sharleenstuartTell me a story: Festive 5: December 2015
Posted on December 31, 2015
I started collecting Santa’s in 2001. I fell in love with all the different varieties you could find in the USA. My Christmas tree went from an assortment of ornaments to my favorites and Santa’s and Christmas balls. Then my tree went from small to large, and from a variety to Santa’s and Christmas balls. My objective was always to try and find unique and different Santa’s.
This year however, for the most part it was only the two of us at home, and the 2 felines, one of which had never spent a Christmas in the house. I was not sure how he was going to react to the Christmas tree. I also worked until the 23rd of December and really did not feel like putting up a multitude of decorations. Perhaps one day when there is grandchildren that may happen but this year it did not.
So this year only two of my tree’s layers went up and only my Santa’s, the lights and some icicles went on. The first image is my small tree, taken with my new lensbaby sweet 35. Below that are just a few of my favorite Santa’s.
Christmas lights with the help of the lensbaby sweet 35
A Wizard with an umbrella (?) Santa
Snowflake Santa
Scalextric Santa This one reminds me of a Christmas growing up when my parent bought my brother a set. We had endless fun with it and of course, I continuously crashed my car.
Jester Santa One of my favorite collectibles has been clowns. This guy captured my heart immediately.
Thank you for joining me for this month’s Tell me a Story. This is a circle blog. Please take time to visit my friend Sharon at Sharon Meyer Photography and see what he has for you this month. Keep following the circle to see what the other photographers have shared this month. Leave a little love on their page as well.
If you are interested in seeing more of my photography take a look at my Facebook page or my Flickr Page.
30 Minutes in the Life: Festive 5
Posted on December 28, 2015
This time of the year gets really hectic and a unanimous decision was made to do a Festive 5 this month. I am good with that. When we first moved to the USA, I quickly realized that Christmas as it was, was going to change. There was no family anymore besides the 4 of us. I used to love having all the family over for Christmas lunch. For me there is nothing nicer than spending time with family.
So in 2001, as I pondered Christmas, I also realized that there were other families, just like us with no families either. So started the journey of Christmas in our home. Over the years, numbers changed. We started out with 4 family and a total of 16 people, 8 adults, and 8 children. One year we had 56 people. That was tight but we managed. It just so happened that year, a lot of parents came in. The group number had obviously grown as well.
Then a lot of folk got transferred to Texas and numbers dropped again. This year we had 6 families, 12 adults and 6 little children. I like to decorate and make things look pretty.
This year when I went to Targets for something else, I happened to spot some ornaments that gave me the idea of this theme. When we went to Sanibel Island, the theme was re-inforced. This year we had a South Florida Christmas at the beach theme. It was certainly different from the traditional red, green and gold, and it was so simple to do. Merry Christmas from South Florida. May 2016 be a year, rich with blessings, good health, lots of laughter and joy, and most importantly filled with love for yourself and for other.
Thank you for joining me for this month’s 30 minutes. This is a circle blog. Please take time to visit my sweet friend Colleen Putman/NYC and see what she has for you this month. Keep following the circle to see what the other photographers have shared this month. Don’t forget to leave a little love on their pages.
30 Minutes recently changed their name to Journey to an Artist. If you want to know more about Journey to an Artist head over to their facebook page, or to the blog page. There is new and exciting happenings going on with the group Journey to an Artist that you are sure to want to check it out.
If you are interested in seeing more of my photography take a look at my Facebook page or my Flickr Page.
Lensbaby learning curve…
Posted on December 26, 2015
I have been very impressed with the artwork I see taken with a Lensbaby. I have also wanted one. So when a fellow photographer advertised hers for sale, I decided that I would like it. It is a learning curve, that is all I can say. Focusing is done manually. It does not auto focus with the camera.
However, I love the effects. I felt like I managed to capture the direct on, although on enlarging one image a realized that where I thought my focus was, was actually not there but higher up. Oh well, time and a whole lot of practice will hopefully make a world of difference. Here are a few of the Lensbaby images I took on my first walk out and about with my new toy.
Some of the images were taken straight on so the blur was around the image. Some were taken with the lens angled left or right. That affects the area of blur.
Practicising with the lensbaby
If you are interested in seeing more of my photography take a look at my Facebook page or my Flickr Page.
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