friday

This is what my dog, Scout, looks like when he's happy. All he needs is a patch of grass and a little ray of sunshine.

a crustacean

Sea creatures intrigue me.  There's something almost ethereal about them because they are able to live in water their entire lives. They also look so sleek.  My goal for my portfolio has been to shoot more raw fish, but when I saw these crabs at the market, I couldn't resist.  While they smelled pretty horrible, their colors and shapes kept me inspired to shoot them until I was satisfied.

jane reaction blog

  I am so happy that a month ago I found Erin Jane Riley's blog, Jane Reaction. I was instantly drawn to her crisp, clean, & incredibly creative design aesthetic and lost myself going through past posts.  She is a wonderfully talented young woman whose posts are well-written, interesting, fun, and thought provoking. The above design is just one example of her extraordinary work.
  Once a week, Jane writes a post called "Need, Read, Greed." I'm honored to be featured for this week's post! Check it out on her blog and I dare you to not fall in love with it.
  Thanks, Jane!

dogwoods

 

One of my favorite parts about coming back home is getting to be around lush green trees.  My favorites are all the dogwoods that show up as pretty white dots amongst the other greenery.

sweet pink branches

This is a detail outtake I took at a wedding I was assisting in Serenbe, GA.  It was the perfect weather day for the couple--not too hot, not too humid.  The sun was out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.  The bride's wedding bouquet was made up of pink, yellow, and orange ranunculi with one white poppy.  This tree was outside the house that she got dressed in and I felt like it summed up the mood of the day: sweet, pink, airy, and happy.

thumbnail time

Before I graduated from my portfolio school, we had a class that was dedicated to the flow of our final work.  Our teacher, who is very skilled at what she does, had us bring in "thumbnails" of our work and helped us sort through them. She told us to think about the flow of colors, shapes, and the subject matter of our pieces.  It's not always an easy task, but it's very helpful to do and well worth the time & effort.

cows

About three years ago, my family took a trip to Minnesota.  While we were there we had the pleasure of going to the Minnesota State Fair & attend A Prairie Home Companion, which is my favorite radio program. At the fair, I was really drawn to these cows. I think they are beautiful creatures and look pretty wise & peaceful while they stand around and chew their cud.

flower house

This is my current collection of flowers.  The Hyacinths have made a nice addition due to their slight aroma.  A table full of these beauties is the best way to begin Spring.

the roast

  I've been on this health kick since the beginning of the year.  It's not that I've not had a healthy diet before, it's just that I've been reading a lot more food magazines and food blogs that inspire me to put even better food in my belly.  By no means am I a chef or aspiring to be.  I cook the way my mother cooks--by intuition.  If it seems like if should be roasted, do it.  Seasoning? Whatever is on hand.  Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing, but I enjoy it.
   My favorite "dish" to cook right now is quinoa topped with roasted radishes, zucchini, carrots, and mushrooms. And to top off those toppings, I squeeze on some lemon juice and sprinkle feta cheese on top.

delicates

These pastel little beauties are the newest flowers that are keeping my apartment looking spruced up and nice.  I'm not sure what they are called, but when I saw them at the Dekalb Farmer's Market I knew I needed to have them.  I like how delicate they look in the white milk glass vase.  It's like having my own personal springtime inside--without all of the pollen.

the dregs

While I was sipping on my green tea yesterday afternoon, I noticed how the sunlight made the last bit of tea look so delicious & vibrant. 

felt

I picked up these colorful felted balls at my mom's yarn store a couple of weeks ago.  My plan is to string them onto some hemp and make a necklace out of it. 

bottenhorn

My grandmother had the prettiest silverware and hand painted plates.

nines

Around this time last year, my mom & I made a trip out to Portland, OR (or most commonly and "hipply" known as PDX).  We had the privilege of staying at The Nines hotel.  It is such a cool and very modern place.  These are a few details from our room--chair is on the left and beautiful folded hanging curtains on the right.

graphic pop

Much to my dismay, the Irises & Tulips that I bought last week didn't survive for very long in my apartment.  They had a solid 2.5 days of being vibrant & lively, but on day 3 I saw the wilting begin on the Iris.  The once smooth petals got wrinkled and began to slump over.  Here's one last image of them, pre-wilting.

nostalgia

These are the glasses I used to drink milk out of when I was a kid.  I remember that I used to have the task of pouring the milk for my brothers and myself, which meant I also got to pick which animal we would all have for the night.  I think that I always chose the rabbit or hippo for myself while I gave my older brothers the frog and squirrel. 

sunburst

Now that we are well into March and have sprung forward in time, I'm ready for some warm, spring sunshine.  Go away rain!

mandarins

I couldn't resist these mandarins when I saw them at the store.  They looked so delicious and sweet with their little stems still on them.  They taste as good as they look & make for quite a refreshing snack.

irises

tulips

Even though the weather down here has been incredibly bizarre-- one day 50 degrees & rain, next day 73 degrees sunny, repeat-- there's definitely a note of spring in the air. Tulips, Irises, Gerber Daisies, and other lovelies are in the grocery stores & ready to settle into a vase at home.  I picked up a mixed bouquet of Irises + Tulips yesterday and enjoyed spending my afternoon photographing them and dreaming of the spring that's around the corner.

stacatto

This is Shi Bui's yarn "Stacatto."  It's a beautiful, light weight yarn that is suitable for those of us that live in the south to knit with year round.  This is a snap shot I took while I was photographing Creative Yarns' latest ad. 

morning date

One of my new favorite things to do is to go out for breakfast--on a weekday.  Breakfast is easily one of my favorite meals because it's such a simple meal that can easily be jazzed up by a few extra ingredients. Oh, and I love coffee.  I took this image at Radial Cafe in Atlanta.  It's a really cool place and has some exceptional food. 

izzi

 I was shooting some Izzi beverages and was delighted by how pretty the colors are inside of faceted glass.  It's like looking through a kaleidoscope!

three cents

I was going through some of my grandmother's old things and found this letter.  These stamps are so vibrant and beautiful--and three cents to mail a letter?! The good old days indeed.

white washed

My home seems to be filled with wilting flowers these days.  They are still trying to hang on to their petals and I'm still trying to hang on to their fading colors.

gravitational pull

The exquisite pattern of fallen blossoms.