Happy New Year! It’s that time again – Memories, Dreams and Reflections…2012. It’s been an incredible year for our family and I’m so excited to share a look back at our year. With any luck, 2013 is going to be even better…and I really hope to reconnect with all my blogging friends. Thank you so much for all your love and support over the years – I appreciate the much needed (and longer than anticipated) blogging break. You all have been so understanding and I am so thankful to have this time to spend with my young family. Besides, while blogging is...

I DO NOT have a green thumb. In fact, if you see any beautiful flowers appearing on my blog, I am not to be credited. I’m doing good if I can simply water them. I know that may sound easy enough, but I tend to forget. Actually, these Echinacea Magnus blooms (sure you could call them Coneflowers, but isn’t Echinacea Magnus much more fun to say…try that 10 times), were found in my parents’ backyard. Last weekend, I found myself wandering around the backyard after spending the day visiting family (lunch with Grandma and a hair appointment with my sister…that was a...

This weekend, while finishing up my scavenger hunt, I started photographing anything and everything I ran across. It must have something to do with these beautiful fall temperatures and colors…I actually want to be outside for once (I don’t care for the summer humidity in North Carolina). When I came across this photo, I decided to play around with my processing. I went back to a tutorial I wrote months ago that I have plans on rewriting for Paper Heart Camera. If you have any interest at all in achieving this effect, come back on Thursday for my tutorial. Until then, for more...

(Photo taken at Sarah P. Duke Gardens. Clean processing including slight curves adjustment and Amy McMaster’s Berries N’ Cream action.)The other day, my friend Sarah at Loving My Life, sent me a link to yet another photography contest. It’s as if she’s feeding the photography addiction and I love it! This particular photography challenge is hosted by several young ladies with Bloom! Magazine. I was excited to be introduced to these ladies as they are teen photographers with a lot of talent! (Photo taken at Sarah P. Duke Gardens. Fairy Garden effect using these...