Day After Christmas Photoshoot-

*** Edit: My goodness me. I am blessed with some of the nicest and sweetest blog readers on the planet! I got eight comments in less than 7 hours from 8 people I love a lot. I meant what I said - I love you guys!! Thank you so much for putting happy tears in my eyes and a joyful smile on my face - what a great gift! Thank you! - Jean Marie***

Original post -

Ok. So. Epicness coming up.

I can say that because I am wearing my grandfather's hats...thus, it's not really because I can take pictures, but because I have these amazing hats and caps that still smell like my grandfather after 7 years of being in my possession. It's wonderful...I hope that never fades. What else is wonderful is that the day after Christmas, it was COLD outside, and the world outside was filled with twinkling Christmas lights and cheery people driving around in their cars, and my brilliant idea of getting all dressed up in whatever I wanted and trundling props around and sitting outside in the DARK, actually turned out to be ... a brilliant idea.

Shocking, I know.

I came back inside and Dad laughed and took the camera away from me for a quick shot by Himself Truly. He loves me. I know it.

So I took about 150 pics, but I'm only sharing about 33? somethin' like that. I had fun. A LOT of fun, it was the perfect Day-after-Christmas joy I needed. A gift for me. :) ... and what followed were a bunch of experimental pictures that actually worked, which made me SOO happy because "look what I did!" ... ok, fine, it was a hopeful guess, but STILL! Ok, you're right. I really ended up thanking God for the fun. Ready for some epicness? Me too! :D Here we go!

Scarf: check. Fedora: check. Jewelry: check. Jeans & blue shirt: check. Boots: check. Camera & remote: check. Smile: check check! Body heat: check? Bobbypins: check! Gloves: check! Books and chair: check! Ok! After checking image and remote and tripod ...

"The Loveliness of Christ" by Samuel Rutherford. I could not recommend it more highly. (it doesn't hurt he was Scottish) .... (or Presbyterian) ahem! moving on - do you like the bookmark that I made? It is of red roses! :)

"To Betsy and I - "They are not lost to you that are laid up in Christ's treasury in heaven." Love, Tacy.

... and then I headed out into the darkening and chilly night.

And now - part of the inspiration for a shoot ...

a little sign ... and yes, that's my Bible on my lap.

"I LOVE you, ALL MY Blog readers!" ~ Jean Marie

Yep ... it's true. I love ya', people!!

Oohhh, mystery, mystery. (wink)

I decide I like the garage door as my backdrop, and with the deepening dusk and the outside lantern by the door my only light, I shoot pics for the next 30 mins.

The boots that took me through MO to VA weather, and countless joys in between.

Just going to let the pics speak for themselves for a few here -

Love this sort of childlike school/Victorian one.

Isaiah 61 brought to mind -

from a Diana heart to an Anne heart.

I changed my mind. I don't want to cut my hair anymore. I love it long.

Trying to "think" and be serious while cars drive by reeeaaallllyy slowly. Nothing to see here! Drive on! (I think they were confused ... all the Christmas lights, and this girl in boots and hat, sitting in front of her garage door with all the doors closed and the lights on. No, I was not evicted from my own home, with my little chair and camera, no I do not have treats, DRIVE ON! FASTER!)

sigh.

Some fun with colors. :)

Oh, sigh.

I really don't know how my hair stayed all stuffed up under that cap either. No bobbypins. Amazing.

In case you were wondering, yes, I was sore the next morning

from sitting on concrete and pretending I was comfortable

and from getting up and down and up and down

and UP and DOWN to check the picture,

and yes, my knees were killing me. Thank you.

You are too kind.

LOVE!

*Giggle*

Blowin' kisses to ya'll!! (and I did not crop out the remote -haha!)

... and back inside. Still with the remote. And oh, how I felt so uncharisticly elegant.

and uncharisticly beautiful ...

and old fashioned

and happy. :D

and kinda giddy and giggly and all that sort of Jean Marie stuff.

It felt like me, and it felt so good for a little bit to be ME again.

And THAT was my Day After Christmas Photoshoot. I was SO delighted with the light that I gathered with the camera and how amazing things could turn out like that! Really really had fun experimentin' around with it. And of course, dressing up and pretending like I was a model for a little bit. Haha. Quite, quite fun. You should try it sometime. And if you do ... you should find an old Grandfather-y smelling cap. Because that really made my reading shots.

Are ya' ready for the icing on the cake? The coconut on the ice cream? The ... the Macro lens for your camera? The ... lemonade for your brownies? The sparkle for your eyes? The brilliancy for your smile? The ... ok, I'll stop. A shout out for analogies goes to Miss London!! :D Hahaha.

READY? ... because I knocked off my own boots with this one. Dadda' took it. Which is why I was laughing in it. I LOVE ya, Dadda'! It's like my own Currier and Ives Christmas postage stamp circa 1940!!

My love to you all, and a Happy New Year.

My hope and joy is found in nothing else,

than the knowledge my Savior does all things well,

and that He has conquered the grave and redeemed my soul,

and that His Spirit sings a sweet song over me in my sorrow,

~ Jean Marie