Asides

Birthday Quilting and Cat Selfies

Banner showing cats and a photographer in silhouette

This weekend I celebrated my birthday with a lovely online zoom quilting workshop which was a lot of fun. Let me tell you a bit about it and show you a lovely birthday capture of our boy Jack.

I also know that Janet of Kitties Blue celebrated her birthday recently so Toulouse and I want to wish her Many Happy Returns for her own birthday.

As I celebrated my birthday on a Saturday we didn’t go for a meal in a busy and crowded restaurant. Instead I enjoyed a Zoom workshop with quilt shop Quilters Lane in Masterton, then Cat Dad Paul and I enjoyed some quiet time at home with the cats (and a glass of bubbles).

The quilt pattern is a really fun one and those who enjoy quilting can find the pattern, called Topsy, at Quilters Lane.

The pattern it looks so hard doesn’t it? But, if you look closely, you can see the parts it is made from and how the amazing block repeats and repeats. Once you understand that quilts are often made up of repeating motifs and then you learn the block, you just keep going and going until you have enough to make a quilt.

Partial picture of a quilt pattern of honeycomb rpeats.

Sienna shows you what one small element of the quilt looks like. Each triangle is made up of four parts and these are join together to make the honeycomb shape. The shape is cut out using a Half Sixty ruler from Creative Grids (for those who know a bit about quilting).

Cat looking at a quilted triangle of spotted burgundy material.

As a novice quilter I admit that the little points ( see the orange tip?) are not as tidy as they might be and I will try hard to improve as I make more blocks! I had so much fun being in the class, I really felt part of the group with the ladies actually at the shop and I was able to ask questions and confirm things with the tutor before I cut or sewed fabric.

  • To end the day I discovered Jack was awake on the bed, waiting for a treat. So, I lit my little cat lamp placed it nearby and, using just my smartphone, I snapped a lovely capture.(Of course he got his treat!)

Isn’t he just the perfect ginger end to a lovely day.

ginger cat looking up t the camera, lit by a single soft white light on our righthand side.

A Snapseed Ginger Transformation

Snapseed graphic in shades of green

The positive response to my Snapseed for beginners post in December 2023 was fantastic! I’m excited to share another quick transformation using Snapseed.

People are genuinely surprised at what this free app can do, and a lot of readers have used my earlier post (and my free app mini course) to explore how versatile it is.

Let me share one quick and surprising transformation I know you will love.

A Cat Portrait Transformation

Angus is a regular visitor and today, he jumped onto the deck railing and paused long enough for me to snap a hasty handful of shots. Unfortunately, as you can see, I misjudged the lighting and I’m the one who keeps telling readers how important the light is.

Why is this? Angus is being lit more from behind (called backlight) than he is from the front. A lot of the details on his face, whiskers and fur are very dark which was so disappointing. I decided to see if a filter or image adjustment would rescue this cute guy’s promising portrait.

Underexposed ginger cat looking at the camera sat on a fence.

Opening Snapseed I brought up my photo from the iPhone album; and then scrolled through the range of filters.

You can see some of them at the bottom of the image below including ‘Last Edits‘ which keeps the last filter you used, in case you would like to use it again. Some filters let you adjust the colour making it more subdued or monochrome and some brighten and improve the light and you can guess which one I was looking for.

I scrolled along the row ‘auditioning’ each filter as it changed my image. Some improved the light a little bit which was promising so I kept looking. I settled on one called ‘Morning’ and you can see how the image is transformed. I was so impressed.

What a difference one filter has made to the gloomy smartphone photograph I nearly gave up on. I was on a roll so I worked the Snapseed magic on a few more ginger images and assembled it into a cute cat photo collage.

I think you can agree that the difference is amazing and it makes the collage created in the Layout smartphone app look spectacular. I have a feeling you might like to try out the Layout app so I have added a link to it here for Android, and a link to Instagram’s iPhone launch.

Ginger cat poses on a wooden bannister

Step By Step Snapseed Filter

  1. Open the Snapseed app
  2. Select your photograph
  3. Scroll along the filter options
  4. Choose your filter by tapping the option
  5. Tap the tick icon bottom right
  6. Tap ‘Export’ to create a separate copy of your photograph.
Snapseed Montage of ginger cat photos 2
COLLAGE USING ‘LAYOUT’ APP

Reading Across America A Cat Portrait

Faint Cat on a coloured background

I am using my recently discovered portrait of Dash Kitten as the theme for today’s post.

Prompted by the nationwide campaign to ‘Read Across America’ I want you to ‘turn on the light in the attic‘, blow away the cobwebs and enhance your learning (June @ Zoolatry) and I am including an list of inspiring books and articles that are camera related as well as some cosy reading material to help you relax.

Dash Kitten is an Amazon/Luminar Neo affiliate. We may receive a small remuneration at no cost to you.

Whether 8-months, 8-years or 80 years, or anywhere in between from books we go to places we might never otherwise travel ~ we learn that we may never otherwise be taught ~ we find answers to questions we may have not voiced aloud. 

June at Zoolatry

Read Across America – Read Across the World

Let me explain how I have managed to combine my love of books and photography into one post. Yeah, I know you are wondering about that.

First, you may remember my discovery of an old cat photograph of Dash Kitten. This touching cat portrait is inspiring me to create a series of images as themes arise.

If you check the older post you will see an image which reflects on the theme of time as it passes and the memories that remain in our hearts of the cats we love. This week Dash appears from the darkness and shows that books lead us to a brighter future.

Collage of a pale cat in front of a faint pile of books.
Read Across America 2024

Today’s Dash Kitten Portrait

No camera settings as the image is from an old compact but the instructions for the layering technique (which is not hard) can be found here in a short and fun post.

Books may change their ‘clothes’ and become ebooks, comics or ilustrated stories but they spread knowledge to every corner of the globe. Every book should be available to be read by everyone.

These books are a blend of photography themed and cosy mysteries and will help you boost your camera skills alongside a relaxing read with my favourite cosy mystery authors.

One Essential Book for Photographers This small and portable book by Henry Caroll is packed with sensible and honest advice for anyone who has a mirrorless or DSLR camera. His opinion on camera modes and not starting with ‘manual’ made me cheer. I dip into my copy at least once every week.

Ghost Cat Mysteries Some of my favourite cosy mystery writers are members of the Cat Writers’ Assocation. They include Mollie Hunt whose series I spotlight here. I like my cosies grounded in reality and Mollie writes relateable characters (and mysterious cats). Debbie deLouise writes about Buttercup Bend (which I would love to visit).

Purrseverance – ‘Inspiring stories of Cat Resilience and Hope‘ is available to pre-order for Kindle readers or those who love a papeback. I am hosting a giveaway to celebrate Harvey’s inclusion but you can preorder a copy on Amazon. Yes I wrote about this before, I make no excuses for adding a book I know you must not miss!

How to Plot a Book OK What is THIS doing here? Let me explain. Many people who love to read, would also love to write a story for others to read. They are unsure where to start and I discovered something that could inspire you to start. When I write my own cosy mystery I will try this. It’s called the ‘snowflake method‘. It sounds a bit odd but if you read the excellent how-to on Jericho Writers it gives you a way to take those first important steps.

‘Yes’? A Quizzical Tuxedo Portrait

Camera outline on a plain background

This is one of those cat photos that you will look at and smile! I invite you to create a caption for Miranda’s portrait yourself.

Miranda was cleaning her whiskers after breakfast and I happened to be holding my camera. I took a few shots and one of them was this rather quizzical tuxedo look a bit like the look a teacher might give you if you disturb the class!

I can almost see the ‘Yeeees?’ in her Professor McGonagle look!

Miranda Portrait Settings

  • ISO 200
  • 50 mm
  • f5.6
  • 1/15

Toulouse Update

He has cystitis and has been on medication this past week – Buprelieve (painkiller) and Clavomox (antibiotics). He finishes the medicine today.

Harvey’s Story Will Steal Your Heart

Banner showing a book cover and shadowy photographs of cats

We have some exciting news this week!

Harvey’s story, and my first published short story, has been accepted for the anthology ‘Purrseverance – Inspiring Stories of Cat Resilience and Hope‘ and will be published on 11th April 2024. You can order your own copy of the ebook on Amazon (Kindle) or BookBaby.

Paper copies of the book are available on Amazon (Affiliate link).

Portrait of white cat after a pinnectomy
An extraordinary cat who taught me so much.
Closeup of a young Siamese cat face, with blue eyes.
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