Tag: outdoors

A Year of Full Moons – July

The moon has reset and will soon start to wane.  This is your monthly reminder that now is the time to release any bad habits or negative thoughts you might be holding onto.  As our view of the moon shrinks, sliver by sliver, let it take that which you wish to release.  Allow yourself the freedom to let go.  It’s during this lunar phase that the growth of leaves on plants and trees starts to slow, because as the moonlight fades, the plants push their energy down to the their root systems.  Focus on strengthening your own roots, the part of you from which everything else grows and flourishes.

The quote on the photo above is from one of my favorite books, The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen. The story is enchanting and always inspires me to go out and chase the moon.  I took the above photograph during our full July moon in Orlando, Florida, United States on July 2, 2012 at 9:12 p.m. EST, using my favorite point-and-shoot camera, a 2008 Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital Elph.

The Healing Powers of Drippy Ducks

It’s officially summer!  Let the outdoor-free from school-fun begin!  Of course, with all of that fun will come bumps, scrapes and bruises, especially for the little kidos in your life and Drippy Ducks are great way to make things all better.  My mom used to make these for my brother and I when we were little and I can attest to the fact that they definitely help make booboos better…faster.  Just insert an ice cube into the Drippy Duck’s bill and hold on the injury.

Edit: My mom just found the Drippy Duck rhyme that she made up when my brother and I were little, scroll all the way down to see it!

In addition to these fun little duckies, check out my column on hellogiggles.com.  This week I’m talking about three great herbal remedies for healing those minor summertime booboos.

I hope your summer is off to a great start!  I’d love to see pictures and hear your stories if you give this fun crafty project a try!

 

 

30×30 Challenge: Getting Outside, Week 2 Photo Collage

Not sure what I’m talking about?  Catch up on the 30×30 Challenge here.

Another great week outside!  This project is fun because it reminds me to look around and really enjoy everything that I’m seeing when I go for my mini-Nature Walks.  I’ll continue to post this week’s 30×30 photos on Twitter and Facebook.

Where you able to get outside much in the last couple of days?  Does it make you feel happier?

Around the Air Conditioner – Texture, Pattern, Color Palette v.4

I’ve always loved the idea of looking at everyday objects and places, and finding inspiration in them.  I often find myself looking for interesting textures, patterns and colors that evoke an emotion or response from me.  Below is a palette that I recently put together using photos from the area around the air conditioner outside.

30×30 Challenge: Getting Outside, Week 1 Photo Collage

Not sure what I’m talking about?  Catch up on the 30×30 Challenge here.

I’m happy to say that I was able to get outside for at least 30 minutes everyday last week.  It was a drizzly and rainy week so there was an abundance of mushrooms!  They only last a short while in the hot, sunny Florida climate so I tried to get pictures whenever I could.  I’ll continue to post this week’s 30×30 photos on Twitter and Facebook.

Where you able to get outside much in the last couple of days?  Does it make you feel happier?

The Nature Walk Project – Month 9: June

Location: Orlando, Florida, United States from 10:30am-11:30am  
Weather: Sunny, windy and very low humidity, 75°F – High: 86°F  Low: 73°F

Catch up on The Nature Walk Project: Month 1: October, Month 2: November, Month 3: December, Month 4: January, Month 5: February, Month 6: March, Month 7: April, Month 8: May

It’s officially hurricane season in Florida and there is no shortage of wind or rain.  During a typical Florida summer we get a rain shower every afternoon, for about 20 minutes and nearly at the same time everyday.  As I walk around the lake today, the wind is strong and constant.  A downpour last night left everything very damp with a wonderfully earthy aroma coming from every direction, as the sun heats up the damp ground.  I can’t actually photograph the wind for you, just the objects that it blows around, like the pages of my notebook above.  I took this short video with my camera to give you a sense of the breeze as it whips through the cypress trees that grow along the lake.  About 6 seconds in you can see one of the many birds that lives here, flitting from one tree to the other.  I hope you’re enjoying the weather and nature where you are!  This is June.

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvHeEN69kuM]

30 x 30 Challenge: Getting Outside

I recently read about the David Suzuki Foundation’s “30 x 30 Challenge” to encourage people to get outside.  It’s an easy concept, go outside and spend time in nature for 30 minutes a day, for 30 days.  I love the simplicity of this and thought I’d give it try! What better way to kick off the second half of 2012, than with a nature challenge?

Follow me on Twitter to get daily updates and photos from my 30 minutes in nature.  I’ll also do a weekly roundup of my photos and post them to Facebook and right here on the blog.  I’ll kick it off with June’s Nature Walk post later today!

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For my Canadian readers, there is a contest associated with the 30 x 30 challenge where you can win prizes and fun stuff.  It starts today, so sign up quick if you’d like to participate!  I’m in the US, so I don’t get to participate in the official contest, but you can bet I’ll be outside anyway!

Urban Blooms – Texture, Pattern, Color Palette v.2

I’ve always loved the idea of looking at everyday objects and places, and finding inspiration in them.  I often find myself looking for interesting textures, patterns and colors that evoke an emotion or response from me.  Below is a palette that I recently put together using photos from a nearby downtown area.

Sabal Palm – Texture, Pattern, Color Palette v.1

I’m always looking to everyday objects for creative inspiration, especially when I’m creating art, decorating or even writing a blog post.  I usually look around me for everyday textures, interesting patterns and colors that evoke emotion.  Below is a palette that I recently put together featuring Florida’s official state tree, the Sabal Palm (Sabal palmetto).