graphic fairy.

Black Eyed Susans

This picture started with a photo of some of the spring flowers in our neighborhood. I love the month of April because it is the brightest, most colorful month in my part of the desert Southwest, when all sorts of flowers are blooming, including the cactus flowers.

I've added a texture called Paris Papers from French Kiss Textures.

Hydrant and Cactus

This photo was taken about a block from our home. The prickly pear were still blooming, but many of them had already dried up and fallen off. I liked the way in which the cactus was encroaching on the hydrant and threatening to surround it.

I've added textures by jana s, rubyblossom, and Shadowhouse Creations.

Pumpkins

Last year we grew pumpkins in the back yard. Little did we know that the vines would try to take over most of the yard! We didn't repeat the experiment this year, but I do enjoy looking at some of the photos we took of last year's crop.

I've added a crackle texture and another texture from Shadowhouse Creations.

Chitalpa Blooms

Our beautiful chitalpa tree in full bloom before it mysteriously died earlier this summer. Maybe the heat was too much for it. I added a texture from Shadowhouse Creations.

Pioneer Sunset

This image is a composite of two photos - a sunset photo taken in our back yard, and the other a black and white photo I took at the Pioneer Living History Museum north of Phoenix. I added a texture called Treasure Map from Shadowhouse Creations.

Lake Pleasant

This image began with a photo taken while hiking at Lake Pleasant, just outside Phoenix.

I added a texture called Gold Days from Shadowhouse Creations and then made some saturation and hue adjustments.

Cholla Buds

This photo was taken in the mountain park near our home. These cholla cactus buds caught my eye as they were just ready to bloom. Several varieties of cholla, like the teddy bear cholla, look fuzzy rather than prickly. But you definitely don't want to touch them or let your pets get too close to them!

Textures by jinterwas and Shadowhouse Creations.