Nectar & Light

hello, hello!  i am excited to be celebrating the one year anniversary of fieryeyed photography on the 23rd of october.  in honor i would like to treat one of my readers to a 10x10 of their choice from the fieryeyed shop.  if you would like to play along, simply leave a comment on this post; i will collect names throughout the month and draw a lucky winner on the 23rd.  thank you all so much for your support over the last year and i can also promise some rather special weekly deals throughout the month of october.

in other news, there are to be some major changes to the photo trade.  i started this project as a way for people who were truly passionate about photography to come together and do something remarkable and special for each other once a month.  as of late, we have had some participants not keeping their promises to participate in a timely manner.  additionally, the quality {particularly print quality} and lack of care put into some of the mail has been questioned by some of our ongoing, dedicated members.  this of course applies to very few participants, however it has become a central enough issue among those who put a great deal of time and energy into their work, that i feel i must address it.  new rules will be posted with the announcement of the new theme - hopefully by weeks end.  i also want to personally thank those of you who continue to take the time and creative push to create wonderful images and share them with your partner - you define this group and i hope you continue to do so; i love that this group has membership at all skill levels - all it takes is a love for the art of photography itself.

have a wonderful day friends...

xoox~jla

*edited to say:  thank you to everyone who has commented so far! for those asking, more info on the photo trade can be found here and i am happy to say that this anniversary is for the shop - we shall have another {more spectacular} give-away on the nectar & light blog-o-versary in january!  xoox

i am so honored that joslyn - whose blog simple lovely {and home} i find sublime and beyond inspiring, asked me to be a part of her 'blogger's favorites' feature.  the photo montage above was created for the feature and you can read about each photograph here.  thank you so much joslyn!

have a wonderful weekend friends - i hope to share a new recipe next week.

xoox~jla

p.s.  and sweet alyson ran an extra special photographers spotlight this week on a very special little someone...

i hope your day is sunny! 

~ there is a new banner here;

~ more orchard photographs here;

~ and a little interview that alyson of one of my favorite blogs asked me to be a part of here.

see you soon...

xoox~jla

 

i hope you had a wonderful weekend friends.  sunday we drove down to the annual applejack festival for some apple picking and cider drinking - the weather was splendid - maybe a little too splendid - i was really beginning to fall for autumn and the late summer warmth crept back across the land with a lazy breath.  and today, gray and rain, that is more like it - i think i have to bake today. 

~ this is the most beautiful thing i have seen in a very long time, it makes me heart ache a little {thank you for the introduction kk}

~ added this print to the shop this morning...

have a beautiful day.

xoox~jla 

a few more things:

~ this band i discovered yesterday - i can't stop listening - amazing;

~ swimming laps 4 days a week!

~ the new issue of saveur- it is dedicated to breakfast - and it is amazing.  it is packed with articles about tea, coffee, eggs, how people start their day the world over, famous breakfast quotes and though i am usually not blown away by the photography in this publication - this issue leaves me wanting more - perfection - pick one up if you can;

~ my awe inspiring friend matt will be on the martha stewart show today!  i can't wait to see him - tune in if you can;

~ the opening at nest in napa valley went amazing well - thank you annie for the amazing shots of the event!  if you are in the area, try to catch instant era before it closes on 31 october - thank you to nest for supporting our book and the history of polaroid - we are so honored to be part of the exhibit!

have a wonderful day...

xoox~jla

*edited to say:  SUCH a wonderful show on martha today - and so wonderful to see so many familiar faces!  check out her post about blogging here and share in the link love!

i know, i know.  i have been a bad assistant to my daughter.  but she has a stack of photos that i have scanned in and are ready to go so i can promise more frequent updates of adie loves polly - at least for the next week or so - there is already a few new entries...

enjoy - she beams with giddiness when i read your comments aloud to her - so thank you all!

xoox~jla

good day friends - i hope your week is shaping up beautifully!  here are some things making me happy right now:

~ anne's gorgeous new portfolio;

~ music - especially the watson twins,  neko case and sharleen spiteri;

~ this tugs at my heart - i can't stop staring at it - i want a poster of it - i love it - or was that already clear?

~ jenny has done it once again, this takes my breath away;

~ a reason to turn the tv on tuesday nights;

~ so excited to receive this;

~ that my neighborhood target - yes target - has started carrying kiehls - this makes me insanely happy actually;

~ a new toy to figure out {see photo above}

enjoy your day!

xoox~jla

we have had our share of it over the last couple of weeks.  i welcome it - the cool mist it pushes through the window screens, the sound of rushed showers upon the roof, and the smell - oh the sweet smell of rain.  after meeting and courting in italy, my husband and i were married and lived the first three years of our life together in the english countryside.  we lived in a 500 year-old thatched roof cottage in a small village called botesdale - as i was searching for a link to show you some photos of that quaint village, i actually came across a photograph of the house we rented.  it is called the cherry tree house and it is on cherry tree lane {seriously.}  the brick floors in the kitchen were so old they dipped in places - almost resembling a room of sand.  the room that we used as our family room {the room to the left in the photo with the round window} used to be the stables - the hay racks were still attached to the walls and the troughs had been stained and polished with pride and now act as side tables.  there was etchings everywhere throughout the home - names and birthdays dating to the 1700's - on the glass windows between the dining room and the mud room - on the troughs.  there was a fire place in the dining room, the living room and our bedroom - you could not walk through several of the rooms upstairs without craning your neck as to avoid a nastyy bump.  i was in heaven - the expanses of endless green fields, the habit of wearing your wellies absolutely everywhere were delights i had only dreamed of in my youth - even the rain made me happy.  my husband on the other hand was nothing short of miserable when it rained.  he loathed the seemingly endless downpours and literally counted the days until our departure.  i think he looks back on that time with cloudy vision and i am grateful - he seems to remember all of the fun we had as opposed to how much the rain really affected him. 

when we have weeks like this - days of rain and gray - the occasional wink of sunshine behind a blanket of darkness, i can't help but crave fish and chips and a pint of beer.  the rain transports me and fills me with the happiest of memories...

i am off to dig up some more photos from the house and the garden from some buried boxes - have a wonderful weekend friends - and stay dry - unless of course you want to go splash around a bit ;)

xoox~jla

p.s. here is a diptych from the little rain shoot above.

i wanted to extend a thank you to all of you who have supported the project, for the love of light.  it is a little bittersweet to announce that we are in process now of ordering our last 20 copies from our printer.  the love and joy that has come from this project - not only by the photographers - but by those generous enough to believe in our vision and purchase the book has been overwhelming.  so thank you to all and though it saddens me a bit to near the end of this journey, i find it equally encouraging to start the next...

more later today... xoox~jla

can you feel it?  this week has bestowed us with cool mornings, crisp eves and the air has filled our lungs with autumn.  the season usually does not greet us so early in the year, and as this is the midwest, a late heat wave would be nothing new.  but the fact that we have had the windows open all week - that i slipped on my frye work boots for the first time in months and that the tips of trees in our neighborhood are already blushing, leaves me ready to greet autumn with an open embrace.  so farewell dear summer - it has been one of magic - dappled sun and cool washes in the pool, thank you for a beautiful season.

a happy fall to you dear friends.  i hope to continue to share our joys with you - the turn of a season always has been a great time of reflection for me.  we are making some changes in our life for the better - these new adventures fill me with happiness, yet they are of the simplest turns - little changes in our daily routines that will keep me from being on the computer as much - and honestly, i welcome them.  i will however continue to check in once or twice a week sharing beautiful moments filled with light and love and wonderful places i love to explore when i do have a few moments to indulge in the wonderful online community that has been so good to me for so long. 

have a wonderful weekend friends and i will meet you here next week...

xoox~jla