Day Thirty-One

ROYGBIV Week - 'Green'

I'm usually told I have blue eyes but today they looked kinda green so...here they are.

This is also my attempt at meeting my 'Get Pushed' challenge this week which was to take a photo that was 'dark and mysterious'...you'll have to let me know if you think I've managed any mystery here at all!

Day Thirty

ROYGBIV Week - 'Yellow'

Sunny yellow building blocks.

Day Twenty-Nine

ROYGBIV Week - 'Orange'

The teapot I bought for my husband as a wedding present during a trip to Ljubljana in Slovenia.

Day Twenty-Eight

ROYGBIV Week - 'Red'

A leaf on our poinsetta plant.

Day Twenty-Seven

'Fireworks and fairies'

Having seen several shots lately of people playing with light I thought I'd have a go at a long exposure shot of the fairy lights that are still up in our garden.

Evie said it looked like fireworks and fairies. I like that description!

It also, luckily, meets my 'Get Pushed' challenge this week - albeit loosely - to take an architectural shot. That's our little red house in the background!

Next week I'm setting myself a 'ROYGBIV' challenge - to take something everyday featuring a different colour of the rainbow. So it'll be red on Monday, orange on Tuesday and so on. Let's see how I get on...

Day Twenty-Six

Happy Australia Day!

I decided to take a photo for friends 'down under' and luckily had a flag. But, what to do with it?
It was wrapped around a snowman and laid in the snow but none of those quite worked. So it's this semi-abstract shot that I ended up choosing.

Hoping for all the Aussies out there that the day was filled with lamingtons, tim tams, barbies and, hopefully, some sunshine!

Day Twenty-Five

Snow covered seeds on the way to the nurse's for Rosie's two month check up.

I love how the fading sunlight makes it seem oddly warm.

Day Twenty-Four

Today was my first ever experience of the Finnish 'rotina' tradition where visitors coming to meet baby for the first time bring 'pulla' and/or goodies with them so the new mother doesn't have to bake in order to cater for guests.

For those not in the know, 'pulla' is a Finnish sweet bread flavoured with cardamon.

My first daughter spent a large amount of time in the hospital after she was born and meant we couldn't have visitors until she was nearly two months old so we didn't get to experience it first time round.

But a lovely friend popped round today to meet Rosie and brought the delicious cake pictured! Yum-my!

Day Twenty-Three

'Defying Gravity'

Was out in the 'blue hour' this evening around sunset and found this miraculous icicle. Curving it's own shape and apparently ignoring the pull of gravity!

Day Twenty-Two

One fantastic thing about this project is it's already making me challenge myself to try things I've never done before. Tonight was trying to photograph the moon.

I did a little research...clicking on other photos, checking out the camera settings used and just went for it.

For a first attempt, I'm quite pleased. Obviously there's massive room for improvement but...not a bad beginning!

Day Twenty-One

Tidying up the toys at the end of a long evening of playing and I realised I had yet to find my photo of the day. I had made homemade pizzas earlier but the photos didn't do them justice.

So...a close up of some colourful pencils will have to suffice!

Day Twenty

Bangles, bangles, bangles...

Evie decided today was a good day to wear almost every piece of jewellery she owns. Seems she's actually quite fashion conscious when you look at the colours of her clothing in the background...everything seems to kinda match!

Was fun to try and pick out the details in her bracelets in between all of her mad dashing about but think I just about managed it with this one.

Day Nineteen

'Genie in a bottle'

This is my attempt at meeting my 'Get Pushed' challenge for this week - long exposure, night shot.

I've been holding out for Northern Lights all week, hoping they'd turn up in time. We finally got some tonight but....no where near bright enough. I managed some shots but none that I was happy with.

I'd taken this earlier in the evening though...just in case. This is my daughter's night light - which is a glittery lava lamp.

Fingers crossed I can add a Northern Lights shot to my 365 before long!

Day Eighteen

Pink gems for a princess who's on her way.

This evening was at a baby shower for a work colleague...it seems only five minutes ago she told us she was pregnant. At that time I was several months pregnant myself. Where does the time go?

Rosie's now a couple of days shy of being two months old and in another four weeks or so my friend will be due to have her own little princess.

Day Seventeen

"There's no place like home."

I always wanted a pair of ruby slippers, ever since watching 'The Wizard of Oz' as a child.

Our eldest is quite the little performer and we found her a pair of white patent shoes in a second hand store earlier this year which she immediately called her 'dancing shoes'. But little feet have grown since then and new dancing shoes were needed.

We found these today and knew we'd found them!

Yes, they are slightly too big but they're sparkly and red and because it's her, I'm fairly sure if she clicks her heels together three times...she'll be able to achieve anything she wants.

(The hard bit was getting her to stand still for long enough for a photo!)

Day Sixteen

Smiles between sisters.

Rosie smiles a lot but she always, always, smiles whenever she sees her big sister.

I've been looking at photos I took of Evie when she was this age and it's hard to tell them apart. She was super smiley too!

Day Fifteen

We discovered a delicious cheese the other day and it was only tonight I spotted the awesome advice given on the label...brilliant!

Day Fourteen

Ten little toes.

Perfection.

Day Thirteen

Today's photo covers two different challenges.

My final 'One Night Stand' image for this week - to fulfill the theme of 'macro', and it's also my first ever 'Get Pushed' image. In this particular challenge you are paired up with another 365 photographer and you challenge each other do something. This week I was partnered with the an extremely talented photographer who gave me the words 'heat' and 'dust' to work with.

Given the weather here, getting something to do with heat outside wasn't really an option so I had to be creative.

So, here are piping hot pastries dusted with icing sugar. Yum-my!

I've just been given my partner and challenge for next week too - an abstract shot. Hmmm, need to think about that one!! Suggestions welcome!

Day Twelve

It was one of 'those' days today...illness in the house meant there was little time for photos and with the theme today of 'street' photography, I leant out of the car window to take this shot 'en route' to get some shopping done.

Pretty happy with it, all things considered.

Day Eleven

To take a 'selfie' was today's challenge. Not easy when you've got your hands full of a wriggly little one...but when they're this cute, you don't mind a bit.

Day Ten

Today's theme was 'architectural' photography.

Was most annoyed when I got into town earlier and realised I'd left the camera at home and my phone's attempts at taking photos are not worth mentioning so I got my daughter to help me build something to photograph.

So here we have a rainbow duplo stairway...where's it going? Nobody knows!

Day Nine

Today's theme for the challenge was 'advertising' which meant I had to get a little creative as there aren't many 'adverts' to hand around here and 99% are in Finnish which I don't think many on the official website will understand.
So I made my own! ;o)

For milk - showing a creative use for the milk cartons when you're done. Fill them with water and leave them outside until they've frozen and then arrange them around a candle to create these ice lanterns.
(And for those in warmer climes? You can fill them and stand them in your freezer.)

Day Eight

Movie night means popcorn.

Today's challenge theme was 'candid' so grabbed my camera and snapped hands rifling through the kernels.

Not perhaps the most artistic of shots but there you go!

Day Seven

Am taking part in one of the challenges on the 365project website this week where we're given a daily theme to try and photography. Today's theme is 'Black and White'.

So, this is a close up of candlelight through a 'lantern'...playing with bokeh, basically!

I've also joined another challenge where you are partnered up with another random photographer and you set each other a challenge for that week. Something that will push us to learn new things and develop our skills. Am very excited about this one and can't wait to see what my partner comes up with for me! You'll find out as soon as I do.

Edited into black and white.

Day Six

Our little Rosie. Just over 6 weeks old.
This is the first photo of her in this project...somehow doubt it'll be the last.

Changed to black and white as the lighting was making her look awfully blotchy.
Blogger has also squashed this a lot, it's a lot clearer here.

Day Five

Tonight's the last night we get to enjoy all the fairy lights and Christmas sparkle. 

Thought I'd capture this image of one of my favourite decorations before it returns to the Christmas box tomorrow.

Edited into black and white.

Day Four

My daughter was playing with her magnets on the floor this morning, putting them into her own 'order' and counting them. Extremely cute to watch.

Inspired me for today's photo too.

I toyed with a black and white version with just the number 4's in colour but it looked too 'fake' for my liking so it's the full colour version I uploaded.

Day Three

My eldest daughter, all of two and a half years old, baking fairy cakes with her Grandma.

My parents and younger brother have been staying with us for Christmas and sadly head back to the UK next week so she's making the most of having them here.

I used to love baking with my own Grandma and now I love watching my daughter baking with hers.

Day Two

We received some belated Christmas presents today, all the way from New York!

Some simply gorgeous soft toys for our girls from their Uncle. He's one month into a year long 'jaunt' around the world, with his surf board. Reading his travel blog, which has been coming from Hawaii for the last few weeks, is great fun and torturous in fairly equal measures!

He's just purchased a VW beetle in which he will drive South from California for the next three months and should end up in Peru!

Makes the usual resolution 'to travel more' take on a whole new meaning, eh?

Day One

New Year's Day 2013.

My Dad had one of these calendar Rubik's cubes when I was a kid and I always wanted one of my own.

This year, my little brother gave me my own as a Christmas present (which, I hasten to add, he had to 'create' himself as they are no longer sold!) and it was this that inspired me to getting around to starting my first 365 project!

I will have to change the date every day and so hopefully I'll also manage to take a photo every day too!

I would love any comments anyone wishes to make on any of the photos I share here so please do, leave me a little message if you feel like it.

This was, arguably, one of my favourite presents this year. What was yours?

What's with all the numbers?

Well I'll tell you...

This is a blog to accompany my participation in a 365 Project. 

"But what is a 365 Project?" I can almost here you cry.

365 Projects are simple, you take one photo every day for a year. It can be anything, something you've done, a self portrait, your shoes! Anything! Some people even do album work for their favourite song that day.

Mine isn't going to have a particular theme as such although I can imagine that our children, Evie (2 and a  half) and Rosie (currently approaching 6 weeks) will feature rather heavily, along with our crazy but adorable labrador Heidi ~ so you could say my project will be about 'family', and to a point I suppose it will.

Here you will find every photo that I add to my personal project, along with some explanations for why I've added what I have...and, I'm sure, the odd random post of nonsense just to keep you on your toes!

I've been wanting to do one of these for a long time but, as is the way of things, life tends to get in the way and even the best of intentions are no match for it. However, this year I have had an extra little incentive, a little piece of inspiration, which has given me the nudge to finally get started.

And that inspiration...?

You'll have to stick around and check out my 'Day One' post to find out, won't you!

Hoping you'll come with me on this little photography journey for the next twelve months. Who knows what it'll bring but it'll be nice to have some company on the way.