My Thankful List (you might be on it!)

I know it's not Thanksgiving yet but I'll be too stuffed to write anything tomorrow...just got back from vacation in Florida where I took the above pic from the car window. Don't you just love those rays the sun sends down as you're driving home on some ordinary day?
Anyway, here is my short list for now...
I am thankful for....
* nature's beauty ..nature can always center you when you're lost * my awesome Etsy customers who give me such kind and positive feedback on my work...you could purchase art from thousands of people and you chose me- thank you!! * Phoebe and Roxie, my ever present and always loving kitties * Joe, my coworker who can make me laugh in the midst of a torturous day * FPOE, the female photographers group that is always sharing information and triumphs and helping me grow as an artist and through which I have met some wonderful people * my cousin's new twins, premature but growing chubbier every day...they are so brave * my warm bed on a ridiculously cold New England night (and my wood burning fireplace, too *  slow cooker chili * nice people at the supermarket * my photo lab lady *  hulu, I can watch whatever shows I want, whenever I want to * my blog followers who take the time to read about my crazy life * my family who loves me unconditionally and whom I appreciate more with each day  :)
I'm sure I missed a thousand other things but for now that's what I'm thinking of.....I hope you all get to spend this holiday with your friends and family, too...:))

Flickr faves

Happy Friday!

 1. DSC_0140, 2. At the Tip #2, 3. Untitled, 4. 8.19, 5. Yes!!!, 6. Cinderella, 7. “Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music.”, 8. One or Many Trees, 9. My Little Picasso

A lesson in Joy, from Maggie May the dog

I want to use my post today to bring attention to a cause dear to my heart- animals. I recently learned that a member of my online photography team, Joy, was struggling to pay some exorbitant vet bills for her beloved friend, companion, muse (and even model!) Maggie May.  There are not many among us who would not do everything they could for their companion animals- but their story is particularly special and more complex than a simple blog post could communicate.  

Above: A Day at the Beach", by Joy St. Claire

 In short, Maggie May is Joy’s best friend, going wherever she goes, intertwining her lovely doggie self into Joy’s gorgeous photography, and acting as her whole family.  In addition to her fame on the internet and on Joy’s Etsy shop of fine art photography, this free-spirited Lab/ Greyhound mix has been giving back to the community for years. She has been featured on animal calendars to raise money for rescue groups, and she was also a therapy dog, visiting local hospitals,  and helping heart patients recover from surgery and treatment. Despite being in two different homes and two animal shelters by the age of 1, Maggie has forgived and forgotten her tough start in life. Joy says that Maggie can be seen around Central Ohio "with her head hanging out the car window" on any given day.

Maggie May has been helping and lending her love to society; now it is time to help her back! After a bout of pancreantitis and complications, she is recovering and eating again and getting back to being her old,playful self. Joy has spared nothing in making sure her best buddy was saved. In the meantime, Joy is left with supporting her health care and recovery which involved hospital stays and lots of medication.  

Above: "Diva Dog", by Joy St. Claire

I recently read a great article about spending money on things that bring you joy, in the August issue of Oprah magazine. Author Martha Beck says, about spending $12,000 to give her beloved golden retriever Bjorn knee replacement surgery, "I paid [for them] without a second thought...Bjorn is to me what diamonds are to whoever wrote that song...a girl's best friend." 

 Above: "Party Girl", by Joy St. Claire

Says Joy, on her Etsy shop, "We love our pets. The quote by Anatole France sums it up perfectly: 'Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened.' I like to say that Maggie and I rescued each other. We learned to trust together, we learned about gaining confidence together, and we learned that patience and love can conquer much."

Joy already donates portions of her sales from Etsy to aide the Gulf Coast oil spill recovery, but from now until the vet bills are paid all sales must go toward Maggie’s veterinary care.  Will you take a moment to reflect on the special partnership that our companion animals share with us, and visit Joy’s awesome photo shop to appreciate the beauty she sees in life? With every purchase you’ll be helping Joy and Maggie May recover- in health and finance.  And you’ll be adding  an original piece of beautiful, affordable art to your home that will have a very special meaning that you’ll remember every time you see it. There is nothing better. 

P.S. Joy's photography shop page can be found here...prepare to be lost in dreamy light and the beauty of simple things.  

Featured on...

When I first started sharing my work online I got so excited when someone said anything nice or re-posted my website on their blog- and I still do! I try to follow any of my online mentionings, they make me so happy. Here are some recent sighting from some of my favorite people...

Caitlin Brookes, of The Paper Butterfly, featured me in the first of many mini-interviews entitled "Where you Live". She administrates this article on the Female Photographers of Etsy blog, where you can read more about each photographer, where they live in the world, how their environment inspires them- and how it relates to their pictures. Read my interview here!

Jan at Poppytalk is running the beautifully themed "Summer Colors Week" on her awesome blog featuring beautiful art, decor and handmade items. She featured my "Allium" photograph in this gorgeous green mosaic of work (above, bottom row, 5th pic.)

She also showed my "Summer Savoy" print, for sale in my Etsy shop, in her Green Preview.

Vicki Dvorak, of Simply Hue - Artist Spotlights blog, has started a flickr pool for her weekly Creative Challenge. Last week's challenge was "Simple"- the simple pleasures of summer. She picked one of my photos for her lovely website! I'd been following her work for ages- she was even featured in the latest magazine issue of Artful Blogging, one of my fave reads!  Below, the featured pic.  Note: some people might notice that this pic was used in my latest blog banner- the original photograph had two cherry stems sticking out of the basket with no cherries attached. That's because I ate them. Seriously. Anyway, I used the clone stamp tool in Photoshop, as well as the healing brush, to erase out the empty stems and blend them with the green blurry background. This was my first time using the clone stamp and healing brush, and I loved it! The specific area I edited was at the edge of the basket where the furthest to the right cherry sits.
Can you even tell I erased or changed anything? 

Every Monday our team blog posts a new themed Mosaic featuring the work of our over 250 photographers. Here are some recent mosaics I was honored to be seen in:

Beautiful Butterfly mosaic- featuring "Resting Place", bottom center.

Summer Seaside Dreams mosaic, featuring "Dennisport", top, center.


Finally, here are some gorgeous Etsy Treasuries I'm featured in, curated by the lovely Etsians listed below!

I'll Meet You There, curated by Prairie Primitives - muted, haunting beach scenes

The Only Thing Better Than Chocolate, curated by Ceejay60 - seaside dreams...

She Sells Sea Shells, curated by jennyndesign - seashell themed ties, jewelry, cards, and more

Seaside with Etsy, curated by BucktoothedBunny - Coastal finds, pics, jewelry, home decor and more

Minimalism: T-challenge, curated by DawnCorrespondence - serene minimalist decor items

Treasury Hunting, Making, and Shopping on Etsy!

Especially when browsing through the many treasuries of goodies curated by other fellow Etsians! Now, making them is the fun part (well, ok shopping is the fun part) but here are three lovely treasuries full of goodies for you to check out...
Click the URL links for the live treasuries and see the images below for inspiration...

Here's an all-FPOE Treasury that I created called "Road Trip USA"! Can you tell I'm dying to hit the road??

And, (shamelessly,) here are two that I'm featured in....
The Beauty of Greece:

 and this lovely Birthday Wish list! :

Featured: Rachel Ballard, of Moonflowers photography

Today's ambush is the kind I LOVE. The kind where I find (somehow) an undiscovered-to-me artist and Etsy shop that I end up really adoring! The lucky victim is Rachel Ballard of Chicago, whose beautiful Etsy photography shop Moonflowers was an instant fave.

Rachel is a self-professed camera addict, and she uses both digital and film to create the dreamy moods of everything from fabric and antique thread spools to surreal beach scenes. But my absolute faves are her Carnival series! You would not believe the color that a Polaroid film can show- even as a scanned print. And I love that the photos have the quality you would remember a picture of the carnival to have- summery, slightly faded skies but vibrant flags and stands. I can almost taste the doughboys! Here are some of my faves!

Visit Rachel's blog to learn more about her and her beautiful, unique way of seeing the world.

Ambush Victims - Cassia Beck & Mandy Bryant

I love this idea that my Etsy team, (Female Photographers of Etsy) came up with. It's called an Ambush, and every few weeks a "victim" is chosen and everyone goes shopping in their Etsy shops, blogs about them, and generally makes them feel good for a day or so. Not only is it nice to do, it's fun to have an excuse to shop...:)
I'm running a bit behind, so I must mention our last ambush was Cassia Beck, owner of two lovely shops: Cassia Beck  and Lola's Room! I purchased a vintage, summery, sunshiney postcard set from Cassia which had prints worthy of framing. Swoon! See below!

I can feel the sun already. And today's victim is Mandy Bryant, recently featured in F-stop magazine, whose slightly surreal, dreamy, vintage-processed pieces are pure heave. Her shop is called The Light Fantastic, and that's a great description, as all her pieces have an ethereal, warm light to them. I love the dreamlike images of girls and balloons and the idea of escape and hiding that she conjures, such as in the piece below "Don't See Me."

The best thing about these two talented ladies is that their work is not only totally original and beautiful, it's affordable! Check out their shops and see what I mean.

I love being able to support the talented photographers of fPOE, it feels so good to give back to the artist community...and live in a dream for a day (or forever, if you're lucky enough to own a piece.) :)

Me and Elsie

Well, this is my first post to my new blog. I was inspired to start one after reading through all the beautiful pages of the ladies of fPOE, Female Photographers of Etsy.
I plan on using this as a guide to inspire myself. And maybe others. With my new camera, Elsie, I feel like all the beauty I've ever seen around me comes to life, the way I want it to, the way I always wished I could remember it later when thumbing through photos (or, ten years later, clicking through them.) I'm inspired to go places I've driven by but never stopped at. To see things I never looked that closely at. To edit pieces and not be afraid because sometimes it needs a little reworking to bring out its best features.
Secondarily, I've been featuring my items on Etsy for the last few months. I started with jewelry and hope my photo shop will be as fun and as successful. Just thinking about people enjoying my photos on their walls makes me smile. I live in such a beautiful place and get to travel to the most amazing sites. I am so lucky!