Review of Winter Snow Scene Photography

Winter Snow Scenes

Winter is a Great time for a Photographer 

Photographing winter scenes is a wonderful way to pass your time on a snowy winter day. The snow covers all the dullness of the winter scenery and gives a beautiful field of white to everything you photograph.

 

I have found that I don't have to go any further than my own backyard to find some great photographic subjects. The birds outside my window always lend to some nice photos and if I want to wander a bit further away, a walk around the neighborhood will produce lots of trees covered with snow.

This page was created to showcase my winter photos and to present them on some of the Zazzle products I have designed. I hope you enjoy your tour through my winter wonderland!

Intro photo is "Ice on wild Geraniums" taken in my front yard

Winter Snow Scene

Snow Laden Evergreen

I photographed this tree while taking a walk in my neighborhood just after a big snowfall. The tree had a lot of houses and other things in the background so I put it in Photoshop Elements and use the impressionist brush to smudge out the background. I like the effect it gives showing just the tree as the center of the scene.

You can purchase my photos on cards at zazzle.com/mbgphoto

Winter Scene Note Cards

Winter snow scenes make wonderful note cards. Keep in touch with friends and family and write your own message inside. This photograph was taken from my front porch on Christmas evening. I used a flash to illuminate the small Japanese maple tree that was laden with snow. This effect highlighted the tree and kept the black background.

Christmas Snow Scene Cards

Winter Snow Scene

Snow scenes make beautiful Christmas cards. You can create your own from your photographs. I recommend sights like Zazzle and CafePress to use your own photos to make quality looking greeting cards.

Christmas Wreath

Stop by my Zazzle store at zazzle.com/mbgphoto to purchase copies of my photos on a variety of products

Birds in the Snow

Birds make great subjects in a snowy background . I have a bird-feeder in my backyard and in snowy weather I will sit by our patio doors with a telephoto lens on my camera and photograph the birds in the snow.

Birds in my Backyard

I think the male Cardinals are particularly pretty in the snow. Their bright red feathers look stunning against the white snow. We have been having several male and female cardinals visiting our bird-feeder in the snow.

Male Cardinal

Majestic Cardinal

Female Cardinal

Pansy peaking through the Snow

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON:

Wednesday February 10th Umbrella Day!

For all of you who like to follow the Weird and Wacky feasts and holidays of the year, you might already know that today Feb. 10th is Umbrella Day!   Now you are probably wondering why in heaven's name anyone would get excited about that.  I'm here to fill you in.

Umbrellas in the past were used to keep the sun off of the Gentries' skin.  Pale faces, light completions, were something that was desirable. Hence, if a lady did have to go out during the sunny parts of the day, her umbrella or parasol was a much needed accessory.  We've all seen the pictures of the ladies of old, in their finery strolling down the lane with a parasol firmly held on high to keep the suns rays off of their heads.  Gloves were also mandatory so the hands would not show signs of sun either, and the dresses were long, so no worries there. You can see for yourself in this painting of John Singer Sargent, just how covered up the ladies of yore were!

Moving into the modern era,  our tastes for what is beautiful has certainly changed and sun kissed skin, lots of skin became the way to look and to feel beautiful.  We went from one extreme to the other in a short 100 years.

By Pedro Simões - Flickr

From being totally covered up in the 1880's, to being almost totally uncovered in the 1990's and now to our current time in the 2016's and beyond, we are finding out that uncovering our bodies, so that the sun can "kiss" our skin, was not the brightest of ideas.

New research and just the plain facts coming out of the medical community, points out how much damage the sun can actually do to our skin.  Not only does it cause premature aging in our skin, but the rising occurances of skin cancers of all kinds, is just a little disturbing.

But, and here's the real good news, umbrellas are making a beautiful comeback and when I say beautiful I mean BEAUTIFUL!

Gone are the days when umbrellas were strictly used to keep us dry on rainy days.  Their utilitarian use was important (especially for those ladies with hair that curls like crazy on those damp days), to keep us dry in the most sever downpours, while going about our regular business.  But more and more people are opting to use umbrellas to keep the sun off of their skin (again).  Maybe the ladies of old, were onto something.

Today, umbrellas are beautiful to the eye and come in such a variety of colors and shapes.  They are again a fashion accessory that should be used often.  Just take a look at a couple of these beauties and see if you don't agree with me that they are fantastic to look at and even nicer to use, than those dreary plain black or navy ones that leave nothing to the imagination.  Plus many of them fold down to almost nothing, so slipping one into your purse is quite easy to do.  No need to be unprepared!


Galleria Stained Glass Dragonfly Folding Umbrella

 

If you like the new inverted umbrellas, then this link is for you!  There are so many choices that you just might want to get two!

These are just two of the beauties that I'm telling you about!  I certainly wouldn't mind keeping my skin free of exposure to the sun's rays under one of these.  How about you?  Are you willing to take the risk of getting too much sun on your skin and afterwards having problems that need surgery to fix the damage, or would you rather spend sometime under the protection of an umbrella?

They can and still do double duty, because, if it should start to rain, you are protected there too!

Happy Umbrella Day to all!

*********************************************************************************

If you enjoyed this article, you can find more at www.grammieknows.ca or www.grammieknowshow.com

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON:

Reviewing Trash Bags by Glad

Ever Had A Trash Bag Fail?

Well, I haven't had one fail for a very long time but the other day while helping a neighbor do some cleaning I did. She was using cheap (very cheap) trash bags that honestly were a waste of her money and time. What an awful mess it was to clean up when her less than durable bag dropped everything out of the bottom! I am pretty picky about a lot of things and the brand of trash bags is one area that I won't scrimp on. 

My neighbor found me out near the trash container picking up the mess while swearing under my breath and she said to me, "Oh, I should have told you that you need to use two bags together. I buy these because they are so much less expensive than the name brands."

I'm not kidding there were warning bells going off in my head and I swear I heard the robot from Lost In Space say, "Warning, Will Robinson! This does not compute!" Where is the logic in buying cheap bags and then having to double them up because they so easily fall apart? How is that less expensive? Isn't it more expensive in the long run? What kind of math is she using to figure that she was saving herself money? She can't be using the math I learned in school, that is for sure. As Spock might have said to Captain Kirk, "This is highly illogical."

So, what brand of trash bags do I keep on my shelves? I really prefer Glad trash bags for my own needs. I use the tall kitchen size (13 gallon) in several places in the house and the large yard sized bags out in the garage.

I can't think of one time that this brand has ever failed me. A long time ago, I purchased another brand and found I was just happier to stay with my Glad bags for my trash needs. There might be bags out there that are just as good but I prefer to just stay with what I know works for my home.

Who wants to have to gather trash in a bag over the course of a couple of days and then when you go to put it in the container for trash pick-up have it drop the trash onto the ground before it hits the container? Good golly, Miss Molly you would have to pick it all up again and probably use another bag! Not an efficient use of my time or yours.

When it comes to tools (trash bags are a tool of sorts) I tend to go with what I know is reliable. If it costs me a few cents more, I am willing to spend it. Although, in the case of my bags versus my neighbor's bags; I think I spend less money in the long run because I don't have to double my trash bags for one job.

How about you? Have you given much thought to the reliability of the bags you use for your trash? Do you feel that a bag is a bag and that they are all the same? Or are you like me and you prefer to get a bag that you know won't fail on you?

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON:

Shannon Hale's Austenland Book Reviewed

Visit Jane Austen's world via Austenland the book by Shannon Hale

As a huge fan of Jane Austen movies and books, my antennae perked up when I heard of the movie, Austenland. When I discovered that the movie is based on a book written in 2007 by Shannon Hale, I decided to check out the book before taking in the movie. This became doubly important when I saw a crushing review for the movie, which I had really been looking forward to.

The book was a pleasure to read. All right, it was a light and fluffy read but sometimes that is exactly what you want. Reading, along with movies and okay, I'll admit it, food, are two of my escapes and I bet they are for you, too.

Within the covers, Jane Hayes escapes the ordinary world in which she has been unsuccessful in finding a man and travels to an English resort where she trades her modern conveniences and clothing for period items and enters the world of Jane Austen. She is hoping to rid herself of her obsessions with the world of Pride and Prejudice and, in particular, the handsome Mr. Darcy as played by Colin Firth whose image has kept her from finding her own Mr. Right.

From the back cover of the book:

"Enter our doors as a house guest come to stay three weeks, enjoying the country manners and hospitality - a tea visit, a dance or two, a turn in the park, an unexpected meeting with a certain gentleman, all culminating with a ball and perhaps something more..."

If you have enjoyed previous contemporary books and movies from Jane Austen, you will enjoy the charming and funny story found within the covers.  I read the hardcover edition as shown here and, given the choices, I think this is the version I would pick if I were buying one as a gift for a "Janeite." However, the book is also available in trade paperback, as a movie tie-in and for your Kindle or other eReader. You can find your copy in whatever format you prefer on Amazon by clicking right here. The book features 197 pages of what can only be called pure escapism.

If you are curious about the movie version, be sure to visit my Austenland movie review.

Will you read Austenland?

Happy Reading!
Brenda

More Jane Austen and Period Drama Reading:


Writing Jane Austen Book Review
Imagine if you were given a chapter of a seventh Jane Austen novel. A novel, that is, which she never finished. Then imagine being asked to finish the book for her and you will have a basic understanding of what this book is all about. Georgina...

Downton Abbey on Pinterest
I discovered Downton Abbey seasons 1, 2 and 3 after the fact. That meant I watched each one almost without pause...

Grantchester: A New Period Drama Mini-Series
A minister and murder. An unlikely mix, perhaps but I'm really enjoying Grantchester.

Author's Note: Originally published on another website in 2014.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON:

Do I Really Want to Sell My Home? That is the Question in the Spring Air?

Don't Let Spring Push You Into Selling Your Home Just Because You're Getting that 'Fresh-Air Fresh-Start Itch'

Twenty-five-plus years in real estate allowed me to see firsthand the many reasons people decide to sell their homes. Believe it or not, the boredom of the environment or needing a change was one of those reasons, especially during springtime when that 'new beginning' feeling hits!

If you've ever sold a home, you've probably received the standard good advice to 'neutralize' your color schemes. The suggestions may have also included creating a consistent flow between spaces, repainting with neutral colors, de-cluttering, removing large furniture in small spaces, and limiting patterns and prints where possible. Having your home professionally staged may have also been talked about ... good advice.

However, if the only reason you're selling your home is that you're feeling the need for change, then the first thing you should do to Fully Test that urge is to rearrange a room and, if affordable, change it up by adding MORE color and interest.

Pick colors and patterns that you and your family like. Throw out 'the house selling rule book' (to a point!), and decorate in a way that reflects your personal likes. 

If you've never attempted to work with color and pattern, here is an example of choosing a patterned couch with a patterned rug. It also features a handy short video on mixing color with pattern.

When spending a lot of money isn't an option, keep the room changes simply; try these five things first:

1. Repaint the room
2. Rearrange the furniture
3. Create a new focal point
4. Add accessories
5. and sorry, clean and de-clutter

Focus on what you like, but start with 'the mood' you want to create: airy, fun, electric, cozy, serious ... you get the picture. Even if your existing pieces don't fit your mood choice, use what you add to do that task: paint, pillows, blankets, rugs, window coverings, or, if you're going all out, furniture.

If you think this is too much work, think about all the time, expense, and energy it will take to sell your home. When you're just trying to figure out what to do .. to stay or to go .. redo at least one room in the house before you make that larger choice to sell. 

If you re-decorate that one room with neutral tones only because you think that's practical for resale, you're subconsciously out the door already! So resist that and decorate that room in your own funky fashion. Give it your touch.

When you're finally ready to sell, then go neutral-mad. But remember to test yourself with this redo challenge, and ask yourself, do I really want to sell my home?

By Barbara Tremblay Cipak

Funkthishouse.com

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON: