{Project 365+1- Week 4}

It's hard to believe that the first month of my P365+1 is complete. It seems that the month flew by. It's felt so good to pick up the camera everyday...I had really missed taking a daily photo. This time around I've been using some of  Katrina's prompts from {CaptureYour365}. The list is great for helping out on those days when there's nothing interesting going on at home. It's been fun trying to come up with creative ways to use the prompts. The list for February can be found {here}. I'm still taking two photos on some days, but that's ok. I'll continue the project as long as I'm happy holding my camera.

{Project 365+1-Week 3}

{Project 365+1- Week 2}

{Project 365+1- Week One}

Week one is complete! Only 51 more to go. That really does sound worse that it is. I'm sure it will take me a few weeks to get back in the groove again...after all, I've had 6 months off. It does feel good to pick up my camera each day, especially with my new lens attached.

I'm kind of doing two POTD projects in one. Most days so far I've taken two photos. One is for my P365+1 photobook and the other is following the prompts from Katrina at {CaptureYour365}. I'm only doing this because I want my photobook to be a representation of my daily life and following the prompts is more like a challenge.  I'm sure there will be some photos I'll take that will be usable for both, but for now it's P365+1 x 2 for me.

{Building a Mystery}

I've officially reserved a spot in my first {Mystery Block of the Month} project through {Fat Quarter Shop}. I had no choice but to sign up when I found out that the fabric line chosen for the {Mystery Quilt} is going to be  from one of my favorite fabric designers {Bonnie & Camille}.

Photo courtesy of "Simplify by Camille Roskelley"

This is my next step into the world of quilting. The only information we're given ahead of time is the fabric choice and that it will be a vintage sampler quilt made with traditional blocks. Each month starting in June a package will be delivered which includes the pattern and fabric for the month's block. Over the next 12 months I'll be completing the quilt top. I've also reserved the finishing kit and the backing which will coordinate with the quilt top.

I have a growing list of quilts I'd like to complete in 2012. I don't know if I'll get to them all, but I'm sure I'll have time to spend each month to create one 12x12 block. I've always loved mysteries......

{ "Show Us Your Favorite 2011 Photos" Blog Hop }

Happy New Year to everyone at {CaptureYour365} ! And, thank you to Kathleen for organizing the first {Blog Hop} of 2012! It's also my first Blog Hop ever!

Before I get to some of my favorite shots from 2011, I'd like thank Katrina for her inspiration and for creating a place where we all can connect, learn and be inspired by each other. So many of you are incredible photographers and I'm always looking for new ideas and for ways to improve my {photography}. My first {P365} spanned 2010-2011. I only had two months left in my P365 when CaptureYour365 was born. I'm looking forward to spending an entire year with all of you, sharing little snippets of my life and hopefully learning something along the way. One of my favorite quotes is from Ralph Waldo Emerson... "Life is a journey, not a destination." I can't wait to share my journey with all of you.

So, here's some of my favorites from 2011. I hope you enjoy looking!




One of my favorite Santas. The bokeh courtesy of Katrina's "Capture Your Holidays" class.

 


Walking the neighborhood after one of our snowstorms. I'm in a photo!

 


Randomly piled hearts. SOUL MATE jumped out at me. It's how I feel about my husband.

 

I love snow and I love snowshoeing in Rocky Mountain National Park. We'll be there again this upcoming March for another snowshoeing trip. For me, there's nothing like being in the mountains.




Another photo from Colorado joins my group of favorites for 2011. This is St. Malo's, also known as The Chapel

on the Rock. It is an amazingly beautiful church located in the mountains of Colorado.

 


This is a photo of my son and his younger cousin. We were in Florida for my other niece's wedding.

These two have been the best of buddies since they were babies.

The expression on her face makes me smile.






This photo was taken at the Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, Long Island. They have a large collection of orchids. I'm hoping to work on macro photography in 2012.



One of my favorite places to take my camera is the zoo. In April, a lot of the animals are still in their

winter habitats. I can always count on the polar bear to be out. This day he was

entertaining us with his yoga moves.



 


My final favorite of 2011 is of my sweet daughter and her calf Millie. This was taken in May, one week before

she graduated from the University of Connecticut. She's attending the

University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine with the plan to be a large animal vet,

specializing in dairy cows. The city girl who loves cows...

 

Hop on over to the last stop on our journey, Kathleen's blog Taking Pictures, Enjoying Life. If you've started at my blog first, here's a list of everyone participating in the first Blog Hop of 2012:

Kelly- {But for the Grace of God}
Katrina- {Capture Your 365}
Gabi- {Gabi Rytirova}
Me- {The Sweetest Dreams}

Kathleen- {Taking Pictures, Enjoying Life}