"And Oh, You Electrify My Soul..."

WARNING: PRETTY FLOWER PICTURES AHEAD ;)

I've begun to not take blog post titles that seriously. :D They don't have to perfectly describe the post like a newspaper headline! :) (FYI: The title is a line from a Natalie Grant song that I got on iTunes recently. The last half of the line is ... "and you're bringing the dead to life!" Love that victorious note in there!

 So yeah! Look at me, coming through on a promise! I did go out and snap some shots of the beautiful spring blooms... it just happened on an unexpected day off instead of Sunday. It was raining so hard on Monday that they canceled all of the events at the Rock Ranch.

On the one hand, I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to go to work, I love that place, but on the other hand... yay for not having to work with muddy ponies!! :D Feels like I dodged a bullet with that one! ;)

 You know... my post title does go with this post. Looking at these pictures electrifies my soul with some sparks of awe at the grandeur and majesty our Creator displays even in the tiny veins of a dogwood blossom petal. My God, how amazing you are!

 I will admit, there is a hint of a photo filter in these pictures, I about gasped when I clicked the button whilst editing them and saw the result. WOWZA.

 My faithful readers are welcome to pin these to Pinterest, but please don't take them for anything else. (You'll notice I actually watermarked them this time!) :)

Noticed this little fellow and got right in his face for a close-up, marveling at how he matched the flower center exactly!

 I hope my grandma Pat is seeing this blog post - wish I could show her our sweet GA spring season in person, she has always had a great appreciation for flowers!

Oh... and we also have azaleas.

I know!! Aaaagh, I love them so much. I will take more pictures as soon as they hit peak bloom, there are only a few at present.

My faves are these "Peppermint Azaleas". They look as if they have a bright brushstroke on each crisp white petal!

Take care, lovelies! I shall write again soon...

Cascading Pearl Earrings

Welcome to the first installment of "Pinterest for Real" or "In Which I Created Something Inspired by a Picture I Pinned" - meh. The first one was better. ;)

So here's what happened.

Scene: Pinterest.com. Julia is sitting at her laptop scrolling through her Pinterest feed.
Julia's Eyes: are caught and held by a lovely photo of some beautiful pearl earrings.
Julia's Finger: clicks to save the image for future reference.

Exhibit A:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76676040/white-freshwater-pearl-wedding-earrings
They're very pretty. But they're also $48.00. Wowzers. 

And then a wondrous thing happened.

Julia: wanted to make something fresh and beautiful after getting out her beads again.
Julia's Brain: remembered the picture of the pearl earrings.
Julia: looked up the photo (see exhibit A) and proceeded to recreate the design using her own materials that she had on hand.

Behold the result! (or Exhibit B:)

I think they came out quite well. The pictures don't really do them justice because I didn't bother setting up a photoshoot station, I just quickly took a few shots - but you get the idea. :) I made mine just a little shorter and with less pearls than the original because I was concerned about the weight, and I'm glad I did... any heavier and I don't think they would have been wearable!

I love them. :D Now to make a few more pairs to sell!

Leaf-ing ;)

Hey Ya'll! I'm going on a weekend trip up to North Georgia and leaving tomorrow, and I'll be unplugged for the weekend. :D I'll miss everybody's posts... I'm going to have to catch up when I get back! :)

I'm hoping to find a few little treasures to take home in the quaint little tourist shops, and come home with shots of the fall colors that should be farther ahead up there than our woods down here. :)

In the meantime, here's what I've seen roundabouts lately...

(and if you steal my photos without asking, be warned, I will hunt. you. down. Grr. So don't do it.) ;) I did not have time to edit these or add a watermark, so don't anybody take them, please!

Love the oranges and yellows together with that hint of red... (this tree has since turned candy-apple sports car red.)  Must take more pics soon!

 The rope around the base of the tree in this pic is one end of the clothesline. :D Yes, sometimes we hang our laundry on the line just for the fun of it. :D

 The sky has been so brightly blue lately! I think it's due to the clear Autumn atmosphere. :D

In the next few shots, I was playing with the view of the setting sun through the leaves, and trying for a hint of bokeh whenever possible. :D

Yum. Yum. Love the colors in the above shot... (and this is unedited!!)

Have a great weekend, everybody! I'll see you when we get back. :D

Being Green

"It's not easy being green......" or so Kermit the frog says. But according to this little guy....

Being green is pretty easy and laid-back. :)

Daddy found him out in the garden sunning himself on a green bell pepper that coordinated ever so nicely with his reptillian skin. He told me about the little lizard and suggested I get out my camera and take his picture. So I followed Daddy out to the garden on the cool September morning and snapped a few shots of the charming little fellow, who looked oh-so-relaxed lying in the sun on a nice warm vegetable.

"Who is that crazy girl taking pictures of me as I sunbathe?"

"Ah, well, I suppose she's harmless, after all."

"...might as well get back to my *yawn* - nap."

Isn't he cute?

Some Black and White Photography

Last month I finally got around to filling up a cute photo collage frame I found at Ross. The frame was black with a white mat and there was room for four photographs in it, and there was a scripture verse traced on the glass in black script - it said

The Lord Rejoices... In All He Has Made.

My bright idea was to take four photographs, one of my parents, one of me, and two of my two brothers, in black and white, to fill the frame. My camera, an Olympus PEN E-PL1, has a pretty awesome 'grainy black-&-white' art mode and the pictures came out nicely. I thought you might like to see the photos (... ok, I admit, I wanted to show them to you regardless of whether you want to see them or not) So here they are:

Me, Julia, a self-portrait in the mirror

My Parents.

 I love them so much... I'll always have a special memory of shooting this photo on the porch of our log home - they were both so happy and in such a good mood when I took this shot after a rainstorm that had left the air smelling clean and fresh. Daddy and Mama have dedicated their lives to raising me and my two brothers to be godly and righteous believers, and I will be forever grateful to them. :)

Mark

 Mark is such a kidder. This is the 14th or 15th shot I took of this guy... (the others were either funny faces or blurry) ... and it's so him. He has the nicest smile when he chooses to use it - and of course the cut-off jeans are a part of his usual outfit. One of my favorite things about Mark is his sense of humor, which is absolutely hilarious, but he's also super-smart. And if you ask him any question concerning an ancient civilization, he'll have the answer.

Steven

Another very special photo - this is a glimpse of the gentle sweetness that makes up my youngest brother's character. He's like a big teddy bear at 6'2" (Almost as tall as Mark's 6'3")and built like a linebacker... and only 15 years old! He's got a deep voice to match, and he's so talented at thinking up new designs for the duct tape weapons business (Warfare by Duct Tape). He's great at working with his hands and can juggle and play the harmonica at the same time. ;)


Those are all the pictures in the frame hanging in my bedroom right now.

And now, a preview of my stunning bedroom makeover...

That's all you get for now, until I ... um ... get the (color) pictures downloaded. :D

Also - I gave my blog a makeover! I went with a black & white theme accented with bright aqua. What do you think? I love it except for the slightest suspicion that it's a bit 'stark'. Oh well. ;)

Blessings,