BYOB: Days 10 - 13

I've been a little lazy about uploading and sharing these, but I've been taking them and uploading to the group on Flickr when I can.  It's been a wonderful experience and I highly recommend it!  (Click here to find out more!)

Day 10: Give Our Gremlins a Talking to
I decided that my serious face isn't as serious as I thought...

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Day 11: Savor A Moment.
One of my favorite moments of the day: climbing into bed beside my love and reading for a bit before heading off to the land of nod... This one is SOOC, I played around with it some, lightening it, upping the saturation, turning it black & white... in the end, I really just like this as is. :)

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Day 12: Get Creative with Mirrors
Mirrors on 3 walls of the bedroom, and through a doorway, a fourth, make for some very interesting images... (Some brightening was all this needed...)

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Day 13: The Truth of Today
I was tired and achy and generally feeling pretty low...

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To see my other photos, follow these links:
May 1 & 2
May 3 & 4
May 5 - 9

Or check out my Be Your Own Beloved set on Flickr!

BYOB: Days 5 - 9

I've been taking daily photos based on Vivienne's prompts, but haven't been able to share all week until now!  So without any further ado, here are my self-portraits for May 5th through 9th.

May 5th
...pick one part of your body as inspiration and tell a story that feels positive to you... Share something you feel proud of or feel positive about.


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This Hand
Once upon a time, this hand drew and colored, cut and glued, created characters, cities & towns, continents, worlds, and whole universes, but somewhere along the way to adulthood, the universes, worlds, and continents melted away; cities & towns and characters vanished; cutting & gluing became too messy and drawing & coloring, the avocation of children.

Then something magical happened.  A tiny voice whispered, draw, and the hand picked up a pencil and began.  Dancing women, unique people, special people, fluffy cats and fat dogs, fantastical beasts and ordinary rabbits...  And the drawing became creating with polymer clay, and the creating with clay became painting, and the painting led to collage, and the collage led to ... Rabbits! 

Kawaii rabbits, sketchy rabbits, scribbly rabbits, cartoon rabbits, colored rabbits, black & white rabbits, rabbits of all kinds!  Wherever will the rabbits lead?  (Down the rabbit hole, I suppose!)

May 6th
...explore taking a reflective self-portrait... Seek out a creative spot to take a self-reflection photo today!


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I spent much of the day in the car on Monday, so this photo seemed most appropriate.  Me, reflected off the pollen-covered, bird poop-spattered minivan.  (Heh, behind me you can see why it's pollen-covered and bird poop-spattered.)

May 7th
I'd love for us to get playful with our shadow today! ... Lets let our shadow help us tell our story today!


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Today I visited my mother and was lucky enough to see the crabapple in bloom, petals were already showering the ground, so I captured my shadow covered by them.

May 8th
...today lets look ourselves in the eyes... look right into the lens, simply sending ourselves love.

Wow.  I can't believe how hard this one was for me.  I look into the lens all the time!  But at myself???  Sending myself love???  No.  I am usually thinking of others who will be viewing the photo and what messages I want them to receive, and I usually choose times when I am feeling particularly pretty and in a good mood, which I wasn't really feeling on Wednesday.  But I did it, and I managed to get 2 I couldn't choose between.


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In this first one, I kind of feel like I'm looking a little bored, perhaps even nervous about the photo; I'm not sure if there is love there.


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However, in this one I can see it.  The reminders to be gentle and kind with myself, as much as I am with Jacqueline.  I deserve to love myself, and treat myself as kindly, as I do her.

May 9th
Lets explore how either movement or stillness can be an invitation to be present in our bodies in our photo adventures!

When I read that, I decided I wanted to spin for the camera, barefoot in the yard where all the wild strawberries are in bloom!  So I set the camera on a little stool we have and set the double timer.


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The first shot caught me gingerly walking to where I wanted to stand, we have a LOT of poison ivy in our woods, and it is slowly encroaching on the yard, so I wanted to make sure there was none where I wanted to spin.  And it turns out that I like this one better than the spinning one.  I think it more accurately reflects ME, cautiously moving through life.


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I like this one too, even though I've cut my head off, my body seems kinda awkward, and I'm off center. It's not perfect, and neither am I. ^-^

Stay tuned for more adventures in self-portraits soon!

BYOB: Day 3 & 4

Yesterday was a busy day here at Faerie Gardens!  Jacqueline & I went out lawn mower shopping and then of course spent some time putting it together and playing with it; and then we went out to dinner - an unexpected treat!  However it was quite late by the time I got around to thoroughly reading my emails and finding the Be Your Own Muse prompt:

"...let's let the sillies out, let's be playful be it in our expressions, our movements or the props we use to help us with this fun task!"

What is really funny is that I had actually already taken some self-portraits that fit the prompt!  You see, I got a great deal at Sally Beauty Supply (I know, not where one finds by lawn mowers, but it was Right. Next. Door!) on a very Lisa Frank-esque fashion set: a bag, scarf, and sunglasses featuring black leopard spots on a rainbow ombré background.  I ♥ it so much!

But let's be real.

I can't wear sunglasses.  -_-  Haven't been able to since I got glasses when I was 10.  I finally broke down and got some clip-ons (omg I've become my mom XD ) from the eye place last time I got glasses though, but they are no where near as cool as these:


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Am I right?  So anyway, I am going to share the spoils with 2 of my daughters, and since they're both away from home this week, I needed some photos to share with them... And voila!  Photos for BYOB done!  This morning I just played around with the color some, goofing around with edits I've not really used. I think it's pretty playful!  ^o^

Today's photos happened rather unexpectedly as well.  I went outside to get some photos of our tulips and got carried away with what I was doing, looking at all the things I take for granted in my yard: the green green grass, pushing up through all the dried brown growth from last year, the bright yellow dandelions, the un-planted grape hyacinths so far away from the garden, the aspens quickly greening and leafing out, the new growth on the brambles...

And look!  I even found my feet!


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Although the image was slightly out of focus, I really like how it conveys exactly what I was feeling.  Kinda dream-like and filled with color. ♥♥♥

Merry May!

So many blog post bubbling up in my head, and backlogged in my drafts....  Whee!  I feel like my brain is running so fast, my fingers can barely keep up!

Anyway, let's just take a break for a moment.  *deepbreath*  Ah, yes, that's better...

First, I am doing 2 things this month.  The first is related to my business, Faerie Garden Fancies, and the second focuses on me, with emphasis on play & self-care.

First, I will be taking part in Leslie Saeta's "30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days" Challenge.  Day One (form an Artist-Mentoring Group) was a cinch, as I am already a member of a lovely group of artists on facebook, and in fact, had discovered the challenge there!  Day Two was to find an old painting, still for sale, and share it!  And so here it is!


Spring Fairy, 6" x 6" Original Watercolor Painting
I love this painting and wish my camera or the scanner had picked up the colors more true to life, but it still makes me smile to see it.  The colorful bokeh-like background, the sparkling fairy, and the tiny opening fern and mushrooms, all convey the magic of spring.

Second, I've been blessed to win from Grow Soul Beautiful a spot in Vivienne McMaster's Be Your Own Beloved self-portraiture course.  It's so much more than taking pictures of myself though:  Lots of good words, support & encouragement, play and self-love.  Wow do I need those!

So yesterday's prompt was to literally take a photo of our first step on this journey.  Well I felt more than a little silly marching around in front of my camera for 12 seconds, but this shot was so worth it!  Please click through to read more about it...


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Today's task was to "explore what nourishes us and tell that story in our self-portrait." As I read the email, the sun was streaming through my front door, I could hear the birds twittering about the feeder, and the scent of the hyacinth was blown right into my room!  I just had to sit and soak it in!  Those few moments of quiet sunshine nourished me, so that's what I tried to capture in my photo.  Click through to see more!


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Oh!  And never fear about the bunnies; they'll be back very soon! ~_^