144/365 photo walk

What a fun photo walk with Lynn today in St. Paul!!  The weather was cloudy but very pleasant, and there was so much to see.

I had a terrible time choosing, but I'm posting two.  One from Ten Thousand Villages (more about them here), and one from Summit Avenue.  If you click on the links you can see the sets from each place. 

Ten Thousand Villages is an amazing gift shop that sells items hand made around the world using the highest fair trade standards.  Their products are high quality, and give the artisans the opportunity to earn a fair wage.  But the best part is the spectacular creativity.  This box was made in India from pieces of broken bangles like the ones shown--recycled after broken from wear.

I chose this shot out of all the photos from Summit Avenue because I have often been drawn to photos focused on textures in the foreground and shot from a low angle.  This huge collection of fallen crab apple blossoms was the perfect opportunity to try it.  What a fun house and yard this was to photograph.