beautiful

"You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face
And show the world all the love in your heart
Then people gonna treat you better
You're gonna find, yes, you will
That you're beautiful as you feel"

~ Beautiful by Carole King



Are you an American Idol fan? I wasn't until this season. Really talented singers, including one of my favorite, Haley Reinhart, who sang Beautiful this week. I love the lyrics - it reminds me of the positive impact you can have on others with optimism and generosity. Sometimes, something as simple as a smile can be really uplifting to those around you :)

Have a beautiful weekend!
xoxo

dear leila

Flickr and Instagram - you drain so much of my time! But I must admit, without you, I would not have had the opportunity to meet some amazingly talented photographers!

I first met Leila on Instagram and we found out that we live only a few miles away from each other. We met up over brunch and coffee, and just chatted about random things. Good times :)





Isn't she beautiful? I absolutely adore her photography blog - it is filled with all sorts of fun personal work (mostly in film)!

Are you on Instagram? Find me - would love to connect with you!

joshua tree national park

Hubby and I went on this lovely 2-day trip earlier this week. We were pleasantly surprised to get into the park for free because it was National Park Week (I didn't even know it existed 'til now!). The landscape is unlike anything I've seen before. Here are some of my iPhone snaps.

This set was processed with ShakeIt app:

We stayed at a recently-renovated motel. You can read more about it here.

Images from this set were processed with various apps: Hipstamatic, PictureShow, and Instagram.

Skull Rock - isn't that just so cool?!!? :) Another cool part was the Cholla Cactus Garden. I will have to post my dSLR images of that garden at another time.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

my favorite season

Looking at these flowers just make me want to smile from ear to ear! Spring is in the air and I feel so happy :)



More photos to come from this little garden photo session. I had the most peaceful time just photographing - nothing relaxes me more than that. I have some images from the same garden taken during the winter time - will blog those soon (where did the time go??? Spring came so quickly!). A collage of spring photos from last year can be found here.

moments

Like the special moments shared between a bride and her groom on her wedding day, those moments shared between her and her bridesmaids are unique and beautiful in their own ways.


And if you know me, I love photos that are blurred, whether intentionally or accidentally. I like that there's a whimsical and mysterious feel to them =)


xoxo,
~Karleen