creative / stylish

L - Nikon / T - Nikon

"Express your unique creative spirit."

This is one of the keys to happiness. * Lately I have been expressing my creative spirit with new ring designs inspired by nature. This one is inspired by the gently-flowing creek I hike beside on the weekends at Big Trees Forest. / I believe Taylor expresses herself creatively partly through the clothes she chooses to wear. Putting items from thrift stores together in such a unique way. I love it.

/ the weather was perfect this past weekend and that was a very nice birthday surprise [: so on sunday we decided to take advantage of it and go visit our tried and true abandoned house. we hadn't been back for over a year and it seemed like the perfect opportunity. everything was mostly as we had left it – there was something comforting about that. something very settling about the presence of something that hadn't changed in over a year when i know that i definitely have changed from year 20 to 21. this week we've had such warm temperature which makes me a little sad since i have so much studying to do. i would much rather be outside enjoying the sun! but spring will come soon and i'll get my chance.

*I found a book at the Goodwill store titled "Choosing Happiness" by Alexandra Stoddard. I just picked it up by chance and started flipping through because I saw highlighted quotes that I thought would be good for the heart garland I was making for Taylor. So I bought it. Later I found at the back of the book was a list of 54 keys to happiness. I liked them so much I decided to keep the book intact and to copy the key phrases in order to create 54 hearts - each one having one key to happiness - one a week for a year. Georgia B. suggested I do a series using the 54 Precious Keys to Happiness. I think that is a good idea. do you?

key / open door

L - Nikon / T - Nikon

“Beauty is the mystery which enchants us...beauty is dynamic.” -Rollo May

single /bouquet

L - Scannograpy / T - Nikon

"Whether people are fully conscious of this or not, they actually derive countenance and sustenance from the “atmosphere” of the things they live in and with. "

- Frank Lloyd Wright

Crazy synchronicity tonight.

A friend gave me these pretty purple tulips for Valentine's Day and when I got home tonight I noticed one of the flowers was bent. So instead of just throwing it away I decided to scan it for my scannography collection. I used some cracked textured paper for contrast. I love the grace this single flower has.

Taylor sent me a bunch of photos tonight from an abandoned house she had explored. To my amazement several of the photos where of the flowers I had given her for her birthday. I'm assuming she thought the contrast would be interesting. Or maybe she had seen the heart garland message I made that said "Realize that flowers create Paradise on earth." - one of the "54 Precious Keys to Happiness" I had found in an old book that I got at a Goodwill store. The author of the book suggested that to have flowers around the home bringing us happiness. I think that perhaps it does, don't you?

refreshing / dusty

L - Nikon / T - Nikon

Bear with us while we renovate a little here on our blog. There can be comfort in the old but sometimes the old gets dusty and worn out – new is usually refreshing and clean. So we're starting with a new white template, fresh new banner, and profile pic. I did a little sprucing up last night. I would love for our photos to show a little bigger but I'm having trouble with that. Can anyone offer suggestions? My original images are plenty big but when I upload, Blogger sizes it down. Is there an simple way to fix this?
UPDATE: I figured out how to keep my images large. Are they too big now?

Curious - these photos were taken on the same day – one in her bedroom at home and one in an abandoned house that she claims as her own. I was making sure her room was in order before she got home and at the same time she was shooting film in Athens at an old abandoned home that she is using for her final photo assignment. She got some really cool digital images and I imagine her film is just as good.

vacant / unattended

L - Nikon / T - Nikon film camera

The other day I drove to Watkinsville to go to a huge pottery sale and after I drooled over the beautiful pottery that I couldn't afford to splurge on I drove around town. It's really a beautiful town and there were a lot of interesting places to explore and take photos of, but I was wishing T was with me. She much bolder than I about getting the shot she really wants. One place I have been wanting to visit is the Main Street Yarns and Fibers that I learned about through Maya at Springtree Road, but because of the holiday weekend it was closed. I should have felt completely comfortable exploring and having the place (outside) all to myself to photograph whatever I wanted to of this charming little shop, but all I got was a few photos of these old blue chairs. I should definitely go back with T - it's so close by. / just another shot from my morning class visit to downtown athens. i think my uncle will like this one.

unattended / neglected

This candytuft was completely unattended throughout the winter and even with the neglect it continues to shine. It's white flowers sparkle against the finely textured, deep-green leaves and woody stems. I love the way it spills over the edges of the planter. I like these type of plants that flourish without much attention - I don't have much of a green thumb. / mom know's how to find some cool places around town. somehow she found out that there is a former mansion that had been neglected but still stands on part of the emory campus. it's called the candler mansion and was the residence of the former coca-cola tycoon, asa candler. we thought it was stange that there were no "no trespassing" signs anywhere - but i guess it was assumed since it's on the emory campus. how does this happen that such an amazing structure just sits neglected? i read that it was built in 1916 - i can just imagine how beautiful it must have been back in it's glory. anyway we explored a little bit - there was easy access to one small structure that was off the side of the house and there was a abandoned greenhouse as well. there was this huge thing hanging in there that i was a little freaked out about - i thought it was a wasp nest. i would like to go back - seems i always get a great idea after i leave.
"Every human life is made to fit some place, and there is a place for every life. The lives and the places are made for each other that they may serve the purposes of the God who made them." - asa candler

once was

solo post - T

not satisfied with our exploration of the abandoned house, my friend Zach and I went back. the man across the street warned us that the house was haunted. we were ridiculously creeped out by that news, but still determined, so we entered the house. what once was someones room for entertainment or family dining now was a space void of anything except a single light bulb hanging from a cord, the light had been shut out by the curtains that were safety pinned closed in the middle. the house was completely empty - it was truly desolate. as we went around the house, we kept taking note of how creepy the lack of light was. the only room with any day light in it had literally six different types of wallpaper patchworking the walls and contained the door that we had tried to get in from the back - it was locked in three places. in the kitchen there was a calendar from february (same month we entered - creepy) of 1985, indicating that it had been abandoned for twenty-four years. after we had finished looking around, we closed the door and left the house - hopefully we didn't disturb the ghosts.

to me there's something fascinating about abandoned homes - there's mystery and intrigue about the people who lived there. when I look through these houses to find a great shot, i find myself thinking what kind of people lived in this house, what were their lives like? did children live here? at one time, this was someone’s home, and now it just sits, being neglected and exposed to the elements of nature - it's sad.

i had to borrow a camera - mom has had mine since Nov. : (

beauty remains / remaining beauty

L - Nikon D40x 200mm / T- phone pic

I just love the delicate petals left behind on the hydrangea bushes - there's beauty that remains in this plant all year long, but I can't wait to see the color of the summer blossoms - color so soft - a plant reminiscent of grandmothers house. There's unexpected synchronicity tonight. I don't usually see the relations until I start to write my part. T's image also shows some beauty left behind in a decaying old house , perhaps someone's grandmother's home? / across from our new house is an abandoned paradise. it's the kind that i love- white with a front porch and adornments around the door. i went with my friend zach to investigate. the front door was barred and locked, so we went around to the back to check it out. there was a pile of stuff in the back - we were amazed at what the people had thrown out- cds, teapots, movies and books. the books were waterlogged, but the places that had disintegrated inside them created interesting sentences. wished i'd had a real camera with me.