Things I Like (Holiday Edition)

It's almost Christmas, and I'd like to share some of the things that have made me happy during the holiday season.  I hope everyone finds things that bring them cheer, peace and happiness this season and throughout the entire year.  

Happy holidays! 

1.  Light-up reindeer antlers on a friend

2.  A bar filled with Santas and elves during Santacon

3.  A specially-guarded tree in Rockefeller Center

(posted in honor of Black and White Wednesday, hosted by the Long Road to China.  Thank you for all your kind support, fellow bloggers on Black and White Wednesday!)

4.  Fruit, cheese and sausage plates at the start of holiday feasts

5.  Homemade pumpkin pie at the end of holiday feasts (with graham cracker crust because I don't like regular pie crust)

6.  And the best Christmas present I ever received, my Princess Monster Bella, who has been my furball friend for two years this Christmas

(Holiday Treats, photographed November and December 2010)

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Christmas Cheer

It's almost time for Christmas and I can't wait.  Mind you, there's a lot to do before I can relax and just take in the holiday.  Last minute presents to buy, packing to do before fighting the crowds at the airport, and, of course, lots of assignments to finish at work.  But that doesn't stop me from feeling some Christmas joy.  I planning on blaring Christmas music at my desk today and counting down the days until I can officially celebrate.  "Tis the season.

So, in response to my earlier post on Christmas, my friend Laura asked if any of the photos were taken with my lensbaby (lots of links for you to follow!).  None were, but that got me thinking.  Why don't I take some photos of my Christmas tree with my lensbaby?  Deep thoughts, right?  Honestly, though, I hadn't taken photos with the lensbaby for awhile.  In an almost shamefully long time.  But I immediately knew what about the lensbaby I would use to capture my Christmas cheer:  the star- and heart-shaped aperture disks. 

And ta-da!  My tree as re-envisioned by the lensbaby. 

(my Christmas tree, photographed December 2010)

Visions of Sugar Plums

I put up my Christmas tree last weekend.  It didn't take long.   

My tree -- which I've had for a few years now -- is a tiny, artificial, three-foot tree that came with its lights already strung.  Although I can't wait until I have a decent sized tree (not quite practical for my Brooklyn apartment) or a live tree (not doable since I go to Wisconsin for Christmas), I still manage to get pretty thrilled at the prospect of decorating my itsy-bitsy-fake tree.  Most of my ornaments have been collected during my globe-trotting adventures, so hanging them up on my tree not only gets me into the festive spirit, but also reminds me of the far-away places I've been.

If you have noticed any trend in my posting (or lack thereof), it's that I've been really busy with work the last couple of months.  I feel like my days have been reduced to going to the office, working late, then coming home and working even later on my laptop.  This leads to a very disgruntled, uninspired Kristen.  So, to try to counteract this bad temperament, I've been trying to post more (three posts in December already!) and take more photos.  Even if those photos are simply ones taken of my tiny Christmas tree at 1:30 in the morning, hypothetically speaking of course.

Although these are not the crispest photographs, I think there is something cool about the ethereal, semi-abstract quality of these shots.  The sublime bokeh affect really creates a dreamy feeling, when combined with the colorful glow of the Christmas lights.

(My Christmas tree, photographed December 2010)



spring has sprung!

First post ever! Happy Easter and happy spring!

After having so much fun taking photos for my friend Katy and her blog Sugarlaws (http://www.sugarlaws.com/) and after receiving such great feedback from my friends, I decided that it was about time I started my own blog to share my photos.

It's going to be a little rough as I get used to this whole blogging thing and try out different formats. But I plan posting photos that I've taken over the years that I've never previously shared and taking new photos to post. Right now I'm thinking a few photos per post tied to a theme. We'll see how this turns out.

In honor of spring and easter, today's post is all about flowers. And in particular, the flowers that my Dad and Julie sent me for easter. I came home last night to find waiting for me on my stoop a beautiful spring garden in a basket. It smells beautiful (which sadly I couldn't capture in film for you) and has made me smile all day. I hope these photos make you smile, too.

p.s. Bella (my kitten) loves the flowers too much. Guess they are coming with me to work tomorrow to live in my office.