'Happy New Year' by Bhamgal

Happy New Year, a photo by Bhamgal on Flickr.

Happy New Year everyone. Here's to a totally fabulous 2012. I'll keep this short as I'm sure you've all got amazing parties to be going to or you need to be snuggling in front of telly with a bottle of fizz. Or in some cases it's already 2012 for you and all this New Year's Eve malarky is old news!

Here is a photo which is different from a typical new year themed photo. The scrabble idea is such a simple one but it always seems to work so well. I love the wooden scrabble tiles too - puts my shabby plastic ones to shame.

See you in 2012!!

'bedroom' by I put deadly nightshade in your cup of tea.

bedroom, a photo by I put deadly nightshade in your cup of tea. on Flickr.

It was a very exciting day in our house today as we swapped our daughter's toddler bed for a proper single bed. Of course that meant nothing else fitted where it used to so lots of reshuffling has been done but it now looks terrific. Actually it looks rather grown up. My little girl is definitely not my baby any more. Not even a toddler in fact. Sigh.... I wonder if she'll let me hang out in there too.

I thought this photo was rather appropriate to accompany this post. It's so girly and dreamy. I'd love a bedroom like that. That bed looks so cozy. I love the fairy lights and how well they have been captured in this picture. But most of all I love photos and other pictures on the wall in the background. I feel inspired - I'd love to do this somewhere in my home.

'Burst of colour' by Me

Burst of colour, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I've been having a bit of a clear out of the photos sitting about doing nothing on my computer and turns out there are some nice ones that have previously been overlooked. I had to look twice at this one as I wasn't sure what it was. At first I thought it looked like tiny lilttle balls or beads but quickly remembered it was a view of the little ball pit we had for our daughter when she was a baby. I thought I'd share this picture with you as I thought it was time for a great big burst of colour!

'My first shoes' by Bozowizard

My first shoes, a photo by Bozowizard on Flickr.

Although I really do love digital photography Polaroid and other instant cameras have always fascinated me. Earlier this year I got my hands on a secondhand Polaroid 600 camera but was really disappointed with the results. Reluctant to spend a fortune on the Impossible Project film for it I decided that the next time I tried instant photography it would be with a modern camera. I now own such camera as my dearest husband bought me a Polaroid 300 for Christmas. I'm so excited about getting started with it but I am also so wary of wasting photos as with just 10 exposures per film you can't just snap away like with a digital camera.

I will of course let you know how I get on with my camera in due course but for the time being I'll just show you a few instant pictures I love by other photographers. I think this one is so cute. What adorable little shoes. A perfect subject for a photo. What I really love though is the gorgeous sunlight. It just goes to show that a beautiful day can be captured on any type of camera.

'Christmas Day' by ellieswellies

Christmas Day, a photo by ellieswellies on Flickr.

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas - I know I did. There's so much I could share with you about the past few days but I think I'll just use the word I used in my post about Christmas Eve. Magical. My daughter was just so happy and excited the whole day, in fact even two days later she seems to still be on her festive high. I'm very happy but also rather tired. On Christmas Day in fact I ended up going upstairs for a nap. Oh the joys of pregnancy! But this does mean that I got to experience a bit of childhood magic for myself. I went to bed, went to sleep and when I woke up it was still Christmas. Now how many children have wished that could be the case!

I didn't really take many arty photos over the past few day so here is a Christmas Day photo taken by someone else last year. It looks like it was a beautiful day. I love blue skies like this and snow is always a bit special if you end up with some on Christmas Day. My favourite bit of this is the icicles - check out the weird bent one to the left of this picture. I wonder how that happened.

'Joy to the World.' by CarolynsHope

Joy to the World., a photo by CarolynsHope on Flickr.

Well it's finally here. It's Christmas Eve (and to some of you on the other side of the world it's Christmas Day already!). Today has been a magical day. Had lunch with some great friends I've not seen in ages, went to a lovely children's service at the church and just been putting a very excited little girl to bed. Seriously loving Christmas this year because of her. This is actually her fourth Christmas but because this is the first year she really gets what's going on it almost feels like it's her first Christmas again.

I shall leave you now with this beautiful photo - yes more baubles!! I love the colour, I love the bokeh, I love the simplicity. Merry Christmas everyone.

'Festive stuff' by Me

Festive stuff, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I decided today to take a few photos of festive bits and pieces from around the house and here's my favourite snap. I like it because it's just so random. It also makes me laugh that we have so many boxes of mince pies in the house and I don't even like them. My husband and daughter love them though so I'm sure they won't go to waste! I'll just stick with the great big boxes of chocolate that are always kicking around the house at Christmas.

Two more sleeps! Squeeeal!

'golden christmas card' by Babycrazy89

golden christmas card, a photo by Babycrazy89 on Flickr.

In a previous post I said this week's photos were going to be all festive and sparkly and I think I've delivered on the festive bit. Not sure I've given you enough sparkle though. Therefore here's a gold and sparkly photo just for you. I love that the only colour in it is gold really but there's still so much going on.

Only three more sleeps! Yay!

'buddy xmas' by chotda

buddy xmas, a photo by chotda on Flickr.

I guess it's the same every year but this year, probably because I'm pregnant, it feels like December has been super busy. So far I've done a photography course in London, found out the sex of our baby, visited friends and family, been to Christmas parties for grown ups and Christmas parties for children, had friends come to visit, been to a carol concert, been to a very excellent pre-school nativity, done a lot of shopping, had lots of nice lunches out, and that's on top of the usual groups and activities that I do with my daughter. To be totally honest with you I'm rather looking forward to a bit of a sit down in January! I'm shattered!

In fact I kind of resemble the cute puppy in this photo right now. What a lovely picture. I'm not sure if the dog's heart was totally in this photoshoot though. Perhaps red and white isn't his chosen colour for headwear! I'm not generally a doggy person but I have to admit this photo is rather terrific. Simple, festive and made me smile.

'Christmas chocolates' by Me

Christmas chocolates, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I decided that I should add a photo of my own to this week's Christmas pictures and here is my offering. I was a bit bored of taking pictures of the tree so I tried to think outside the box and found myself, well, inside the box. A box of chocolates that is. We were given them as a gift and there seemed no point waiting until Christmas Day to open them. I'm sure there'll be lots of yummy food to keep us busy then. Needless to say there would be a few gaps if I went to retake this picture now!

Untitled image by -Fearless-

Untitled, a photo by -Fearless- on Flickr.

I can't believe that this time next week it'll be Christmas Day. I also can't believe the lack of festive images on my blog. I must do something about that so have decided that this week will be lovely and sparkly and festive here on 'It's all about the photos'!

Let's get the ball rolling with this lovely picture. It's another one of a snowy tree but it has a completely different feel to the pine tree image in my last post. Firstly, I really love the reflection on the bauble. It's a lovely picture itself. I also like all the detail, how the snow is kind of melting on the tree and I love the little splash of red. And how cute is that blue colour? Really makes the photo vintage looking. Another one that would make a great Christmas card. I've I feeling I might be saying that about very picture I post this week though.

'Pine and snow' by Shari-Lynn1

Pine and snow, a photo by Shari-Lynn1 on Flickr.

Well it snowed a little bit this morning. Not enough to settle and cause any disruption but enough that my daughter could get all excited! She said, "I told you it would snow!" as I've been telling her I didn't think it would snow for a while. I would say that's probably it for now but I underplayed the wind on Monday and woke up to a broken fence in the back garden!

Here's a snowy and rather Christmassy photo which I find absolutely beautiful. The colours are so strong and fresh. You can almost smell the pine needles. The detail of the snow is great and I especially love that it's been captured falling out of the sky. This could definitely be a Christmas card.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

'Bord de Seine' by Nicolas.M Photographie

Bord de Seine, a photo by Nicolas.M Photographie on Flickr.

There's no reason to be posting this photo other than it's rather beautiful and I just wanted to share it with you. It's a wonderful example of night photography which I hope to be able to master one day. The lights are perfect. And of course it's of Paris which is a great place to get some lovely photos. I'm starting to wonder if there are actually any bad pictures which include the Eiffel Tower. I hope you enjoy looking at this photo as much as I do.

'~ summer love ~' by ~Fussel~

~ summer love ~, a photo by ~Fussel~ on Flickr.

Well I spoke too soon about it not blowing a gale yesterday. The wind did indeed get much stronger in the night, so strong in fact that one of our fence panels came down and has squished one of our patio chairs. Serves us right really, we should have put all that away by now!

Because the weather is so cold and miserable outside I really felt the need for a hot and summery photo this evening. This one does the trick! I feel much warmer just looking at it. Those warm tones are wonderful and I really like the creative angle. I don't know if it was really there or added afterwards but I think the balloon finishes it off perfectly - especially as it matches the flowers exactly.

'Blown away' by Me

Blown away, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

As I sit here at the computer I can hear the wind blowing a gale outside. Well, it's not gale force quite yet but it does sound rather strong and I'm sure it'll be even stronger in the middle of the night. Oh well, at least it's not snowing!

The weather might be rubbish but it has inspired me to post this rather cool photograph. Whilst up on Beachy Head I spotted this fantastic tree which of course had to be photographed. I wonder why it had grown in this way. I mean it is rather windy up at the top of the cliffs but you'd wouldn't expect quite such a dramatic growth of a tree. I think this picture works well in bold black and white. It makes it look really wintery and cold even though it was a beautiful and sunny autumn evening.

'full english' by reya.

full english, a photo by reya. on Flickr.

Do you eat breakfast? To be honest I never used to, I always preferred that little bit longer in bed. Plus eating food that early in the morning never really appealled to me. Since my daughter came along though I can't function unless I've had something to eat in the morning - usually cereal. One thing I can't imagine finding the space for first thing is a fried breakfast. Now, I love a good fry up but first thing in the morning - urgh, not sure I could stomach that. Unless I'm staying in a hotel that is! Then for some reason I hit the breakfast buffet at full speed!

This breakfast picture caught my attention firstly because it made me feel hungry but also I really liked the angle it was taken at. Much more interesting than taking it from above like many people capture plates of food. I bet not many shots were taken before the photographer tucked right in!

'339/365' by soulman53

339/365, a photo by soulman53 on Flickr.

I know "It's my blog and I'll post if I want to" but I do feel a bit bad about not posting very regularly at the moment. You see for me this is meant to be a pretty much daily blog but that little thing called life has once again been inconsiderately getting in the way. I have been having a good week though which is included my 20 week baby scan and a rather fun Christmas party. Lots of other fun stuff coming up in the run up to Christmas too. In fact I can't believe Christmas is only a couple of weeks away now. This means I must try and find some beautiful festive photos to share with you, and try and take some of my own. This year's personal challenge is to try and get some lovely ones of fairy lights.

In the mean time though, here is a wonderful picture of one of my favourite places - Brighton. I just love the light of that beautiful morning sky. And even though it was taken this month it doesn't look that cold. In fact it makes me want to go an take a stroll on the pier right now. Perhaps with a an extra few layers on though. And a hat. And a scarf. And a few pairs of gloves!

Happy weekend everyone!

'December sunset' by Me

December sunset, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I have been waiting to take a lovely sunset picture for a while and I think I finally managed it. My daughter and I were snuggled up together watching a Chipmunks film when I spotted this sky out of the window. As much as I was enjoying the cuddles I leapt up, grabbed the camera and took a few shots. My daughter wanted to know what I was looking at and she agreed that the sky was indeed very beautiful. I think that the trees at the bottom finish this picture of perfectly and I'm really pleased with this shot.

'Fells Point, Baltimore - shiny door detail' by karma (Karen)

Fells Point, Baltimore - shiny door detail, a photo by karma (Karen) on Flickr.

Happy Monday everyone! I was meant to post this weekend but we were so busy with various friends and family visiting I just didn't get the chance. Not to mention I didn't have the energy. Entertaining is a tiring business, especially when you are 19 weeks pregnant.

This is just one of those photos where I can't really say why I like it - I just do. I love it when people can see beauty in the every day things around them. And this also demonstrates how you don't even have to see the sky or the surrounding area to know that it was a bright sunny day when this was taken. Well it looks like it was anyway!

Hope your week has started well. If not then don't worry, only four days until the weekend!

'B42094_26' by Fredrik Lundén

B42094_26, a photo by Fredrik Lundén on Flickr.

As it's been so cold today I thought I'd end the day with a beautiful warm sunset. This photo has such a peaceful vibe. I wish I could be sitting there right now. It makes me think that it was taken at the end of a gorgeous hot day. The light is wonderful and the focus works so well. In fact the burred background makes it feel even more warm and tranquil.

Happy weekend everyone!

'christmas balls' by anna yuson

christmas balls, a photo by anna yuson on Flickr.

Well what do you know, it's the first day of December. Christmas really is on its way now. I am pleased how organised I've been. Most of my presents have been bought and wrapped and most of my cards have been bought and written. I'm very sure I'll still be rushing around at the last minute for something I've forgotten though!

Today's post was inspired by Homebird who said she loved pictures of fairy lights and anything with a bokeh effect. Here is a lovely bokeh, fairy light, Christmassy photo. I love it because it's sparkly and pretty. I like that it's a very pink picture but also manages to still be Christmassy even though pink isn't really a traditionally festive colour. And of course because there's a reflection I'm getting right up close to the screen to see what's going on the background.

Happy 1st December to you all.