Photography Contest!

All right, here's the information on the photography contest I'm hosting! It's going to be open to entries all year - that leaves you plenty of time to take LOTS of photos (you can enter as many as you want at whatever time during the year!).

This contest is open to all ages, and there is only one category, as I think that children are quite as capable of taking photos that can compete with adults.

The theme for this contest is one word: Pure. I wish I could enter this contest myself because I've been thinking of all the different ways this word can be portrayed in photographs! Be creative and use your imagination; think outside the box and come up with as many different ways to apply "Pure" to a photo subject.

Entries will be judged on photo quality, composition, lighting, and originality of interpreting the theme.

We will award one First Place winner, and several runners up. First Place prize information is forthcoming.

You may enter as many photos as you want, at any time during the year (so you could enter photos as you take them, or save them and submit them all at the end). You will only be eligible to win one physical prize, though multiple photos of yours may be awarded runner up.

This contest is FREE to enter; we would, however, appreciate a small donation to go toward the first place prize (this is not required to be entered in the contest). You can make your donation at the contest page.

We will be accepting entries through December 31, 2010 and the winner and finalists will be announced January 15, 2011.

Please visit the contest page HERE to read full details that are not included in this post!

I am counting on lots of fabulous entries!

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Note: Image will be deleted when contest is over.

i heart faces contest

I am entering a photography contest over at i heart faces, hoping to win a free Tamron lens!! The likelyhood of that happening is very slim, since there are some fabulous professional photographers entering, but at least I can say I tried, right? In order to be entered, I have to post these pictures here on my blog. Here goes...

Photo #1:

This is my lovely sister playing her new panflute outside by our pond (how romantic, isn't it?). This is a beautiful instrument with a pipe for each note.

Photo #2:

This is a little kitten we rescued, named Eppie. We named her after Eppie in "Silas Marner" because she was black (if you know the story, Eppie has to go in the coal shed as punishment for disobeying - hence the black part). She has flattened ears ready to pounce in this photo (I love it when cats do that)!

I am submitting these photos into the I Heart Faces logo photo contest. By entering, I am granting I Heart Faces LLC permission to consider my photos for use in the marketing and promotion of their website.

P.S. This is not the photo contest I mentioned before - more on that coming soon!

Contest coming soon...

Keep your eyes peeled for some news on a photography contest I'll be having! I'm getting all the details organized and I'll post here when everything is set to go. You can also check the home site, Maidens of Virtue, where I will post the full details.

I've been thinking I should do a photography contest because it seems like photography is very popular right now; at least I seem to be running into a LOT of people who are interested in it.

Feel free to comment and let me know if you think this is a good idea and if you would be entering! (By the way, all you writers out there - this is not to replace the poetry/essay contest I hold in the spring. This is a separate contest and I will still be holding the writing contest, Lord willing. Cast your vote if it should be an essay or poetry contest here).

Wordless Wednesday - Forest of Ice

Decadence!

I looked up the word "decadence" in the dictionary and the definition it gave was "luxurious self-indulgence." That just might describe your experience when you make - and more importantly, eat - these little bits of chocolate delight.

This is a winter tradition of ours that my sister and I make chocolate truffles every year. We've experimented with different flavors, like orange and almond, but we've found that our favorite by far (and the most popular among others) is the peppermint. Chocolate and peppermint seem to have been made to go together! Try these out and you'll see why.

Peppermint Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:
1 8-oz.(eight ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 1/2 tsp. pure peppermint extract (or extract of your choice, such as vanilla, orange, almond)
Crushed peppermints for rolling, optional

Instructions:

1. Beat cream cheese until smooth in a large bowl. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until well blended.

2. Stir in melted chocolate until no streaks remain. Mix in peppermint extract. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in crushed peppermints. Store in parchment-lined candy tins in a cool place. Makes about 60 truffles.

P.S. I'm having a year-end special over on my graphic design website! You will receive a FREE custom button with ANY purchase - even if all you buy is a signature or a pre-made Twitter background for $5 (buttons are $7! That's getting $12 worth for only $5!). For those who want lots of work done, if you purchase $50 or more in graphics you'll get the free button PLUS a free custom Twitter background! These offers expire at midnight, December 31st, 2009. Go to www.PrairieRoseDesigns.com to take advantage of this special! :-)

Tell Me Thursday - My Goofball

Once again, I apologize for the lack of posting. Sometimes life gets in the way and blogging is not always my top priority!

I decided that once in a while I will do Wordless Wednesday as I LOVE photography and this would be a good way to actually use some of the photos I take. :-) (Please note that my photos are copyrighted and may not be reused without permission).

And then the Thursday after, you can come back and read the story behind the photo - if there is one!

I posted the above picture yesterday for WW. This is my kitty. Her name is Gavana - fancy name, isn't it? That's because she is from Russia; she is a special breed which is (mostly) hypo-allergenic, which is important because both my sister and my dad are pretty severely allergic to cats! But with this breed, they are fine - strange, isn't it? The reason is that this breed doesn't have dander, which is the cause of most cat allergies.

Gavana is an extremely talkative, social cat as long as it is only the family around. The second she hears a car in the driveway she bolts upstairs and doesn't come out until the company has left!

She is quite the goofball sometimes, as you can see from the photo. :-) She enjoys sunning herself in very strange positions that look decidedly uncomfortable to me, but seem to be satisfactory to her. She gets in lots of trouble but we love her anyway! :-)

Wordless Wednesday - My Goofball

Come back tomorrow to read the Tell Me Thursday for this photo!