mosaic muse {charm}

1. Untitled, 2. Invocation to spring, 3. 212/365., 4. Controlled Chaos, 5. a year at the table - day 64, 6. C is for Character, 7. napping in Athens, 8. Shape of my Heart {8/52}, 9. Light (36:366), 10. pomegranate, 11. grandpas hands, 12. . Fly, 13. little wings, 14. Transparency, 15. unpredictability of future, 16. "like as the waves make towards the pebbl'd shore, so do our minutes, hasten to their end." William Shakespeare

As you can see from this week's mosaic, charm is a theme that lends itself to lots of interpreations. Remember you can visit each of the featured photographers by clicking on the numbered link below the mosaic. If you see something you love, do go and check out the full-size version and leave some comment love.

What's your interpretation of charm?  Share your favourite charm shots with us by using the linky tool below, which will be open until Sunday evening.  And please feel free to use the mosaic muse button on your blogs as you link up.  Have a great weekend!

gilly of the camera points both ways





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the charm of vintage

I'm thrilled to share my very first post as a Mortal Muse! I had so much fun guest posting back in early December last year, and I never dreamed back then that I'd actually be a Muse just a few months later. I love how the Universe works. Thank you for welcoming me into this beautiful space and community.

Merriam-Webster defines charm as "a trait that fascinates, allures, or delights." I find so many people and things in life have charm but when it comes to photography, film and vintage are what fascinate and delight me. I'm sure that as you all get to know me, you'll clearly see my love for Polaroid and 35mm film. And that love is because I find Polaroids and film photographs, along with most things vintage, so filled with charm. I adore the vintage look of Polaroid film. Shooting with a pack camera and using peel-apart film, harkening back to the 1960s, couldn't be more charming in my book. Watching a photograph develop in your hands or peeling apart the negative to reveal the image is simply magical. I had so much fun coming across this vintage-looking sign, then shooting a photograph with my 50 year old Polaroid pack camera, and finally peeling the photo away from the negative to find what I had captured. Pure charm.

Meandering Path came across some charm herself while out on a Sunday drive. Just look at that vintage flooring, that old-timey pram, and wooden chair? Vintage charm! 

Meghan of Life Refocused

 

sunday drive finds...the pram by Meandering Path

charm with sprinkles on top

I have been under the weather this week, with a cold. It seems like so many people have the sniffles, of one kind or the other lately. Despite trying to keep a great attitude towards it all, the fever slowed me down. 

One morning I went into the kitchen, to find a sink full of dishes, and a table full of untouched mail, along with two suspicious kids. As my son turned around, he handed me this concoction of sprinkles... and charm. My two kids were so proud of themselves. If you could have seen the smiles on their faces. They charmed me to pieces with their thoughtfulness. We all grabbed spoons and enjoyed the moment. 

A dessert of ice cream and a sprinkle cookie,  a sure way to my heart. I think that's why I loved Ana Corrales, heart locket. The locket sitting there, just waiting for the perfect key, to come along and unlock it. 

Warmly, 

Christina {soul aperture}

“...Y recuerdas haber visto el amor, por el ojo de una cerradura.” by ana corrales p

all in a memory

When I first thought about the word "charm," I immediately thought about the years of collecting charms for my first charm bracelet. In particular, when I was 15 years old, I had the privilege of  traveling the western part of the United States with 70+ other youth. Many of the other kids would buy t-shirts, but I chose to collect one charm from each stop to represent my stay.

Unfortunately, I have no idea where that charm bracelet is now (although I'm sure it's somewhere at my parents' home). However, the idea of collecting charms as a way of capturing memories, whether they be on a charm bracelet or earring or just a trinket hasn't faded. For example, I look at Cardboard Sea's image below and see the hint of a beautiful little girl wearing a sweet earring. I can't help but notice the earring, but more importantly, I see the soft reflection of a child. Years later, her mother will look back at this photo and remember a time of grace and charm...not of the earring, but of her daughter.

I think that's what charms do for us - they make our memories more tangible...even long after we lose the physical "charm."

Until next time,
Ashley of Ramblings and Photos

Untitled by Cardboard Sea

this charming boy

A few months ago Miles attended his first funeral after his great-grandmother died, aged 101. He's a big thinker, so there were lots of questions about the funeral beforehand. It was only when I bought him a new outfit for the occasion that he really understood that this was an important event at which he had to look and behave appropriately. As we got ready and put his new clothes on he reached down into the box with his "Doctor Who" kit and asked if he should put on this bow tie. It came from the front of a magazine, so it's not a real bow tie, and I was worried he might be uncomfortable in it all day. But he was so earnest about wanting to look smart that I told him that would be lovely.

After our long drive to the church, Miles sat down carefully. He behaved impeccably throughout the service and charmed everyone before and after with his winning smile. I don't know whether it was the bow tie that made him so charming, but looking at his face I have a sneaking suspicion that it might have helped!

Here's another adorable grin by ~Becky Sue~(RSL Photography) that will charm you. Look at that grin. It's irresistible, isn't it?

Have you tried to snap a charming smile? They're difficult to capture but so worth the effort.

kirstin of fleeting moments

the charm of childhood

“Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.” 

~ Mary Oliver

When I was a small girl the world held unending fascination and magic. Everything was new and unexplored and my great-grandmother had a farm near the river valley where I occasionally spent summers. Those days remain etched in my memory even now.

Those early summer days seemed endless. I chased the chickens and gathered their eggs, I wandered through the fruit trees, and stood in the fields of the wild Missouri flowers that would wave in the warm summer breezes. I picked the black-eyed susans, queen annes lace and gathered the indian paintbrush for bouquets that I offered to my grandmother. At night I slept in her big featherbed, touched every single trinket she owned, and looked through old classic books that struck my curiosity even more.

Those summers spent on that farm shaped me. Today I have an unexplainable love for old farmhouses and barns. They hold a certain charm that beckons me. Back then I had no cares. I ran in the fields, played in the creeks and caught fireflies after dark. These were some of my first impressions of the world and what it held in store for me.

I took the picture above not long ago. It is in an old farm house on my father's property. It is in the last years of its life and the plan is to tear it down and re-purpose as much of it as we can. This house has always had an undefinable charm to me and this spring I am shooting my last series of photos there as a personal testament to my early years and upbringing and also to the family who lived there.

Tolly P's photo also reminds me of my days as that young girl. Both photos evoke a charm that we hold as children and our wonder of the world. To this day I wander down these midwest country roads and stop to admire the farms and the land that surrounds them.

~ Veronica of Life In Pictures

wonderland...by tolly p

______________________________________________

Thank you Veronica for guest musing with us today! Veronica blogs about the world and her experiences at Life in Pictures. You can also find her work on Flickr. 

If you are interested in a future guest muse role, please email us at mortalmuses9 [at] gmail [dot] com.

and the next theme is....CHARM

I'm a fan of intangibles. I appreciate the ambiguity of a theme that allows us to be inspired in many different directions and conjures up many different possibilities in our choice of photographic subjects. For me, "charm" is just one of those things. It has the same basic definition and a definite connotation most could agree on, but it also is something that not everyone can really put their finger on in terms of who and what has that charm. Just what is it that makes someone or something charming? How might someone's photography charm you? And then there is the other way to look at it, as a noun. A special part of a bracelet or necklace or trinket that we hold dear.

So, muses, show us YOUR charm! Show us what you think is charming...what charms you? And now I have to stop saying "charm" because it doesn't sound like a word anymore!

Maybe it is an actual charm...

"it is later than you think" said the reaper by ~mimo~

charmed i'm sure by soupatraveler

Maybe it is someone you find charming...

...and now he is 6 by kirstinmckee

make new friends by ~staci lee~

Or a place that charmed you...

my head told my heart, "let love grow" by tumbleweed.in.eden

Whatever it is, we look forward to seeing your CHARM photos in our Flickr pool.

And remember to join us tomorrow when we start musing on Water -  as always, on the last day of the theme we'll be holding our usual linky party where you can add your own links and show us how you've interpreted Water.

happy snapping,
cara of cararosephotos