Jewels

The earth is like a beautiful bride who needs no manmade jewels to heighten her loveliness. ~Kahlil Gibran

ICE cream cone

Strawberry

Boot & Bird

Drop

Glacier

Glitter

Up

Down

Spot On

Polar Bear

Sliding Sideways

 Have a Beauty ✻ Filled Day.

More Mystery

 A lazy rhythm looms in the dreamy air and the atmosphere pulsates with bygone duels, past-life romance…  ~Bob Dylan

Do you know much about these amoeba like particles that float in the air?

These nearly invisible particles, inside the hexagon, that float and seemingly roam as if they were alive moving on a plane of existence that is only rarely visible?? I see them when I’m sitting quietly inside and the light comes through a window a certain way. I see them when I’m very still, quiet and paying attention to the moment.

When I’m outside and the sunrays create the portal needed to see this magical amoeba dust?? I have not had my camera, until the other day… It was a gorgeous morning and I could easily see the moving particles in the hexagon sun spots. They are tiny clear worm like things?

My guess is that it’s probably some boring sciency answer that might ruin the magical way I feel when the portal opens and I see something rare and strange. They always remind me of Philip Pullman’s fabulous trilogy  His Dark Materials. Have you read these mystical otherworldly adventures?

I want to know as much as I don’t want to know… What the…

Sunrays makes everything looks so dreamy and magical… what a beautiful world we live in.

P.S. It was so fun to read the answers to the challenge in my last post. Many got 5 or 6 out of 7 right! I was most entertained by all the wrong but incredibly creative answers and captions. The crowd favorite was Lisa A’s captions.

Here is what each of the photos actually are…

1. This is pond scum… beautiful pond scum 🙂

2. A few red berries out of focus.

3. Some breakfast potato oil floating on water in a fry pan by the sink.

4. A deflated basketball, now a dog toy, covered in frost.

5. A mushroom spore print. If you’re interested, I’ll share how to make them in the summer.

6. A guy standing on a dock taking a photo.

7. A sappy icicle.

Since no one got all 7 right, I used random.org to generate a choice from all 16 comments. The winner of an 8″x10″ print of your choice is #10, Lady Fi.

Top 10 ?

Little by little one walks far. ~ Peruvian Proverb

I started my blog about a year and a half ago with the thought of sharing creative inspiration. I imagined I’d share some of my mixed media artwork, DIY, and interior design ideas, which I have here and there. But, I’m amazed at the direction I headed after realizing how much I enjoyed taking photos with the camera my husband gave me for my birthday, a Nikon Coolpix P100. Since then, it’s been such a pleasure to experiment with telling visual stories. I seem to feel most at home when I blend my photography & thoughts in hopes of evoking something new in me or you. I’m deeply grateful for your interest and interaction. Thank YOU for the kindness and encouragement.

I’ve decided to end the year by attempting to choose my top 10 photos of 2011.  Ingo Mechmann inspired me to do this, he is a photographer who offers great how to tips on G+. His task is to select a top 10 out of 26K! Having seen some of his portfolio, it surprises me what he chose as his ‘best’ work. I think our audience often differs, and might even be a better judge of what our best work is? With that in mind, I’ve decided to cheat a little and ask for your help if you’re up for it.

Which of these images move you?

Which of these images reminds you of me?

Which of these images would you want to look at for a long time?

May 13, 2011

July 26, 2011

August 14, 2011

September 20, 2011

October 22, 2011

I’m emotionally attached to many of the shots I’ve taken over the year, it’s tougher than I thought to choose what I think are my best shots. I feel strong about these top 5 images above, but the second 5 I’ve yet to narrow down out of these 10 below?

January 27, 2011

June 24, 2011

June 26. 2011

Also July 26. 2011

August 7, 2011

October 7, 2011

October 12, 2011

November 10, 2011

November 20, 2011

December 4, 2011

I think it’s so interesting that we can’t see our own work the way others do. I am so emotionally attached and there are so many variables… the subject, the mood ( mine and sometimes the subjects mood ) the memory of the experience when and where I took the photo, the story I folded the image into, the title I gave the image, etc. All of these things affect my opinion of my artwork. Today I’m just trying to sort a top 10 on the merits of the individual photo?

It just crossed my mind that it’s not fair to have you narrow down only from my top 15, perhaps you feel other images I took in 2011 should fit into the top 10? And perhaps you think some of the above don’t deserve to be in the top 10. Either way, I’d love to know, it’s fun to hear your thoughts.

One of my favorite photos from 2011 did not end up in this exercise. As I reviewed my portfolio, there are many shots that have a soft focus, I seem to like a dreamy otherworldly view of things, but I don’t think many of them are my ‘best’ shots. I still love them but they don’t rank as high in my weird wonderful way of judging myself?? It’s all arbitrary and yet I’m dying to know what you think?

Fairydrop

Raindrops are like fairy whispers.  ~Author Unknown

I think this photo is my favorite shot of 2011, I don’t think it’s my best work but it still makes me smile so much. When I look at this I am reminded of how magical the world is. I can’t believe this little fairy fly stuck around… for 6 frames even! I call it a fairy fly because it reminds me of these ones I found earlier in the fall floating around, it’s hard to see them until their wings catch the rays of sun. I did not see the fairy fly in this photo until I downloaded my shots. I was busy focusing on the beautiful raindrops, it was a like an unexpected magic trick to see this cool little one appear! I love the way the veins in the wings mimic the upside down tree branch reflections.

This year I’ve spent bliss~filled hours discovering tiny treasures in nature, I love that my new camera has given me bionic eyes to see MORE than I can with the naked eye. Each time I wander on my hikes, I know I’ll find something new and interesting to photograph. As the weather gets colder, me and my dog are often the only ones on the trail, but I never feel alone, I feel embraced by the magical world that keep revealing itself in new ways.

Do you have a favorite photo you took in 2011?

May your holiday season be filled with enchantment ❤

P.S. I’ve been listening to PRI podcasts lately and this one on ‘The Uses of Enchantment’ has some great stories about ‘magic as a way of seeing the world’.

Mysterious Influence

… the magic of water, an element which owing to its changefulness of form and mood and colour and to the vast range of its effects is ever the principal source of landscape beauty, and has like music a mysterious influence over the mind. ~ Sir George Sitwell

Gratitude

Open your heart to all these blessings and let them flow through you, then everyone you meet on this day will be blessed by you, just by your eyes, by your smile, by your touch, just by your presence. ~ Brother David Steindl’s

The golden hour yesterday was divine. I took 774 photos on my 2 hour stroll at sunset. It’s days like these that make me feel so lucky to be alive, experiencing nature in all her glory, who else could make dead drying decomposing weeds & grass look so magical.

My friend Barb sent me this 10 minute film on gratitude by Louie Schwartzburg today. I am so grateful that my blog has kept me in touch with her and so many of you who I would have lost touch with if I did not blog. And so many of you who I would not have met if I did not blog. And for those who I get to be present with in my life ~ I am so deeply blessed.

If you have 10 minutes this video is a lovely reminder of how lucky we are to see and experience such beauty. (The quote above is from the film).

Happy Thanksgiving

Is it Really November!?

Flowers… are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty out values all the utilities of the world.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

When I headed out for a hike a few days ago, it was cold, snow flurries here and there and I forgot my walking shoes,  my toes were getting numb in my flimsy fashionable boots. I thought I do a short little walk, but I just can’t help it, I wander. I get lost taking photos and spend so much time immersed in the magic of being outside. An hour can feel like 5 minutes.  In my state of wonder, I was so surprised to stumble upon this purple flower blooming!? Maybe it only blooms when its cold and wet and gray?

And then a moth flew by full of energy, I have not seen a moth or butterfly in weeks, this little guy was full of energy flitting all about like it was the middle of the summer. I was wandering in circles waiting for it to land, it was worth the wait. I love the wings they look like a warm woven poncho with soft fringe.

Each day I hike I keep finding something new to see, to learn, to share… mother nature keeps reminding me that miracles happen all the time.

Have a beauty ✻ filled week.

P.S. I also stumble on this netflix find in the instant queue, have you seen Rivers and Tides? Andy Goldsworthy is an amazing artist working with time. He goes outside day after dreary day and co -creates with nature. I’m so inspired by his work, his focus, his desire to make something beautiful.

Linking with

The Creative Exchange

Random Strangeness

I don’t like standard beauty – there is no beauty without strangeness.  ~ Karl Lagerfeld

I like all kinds of beauty, but there is something about strange beauty that stops me in my tracks. The other day I was in the middle of the woods on a new hike… I turned the corner and this cat… a domestic cat, was just hanging out. It was so weird to see a calm cat in the middle of the forest. It kind of made my day, got me thinking about how strange and wonderful this world is.

I have way too many fall photos and can’t seem to keep up , so I got busy collaging.

I love this nut/seed ? I’m not sure what it is? Do you know? I just adore the shape, color contrast, and bursting seams.

Can you see these little gems? I named them fairy flies, it was tricky to get any of these strange floating bugs to come into focus –

This leaf is amazing, it would take me forever to paint something similar, those lines and textures and colors decaying into a masterpiece ❤

I love this one too, the curls are like a roller coaster ride –

I could not stop taking photos of this color filled moss, I can’t get enough of it –

Lately I feel like a squirrel running all over the woods gathering 100’s of photos hoping to have enough nourishment.

Here are way too many photos of a fat squirrel that reminds me of me –

Beauty in the Bleak

In every man’s heart there is a secret nerve that answers to the vibrations of beauty. ~Christopher Morley

Transparent Transformation

Have you ever noticed that the word “myself” contains the word “elf”? ~ Gwen Bell

I feel like a little elf sometimes when I slip through the forest finding all kinds of creatures, My cousin once commented ‘Do you live in Sherwood Forest?’ I just cracked up, but this week I do feel like I’ve lived in the forest. It’s been magical… the weather is superb, a little bit of summer in October and I’ve been spending way too much time outside.

My favorite find on my daily hikes was this amazing yellow caterpillar at the top of a twig, it’s difficult to shoot caterpillars on the ground so I was just beside myself when I found this little guy so perfectly posed up in the air! BUT, I did not have my camera, I was taking my dog Sunrise for a short walk to the pond, it was lunch time and the lighting in the middle of the day is so harsh for most photos so I headed out without my camera. When I found this fuzzy little wonder in the shade, I RAN back to the house to retrieve what is usually always strapped around my shoulder! I RAN back to the area he was in and it took me forever to find him again. It made me realize how much of a meditation my walks can be, when I’m not looking for the shot, when I’m just wandering in awe of nature, she reveals her treasures, when I’m furiously looking for something in particular ~ no luck. I found this beauty once again after I just sat down and knew my eyes would get there. Can you believe there were still dew drops on him at noon on such a warm day?

Breath Taking

Yellow Fuzz ~ Yellow Reflection

Transparent Transformation

Sniffing

Autumn Daisies

Field of Beans

Autumn Stars

Gray

Autumn Joy

White Whiskers

I don’t want the warmth to end, but it will. Life goes on and the change of season reveals the life and death cycle. I watched the yellow butterfly take its last breaths, it broke my heart, but it seemed to live a long life, the wings were tattered and almost see-through. I’ve heard that we get transparent as we age, which brings us closer to what is beyond ♥

Linking with

The Creative Exchange