{follow inspiration}

inspiration.....it's all around us. jen wrote about finding inspiration last week and i thought i would continue with that theme. inspiration comes in many forms and for me most recently in this fabulous catalog - my new obsession these days.
the photography in this catalog is nothing short of stunning and refreshing
and inspiring. we really do find inspiration everywhere including the mail!
toast. [another reason why i long to go to the uk.] shops in bath and oxford, notting hill and the west end of london. maybe someday they will come to boston. here's hoping and here's to finding all that inspires.

featuring the photographer jenny zarins who has a style all her own - she's fantastic!(check out her site)

Photo of the Day {Tuesday}

"What??!" You say? On Tuesday???

Yes, dear readers. We have had SO MANY awesome contributions to our Flickr Group Pool, that we will be choosing a photo of the day every day--Monday through Friday.

Here is today's pick, taken by Teresa Murphy.



Isn't it lovely? It totally feels like I am looking through somone's dream. A beautiful dream; somewhere I'd like to visit. Clever use of color and texture; warm, feminine, simple--that is why this is the photo of the day.

:spring inspired:

spring--it inspires, it delights, it smiles at you. although, spring has not yet come where i live...although it is just around the corner...i find inspiration through others images of spring.
i invite you to leave us a link to your favorite spring photo of yours. if you don't have one, then leave us the link to a photo that inspires you!
{below are the links to these beautiful images}



1. Blue World, 2. Day 45/365 : All the world in a little droplet, 3. Dreaming of Spring......., 4. Soft on Spring, 5. spring in california, 6. top of the world, 7. Spring is in the air!, 8. Scene from an old memory, 9. Spring Blues, 10. spring in the city (III), 11. The Earth & the Heaven, 12. Happy Song, 13. the happymaker, 14. Romeo and Juliette, shall never die. They come alive in every lover who succeed to live their “Spring” in snow and rain., 15. stuck in the blues, 16. Tears are words the heart can't express

{monday} photo du jour!

Well once again The Maternal Lens stream on flickr is gorgeous. I think I could favorite every single shot. But today, being Monday, I thought this gorgeous photo would help everyone get a jump start on their week. What a gorgeous baby, gorgeous black and white conversion, it just says pure delight to me and that in itself helps me get it going today!!
The beautiful photo is by the very talented Kelly Beach Photography - take a minute to check out her stream and then hop on over to her website. Very lovely indeed!!
Keep those gorgeous photos coming everybody - you make our day!!

{Creation Station}

UPDATE!!! We have our 5 winners: Erin, AF Photography, Natalie, Heather, and Molto Bella Photography (since JAR Photography deleted their post) Please send me an e-mail at meganjames25@yahoo.com and let me know your children's ages and sexes (in case I create something with them in mind) and send me a link to your post, paying it forward. If you change your mind and do not want to participate, let me know that too, so I can open it back up.
And for those of you who didn't win my creation I suggest you hit up the winner's blogs and be the first to comment on their blogs to win one of their creations! Hurry! Hurry!

In order to experience some of the awesomeness of creativity...the first 5 people to respond to this post will receive something made by me! Maternal Lens founders can be included in this offer. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully.

1) I make no guarantee that you will like what I make ; )
2) What I create will be just for you, with love ♥♥♥
3) It will be done this year (2009)
4) I will not give you any clue what it's going to be, but it will be something tangible not a cyber gift.
5) I reserve the right to do something completely strange.
6) No two gifts will be alike, and they may not be of equal value.
7) In return, all you need to do is post this text into a blog/note of your own and make 5 things for the first 5 people to respond to your post. I will not send your gift if you do not pay it forward (exp: in your blog, on Facebook, on Cafemom, send out a bulk e-mail)
8) Send me your mailing address if you don't live in the same town as me.

IMPORTANT: This offer is null and void if I do not see you post your own note to pay it forward.

{Wall Display}

I wanted to share with you the wall display in my living room. It covers a fairly large area of the wall with the center focal point being a fabulous display of frames I purchased from www.redenvelope.com It just so happens to be on sale at the moment too. Surrounding the mounted display I placed an assortment of styles and sizes of black frames. I will probably add onto it just a little, not too many more, and then periodically switch out the photos that are on display.

...and the fabulous banner giveaway goes to....

digital misfit! congratulations on such a wonderful prize!

email me at thousandwords@bresnan.net and get the deets!
thanks so much to all of you who entered...and if you didn't win, make sure to head on over to simply blogged and get one for yourself!

a {fresh} face for {the maternal lens}

You may have noticed that {the maternal lens} has a new look. We are still working on our blog design, but we are super stoked about our brand new logo and blog header!!!

Surprising as it may sound, it's not easy for 5 women to agree on a new look! But when we saw this logo, we all instantly fell in love.

Erika, of Center of Attention Photography, was more than happy to let us have this fab logo and tweaked it just for us! She even did our blog header as an added surprise! We are in love with our new look and wanted you to know where to find a new look for yourself! You can view some of her other designs HERE. Erika was great to work with and we can't thank her enough for all she's done!

Thanks again Erika! You rock!!!



Keep checking back to see the other new changes that are in the works! Don't forget to sign up for our great banner giveaway!

[photo of the week] friday's pick!

the instant i saw the thumbnail of this shot, i knew i was going to love it! my pick for today's photo of the week is from pinkletoes! make sure you check out her stream...it's beautiful!
i grew up in texas and this takes me right back to my childhood with the fields of bluebonnets. just gorgeous...oh, and the precious little girl in pick isn't too shabby either! haha!! just gorgeous!!




be sure to check out the free giveaway below! it ends tonight, so there is still time to enter!!
happy friday!!

[banner giveaway]

leaca is one of my favorite photographers....and one of my favorite bloggers! i first came upon leaca on flickr. she has such a unique style that i have fallen in love with and have been completely inspired by. she has since started up a blog called simply blogged, which is one of the first blogs that i check every morning. it's full of inspiration and information. if you have never checked it out...you must go and have a look around. make sure you become a follower because she adds things daily!

soooooo, i was on there a week or so ago and she had a post about these great banners that she makes....little positive affirmations that bring a happy/positive energy to your home.

i think they are fantastic! (i personally LOVE the ones on the vintage music sheets!) and even more fantastic....she has generously offered to give one away surprise banner to one of our maternal lens readers!! you can see more banners here.

so, be sure and enter our contest, check out leaca's blog and check out more of her banner collection at her etsy store and pick up some for your home or give as a gift!

how to enter:

Just leave us a "love note" (comment) with your e-mail or contact info (blog, etc.) Tell us how much you love us or what you would like to see here at TML. This = 1 entry.

THEN, if you want to get an additional entry, leave us ANOTHER love note that says you have clicked to become a follower of the blog or if you already are a follower. (We will check! LOL...) This = 2 entries.

THEN, you can get another entry if you grab our button (we have a new one, so make sure you swap out the old one if you already have it) and put it on your blog...you need to leave us another comment with the blog URL of where the button is... this = 3 entries.
{MAKE SURE THEY ARE ALL SEPARATE LOVE NOTES/COMMENTS or else it will count as one entry}

contest will end friday at midnight, central time.

[photos of the week]

I had three photos I was deciding between, I will probably have to revisit the other two, but for today I chose this fabulous photo. You have to click on it to view it larger. I love everything about it! It was taken by vania_b whose photo stream is filled with many inspirational and outstanding photos.

how do you edit?

there are so many styles of photography out there...as well as, so many styles of editing. some photogs edit their photos to the extreme, some photogs edit in minimal ways and some fall somewhere in between. just within the 5 of us, we all have our own different style/taste.
we thought we'd share with you some of the steps we take on our editing process. below you will see the sooc (straight out of camera) shot first and then below that is the edited shot. we will put our step by step process with it. you can click on the pictures to make them bigger, to give you a better idea.
if you have some cool tricks/tips of your own that you'd like to share, please do! there are so many wonderful things about the photoshop world and it's fun to learn new tricks! or, if you have any questions, let us know and we will be sure to answer them!

#1



- The SOOC shot is slightly underexposed to keep her fair hair from blowing out. With young children who move a lot, you can’t always get the perfect lighting!

- Image>adjustments>curves. I dragged the mid point of the curve up and to the left to brighten the image.

- Using the lasso tool, I lassoed around just her face and brightened it with curves a little more. I don’t want to brighten the entire image anymore because I’m still concerned with her hair blowing out and losing all color detail.

- Select>inverse. I selected the inverse so that the area near the edges of the photo was selected. Image>adjustments>levels. I moved the shadow slider to the right to bring out the darker tones, creating a slight vignette.

- Image>adjustments>contrast. Increased the contrast to 20.

- Using the dodge tool set to MIDTONES, 5%, I dodged her eyes to brighten them up a bit. Then used the burn tool set to SHADOWS, 5%, to darken her eyelashes just a tad and any other parts of her eye that got too light with dodging. With a larger brush, I also burned the top left and bottom right corners.

- There was some pollen on her nose, so I used the spot healing tool to get rid of it.

- Because she’s so fair, her skin is a little cool. Image>adjustments>color balance. I moved the color balance towards RED about 10.

- Cropped a tiny bit.

- Filter>sharpen>unsharp mask. My settings are 60/3.5/0.

- Save!



#2

- this was shot in RAW, so I opened it up in adobe camera raw (i use photoshop cs4). The sooc shot was underexposed a bit, so I adjusted the exposure slider to the right to lighten it up a bit.

- then, I adjusted the brighten slider to the right. Again, to brighten it up a bit.

- the contrast was up'd a touch by moving the slider to the right.

- i used the crop tool to crop the image. I originally chopped off her hand, so I decided to come in a make it a tight crop, as well as giving it a bit better composition.

- then, I opened the image in Photoshop.

- using the dodge tool, set to highlights 8%, I dodged her eyes a touch. It was a gloomy day outside and I wanted to enhance a bit of the light in her eyes.

- I added a vingette (its an action I have).

- sharpened with smart sharpen, filter>sharpen>smart sharpen

- save as JPEG and done!

#3




I edited this photo first in CS3, then in Lightroom

I edited this photo mainly using actions and presets.

I started with Pioneer Woman's Slight Sharpen and then her Slight Lighten free actions.

then boosted the contrast and brightness myself.

Next I opened the photo in Lightroom and ran the Wow Photo Preset Autotone 02 on it, just to bump it up a little bit more.

Then I added Wow Photo Preset Cool Tint 05 to give it a little bit of bluesy feel.

I cropped it just a tad.

Lastly I added a vignette using the sliders in Lightroom, as well as adjusting the presets to my exact liking using the sliders.

Oh yes, and added our nifty new watermark as well.

#4

OK, my turn! (Sarah speaking, btw!) I edit all of my images in Photoshop 7. I would like to stress here, that it is very important to get those images sooc (straight out of camera) looking as good as possible! It will make your life so much easier concerning post processing (pp). Try to nail that focus and exposure, think about your background, and get a pretty good in camera crop.

Here I chose a pretty underexposed image to work with. It was mid evening on an overcast day. First, I adjusted the sliders in levels to brighten up the image a bit. At this point I also find a more appropriate crop if need be.

Then, I made a slight 's' curve adjustment in curves.

Next, for this image, I thought that it would be fun to run my favorite color pop action. (Brenda's color boost!)

I tweaked the opacity a little, burned the edges, sharpened for web (so important I think for viewing photos on the web) and voila!




we will have a few more examples coming soon!! so check back!

[earth hour]

what are you doing next saturday night? 28 march? at 8:30 pm your time? well if you are like millions and millions of other folks, you will turn your lights off for one hour and celebrate earth hour!! there are no rules to earth hour - just turn your lights off for one hour and spend the time with your family, your pet, yourself. unplug and unwind. go for a walk in the dark, have dinner by candlelight, play a game, read a book, take a bath by candlelight - the list goes on. the goal is to reduce carbon emissions, it's your vote against global warming. and if you feel like recording it - come back and share your photos of what you did during "earth hour" with us at the maternal lens. sounds like fun!! flick that switch!!

inspiration, aspiration

Today as I was driving around town, I was thinking about all of the things I want to get out and shoot once the weather really warms up. Spring is such an inspiration in itself, it's hard not to have a stream of ideas flooding your mind, especially when you are a photographer!

I thought to myself that I would really like to gain a good working knowledge of how to get and work with flare in my photography over the summer. I really stink at it right now! It's such a beautiful element to have in your images and something that's not easy to master.

The more I thought about what I'd like to do in the coming seasons, the more I started to think that we should always have goals for ourselves as photographers. No matter how much you know, there's always more to learn. I challenge all of you to make a small photography goal for yourself. Not just for your business, but really challenge yourself to learn something new. Do you need to learn manual? How to use your external flash? How to get great flare in your photos?

What is your spring aspiration?

{photo of the week}

Thanks for all the wonderful posts in The Maternal Lens flickr group. There are so many great photos to choose from!

My pick for today is this marvelous shot by jasminflower. The light and colors are so warm and lovely, it caught my eye right away! Congrats!

Have a wonderful week everyone! Happy shooting!

{Our Art Winners Are}...........

angelwolfstorm and molotobella photography!!!
congratulations - please email me at meg@bluelimephoto.com

how exciting!!!!

For now he is four...

I wrote a poem for my son when he turned four. I thought I would share it with you all. Kindergarten is soon approaching, and all too soon it will be time for a new poem. It is very much inspired by 'Today' by June Cotner. Thanks for reading.


Today Noah is four.

Auburn haired, dusty, freckled, sensitive, curious boy.
He will never again be 3, 2, or 1.

Collector of rocks, feathers, wind, birthday cards, seeds, string, hugs, apartment magazines, stickers, and cars.
Today Noah is four.

Running barefoot flying high, rescuing block cities made under his bed, dressed in a cape: he is a hero.
He will never again be 3, 2, or 1.

My prince charming, pirate, dragon winged super boy
pretend, pretend, pretend.
Loves granola cookies and melted ice cream
Today Noah is four.






























{Btw he was his own 'stylist' for this photo--he picked out his own clothes, etc. The crate was a garage sale find ( one dollar! ). I ran a color boost action by Brenda (fab, fab, fab!) and then did some cross processing and burned the edges.}

words on women and strength

a dear friend of mine gave this to me and it brought tears to my eyes....and changed my heart.

Author Kelly Corrigan wrote this moving essay about women's remarkable capacity to support each other, to laugh together, and to endure. her words are powerful and something every women, friend, sister, mom, daughter should listen too.



i also recently read kelly's book called The Middle Place. it's a wonderful book about her fight with cancer, a story about an amazing relationship with her father.....a really, really great book.

{photo of the week} friday edition!

as we all know the talent that is evident in the tml pool on flickr is astounding, making the decision for a photo of the week a very complicated task indeed. but there was something about this beautiful image that made me think and feel so many things. spring is here, the delight of wearing a dress, being a woman, being a mom, caring, feeling, light, softness, innocence and beauty - these were just some of the feelings + thoughts that made themselves known in my head when i looked at this intriguing image taken by the very talented zoogal. please make sure you visit her stream and enjoy her photographic journey.
{wishing everyone a very happy first day of spring}

{giveaway extended} - Happy Spring!!!

it seems that folks are having a hard time getting into our blog for the past couple of days - only technical difficulties i hope. we would like to extend our tobin eckian art giveaway through the weekend so everyone gets a chance at becoming the proud owner of an original piece of art!! make sure you leave your comment on the original giveaway post.
please email any one of us if you are still experiencing difficulties.

spring is here!!! oh happy day!!!

And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.
~Percy Bysshe Shelley, "The Sensitive Plant"

{art} - today's giveaway is fabulous!!!!!

I would like to introduce you all to a fabulous artist, Tobin Eckian. Tobin is one of those women that upon meeting her you know you have an instant friend. Her artwork brings a smile to everyone - so fresh and different and clever - always so clever. Tobin was kind enough to indulge me via an interview and even more kind to donate not one but TWO of her "tiny art" paintings to two of our lucky readers.


"my Van Gogh - o - ish garden"
4 x 5 inch hand worked artprint
from original painting


"My Tree" from original watercolor painting
Hand worked with colored pencil, acrylics and varnish 5 x 4 inches on
arches infinity watercolor printing paper


Tobian Eckian (and her darling son Clay - who is not so little anymore!)

Just leave us a "love note" (comment) with your e-mail or contact info (blog, etc.) Tell us how much you love us or what you would like to see here at TML. This = 1 entry.

THEN, if you want to get an additional entry, leave us ANOTHER love note that says you have clicked to become a follower of the blog or if you already are a follower. (We will check! LOL...) This = 2 entries.

THEN, you can get another entry if you grab our button and put it on your blog...you need to leave us another comment with the blog URL of where the button is... this = 3 entries.
{MAKE SURE THEY ARE ALL SEPARATE LOVE NOTES/COMMENTS or else it will count as one entry}

AND visit Tobin's blog and definitely view her artwork. For anyone living in the Boston/Northshore area, Tobin is having a fabulous art opening on 27 March @ The Carry Out Cafe in Newburyport, Massachusetts! She would love to see you all there!


THE INTERVIEW

when did you discover your talent?
During a paint by number on velvet of a horse minutes after I realized I wasn't
painting by number anymore!

what inspires you? The elements, Love, fun, peace, joy,

tell us about your typical day?
I am thankful for another day to love and create when I wake up after I recover from whatever dreams I might have had. Then wonder what I am going to create
while still in bed, I don't get up until I feel really excited about myday. I usually have an idea of something I am either going to finish orbegin (a painting, a needle felt, some hand-worked prints)Then it goes something like this:

Coffee
Saying hi to my friends on facebook, twitter, flickr - and checking to
see whether anything sold on my etsy shop that I need to attend to.
Play with my dog, pet my cat, talk to the bird in the kitchen
Art
Cleaning
Art
Check facebook, twitter maybe flickr
Clean
Art
Art
Art
Play the fiddle
Art
Eat - take a nap
Clean
Plan dinner
Art
Maybe take a bath if I need one
Check facebook
Dinner
Movie or tv.
Thank source for another day.

what is your favorite color? turquoise


what is your favorite medium? acrylic


What is your favorite word? fun


What is your least favorite word? hate

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or
emotionally? life


What turns you off creatively, spiritually or
emotionally? negativity run amuck


What sound or noise do you love? the sound of trees in gentle wind


What sound or noise do you hate? trucks engines


What is your favorite curse word? fricken

What profession other than your own would you like to
attempt? tightrope walker


What profession would you not like to do? quality checker at some random company


If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive
at the Pearly Gates? it's a bout fricken time!


Where can we find your work?
at my etsy shop http://www.tobinart.etsy.com Chameleon Gallery in Newburyport
on my blog -http://www.teckian.blogspot.com which has links to my etsy shop,
twitter and flickr!

....and the winner of the leg hugger giveaway is.....

congratulations to jessica drossin! you have won a free pair of fabulous leg huggers! please email me at thousandwords@bresnan.net to get the details!

thank you to everyone who entered. stay tuned....lots more giveaways to come!!

photos of the week...

So just to remind everyone--we choose a photo every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to be our photos of the week! Join our Flickr Group now and post your greatest shots!



Here is today's photo of the week (better late than never I say!) by Jenny of Sweet Bliss Photography. (You all make it very difficult to choose!) Isn't it a BEAUTY?? This just screamed springtime and sweetness, and was executed flawlessly. She just looks like a sweet little dandelion, doesn't she? Perfection.

::ART::

i have seen this in quite a few places over the last few days and every time i see it i watch the whole thing all over again. i really thought it was something that i wanted to share with our readers too. there is just something in it that really sucks me in....i don't know if it's the photographer in me, or the fact that my husband is an art major and has such passion for it, or the fact that my family is full of creative/artistic minds....whatever the reason, i hope you enjoy it...and pass it on!!


Music video for Tanya Davis’ song Art by Andrea Dorfman

{First Signs}

"If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom." ~Audra Foveo

Share with us links to your photos of the first signs of Spring where you live.

View this photo bigger and better here.

{st. patty's day giveaway}

it's another giveaway! it's st. patrick's day and since i'm irish...i say lets see who's lucky!!

i recently came across this product and i am in love! they are called leg huggers. they are cute accessories to keep baby legs warm or add flare to any girls outfit! you can check out their website HERE. i have 2 pairs of these, and although i have no little girls in my house full of boys, i have many friends and clients that i use them on and they are always a big hit!!

leg huggers are great for tiny little ones all they way up to 4 year old dancing ballerinas! and the best part... leg huggers are are made from 100% sustainable Bamboo fibers. they are eco-friendly and so super soft and cozy!!! go check them out...order a pair or 5. ha ha. they are very affordable and i know you will be thrilled with them!



so, here's the deal....leg huggers is giving away one FREE pair to one of our fabulous readers! how exciting!!
all you need to do is:

Just leave us a "love note" (comment) with your e-mail or contact info (blog, etc.) Tell us how much you love us or what you would like to see here at TML. This = 1 entry.

THEN, if you want to get an additional entry, leave us ANOTHER love note that says you have clicked to become a follower of the blog or if you already are a follower. (We will check! LOL...) This = 2 entries.

THEN, you can get another entry if you grab our button and put it on your blog...you need to leave us another comment with the blog URL of where the button is... this = 3 entries.
{MAKE SURE THEY ARE ALL SEPARATE LOVE NOTES/COMMENTS or else it will count as one entry}



This giveaway will close at midnight central time on wednesday, march 18th and the winner will be posted thursday morning. I will pick a number via random # generator--tune in to see if you are the winner!

may the luck of the irish be with you!! happy st. patrick's day!!

{Wherever you go and whatever you do, May the luck of the Irish be there with you}

{around the corner}

well what will they think of next. a photo frame that actually goes around a corner. interesting, cool, different, kind of hip i think. this one piece frame holds up to 12 images. do you have a dull corner in your house and you want to spruce it up?! well the corner frame is for you!! tell them the maternal lens sent you!!

[photos of the week]

Oh how I love this photo. In honor of my daughter who asks me daily for "a real pig" and also because it's about the sweetest photo I've seen, I chose it as Monday's photo of the week. Reminds us that Spring is a coming. Taken by Pied Piper Photography. Oink Oink!

:top ten tips:

this is the first in a new series called top ten tips. in this, we will feature our top ten tips (5 gals, 2 tips each) on anything photography related. each time it will be based on a different subject, but will somehow relate to photography.

our first topic is child portraits. we all have different styles, different techniques....but it's always great to see what others have to say.

here it goes...
1. don't think that the perfect portrait has to be all smiles and looking straight at the camera! sometimes the perfect shot is something completely different.

2. get down on their level. really think about how a child views the world and be patient, patient, patient! also be prepared to (at times) take 200 shots for the perfect 10.

3. i ignore the parents in the background hovering and really try to connect with the child. i ask tons of questions about school, toys, friends..... anything. i just keep shooting while

they are talking to me. i act a bit goofy to get a reaction - i trip on my feet, i plop on the ground, i ask if they can see their reflection in my lens so i can get a beautiful eye contact shot. anything to bring it down to their level

4. don't be afraid to get in close even if it means not getting their entire face in the shot. kids parts are the best.

5. be aware of your surroundings and your backgrounds. make sure you don't have tree growing out of heads or an ugly trash can behind your beautiful subject.

6. play with your composition. try off center shots. try tilted shots. play with negative space and use it to your advantage.

7. capture the child in their element. Make sure they are comfortable in their environment. like Maria Montessori said "follow the child." let them take the lead and they are sure to strike the "perfect pose" completely unposed and looking the most natural.

8. the perfect prop can make all of the difference, whether it be a cute hat, pettiskirt, a pair of rain boots. props can add that little special something that makes your photo stand out.

9. bring small (photogenic) toys for the child to hold if you need something to keep them still for a minute or two.

10. use a child's flashlight that makes animal sounds to get a child's attention. the light/noise combo is fascinating to kids.

* Lucky Hat Winner!! *

iiiiiiis...

Marcie of Synergy Mom!!! Congratulations on your beautiful hat!! Please contact me at joyfulphotoco at yahoo dot com (no spaces) for all the deets!!

Thanks everyone for making our first giveaway a huge hit!!

Got Hats? {a rave and giveaway!}

So, I was browsing Flickr (you've gathered that we all love it there, right?) the other day and I came across these DARLING little hats:

Soooo cute, right?? These are knit by Kristy Gleeson--aka swifferkins over on Flickr. I sent her a Flickrmail and told her that I had to have ones like these right away. Less than a week later, I am holding them in my hands! They are incredibly yummy and squishy and oh so soft. I totally recommend her--here is a link to her fabulous Etsy shop. She is so great to work with!

So, here comes the great news. Kristy has offered to knit one up special for one of our lucky readers--woot! Here is how you can participate in our very first giveaway and win:

Just leave us a "love note" (comment) with your e-mail or contact info (blog, etc.) Tell us how much you love us or what you would like to see here at TML. This = 1 entry.

THEN, if you want to get an additional entry, leave us ANOTHER love note that says you have clicked to become a follower of the blog or if you already are a follower. (We will check! LOL...) This = 2 entries.

THEN, you can get another entry if you grab our button and put it on your blog...you need to leave us another comment with the blog URL of where the button is... this = 3 entries.
{MAKE SURE THEY ARE ALL SEPARATE LOVE NOTES/COMMENTS or else it will count as one entry}

So exciting! This giveaway will close at midnight central time on Saturday, March 14th. I will pick a number via random # generator Sunday morning--tune in to see if you are the lucky winner! The winner will receive one knit 'Fraggle Hat' in their choice of colors....totally free!

♥ I will now leave you with this: ♥

[photos of the week]

i'm so excited to announce our very first maternal lens photo of the week! there are so many amazing photographers and their quality of work is fantastic! it was a super hard choice, but i kept coming back to this one....there is just something so magical to me.
photo by kodakmagic



on a side note: we have had such a great response to our group on flickr (link here), we have decided to feature a photo from the group pool 3 times a week. they will posted on monday, wednesday and friday. the photos will be chosen at random by one of our fabulous 5 ladies. so enter your photos into the group pool daily and check back often to see if yours has been chosen! thank you all for your overwhelming support. we are excited to see what the future has in store!

{FYI} Break Free Workshop

Break free from...
Originally uploaded by RyanRichard

Husband & wife team Ryan and Holly Gauper are hosting some awesome workshops I thought you'd all be interested in! They are wedding and portrait artists with an impressive portfolio! You can check out some of their work at Ryan Richard Photography.

The focus will be breaking free from the typical things that hold photographers back, like technical issues and mediocre creativity and editing. The most exciting part, I think, is that they will have a variety of prime lenses there for attendees to try out!

The Dayton workshop is coming up fast, so sign up soon! The price is great and the instructors are top-notch!

Break Free Workshop link

::2 choices::

someone passed this story along to me and i thought it was something i wanted to keep passing on. you may have seen this before and if you have, read it again. if you have not read it, take a moment and read it....it just might make you smile. it did not say who the author of this story is or was. i hope it touches you as much as it did me.

2 choices
Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, 'Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life." "Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes, it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life." I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live." "Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action." "What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'" Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

Do you flickr?

If you do, come join us!!! {The Maternal Lens} flickr group is the place for us to share our work and inspire one another. Each week, a photo from the group will be showcased on the blog! We'll be selecting a photo on Friday, so get out and get shooting!

{The Maternal Lens} flickr group

If you aren't currently on flickr, you should hop on over and check it out! It's an amazing place full of amazing photography!

www.flickr.com

{FYI} Soul Sistas Workshop

Soul Sistas Workshop
Originally uploaded by untamed heart photo

One of the things we hope to share with our readers are opportunities to learn new things. There are some awesome photographers out there that want to share what they know with the world!

One of my contacts on www.flickr.com, Michelle Huesgen aka untamed heart photo, is hosting a workshop with fellow photog Skye Hardwick. It sounds like it is going to be an awesome experience for the attendees and I couldn't wait to share it with you all!

Hop on over and check it out! Drool over the gorgeous photos and check out the action packed itinerary. Sign up and let us know if you are going!!!

Soul Sistas Workshop

From the Mouths of Babes

Just a quick post. I had to share a few of the funny things Little Miss M said to me yesterday. It all started out at Wal-Mart, she loves going to Wal-Mart and I needed to go to pick up one of Charlie's medications. After stopping off at the pharmacy we headed to the lovely feminine hygiene aisle. First she says "Mom, what are you getting?" I thought, huh, what do I say, so I said "Maxi Pads." We get up to the products and the aisle had several people in it and she says, rather loudly, "Mom why is your bum bum bleeding?" How she associated the two, I'll never know. I think it's time to start shutting the door when I am in the bathroom, little Miss M is getting too observant!

Then later on, I was trying on a dress that I thought might motivate me to lose the rest of the few pounds of baby weight, as well as an additional amount I was needing to lose before getting pregnant. I put on some cute pointed toe heels with the dress and was looking in the mirror. In walks Little Miss M, and she says "Oh wow mommy, you look like What Not to Wear!" I'm hoping she meant like Stacey London, or the women after they have had their makeover. So I took that as a compliment.

Here is my latest photo of the little cupcake. She used to be my best model, but lately she is protesting and refusing to even look at my camera. That is, until she saw me taking Sarah's headshots. She jumped right in front of her, and I had to bribe her to move.

{fun photo calendar}

inspired by the good folks at photojojo. this is a very easy diy project for all levels of photographers. just grab your cameras, get outside for some fresh air and a walk and start shooting. this is a great project to work on with your kids. kids are so great at the eye spy game, so let them help you seek out all the numbers and letters you need to create this wonderful calendar. i started this project over the weekend with annie, we found a lot of numbers and letters but we still need more - it's a great excuse for us to get outside again although the snow we had yesterday and the rain we are getting tomorrow will make it hard! i just received the fotoclips in the mail today so i am anxious to get this done. i will post our finished project and i welcome all of you to show us your photo calendars as well - we'd love to see everyone's interpretation. happy shooting!