Who is Orange Sink?

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Rice Lake, WI, United States
My home town is Rice Lake, a small town in northern Wisconsin. I own Red House Wool Studio~ an in-home wool and rug hooking business. I enjoy collecting and decorating with antiques and primitives. Orange Sink Blog is a journal of my interests and ramblings about life. Cathy Greschner

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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Thank-You Kind Friends!

Dave and I would like to express our heartfelt thanks for all of your kindness and warm thoughts in our time of loss. Every comment and email has meant the world to us. This has hit Dave especially hard. He is the youngest of three brothers. Larry was the oldest. Dave's mother who is 89 years old is having an especially difficult time and any prayers in her behalf would be deeply appreciated.
Know that we are doing okay and let me express again how important each and every one of you are. Your thoughts and prayers are felt and have eased our pain immensely.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Dave's Brother Larry

It's been a tough week for our family. Dave's brother Larry passed away Tuesday suddenly from an apparent heart attack. There are no words to express our grief. Here is a link to a brief write-up in the Lakeland Times where he was the editor for many years. We loved him dearly. We are drawing comfort this week by sharing and remembering a lifetime of memories.
Here is a link to a brief write-up of his career in the Lakeland Area of Wisconsin. http://www.lakelandtimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=9&SubSectionID=9&ArticleID=11751

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Improving Your Photo Skills~More Tips!






 It's been a little "hairy" around here lately! Literally the two in the photo above will be making a trip to the groomers tomorrow! Watch the stress level go up around here! Theirs and mine! LOL NOT their favorite thing to do. Meanwhile after a trip to the dentist for me where some serious drilling took place, I was informed that I need to have a root canal. The earliest I could get an appointment for that is Sept. 2nd. Yep, right during set-up for the art show in Chippewa! Could be a little tricky. We'll see how that all works out!
So in the meantime I'm on some antibiotics and we're all trying to lay low through one of the hottest August weeks on record around here.  The weather people tell us that by weeks end we should see a little relief.  I know the majority of the country has been suffering too and some without AC!  My prayers and concerns  are that you are being checked on by friends and loved ones.
So, the answer to my tricky question about the photo in my last post!  My apologies if I sort of lost you in my line of thinking!  You did notice that the rug was not finished or truly completed.  But Pat was right when she said that the boys in the photo made it more interesting.  A photo of just the rug on the bench alone would have done the job, but why not create some interest by using a pet or grand child  or showing the rug in some unexpected place.  Pets are sometimes the hardest things to photograph as you have probably experienced.  Take a lot of photos( tip #1) and you will get one lucky shot.
Notice in the dog/rug photo from my last post how the rug is "framed" nicely by the dogs. The rug being the subject and the dogs just framing it.  In this instance it didn't matter that the dogs weren't completely in the photo. In fact it created even more interest by having Max extending out of the photo.  I didn't crop this in photo shop. It was just a lucky shot.
So I guess my second tip for improving your photos is too try and create some interest by framing your subject.  Try taking a few photos in different areas of your home.  Use different "props". People or pets make good interesting things to frame your subject. Use your imagination. And don't be afraid to GET CLOSE while staying in focus.





Sunday, August 8, 2010

Taking Better Photos~ What Bloggers Need to Know!

One of the added benefits I've found with being a rug hooker is the ability to notice colors, form, design, etc., around me with more of an artistic eye. The digital camera has aided this ability greatly and given these aging eyes an opportunity to see things in close-up mode and then study the subjects more intensely. A couple of posts ago I mentioned that I'd be sharing some of my photography tips with you. Now, let it be known that I'm no where near a professional photographer. My husband has taught me a few things along the way and the rest has come with my repeated efforts over the recent years to become a better photographer. So taking a ton of photos would probably be my first tip to those of you wishing to perk up your photography skills a notch or two. In order to accomplish this you need to keep your camera by your side, fully charged and ready to shoot at a moment's notice! My little Canon PowerShot A480 is always sitting nearby and I've begun keeping a supersized package of AA batteries within reach also! With digital camera technology we can delete immediately those blurry or strange photos and keep shooting to our hearts content. Sometimes I have shot fifty or more photos to get one of decent quality. I am learning to edit on my camera though as you don't want to unload thousands of blurry or strange photos needlessly onto the computer.


purple coneflower


purple coneflower
With camera in hand this morning I caught a couple of purple coneflowers in the garden. The slight breeze kept them in motion so I grabbed an old bench I keep near the garden and sat right down and angled the camera so the bird bath became the background. Be aware of the background and how your subject is showing up. A pleasing, soft background is what you're after. You don't want it to distract from your subject. Keep your subject in focus and don't be afraid to GET CLOSE to it. Try to take a few different angles. Sit or lay on the ground and shoot up! See what you get! Now if you're like me the hardest part is getting back up! Sheesh! What I won't do for a great photo! More great tips coming soon so stay tuned!

coneflower purple




Smokey/smile/rug
Smokey and Max showing off my latest rug. What can you tell me about this photo that sets it apart from just another completed rug photo?