MCP Project 52 Week 42/52 - True Beauty

I had visions of putting on tonnes and tonnes of make-up for this theme and then photographing myself taking it off again - with streaks of mascara and eyeliner on my face.I was going to represent that true beauty isn't achieved by plastering foundation on with a trowel. I did try. I put on a few layers of foundation, blusher, eyeshadow and eyeliner (way more than I'd ever wear) but it still wasn't enough for the over the top effect I wanted on the photograph. So I chucked on a wig and headed for my fairytale mirror! I wanted to create a 'mirror mirror on the wall' shot based on Snow White.

In the end I chose a completely different shot. My helpful Flickr commenters helped me decide, and I don't want my Project 52 to be too self-portrait heavy (and I didn't want people to think I was suggesting that I am a true beauty!!). So, the chosen shot is very autumnal - me holding an acorn in front of an oak tree. I'm hoping it makes you think about the true beauty of nature and how amazing it is that this little acorn could one day become such a giant.

Falling for Autumn

There doesn't seem to be many really pretty autumn trees in my neighbourhood, but I've had a few wanders in the last week and thought I'd share my photos. Hoping to get to somewhere a bit prettier at the weekend but rail engineering works might have scuppered my plans.

Looking to Fall Forward

The last few weeks have been tough - with one thing or another breaking, falling apart or just being difficult. I didn't want to bring the happiness levels down on my blog so I took a little break from posting. To be honest, things aren't much better now but I have strategies in place and plans for things to be fixed. The next few months/year is going to be just as tough I know, but I'm hoping to use my blog as a sane happy place where I can just forget all the serious stuff and enjoy the positive!

There are a few things in the pipeline to look forward to:

1) Halloween - I love it! I remember when I was little I'd disappear upstairs, change into a scary costume (well, a sheet with holes or a witches hat) and then sneak downstairs to jump out and scare my dad! That was about it for Halloween back then. I've always loved it but rarely celebrated it for some reason. I did go to a fancy dress party a few years back dressed as Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (an outfit which will probably make a reappearance soon!), and last year was my first pumpin carving! But this year, for noone else but me, I am going to decorate the house and cook some Halloween themed food! 

2) New cloth art dolls. I just hadn't had the urge or motivation to do much sewing for ages so I decided to work on some new designs for my We Will Fly shop. So far the shop hasn't been a success - I listed some things last year and renewed a few times but have pretty much ignored it for months. I want to relaunch with some new. more rustic, designs and a new shop image.

Here is a sneak peek at a prototype in progress:

3) Autumn leaves. I need to find somewhere to photograph all the autumn colours. Last year I went to Sheffield Park but I need somewhere a little cheaper this year. Better be quick before winter strikes.

4) Dare I say it ...Christmas isn't far off! I bought my first ever real Christmas tree (Ethel) last year and I think I'd like another one. That was the highlight of Christmas for me!

MCP Project 52 Weeks 39-41

Week 39 had the intriguing theme of Man vs Nature. I decided it would make a good shot to take my ridiculously high heels (which I cannot even stand up in!) to the woods for a photoshoot but I just didn't have the time so I made do in the garden. Still, my interpretation of Man vs Nature is high heels!

A Taste for Vintage was the theme for week 40. I love vintage style and old kitsch items so I knew I'd have loads of ideas for this one. I have a stck of vintage suitcases in my bedroom that I store things in, so I thought they'd make a great shot. Add a pair of my mum's platform shoes from the 60's/70's (which I then wore a lot in my late teens/early 20's) and a vintage scarf, and the photo is complete. Ideally it would have been great to get the shot on an open roadside or on a station platform but this wasn't practical for me this week. I used the selective colour feature on my camera (which is so much fun!) and then played about with some effects on Picnik to get the contrast I wanted.

I went back to my childhood for week 41 and its theme of architecture. My old box of Lego came out of retirement and I had fun building a little house for my mini Lego 'me'! In fact there was a half built house already in the box from way back when, so I used those foundations for my new build!