Happy Easter

Wishing you joy this Easter!  xoxo

Thursday's Inspiration: Fences

So, I ran outside yesterday afternoon and took a few quick shots of the little bit of white picket fence that we have here at our Little Red House.  I wanted to find a really beautiful fence to shoot, but the week just got away from me...  :)

As I was editing last night, I couldn't decide which image to use, so I just decided to use both.  The leaves in the second photo are an old azalea bush -- they grow really well here, and this one is taller than me.  The bit of stump in the first image is from our Christmas tree.  It's always been a tradition here to trim the tree to fit in the tree stand, and leave the trimming on the fence to sniff as we walk by.  My kids, now 25 and 21, still love this tradition.  :)

I've been loving your interpretations of the word prompts so far.  It's so much fun to see all the different ways a single word can be celebrated.  Here are the word prompts for the month of April:

April 4:  bread
April 11:  sky
April 18:  blue
April 25:  tree

Looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with for these prompts!  :)

*****

I wish you all a very Happy Easter!  There will be no Mosaic Monday this week because of the holiday.  xoxo

Collecting

Lately I've been dreaming of a big white room, with comfortable white slipcovered furniture and lots of empty space.  This happens every year around this time, when I've been stuck indoors too long and all my many "collections" begin to seem overwhelming.

Do you have collections?  While I give my junk the courtesy title "collections," I really begin to think that I'm actually just a magpie.  I "collect" old books, china, milk glass, flatware, silver gravy boats...  and the list goes on.  I also tend to bring home little bits of nature that I find on our walks.  I need a good spring cleaning.  :)

*****

Will you join me tomorrow for Thursday's Inspiration?  The word prompt is fences.

A usual, I'm way behind, and will have to run out tomorrow morning to find a fence

to shoot.  ;)

The post will be up by 2:00 pm New York time.  Hope to see you then!

*****

There will be no Mosaic Monday this week due to the

Easter Holiday.  We will resume on April 7th.

Thanks!

Mosaic Monday: Spring Is Here (I Think)

Well, the calendar says that it is spring, and there are certainly a few late winter/early spring flowers to be seen here at the Little Red House...  But the temperatures are not out of the 30's or 40's during the day, and yes, we have the dreaded s-word predicted for tomorrow.

S-N-O-W.

Pardon me if I start to mutter another four-letter s-word under my breath...

On a happier note, I am pleased to report that our cable issues seem to have been resolved, which is a good thing for Optimum because I was ready to call Verizon Fios on Monday morning.

 In other news this weekend, we got a new mattress and box spring from an online company called Saatva and let me tell you, it is T-E-R-R-I-F-I-C!  Most comfortable mattress I've ever slept on, and the company was a delight to work with.  When my husband called to get a confirmed shipping date, the CEO of the company called him back and apologized because we did not get a promised call with shipping information two days after ordering.  If you're in the market for a new mattress, check them out.  And no, I did not get any compensation for this mention.  :)

So, after all my rambles, let me wish you all a happy almost spring!  ;)

Here are the instructions to join today's post:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.

Thursday's Inspiration: Round

I have to admit that I pulled this one from my archives.  Between intermittent cable service and a death in the family, it's been a little crazy around here this week.  Nonetheless, here is my contribution for the word prompt "round."  I hope to be able to visit yours throughout the rest of the week.

Next week's word prompt is:  fence.

Looking forward to life getting back to normal next week.  Until then, much love to you all!  xoxo

A Lovely Inspiration

I'm still experiencing cable issues -- we were out most of the day.  I spent the day working on making up a new welcome packet for my portrait business.  I photographed this beautiful young lady for her First Holy Communion last year.  She is one of my favorite models.  I'm sure you can see why.  :)

I've got tons still left to do today, but I just wanted to pop in and remind you of the word prompts for the next two weeks.

March 21st:  round
March 28th:  fence

That's it then.  Hope to see you on Thursday, always provided that my cable is working.  :)

Mosaic Monday: Anticipating Spring

It's snowing here in New Jersey as I write this (on Saturday).  It's not supposed to amount to much, but it is coming down pretty hard right now.  Less than a week till the start of spring, and it's snowing.  :(

So I've decided to anticipate spring if only in my dreams.  These are some new spring images currently in my etsy shop.  What could say "spring" better than snowdrops, daffodils, forsythia and primroses?

And maybe a day without snow?

Wishing you all a very happy St. Patrick's Day!  xoxo

Here are the instructions to join today's post:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.

Thursday's Inspiration: Green

I've been having cable problems off and on for two days now, and have been frantically adding spring images to my etsy shop in between the down times.  So...  I'm sorry that this post is a little later than planned.  :)

This tea set makes a yearly appearance on my blog every March.  It belonged to my mother, and was not made in Ireland as you might think, but in Japan.  It's got a very delicate glaze that makes it seem to glow when placed in the right light.  I love to serve tea in it, along with some Irish Soda Bread.  However, I've gone gluten-free, so I guess it's just tea this year.  :)

Wishing all of you a very happy St. Patrick's Day!  xoxo

Coming Soon

I'm always on the lookout for Ranunculus in my area supermarkets.  They are so beautiful, with their soft, papery petals and wavy stems.  So far, I've only found this one pot, but I'm hoping to have a selection of different colors in cut stems soon.  Why do I buy them?  To photograph them, of course!  So hopefully, you will be seeing more ranunculus, coming soon.  :)

I would be honored if you would join me for Thursday's Inspiration tomorrow.  The word prompt is green.  My post should be up by 2:00 pm New York time.  See you then!

Mosaic Monday: The Gardener

Can you tell that I'm getting anxious for spring to arrive?  The snowdrops are blooming, and the hellebores are poking up.  And in casting around for a Mosaic Monday subject, I realized that I have lots of gardening things that make great photo styling props.  :)

The old books are from my parents' collection.  I wish I had some vintage gardening books.  I shall have to remedy that situation soon. The flower print is one of a pair that I found at a rummage sale.  The tiny tin cup is a thrift store find.    And they are all siting on my maple cutting board.  How wonderful would it be to have a great big potting table?  ;)

Here are the instructions to join today's post:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.

Thursday's Inspiration: Books

OK, I may have cheated here.  This is a leftover from this past week's Mosaic Monday session.  But I think it captures how I feel about books -- they are front and center in my life.  I cannot imagine not reading every day.  And every time I open a new book, it feels like I've just given myself a lovely present.  :)

Thank you so much to all the wonderful friends who have joined Thursday's Inspiration so far.  I'm so happy to have you here, and to enjoy your inspiration each week!

Next week's word prompt is green, in honor of St. Patrick's Day.  :)

Spring Dreams

As I sit here working on my laptop, the wind is absolutely howling outside.  No snow yet, but the wind definitely feels like a nor'easter.  Gosh, I really hope we don't get any snow.  The snowdrops are blooming here, and the hellebores are poking up, and I just don't want to see them all covered with snow.  I need spring!  I'm so sorry for those of you in the midwest and New England, and all those places that have been snowed under this winter.

In the meantime, will you join me tomorrow for Thursday's Inspiration?  The prompt is "books."  Perfect for a snowy day!  ;)

Mosaic Monday: Little Pinks

This is what happens to me when winter wears out it's welcome.  I buy some flowers at the supermarket and play with my camera.  Old books and flowers are a recurring theme in my photography.  And I usually include a tole tray as well.  This one is a huge round tray, in a pretty green/blue with pink flowers.  It belonged to my mother, and I can remember her using it quite often when she entertained.

I bought the pink flowers to shoot for the Facebook group I belong to called Colors of 2013 with Eva Ricci Studio.  Actually, I showed you some of the shots I've already taken for the group in last week's mosaic.  I took so many shots that I thought I would use them for this week's mosaic as well,  You can never have enough pink flowers, right?  ;)

Lastly, the quote from Maya Angelou is one of my favorites.  I made that particular image up for my daughter, who is spending a semester abroad, and missing home.  I wanted her to remember to appreciate the small moments.

Here are the instructions to join today's post:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.