One of my favorite things to do in the morning is curl up in a comfy chair with a view of the woods, blank notebook in hand, hot tea at the ready. If I'm just gazing outdoors to a peaceful view, my thoughts can naturally wander and I can (usually) come up with a new idea or two. But sometimes, as I'm looking out at the woods, I suddenly realize that somebody is looking back at me--a deer, or two, or three! They blend in remarkably well. Even Delilah can sleep through some of their secretive visits!
I'm half-Swedish but I know far too little about my Swedish roots, so I've been studying all kinds of Swedish things lately. I love the simplicity of Swedish design. The following shots of leaves remind me of the Swedish aesthetic: crisp and pure and uncluttered.
The golden leaf below reminded me of a potato chip...maybe I was just hungry for lunch?
The shot below was my favorite picture of the week. I think it's very "Swedish country-style" with its clean, red color against a neutral backdrop.
Oh my goodness, the LEAVES! Even Delilah can't get enough of the fall foliage, as you can see in the photograph above. The colors are so vibrant and gorgeous, it got me to thinking: Why should flowers get all of the prime real estate in the vases? So, here's how I decorated the house this week, in a completely free and effortless way: leaf bouquets!
With leaf bouquets, there's no need to change the water before it gets all gross and goopy (something I really dislike about keeping cut flowers in vases) because there is no water! When the leaves pass their peak indoors (usually, within a day or two), I just let them flutter out the front door. See? Effortless!
Do you remember in that Steve Martin movie, L.A. Story, when Mary Lou Henner's character was telling the other women that before you leave the house, you should glance in the mirror and take off one piece of jewelry? Same idea for arranging leaf bouquets: As soon as it starts looking too "decorated", take something out.
And not all of your autumn bouquets need to be orange, yellow, and red. Evergreens also look quite pretty in the fall, so you can show them some love, too!
But really, the main thing about leaf bouquets is just to have fun with them...
P.S. Don't forget to mull some hot apple cider with sliced oranges, so the whole house smells as good as it looks!
How 'bout you? Do you switch up your decor with the seasons?
Lately I've been reading so many truly lovely blog posts about family, it's been making me feel all mushy-gushy-lovey-dovey inside! So, I thought I would share the delicious mushiness with you here, in a round-up of posts--some funny, some poignant, but all about family. This is one of my very favorite Joyful Reads editions; I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I did. (As always, if you leave comments for the writers on their posts--and why not?--please tell them I sent you their way!)
From Bringing Up Bella (because dogs are an essential part of the family as far as I'm concerned, and rescue dogs are my very favorite breed): You've come a long way, baby
When I was a little girl, I loved to read my big sister's magazines, and one of my favorite columns was in Seventeen--the "How to Do Anything Better Guide." It was a big hodge-podge of little articles to improve your skills at everything from "how to cook an egg" to "how to land a summer job." There's something I still love about advice articles. I'm still that little sponge, eager to soak up tips on how to do anything better. In that spirit, here's a round-up of posts to improve random sections of your life--enjoy!
Every time I take my velvety-eared dog, Delilah, out for one of her many walks, I get some beautiful views--my neighbors are some very skilled gardeners, that's for sure! Finally, I decided to just ask a few of them whether they'd mind if I poked around in their gardens with my camera. Turns out they were flattered! (I love my neighborhood...)
So, for "My Week in 5 Photos", here's just a tiny, little peek into those gardens. In the weeks ahead, I'll share more photographs from my garden tours--you can thank my neighbors for the pretty views!
Turns out my neighbors' dogs are a friendly bunch, too! Here's one little cutie, below, having a peek through the window at my photo shoot in her garden. I liked how she was almost camouflaged by the reflection of the outdoors...
I'm thankful that I live in a neighborhood with kind neighbors. And kind neighbors with beautiful gardens? For me, that's one version of paradise.
Would love your feedback on this: I've had a few recent inquiries about running my nature photography e-course in the fall. (The summer session is running right now and enrollment is closed.) I hadn't planned on running the course again until March 2015. However, if you think you might be interested in taking a fall course this October (which would be lovely, considering the foliage!), please let me know (either in the comment section below or by email at[email protected]) and I'll consider scheduling one in. Thanks!
On Sunday, we met up with high school friends in the city for lunch, where we also met this affectionate and adorable chihuahua having a water break outside the restaurant. Scout gamely posed for several pictures in between belly rubs. I liked this profile shot, which captures the spark in his eyes.
Isn't it funny how we can spend just moments with a furry, feisty little creature and it can completely captivate our hearts?
Want to learn how to take better pictures of animals and nature? You can, for less than $10 per lesson! If you have a digital camera (any type, including a smart phone) but don't know how to really use it to its fullest creative potential, registration is now OPEN for my July photography e-course, "How to Take Better Photos of Nature and the World Around You." Even if you have a full-time job, you'll be able to take this online class at your own pace. Click here for details!
Years ago, when I was taking a photography class and we were shooting on slide film, the instructor told us that Fuji film leaned towards green tones and Kodak film leaned towards blue tones. Well, it's looking very, very "Fuji" around here lately!
It's not just the colors that are more concentrated. The scent of everything blooming at once is wafting through the air, intoxicating us. On every breeze, a new fragrance! Delilah can't get enough of it...
My daughter and her sweet friend made themselves a "Secret Picnic" under the hedges...
When they were finished with their picnic, they made the grown-ups a "Surprise Snack" of whole wheat bread topped with frosting, chocolate chips, marshmellows, and sprinkles. A surprise indeed...
By the end of the week, my favorite flowers started popping up everywhere...
Want to learn how to take better pictures of your week? Only 3 more days for the early birdregistration discount on my online photography course, "How to Take Better Photos of Nature and the World Around You." Save $15 when you enroll before midnight on Sunday! This e-course will run from July 14-25, 2014. Click here for all the details!
For the past 25 weeks (wow--time flies crazy-fast!), Friday's been the day that I post Joyful Reads for the Weekend, and while I'll continue to collect and share thought-provoking pieces from super-talented writers, I also want things to stay fresh and new around here.
So, I'm adding a new Friday feature: "My Week in 5 Photos." It'll be a way to share what I've been noticing...studying...appreciating, in this little corner of the world.
I'm not dropping Joyful Reads, but I'm not going to adhere to a strict Friday schedule, either. I want to go where the whim of the week takes me! If I find five fabulous posts that I cannot wait one more week to share with you, you'll see them here. And if I take five photos that perfectly encapsulate the week, that's what you'll see. Deal?
(And by the way, yes, I know this post has six photos--I'm bad at math, but not that bad! I just needed a pretty pic to lead off the post.) So, here goes...
1) Right after Lilacs, I think Bleeding Hearts are my favorite flowers. Those mini heart shapes...oh my goodness! So sweet...
2) I continue to be amazed by ants and their...antics (too much? I couldn't resist!). Here's one guy bridging the gap...
3) I knew that peaches had fuzz, but tomatoes? News to me! Macro lenses can be very educational...
4) I know we're not supposed to "covet thy neighbor's stuff", but just look at this tree! I covet my neighbor's tree. Can you blame me?
5) While it may look like my daughter is crying in this picture, she was actually just "having a think" in the warm sunshine. Always a good way to spend a quiet afternoon...
On Monday, I'll be opening registration for my second online photography course, "How To Take Better Photos of Nature and the World Around You", which will run from July 14-25. Stay tuned for all the details! (If you already wrote to tell me you're interested, you'll get all the details this weekend!)
Connect with me on Google+, where I share brand-new photographs (almost) daily.
As a photographer, I'm all about focusing. It's strange, though, how hard it is for us to really focus consistently on the things that matter the most. How easy it is for us to get distracted by little things that cloud the Big Picture. The following posts focus on that problem from some different angles--take a look:
I was at a conference last summer (BlogHer '13) with five thousand other women (plus about twenty token men, brave souls!) and nearly three times that figure in smart phones, laptops, iPads, Blue Tooths...you name it, those women were WIRED, and I'm not talking about the coffee. (I'm including myself in that figure, with iPad and iPhone in tow.)
I hadn't been to a professional conference in years, so I was genuinely shocked at the collective Attention Deficit Disorder in the conference hall, where very few people looked at the speakers for longer than two minutes straight. Sure, many attendees were typing notes from the lectures on their MacBooks. But they were also busy Tweeting, Friending, texting, snapping photos of each other, and updating their blogs during the keynotes. One attendee was using her laptop to order shoes from Zappos. (I kid you not.)
The Zappos customer wasn't the most surprising tech-addict in the bunch. No, I'd give that title to one of the panelists, who was texting while she was sitting on the stage and another panelist was talking. Updating her Twitter feed or texting her nanny? I don't have the answer. I only know that I found it jarring to see somebody on the stage paying more attention to her phone than to her audience. This isn't a critique of BlogHer, because it turns out (from talking to others about this subject) that this is the norm for conferences these days--even conferences that aren't inherently about internet-based careers. Low attention span mixed with hyper-connectedness is just a given.
But why are we hyper-connected these days, online more than we're offline? I have a few guesses. Do any of the following ring true for you?
We're bored. The people online might be more interesting than the people we're with.
We need a crutch in social situations. It's hard to make conversation with strangers.
We're programmed to be multi-taskers and don't like wasting time by "just sitting there."
We're afraid of missing something. ("FOMO" is the new term for "Fear of Missing Out.")
We crave some instant validation of the online variety, that little "thumbs-up" that we're doing something smart, creative, funny, or envy-inducing.
There was a popular "Hippie" phrase back in the 1970's: "Be Here Now", coined by Ram Dass, a spiritual leader. It seems like we could use more of that mindset today, don't you think?
More mindful focus, less mindless distraction.
Not giving anybody in our presence the idea that "you're my second choice."
Because the more our eyes are glued to a screen, the less likely we're having a focused conversation.
...Or reading something more meaningful than the latest celebrity gossip.
...Or taking a walk in the park and really noticing our natural surroundings.
...Or just plain old daydreaming, which I happen to think is a very worthwhile, highly undervalued thing to do.
As a blogger who needs to be connected to a screen while I work, this is an ongoing struggle for me. But I'm trying to keep it all in balance. I'm trying (and sometimes failing) to "Be Here Now."
Don't get left out in the cold! Register now for my March photography e-course, "How to Take Better Photos of Nature and the World Around You."Learn more and register here.
Don't get left out in the cold! Register now for my March photography e-course, "How to Take Better Photos of Nature and the World Around You."Learn more and register here.
Don't get left out in the cold! Register now for my March photography e-course, "How to Take Better Photos of Nature and the World Around You."Learn more and register here.
