Happy Sunday everyone. Daylight savings time began (in most of the U.S.) very early this morning, so we sprang ahead and lost an hour of sleep, or I did anyway; I didn’t want to lose an hour of my day by getting up late. It’s all good… I’ll get to bed earlier tonight… usually I’m not too creative in the evening anyway.
Yesterday morning the sun looked so brilliant rising in the eastern sky and then I realized that this was the end of the sun, it is slipping up behind the clouds. However, the sun came out later and it turned out to be a very lovely and temperate day. You can see the icy frost covering the grass.
A few days ago I received a special little envelope filled with vintage cards from one of my blog readers. I’ve written about my love of vintage, especially illustration, in quite a few posts now, so it’s no secret how much I LOVE things with a past. I must say how touched I was… thank you, Joy, so very much!!! I will treasure these.
Do you remember when ladies wore these kinds of orchids for every special occasion? They would be kept in the refrigerator at home until it was time to go out. I now know that they are Cattleya orchids. I tried growing them years ago, but didn’t have enough light.
I cannot grow Cattleyas in my home but, Phalaenopsis orchids do well as I have a bay window that they seem to love. It gets chilly at night which keeps the spider mites away. I have five plants remaining from a trip to Hausermann’s years ago, and four are in bloom right now.
This past week I enrolled in a couple of Craftsy photography classes, Soft & Dreamy Portraits and Portraits at Play. I’ve been playing around with my husband’s macro lens on my camera and learning a lot about using natural light in my photos. Here’s a portrait of my Penny. Sorry, she’s naked; I need to make her something to wear. I love the soft, blurry background that you get with a wide open aperture.
And, here are a couple more photos taken with the macro lens. These are miniature potted tulip props that my husband brought back from Holland for me. I found the perfect little watering can (it’s hiding behind the tulips) to go with them.
I also took this photo of my test sweaters with the macro lens. I never would have been able to get this close with my basic lens.
Hope the new week starts off perfectly for you! Bye for now.
Cindy Rice Designs 
Lovely pictures. Thanks for answering our request for a tutorial on dyeing yarn. It was very thorough and interesting.
So you’re a fellow orchid lovers. I was given one decades ago and set it out on the patio when it finished blooming. A year later I was sitting in the living room and saw two 3′ bloom spikes had suddenly appeared! It was a very rainy year and I had done nothing to them. Turns out the microclimate in my area of Southern California is just like Chiang Mai in Thailand, the orchid growing capital of the world. I now have about 50 of various kinds. Yours are just beautiful.
Hi Susette and thank you,
It sounds like your orchids are VERY happy to live with you. I am trying to imagine your space filled with orchids, heavenly! Do you need to care of them at all, or do they simply hang out at your house and get everything they need from the climate?
I’m happy you enjoyed my dyeing tutorial.
Your vintage cards are very lovely!
I love orchids, mine are flowering too.
Congratulations for your great pictures! Penny is so sweet!
Have a beautiful week!
Hi Catherine,
Hope your Monday is off to a great start. Ours is just beginning; the sun isn’t even up yet. I love orchids! The blossoms last so much longer than cut flowers and they can be grown in the winter. What’s better than that!
Penny is begging me for another dress. I’m finishing up something for Gracie (again), then either I’ll make something for the Little Darlings or Penny.
Hope you have a beautiful week also!
Love the sunrise photo. No sun here today. Raining, yay. Your orchids are simply lovely. Mine one, not so good. Little Penny is looking a bit sad today, but her photo with the soft background is great. Guess I’ll have to look into a Craftsy class. Me, I just pick the flower button on the camera for my photos and it works for my dolly shots. Should get more creative.
Hi Joy,
I laughed when I read the first line of your reply. “Raining, yay.” It rained all day (and night) here too, better than snow. Sorry your orchid isn’t doing well. Is it a Phalaenopsis? I can only grow that variety. Penny must look sad because she is naked and cold. I keep reminding her that most of the others are naked and cold too. The poor thing! She is too new (and spoiled) to know how it works around my sewing room. Oh, I remember the flower button. It is for close ups, right?
Looked at the tag. It is a Phalaenopsis. Maybe there is hope…
Phals don’t like a lot of water at all; only water when they feel dry and then let the water run out the bottom.
HI Cindy,
Well, you certainly are more creative than me when it comes to photography and plants. I kill just about everything in sight. In fact, just a few minutes ago, my hubby was looking at a bamboo plant that someone gave me for Christmas. He said, “wow, your bamboo plant is still living…” and there was a little bit of a “smirk” in his voice… that should tell you the whole story! The only time I’ve had a green thumb is when I’m using food color for a cooking project! :o)
I think Penny is just the sweetest little girl and I don’t see how she could get any cuter with any photography helps than she already is now. She’s just got the most adorable face.
I like your miniature tulips too… what fun little props those are. You’ve used them in your photo’s before, haven’t you?
I need to get up when the sun is coming up and maybe I would accomplish more in my day…but I tend to see the “moon” more often than the sun.
Thanks for sharing with us, Cindy… always fun to see what you’re up to.
Blessings, Jeanne
Good morning Jeanne,
Umm, I am thinking of your amazing garden right now. Only someone with the greenest of thumbs can have a garden like that! I’ve tried, and I cannot grow vegetables that taste good, produce more than one or two pieces, and don’t get overrun with pests. Phal orchids like to be forgotten about, so that’s why they are doing okay with me. And, having the bay window as a home, which I cannot take credit for.
Yes, I’ve used the tulip props with my Pukipuki. Little props are so hard to find, I’m always looking though, treasure hunting. My husband did really well finding those in Holland. I told him that if he goes back he needs to get a few more so I can include them with an outfit. I think I might have tulip fabric somewhere…
Penny is blushing and says “thank you”. She is such a sweet and shy one; her personality reminds me of your Ten Ping.
Have a great St. Patrick’s Day.