Visions of Purple

Corrie Bond is one of my absolute favorite fashion photographers. Her work is dreamy, nostalgic, and deeply feminine. It was really fun putting this purple color collage together using her beautiful images! Here's a little bit more about Corrie and her background:

"Born in the UK, Corrie Bond studied and practiced photography for 11 years working with some of the UK’s top photographers finessing her excellent technical lighting skills and a passion for photography before moving to Sydney in 2003.

Her gorgeous imagery and love of light translate to fresh whimsical images for advertising, and editorial clients alike. Her light touch means she is able to shoot fashion, beauty and lifestyle bringing an evocative feminine quality to all her work. Corrie approaches each shoot as a new creative challenge and is adept at utilizing natural daylight as she is in the studio creating gorgeous lighting. Her beauty images have been used by Max Factor among others and she shoots regularly for Marie Claire, Good Weekend, In Style and Inside Out, as well as David Jones, Westfield, Cohen et Sabine and Rose and Ruby. Corrie loves the fact that she gets to work with so many interesting creative people and it contributes to her work staying so fresh and vibrant."

My E-course FAQ/Registration Page is Up!

Good morning! I'm feeling much better this morning and wanted to let you know that my e-course FAQ page is finished. I'm so excited to have it all done and up on my blog! Rachel Follett from Lovely Clusters and Ironwood Design Studio added the finishing touches yesterday and (as always) did such a beautiful job. It's so nice to have a graphic designer for a friend. ;)

I hope I answered all of your questions about the course, but please let me know if I didn't. And, be sure and sign up for e-mail updates, too. :)

Have a great day today everyone! xo

P.S. If there are things you'd like to learn in the e-course that aren't mentioned on the FAQ page, please leave your suggestions in the comments section below. Thanks!

Love this print by Laura George (and sooo many of her other prints, too!).

What are YOU thankful for? To see a few of the things I cherish, take a look at my profile in the right sidebar....yes, I'm taking the easy way out. ;)

Be Creative!

Image by Zach Henningsgaard and seen via Lovely Clusters

O.k., that's your challenge for the weekend....be creative. Find something new to do, purchase or find a few new materials, and have fun! I'd love to see what you come up with, so post your project on your blog and leave a link in the comments section, if you want. I'll stop by and take a look. :)

Happy weekend! xo

The Colors of Spring

1 Rocky Top Studio, 2 Cactus Huggers, 3 Au Naturelle Photo, 4 Laney Butler

Are you just about ready for Spring? I sure am. I'm thankful for the partly blue skies we're having in Seattle today, but I need just a few more of these! It's nice to know that Spring is just around the corner. Until then, you can find lots of eye candy for the soul if you do some searches on Etsy or Flickr for Spring themed images. I did a search for butterflies last night and sat for atleast an hour looking through all of the beautiful colorful photos.

Hope your day is filled with good things. xo!

Neutral and Soft

1 Lena Brown Designs, 2 Will Oaks Studio, 3 Sweet Harmony Photo, 4 Amanda Powell Photography

Can't you just imagine a home with these soft neutral colors? It would be so classy and very contemporary! I'm not sure I could do it, though. I always have to have splashes of color here and there. That could actually look really pretty with these neutral tones as a backdrop and then your textiles (such as throw pillows and artwork) could have vibrant bold color or even rich dark browns, terracotta or sunflower yellow. :)

Retro Chic Living

via Stadshem

I was trying to think how to sum this home up in a couple of words and I think RETRO CHIC fits it well. If I were to add a few more words to it's decription they would be CASUAL, SIMPLE, ELEGANT, and CHEERFUL. I think it's kind of fun to study photos like this because you can really glean a sense of the homeowners interests and personality by looking at the colors they chose for their textiles and decorations and even by looking at the books on their shelves and the pictures on their walls. Not only did they choose red as one of the primary colors in their rooms, but they chose classic black and white photos for their walls, their shelves are stacked with a variety of colorful books, and there's a huge world globe sitting on an end table.

After studying these photos, what would you say the interests and personality of the homeowners would be?

What do (or don't) you like about this home?

You Are Loved

Fun image by Elle Moss

Never forget those three little (but very important) words...YOU ARE LOVED. Happy Valentine's Day! XO

Moon Asking to Stay

Good morning! How was your weekend? Did you do any early Valentine's Day celebrating? I'm fortunate to have a very thoughtful husband who surprised me with lunch out on Saturday. I'm hoping for some chocolate to come my way later on today, too. ;) I have the hardest time coming up with things to do for him, so you if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them. I'm running out of time! lol.

Aren't these images from "Moon Asking To Stay" so luxurious and dreamy? I spotted her work on Etsy yesterday and knew I had to feature it. Her new shop name is Belle Hibou and you can find it right HERE! Not only does this talented photographer take beautiful photos, she designs the most feminine jewelry and vintage textiles. I love when an artist has more than one medium they use. It inspires me to explore different venues myself.

Well, I'm going to sign off in a second but wanted to let you know a couple of things. First of all, I'll no longer be leading the Creative Challenge Group and have passed the baton on to Claudia from A Place for Twiggs. I know she'll do an amazing job and keep up with it better than I have been. Thanks so much, Claudia!

Also, I've been working hard on writing and planning my creativity e-course, Raining Umbrellas, and the new FAQ/Registration page should be up soon! I'm so excited about the e-course and really think the students will grow and be challenged.

Have a great new week, friends, and I'll see you here tomorrow! xo

Friends....

Illustration by Sophie Parker

Happy Friday! I just want to thank you for all of your kind comments throughout the week. The combination of working from home and having a chronic illness (MS) can be a little isolating at times and it really brightens my day to read your sweet comments and encouraging words.

I've got the best blog readers and online friends around. Have a great weekend! :0)

Talented New Sponsors

Well, hi there! How's your week been? Can you believe it's already Thursday? We are having our second day of sun here in Seattle and I couldn't be more excited! I'll definitely be taking one of my traditional country drives today to take photos and enjoy some fresh air and beautiful scenery. I think I've taken every barn photo there is to take but I'm hoping some other run down rustic buildings will pop into view as I'm driving.

I wanted to introduce you to two of my newest sponsors! First of all, Peaqo. I recently received one of Peaqo's delicate bracelets in the mail. My stylish young daughter is trying to sneak it out from under me, so I know I'm not the only one that thinks her handcrafted jewelry is gorgeous. I love the intricate detail of her designs and the vibrant colors she uses.

And, if you've never visited the Etsy shop, Fifi du Vie, you'll find inspirational framed and unframed prints, simple beautifully designed pillows, and more. I love her clean fresh style...so modern and appealing!

If you would like to learn more about advertising on Simply Hue, click HERE. :)

Light Therapy

A beautiful image by Melanie Louette

For an inspiring and touching post that will remind you you're not alone in your past, your struggles or your feelings, vist Ez Pudewa's personal blog, Carrying On.

See you here tomorrow! xo

Celebrate Friendship

Rosie is a contact of mine on Flickr and I was so touched recently when I saw her beautiful photos for a "Thankful for Friends Party" she and a friend put together last Fall.

Besides her mouthwatering photographs, I love the detailed descriptions she gives of the event on her blog, Simply Rosie. I spent about a half an hour reading through her delectable tale of a lovely day spent with friends celebrating what they mean to her. Thanks for the inspiration, Rosie!

Oh, and btw, who says you can't have a picnik in the Winter? I think it might be extra pretty with snowtopped tables and steaming cups of hot chocolate. Just be sure and have your guests wear their winter attire and provide something waterproof for them to sit on (Those Snugglies grandma gave you for Christmas just might come in handy afterall!). ;)

Rosie let me know this morning that she has a brand new blog. Follow this link to take a peek! For more inspiration, visit Rosie and her sister's collaberation blog, Ruffles and Light.

Dreamy Imagery by Lucy Snow Photography

Good morning! Did you have a nice weekend? Did you do anything fun or was it a weekend spent catching up? I know how that goes. ;) My husband and I went to a play in Seattle on Saturday put on by Taproot Theater Company. It was called The Odessy. Do you remember reading that book in elementary school? Anyways, I had the cutest little girl (8 years old) sitting by me at the play giving me the "low down" through every scene. Her teacher is reading the book series to her class and she knew exactly what was going to happen next. I love kids', so I just drank it all in! In fact, my husband and I were already in our seats when she and her cousin were being seated and my husband looked at me and said, "Here...I'll move over so you can sit by her." lol. He knew I would want to sit by this little girl and chat the whole play and his goal was to actually watch it. ;)

Have a great new week, friends, and enjoy these peaceful images by Lucy Snow Photography. xo

This inspiring photo is by Farmgirl in Flipflops!

Whatever your weekend holds, I hope it's restful for you and that you are able to squeeze in some time for the things you love. :) Have a good one!

A Home I Love....

Over the years, I've noticed a huge change in the colors I like for our home. I've gone from country blue, to burgandy and green, to neutrals. Now I'm finding that I really love a crisp white/ivory backdrop with earthy tones and touches of brighter colors here and there. On a side note, I don't care for the pillows on the couch in the middle photo (I like a few more ruffles, patterns, and colors I guess) but I love the ones on the bed!

Have you noticed that your color choices have changed alot over the years or are you attracted to a similar color palette when you repaint or change your decor?

* I found these lovely photos on Deco Photo Blog.

Inspired by the Work of Cabin & Cub

Good morning! If you hadn't noticed, there's a few changes going on around here. Rachel Follett from Ironwood Design has been working on putting up tabs, a FAQ page, and a new blog for the online creativity course I hope to teach this Spring. Everything should be finished in a week or two and then I'll be posting more details about the class. :)

Well, today I wanted to introduce you to the work of Cabin and Cub!. As you know, I love to put together collages using vintage paperdolls, spools of thread, and other vintage items. For the last couple of months I've been thinking about ways to add small illustrations to my collages. I've also been thinking about what type of material (paper, cloth, wood, etc.) I can use for the backdrop for my mixed media collages. When I spotted Cabin and Cub this morning, I was so inspired by their creativity and their choice of materials...vintage magazine clippings, illustrations, and wood surfaces. How unique! To be honest, I also thought "Why didn't I think of that?!" ;)

As an artist or creative person, do you struggle with how to be unique in your work? Does it seem like every time you think you've got a fresh new idea, someone else has already done it? I think the tricky part is to be inspired by others but to still stay an original. Because we're individuals, if you remain true to yourself, your work will be different from another artist's. Your own unique personality will inevitably come out in what you create.

I'm excited about the e-course I'll be teaching because I'll be giving participants ideas on how to be inspired by other artists, while not duplicating their work, which can be a little tricky at times. I have a feeling I'm going to be learning some things right along with you. xo

Have a great Thursday everyone! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject. :)