boudoir ...

I have many many more photographs that i imagine will be posted over the coming weeks but editing has yet to happen. The Boudoir Divas workshop has been amazing & i'm so grateful that i had this opportunity. & well i couldn't wait to share a few so here's one of each of the 3 fabulous models we got the chance to work with.

paris ...

it's the simple things in life that make me happy ...

spending time with some of my favourite people ...

bowls, bowls & more bowls (really you can never have too many bowls) ...

being able to send & receive post again ...

planning a vacation ...

only 2 days until Paris!

my "new" camera bag ...

So i have been hunting for a new camera bag for a while ... I actually have a couple of Lowe Pro bags but well they're black & look like camera bags & really just not me. Not saying they aren't wonderful at what they do i just don't like them. & my cat has "upscaled" one into a bed for her! So anyways i have been on the search for something a little more different that i could love & use day in & day out ... & finally have months of searching i found one.

Ok so technically it's not an actual camera bag but i've turned it into one! Bought from an etsy shop called Get Ready Set Go, it is a vintage leather bag upcycled by the fabulous Rachel. I can't lie i have been stalking her shop since i discovered it knowing that one day the perfect bag would come along & not only that but she kindly put her artistic skills to the test & gave me the perfect 3 birds i craved.

So from here i have taken out some of the inserts from the camera bag come cujo's new bed to pad the sides (i will try & take photos later) & with my camera, & two lenses inside i still have plenty of space for other things (including a book which i never leave the house without), & of course the little front pocket at the front perfect for my wallet & keys etc ...

Oh & being that it is a bag & something my cats can climb inside here is damn-it demonstrating the easy access opening!

it's the simple thing's in life that make me happy ...

tuna steaks on the grill ...

flowers blooming ...

running outside in a tee wishing i was wearing shorts ...

thinking up an exscuse to buy this stunning clutch ...

loving that moment when you click the shutter!

the arrival of spring ...

Could it be that spring has finally arrived ...?

& the requisite cherry blossom photos!

A Sense of Place Photography

So i wanted to introduce you to the wonderful stunning work of Katie & A Sense of Place Photography. Whilst her images clearly speak for themselves she is one of those people who infects you with her enthusiasm & drive. Throw in her life as a military wife, her new business & her current decision to spend her husband's deployment working on her career away from home & you understand you have a very special lady here. Oh & she's a poet also!

Well now throw in the death of her beloved camera & you can see there would be a slight hitch. Well this hasn't stopped Katie, instead she's set herself up on Kickstarter to try & raise the money for her new camera, which personally takes more guts & determination than i have. So if you have a moment please click on the link & help a girl out.

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today

so today is a bad bad day ... & right now i keep trying to start a sentence to explain it but it's hard. & i need to vent but now isn't the time for venting, especially to the people i love who's lives have been turned upside down today. But my head is spinning & i can't shut down so please exscuse the bluntness because i need to do something to get these things out my system ... this is my something!

A guy from my husbands last squadron killed himself today. He was a wonderful guy. I didn't know him well but he was close to many of my close friends. It was a small close need squadron, we all partied together, we spent every weekend together. I miss it. & he was a part of it. & important to people i love.

10 years ago on saturday (wow) someone i loved dearly killed themselves. I've spent 10 years coming to terms with this, understanding it & accepting that whilst i firmly believe this is the most selfish act a human can do (sorry if i offend anyone it's not intended) i have accepted this is the choice he made & i can maybe start to forgive him. Now this may sound selfish on my part but it tore me up in ways i can't describe. & i understand that things are obviously not right but there is always someone you can turn to & it makes me so so angry.

I am now watching (from a distance which sucks even more) people i love try to deal with everything they are feeling, & i honestly understand 90% of what it is their going through but i can't do anything & that's frustrating & painful for me.

So here i am venting because i have no clue what to say or do ... because from my experience there was nothing that did. You trust someone & love them with all your heart & they take the easy way out when things get tough. & you end up loosing sight of the things that made them special to you in the first place because they destroyed everything you thought you had.

you see i see

So 4 weeks into the "you see i see" diptych project that i am taking part in with the wonderful Tali Schiffer & i figured it was time to share with you what we have (incase you haven't seen the blog). The rules are that we have a list created by a whole host of wonderful people & each week we have a new theme to interpret & photograph, & the photo of course has to be shot within those 7 days (no cheating). The only thing we agreed on photographic wise is that the images have to be square.

sunlight

coffee

dessert

connecting

It's been a wonderful challenge so far & of course we have another 48 weeks to go. So be sure to check out the blog every tuesday for our latest update.

it's the simple thing's in life that make me happy ...

my first wholesale order (super exciting) ...

only 16 days until paris ...

blindside is an amazing movie ...

i've decided to bring back the art of letter writing ...

planning a vacation for July with one of my best friends before she heads back to the states!

thursday ...

Today has been one of those days ... a mixture of good & bad!

I returned to the doctors today ... he said i've bruised a bone, am guessing at the patella (only knee bone i know) in my knee. So glad to have an idea of what's up. Plus side is i'm allowed to run down side just not 26.2 miles. So the marathon is going to have to wait but it will happen, i've even more determined! So hopefully the anti-inflammatory's he's given me will help & i'll be good to go ... if not i have to return in a couple of weeks!

But today i also have my first "guest blog" ... super excited! The super talented & fabulous Katie of Sense of Place Photography kindly let me write a blog about our weekend adventures in Zurich & the hubby. So be sure to check it out over on The You & Me Show.

& lastly i wanted to share something completely different ... I am taking part in a project with the fPOE team, called Miss Match & it's all about diptychs. Well my first theme was "surreal" & with the help of my occasionally wonderful husband i got an end result that i love. Completely new & different to anything i've tried before but i had fun & now i know how to make blood!

cujo & damn-it

So i decided there hasn't been nearly enough photographs of my cats on my blog recently ...

damn-it

Cujo

it's the simple thing's in life that make me happy ...

watching the cats watching the birds in the gardens ...

finally found myself a new "camera bag" in one of my favourite etsy shops ...

reading on long car journeys ...

maltesers ...

escaping for a much needed weekend away with the hubby ... i get to remember why i fell in love!

the weekend ...

It's a new month ... new beginnings, new ventures & directions! I was lucky enough to win the Boudoir Divas workshop contest (thank you so much to all those who voted) which was a wonderful wake up for me yesterday, much needed. & now i am getting ready to head out of town for the weekend with my (wonderful) husband & i'm excited to get away from it all, spend some much needed time together & of course take many a photograph. I have a number of projects going on, challenges to keep the cogs turning & i'm listing new items in the shop. I am also hosting a giveaway on the Funky Finds blog so stop by for a chance of winning.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend where ever you are in the world ... enjoy the ones you love & have some fun!

ps. i wanted to say something about freedom here but couldn't quite put it into words!