MOVING!

Just a quick note to say my blog is moving! New address:
http://www.erinbeutel.wordpress.com
Come by and see me there. I've made some changes which should be fun!

Lightbox fun

The other day I was playing around with photographing random household objects in my lightbox. This is one of my favorites! One of Adam's black and white espresso cups. I framed it so the white interior would merge with the white of the box.

Photo of the Week

Well, it's not Friday, but we're close. In honor of valentines day I've chosen this picture taken in our backyard last summer. Have a Happy Valentines Day!

Tulip Photo Shoot

A few days ago I was admiring the form of a dying tulip from Jasmine's birthday bouquet. It had such a beautiful simplicity of form that I decided I had to take pictures of it. I had so much fun that I had to force myself to stop b/c I was taking the same pictures over again! After playing around with them a bit (I've been experimenting with custom blends for black and white) here are a few samples.

Full color beauty.

Backlit

Purity of form

Stunning in half color

Behind the scenes

Photo of the Week

I have decided to make Friday "Photo of the Week" day. Heather and I were taking pictures of the birds frolicking in the sunshine the other day and I particularly liked this cardinal.
So, here is this week's photo!

Pop Art

Today I thought I'd post my newest art form. I've been experimenting with heavy editing of my photos to transform them into a totally different type of art. Here are a few of my favorite and most successful results so far.

GIVEAWAY!

Hi! Just a quick note to say I'm sponsoring a giveaway on the maternal sparks blog.
Click HERE to enter to win 3 photo cards! Happy fall.

Fall...

Hi ya'll. If you read this blog you'll notice it's been awhile since I've posted. I was trying to revamp my look and ended up loosing my widgets (which I will put back), but I'm still thinking about what changes I want to make. If you have any suggestions feel fre to share!
Here are a few pictures of fall which is my favorite season!!!
On a different note, you can now buy my photo cards at Carlisle House in Walnut Creek Ohio (they're my favorite gift shop and they were my first job many years ago). Yay!!!

Fair!

Computer is fixed! Thankfully, all we had to do was reload Windows. I lost a few pictures but nothing important since I backed everything up the week before.
These are a few pictures I took when Atsen, Thokozani, Peter and I went to the fair to see the rodeo. It was quite fun! Above is an abstract of the ferris wheel lights.

The calm before the bull-rider emerges...

Clowning around!

Bummer...

Unfortunately it appears that our computer bit the dust tonight :( Depending on what we end up doing to replace it, I may not be on as much in the next week or so. Thanks for stopping by and I will be back soon!
-Erin

The Joys of Afternoon Tea

Well, for those who have noticed my recent absence (mostly) from etsy, blog, etcetera, I've been trying to take a little computer break. I have been spending all my free time staring at the screen and I got all 'putered out. And now I'M BACK, mostly....
Today the air was so perfectly cool and wonderful that I indulged my urge to bake. I hate baking when it's hot. Jasmine and I made almond cupcakes with chocolate chips and chocolate icing (all from scratch of course), and I decided it was time to introduce her to the art of afternoon tea. I love the whole concept of teatime. In Nepal it was 10 am and most, if not all, businesses observed it. Every day we'd take recess from school and make a large pot of chea (similar to Indian chai), heavily spiced with fresh ginger and black pepper. To this day my family takes a half hour break from work and school at 10.
Two years ago fall, when I was pregnant with Jasmine I started having afternoon tea with myself most every day. I'd make a small pot of tea, get out a china cup, and something yummy (fresh baked bread, cake, cookies, or whatever was on hand), put it all on a tray and sit on the couch to watch an installment of BBC's "War and Peace." Today it was Jasmine's turn to find the fun and relaxation in tea.
I wish my camera batteries had not been dead! It was priceless to see my little 18 month old daughter with half a cupcake in one hand and sipping milky tea from demitasse English bone china in the other! She is an amazing child and did not spill any either. After her first cup she said "tea" in her little baby voice and signed for more.
As I was baking I started thinking back over all the interesting things I've made in the past. My mother has a knack for making up fantastic and interesting desserts and she's passed the fascination on to me. The one above "chocolate boxes" is something I made for a special 25th wedding anniversary party we and Adam threw for our parents during college. It was an amazing night with seven courses and a fantasy outdoor setting. I'll have to chronicle it in a future post.
This cake is something my siblings and I concocted for Adam's 24th birthday last year. His falls in November so we were going for a very unique fall theme. I think we were successful with the unique part!
If you look closely you'll discover a little mouse hidden among the mushrooms and leaves. Everything except the branch is edible!
Well, I think I've rambled on long enough. It's fun to reminisce "out loud" so to speak. I hope you are all refreshed from the weekend and ready for the new week ahead of us!

Yay!

Hi everyone! I have been blogged! My fellow artist, Kelly, of Hacky Shack Designs was kind enough to feature me on her blog. The link is here.
While your at it check out her gorgeous jewelry. This is one of my favorites from her shop.
Click on the picture to see her shop!

Perhaps, Maybe...

Well, we had a very interesting piece of information yesterday. As some of you may know, Adam has decided that he would like to teach High School (possibly English) and we have been looking into getting him a teaching certificate etc.
Last spring he talked to the principal of Kingsway Christian School about job possibilities with them. They didn't have any openings this year but said they'd be interested in having him next year. Anyway, yesterday we heard that their art teacher will not be able to teach this year after all and Adam was recommended as a possible candidate for the job!!!! It would be a great fit for him (see some of his art here www.imaginarystudios.etsy.com). We're hoping to hear from the school very soon.
If this does work out, we would be moving within three weeks, most likely. Sweet!! The school is about 1 - 1 1/2 hrs northwest of us, close to my parents house.
Hopefully we will have some more news about this soon! Keep us in your prayers/thoughts.
www.adambeutel.blogspot.com

Progression

A few new pictures for you. I've been venturing into texture and digital collage. Here are two of my favs so far!

And just for the fun of it: "Hatchling"

Being the Paparazzi

On Monday morning I had what my cousin Kim calls, "an ordinary adventure." I was wandering around my mother's garden with my camera when I spotted a beautiful monarch butterfly. Of course I started snapping pictures like crazy and soon my sister joined me.
It flitted around the coneflowers for 15-20 minutes, often holding very still for long periods of time! At one point Heather was gently nudging it's wings to get it to open them! (It didn't of course). Heather said we were like the butterfly paparazzi :)
Overall it was a lovely experience and I am thrilled with the great pictures we got.

Oh yeah, I got a flickr account! Check me out (haha)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26618868@N06/
Also known as "Maddox Studios" if you'd rather search for me.

Smoothies!

Yesterday it was really hot when Adam got home, so I decided to make smoothies. We haven't had them for awhile and I had some really good strawberries this week. Bear in mind, these are some of the BEST strawberries I've ever had!
Here is the recipe for awesome homemade smoothies/lassies. (A lassie is the Indian/Nepali version of a smoothie. It's made with yogurt instead of ice)


Smoothie
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 cup frozen pineapple
1/4 cup orange juice
8-10 juicy strawberries
sugar to taste

serves 2

A few things to note. Generally it's better to use juice concentrate or "nectar" because it has more flavor, although I used orange juice and it was great. Frozen pineapple - I buy them on sale, chop them up and freeze them in baggies of a cup each. Taste it as you go so you can adjust the amount of strawberries and sugar that you need. Last of all - Kick back and enjoy your summer!

Photography Exercises

On Wednesday we went up to Mom and Dad's to hang out with my cousin and BF Kim. We were wandering around taking pictures and talking about how we'd like to push ourselves out of the realms we normally use for photography. The consensus was that we needed more/better people pictures. So Kim, Heather (my sis) and I decided to go down into the woods and do a photo shoot. We took a large empty frame, three scarves, a broken parasol and an umbrella. It was so much fun! The picture of me (above) was taken by Kim. Below are two of my pics: Kim with the umbrella (top), and Heather with the parasol (bottom).

The Reflection Series

I'm working on a new photographic series titled "Reflections." This is the first time I have compiled an actual series, so I'm pretty excited to be working on it. The photo above was taken in a puddle in front of our house a few days ago. That was really the inspiration for the project.
I have recently found an online gallery that showcases female photographers. http://www.wipnyc.org When I have a body of work compiled I hope to submit it to them. I also applied to trunkt. (www.trunkt.org) Now I just have to wait to hear back from them!
I was thrilled to be included in a treasury compiled by a fellow Interior Design Team member! The photo they used was "White Fire" shown in the post below.

Just Another Day

Just a few pictures for you today. Top is an evening sky from the car window on my way home after last night's picnic.
Below we have "White Fire." A shot of the campfire! Enjoy your weekend...

3 Years!

Wednesday was our third anniversary! Adam had Thursday off, so we made date plans. Unfortunately Jasmine was sick, so we came home in between dinner and movie to check on her/put her to bed. Adam planned a surprise picnic in a local park we had never been to, which was really fun!
I'm working on a serious of black and white photos in the style above. So far it's been quite fun! Still working on the photo cards, should be coming soon though! Well, I'm off to work on my designer promo boxes. Have a wonderful weekend.