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February 10, 2010

wearing sunglasses indoors...

this past week
in my little world
mother nature has been unenthusiastic
~~
i know her box of crayons is large enough to sink a cruise ship
but
she's been favoring just the grey and white shades lately
~~
the funny thing is
i hadn't really been paying that much attention to it
until
i took photos of my tulips
~~
now granted
these are
the tulips
that waved at me while i was shopping at whole foods
the tulips
that danced like children in a splash pool
once i got them home and settled in a vase
the tulips
that made me smile just by sitting at the edge of my kitchen sink
but
they are also the tulips
that made me want to put my sunglasses on
when i looked at them
on my computer screen

maybe it's just because
i love old and vintage and faded
~
maybe it's because
my world has been so grey and colorless
but
seriously
my eyes actually hurt when i looked at their photos
~~
so in order not to blind any of you
i played with the photos
and
ended up loving them even more than I did
when they were all dancing around in their bright pink tutus
~
now granted
if you live somewhere
where all the crayons that mother nature uses
have been scattered out all over the floor
making you step over them on a regular basis
i'm sure
the tulip brightness
won't bother you
but
if you're like me
i'm guessing the toned down versions might be a bit more soothing to your
winter soul
today

and
as if mother nature somehow knew i was talking about her
she just started coloring outside the lines
a tiny bit
adding a few shades of
blue and yellow
to the world i see
outside my office window
*

30 comments:

  1. soothing images on this winter's day ...

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  2. Your photos are beautiful--my favorite is also the soft muted pink.

    But your words today...that is where it's at. Well said.

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  3. Love the vintage look...just learned how to add textures via layers.. and while I don't do it often, when I have time? I'm hooked!

    Happy Snow Day to you.. again. *sigh*

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  4. oh yes...i'm glad you posted it in the smaller size...wow! where are those sunglasses! it does hurt, but still magnificent. absolutely lovely in the muted tones as well.

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  5. Beautiful, I love the soft faded one, they are all good, I have the same feeling with a primulus that my husband came home with yesterday for me. It just made me smile! have a great day. I am going to look for my sunglasses.

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  6. You are right, the muted, softer color is easier on the eye now. Huh. I guess the drab of winter is not really dreary it is just quiet. And soft. Thanks for this.

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  7. I love the bright. But I also live in full color here.
    I love reading your words, thoughts and feelings...
    I want my brain to think that way... darn it.
    I will just enjoy yours...
    keep sharing!
    You are awesome

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  8. Beth, I am such a hot color freak
    ( not hot WEATHER, though ) but I don't do muted very often - not even in eyeshadow, usually, which has become my trademark. The pictures are quit nice, though, as is everything you write and photograph. You are kind of the standard to which we must aspire.

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  9. i love all of them!!! they brighten my day.

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  10. I love tulips, white especially ( our wedding flowers).

    and the weather here can't make up it's mind, neither can I , they are all gorgeous.

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  11. Your photos of tulips are so beautiful. Nice to see on these neverending white days.

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  12. All that white and gray just makes you appreciate colors so much more! I love what you did with these!

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  13. Beautiful images!!! Love the vintage ones too!! I so want spring. I can see why you had to have them!!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  14. I love all your pictures bright or muted.....it was so nice to look at the flowers on this winter day,
    have a wonderful day....:-) Hugs

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  15. Wonderful processing and the clarity of the inside is just incredible!

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  16. The vintage tulips are quite beautiful, but for me I am needing the colors bright. The dull grey sky is depressing and I just need the color right now.

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  17. tulips are winters saving grace where you are ` like what you have done with each one

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  18. I love both versions... and have a real-life bouquet of my own to enjoy. They do perk up our space a bit, don't they....

    We've been analyzing poems for figurative language. The imagery and personification you used in your post are fabulousity at its finest!

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  19. Beautiful! I actually love both photos...each having a different story to tell.

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  20. They are so beautiful either way you look at them! i love your tones... it says your relaxed, comfortable and quiet. am I right?
    Do you or have you used a Bamboo Fun?
    I'm thinking of getting one for some help with graphics.

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  21. visions of Rachel Ashwell/Shabby Chic (both of which I adore) ... the vintage tulips are loveliness to the max. The full-color tulips made me feel glossy and rich, like a passion flower. But today what I loved was what you wrote, all of it. You are so damned good, Beth!

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  22. I love the vintage look, but I have to be honest and say that after all this snow we've received (with more to come) the bright colors are refreshing! I think I'll have to go purchase some of my own to make the house feel more warm.

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  23. I've wondered too if people who live in lush tropical paradises get bored with all the colors--I like to think I treasure them more because of the wasteland of b/w tundra I live in!

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  24. gorgeous! i am SO ready for spring...

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  25. I actually prefere the muted tone. It makes me feel soft and quiet and beautiful, whereas the brightly colored one makes me feel loud, eccentric, and flashy.

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  26. I prefer the vintage look, too.

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  27. You are creating some awesome effects to your photography. Love it. Just got Scott Kelby's book and hope to start learning about using Photoshop.

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  28. lovely.

    tulips are my favorite.

    thanks for giving them to me.

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  29. I pick the faded and vintage version. Definitely.

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**I love reading the comments you leave, as they make me feel like we're sitting in my kitchen, having a cup of tea, discussing life and wondering where all the time has gone ...beth