Lightbulbs

Have you ever had something

perplex

and

utterly 

confound 

you?

 

You've thought and believed that everyone but

YOU understood something, or

"got it" ?

That's how I've felt about 

aperture

shutter speed

ISO

and a whole host of other Greek terms which taunted me
every single time I turned 

on the camera.

Things like this come easy to some, but not to me.

And so I played it safe.

Oh so safe.

Afraid to take the training wheels off, I kept it turned to

Auto.

Entirely too busy to either sign up for a course or really delve into my photography books,

I muddled through.

And dumb luck has permitted me to create some decent images,

but the opportunities are increasing....

Really fabulous, OMG type opportunities...

And with new opportunities, come expectations.

Both those I place on myself, and those of the people hiring me out, so to speak. 
Expectations that I (shock!) will actually know what I'm doing, and will be able
to produce professional results.
And if not quite professional, then certainly better than what I'm producing now.

and so...

with bated breath, last night I did something

so fearless, so brave, so completely heroic that

I simply can't contain myself anymore....

I took the training wheels off!!!

Armed with the incredible, every-photographer-must-have book

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson 

I experimented and played

and the funniest thing began to happen...

I saw these...

lots and LOTS of these!!!

Call it a eureka or light bulb moment, but I call it

wonderful.

Shooting in manual and aperture priority modes isn't quite as scary
as I anticipated after all!  :-)

And now some thank you's.

To the talented photographer and blogger who way back when 

recommended that I get this book,

I say "thank you".

To the absolute sweetest friend and mentor in the whole wide word,
I say "thank you".

And to each of you, for traveling with me on all my adventures,
I say a hearty "thank you"!

Shifting gears...

There's still time to enter my
Happy New Year Giveaway!

Click HERE to enter!

Happy Wednesday!

ps...

I've thanked people in this post

who genuinely and selflessly lent a hand...

never expecting credit or thanks, 

and certainly not the sorts of people

to hold a grudge if thanks were never offered.

I have sadly encountered the latter type of person

in my travels, and I'd like to thank them too....

for helping me to grow a thicker skin,

and to learn who you can and cannot trust.

My "Happy New Year" Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

It's the start of a new week,

and almost  the start of a new year...

so what better time for a giveaway, right?

I thought you'd agree.  :-)

But first, I have more exciting news to share about my photography...

My buddy Sue of the completely amazing  

Vintage Rescue Squad blog 

is featuring FIVE, count 'em  five  of my photos in her

2011 Dreaming of Junking Calendar!

This is quite the honor, and I can't thank Sue enough
for helping me pad my growing portfolio.

Here's a couple of my snaps chosen by Sue...

Per Sue's Etsy Shop...

"Start planning your 2011 junking with the new VRS calendar! 

Luscious eye-candy photos! Listings of all major US flea markets
and antique shows nationwide—from Warrenton/Round Top and Brimfield,
to smaller local and regional shows! 

Remember: even a bad year has 52 weekends. 

And if you see me at a flea market, I saw that vintage typewriter first."

Even if I were not featured here, I would surely snap
one of these babies up, and so should you.

But because I just looooove  y'all so much,

I'm offering one of these fabulous calendars to YOU!

And not only that, but I'm even throwing in a copy of the new January 2011

Romantic Homes, which includes my blog feature!

But I'm not done yet!!!

Just in case Santa doesn't get ya your heart's desire for Christmas,

Fiona and Twig has got ya covered!

I'm also tucking in a $25 Gift Card to Anthropologie!

How do you win this bounteous booty?
You have three chances to win!

1. Leave a comment on this post.
If you're a follower, let me know!
2. Go visit Sue's Etsy Shop and head back here telling me what you love most.
3. Grab my giveaway button and/or blog about this, tweet, FB...you get the idea!

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry (max of three).

I'll be choosing the lucky winner
Monday, December 20th.

Good Luck!

Lens Love

Oh yes I am, lovin' my new camera lens, that is!

My altogether spiffy, maddeningly complex,
worth every penny ( lots and lots of pennies! )

Nikon AF-S 50mm  f/1.4G lens.

Say that fast three times!

Just took a little tour around the farmhouse a couple of days ago,
and snapped a few quick ones... 

Crisp, clear, bright and beautiful!

Wanna know what else I'm loving?

See my lovely collection of enamelware pitchers?

Love 'em, can't get enough of 'em.

Which is why I was beyond THRILLED to win the pitcher on the far right

in the amazing giveaway over at Buckets of Burlap.

Thank you SO much Becky, I'm crazy about it!!!

I'll be back next week with more pics of the cottage,
and an upcoming giveaway, too!

Here's hoping you enjoy your weekend, my friends!

P.S.

Thank you all SO much for the kind words on my Romantic Homes feature!!!

xoxox

I'm Featured in Romantic Homes Magazine!

It took all the self-control I possess
to NOT blog about this before now, but it's true!
You can find me in the January 2011 issue, on newsstands now.

I was approached by the wonderful folks at
Romantic Homes magazine the middle of October, 

and the conversation went something like this....

RH:  So, we discovered your blog and think it's fab!
We'd like to feature you in our January issue. You interested?

Me:  ***thunk*** ( picks self up off floor )

RH:  Hello? Hell-ooooo?

Me:  Uh, hmmmm, lemme think about it...

RH:  ( silence )...waiting...( more silence )

Me:  ARE YOU FLIPPIN' KIDDING ME???? YES!!!!

Okay.

That's not exactly how it went, but you get the gist of it. 

They told me that they wanted to feature Fiona and Twig
in the "Setting Your Sites" section of the magazine, 

where each month they select and feature
a handful of blogs or websites that they really love.

What an honor, I am humbled and so very appreciative!

Big thanks to the lovely folks at Romantic Homes,
especially senior editor Justine Lopez.
I am so proud and honored to be featured
by your fabulous magazine, and just hope that
I continue to produce content that you love.

Here's hoping that all of YOUR dreams come true!

xoxoxo,

P.S.

This was my secret!

One of them, anyway...

;-)

Linking with
My Romantic Home

 and
 Common Ground

House Sneak Peeks

Well, it ain't pretty in the slightest, nor is it the least bit "Christmas-ey",

but I figured I owed you guys some house shots, so here they are.

In case you're not up to speed, we are currently vying for the Guinness World Record

for the longest relocation from one house to another.

I think we have a pretty good chance to win!
We're still not moved in, so that would account for the sparseness of decor.

What you're seeing:

The Master Bedroom.

What's going to change:

Obviously, there will be bed linens. 

Still looking for window treatments.

And nothing has been hung on the walls yet.

See that circa 1990s Broyhill dresser on the left in the pic above?
It's going to be painted and the knobs will be changed out.

The little nightstand to the left of the bed
will move to the guest bedroom and be replaced
with something more substantial.

 Looking out from the Master into the entry hallway...

Moving across the hallway...

What you're seeing:

The Living Room

What's going to change:

There will be some rugs down.

There will be new window treatments.

The furniture placement will change, 

and there are several more large pieces coming in here.

 And this?

Just a little sneak peek at my dreamy
Carol Hicks Bolton sofa.

Back home in Fredericksburg at last, 

home of the original, iconic Homestead store where I purchased it

So that's it for now.
I can't wait for you to see
how it ends up all pulled together.

Shoot, I can't wait to see it, myself!

To see more of our charming little cottage,
click HERE.

Have a happy week ahead,
and this SHOULD be the week when I'm able to reveal my secret!  ;-)

Hugs,

Gratitude, Part Two...

It's time again for me to offer some long overdue thanks
to two very special friends...

First up, my beautiful pal Polly from Sassafras Stuff gifted me with

a veritable bounty of goodies.

As I opened the BIG box, I was delighted to see
that my prezzies had been packed

in vintage book pages. So clever, my Polly girl. :-)

First up?

Wanna know what's inside this pretty box?

These yummy smelling candles! The aroma is just heavenly.

Next up?

This darling little "A" nest and altered clothespin.

Love the #2 zinc pail!

But the pièce de résistance ?

Have a little look-see... 

This BIG, beautiful burlap wreath!

Is that not fabulous???

Thank you SO much, sweet Polly!

It was MY pleasure to feature you, and my honor to call you friend.

And speaking of friends, one of my dearest, Debra from Common Ground

spoiled me rotten with a very special birthday package...

The perfect vintage card!

LOVE this delicately lovely vintage tin box!

Just perfect for my jewelry.

A beautiful set of vintage napkins...

and these incredible altered bottles created by Debra herself!

Seriously, is there anything this talented lady can't  do? I think not.

I love it all, but as Debra well knows, the greatest gift has been her friendship.

She's more than a friend, truly, she is family.

And there's more!

I've been blessed and spoiled by even MORE bloggy friends,

and I'll be sharing my spoils soon!

Happy Sunday!

P.S.

Be sure to head on over to Beatnheart for a fabulous jewelry giveaway!!!