Bumblebee on Coneflower

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. (Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro)

Daylilies

For this shot, I diffused the light shining directly on the daylilies, but allowed the bright dappled sunlight to filter through in the background.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. Nikon D850 / Nikkor 105mm micro

Daylilies

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. Nikon D850 / Nikkor 105mm micro

Daylily

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. Nikon D850 / Nikkor 105mm micro

Juvenile Widow skimmer dragonfly

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. Nikon D850 / Nikkor 105mm micro

Hydrangea blues

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Dad

My friend and neighbor, Rebecca, just colorized a photo of my dad that I had posted yesterday on FB. I told her I work in PS daily and haven’t ever had the opportunity to do colorization like this. She did a beautiful job. Thanks, Rebecca!

This is my father (center, staring intently at his beer) when he was in the Air Force. He entered very young (barely 17), and I imagine he was maybe 20 years old in this photo. I see my resemblance to him a lot in this photo.

Stargazer lilies

My huge cluster of stargazer lilies put on quite a show a few weeks ago! 18 blooms across four plants, and so fragrant that I could smell them from the front porch! 

Shot with my iPhone 8Plus

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Re-post: Summer issue of Celebrate Home Magazine

Summer has begun and there’s no better time than now to revisit the summer 2013 issue of Celebrate Home Magazine.

Here’s what you’ll find in this issue:

HOME
Up a Creek with Lots of Memories—The Havermann family finds a place to play in a vacation 
home on St. Leonard’s Creek in southern Maryland.

FOOD & ENTERTAINING
Light and Lively Summer Fare—Chef Emily Doermann whips up a tasty summer meal.

Not-a-Burger—Everyone loves a burger on the grill during summer. If you’re not a meat-eater, here is an alternative that can’t be beat!

Six Summer Sips—Mixologist Karen Covey shares sizzling summer drinks to beat the heat.

Space Cake—Put down that Moon Pie and try this heirloom cake without-of-the-world taste.

Inspired by the Garden: Garden Muse Tea Reception—Barbara Kelley caters a photography exhibit reception to remember.

Summer Tablescapes—Usher in summer with cool summer-inspired tablescapes.

THE ARTIST
Shoe-la-la, Ooh-la-la!—A popular children’s book is the inspiration for a mural in 
a shoe-loving little girl’s room.

HOME
That 80s House—A bathroom gets a new lease on life.

Rest for the Weary—Create a welcoming guestroom for your visitors.

GARDENING
Ode to a Chicken—Becka Davis pays homage to a beloved feathered friend.

Suburban Agriculture: Confessions of a Brown Thumb—Maria Hufnagel shares her experience as a first-time gardener.

Fashioning a Fairy Garden—Kristin Clem connects with her inner child and creates 
a miniature fairy paradise.

HOW-TO
Photographing Your Garden Through the Seasons—Photographer Cindy Dyer shares her tips for creating captivating images in the garden.

THE COLLECTOR
Rampant Biblioholism—Marisa Sarto interviews CHM’s art director/photographer, Cindy Dyer, 
and discovers how a love of books has shaped her collection.

So Charming—Ginger Garneau shares her lifelong passion for charm bracelets.

CRAFT
Fit to Tied (and Dyed): Fun and Easy Wearables Made with T-shirts—Achieve amazing results with inexpensive t-shirts, colorful dyes, simple 
knotting and a pair of scissors!

PERSPECTIVES
Living Spontaneously, Finding Roots by Martha Bizzell
Celebrating Life at the Table by Gina Waterfield
The Home of My Dreams by Stephanie Simpson
Home is… by Bo Mackison
Saying Goodbye by William Lee
Respect for Home by Birgitte Tarding
Always Growing by Lisa Westfall

View the issue as reader spreads (my favorite!):

CHM Summer 2013 Spreads

View the issue as single pages (suitable for printing):

CHM Summer 2013 Single Pages

Splurge and purchase a beautiful print copy on magcloud.com (no markup; at cost + shipping):

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/600404

“Hosta seeds” (NOT)

A few weeks ago I shared a post about some unusual color hostas available from a FB ad. I took the bait and paid $12.95 (including shipping) for “200 hosta seeds” from a company called Garden Gate (apparently NOT affiliated with the magazine of the same name). My hostas in the backyard garden are gorgeous this year, so I thought, why not add some new varieties–and with those colors (which I admit seemed a bit suspect, but I was smitten already!) would mean color in the garden when nothing else was blooming. Plus, hostas are perennial and easy care plants. I’ve never seen a hosta seed and didn’t know whether they grew from seeds in the first place. Win-win, yes?

I then read reviews saying you will NOT get 200. You will NOT get actual hosta “seeds.” And there is no hot pink hosta in existence.

So I promptly wrote to PayPal and told them what I thought of this company. I was refunded just a few days later. Then today, I just got these “hosta seeds.” Not 200, by a stretch. But since they’re FREE and I’m curious by nature, I’m gonna plant them and let you know what transpires. (They look like tulip bulbs or something smaller. Someone commented and said they look like garlic cloves, which they do. No garlic smell, though.)

Also, the box was already open. Guess whoever tampered with the box saw “hosta seeds” and considered it a bust. Wish me luck on whatever these are. 😜

Just counted them….24.25 “hosta seeds.”

Blooming in my garden: Oriental lily ‘Stargazer’

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
iPhone 8Plus, Camera+2 app in macro mode

Blooming in my garden: Asiatic lilies

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
iPhone 8Plus, Camera+2 app in macro mode

Blooming in my garden: Asiatic lily

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
iPhone 8Plus, Camera+2 app in macro mode

Oriental lily ‘After Eight’

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
iPhone 8Plus, Camera+2 app in macro mode

Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
iPhone 8Plus, Camera+2 app in macro mode

Raindrops on Lambs ear leaf

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
iPhone 8Plus, Camera+2 app in macro mode

Louisiana iris ‘Black Gamecock’

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
iPhone 8Plus, Camera+2 app in macro mode

Allium

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
iPhone 8Plus, Camera+2 app in macro mode

Asiatic lilies

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
iPhone 8Plus, Camera+2 app in macro mode

Love-in-a-mist

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Bumblebee on daylily

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Daylily

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Gladiolas

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Bearded iris

Okay, one more black-blackground-outdoors scenario with my Bearded irises…it was overcast but high light this morning, so I was able to get some really cool contrast in this image…so much so that it looks like I added some artificial lighting to the right (I didn’t, I just harnessed mother nature!)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Blooming in my garden today: Spiderwort

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Bearded irises blooming in my garden today

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Bearded iris blooming in my garden today

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Forget-me-nots and Hosta ‘Abba Dabba Do’

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Siberian iris

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

White Bleeding Hearts

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.