I Won the AGPlaythings Doll Dossiers Photo Contest!! :)

Hey guys!! I'm super excited!  I just heard the news yesterday.  Now, before you're totally impressed by my accomplishment, let me put it in perspective.  There were only 7 total entries, so it's not like I won a landslide victory or something. ;)  Still, though, I'm really happy.  Especially considering that in high school my photography skills were pretty sad.  All you have to do is look at my pics from my Washington DC trip to confirm that! :} 

My doll photography has been a completely unexpected blessing that I gained by starting this blog.  I love taking pics of my dolls and trying to make it look like they're really alive.  One of my greatest inspirations is Dare Wright, author of the "Lonely Doll" books.  Have any of you read those?  When I was younger, one of the teachers at my school had a copy of "A Gift from the Lonely Doll" and "The Doll and the Kitten".  I loved the way Ms. Wright used photography to illustrate the story.  I think I always have those books in the back of my mind when I try to create a photo story. :)

Anyway, enough rambling.  I thought you all might like to see the prize-winning, er...recognition-winning photo (no prizes on this contest). :)  The contest was called "My Special Place".  We were supposed to submit a pic of one of our dolls in their favorite spot, and then describe why it was so special.  Here's the pic I came up with:

And here is the description I included with it:

"Tess loves nothing more than cuddling up with a good book on a rainy day. Her favorite place to do that is in her special chair. It may be old and worn, but it's also soft and cozy. On stormy days, she can be seen heading to her chair with a pile of books, a pile that usually includes at least one Jane Austen novel. :)

Next to her chair is her special dresser. It was a thrift store find from "Mama" (aka beastsbelle) and is just right for holding all of her special treasures. She has a few framed pictures, including a Bible verse, a small picture of Tess with her best friend, Maggie, and a picture of Tess and Emma in their regency dresses. You can also see an old cameo and a long, antique necklace. Tess loves to find old-fashioned things to add to her collection. She often dreams of the old days and wishes she could live in a different time period. Next to the antique necklace is a little ceramic dog. Tess loves collecting tiny figurines, and this one is one of her favorites. And of course, she also has her American Girl Rebecca doll on display! The Felicity doll belongs to Tess's little sister, Hailey.

Now, the only problem is remembering to read instead of gazing out the window and dreaming! But that's okay...daydreaming can be a great pasttime for stormy days, too. :)"

I just had to share with all of you.  I had a lot of fun entering...I didn't expect to win! :) 

More posts will be coming soonish.  I have my weekend trip this Saturday (duh, when else would I have a weekend trip?), and I'm meeting with some writing friends tomorrow to work on my novel, so it depends on how much I can get done before then.

Talk to all of you soon! :)