Dreamy Inspiration

Since the new year, my travel and work schedule has been on overdrive.  I think that is why I just can’t stop looking at these dreamy photographs.  The light, the colors, the mood, I just crave their promise of spring and daydreams.  “Calgon, take me away.”

_______________

The spring 2010 Hermes advertising campaign photographed by Paolo Roversi featuring model Karlie Kloss

Here she looks like Persephone the goddess of spring, with a fabulous Hermes bracelet of course.  (I have been watching the HBO series Rome on all the flights to and from Las Vegas.  Guess I have gods and goddesses on the brain.)

Actually, it looks like she is in Greece even!

Ahhhhhh sleep.  I miss you.

Step into spring with these fabulous shoes…I wish.

_______________

I also love these images by photographer Marcelo Gome I found posted the other day on one of my favorite blogs, Daucus Carota.

Daucus Carota is authored by graphic artist Jessica Sutton and the name of her blog is so appropriate.  The Daucus Carota flower or Queen Anne’s lace, as it is often known, has a wild, dream-like quality and so does Jessica.  Go check out her blog and her work.

_______________

Even my favorite fashion blogger Sea of Shoes seems engulfed in a winter haze, just dreaming of spring.

_______________

Fashion for Spring

Speaking of fashion,  I think the Spring 2010 collection from Proenza Schouler has hit the nail on the head; dreamy and colorful, yet brave.  I want to be this girl for spring…

Photo: Style.com

I have these two Simply Vera by Vera Wang tops that could translate into that Proenza girl perhaps…and at a fraction of the price.

_______________

One last image in which to leave you: The view from my hotel room in Vegas this morning with the full moon.

Boston You’re My Home

It has been absolutely lovely the past few days here in Boston.  The sun has been shining with that beautiful winter hue and the temperature has not been too cold.  (Yes my standards of “not too cold” have changed by about 20 degrees since moving to New England, but I digress)  The sun yesterday on the Congress Street bridge was wonderful.  Apparently, that bridge is right where to Boston Tea Party was.  I am just loving Boston and all it’s history.

_______________

_______________

Haiti: blind architect; Pradip Malde

I have not known how to comment on the tragic earthquake that occurred in Haiti almost two weeks ago now, without sounding trite and silly from my comfortable computer, but I wanted to share with you some images from the photographer, Pradip Malde’s series entitled, Haiti: blind architect.  He has traveled to Haiti each summer for the past three years volunteering his time and and taking photographs.  They are beautiful and haunting to say the least.  You can see the entire series and more of his work here.

_______________

Haiti: blind architect; Pradip Malde

Madame Denise Remi, before Sunrise, Saut Mathurin, Haiti. 2007.

“My daughter’s education is the most important thing.”

__________

Manuelita Perrin. Banana Trees. Saut Mathurin, Haiti. 2007

__________

Oil vendor, street side, Saut Mathurin, Haiti. 2007.

__________

Madame Edline Pierre, peeling an avocado. Saut Mathurin, Haiti. 2007.

Edline and her husband Pierre, trained agronomists, form and nurture their community through various programs run by ORE. Edline is pregnant with their second child. It is avocado season.

__________

Coleb Laforest studying for a college entrance exam. Zanmi Lasante, cange, Haiti. 2007.

__________

Samuel Pierre picking beans. Saut Mathurin, Haiti. 2008

__________

Auget and Mariechelie, hanging, playing. Cange, Haiti. 2008

__________

Madame Denis Remi with her bread. Before sunrise. Saut Mathurin, Haiti. 2008

__________

Josef Obensen running an errand with his toy car. Cange, Haiti. 2007.

__________

Thérose Theomas sorting peas. Cange, Haiti. 2009

__________

Learning and memory. School shack at Mornemouton, Haiti. 2009

__________

6:30 AM. Waiting, outpatient clinic. Zanmi Lasante, cange, Haiti. 2009

__________

Carrying food through the playground. School, Zanmi Lasante, Cange, Haiti. 2009

__________

Defunct Photo Studio. Domont, Haiti. 2009

__________

If you are looking for a way to donate to the Haitian disaster the Habitat for Humanity Disaster Response – Haiti Earthquake is a wonderful way.  Habitat for Humanity does some amazing work all around the world and has worked with Haiti for over 26 years. (My husband and I met on a Habitat for Humanity spring break service trip to Kentucky in college.)

Magnolia Monday

Magnolia has found the perfect way to survive her first New England winter: curl up by the warm fire in your toasty bed and enjoy the snow outside. (I swear, I don’t think I have ever seen a happier living thing than Magnolia on the night we pulled her bed up by the fire)

_______________

Her other favorite option is to hide among the covers.  Crouching tiger, hidden Maggie.

Le Dauphin

I am in Las Vegas for the International Builders’ Show, but will be back tomorrow.

For now, a lovely sand drawing by the son of my friend, mentor and very talented photographer Pradip Malde.  His son saw his first dolphins today swimming by out past the surf at the beach in Georgia.  I had to share it.

Dolphins

Freeze Out Hunger Event

I was so honored when the Junior League of Portland asked me to design a new logo and invitation for their annual auction and gala, Freeze Out Hunger.  The money raised goes towards their continued effort in working to alleviate hunger and food insecurity in the greater Portland area.  My sister is very involved with the event and I was thrilled to offer some design help to such a worthy cause.

____________

_______________

So if you are in the Portland, Maine area and want to have a lovely evening while raising money for a very worthy cause please come out and join us.  I hope to make it up for the event.

Last year the funds helped them do some amazing things:

· Prepared and served more than 200 meals for low-income, at-risk teens

· Made monthly deliveries of food staples to more than 20 isolated senior citizens

· Fed approximately 50 families over the holidays by donating & organizing complete ‘meals in a bag’

· Saved 40 families money by helping them identify low-cost healthy recipes

· Donated more than 1,000 pounds of food to a local food pantry during its most critical months

· Helped seniors plant a garden so they could enjoy healthy, low-cost vegetables

· Awarded a $2,000 grant to Southern Maine Area Agency on Aging’s meal programs

You’ re an animal baby!

Animals are one of my favorite things to photograph.  As a photographer you have little to no control over them, but I often find them doing the craziest, funniest, most beautiful things, almost as if they know their photo is being taken.  Just look at these guys…

Wine Shop Guard Dog

Shar pei  in Valldemossa, Majorca, Spain

_______________

Kitties of Spain

Vespa Kitty

“Leave me alone”

Perfect Profile Pose

Camo Kitty

The world is your trash can, just waiting to be rummaged.

_______________

Dogs of Maine

Christmas dinner at my sister’s house in Maine consisted of 8 people, 1 Spinone, 1 Pug, and an 8 month old Llewellin Setter.  It was wild and fun to say the least…well at least until my sister stepped in Mya’s surprise she left upstais…Oops.

Sophie the Pug

Mya the Llweellin Setter

Feeling very sorry for the accident she had in which my sister stepped, and also looking like the Luck Dragon from the “Never Ending Story.”

Jake the Spinone – king of the house

And giant lap dog

_______________

Horses, horses, horses, horses

Cajun

Melissa & Cody

Dress in action

I really wanted to get some good shots of the Vera Wang dress on New Years Eve to show off its beautiful structure, but these will have to do.  You can kind of see it lovely flower petal like shape to the skirt in the photo below.  I clearly needed some lights and a tripod, but we were traveling and all that camera equipment was not exactly on our New Years packing list.

Steve, photo bombing my mirror shot

_______________

Working on

I have been shooting so many dogs and cats lately, I thought they deserved their own post.  I am compiling them mostly from our honeymoon to Spain and our crazy Christmas in Maine with a house full of various family dogs.  Life is just more fun with a cat or dog to whom to talk funny and make you act like a kid.  Here is a little tease…

Sweet Mya – I just love her little freckled nose.