{a red tomato pin cushion}

At the beginning of the year, when there seems like there's so much time to complete all of the small day to day things that you'd like, I said I would try to shoot a random photo every day. This was my attempt to reclaim my photography as more than my 'bread and butter' but as the hobby and interest that persuaded me to take classes and learn the fundamentals 10 years ago this summer. {And with one casual sentence I now feel a bit old, it doesn't help my birthday is coming up in a few weeks}......but I digress.

While I was sewing the pillows for the bedroom I took a moment from documenting my progress and got the photos below. I love the textures, the color and I love how it reminds me of my mother. Whenever I see a red tomato pin cushion I think of mom. It's ironic, she isn't a great seamstress and to this day still holds a bit of animosity from attaching endless strings of sequins & elastic straps to our dance costumes. And now in what could appear as an act of vengeance I have a pile of her clothes that need buttons replaced, waistbands taken in.........but regardless a red tomato pin cushion reminds me of my mother.

I recently misplaced mine and had to get a new one during one of my many trips to Joanns. They had a cute hot pink one and I walked around the store for awhile with a pink and a red one in my basket trying to decide. I bought the red pin cushion, pink just didn't seem right.

{wedding gifts with a little love}

Pots & pans are nice but I wanted to give my sister something special to commemorate her wedding, something only a sister could give. We had always talked about using our mother's & grandmother's wedding dresses in some way for our weddings. And when Hol decided not to carry flowers down the aisle I came up with a perfect alternative, a handkerchief.

After getting the ok from Mom I cut a square out of her train and after soaking grandma's 60+ year old dress 3 or 4 times in oxyclean {that stuff is amazing!} I carefully removed the lace trim from around the bottom hem & train of her dress.

We never knew our Mother's Mother, she passed away before Hol was born-I was just one, so incorporating her dress into Hol's wedding was very meaningful. I used Grandma's lace to trim the handkerchief & to match the lace bolero Hol wore with her dress I sewed beads from Mom's dress sporadically along the lace. And so Hol wouldn't have to worry about dropping it, I added a string of pearls from Mom's dress as a ring.

It was her something old, new, borrowed & blue. {there's a hand sewn blue heart on the back side}.

It's not perfect and the stitches are no where near uniform or technically correct but it's my favorite gift I've ever given anyone.

{and I hope one of Hol's favorite gifts she's ever received}

While Nicole & I were talking one day she mentioned she was pretty sure she was going to be a complete wreak during her ceremony and at that moment I knew exactly what I wanted to give her.

For her handkerchief I used a square piece of ivory satin for the front & black satin for the back, trimmed both sides with black satin and I found some beads that matched her gown for the ring. Simple and classic for this chic and subtle bride.

{and it's complete with a hand sewn blue heart}

{more winter shots} .michigan photojournalistic photographer.

{the wind whips up from the lake trapping the snow in between the screens on the patio doors}

{foggy winter morning. there's a lake out there somewhere.}

{i love the way bare branches contrast against the cold winter sky}

{love struck} .michigan photojournalistic photographer.

.....some decorations in and around the studio for LOVE STRUCK......

{love the way the frozen hearts turned out, thanks cathy for freezing them & jenny for hanging them!} {love the way they glow in the evening light}

{the holes in the snow around the tree are from me climbing in it to get the shots of the ice hearts. nicole threatened to take a photo of me taking a photo of the hearts...i guess i looked pretty funny knee deep in snow, hunched under the tree. what i won't do to get a good shot!}

{paper lanterns lining the streets}

{nicole made very yummy cupcakes}

.....hope everyone has a very sweet valentines day.....

{photo a day, well almost} .michigan photojournalistic photographer.

I thought I'd post a couple of photos considering I haven't been doing very well at the taking & posting 1 pic a day resolution thing. Like many, I've found there just aren't enough hours in a day, I could use about 5 more.

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................... I love quotes, somewhere I have an entire book dedicated just to quotations. There are so many we can all call to mind, almost instantly. They have the ability to sum up a generation, a moment in time, even an individual and sometimes better than a physical description. I came across one recently I hadn't heard but immediately loved. It states simply & elegantly why I love photography.

"To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” -Elliott Erwitt

Through this 'one photo a day challenge' I've given myself, I really try to look for inspiration from my everyday environment. Like this wire basket, it sits on a small bookshelf that belonged to my great-grandparents & now resides by the bedroom door. I pass by it every day, can see it from the bed and by looking closely at it, changing the perspective, playing with the depth of field I captured something aesthetically pleasing.

{winter shots} .michigan photojournalistic photographer.

January in Michigan can be described in one word - gray. The sky, our moods, the trees... even the snow turns from a beautiful glistening white to a dull dirty version of white. I was pleasantly surprised today while walking to my car bundled up against the bitter wind & light flurries swirling their way to the ground, I noticed something beautiful in all the grayness.

I love the pattern the snow makes around the stones, like a maze without an end... {don't forget to suggest our facebook fan page to your friends for a chance for you & them to win a photo shoot & $25.00 print credit - each}