Blog Your Blessings........Tuesday

I am a bit late with my Blog Your Blessings Sunday post, but I wanted to post anyway. I have been so happy to see the dogwood trees coming into bloom. Their lacy silhouettes make the woods look magical. They are one of the things I really missed while we lived in California (along with lightning bugs).


Read more about Blog Your Blessings here.

Another hint! Can you guess what I am reading?

Wordless Wednesday (well, almost wordless)

Any guesses as to what I am reading?

Blog Your Blessings

"They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions," said Atticus, "but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience." -Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird (easily in my top three favorite books of all time)


Today's Blog your blessings post encompasses several of my favorite things - birds, photography and books. All three bring such joy to my life, I feel grateful every day.

Have a wonderful Sunday! ♥, allie



Read more about Blog Your Blessings here.

Included in a poppy post on the great blog, Etsy Stalker!

Wow! This morning, I awoke to an Etsy conversation from Curator Violet, the author of the incredibly fun blog, Etsy Stalker , letting me know that my "spring flowers" photograph had been included in a post about poppies. Please stop by and have a look at Violet's blog - she features many etsy artists daily - I have found so many new favorites there. She also writes with wit, and sometimes a bit of sarcasm, which I love! Thank you again, so much, Curator Violet, for this honor! I truly appreciate it very much!

Blog Your Blessings

I stumbled on a great photography blog by Frederick Olsen, Jr.. His blog, NY Nitty Gritty , features many interesting and beautiful images from New York and his home state of Alaska. I thoroughly enjoyed his photography - his images are beautifully composed and many include a bit of humor.

One of the features of his blog I found interesting and challenging was a feature called Blog your Blessings. You may read more about Blog Your Blessings here. Briefly, this project is about taking notice of the beauty all around us, spreading happiness, bringing a smile to someone's face. Basically, some good stuff in an often overwhelmingly negative world. Your post may be just a photo, similar to a Wordless Wednesday, or may be as lengthy as you want it to be. I am excited to begin this challenge and plan to make it a weekly feature on my blog.


For my first entry, I am posting some B&W photos of flowers I have taken recently. I love color photos - especially of flowers - their colors are miraculous. I also, though, enjoy editing the images, and feel that the black and white often shows off the flower's structure and detail in an interesting and dramatic way. Everywhere I look, there are flowers and buds opening up. There is something new to notice every day. I feel blessed to be able to witness this awakening. I hope that you enjoy these photos - I had so much fun creating them!


Have a terrific Sunday! :), allie

What a nice surprise!

Shhhh! No one else is awake, so I am trying to get some work done before those little feet hit the floor!

As I was looking through the posts from blogs I follow, I found this award from Celtic Cat Photos, an incredible etsy seller and very talented photographer! (You may check out her etsy shop here. Be sure to stop by - you will be glad that you did!) I feel very honored to have been included!

Here are the rules:List 7 things that you love and then pass the award on to 7 people...tagging them and letting them know they won! You can copy the picture of the award and put it on your sideboard letting the whole wide world know you are KReATIV!

Ok,

1. My sweet family - my husband and our four wonderful children - I have been greatly blessed.
2. God - I see Him all around us. He is my strength.
3. photography - my joy and passion
4. birds - their sweet presence makes my life happier
5. music - U2 and world music top the list, but I have a very eclectic taste in music - we are almost always listening
6. reading! I am a book addict - walking into a bookstore or library is exciting and calming for me. All the possibilities! It feels like home.
7. traveling - I love seeing new places and cultures. The people, the architecture, the foods, the art, the landscapes, the music. Thrilling to see the diversity in this world!

And, I am tagging (Please be sure to check out their fantastic blogs and etsy shops!) :
Handicrafts
ara133photography
Urban Junkies Artist Lounge
Julie Magers Soulen
Karrie Welborn Photography
mkc photography by Michelle Ciarlo-Hayes
Rareimage Photography

Thank you so much, again, Celtic Cat!

Hope you all have a great day! allie

And the winners are........

Thank you so very much to all of you who entered my 5x7 print giveaway! I truly appreciate your reading and participating, and it was fun to read about your favorite seasons and why they are your favorites! I was surprised that fall was the most popular, but I definitely understand - it is my favorite, with spring a very close second.

So without further ado.......drum roll, please..........

In third place, and winner of a greeting card of her choice, is earth baby (visit her incredible etsy shop here)!

In second place, and winner of this little magnet set, is Julie Magers Soulen (See more or her amazing photography in her etsy shop here.)!


And the grand prize winner, of a 5x7 print of her choice from my etsy shop ("giving", seen below), is MJ!



Thank you all again for participating! Stay tuned for my next giveaway coming up very soon!