This past weekend was such a mashup of weather.  It started with an advisory for strong winds and rain. The entire day was dark with gusting winds that rattled the windows and blew rain sideways into those windows.

     The next day I woke to a dusting of snow with more falling.  Snow suddenly turned into wind-driven sleet.  An hour later it was blue sky with soft puffy clouds.

     These are the days that lead us into Spring.  I spent those days photographing tulips and creating images that speak to me.  They speak to me of wild weather and blue skies.  But most of all they speak to the promise of Spring.  Today I am sharing that promise with you.

     After several months of playing with this idea I am now offering Floral Mugshots, which might also be called Floral Triptychs.

     This idea has bloomed from playing with images featuring three sides of a flower.  Just like you might see the mugshots of criminals showing a left side, frontal view and a right side view.  The exception being that these are done with flowers and are so much nicer.

     The three images are combined to create one large image.  This is the most cost effective way to offer these to you.  Eventually the individual images will be offered too.  Because of the large size of these images they are well suited for larger spaces that are often difficult to fill.

      These have been so much fun to photograph and create.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

     As always this time of year has us all looking back and reflecting on the year past and looking forward to the year before us.  The end of 2017 had me offline for almost two months while I packed up and moved.

     At first it felt strange to be offline and to not be busy with daily online forums and communications.  But now I find myself greatly refreshed and ready to take on the challenges of the year.  Unplugging has great creative benefits.

     I don't do resolutions, but I do set goals to help me get to where I want to be.  Behind the scenes I have been playing with more whimsical and artistic photographic creations.  This year I will be continuing down that road.  But most importantly I will be sharing my endeavors with you and looking forward to your comments and encouragement.

     Autumn recently arrived according to the calendar. A few days later weather here cooled and it felt like Autumn.  I was able to wear jeans and was starting to break out the blankets and long sleeves.  And then this week happened.

     Back to temperatures in the 90+ degree range.  My mood was thrown into a place of unhappiness and discontent. This is unusual for me so naturally I wanted to know why I was so affected by that change in weather.

     It turns out our brains use our circadian rhythms and the length of day to synchronize with the seasons.  So basically the length of available daylight is still becoming shorter, but the temperature was in alignment with what we expect with shorter days.  Our circadian rhythms are driven by exposure to light.

     So my rhythm is responding to the change in daylight and I am expecting cooler temperatures to go with this.  I will continue to get myself and my home ready for the cooler weather because I know soon it will come and stay.

    I admit that when looking for flowers to photograph I look for imperfections.  Marks  on the petals or petals that won't unfurl with the rest all draw my attention.

     When I have a flower with some sort of imperfection I rejoice for I have found my perfection.  I don't believe that beauty is the perfectly formed flower or human.  Those imperfections or differences are what makes us stand out.  Diversity is beauty.

     True beauty is full of flaws.  Imperfection creates the diversity that makes the world a beautiful place.  A flower with spots on its petals or a person with freckles are often tossed aside as not perfect.  Perhaps the person that disregards the flaws has a hole in their lives that will only be filled when they look at an imperfect flower and see the true beauty.

     I think what we put on the walls of our homes says a lot about us.  I hope that you, like me, will love the featured photograph for her messy imperfect center and the freckles scattered on her petals.

     I was in my local Trader Joe's grocery store last week when I spotted these gorgeous orange Calla Lilies.  For the record Trader Joe's has the best selection of cut flowers at the best prices of almost anywhere.  I often go there looking for floral gems.

     As I set about photographing these lovelies I realized it was the first day of September.  Soon fall will be upon us in the Northern Hemisphere,  Where has summer gone?

     Personally I love the colors of fall.  All the vibrant earth tones are part of my favorite color palette, with orange being my favorite.  They are colors that you will find in my closet.

     Orange is a stimulating color.  It is vibrant and powerful, but lacks the aggressiveness of red. Surrounding yourself with orange can enhance your level of happiness and confidence.  It is also the color of creativity.

     Orange works well with blue as the compliment each other.  Since blue is not one of my favorite colors I rarely use the two together. If you want to feel more joy, warm, creativity, and balance in your life surround yourself with orange.

​     Orange is often a love it or hate it color.  Where do you stand?

     Monday, August 21, 2017 was eclipse day here in the US.  I live too far south to have noticed any difference in the sky.  To console myself for missing that photographic opportunity I did the next best thing and visited a local garden.  I was not disappointed. 

   The gardens were a mix of cacti, succulents, tropicals, trees and an array of garden flowers.  The variety and age of the trees was amazing. And then there were the flowers.  I didn't know that Echinacea came in so many colors.  I was especially drawn to the reds.  There is such beauty in the jumble of colors to be found in a flower garden.

     Visitors are treated to benches and chairs placed where they can sit and contemplate the gorgeous surroundings.  Sometimes it is just nice to sit and listen to the silence.  This is where I find the joy; in the moments of silence in between the chaos of life.

     My visit was a peaceful time.  Walking along the paths surrounded by trees and flowers was medicine for the soul.  I hope you feel some of that peace and joy in the featured photograph of red Echinacea.

     I recently had two different conversations about black and white photographs vs their color counterpart. People have definite opinions when it comes to black and white photographs.  It seems that the middle ground is small, it has to be either black and white or color.  Surely there must be room in the world for both artistic expressions.

     There was a time when I didn't see the value or beauty of an image created in black and white.  My thought was that color is so beautiful why choose to eliminate it.

     Over time I have to come to see the the merits and beauty of black and white photographs.  Many times the details of an image can be lost in the color.  Black and white accentuates the light and shadow.  Plus there is an almost timeless quality about black and white.

     For me a black and white image needs to be a framed print.  It brings out the elegance and that timeless quality.  I hope you find today's featured image appealing. It is a lighter black and white that truly lets the details of these lovely flowers shine through.

    First I want to thank everyone that participated in the survey in last weeks blog. In that survey I asked if your bedroom colors were warm and cozy or cool and calm.

     I was completely surprised by the results.  Although the overall number taking the survey was small, 80% of you said that your bedroom colors were warm and cozy.  I was expecting the opposite!

     In honor of all the warm and cozy bedrooms out there I am sharing this photograph of an elegant orange and yellow rose that would be perfect for that warm-toned bedroom.

     There are many websites that will tell you how to get rid of your clutter.  To get you motivated I am going to give you 5 reasons why it is important.

1. You will have more space.
2. A home without clutter is a relaxing space to be in.
3. Less clutter = less cleaning.  What could you do with all that time you are spending dusting and polishing?
4. Your mental state will become less cluttered when it isn't always looking at clutter.
5. Clutter is visual noise. Clear out that noise and you will feel as if your life is more together which means less stress.

​     A home with little to no clutter is a happy home.  It is a home that brings pleasure to its occupants.  Isn't it time to start enjoying being in your home?
​#2017YearoftheHome