one of us

What an incredible adventure the Mortal Muses have been on.  Many of you probably don’t remember me, but I was here in the beginning, but due to life situations, I could not keep up with the amazing growth of the Mortal Muses blog and as much as I hated to leave, I had to let this wonderful group go.

I did continue to watch in awe from the sidelines as the Mortal Muses grew and expanded. The projects, the photos, the discussions, the themes, the Flickr pool…all of it just blew me away.  Although I didn’t participate, I watched. I followed the Muses on the MM blog, on their personal blogs, on Flickr, on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and felt honored that they did the same for me.  Over this year, I felt like although I have never met them in person, I have gotten to know these ladies beyond their photographs.

This is what have learned:  one of us is a constant explorer, one of us has an incredibly busy life and is always starting a new venture, one of us writes with such an open heart that her words move me to tears, one of us has been going through a lot of challenges and changes, but faces them like a champ, one of us is expecting some big changes in the next few months, one of us is wonderful at commenting on all of our blogs and photos, one of us takes photos that take my breath away each and every time, one of us transforms photos of  everyday objects into something spectacular,  and one of us has such a unique and identifiable style. As it turns out, “one of us” is ALL of us. As diverse as we all are, we are also the same.  It may seem strange, but I feel such a connection with these women I have never met in person.

It is both sad and exciting to see the "old" Muses move on and to watch a new set of Muses blossom and create.  I look forward to seeing what happens with everyone and welcome all of you to be “one of us” because in my eyes, you already are.   You are all Muses to me.

--Muse Alumni- Stephanie of S.L. Smith Photography

it's time to set my inner wonder woman free again! by luzia pimpinella ♥

bright and shiny memories

I am just entering my antique journey. I have always loved them but it was never the right time in our lives to have them in our house. Our kids were little and they liked to break things, we moved a lot, we did not have any money.. .but we are entering a stage in our lives that our kids are older now and we are settled in one place... money will always be an issue.. lol... but now I feel like we can do a little more antique shopping. I like things that are functional, yet meaningful. That's why this woodpecker toothpick dispenser means a lot to me. This woodpecker belonged to my husband's grandparents. He said it was the one thing he remembers most about objects in their house. When he looks at it, he is reminded of the times he spent at his grandparents home (which was a lot). He said he would play with it often...pushing the little woodpecker head down so that he would pick up a toothpick and deliver it to his little waiting hands. I adore that he has this memory in our house and I love that I can picture my husband as a little boy and imagine his little boy fingers gently bobbing the head of this woodpecker up and down.

I love the look of all antiques, but I am drawn to the brightly colored ones..the fire engine reds, the vibrant sunny yellows, the turquoise that pops. I think that is what drew me to Rain City Girl's radio. I love the bright red of the radio along with the turquoise in the background. I really enjoyed going through her photos...lots of interesting photos of objects I would have never thought to take photos of.

Uploaded by Rain City Girl on 28 Aug 10, 4.54PM EDT.

What special antiques around your house hold good memories for you?

XO-
Stephanie

summer obsession

If you have been following my photos or posts on my regular blog, you would see that this summer I am obsessed with taking pictures of water. Much of this has to do with the joy I get in playing with my new underwater camera...nothing fancy, but a lot of fun. Another reason for my water obsession is that we live in South Texas and it is so dang hot that the only outdoor activity for 3 restless children that is comfortable is swimming.

I have taken so many shots of water in color just because I love the blues and greens, so what a great chance this was to see a water photo in b&w. I think I like the results:


My next obsession is rain...because we have not had any.  I am controlled by the weather channel.  I am blushing as I type this because I have to admit that I have 3 weather apps on my phone that I check several times a day...and if there is even a slight chance of rain, I watch the skies hopefully. When it finally does rain here, all of my South Texas friends and I update our Facebook statuses about the rain. Yes folks, sadly we are all like that. That is why AnnGeeDee's photo was the obvious choice. I love those ripples...perfect little circles. I think the photo in b&w really enhances the rainy feel. I wish I was like Mary Poppins and could just jump right into this image.

Uploaded by AnnGeeDee on 16 Aug 10, 10.41PM EDT.

Hopefully you are all getting the weather that you are craving. In the meantime, I will keep praying for rain. :)
XO-
Stephanie

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

keep your cool

Before I start my post, I want to say an HUGE Thank You to Tammy for starting this fun, exciting, and challenging exercise in creativity. Watching others spread their creative wings is so close to my heart. I am so honored and humbled to be asked to be a muse with these 8 other incredibly talented women.

Like many of you, my summer revolves around keeping my kids cool and active at the same time. It sure is hard to fall asleep at 9pm when the sun is shining in the window...unless your mom wears you out at the pool.
As soon as I saw the submission for Diary of an Air Force Wife, I knew it was the one I wanted. I love the color, the action, the light, the processing. This photo is perfection and shows the energy of youth that mine shows. Being an Air Force Brat and an Army wife myself, I knew it was fate!

So excited by all the talent and creativity in this pool. See you next week!


XO- Stephanie

Uploaded by Dairy of An Air Force Wife on 04 Mar 09, 3.09 PM EDT.