May Mirror Mirror Challenge

I attended the Spring Petaluma Antiques Market on the 25th of last month. The morning air was cold and brisk, yet by 10:30 the sun was shining so ferociously, people were stripping off their coats and hats. The winning find of the day for me was a small vintage Samsonite lady's suitcase -- in a cool mint green with cream handles and edges. It matches two other pieces of Samsonite I have purchased at other markets -- soon I'll have a complete set!!! On the way back to the car I stopped in an antique and collectibles shop occupying a 3-story Victorian. I moseyed around inside, then turned around and saw this mirror. Very humorous don't you think? And appropriate for this blog!

April Mirror, Mirror Challenge from Chrissy

"So, do ya see me???? LOL, does this remind u of a 'where's Waldo?' As u all know I love taking macros... and this was one of my first orchids which I ended up putting in my bathroom because of the light and humidity... I was concentrating on the water drop and noticed after taking the photo that I was somewhat hidden in the background reflection from the mirror....." -- Chrissy

April Mirror, Mirror Challenge

Spring has sprung here in Northern California and the days are growing warmer, brighter, more colorful. Although this past Sunday you would never know it was spring. My girlfriend Shara and I decided to go visit the Alameda Antiques fair, which hosts the first Sunday every month around 700 antiques and collectibles vendors. The weather had dropped by 20 degrees, it was overcast and windy and there were maybe 100 vendors. But we were brave and bundled up and we quickly scoured the stalls and found a few treasures. One of the vendors had this terrific mirror display on the side of their van, and mirrors were scattered in front of it. I like how the mirrors pick up on several parts of my body and how the blue pickup is featured in two of the mirrors on the side of the van.

March Wild Card Submission from Chrissy

-- Chrissy

March Mirror, Mirror Submission from Lisa

"This picture sums up my day today. Blue. Realizing American efficiency is not appreciated in France." -- Lisa

March Mirror, Mirror Submission from Jesse

"I’m focusing on music this month. When I bought a new Bass, I decided to take some more pictures of all my equipment in case I wanted to update the pictures on my Facebook page. I noticed in one that my eyes and smile were reflected in the chrome pickups. I decided to attempt a shot with clearer detail. I wasn’t having a very merry time lining up the camera with the guitar and my image, but I did get an image albeit not a Pulitzer." -- Jesse

March Mirror, Mirror Submission from Judy F.

"This photo was taken while I was waiting to go into the Cliff House in San Francisco for a Sunday brunch. I liked the photo that you can see inside the restaurant and the way the reflections behind and seeing through the windows into the restaurant and beyond into the ocean makes an interesting collage. Like my life it's a jumble with a pattern. Something that it's hard to get a handle on at the moment." -- Judy F.

March Shadow Self Submission from Chrissy

"I had actually taken this last month... just fooling around...I noticed how my legs looked similar to the tree's 'legs'.... That tree is no longer there... It was a double eucalyptus I had cut down this week... It was bittersweet to have 6 trees taken down... 6 years ago they all started out as 5 gallon trees... Now the 'forest' will be transformed into a more feminine garden...As Shelley said, 'no more phallic symbols, now its time for more femininity...'" lol--Chrissy

March Out and About Submission from Virginia

I took this photo at the Jimtown General Store in Napa earlier this year. I just love this deli/store. The shelves are packed with nostalgic novelty items like ball and jacks, crocheted doilies, mason jars of jellybeans, Blackjack gum, Magic Fish, Chinese finger twisters. The Jimtown Store is a colorful, creatively motivating environment that brings back the positive memories of childhood. Plus the deli makes a mean olive tapenade/brie sandwich! The store's back room is filled with antiques and folk art, so I was moseying around, completely and satisfactorily absorbed in my own brand of dusty heaven. I grabbed this photo in a mirror -- I liked the way the light was shining into the room through the window. I like the way it landed on my face. I look peaceful. I felt peaceful. It was simply a wonderful moment.

Others, Mirror, Self Submission from Beth H.

"You are my mirror.

I forget that you are my opportunity to cherish
the parts of my humanity that I have neglected or disowned.

In all your disguises, you bring me back to a place of wholeness.

Thank you for the gift of remembering." -- Beth H.

This was a lovely February post from the blog of Beth H. of Hint Jewelry. Check out Beth's beautiful, soul-full silver metal clay charms and necklaces here.

March Mirror, Mirror Submission from Linda

"My reflection upon the reflection on my monitor screen of my drawing of my granddaughter and myself deep in the background reveals how distant our relationship is. She lives in another city totally involved in all the things teen agers do these days. I live an hour away totally involved in my life. Distance and self-involvement is the reason I'll never know her and she will never know me. Drawing pictures is the only way I know how to bring her closer--and that's not good enough." -- Linda R.

NEW CATEGORY - SHADOW SELF!

Shadows are not true reflections, yet they give an interesting, often fairytale-like perspective of oneself. The definitions of shadow as a noun include: "a hint, image, or faint semblance; a remnant or vestige; a reflection; the Jungian archetype (the shadow self) that represents man's animal ancestors or primal instincts." In Jungian psychology, one learns to embrace the dark side of the self in order to integrate it and heal the psyche. I invite you to bring your Shadow Self into the light of day!

My submission this month -- I captured my shadow on this wildly painted threshold of a home in the surfing town of Salyulita, Nayarit (Mexico). I love the colors, the lizard, and the feeling of motion in this simple photo. My shadow self seems to be tickling the side of the lizard, getting it to squiggle off the step. I think it is celebrating its inclusion in such an artsy setting. Party on, shadow self!

March Others, Mirror, Self Submission from Chrissy

"I took this a few days ago and my main goal was getting a shot of the water that had gathered on my table outside... I've taken many water shots from different angles that have fooled an eye or two! lol.... But I noticed the refection of my sycamore tree which will soon be cut down because its over taking my yard.. Its choking my African Sumac tree so I will have to sacrifice those huge leaves...." -- Chrissy

March Mirror Mirror Submission from Billy

Here is my entry for March! It is March Madness for basketball, and I am a Kentucky Wildcat Fan as you know. Here is the Le Chaval Midway Boutique "wildcat collection." Can you see me and the railroad signal in the back ground. Midway got it's name and was settled by the man who built the railroad. It is located half way between Lexington and Frankfort KY. Midway is a very peaceful place with artsy shops, leather goods, and very nice cafes with outdoor porches, for dining! -- Billy H.

March Mirror, Mirror Challenge

Aaaah, spring is almost here -- well it is here on the West Coast! I'm soaking up sunshine, green grass (left over from winter rains), flowering apple trees, redbuds, jonquils. I have a bit of a tan left over from our vacation in Mexico, and I'm dancing up a storm these days -- so all in all, I'm feeling a bit more youthful these days! This photo was taken in a fabulous store in Salyulita, Nayarit, filled with Mexican folk arts. This tiny, hammered tin mirror hung on one of its walls -- La Corazon -- the heart. Framed by love, it is a reminder that I love and am loved -- no matter where I am in the world.

Mirror Mirror Wild Card Submission from Chrissy

"This is my wild card for the month!... Can u guess what my reflection is in??? It is in a room where most of America can be found daily........Yep I caught this shot in my bathroom... Saw my reflection on the top of my faucet....I like the concave look it gives, u can see the rest of my bathroom behind me....Ok, I promise, next month no more bathroom shots!" -- Chrissy

February Others, Mirror, Self Submission from Billy

"Here is my entry for Feb. It was taken the second day after my daughter Andrea gave birth to twin boys. This is the reflection in the hospital room window. There was snow on the parking lot outside. Andrea was in a solemn mood and holding one of the babies. Aubrey (my
granddaughter) was being shown attention by her father and trying to understand the whole thing. The clock on the wall was appropriate because time was important. Andrew was not eating as well as Nathaniel, and I was worried that he may not be able to come home with
the rest of the family. Today all is well and he is eating much better once they found out that the hole in the nipple was too small -- life is so fragile! Enjoy every minute!!!" -- Billy

February Mirror Mirror Submission from Virginia

What is it about the eyes? You look into a person's eyes and you see many different things -- a friend, a lover, a mother, a father, a husband, a wife. You see states of grace, emotion, feeling. Eyes speak poetry. Eyes are called the windows to the soul. Just by gazing into your lover's eyes, you can see galaxies. Eyes can be capricious, flirtatious, weepy, blurry, angry. But maybe that's not the eye -- maybe it's the sum total of all the little muscles and frown lines surrounding the eye that conveys the emotion.

Been a little camera shy these days. So decided to do a close up. I have always loved my hazel eyes, I like how they combine the leaf green of nature with the animal-like brown. But I don't think anyone can tell from a distance if they are hazel. You've got to get close up, right in my face. Most people who I am not intimate with would say they are brown. However, even people who have looked deeply into my eyes on a regular basis would probably say brown. Even my husband hesitated when I asked him! (In all fairness, he was hesitating because he could sense it was a trick question -- lucky for him he finally said hazel, LOL!) So here's my right eye, unmade up, in the buff so to speak. My left eye has a black witch's dot in it, but that's another story. I think I shot this photo in macro, but it's a bit out of focus. You can definitely see the rim of green surrounding the tawny or chestnut brown inner circle. I got these from my Daddy, who my Mom once said had hazel eyes you could drown in. I wish I could see my Daddy's eyes one more time.

February Mirror Mirror Submission from Chrissy

"Yes, its another mirror shot!. I had just blow dried my hair and I had noticed how much my hair had grown out... The guy who cuts my hair was right- thank you Carlo, u have me for life!. LOL. Don't worry Virginia, I AM DRESSED, tho it doesn't look it... Oh and did u notice? Kalei just had to get in the picture!" -- Chrissy

February Mirror, Mirror Challenge

I keep hearing the Young Rascal's song How Can I Be Sure? in my head when I look at this journal page I created: "How can I be sure? In a world that's constantly changing? How can I be sure -- where I stand with you?" If you're a girl, you spend a lot of time looking in the mirror. It's such an obsessive habit: Do I need more lipstick? Do I like these earrings? Is my hem straight? Do I have too many frown lines? Am I getting old? What's missing? What's missing? What's missing? I have to consciously make my mirror my friend -- both at home and in the dance studio. The critic is so loud I often can't hear anything except the negatives. To debunk the critic in dance I often pretend that I am someone else (who is a good or "great dancer" in my book), until I get a feeling in my body that the dance lines I see reflecting back to me, are indeed mine. Sometimes I think, "Damn! I'm looking pretty good!" The close up mirror, however, is not yet my friend. I'm still working on that transformation!