this is my house

Oh boy! you guys are rocking the flickr group! You are making it so hard to pick! Great job and thank you so much for being so awesome. really. 

In my house this summer chores and reno's are a plenty. Some say work, I say photo op!

This week along with the Around the House theme I have been keeping perspective in mind - POV what ever you want to call it. Positioning yourself on the same plain of the subject can give you some really interesting results. Especially when shooting kids. Get down on your belly if you have to, if you're able and try a shot from a different angle. Place your camera right on the ground and shoot blind even. If this is something "outside your photographic box", you might be pleasantly surprised with the results.

Uploaded by naomiella on 16 Jul 10, 3.20PM MDT.

naomiella is capturing the most precious moments in this shot. I just love this portrait - and those paints?! Adorable. I still have a water colour set just like them. Great job getting on your subject's level.

wow. two themes down! I can't believe it. next up; 

Black and White (Again are you kidding me with all your amazing photos in the flickr group?!?). Take it away Tammy!

See you in a few!

michel

xox

favorites

Around the house was a tricky theme for me... should I show the toys scattered all over the floor, dirty dishes or piles of laundry?  My dog lazily laying on the couch?  My children running through the house playing and or fighting with each other?  So many ideas came to my mind, and I was inspired as I looked through the flickr pool at the beauty you all have in your homes.

  

This is a picture of my favorite room in my house, the nursery.  Now being occupied by my 1 year old daughter, it holds so many memories and tokens from both of my children and some treasures from my childhood.  Tiny glass animals in shadow boxes (I collected them as I grew up), a doll my mom brought from Mexico, precious moment dolls given to my son from his great grandma, newborn pictures taken by my friend and fabulous photographer Jessica,  books, books and more books, and of course a comfy chair for soothing/nursing/snuggling.  So many memories, I can't wait to add more!

This picture from super ninon really stuck out to me.  It is so simple and beautiful, I love the colors and patterns.  I read from her description that it is her new favorite shirt that she found at a thrift store!

Uploaded by super ninon on 28 Jul 10, 5.13AM EDT.

I love seeing small details that people enjoy in their lives!  

I hope you all have a wonderful day and seek out the memories and treasures through out your homes :)

home is where the food is...

Your In the House submissions have been truly splendid. What a feast for the eyes! And soul!

Looking through the windows of your houses has been inspiring and a privilege. But I found myself gravitating to the food pictures, as I thought of our own home. Food is a big feature in our house. We are always planning meals with and for friends and family. Big celebrations are commemorated with feasts. In the summer, we always have a bowl of cherries on the table, at Christmas, we have a bowl of clementines. My husband has even written a book about the history of food, but that is another story...you could say we are obsessed with food.

We have just returned from a holiday in France and Italy. When we were deciding where to stay, we chose places that had good kitchens and space to eat outside. We cooked in each house and shared laughter and food with loved ones. My picture is of mint julep peaches which I cooked for friends and family in Italy. It was not strictly in our house, but for me home is wherever I am cooking. I feel that a home is mainly a place to cook and eat, not just a place to sleep. Cooking is what makes a house into a home. I chose eahNC's picture as it is also of peaches but with such beautiful bokeh and the lighting is perfect. I love it!

I am looking forward to going through your black and white submissions, but I can already tell that it's going to be difficult to choose because they are so excellent.  Remember to go over and visit the new EVERYDAY BEAUTY page to see today's featured photo.

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We are happy to announce the winner of the vintage Brownie camera and Kim Klassen’s gorgeous texture pack. Selected by the True Random Number Generator from http://www.random.org/. The result is comment #10.  Jillsy said... He's not really a toy but is a "toy" breed! My little Yorkie, Simon!

Congratulations, Jillsy. We ask that you contact us at the Mortal Muses email address so we can send you your prizes. Thank you to everyone for participating. Watch for more giveaways soon.

always there

Around my house there is one constant, in every room. Upstairs, down stairs, inside or out. In all of these places I only have to look down near my feet and there he is. My sweet Buddy, the Bud Man.
He is my shadow, he follows my every step. He will sit patiently, and wait for me to finish my task, and quickly move along when I do.
He is always at my feet when I settle in for a long stretch at the computer. After patiently waiting for a time, he will gently nudge his favorite tennis ball at my feet. Reminding me I’ve sat too long, and to take time for play.
The photo and caption below, Golden Love by Marie Rush, eloquently says it all about our beloved four-legged family members.

Uploaded by marierush on 6 Aug 10, 6.18PM EDT.

She is always there. Waiting. Waiting to love and waiting to be loved.

That’s my Buddy. Always there. Always loving.

Remember to check tomorrow for the winner of the first Mortal Muse giveaway.
I'm off to go look through the Mortal Muse flickr pool at black & white photo goodness. You guys are a-ma-zing!
Have a great week Muse peeps!
♥ maureen

with two cats in the yard

Our house, is a very very very fine house...

A house isn't really a home until there's a cat curled up somewhere, enjoying the warmth from a sunny window or monopolizing a favorite chair. 

Everywhere I've ever lived, cats have been there.  In our house growing up, there were always two or three underfoot (along with a dog, rabbits, fish, a goat ... ) I brought home a stray kitten the day after our cat had just had a litter of her own; I snuck a cat into my college dorm under cover of darkness; we adopted a mother cat and 4 kittens just at a time when the rest of our world was falling apart.... and they helped make the world whole again.  Cats have witnessed everything in our lives -- births, deaths, love, marriage, divorce. Sorrows and joys.  Highs and lows.  The worst days and the best days.

My photo above shows our cat, Willow, basking in the checkered light through the french doors.  He's a regular model for me, and the special guy in my life at the moment. He's kind of handsome, right?  :)

The shot below, by Urban Muser, captures another cat moment.  This photo was shot with an iphone, and so it answered my challenge to step outside the DSLR box and shoot in a different way. I love the dark coziness and the almost-silhouette of the cat against the backdrop of the windows.  There's a bit of a caught-in-the-act look about her, don't you think?  She may have been plotting something naughty.   You can see more of Urban Muser's work on her blog.

Oh, and just in case you thought you tuned into the wrong week, don't adjust your dial.  This is still "Around the House" week, with 4 more Muses set to post their photos and pick from the Muses flickr pool.  Up next is "Black and White," and we're loving your submissions.  Keep them coming!

Finally, don't forget to enter our first giveaway.  You have till midnight tonight (Sunday, April 15th) to comment on Tammy's post, and you'll be automatically entered in the drawing to win a vintage Brownie camera and a set of Kim Klassen's gorgeous textures.  Click here to comment and enter!

Until next time.

--lucy

beautifully mundane

There are some weeks, you know the ones, where every minute of the day is full.  Full of the mundane:

work, laundry, 

picking slugs off the lettuce in the garden, 

groceries, cooking, 

hollering at someone to get her teeth brushed, 

cleaning guinea pig poop off the floor where it has been flung, 

trying to squeeze in time for a thoughtful photo before the light is gone, 

writing a few words that make any sort of sense, 

fall into bed unconscious almost before hitting the pillow.  

The lists may differ (guinea pig poop isn't a common factor in every person's week), but the perplexed look back at Monday to Friday might instill in you a feeling of what-just-happened-here? like this past week did to me.  So I narrow the focus, take a breath, and find beauty in almost completed breakfast.

Barefoot Momma's lovely textured photo gave me that same sense of what it feels to take a moment to oneself, breathe, sip tea (or coffee!) and soak in the words of a well-thumbed book.

Ahhhhhhhhh.  Happy weekend, everyone.  I wish for you all a moment (or two) for what you most desire.

cheers,
mosey

Uploaded by barefoot momma photography, captured 2 Aug 10.

I love me some flowers...

This theme got me. Due to my crazy working schedule I felt not that much inspired either this week.
Around the house reminded me off the beautiful Flower Island we visited that summer. I love flowers. You can make my day by giving me some flowers. They also resemble Home to me.
When I grow up, I want to have a garden as beautiful as pictured above in my entry.

Going through the flickr pool all the talent I saw there left me in awe. So many of you interpreted this theme so wonderfully. Stories were told, drinks shared and some off you baked mouth watering treats.There was some puppy love too.
But the following picture enchanted me, by the story it tells only slightly and the imagination you are free to do.
Thank you for sharing your inspiration and beauty of your house with us this week.

Uploaded by Cardboard Sea on 8 Aug 10, 11.59AM EDT.

Excited to see you next week for B&W.

Love, Suki

in the office

This was not the photo that I was originally going to use. This evening, I sat down in my office all ready to type this post. My photo edited, an awesome flickr photo picked out ... then I hear a tiny scurry in my ear.  I look toward the window that sits next to my desk and see nothing.  I hear it again, and looking straight at me is the tiniest little anol I have ever seen. These beautiful bright green lizards are common in South Texas, but not so common in my office.  I quickly grabbed my camera and shot away.  He was surprisingly cooperative.  After taking his picture, I tried to catch him so he could be free to eat the bugs outside, but he is a fast little sucker.  Alas, he still lives in my office.  I have to admit that my stomach is doing little flip flops of anticipation as I keep expecting him to crawl up my bare leg.

As I sit in my office, I dream that someday it will be a beautiful office filled with pieces like this from kellysioji. I love the old mixed with new. I love this old filing system. I love her use of color and light.  Nice work, Kelly.

Uploaded by kellysoji on 25 Jul 10, 9.24PM EDT.

I just want to say that there are SO SO SO many beautiful photos that have been added to the flickr pool. If you would like them to be on the blog, please remember to enable downloading.
 

Have a fantastic week. Can't wait to see what else is in your houses.

XO-

Stephanie

what's in your toy box?

As a photographer, I occasionally find myself in a creative rut. Wandering around the house, camera in hand, looking for something to take a picture of.  During these times, I pull out my toys or props, those household items that I gravitate towards, have photographed at least a hundred times, and usually give me an interesting end result.

A few of these items are my creamware and teapot collection, our musical instruments, or our brightly painted lawn furniture.  But when I really need a fun shot, I can always rely on my favorite “toy” - one blue-eyed freckly boy.  You could say that he is MY muse. I am so thankful that he is always ready to play with me and still wants to have his picture taken. 

I think that aia*c's photograph below is the perfect companion to mine.  I loved playing with Hungry Hungry Hippos as a kid.  Who could resist Lizzie, Henry, Homer, and Harry Hippo?  It is nice to see the younger generations playing with the same toys... that don't require electricity.  And besides, the head and body just seemed to fit. 

Have a wonderful week.  I look forward to seeing your B&W submissions.  Stay sweet and take some time to play a little. ♥ tlb

Uploaded by aia*c on 4 Aug 10, 8.50AM EDT.

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Do you need some new toys to play with?
 
 We are having our very first Mortal Muses giveaway and it is a fun one!

To enter just leave a comment on this post telling us about your favorite "toy" to photograph?

 AND...

This adorable vintage Brownie camera could be yours.   Maybe this will be your new favorite toy to photograph?

AND...

The very talented artist, Kim Klassen of Kim Klassen Café has been kind enough to provide

a Baker's Dozen Plus Three set of original textures for you to play with.

After you enter, make sure to visit Kim at the Cafe, where you will find:

•the new Stay-Cation interactive ebook
•eCourses

•photoshop tutorials

•original textures both free and for sale

•painting tutorials

•inspiring artist features

•inspirational workshops

•thoughts on living an inspired life

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Limit one comment per person. You must be a follower of the blog.  Enter until Sunday, August 15th at Midnight. One winner will be selected by random generator and announced by Kirstin on Tuesday.