Still Life: Coral Peonies

Hi there! How has your week been? We are doing very well here,  just getting ready for summer and enjoying lots of warm sunshine. Grace asks everyday, “How many more school days till Summer?” I remember that feeling – you can hardly wait to have lazy mornings in your pj’s, endless afternoons running around the neighborhood with friends, hoping to hear the ice-cream truck approaching. No homework. Picnics in the park. Going to the beach. Wearing your swim suit all day. Childhood summers – I have many fond memories…

Nowadays, filling the house with fresh peonies is a sure sign that summer is around the corner. Friends and family have been bringing me bouquets almost weekly! My two little Peony bushes only gave 6 blooms this year. I hope next year will produce a larger bunch. Let me know if you have any tips on making more pop!

I have been challenging myself to arrange some still life compositions to shoot outside of the product shots I take for the shop. This series featuring three amazing, King Peonies in coral was such a delight to photograph. I had to cut myself off. Enjoy…

In case you are wondering, the backdrop is a vintage map of Rome and the other props are vintage goodies I have laying around my studio. It was fun to pull objects together and find harmony and balance in their arrangement. I did my editing in Photoshop using the Rad Lab plugin and I shot with my Canon XS Rebel with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens.

Have a lovely Thursday!

xo,

Ivy

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Claire and the Peony

Hi friends. How are you all doing? Happy Friday. I hope your week has been lovely. It was my second week home alone with Claire while Chris was at his new job and I can honestly say that it went much smoother. Seems like we are finding out own rhythm and schedule. I do miss being able to pop into his office and say hello but I’m adjusting.

The peonies I got for Mother’s Day are in full bloom and are truly glorious. So I thought why not pair my favorite flower with my favorite baby girl…

Claire bear will be 11 months old in two days. I can hardly believe it. Almost a year has flown by and she is desperately trying to walk.

She is enamored with flowers (like her Mama) and always tries to grab at them when she gets the chance.

She was surprisingly gentle with my dear peony and I am happy to report that no flowers were injured during this photo session.

Thank you, Claire for being such a good little model for Mommy.

Have a beautiful weekend!

xo,

Ivy

Peonies & Peas

Yesterday the rain poured down one minute, only to be replaced by the glorious sun the next. It’s the nature of Spring in Oregon and we love it. Unpredictable but beautiful. Silver light and gold.

With a bouquet of gorgeous peonies on my table and a handful of fresh spring peas I figured it was the perfect afternoon for a little team work with Grace. She was so excited to pop open each pod to reveal the tiny green peas. While she delighted in this task, I took pictures. I really loved the green of the peas with the pink of the peonies.

At the end of this lovely afternoon, I cooked up a fresh Spring inspired meal from Rachel Ray‘s cookbook. Check out the recipe here. It was delicious!

Happiness all round.

xo,

Ivy