WOW!

The best birthday present ever!

Handmade by the person who gave it to me and full of memories and meaning! Oh, and there is a little KoseBose birdie poking out of the window there!
This is the most amazing thing I've ever gotten!

SELF-PORTRAITS IN LOW KEY

I really like portraits done with low-key lighting. There is something mysterious, contemplative and dramatic about them that I really enjoy. This is why I was very happy to be able to learn how to take such photos in my photography course this week. Our homework was to practice shooting low-key images, which I did with great pleasure, and since I didn't really have a model available, I just took photos of myself. I think the results are very nice for someone who's done this for the first time.

P.S. As a person who's done her fair share of self-portraits, I feel obligated to say a few things here. It might seem to people that those who take self-portraits are the kind that enjoy looking at themselves in the mirror. Well, you couldn't be more wrong. Sure, there are individual photographers that you'll encounter who are enamored with their own image, but the truth is that most of us who take self-portraits do it for reasons that have nothing to do with our looks. Sometimes it's just that you have nobody else to shoot but yourself, or nobody that wants to do those crazy poses or express those strange emotions that you would like to capture. Sometimes taking self-portraits is a form of healing; it's putting your feelings out there when you feel like you can't put them into words or have no one to share them with. For me, taking self-portraits often involved getting to really know myself, which is something I think everyone should aim to do. Just something to think about for all those self-portrait skeptics out there.

SCARY MONSTERS FOR GOOD LUCK?

Yes, you heard that right – around here, scary monsters (a special breed of them anyway) chase away evil spirits and bring health, prosperity and luck into the new year. Welcome to Bulgaria, and welcome to the Surva International Festival of Masquerade Games held every January in the town of Pernik!

The games attract more than 5000 participants aged anywhere between 5 and 95 from Bulgaria and abroad, who fill the streets of the town with vibrant colors, unbelievably loud noise and lots of craziness. With their impressive handmade wooden masks decorated with feathers, elaborate costumes covered in wool or ribbons, and enormous bells that clang with every movement of the person wearing them, the Bulgarian Kukeri dancers are all part of one big ritual meant to scare away sickness, bad luck, and evil spirits. The scarier the costume, the better; according to local beliefs, the masks and the deafening sound of the bells both protect from harmful influences and ensure that everyone is blessed with health and prosperity.

Of course, this event is every photographer’s dream, amateur and professional alike. The elated atmosphere, the energy, the rich palette of colors, textures, and shapes, the dancing and the parades all beg to be captured on camera. It is easy to lose yourself in the crowd of masked Kukeri and Survakari, as the audience can freely interact with the participants along the parade routes and the stages throughout the town. All groups end their participation with a grand performance in the main square, which is judged as part of the contest for best masked troupe.

Step into the surreal world of the festival and enjoy my photos of the event below:

FLOWER JEWELRY

I filled a custom jewelry order last week, and I think the finished pieces turned out really well. This pendant and earrings set was going to be a gift for someone I've met, so my task was to create jewelry that would suit her and that has a "flowery" feel to it. Check out my designs below:

SAVORY MUFFINS

I have caught the muffin craze, which means that I have been making muffins like crazy. Turns out, muffins are very easy to make!
I've already written about the Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffins, which were mouth-watering. I've also tried a recipe for Banana Walnut Muffins, which were also great; unfortunately, I wasn't able to photograph them. However, I did photograph these delicious savory Spinach, Feta, and Baked Pepper Muffins that you see below. Believe me, they are very very tasty. I got the recipe from the First Cook, Then Look blog, so head over there to learn how to make them and enjoy!

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

The new year is here, and for the first time in what feels like an insanely long time, I felt great celebrating it.
This past year was a year of changes and of putting my life back together after it fell into pieces in 2009. I moved past a heartache that threatened to unglue me completely (and almost succeeded), I changed jobs, I took a much deserved relaxing vacation. I signed up for a photography course, I gained some of the weight I had lost due to stress, and I got a new haircut. Maybe I don't have thousands of close friends, but I have been blessed with a few close friends and loved ones that stood by me and supported me through the difficult things, for which I am eternally grateful. All in all, it was a good year, and it was definitely better than 2009.
I don't really have a ton of resolutions for the new year, even though I could whip up a list of things to do in 2011 in something like 3 seconds. I just want to be happy. I want to feel like my life is back under control where possible. I want to be healthy and happy, and I would like to think of myself and my own well-being a little more. Life is short, so I guess I should try to enjoy it as much as I can.
Thinking about resolutions and hopes for the future, I looked around for interesting quotes and sayings, and I compiled a small list of the ones I liked best. I hope that they inspire you like they have inspired me.

1. This first one is what I have begun to call my New Year's Resolution. It's a quote from a poem by Mary Oliver. The design is mine.

2. This one is wonderful, and when I read it, I thought to myself "this is exactly what I've been trying to explain to people all these years." :) I found it here.

3. This third one is quite true. I found it here.

4. This is also good for a New Year's Resolution. Check out i can read for more stuff like this.

5. I strongly believe in this one below. I would like to be loved like that.
I found this quote online with a similar design, but I decided to make my own, which is the one I'm posting here:

6. Finally, a really cool quote I found online. I love this quote. Again, this design is mine.

A CHOCOLATE BOMB

Triple chocolate chunk muffins! Yes, you heard that right - triple chocolate chunk muffins. I don't care how many calories these have, they are amazing. Now that's what I call delicious! The recipe for these beauties is from the same cookbook that has the Nutella Cinnamon Almond Cake. It's an awesome book, full of decadent desserts...