Giant Mushrooms!

Wow! Look at those giant mushrooms!

...is what I said to myself last week when I saw them in a photo on Flickr by the incredibly talented photographer, pure_embers (Laura Embers). I'm a sucker for awesome dolly photo props, and I just HAD to have those mushrooms, so I did what I always do when I need something: I visited Amazon.com. I searched "mushroom sculpture", and before you could say "Cheese!", it was on it's way to me.

I love this springtime outdoor environment; let me tell you how I created it. The background is a piece of fabric I found at eQuilter (for a link to the fabric, click HERE ). The ground is a moss runner I recently picked up at World Market; it is meant for a table or mantelpiece as part of your Easter decorating. It is apparently made of real moss, glued to a background--it really sheds a lot! The mossy stones in front of the mushrooms are sold as "vase fillers", and they came from Amazon (the link is HERE). There--now you know all my secrets!

It might be difficult to incorporate these mushrooms into other photos and settings...my usual go-to girls with fantasy hair colors and bright dresses don't seem to go with it. I will have to experiment. It will be a challenge. I'm up for it!

This model is Patience, my ever-lovely Veronica Lace Blythe doll.  (I don't know the maker of her dress, because I purchased it second-hand.)

Actually, there is ONE more secret I will share with you. If you are wondering where/how I set up my pictures, here it is: an unedited, straight-from-the-camera photo of my work space. I set up most of my pictures on this old baby-changing table (I had to remove the front rail). It's a great size, and there are two open shelves underneath to store props. After taking a picture (with my Panasonic Lumix camera) I edit it in PicMonkey: I usually have to crop it, brighten it, warm up the colors, and then throw in an effect or two, such as Lomo or Burst. I play around with it until I feel like the photo really "grabs" me, and then I save it to my computer. I put all my best ones on Flickr; I consider that my back-up in case something happens to my computer. Editing makes all the difference between a boring picture and a great one. l