Bee Balm

The multitude of cheery bright spiky blossoms of the bee balm plants always brighten my day in the summer. Dramatic in red they certainly make a statement since we have so many that have spread and taken up a large portion of the garden that was once used only for growing vegetables. I photographed a few stems that I plucked from the garden and wanted to share them:

Purple Coneflower

I spotted the Echinacea purpurea or purple coneflower blooming in the yard today so had to pick a specimen to photograph! It always amazes me when I take close up shots of flowers what the camera picks up that my naked eye can't see. I enjoyed taking a lot of photos and thought I would share a few of my personal favorites below.

Hydrangea

I have always adored hydrangeas. They have such stunning lush flowers and I am constantly intrigued by the various colors of the blooms. Every year seems to bring different shades of violet, pink and blue. I cut three long stems this afternoon and decided to capture their glory with my camera. Several of my favorites are featured below.

Perfect Pink Peony

As I strolled around the garden today I was delighted to find the pink peony in bloom. The fragrance and beauty of the bloom is so delightful. I decided to sent up an impromptu photo shoot so I could capture the delicate loveliness of this graceful pink flower.

Trout Lilies

So bummed out that my original post I created yesterday was deleted by blogger.com. I really wish I had saved what I wrote.  Instead I will just repost my favorite picture below. I hope you enjoy the photo of one of my favorite spring flowers called the trout lily or Erythronium americanum.

Friday Etsy Fave

Love and Knowledge Fine Art Print by Sarah Moldovan

Fashion

I adore the simple sophistication captured in this photo by Katya de Grunwald.

Amazing Wedding Shoot

Had to share! How spectacular are these wedding photos by Jessica Claire? I can't even pick a fave!

Tickle Me Tuesdays - Dreaming Of Spring

It's been a while since I have posted anything. All of the bad snowy weather we have been having has been dragging me down! I am ready for spring already. As I sit here daydreaming of spring, I am happy to join Sarah's Tickle Me Tuesdays over at Yes Teacher! and share some spring inspired finds. Oh how I love spring green!

Flower parasol photograph by Honeytree photography

Sun kissed photograph by Honeytree photography

Starlings and Magpie photograph by Lucy Snowe Photography

My Top 10 Photos of 2010

Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that it is already 2011. I enjoyed looking back on the photos I took  during 2010 and have compiled my top 10 here. I hope you enjoy them too!

Blizzard!

I'll admit it - I am not the biggest fan of snow or the cold but it was amazing to watch the snow come down last weekend. It really was blizzard conditions with us and the snow piled up everywhere including the windowsills. Check out the before and after of my snowy windowsill shot:

Before: SOOC (or should I say iPhone)

After: I adjusted the Levels and Color Balance in Photoshop and additionally added a Texture Overlay.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Here's hoping you are all having a wonderful holiday weekend and had a very Merry Christmas if you celebrate it. We had to cut our holiday visit short to get home before the blizzard. It's already snowing here. It will be interesting to see how much snow we actually get. Will we really get up to 20 inches? I hope you enjoy my photos below. I didn't really get a motion blur shot but suddenly realized - maybe the fireplace shot could count?

Family china

Lots of pretty packages under the tree

The warm glow of the fire and candles on the mantel

Sparkle-y ornaments on the tree