Tea & feathers...

Favorite moment Friday:
While I sat in my kitchen waiting for my tea to brew, I reread a card that a lovely friend sent me.  She tucked inside an additional treat for me, a Hawk feather!  It was a wonderful surprise & such a beautiful gift.

That was the 3rd feather to come my way so far this summer.  The first, a scraggly little blue & black one, was found in the woods while hiking in Northern California this past June.  I had just stopped to look & listen to the old growth redwoods, when she appeared.  A tiny little thing fallen from the branches above.  I cherish that sweet one as it was gifted to me by the magnificent Hendy Woods.

Last month while visiting my home state, my sister presented me with a gorgeous Hawk feather.  She found a cluster of them, grounded together in the grasses, while walking through a nature preserve.  She blessed my visit with this special gift & I will honor it's beauty & it's sentiment as long as I live.

Feathers don't come my way that often.  When they do, they move me.

They will be placed in my cabinet of curiosities, next to shells & bark, skeletons & painted rocks. One by one I will arrange them but until then...

As I waited for enough time to pass when I could pour my cup of Earl Grey, I gathered my small collection of feathers & held them in my hand.  I twisted & twirled each one of them in my long fingers, and arranged them in a ceramic heron hatpin holder, for just a moment.  It was a simple moment, a still life of sorts...a gathering of feathers...the honoring of friendships...& the gifts of love.

Le Petite Dejeuner

Even though it's Cinco de Mayo...

fresh cut lilacs put me in a "je ne sais quoi" kind of mood!

How about you?

Simply Blue

Sweet Grape Hyacinths & lovely morning sunlight make for a splendid opportunity!  Add that to a day 

off & I'm in the mood for a round of shots!  I knew yesterday when I purchased these petite blooms that they would be used for a tabletop photo session!  I can't select flowers without thinking how pretty they 

might look in a picture or two, in addition to how well they'll match the china! Sometimes I purchase specific decor accessories just because I want to see it styled in one of my postcards! I'm a nonstop stylist at heart!

This series of shots captures the morning sun streaming into my kitchen.  Aiming into the sunlight can be a tricky endeavor, more often than not,  producing an underexposed foreground & overexposed background & losing all the details in-between.  I find it challenging & when done just right, it sets 

such a soft, natural, & beautifully romantic mood!  In addition to the way in which the light falls into the shot, color can be used to soften or ripen the tone as well.  Take for instance the middle 3 photos: same light, same flowers & the same focal point but I switched up the details to sway your attention. Strawberries in the first add a hot pop of color, brightening up the photo & lifting the mood;  while a teal blue tea bag adds subtle interest while keeping the tone soft & cool.  Switching up the plate & teacup positions in the third photo shifts the weight to the upper left but the balance is matched in the form of a horizontal stripe at the base.

All in all, these photos evoke a soft & gentle mood.  I love the romance captured in the sunlit silhouette of a teacup, the wisp of a green leaf suspended in mid air, the tenderness implied by a salt & pepper pair of sparrows!  What a beautiful mood to serve & take your morning tea in! I appreciated every last moment & every drop!

~ In my etsy shop soon! ~

Tea Collection

I started my first BLOG only 2 years ago.  at the time, none of my friends or coworkers were blogging.  quite frankly, i had never even heard of blogspot until one night, in January of 2009,  after my husband & i left a movie theater.  we walked into our local bookstore & on the front feature table was displayed a book, titled The Daily Coyote.  having read the first chapter voraciously, i was smitten with this remarkable story & the author's photography!  my husband gladly made the purchase & we walked home hand in hand.  what's this got to do with tea you ask???  long story short, the book lead to the website, the website lead to the readers, which lead to their comments, all of which grabbed me & changed my world!  i saw some very talented writers & artists, this one in particular, that kept me entranced with their stories, their art, their ups & sometimes their downs.  and so, i felt compelled to participate!

my story took shape in the desire to just create a simple photo journal.  my plan was to post a photo every week.  my blog was created out of a desire to inspire my heart creatively & rest my soul photographically with a signature passion of mine...tea!         i love tea. i enjoy selecting, collecting, displaying, preparing, brewing, sipping & tasting tea! oh yes i do. i find it so refreshing. it quenches my thirst & picks me up or calms me down when i need it to.  don't get me wrong, i DO have a cup of jo (hot & on ice) now & again...but tea is me!

Tea Series:

Canton was inspired by my desire to photograph the color blue which was, at the time,  pretty challenging for me. my home decor features an Arts&Crafts color palette w/shades of green, orange,  brown & black!  but, i did have a small collection of Canton china that my mother-in-law had given us (which i didn't quite appreciate until now...it didn't suit my style like Roseville or McCoy!)  once we found a lovely glass cabinet to store it in i was able to display it properly & simply make it work!  and it does!  bit by bit my "blue collection" grew.  next came a GORGEOUS table runner i found on Etsy, handmade in Amsterdam by Dana, & a teacup/saucer from Anthropology! and so, one of my all time favorite photographs came together out my love of tea & the color blue.

Lily of the Valley was shot one morning in May when i had received a bouquet as a gift.  i was thinking of creating a photo for my mother's june birthday & the color green came to mind.  green was easy as i already had a small collection of Arthur Wood teapots to use.  i'm thrilled with how this shot turned out.  it is up close & personal.  the decal patterns on the teapot are beautiful but here you can only see a touch of it @ the top of the pot...in a slow blue, gold drip...the movement in that drip keeps pulling your eye in.  it's that simple yet powerful detail that i love!

Blackbird was taken one cold, grey morning when i needed a mood lifter.  i was in the mood to shoot but since i only do so in natural light, overcast days are such a drag.  i had just discovered a local artist here, Stepanka, in nyc & the ceramic mugs she had made arrived & it was time to celebrate!  i purposefully placed the cake in the background, almost hiding it, while i played with depth of field & focus.  i really enjoy the tension created in this photo by the placement of the fork.  it's closer to the eye than the mug.  it entices you to grab hold of it & dig in!  the mug sets the mood, with it's pattern, color & whimsy, but the hidden details create a subtle story.
btw, the cake was from my local health food store & was a raw almond "faux cheesecake" topped with blueberry jam...mmmm gooood!

You can find these & more of my limited edition photography in mon petite ETSY shop now!
i will continue to make donations throughout the month of April to The American Red Cross: Japan & Pacific Tsunami, for every cartes postal postcard set purchased!
AND thank you!

                     Blue Canton Tea

    Blackbird

                      Lily of the Valley