Published! My Romantic Living Feature!

giveaway closed

I am SO excited!!!

It's been nigh on impossible to keep quiet about this,

but now I can finally spill it...

I've been published in the brand new, just on the stands

special publication from the editors of Romantic Homes

called Romantic Living, and this time, I not only
provided the photos but wrote the article, too.

It's always a thrill being published, but this time,

it was extra, extra special.

This project was my baby from start to finish,

as it was a special gift of love from me
to its subject matter,

the incomparable Rose Hicks.

For those not familiar with Rose, she is, to quote myself from

an earlier post, one of the most influential style
and decor icons of the past century,

and whether you realize it or not,
her influence has been felt far and wide in blogland.

 She is the beloved Mama to decor and design royalty

Carol Hicks Bolton, and as a lifetime fan of Carol and Tim Bolton

and the Homestead empire they created right here in

Fredericksburg, Texas, it was a dream come true just to be able

to meet them.

But then to not only meet them, but to become friends

and to be blessed enough to be trusted
by the amazing Hicks-Bolton clan

to do right by their precious Mama
in a feature magazine story...

who the heck says dreams don't come true???

I had the special privilege of personally hand delivering

the issue to Miss Rose herself yesterday, while she was overseeing

the evolution of the exciting new family adventure and shop,

Carol Hicks Bolton Antiquites.

I think she approves, don't you?!

And wow...just wow...get a load of that photo below.
That's Carol Hicks Bolton with Mama Rose looking on.

Two generations of styling genius
admiring MY work in the magazine.

Somebody pinch me, because what an utterly surreal moment THAT was.

I have adored and idolized these folks for 20 years,
so what an unbelievable honor.

The inimitable Carol, decked out in her Magnolia Pearl finery

and orchestrating the creation of her new namesake shop

like the design maestro she most certainly is.

I thought I would share a few of the original images 

from the magazine with you,

as the publication process doesn't always do them justice...

I want to say thank you to Jacqueline deMontravel and Karina Rivera

from Romantic Homes magazine, and also to my great friend

Elizabeth Maxson for their invaluable help and support.

Y'all are the best!

The GREAT news is that I took hundreds of photos

and the magazine only used 8, so I will be sharing

many, many more images in the days to come.

The other great news is that Carol has asked me

to come by the shop regularly and track the progress and evolution

of her new store, and I am more than happy to oblige!

But the BEST news is that I am offering one lucky reader

of this blog a copy of this lovely new magazine

personally autographed by Rose herself!!!

Rose will be 91 years young next month and has already

been featured and published far and wide, so can you

imagine what a collectors item this is destined to be?

My last few giveaways have been open to everyone,

but this one is for followers only, as it's extra special.

All you have to do is leave me a comment letting me know

that you are a follower or have become a follower and you're in!

Be sure to leave extra comments if you blog, tweet or Facebook

about this for extra chances to win.

I'll be picking a winner

next Friday, January 27th.

This was for YOU, Rose! I love you, friend!

Good Luck, and Happy Wednesday!

On Any Given Week...

Oh dear, I've become one of "them"...

I seem to be a "once a week blogger" of late,

and there's that tiny little insecure voice inside of me,

the one I wrote about in my Artful Blogging Article,

which causes me to wonder if y'all will migrate to

greener pastures while I enjoy my slowed-down blogging pace.

I hope not, but I must say, I really have been enjoying

my non-blogging time of late. 

Just living life, and feeling better in general.

Happier.

Less stressed.

More like the old Anne.

What is a week in the life of Anne Lorys like, you ask?

I sometimes forget that newer followers might not know

the specifics of my day to day life, so here's the skinny...

Any given week, I work roughly three 12 hour shifts

as a Respiratory Therapist in a hospital setting.

I work in pretty much all areas of the hospital,

critical care, emergency, peds, geriatrics, post-op...

it can be fast paced and all very much life or death,

or it can be routine and relatively uneventful.

As a seasoned RT, I prefer the latter. 

Definitely NOT an adrenaline junkie here!!!

As far as extra-curricular activities go,
while I loved having an antique mall booth

and an Etsy shop, neither turned out to be my "thing".

Photography did, so on any given week

on my days off, I seek out the beauty around me and attempt

to capture little snippets of ordinary life through my lens.

I haven't been doing as much of this of late,

and although I'd like to blame it all on the gloomy, overcast weather,

it's just a phase I'm going through. I find myself more drawn to my

Kindle and to prayer than my camera, so I'm just, quite literally,

following where the spirit leads.

On any given week, I am in bed and asleep by 9pm.

I am a reformed night owl who simply cannot get enough sleep, 

and I swear by what I call the  

anti-5 hour energy drink, iChill. 

I swear, this stuff is liquid sleep gold in a bottle!

It's safe, fabulous, and knocks me right out. I highly recommend it

over other sleep aids, so fellow insomniacs, give it a try!

On any given week, on my days off work,

I hit some of the shopping hot spots in my beautiful hometown,

or take a short jaunt just down the road to visit and shop

with my good friend Binky. It's a constant struggle to stay within

our budget though, because seriously people,
I live in a vintage shopping MECCA!

On any given week, I think about my beloved Mama

numerous times throughout the day.

I see her reflection in my mirror, I hear her words coming out

of my mouth, and I feel her presence with me always.

It's a sweet, sweet feeling.

I also, on any given week, pay my dad a few visits

at the rehab wing of the nursing home he's been confined to

since September. He's had 6 failed hip operations in just under 4 months,

and this youthful, employed 75 year old man has had his entire life

turned upside down since breaking his hip.

The silver lining has been a newfound closeness between me and my dad,

although we still struggle at times to understand each other

after a lifetime of semi-estrangement.

And on any given week,

my work schedule permitting, I attend Sunday Mass

at the beautiful St. Mary's church in Fredericksburg, Texas.

{ the interior of my church, via google images }

Not to get all preachy on y'all here, 

but my faith is the single most important aspect of my life,

and although I struggle and fail often to live it out properly,

it is what sustains me. 

I only pray that I honor God in some

small way via what I do here on this blog 

or through my photography. If I don't, then all of this is in vain....

fluff, nonsense, of no consequence.

On any given week,

I stop and give thanks for the opportunity to come into

all of your homes via this blog, and feel equally blessed to share

in your journeys as, time allowing, I pay visits to all of you. 

What was my life like before blogging?

I honestly can't remember! 

That's how deeply woven into the fiber of my being

this blogging experience has become the past two and a half years.

Isn't it amazing how much like family we all seem to become to each other?

Or is just me? Anyone? Bueller?

What's in store this next week?

More of everything that I've mentioned above,

as well as the opportunity to meet in person a local blogging

friend, Shannon of Rusty and Redone.

I can't wait, and I'm sure we'll get into some blog-worthy mischief!

Will I be back blogging before next week rolls around?

Hopefully yes, but if not, you now have some sort of idea

of what else occupies my time and my thoughts.

And you?

What does any given week hold for each of you?

Do tell!

all images taken in Warrenton

#1 taken here

#2 here

#3 and #5 here

#4 here

#6 google images

#7 here

"You Don't Know Me, But...."

Well, Good Afternoon!

It's been about a week since I've posted,

and what a great week it's been.

I wish I could say I'd been doing something prolific

or life-changing, but nope....just been taking it easy,

putting family first, and enjoying life.

I went and saw the utterly, completely life-changing

 Broadway musical Les Miserables in San Antonio

yesterday....for something like the 13th time.

To know me, you've gotta know that you really, truly can't

call yourself my friend or kindred spirit unless the story of Jean Valjean

doesn't move you to the core of your very being...

faith, struggle, redemption, love...

"to love another person is to see the face of God".

But I digress.

Today's post is actually about something completely different.

I'll be getting to the point in a somewhat circuitous way

{ regular readers of this blog are used to this maddening predilection of mine }

but first I want to share what my e-mail Inbox looks like

on any given week.

I regularly get e-mails from generally good-intentioned individuals

which usually start with the lines

" You don't know me, but...".

And the next line varies, but sometimes it goes like this...

"I would love to write a guest post for you. I'll write on any topic

you pick, all you have to do is put a link to my blog inside the post".

Other times, I get asked to add someone to my blog roll,

in exchange for them adding me.

And then there are the folks who promise me all manner of goodies

if I will simply but write a product review or endorsement post.

I also get e-mails asking if I offer advertising space,

or if I would be willing to place an ad on someone elses  blog.

It's all business as usual when I flick through my Inbox,

and it's given me cause to reflect on why I blog the way I do.

Firstly, I have never placed ads for Fiona and Twig,

and I never will.

I am not selling anything, except photos to editorial publications,

so I see no reason to advertise my blog elsewhere.

Secondly, I have never and will never charge ad space

on my blog, because blogging is not my business.
I have nothing against those who have ads on their blogs,
it just doesn't work for me, and I'll explain why...

When you accept paid ads, you have a certain responsibility 

to your paying sponsors to provide regular content,

and since I have a full-time life AND job outside of

my Fiona and Twig alter-ego, I refuse to place that burden

of responsibility on myself to churn out regular content.

To those who accept and place ads, if it works for you, mazel!

Thirdly, a spot on my blog roll is not up for grabs to the highest bidder.

I believe that I can count every single person over there on my sidebar

as a friend, and the invitation extended to others to write guest posts,

or to endorse certain products is reserved
for known and trusted friends as well.

In a way, it's sort of about claiming ownership of this blog,

and not allowing it to own me.

This post may end up being a bit of a feather-ruffler, but so be it.

No offense whatsoever is intended,
but I feel a call of sorts to produce the deed
to this particular piece of internet real estate,

and make it understood that as much as I love this blog

and my readers, it is at best, priority number five or six in my life.

But it's mine.

And that's just how I roll.

photos taken at the gorgeous space

of  Alan and Gina Galichia

of Country Garden Antiques in Warrenton.

Introducing Parisienne Farmgirl Magazine

Hello Friends!

I am so excited to be able to spread the word about
the fantastic new quarterly, online e-magazine being launched by
my beautiful friend Angela at Parisienne Farmgirl!

But rather than prattle on about it myself,
I'll let Angela describe her exciting new adventure
in the short video below...

Doesn't this look just wonderful?

I have to hand it to her,
Angela is an absolute natural on camera, don't you think?
I see a future for her on, oh, say HGTV or The Food Network
in a hosting capacity! Keep that phone close by Angela, I do think
the networks will be calling!

Angela is much more than just a woman
with an unerring eye for style...

She is a masterful cook, gardner, decorator, stylist, photographer,
and has one of the most beautiful families ever.
Most importantly, she is a woman with a heart for God,
and strives to honor Him in all she does.

I'm subscribing, I hope you will, too!
I also hope to be able to squeeze in the time
to contribute to this great magazine myself { fingers crossed}!

Click HERE
for all the details,
and click  HERE to subscribe.

There's an incredible giveaway tied into the magazine launch,
so don't miss out!

Congrats, Angela!
With your combination of talent, hard work and faith,
I think you'll have a HUGE success on your hands!

I'll be back soon with
some yummy eye candy from some
recently edited photo shoots, so don't miss out!

The Magic Returns

I blogged about this exciting event

not so very long ago...

But now I have the distinct pleasure of directing you

over to my dear friend Binky's blog 

so that you can read her fabulous interview

with our mutual friend, the amazing creative visionary,

Carol Hicks Bolton.

This insightful interview will only serve to solidify

what so many of us already know...

that the innovative styles, the one-of-a-kind magic which

is seen all over blogland and so often attributed 

to other designers actually originated with Carol herself.

Click 

HERE

to take a peek into the creative mind of my friend,

Carol Hicks Bolton.

And...

if you just so happen to be in my 'hood 

in the weeks ahead...

I could NOT  be more excited!

Thank you Binky,

for allowing me to link to your fantastic interview!
And while you're over there, be sure to become a follower
of Binky La Faye,
her style, her shop and her blog are my go-to
sources for inspiration

Happy Monday!

Surprised by Romantic Country Magazine!

Those sneaky little tricksters at  

Romantic Country Magazine!

 I just adore the new Editor, Mary Forsell,
so I e-mail her regularly asking her what sorts of things
they might be looking for in the coming issues.

Well, a few months back, she gave me a short list, and among her wish list

was dress forms or mannequins. I sent her a few shots I had taken in Warrenton

this past September, and that was that, or so I thought.

Bless Mary's heart, she had been so busy that she forgot to tell me that

the art department had chosen two of my photos
for the Spring 2012 feature, on newsstands now!

I only found out this week, as I am still recovering from a nasty throat infection,

and had sent the Mister to the store for some meds, yogurt, OJ, and the new issue 

of Romantic Country, as I knew my super talented friend Shell of Bungalow Bling

was featured in the new issue.

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw

that two of my photos had indeed made the issue.

I shot the photo on the top of the page 

at my sweet friend Christie Connelly's

space in Warrenton ( get a blog, will ya, Christie?! )...

 and I shot the beautiful bald headed gal below at my buddy

Theresa Cano's space at Zapp Hall.

The Spring 2012 issue also has inspiring features

on my friends Rebecca Ersfeld  and Tracie Truran,
written and styled by Miss Fifi O'Neill herself!
It's a really great issue, be sure to grab it!

This happy news, along with my antibiotics, should be
the BEST medicine.
Back to recuperating, have a wonderful weekend and a
Happy New Year!

linking with 

common ground for vintage inspiration friday 

french country cottage for feathered nest friday

Learning a New Art

Painting.

I've never been any good at it,
not even a little bit.

I find a lot to admire
in the art of painting, however...

how a bold stroke of red, or the judicious use of just a hint

of pale blue can convey wildly divergent emotions, and depths of feeling.

One can use a heavy hand or light, feathery strokes,

each technique imbuing the work with a

contrasting mood, taking each viewer to a different place.

I'm not planning on learning to paint,

but I am planning on learning a new art.

It's called the art of letting go.

Letting go of 

Worry.

Fear.

Impatience.
Unforgiveness.

Anxiety.

Self-Recrimination.

Condemnation.

Depression.

Apathy.

and most of all,

letting go of

Regret.

I can't change the past,

but with my new set of tools in hand,

I can  paint a bright and cheery canvas on which

to build a happier 2012.

THAT is my New Year's resolution.

Wish me well,
and share your own resolutions
here with me, and us all.

Happy Wednesday, Sweet Friends.