Linaloo

The view from behind...

Way back, well may be not so long ago, when I started this blog in September 2007, I decided not to post pictures of my children's faces.  I'm not sure if it really matters from a security perspective but it was more of a privacy issue for them.  I figured they didn't ask to have their photos splashed about in public, plus there's always the potential embarrassment factor as they get older, with a mother who gets excited by buttons, doilies and vintage sheets. 

Anyhow, since then it seems that I have become very adept at taking pictures of the backs of their heads and other bits of their bodies...I have lots of photos like these from a few weekends ago when we had a scorching long weekend.

 
I love that these picture capture a different, and in many ways, a more initimate view than a standard head shot.  Another reason to be grateful for the perspective that blogging provides.

Just because...

..my garden is full of dandelions and they're so beautiful.  Did you know that in French, they're commonly known as pissenlit?  My mother in law blanches their leaves and tosses them in olive oil and lemon juice. Definitely an acquired taste.
I was snapping away like crazy today and managed to capture these fabulous "parachute" shots.

More inspiring dandelion photography here courtesy of Ginny. Her pictures are beautiful and are convincing me that I need a macro lens. 

And for something tasty, how about spruce tip jelly from Jenny? Another inpsiring flickr friend who has recently started blogging. Go check out her beautiful blog about life in Alaska here.

Shadows and silhouettes

Last week, after two and a half years of living with two layers of hideous shiny wall paper, we had our stairwell and landing painted. It's the first time we've hired someone to paint, normally tackling these types of jobs ourselves, but after seeing a professional take two days to grapple with getting the paper down, I'm glad we did.  Now I have neutral, echoey stairwell and a blank canvas to fill, I'm planning a black and white family portrait wall.  Here are the first contenders.

 
  

Despite the many helpful tutorials that likely exist, these were made using a long winded, work-it-out-as-I-go-along process of photographing, printing, tracing, colouring, scanning, photoshop fiddling, printing, swearing, more printing, cropping, shopping (for frames), mounting, assembling and admiring. 

I know.  I made it sound so easy. 

Hopefully we'll get to the hanging part some time soon.

PS The lovely Heather from Shivaya Naturals is taking sign ups for vintage winter swap here. Hurry!

365::2009

Technically, I will fail by 60 photos to complete my 365 photo a day project in 2009.  Realistically, I'm thrilled that I made it that far.   I now have some of my favourite shots on display in my dining room and I also used them to make calendars for family gifts this Christmas too.  Taking a picture a day taught me so much, not only about photography, but  how wonderul it is to be able capture and record the day-to-day moments of my life as it is right now.  Admittedly there were plenty of days when squeezing in a photograph was a burden and downright unappealing, but I'm glad I perservered. 

The picture above never made the final cut, but looking back on all my photos in the last day or two, it's actually a firm favourite. As are these: 
Definitely a successful year for photography.

New to me

A list of new things that are making me happy this week.

I found some excellent non fabric related thrifty scores at la fripe yesterday.  Vintage glass baubles and some bargain milk glass bud vases.  The idea of recycling someone's cast offs never fails to bring a smile to my face.

I am really enjoying the hilarious, very clever and new to me, Tim Minchins (best listened to out of the range of children).  Introduced to me via Monda.  My particular favourite here.

I am being sucked into the geeky side of Ravelry - I've recently spent time logging my knitting needle sizes into my profile details.  Seriously.

I found an amazing new yarn store last week with a friend.  I'm knitting a hat and scarf with Merino (as suggested by owner of said new yarn store when I told him of my aversion to itchy wool) which is so so soft. 

I'm excited about my first ever photography course which started last week, my teacher is amazing.  I have an assignment already.  Still life, shooting in RAW and using a tripod.

Still here

Hello. Thanks for listening.  I'm back.  I've decided to stick around a bit longer as looking through my archives made me realise how many moments I've captured in the past two years that might have otherwise gone unnoticed.  So blogging without obligation continues! It's a beautiful sunny day in Montreal and I've been playing with some macro filters on my camera that my husband dug out from his university days.  There are lots of spiders about at the moment - perfect for macro photography.

    In other news, both my children are now at school. A kindy and a first grader.  I can't quite believe it.  The beginning of a new chapter in all of our lives.  These transitions always take a while I know so I'm letting myself adjust slowly and trying to enjoy the hour or so I'll have free between finsihing work and picking them up from school.

Enjoy your week!

Flickr fun

While reading this post, Kirsten reminded me that I've passed the 100 mark in the 365 photo a day flickr challenge. I seem to have got a little mixed somewhere along the way and missed out a few days here and there during the last few weeks but I'm soldiering on regardless. It's hard to pick out favourites yet, although I'd love to do a blurb book like Claudia's, so here are my most recent three: Conditions were perfect (30C would you believe?!) for more bubbleology today and we mixed up our first batch of homemade bubble juice which turned out pretty good. We used a basic recipe of 1/4 cup of glycerin, 1/2 cup of washing up liquid and 1 cup of water, mixed gently and left overnight. You can leave out the glycerin or subsitute with corn syrup apparently, but the glycerin gives the bubbles a little more staying power so it's worth the extra effort and expense. At the rate we get through this stuff, it works out at about half the price of store bought mixtures.

Just because

...they make me feel happy.

I'm submitting another photo a day to Shuttersisters' One Word Project. My word for the month is bright.

A few of my favourite things...

So the 365 thing is going well so far. These past few days have meant I've finally realised a dream of capturing snowflakes. Seriously I'm like a toddler in a sweet shop - I LOVE them! Aren't they just beautiful?

I need to start saving for a macro lens pronto.

 

I seem to be spending a lot more time on flickr these days as a result and have met some wonderful, new to me bloggers.  If you haven't already, why not pay them a visit:

 

Kristin of Mainemomma who takes the most inspiring photographs

Sonia of Cozy Homemaking so sweet and talented

And most recently Lecia from A Day that is Dessert

 

Happy weekend all!

Re-entry

Today signals re-entry into our normal life here. Children off to school, hubby and I back to work. It’s been a long (almost 3 weeks) and enjoyable break but I’m not very good at just “being” sometimes and like to keep busy.

I whipped up this over the weekend for my little man, not that he really needs another hat. At only four he already has an impressive collection thanks to his paranoid mother who worries that there’ll never be enough hats to combat the harsh Montreal winter. Anyhow – the pattern was a freebie via ravelry. Oh yes, I’ve succumbed. Isn’t it fabulous?

Learning to knit was one of last year’s craft resolutions but I’m not going to be making any more this year. Crafting and blogging without obligation is what I’m aiming for in 2009. The only commitment I’ve made to creativity is to the 365 group on flickr. It’s been six months since I’ve had my beloved camera and I’ve barely picked up the manual. Armed with a better photography book (thank you darling), I will be concentrating on becoming better acquainted with its full range of functionality, posting pictures daily here. Who knows, may be I’ll get some pictures for my walls by the end of the year?