inspiration to heal

I have had a sad week with the passing of my beloved grandmother, Mama Cherie. She was a beautiful, caring and creative lady who is sadly missed. In the last week our family has been reflecting on her life, her influence and I guess legacy we have all inherited. She was a very talented illustrator and we always received hand drawn birthday and Christmas cards, which we all tried to copy. I truly believe it is from her and also my mum (her daughter) that I have such a passion for creativity and especially illustration. It was with this knowledge I set about being creative. I had registered for this years Photo 5 competition run by Canon in Australia. Here is my post from last year. The idea is that you receive a box with 5 briefs to create an image from. There are props and a tutorial from the judge of each brief. I love macro photography and so the eye dropper brief was my choice.

This brief is asking you to use your lens to look closer. Use the eye dropper to place drops of liquid in any arrangement you want. You can use a single drop, or as many drops as you like.
And you’re not limited to just water - feel free to use liquids of different colours and consistencies, such as milk or tomato soup. Just make sure you get close.

My grandma was a fan of lavender and always had at least one lavender bush growing. We have a lovely bush in our front garden which has just begun it's springtime bloom. I snipped a few flowers a got creating! I thought of the idea of the beautiful colours in nature and how we try and recreate them in art. I decided to depict a "Leaking Lavender" which is giving up it's beautiful colour ready to paint with. Here are some of my shots and then the one I entered into the competition...

I had a lot of fun mixing the right shade of 'lavender' purple and then delicately placing the drops onto the flowers. I also loved playing with my lovely SLR camera! I have also found that the natural light in our dining room makes for a great photography 'set'. I could control the light levels with the blinds and curtains too!

It was tricky picking the final photo, but I settled on this one as I loved the the 2 drops - the one still on the flower is being gently hugged by the petal! I also liked the stem curling off in the background. The entries for this brief closed last night and you can view entries gallery over here at World of EOS.

a little peace and quiet

I'm in search of peace and wellbeing at the moment so I was thrilled when I found myself staring and exhaling at the beautiful images of Samantha Lane.

 {all images from Samantha Lane on Flickr}

Do you see what I mean? Don't you just want to dive into these moments of sunny afternoon loveliness! The lovely Samantha hails from Hobart, Oklahoma and manages to capture little snippets of her life in her beautiful images. These were exactly what I wanted to see and dream of yesterday evening when I came across her Flickr photostream. Her farm is called Early Bird Acres and you can read all about her adventures and also her latest creative projects on her blog of the same name.
Samantha has also published some books of her photos and sells postcards and other lovely prints in her shop.
Here is some more loveliness from Samantha Joelle Honey Lamb - even her name is super sweet!

  

Don't you want to pack your bags and head for Early Bird Acres to have a picnic with Sam? If we can't make the long journey, we can always live through the pages of her book 'The Perpetual Picnic".
Life looks pretty good!

Friday Fun!

It's Friday so let's find something fun... Even though the weekend is nearly here, I still needed a pick-me-up today. I'm happy to have stumbled across the very talented Ben Heine's Pencil vs Camera series on Flickr

Pencil vs Camera 29

I love this picture for both the scenery in the photo and the extra 'story-book' life fun the illustration adds. It also looks so simple, but is so masterfully composed. I love the way the road curls away off into the distance.

Pencil vs Camera 30 

Another great shot enhanced with loads of fun!

Check out the full range of Ben's Camera vs Pencil work here on Flickr

So happy Friday - let's all try and have some creative fun this weekend!

collectables

A little while ago I shared my family trait of collecting things and was inspired to create beautiful images of my mums great collections. Today I thought I would share more, creative people who turn hoarding into beautiful pieces of art. It is difficult as someone who loves objects, to maintain a balance between tasteful amounts of things and a house full to the brim with bits and pieces that need dusting.

The self proclaimed human magpie, Jenn from Quercus Designs has the most amazing eye for collecting objects and then preserving them in beautiful images, like the one above of sea glass.

Jenn has found an outlet as well and sells both the subjects and photographs of her collections through an etsy store. This one above, Beachcombing Series No8 is for sale currently as are bits of sea glass. I love the idea of spending a day out beachcombing and coming home with little goodies to turn into art.
Here are a few more creative collectors that are amongst my flickr faves.

I love this nautical themed image by bricolagelife. Another collector who collects and creates - check out the Flickr gallery here and etsy store here

These lovely objects were destined for an eco-friendly mobile by Yummy!INK but at the same time make a wonderful image.

Another sea collection, I really like the composition by Camilla Engman. I particularly like the little aqua cross in the top right. Check out more of her organised collections here on flickr.
Finally, a non-sea collection but super pretty and girly.

Described as a " lovely collection of girly, nostaligic treasures" this print is from The Light Fantastic etsy store. This resonates with me as I have my old ballet shoes hidden away somewhere along with other memorabilia from my early life as a dancer. This is a very space effective way to hang on to little pieces of nostalgia, without having to find the space to keep them all and move them from house to house!

lavender eye candy

4....., originally uploaded by Kirsty Mitchell.

I have been completely blown away with a discovery I made last night. The fashion photography of Kristy Mitchell is so amazingly vibrant, I dare you not to be in awe. This image in particular gives me such joy. A few years ago I read a great book - Wild Lavender By Belinda Alexandra - which is initially set on a lavender farm in France. The book has such beautiful, vivid descriptions of the rows of purple flowers. Now combine that with this incredible fashion image and you have WOW factor!

getaway to...Italy

A little while ago we took a virtual trip to Paris thanks to the beautiful photography of Irene Suchocki - is photography. If you didn't come along, please check it out here.
Yesterday I popped by Irene's site again and instantly fell in love with the amazing candy coloured images from her travels in Italy.

 If you fancy these pretty prints in your own home, you're in luck as they are available in Irene's etsy store. She has even assembled a great set of 4 prints of these great images from Burano, Italy. Here are a few more Italian beauties to get your weekend started nicely!

Check out the full set of prints in the etsy store or for more of Irenes work see her website or her myspotify shop. I just love the treatment she gives her images. They are so dreamy or to quote Irene "Poetry for the eyes".

creative collections

I have just had a major penny drop! I spotted this great image as part of the latest Color Me Pretty post on Decor8

This lovely collection of vintage buttons very much reminded me of my mum and her incredible collection of buttons in all shapes and sizes. Just a few weekends ago we had pulled out some clothing mum had made for my brothers and I when we were young. Each piece had a fabulous button, whether one sweet mother of pearl or a series of more novelty buttons. Mum admitted she had made a naval themed brunch coat for my brother around some whale buttons she had. It got me thinking of some of the other wonderful collections my mum has.

Then I cam across this spoon collection image in my Flickr favourites, which when I found a while back also reminded me of my mum. She has an amazing spoon collection in all shapes and sizes, material and ages. So now the penny has dropped that my mum has a heap of cool stuff that would make amazing photos!
So today I have headed out to Flickr and found a wonderful range of collection photos, all of which share something in common with one of my mums many collections.

Vintage spools via hindsvik

a matchbox collection via Camilla Engman

old and new tins via cousas pequenas

bric-a-brac via sweetjessie

 Last but not least is this beautifully organised fabric collection from Ingthings

Along with great buttons, mum has some beautiful fabric remnants. My favourites are the ones which went into making some of my dresses when I was little. My mum has wonderful displays of her collections all over her house, but I had never considered photographing them. I like the idea of this as a project because behind a lot of the pieces there is a story which would be nice to capture and keep alive.

pretty inspiration - in the air

After a pretty hectic and non-creative period in my work-life in the past few months, I'm finally getting some time to look around for design inspiration. Today I looked at Behance for the first time in months and was immediately rewarded with some eye candy from Los Angeles based photographer Julia Galdo.

Julia's Behance portfolio features her In The Air series of wonderful images. Part fashion shoot, part artworks these images have such a beautiful feel to them. The model floating in each scenario looks effortless and somehow natural.

 I love the colour combinations in all these shots. The yellow tights against the orange door and the purple leggings above the yellow and green field. I also think the turf hat in this one above is quirky and cool

You can see more of Julia's work at her website or in Behance portfolio. If you love colour and fashion, check out the Color Steps series - very cool!

a comfort place - Honey & Jam

Over the weekend I made a new find - a little place of pure comfort. Best of all it's not just one place, but over many of my online haunts - Flickr, Etsy and Blog-land. What I found was the the delight that is honey & jam.

The lovely Hannah shares both her beautiful images and scrumptious recipes with the world. I really like her style, like the above image, it's warm and comforting. The textures in this image make me all gooey inside - the rough, hand crafted mug (I want one!) and the sticky honey on aged timber = divine. It's like comfort food for my eyes!

 ... and you need not be left hungry. The honey & jam blog is a great source of comfort food recipes. These eggs above, went into her mum's birthday cake - a tres leche cake.
Hannah shares her life, images and her recipes! To get your own comfort fix find honey & jam on Flickr, Etsy (where she sell these lovely images) and her blog.

Beautiful Afterlife - Something To See

As our southern hemisphere days get shorter and the air a little crispy, the end of summer is upon us. Far from being sad about this, I am really looking forward to the seasonal change. Unfortunately we don't get the full autumn colour explosions everywhere, but it is certainly worth a day trip from Sydney up to the Blue Mountains to see the bright red, flaming yellow and burnt orange leaves. I'm hoping to do a day trip up to Leura. With Autumn colours firmly in my mind I came across these beautiful images from a series called 'Beautiful Afterlife' by Something To See on Fickr.

{little star-studded seedpod}

The super talented Kim Carney captures the beauty that still exists in these plants beyond their accepted life-span.

{a little blue left}

The colour captured in these fading hydrangeas provides an amazing colour combination - makes me want to do a little colour palette like Kris's Colour Stripes

{little star-studded seedpod}

I think one of the most appealing parts of these images is the translucency of the petals. Coupled of course with the talented lady behind the camera I find these photos to have a really dreamy quality - even though they are simply dead flowers!

{found art}

Check out the full Beautiful Afterlife set here as well as all the Flickr images from this talented lady and if you're still wanting more please see Kim's blog

A country picnic - Christine Rudolph

With the sun still shining I thought I would take everyone on a country picnic today. Enjoy a little sunshine on your skin, some nice food and relax in some long grass with a book. Sounds nice right?

 

These lovely images are the work of Australian stylist Christine Rudolph. I have noticed Christine's name in a lot of my favourite magazines over the years and she always creates wonderful images. She makes me really want to jump on a bike and pedal to wherever this is!

a weekend escape

Finally the weekend is here, so let's celebrate with a little getaway together.... well a virtual one. Does Paris sound nice? Fortunately we can take a moment to escape through the wonderful images of Irene Suchocki - is photography. How about this for a description from Irene herself - she describes herself as a purveyor of little poems for the eyes!

{top left} I left my heart in Paris {top right} From Paris to the Moon {bottom} Belle epoque

I love the feel of these photos. They have a lovely vintage look with the creamy colours and grainy textures. 

Irene also has some beautiful bokeh shots, where the usual round light shapes are replaced with glowing hearts. So appropriate for the Paris, City of Love collection.

{Looking for Love}

 {Paris is for Lovers}

 Do you feel revived already? OK well it might be just a visual treat, but it is fun anyway. This does seem like the perfect romantic match - the city of love and Irene's dreamy style. 

 {Paris is a feeling}
This is one of my favourite hot air balloon imges I have seen - and I am on the look out!

If you are not swayed by the french pics, there are some wonderful Flora and Fauna images in this same vintage style. All these prints are for sale in both an etsy shop as well as Irene's own shop. You can also enjoy all the latest pics here in Flickr or over here at the eye poetry blog. 

For a true shot of romance, check out the wedding portrait gallery on the main is photography site - just lovely! 

I hope you enjoyed this little escape and have a great weekend. 

Time for tea - CI Studios

A quick browse of this blog and you will discover my fondness for tea - not only to drink but also as eye-candy. Here, here and here are some of my previous tea musings.

It's no surprise really that I am completely taken by this image from the talented folk at CI Studios.
There are a few more images over at their blog of what is has been dubbed an "Alice in Wonderland meets Thumbelina tea party tribute".

Packets of light

Packets of light, originally uploaded by the cheshire smile.

Short on time today but wanted to find and share something pretty for today. I think this beautiful image certainly fits the bill.
Check out all the lovely photos in "the cheshire smile's" flickr stream.
I particularly love the Comforts of Home set (look out for the amazing camisole by the window photos) and am also loving the Les Fleurs set which is where I found the above image.

100s & 1000s of inspiration

I am the proud new owner of an amazing DSLR camera - a Canon 500D (thanks Santa) and have come across this amazing competition run by Canon through their EOS website (which in itself is very inspiring especially for those wanting to learn more about their cameras ability!).
The competition is called Photo5 and it consists of themed challenges. You need to register for the main challenges and you receive a box in the mail which contains your brief and some materials to use. This years themes were Splat, Close-Up, Bokeh, Portraiture and there was also an open brief of Practically Black.
I'm particularly fond of the Close-Up challenge. It involved getting up close and personal with 100s and 1000's candies.

This is the winning photo by  Sam Hobson. It was a popular type of shot to do and there are a couple more eyelash shots in the gallery of all entries. I think the moodiness of this and the beautiful soft focus is what got it out in front.

Here are some more amazing shots for the up-close entries:

I like the child theme to these photos - after all a fairy bread sandwich is a childhood joy!

{top left: It wasn't me! - leesap | top right: Tasty Treats - flashpoint | bottom: Ngahuia Riri}

More colour and little smiley thumbs up!

{top: cidtow | bottom left: 100's and 1000's - mark (this was a finalist) | bottom right: Smile - Justine}

{top: The Party's Over - Loki666 | bottom left: Fried Egg Special - Roosterfish | bottom right: 100s and 1000s Hibiscus - KrystalK}

The creativity of all these entries is amazing and looks like it was a lot of fun coming up with the ideas and then also getting the shot!

White Wonderland

Are you ready to be impressed and say 'wow' out loud?

Well that is my reaction to these simply stunning Christmas inspired images by Deb McLean.

Beautiful right? Now for the WOW moment - these are all taken with an iPhone! How incredible is that? The lighting, the composition and the depth is all achieved with an iPhone.

Check out all the images here at her wonderfully named blog  - Busy Being Fabulous - and fabulous she certainly is. Here are some more wonderful iPhone "shoots" Deb has done.

The above 3 images are from the 'Pastel China Study'

I love these images especially for their beautiful muted tones and soft focus.

Check out all of Deb McLean's iphone love over here. Ahh makes me want to pick up a camera to record some of my little treasures at home!

It should probably not come as a surprise that Deb puts all her talent to use as a stylist. She has a really quirky style and you can expect to see more of her images popping up in this blog in the future! See her portfolio for yourself over at her website.