Nikon D300s + AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G at f/18, ISO200 1/200 Second / SB900 (camera L) +1.7EV, SB800 (camera R) -0.7EV

We have some lovely orchids in our bathroom that recently bloomed, and Bridget’s been after me to take a photo of them. Seeing as I’m still getting over this nasty cold that I’ve been fighting all week, which has been keeping me indoors and preventing me from heading outdoors for photography, I decided today was a good time to make an image of these flowers.

Until I started getting more comfortable with hot shoe flashes, I relied solely on natural light for flower shots (or any kind of still life for that matter….or any kind of photography for that matter….). The sun had already set when I started shooting the orchids, so natural light was not an option. Sometimes, you just gotta roll your own light! This shot was taken using the pop up flash on the D300s set to command an SB-900 high on camera left and an SB-800 low on camera right. Both flashes are firing first through dome diffusers followed by a light tent that is housing the flowers. I shot in manual so I could set a shutter speed that would prevent ambient light from effecting the exposure while setting an aperture that would give me long depth of field for this macro shot.

Speaking of macro, it’s been quite a while since I’ve used my Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G lens. I forgot what an amazing piece of glass it is. Focus speed is absolutely silent and feels instantaneous, even in low-light. To think I considered selling this thing!

Once again, the photo looks amazing in Lightroom and just so-so on WordPress. Can’t figure out why!

I am a xenophile, and so being asked to document an event from a culture other than my own is a no-brainer.  Although, neither Adam and I speak Vietnamese, we had a terrific time capturing the love between Evelyn and Hai.  And it seems love really needs no translation.

We met with this beautiful couple a week before their Window’s on Minnesota wedding, to take some time for pictures. Scheduling a separate day for a photo shoot is a great way to really get some awesome pictures!

We highly recommend scheduling a couple’s portrait session.

The couple decided on shooting at the Landmark Center in St. Paul, on the streets of downtown, and at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Ya tiene un poco más de un año, encontre de casualidad estas orquídeas que crecen de manera silvestre en Veracruz.

Orquidea en su medio natural. Veracruz.

Investigando, descubri que ssu nombre cientifico es Brassavola Nodosa. Es natural de America, crece desde México hasta Venezuela, pasando por los paises centroamericanos.

En algunos paises centroamericanos la conocen como Dama de Noche, por la  potente fragancia que despide en las noches (con solo dos pequeñas flores de llega a perfumar una habitación de 3 x 3 metros aproximadamente).

En Veracruz, no la conocen con un nombre especifico. Los campesinos la identifican solo como una planta de los arboles viejos pero sin conocer su valor comercial, ni decorativo.

En aquella ocasión tome varias ramas de un arbol caido, y las traspante en unos troncos.  Durante todo este año las he cuidado, algunas se secaron, otras echaron raices y en la temporada de junio a septiembre florearon.  Cada hoja da un ramo maximo de tres flores, aunque me han contado que llegan a tener hasta 5 flores, espero pronto tener alguna así.

Nueva flor en noviembre.

Desde hace una semana, vi que hay una nueva flor, solitaria, esperemos pronto las nuevas hojas ya empiecen a florear. Hoy (24 de noviembre) empezaron otras 3 a abrir sus petalos.

Poco a poco he ido aprendiendo su cuidado, aunque tengo el problema de mantenerla humeda. Las tengo en un balcon y el viento rapidamente seca los troncos. Esta es otra de sus ventajas, es muy resistente a la sequedad y a la humedad.

Empiezan a abrir sus petalos 3 nuevas flores.

Desde hace algunos meses, lei que algunas orquideas se pueden conservar en macetas con un sustrato de cascaras y pequeños trozos de madera. Ya hice el experimento de ponerla asi y con un soporte de malla para que circule el aire y ha funcionado. El proximo paso sera ponerla en una maceta tal como he visto en un video en Youtube.

Este video fue realizado en Panama, el sustrato de las orquídeas es de cascara de coco. Tendre que ir experimentado cual es el mas apropiado para las orquideas que tengo.

Por lo pronto solo voy a seguir observandolas para seguir aprendiendo, como crecen y como se reproducen.

backyard orchid purple

A short walk out my back door yields a multitude of orchid varieties.

unusual yellow orchids on tree

Orchids are one of the largest and most varied plants in the world, with over 25,000 species known. Most are  found in the tropics.  Many are epiphytes or plants growing on trees or other plants using them as a host.

orchid fucshia and orange

Orchids come in all shapes, sizes textures and colors. So many types of orchids are growing right here in Kalaheo.  They are tucked into cevices and little hiding places all over the yard. I’m collecting photos for painting reference.

beautiful orchid

They are exotic and beautiful.  Part of living and travelling frugally is finding enjoyment in all of the free things to behold.  Both our world and Kauai are filled with abundant everyday treasures, all we need do is open our eyes.

white orchid trio

Phalaenopsis Orchids

The Orchid plant, and especially the Phalaenopsis orchid has become the no 1 bestselling houseplant over the past few years. This is no surprise considering the ease of care, their incrediblle beauty and their long life as a houseplant when looked after correctly.

In order to find out how to look after these wonderful flowering house plants, let’s find out some more about the Phalaenopsis Orchid.

Phalaenopsis Orchids, as any other orchid, are epiphytes.

Epiphytes are plant that grows upon or are attached to another plant or object merely for physical support. Epiphytes are found mostly in the tropics and are also known as air plants because they have no attachment to the ground or other obvious nutrient source. They obtain water and minerals from rain and from debris on the supporting plants. Orchids, ferns, and members of the pineapple family are common tropical epiphytes. Lichens, mosses, liverworts, and algae are epiphytes of temperate regions.

Knowing how they grow in their origional habitat will explain us a lot about how we should care for these plants in the home. For those that had a closer look at the soil that your potted Phalaenopsis orchid is planted in will have noticed that it contains of a very loose structure of mostly small pieces of bark. Knowing orchids grow on trees in their natural habitat, were water flows away immediately after rainfall, explains us that we may never have any remaining water in our container after watering our orchid. Over watering is one of the most common causes of orchid plants not surviving in the home.

Always place your Phalaenopsis orchid in a place in your home were you have a relative constant temperature(e.g. sitting room), away from drafts and direct sunlight. Water very moderately and feed once every two weeks when in flower or bud and once every four to six weeks when flowers are finished. Always use special orchid feed, and never more than is indicated on the bottle. Personally I give my orchids half the amount as is written on the bottle to avoid burning the roots.

Your orchid plant can easily flower up to six months at a time. When finished flowering cut the flower stems down to one inch above the second “knot” from the base. This is where your new flower will appear after some patience. Also reduce the water and food you give your plant for approx four months to give the plant a rest period. Leave the plant in the same position and sort of forget about it for a while. When your new flower buds appear you can slightly increase your feeding.

Orchidaceae are cosmopolitan, occurring in almost every habitat apart from deserts and glaciers. The great majority are to be found in the tropics, mostly Asia, South America and Central America, but they are also found above the Arctic Circle, in southern Patagonia and even on Macquarie Island, close to Antarctica.

It is no wonder that it was in Asia, Tokyo to be specific, where I saw the most impressive selection of Phalaenopsis Orchids for sale. After all tropical Asia is home to most known varieties of Orchids (approx: 300 families), followed by tropical America and tropical Africa who are both home to approx: 250 families of Orchids.

In this Tokyo, Orchid Shop, they never watered the plants, however they mist the leaves and the heart of the plant twice daily with pure spring water.

Apart from their wonderful qualities as a stylish, elegant houseplant in our modern homes the Phalaenopsis orchid is becoming increasingly popular as a cut flower mainly used for wedding bouquets and elegant table centre pieces.

In the bouquet above I used the white Phalaenopsis orchid in combination with creme Avalanche roses and pure white Lily of the Valley. A perfectly elegant winter white wedding bouquet.

In this table centre piece I used the smaller lilac Phalaenopsis Orchid as a support to the lilac and peach roses.

This cascading wedding bouquet combines the bright pink “Aqua” Roses with the “Hot Lip” Phalaenopsis Orchid.

This soft and elegant bridal bouquet with a selection of creme and peach roses, Lily of the Valley and soft ferns contributed to a wonderful day for Maria on her wedding day.

I hope that I have helped to grow your enthuasiasm for this wonderful family in the plant world.

For any of you who would like to know more about all varieties of Orchids, were they come from, how to grow them, build up an impressive collection and much more there is a book I bought almost ten years ago and can highly reccommend: Orchids – A Practical Handbook by Brian & Wilma Rittershausen ISBN 1-84309-209-3

Lamber de Bie

Dutch Master Florist

www.lamberdebie.com

Boas

Deixo fotos de orquídeas brancas, de tamanho grande.

As fotos são de Janeiro de 2009, encontrando-se já quase a florir novamente.

Espero que gostem

I recently cycled 110 kms through the hills of Cape Otway as part of the Rainforest Ride – Cycle for a Cure but found it to be a bit of a cakeride in comparison to one I’d completed a couple of months prior. I managed to coax a University friend, Daniel, to circuit French Island with me. It was the beginning of Spring, we had had quite a lot of rain (by Melbourne’s standards) and I was in search of fields of blooming wildflowers, wild orchids and shlurping swamps. Fortunately Daniel is an easy going bloke with a long fuse and forgave me for the journey that nearly left us stranded for a night.

The day started well – we got the bikes to Stony Point and onto the ferry to Tankerton with no issues. Once off the ferry, we headed out in a clockwise direction, first to The Pinnacles for an elevated view of French Island and the mudflats that encircle it. As soon as we got off the Coast Road, we hit undulating sand tracks in the National Park that were impossible to ride up. It was here that we were met with a scourge of mosquitoes that seemed to follow us wherever we went, making the entire ride extremely frustrating. In my haste to leave I’d forgotten to fill my bottle and pack repellent. It was 30 degrees in the sun and the thick jumper I was forced to wear gave me a greater thirst for water I didn’t have and diverted the mosquitoes to cheap face bites instead.

So after pushing the bikes through chest high grass, keeping an eye out for tiger snakes, we walked into bone dry swamps only to find empty shotgun cartridges. Being chased back out by blood deprived mosquitoes, we pedaled on to Gartsides, a depressive abandoned pastoral property in the north-east corner that seemed to be being slowly reclaimed by the scrub. Daniel laid his bike down here, unknowingly on top of a bull-ant nest, to check out how much I’d underestimated the distance we had to cover and began cursing like a trooper when one bit him on the ankle. I threw his gear away from the nest during his fit of rage but a few ants hung onto his bag and as we continued on, he was bitten again on his back.

At this stage we were ready to leave. We’d cycled only 30 kms, were on the complete opposite side of the island and had not seen a living soul after leaving the ferry. After coming downhill on the West Prison Boundary Track we met a topless crazed German backpacker and a suspiciously friendly Chinese girl on pushbikes. The German guy conveyed to us that he was working in some sort of chain gang on a nearby farm to help with his travel visa, literally with a gun to his head! I couldn’t understand what the Chinese girl wanted but she was waiving for us to follow her – possibly to drug us and steal our kidneys. We declined and headed West on the aptly named Mosquito Creek Road.

I was so dehydrated by this point I couldn’t even salivate. I tried to force myself to eat a cheese roll but I was really only shoveling sawdust into my mouth. Being faced with a sizeable hill to climb I flagged down a linesman who appeared from the dust a Datsun with fake turf glued to all its panels had generated driving past. I asked if he could take us as far as he was going West and looking in his tray, seeing it was full, said, just hang off the back of the truck, I used to do it when I was a youngin’. I took the right side, Daniel the left and he towed us for a few kilometres up the corrugated gravel road at 40 km/h. While I had my eyes peeled for potholes, Daniel was having a hard time holding onto the tray because he kept losing his hold as he hit patches of sand. That lift was all we needed because the rest of the ride was downhill to the general store, where I passed on the hard earned thirst temptation for an ice cold sports drink. After a brief stop at the cricket oval we arrived back at the Tankerton Jetty with ten minutes to spare before the last ferry of the day.

In no way am I surprised that people had serious development plans for French Island: an International Airport, a causeway to Tooradin, a bauxite mill (aluminium smelter), factories and housing for over 3000 people, a toxic waste plant and (best of all) a nuclear power station. At the same time, I can also see the reasons for two-thirds of the island and its surrounding marine environment being granted National Park status. It’s so unpleasant and inaccessible that it keeps people away, thereby allowing for the preservation of its uniqueness.

ทีแรกผมก็เขียน xmlchid_loader.py เพื่ออ่าน xmlchid.xml ให้อยู่ในรูปแบบ corpus ของ NLTK

from xml.sax import make_parser
from xml.sax.handler import ContentHandler

class Handler(ContentHandler):
    def __init__(self):
        self.corpus = []

    def startElement(self, name, attrs):
        if name == 'word':
            surface = attrs['surface']
            tag = attrs['pos']
            self.corpus[-1].append((surface, tag))
        elif name == 'sentence':
            self.corpus.append([])

def load_xmlchid(filename):
    parser = make_parser()
    handler = Handler()
    parser.setContentHandler(handler)
    parser.parse(filename)
    return handler.corpus

และก็ทีนี้ก็ไปเรียกใช้ UnigramTagger ตามฟอร์ม

#-*- coding: UTF-8 -*-
from xmlchid_loader import load_xmlchid
from nltk import UnigramTagger
corpus = load_xmlchid('xmlchid.xml')
corpus = filter(lambda sent: len(sent) > 0, corpus)
tagger = UnigramTagger(corpus)
result = tagger.tag([u'การ', u'ทำ', u'การบ้าน'])
result = map(lambda w: (w[0], "UNK") if w[1] is None else w, result)
print u" ".join([u"/".join(w) for w in result])

ผลลัพธ์ก็จะได้แบบนี้

การ/FIXN ทำ/VACT การบ้าน/UNK

Orchid เป็นคลังข้อความที่มีคำ ชนิดของคำ (ทางภาษาศาสตร์) และข้อมูลอื่นๆ อยู่ มีมาตั้งแต่ พ.ศ. 2540 ตอนนี้มีหน้าเว็บที่เข้าไปดาวโหลดได้แล้ว http://www.hlt.nectec.or.th/orchid/

ผมลองเปิดดูคิดว่าถ้าเป็น xml ก็น่าจะใช้ได้ง่ายดีเหมือนกัน ก็เลยลองแปลงเป็น xml ดู ทำมาได้ปี 2 แล้วมั้ง แต่ว่าพึ่งเอามาปล่อย เพราะว่า พึ่งเห็น license ของ orchid ที่ชัดเจน และจะเอาไปใช้ในการเรียนการสอนวิชา NLP

license ของ Orchid ซึ่งก็รวมถึง XMLChid มีว่าแบบนี้

@1997 National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC). All
rights reserved.

LICENSE AGREEMENT

License agreement (LA) is a legal agreement between you and NECTEC.Please read it carefully before redistribution, reproduction or downloading from ORCHID services. This license agreement consists of the above copyright notice, definitions, the acceptance of license agreement, terms of use, and disclaimer information. In addition, it provides warranty information, specific terms and conditions that depart from other "free" softwares or corpora and "open source" softwares or copora.

1. Definitions

(a) "NECTEC" refers to National Electronics and Computer Technology Center which is an organization under National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Ministry of Science and Technology, Thailand.

(b) "NICT" refers to National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Japan.

(b) "ORCHID" refers to a database or corpus jointly developed by NECTEC and NICT.

(c) "Services" refer to any supplies for accessing to a variety of resources, including tools, downloading, communication and collected information, and also any update, enhancement, new features, and/or the addition of any new Web property.

(d) "Terms of Use" or "TOU" refers to terms and conditions for utilizing ORCHID.

(e) "You" refers to any end users and/or government and private contributors who download program and data from ORCHID website in order to reproduce, redistribute and update content, material, or any products corresponding to ORCHID.

2. Acceptance of License Agreement
NECTEC reserves the right to update the license agreement at any time without prior notice.

3. Terms of Use

Redistribution and use of ORCHID, with or without modification, are permitted provided that all of the following conditions are met:

(a) Redistribution of ORCHID must retain the above copyright notice, Acceptance of License Agreement, TOU, and the disclaimer in section 4.

(b) Any product, created and redistributed by you, which is composed or uses of any part from ORCHID must include the following acknowledgement:

"This product is created with the use of ORCHID corpus jointly developed by NECTEC and NICT."

(c) Products derived from the adaptation of ORCHID must not be called "ORCHID", nor may "ORCHID" appear in their name, without prior written permission of NECTEC.

(d) You must not use "ORCHID" in a manner likely to cause any damage to NECTEC, NICT, or third person. NECTEC shall reserve our rights to demand any compensation, retaining fee, costs of action and execution, and expenses occurred out of such manner.

(e) Neither the name of the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) / National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) / National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote product derived from this software without specific prior written permission.

4. Disclaimer of Warranty

ORCHID, INFORMATION, CONTENT, MATERIAL, OR PRODUCT JOINLY PROVIDED OR RELEASED BY NECTEC AND NICT ARE THE COPYRIGHTED WORK OF NECTEC AND NICT. MOREOVER, ORCHID, INFORMATION, CONTENT, MATERIAL, OR PRODUCT JOINTLY PROVIDED OR RELEASED BY NECTEC, NICT AND CONTRIBUTORS ARE ALSO ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL NECTEC, NICT OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THE SOFTWARE, INFORMATION CONTENT, MATERIAL, OR PRODUCT, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

พอดีเขาห้ามใช้ชื่อเดิมก็เลยตั้งชื่อให้ใหม่ว่า XMLChid ซึ่งดาวโหลดได้ที่ http://naist.cpe.ku.ac.th/pkg/xmlchid-20091123.tar.gz

JGP 2010

If you are headed to Japan to see the 2010 Kokufu show starting February 9th and running through February 17th (closed Monday the 15th) there is one more stop you should make the Japan Grand Prix International Orchid Festival being held February 13-21 at the Tokyo Dome.

Tokyo Dome

You can visit the site here.  There is an English link at the top right of the page but it only gives a bit of information about the show.

Photos from the 2009 show can be seen here.  It takes a bit of time for the flash file to load but the photos will provide you with an insight into how large this show truly is going to be.

The show estimates they will have 3,000 varieties of orchids with over 100,000 plants.  That is truly hard to imagine.

Tickets at the door are 2,000円 unless you arrive after 3pm and then the ticket price per person is 1,500円.  However, you can do an advance purchase of tickets for 1,800円 or a saving of roughly $2 per person.

If you are there on 2/15, you might just see KJ and me.

I drew my orchids using Photoshop and it  has taken me about 3 hours, i love creating designs through Photoshop as i feel my work now has a very commercial look to it.

Hej…

I just noticed that I missed to tell the winner photos… going into the hamsterboard calendar competition…

Because of the sparse comments, I counted flickr. comments and others too.

Nr. 8 was the picture of Lotta which found most of the attention…

And Joda goes with picture Nr. 1 where he is cleaning out his chops (has packed them with a self baked hamster cookie )

I’m so excited if they will make the race and get a place in the calendar…

Definately I will tell, if they do or don’t…

So now it says: Keep your fingers crossed for Lotta and Joda.

Have a nice and colourful Sunday…

Keep an eye on “Randy’s Favorites” for his best ideas and creative insight on a variety of subjects! He’ll talk about stylish home decor and gardening how-to’s, or share trivia on day-to-day sustainable living. You might find his favorite new restaurant, a must-have new product or a chic new wedding trend. Or, maybe just his thoughts about what’s going on around Greensboro and elsewhere in the universe!

For starters:

~ Offer to collect old coffee grounds from your local coffee shop (they’ll be happy to get rid of them!) and spread them around your garden to enrich the soil. Are you facing unpleasant pet smells in your car? Place a dish of coffee grounds in a dish overnight to absorb the odor.

~ When moving “sweaty” terra cotta pots indoors for the winter months, place everyday, stainless steel burner covers underneath the messy pots. They don’t sweat and they do hold water.

~ While pulling up annuals and trimming perennials to ready them for fall and winter, think about an alternative to planting pansies. I recently planted lettuce and spinach in my own yard and am happy to report a beautiful marbelized mix of chartreuse and dark green – pretty to look at and right there when I’m ready to pick them to add to a favorite dish!

~ Savvy gardeners know not to overlook the hardy and versatile dichondra, most popular in California because it can tolerate drought conditions well, and is versatile enough to plant between stones and walkways or as a covering for bedded areas or even on a sod roof (where I have it planted!)
~ Squeeze in time to do something nice for yourself, even at the least likely times. This past Halloween I applied a mud mask to my face just before giving out candy to trick-or-treaters … something good for my skin and quite a scare for my young callers, who thought it was cool that I had created a scary mask for the occasion!

Da ich Orchideen liebe und sammle, war es nur eine Frage der Zeit bis ich auch ein paar Bilder mit diesen schönen Blumen gezeichnet habe.
Sie werden als besonders schön angesehen und bei vielen gilt die Orchidee als Königin der Blumen.
Orchideen faszinieren und beschäftigen die Menschen schon mehr als 2500 Jahre. Sie wurden als Heilmittel, Dekoration und Aphrodisiakum verwendet. Die ältesten Überlieferungen über Orchideen stammen aus dem Kaiserreich China und beziehen sich auf die Kultur von Orchideen aus der Zeit um 500 v. Chr.. Der chinesische Philosoph Konfuzius berichtete über ihren Duft und verwendete sie als Schriftzeichen »lán« (蘭), was so viel wie Anmut, Liebe, Reinheit, Eleganz und Schönheit bedeutet. Allgemein gilt die Orchidee in der chinesischen Gartenkunst als Symbol für Liebe und Schönheit oder auch für ein junges Mädchen. Orchideen in der Vase stehen dort für Eintracht.

Hier sind 2 Beispiele

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love orchids and gather it was only a matter of time until I’ve drawn a few pictures with these beautiful flowers.
They are considered especially beautiful, and many of the orchid is considered the queen of flowers.
Orchids fascinate and occupy people for more than 2500 years. They were used as medicine, decoration, and an aphrodisiac. The oldest traditions of orchids are from the Empire of China and relate to the culture of orchids from around 500 BC. The Chinese philosopher Confucius talked about her perfume, and used them as characters »lán« (蘭), which means as much as grace, love, purity, elegance and beauty. In general, the orchid is in the Chinese garden art as a symbol of love and beauty, or even for a young girl. Orchids in a vase standing there for harmony.

Here are 2 examples

Black Orchid

Orchid – the Element Air

Oh, how I wish we had smell-o-pc, so you could smell how wonderful this fragrance is.

I love scents. Whether it be candles, perfumes, room sprays, linen fresheners, baked goods, fresh bread or cookies, even laundry detergent, and fabric softener. I.Love.Scents.

I was sent samples of Leslie Blodgett Perfume Diaries – Bare Skin, and while wearing it … I feel …. pretty, romantic, lady like. (hush up WinterWitch)
Many women proclaim a love, a passion for shoes, or purses. My passion’s are socks, and scents! And the scent isn’t coming from the socks.
This is not an overwhelming fragrance, to me it’s just the right amount. I have even allowed my tween to wear it. It’s just not overbearing, and is certainly suitable for those of all ages.

Created exclusively for Sephora
Top: No clock in sight and no reason to wake up. (Black Pepper, Freesia, Anise)
Middle Hot, hot hopping to the towel on sand. (Iris, Vanilla, Orchid, Plumeria, Patchouli)
Bottom: Finally, time to mingle, baring amber shoulders still warm from the day (Sandalwood, Labdanum, Musk).
Style: Romantic. Warm. Spontaneous.

Bare Skin, the first scent in the series, is reminiscent of an experience during a trip to Mexico, where Leslie cart-wheeled fancy-free down a sunny beach while emanating true, unbridled joy. “When I have an experience, I like to have a scent behind it. Bare Skin, which is what Mexico reminds me of, is the way you feel when the sun is beating down on you during the day, but then you go out at night and you’re still sizzling from the warmth of the day which mingles with the night air and the music.”

“Glowing, sun-kissed skin has the power to turn heads. I wanted to recreate that attractive force with notes that draw you in: creamy sensuality, caressing florals and uninhibited musk,” says Stephen Nilsen, the celebrated Givaudan perfumer who helped concoct Bare Skin. “With Bare Skin, you will find yourself basking in the sun, with your feet in the sand, after one spritz.”

Thank you to Catherine of the PR Company, Leslie Blodgett, and Sephora for allowing me to review samples of Bare Skin. I was not paid any monetary compensation for this review. This post is my opinion and should be taken as just that. Having received samples has no impact on my personal use, experience, or like for any product.

Question:

Why are there celebrities? 

Somebody help me please ’cause I don’t get it.

Is it to worship?  Aspiration?

Or someone to tear down?

SUBJECT CHANGE:

Thanksgiving is coming.  

My first anti-diabetic holiday.

And I haven’t had one of my mom’s Thanksgiving dinners in double-digit years.

And she’s here now (queue Reunited by Peaches and Herb).

Ready to throw down in the kitchen.

With mac and cheese, from scratch, and collard greens…

Ham STUFFED WITH BUTTER and glazed with pineapple SYRUP.

It’s gonna hurt sooooooo gooooooood.

THE PIC

Did I tell you how much fun I’m having with this blog?

Shooting everyday…

Creating at my leisure….

God has truly blessed me in this time.

Y’all I’m STILL livin’ off that wedding bouquet! 

These flowers WON’T DIE.

Yay for me.

*wink*

Orchids proliferate in Costa Rica. Warm-weather-loving, humidity-seeking, exotic, colorful and graceful, orchids are the perfect flower to represent the beauty of the Costa Rican sims.

It’s entirely appropriate, then, for me to point you to the wonderful work of Miko Omegamu, sold on the Laguna Arenal sim. Miko has perfected the fine art of making orchids in SL and she has used them to embellish this gorgeous dress. But a Miko creation is never a quick prim assemblage. Miko has considered the dress from top to bottom, from the beautifully textured prim orchids to the excellently rendered stem running across the elegantly shaped dress to the prim drape with bow on the other side.

I chose an updo from KateForester Akina to accompany this beautiful dress. KateForster has a huge collection of hair—from the every day to the truly fantastic. The color change flower adorning the hair matched the dress perfectly. A beautiful skin that Monicuzza Babenco made specially for this year’s Vanity Skin fair to benefit Care suits the elegance of the ensemble. Finally, I donned beautiful orchid earrings from Caliah Lyon and stylish pumps from Onyx LeShelle, and I am a flower in bloom.

The beauty of an orchid’s perfume:

Hair: Tukinowaguma Deborah ebony by KateForster Akina for Tukinowaguma

Skin: *YS & YS* Kelly “Care” Eb Dark by Monicuzza Babenco for YS & YS

Dress: *ICING* Orchid Delight by Miko Omegamu for *ICING* at the Costa Rica Sims

Earrings: ~Muse~ Elle Orchid Earring by Caliah Lyon for ~Muse~

Shoes: Maitreya Verve Pumps – Black by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Boas

Deixo fotos de uma orquídea que tenho, bordeaux de tamanho médio.

As imagens são de Janeiro de 2009, portanto já devem estar quase a abrir este ano também

Boas

Deixo algumas fotos de uma orquidea que tenho, com características espectaculares.

As flores “crescem” nas varas tipo cacho e possuem um cheiro bastante presente mas agradável.

Estas são orquídeas que floriram no princípio do ano, aguardo ansiosamente que abram de novo.

Butterfly

I have been shooting film and digital for about two years, now.  It’s been quite a learning process, but my amazing teacher, an award winning “retired” photojournalist, has been wonderfully patient.  If you really like it, and want it for yourself, I’m more than willing to commission a print at a price.

If you’re looking for a professional photographer for anything, please check out the following website:

http://sites.google.com/site/codytoddphotography

or e-mail Cody at atouchoflight@rocketmail.com

Anyway, there’s more of my photography here, and at my flickr site:   http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisigirl

Raining Leaves

Newt

Orchids

This is all I really have time for at the moment.  Please visit my flickr page to see the extent of my small portfolio. Then check out an amazing photographer by the link above and the links below!

Cheers!

http://www.flickr.com/people/chrisigirl/

http://sites.google.com/site/codytoddphotography

http://www.flickr.com/photos/codester/