Ode to happiness.

New book.

Hard to put down.

Inspiration galore.

“The Happiness Project”

10 things that make me happy…

1) Reading a book in a cafe’ you’ve never been in before. That way you can enjoy the white noise of conversation, but not be interrupted.

2) Brilliant yellow trees in fall that look like the sun…especially ones in the Hudson Valley, NY.

3) Going into Borders and finding all new Somerset publications to browse and inevitably purchase.

4) Reading/napping in a hammock.

5) Motorbike rides with PH in the Columbia Gorge and free babysitting at home.

(me being unsafe with my camera sitting on the back)~

7) Rach setting up her “art station” with all of her gear at the kitchen island at a moment’s notice~

8 ) Pancakes, latte’, morning paper and nothing on the day’s schedule.

9) Doing all the goofy dances at weddings with the “kids section” of the dance floor…chicken dance, electric slide, makarana, YMCA

10) Getting the hand squeeze with an “I love you” right before I slumber off.

* * *

Also, dear lovelies…making art makes me happy, happy…I mean humming-to-myself-happy. These are the newest additions to the Etsy shop. They’re four 6×6 deep canvas fine art prints of some chair fun…teeny-tiny chairs that were very interesting to shoot (by interesting, I mean it killed my knees getting down so low with the dust bunnies at my chin).

* * * One last happy find…I just got this cd and have been loving it. I’m kind of a acapella music lover…sang it in college and I’m addicted to tight harmonies..these boys have it. So fun!

Straight No Chaser~

Have a wonderful day, sweet MPG’s!

OX.

p.s. haven’t done a give-away in awhile…tune in to a special one on Friday!

Posted in Fab MPG women, Fabulous family time, Fun MPG FINDS, MPG music, MPG Party Girl, MPG stirrings, Prairie Girl Dreams | Tagged | 12 Comments

Surprise!

Yay! I’m such a ninny…Early yesterday morning I couldn’t figure out where all of you lovelies were coming from….Thank you, Kim, for featuring Modern Prairie Girl today on Today’s Creative Blog.

And to my sweet pal,  Jeanne from Bushel and a Peck…thank you for featuring my pendants on my Etsy shop. You are the BEST.

So much Gratitude,

Lara

Posted in Events for the MPG, Fab MPG women, My photography world, Prairie Girl Dreams | Tagged | 4 Comments

Thin is in…

….at least in my head these days. I like loooong skinny prints with rustic frames. This chair shot is from the BH sale in September. It was a great event, as usual, and this print will remind me of all the fun I’ve had in their world up the road.

Auntie Joy sold these at BH and I just love ‘em…like you’ve got magic in there or something.

My happy front porch this month (before the rain started…soaked through running to the car at church this morning). I’ve got outside shoots to finish up, so please pray that it stops at some point!

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A blogland friend suggested I do a series of posts about photography techniques. First of all, I need to know if this is worth putting together…would love to have you leave a comment voting either way–and also, if you could let me know specific things you’d like me to go in to, that would be helpful. This series will not be heavy duty technical stuff, because it seems that so many of you just want some tips on how to take better images. But I will have some great resource info to go deeper into specific topics.

A favorite quote…

“You don’t take a photograph. You ask, quietly, to borrow it.”

Love that.

* * *

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend…PH is sick…I hate seeing him when he’s down. He’s such  a do-er and it makes me sad. Hopefully he will kick it by tomorrow.

Happy week, lovelies~

OX.

Posted in Events for the MPG, Fab MPG women, Fun MPG FINDS, IGNITE THE ARTIST, My photography world | Tagged | 13 Comments

love, love, love Brave Girl sisters….

Thank goodness Elena sent me these…needing to click them together today to transport myself to a better day today…

Posted in Fab MPG women, MPG stirrings | Tagged | 8 Comments

Changing the flight pattern

Funniest thing…my handsome PH was standing behind me at the studio laughing as I added some birds into this image. He’s not impressed with “unreal photography” and always teases me about how nothing in photography is “real anymore”.

I digress.

The funny part was that I was making the birds fly away from the Blue Belle Princess…flapping their wings in her face and escaping.

PH said, “Why don’t you have the birds fly TO her…landing peacefully on her hand? She looks like she’s wanting them to come land on her, not fly away.”

Well…why, yes…why not?

It seemed a bit metaphorical me…..and forgive me for being such a read-into-things-lately-girl…must be the turning 40 thing. It’s the wanting something that may seem elusive…”flapping and flying” away into the trees when all I really want is for it to land quietly in the palm of my hand.

I like that someone I love and trust so much said those words, even though he wasn’t aware of the meaning for me.

This photo shoot was the beginning of a project I’m loosely calling “Keeper of the Birds” and it’s all I can do not to chuck all responsibility and work on it all week, but I’m excited to give it a name…

a direction

a set of to-do’s (because I’m a Type A list-girl, afterall) to make it happen.

Here are some other images from this set…the model, Jennie, is an absolute stunner in every way..and a complete delight to joke around with. Just loved, loved working with her…she’s an LBI muse for life, I believe—those eyes! wow.

Don’t you think it’s a bit serendipitous that the woman I choose to model for this bird project has a flying bird tattoo?

Seriously!!

I hope you have a lovely, lovely weekend…

OX.

p.s. Happy Tiara Friday, Elena!!!

Posted in Fab MPG women, IGNITE THE ARTIST, MPG quote and wisdom, MPG stirrings, My photography world | Tagged , | 7 Comments