Peaceful Pauses

My Old Swedish Chair

It's true about beauty in the eye of the beholder. My old Swedish chair has seen better days, but I think my Swedish heritage (mother's side) heartstrings plays a tune for its worn wood.

Like most who come across an old piece of furniture, I too, wonder its travels, and the stories it could tell. I imagine they would be such stories, that I would sit quite a while at its feet (as there is no seat) and listen all night long to its tales.

With a fresh blanket of snow, my old Swedish chair felt right at home. She seemed very content standing near the old wire and wood fence amongst the dry twigs. I think it sort of made her stately among the wire fence and dried leaves.

In the cold winter, as life slows down a bit, we tend to slow down too. We don't want to slip and fall, so we suddenly admire the dried, the twisted, the rusty, and the old, as we grasp for those sturdy enough to hold us up. Suddenly a blanket of snow makes things new again.

Once the snow melts, we will once again be sure-footed and clip along with a faster pace. Maybe the fence won't be so pretty, and the vines will be overlooked, and the wood fence needs mending instead of intriguing. But my beloved old Swedish chair always invites me to stop and remember that function is not always a necessity, as is the ability to produce a peaceful pause.

May you find time for a peaceful pause.

from my house to your house,

Elizabeth 

The Postman Rang Twice...

Hello!

I hope this second month of 2013 is treating you well and you are staying warm, if you are living in an area of the world that is now winter. As I sit here on the sofa, under my warm blanket, with my barber husband (who is watching the Super Bowl), there is a cold beautiful blanket of snow on the ground outside. The postman brought me two treats this week, and not only did my  barber husband lived to see  them, I even shared the treats with him. I've been recovering, as you know from my knee surgery, gone-not-so-good, as I call it. And as it is very slow going, it is easy to forget about some of the work I did way before my knee surgery that is now out. When Jo Packham, editor and author of many, many publications, such as Where Women Create, and Where Women Cook, mailed me my treats...well, it just brighten my day to say the least. 

Where Women Create is a publication that is near and dear to my heart, as my workspace was featured on its cover a couple of years ago, and since then, I am honored to call Jo a friend and have the honor to work for her in one capacity or another. WWC has a column called The Business of the Studio in which a topic is discussed and Jo asked that I write it for this year on the topic of photography. A creative subject is selected (last year it was fabric) and what are some business aspects about that topic that one may have wondered about or may want to know. Below is my first column and a sneak preview if you haven't received your copy yet. And if you don't have a subscription, then you may pick up a copy at Barnes and Nobel or order a copy by clicking here. 

Click HERE to go to site to see inside!!

Jo does a fabulous job in finding such very talented and creative women for her issues and highlighting not only what it is that they do, but allowing those women to share their story, where they came from, their challenges, and how or why they got into their field in the first place. All the stories are so very inspirational. Jo is so very good at getting what I call the "big time girls" such as Rachel Ashwell, Magnolia Pearl, Marie Osmond, Mary Engelbreit, and The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond), as well as, showcasing what I call the "extraordinary average girl" whom Jo puts in the spotlight so that their stories may too, inspire all of us who love the "big-time girls," but actually relate to the "extraordinary average girl." 

I was very honored that Jo asked that I write this year's WWC The Business of the Studio features. As a photographer that is still making my way, I might have a different take on how I view the "business" of photography. But coming from the creative, design world first, perhaps Jo felt I would have a good understanding of what her readers (creative crafter types) might want to know or be curious about in the field of photography. Below is a part of first feature...to read the rest of my article, you will have to purchase this superb WWC issue (well, they are all superb)!

The second treat that Jo mailed to me was a signed copy of Pieography. It is a book authored by Jo Packham, comprised of pie recipes from 39 women (I am one!) who offer their favorite pie recipe as well as a little personal story as to why this particular pie best describes their life or a life event. I wrote about this in an earlier post, but the book publishing date was delayed and so I am now writing about it again. I am thrilled with it and it turned out beautifully. I am very honored to be in the company of so many talented women and to have my photography accompany such beautifully photographed images. If you haven't picked up your book yet, it may be ordered on Amazon, or bought in any major book store such as Barnes and Noble. The stories are so interesting to read (I just started reading them, as I just got it only two days ago) and I can't wait to make these recipes.

My pie was the little fried pie. Being a Texan, fried pies are my heritage, and they just seemed to fit me and this season of my life.

My life and Li'l Fried Pies:

Here are a few of the photos I took for that shoot that wasn't used, but I enjoyed shooting for Pieography so very much...I've shown these in an earlier post, but will share again for those who might have missed them...

I hope you enjoyed the photos as much as I enjoyed shooting and writing about both features. I feel so very, very blessed to be able to write and shoot about things that I enjoy...and especially for someone that I admire so much such as Jo. If you don't really know Jo, or even know of Jo Packham, then I really, really encourage you to get to know her here and get to know a woman that truly cares about creative women, what they are about, who they are, and who truly encourages women to pursue their passion. She is "for real" and one of those rare individuals who isn't one way with you and then another way behind your back. She is a creative person herself, and so she understands what it is like to have a passion. And the best way to keep someone like her cheering for creative people like us, is to show your support so she can keep encouraging and inspiring us.

Thank you for sticking by me in all of my creative endeavors and being there when I am absent. Know I think of you often and always know how much I love being here when I am here. I love what I do, I just wish I could do it more often because it just makes me plain happy. :-)

from my house to your house,
Elizabeth