2022 Global Stamp graces the cover of Linn’s Stamp News

My friend Jay Bigalke is the editor-in-chief of Linn’s Stamp News and just shared this cover with my 2022 global stamp on the latest issue of the magazine! Learn more about the publication at www.linns.com.

Sharing Brian Loflin’s feature article in Bird Watcher’s Digest

Fellow photographers (especially the bird-loving ones), just wanted to share my former boss / mentor / lifelong friend Brian Loflin’s latest project—a feature article in the current issue of Bird Watcher’s Digest highlighting South Texas photography ranches and bird photography. Brian writes, “These photography ranches earn a secondary revenue stream from this type of activity instead of / in addition to the traditional consumptive activity of hunting. In my wildlife photography course, I try to instill the benefit of participation in, support of and aid in building these activities.”

You can check out Brian’s photography and learn more about this wildlife photography workshops here.

I hope you enjoy the article, which begins on page 58 of the pdf. Click here to download: Loflin-birdwatchersdigestJul-2019

Learn how to make jam!

Want to learn how to make jam? My friend and jam master Sophia Stadnyk shows you step-by-step how to make jam in our spring 2013 issue of Celebrate Home Magazine. Turn to page 36 to learn how. Then turn to page 42 for Barbara Kelley’s article, “Cooking with Jam,” where you’ll find (jam-packed!) recipes for an appetizer, entree and three sweet treats.

Barbara Kelley and I published this magazine series in 2012-2013 as a personal project. Click on the link below to download the free pdf of this issue!

Single pages version: Celebrate Home Spring 2013

Reader spreads version (my favorite!):
Celebrate Home Spring 2013 Spreads

Order a print copy (at cost, plus shipping):
http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/540569

You can also view it on issuu.com here.

Written by Sophia Stadnyk. Photography © Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Celebrate Home Magazine: Spring!

It’s almost spring and I thought I’d share the spring issue of Celebrate Home Magazine again. Barbara Kelley and I created this magazine in 2012-2013 as a personal project and had so much fun doing it! Click on either of the links below to download your FREE pdf copy of this issue.

This issue is jam-packed (and there’s even a jam-making feature with my friend Sophia Stadnyk!), so download today and get started reading.

Single pages version: Celebrate Home Spring 2013

Reader spreads version (my favorite!): Celebrate Home Spring 2013 Spreads

Order a print copy (at cost, plus shipping): http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/540569

You can also view it on issuu.com here.

On the cover: What says “spring” more than colorful tulips? I was photographing this bed of flowers and was standing on the edge of the wall when this little girl, clad in a princess skirt with sparkly shoes, came running around the corner. I got this one shot and she was gone. Serendipity!

USPS Facebook Announcement

Love the look of the keepsake envelopes with the pretty watercolor-y typesetting!

Another shameless plug for my waterlily stamps!

Here’s a cool statistic that I just learned from the USPS PR man—normally they print stamps in quantities of 40-50 million.

They’re printing my waterlily stamps in a quantity of HALF A BILLION—500 million stamps, which usually only happens with their holiday stamps. He said flowers tend to sell particularly well so they’re hoping this is the case with these.

So, on that note, go out and buy a book of 20 on March 20 (when the stamps make their official debut across the US)! You’ll make the USPS (and me) very happy indeed. (And no, I don’t get a cut of sales, in case you’re wondering!)

http://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2015/pb22409/html/info_004.htm

Profiled in Washington Gardener Magazine!

Many thanks to publisher Kathy Jentz for her profile on me in the November issue of her Washington Gardener Magazine. Double click on the link below, then click on the arrow and the pdf will launch. Kathy’s profile on me starts on page 18.

http://issuu.com/kathyjentz/docs/washingtongardenernov14/0

 

Want a free photography lesson on photographing gardens?

Read my feature, “Garden Photography,” in the summer 2013 issue of Celebrate Home Magazine, which I co-founded and published with Barbara Kelley. I share tips on shooting, what’s in my bag, notes on specific photos to teach about composition and light, and my favorite resources and websites. Download our entire summer 2013 issue on our website at www.celebratehomemagazine.com.

Click on this link to download the Garden Photography pdf: Celebrate Home Magazine Garden Photography

Photography and design by Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Published! Talking Pictures column in Shutterbug Magazine

Check out page 20 of the July 2014 issue of Shutterbug Magazine (which will be out in the early part of June)! Barry Tanenbaum, who also profiled me for the NikonUsa.com website a few years ago (click here for that how-to article in their Learn & Explore series), wrote about the story behind my USPS Fern stamp series coming to fruition in his monthly column, Talking Pictures. The creative director did a beautiful job on the layout, too. I’ve read Shutterbug Magazine since (covered wagon) college days, so it’s an honor to be profiled in a magazine that has been a great resource for me. Thanks, Barry and Shutterbug Magazine!

The stamps are only available online. You can purchase them in 2 strips of 10 for $9.80 or a strip of 25 for $12.25. Click here to order.

Interview with Mary Jasch in Dig It! Magazine

In the latest issue of Dig It! Magazine, publisher/author/photographer Mary Jasch interviews me and features my Fern stamps and townhouse garden. Click on “Cindy Dyer, photographer” on the far left or the photo of me dressed as the “Head Weed” on the right. Thanks for the opportunity, Mary—love your publication!

Published: My first series of stamps with the USPS!

Yesterday, after more than a year in the making, my series of USPS-licensed fern photographs were released as 49 cent stamps in large coil format for business use. Special thanks to art director Phil Jordan for being so great to work with on the series! I’ll be back with more details on how we can POSSIBLY get a smaller amount than the issued 3,000 and 10,000 quantity rolls!

Read more about the stamps here: http://uspsstamps.com/stamps/ferns

Order a first-day-of-issue set within 60 days here:

http://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2014/pb22381/html/info_013.htm

Celebrate Home Magazine, Summer 2013: Ready to download!

The summer 2013 issue of Celebrate Home Magazine is ready for FREE download! It may be my most favorite issue yet! We’ll have it available on our website as well at http://www.celebratehomemagazine.com, or you can download it in the links below. Please feel free to pass on the link to your family and friends. The more “clicks” we get, the better!

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

Help us spread the word! Share Celebrate Home Magazine with your family and friends.

From now until October 31, get your printed copy of our Celebrate Home Magazine for 25% off!

Magcloud.com is having a 25% off sale from now until October 31! Get the printed copy of the fall 2012 issue of Celebrate Home Magazine for $17.55 (reg. $23.40), plus shipping. The print copy is gorgeous, but you can also view it online free by signing up for a free magcloud.com account. Click on the link below to enjoy 25% off the print version!

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/447668

Celebrate Home Magazine now available on www.issuu.com!

Celebrate Home Magazine is now available for viewing on http://www.issuu.com! You’ll love the page-turnable interface and downloads are FREE. You can even control the zoom in and out features! Check it out here:

http://issuu.com/celebratehomemag/docs/celebratehomemagfall2012

Help us get those numbers up by downloading your free copy now! Every click helps us grow the magazine, ensuring more issues for you to read in the future. Help us spread the word!

Scene from Garden Muse: A Botanical Portfolio

In April, my friend, Mary Ellen Ryall (left), came all the way from Minong, Wisconsin, to see my photography exhibit (Garden Muse: A Botanical Portfolio) at Green Spring Gardens and to promote her new children’s book, My Name is Butterfly. Accompanying her to the show were Deneen Stambone (middle), a Fairfax County English teacher, and artist Worth Cooley-Prost (right), who is a glass artist as well as a mixed media artist. Check out her work here.

I met Mary Ellen more than seven years ago when I purchased milkweed seed from her via eBay. We started corresponding and are now in a publishing venture together. I also designed and produced her bimonthly newsletter, Butterflies & Gardens and currently maintain her Happy Tonics blog here. I visited her neck of the woods last August (see postings from that trip in my August 2011 archives here). Mary Ellen blogs about environmental education, sustainable agriculture, Monarch butterflies and other pollinators, and other nature-related topics here.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Pressed plants as art

These individual one-of-a-kind pieces of art are actual Texas wildflowers collected from the wild and pressed, dried and preserved as two-dimensional ecological décor. My friend, Shirley Loflin, is the collector and artist responsible for preparation of these most interesting botanical specimens. She is a naturalist and author who, along with husband Brian (who just happens to be a former employer of mine as well as my photography mentor), have written several articles and books on the natural science of Texas.

The concept of this art series grew out of the requirement to preserve “voucher specimens” for the herbaria at Texas A&M University and the University of Texas. A voucher is a botanical specimen carefully mounted on archival materials of high quality, and completely identified with both common and scientific names. These vouchers are documentation of plants photographed in the wild for their books: Grasses of the Texas Hill Country, Texas Cacti and their latest, Texas Wildflower Vistas and Hidden Treasures.

Shirley and Brian have been writing about and photographing Texas as a team for more than 20 years. In addition, they lead natural science photography tours and workshops in a wide variety of locations in the Americas.

Their work may be found at www.loflin-images.com, www.thenatureconnection.com and www.bkloflin.wordpress.com. Their books are published by Texas A&M University Press and may be found at most major booksellers.

Shirley’s botanical art is available for purchase in her etsy shop, www.etsy.com/shop/thenatureconnection.

The Garden Muse Portfolio goes to print!

Dear MagCloud, I take back every awful thing I thought about you last night (including the sailor-worthy words I uttered under my breath). I still think you should have official tech support (phone support, perhaps, and I’d gladly pay by the minute for it), but in the end, my case worker, Adriana, was a big help via e-mail (even if it appeared I was hell bent on proving her wrong). In one e-mail, Adriana wrote: “Also, the images on that file are stunningly beautiful. I’m sure when you are done, this will be a stellar piece. Hang in there.” (Thanks for that, Adriana—your comment cheered me up until I got frustrated again.)

I wrote about MagCloud on this blog here in 2009 and here in 2010. This is the first time I’ve taken the time to work on a project to try out the service.

Despite my repeated attempts to upload what I thought was a properly-prepared file, I was met with the same *&#)*!@&#)!# error message every time. I was using their template that I had downloaded for this size and was told later by Adriana that they discontinued the template so I shouldn’t use it (did I miss that meeting?). I read the pdf preparation file that Adriana e-mailed me so I could amend my template to their exact specs. I created seven different files, all with the same end result. Eventually I resorted to exporting four page simple test pages just to prove my theory that it couldn’t possibly be me causing these latest problems. After a while, I started naming things like: magtestone.pdf, magtesttwo.pdf, final.pdf, finalfinal.pdf, reallyfinalfinal.pdf, thisisthelastoneIswear.pdf, Igiveupmylifeisover.pdf, magcloudyouareonmylastnerve.pdf, Illneverbeaselfpublisher.pdf and magcloudpleaseletmeinorIwillunpostallthoseglowingreviewsaboutyou.pdf. I briefly contemplated assigning a file name that would make even my toes curl, but I figured the system would spit it back at me for being so unladylike.

After a day to reflect, run errands and come back with fresh eyes, I figured out what I was doing wrong. It was a very simple little step that I had overlooked—do not click on “spreads” when you’re outputting the pdf for MagCloud. If you do, you will be informed (repeatedly) that page 1 is okay but the other pages aren’t the same size (which sounds completely insane because it is the same file). You will also be told that your bleeds are not correct. That one stupid mistake kept me up until 2:00 a.m., then I finally waved the white flag.

The file is now uploaded and I’ll receive my sample copy sometime next week. I’m crossing my fingers that it looks as good in print as it looks in the file! I already know the quality of their paper and printing is great—I’ve bought sample magazines in the past. It’s a great way to publish a magazine with very little investment (more time than money, actually)—no need to go to a traditional printer to get a decent-looking publication with this print-on-demand option. I paid an extra buck for it to be perfect bound rather than saddle-stitched (due to the number of pages). I may even open the publication up for purchase if it meets my quality control standards.

I’ve scattered some of my favorite gardening quotes through the 88-page document and have identified all the images by their print name, common flower/plant name and the Latin name. All of these images are either in the current exhibit or will be for sale at the reception on April 15. I may expand the publication (as if it isn’t long enough) and include garden photography tips as well before I offer it for sale in the MagCloud store.

If you’re in the D.C./Northern Virginia area, just skip, sashay, slink, saunter or skidaddle on over to the Horticulture Center at Green Spring Gardens from now until April 29. If you’re in the mood for great appetizers (courtesy of Kelley Hospitality), good company and photographic eye candy (who doesn’t love flowers and bugs?), join me at the reception on April 15 from 1-3 p.m. Since the show runs until April 29, you’ll have plenty of time to see it! For more details, visit my show website here.

For now, I hope you enjoy the cover and the first 16 pages (I’ll just be over here in the corner…wearing my dunce cap).

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

2011: A Visual Recap

I’ve picked one photo from each month of 2011 as a way to recap the year. Now here’s to 2012—hoping it is a year of immense creativity, preparing for my first solo photography show in umpteen years, partnering with two friends in publishing ventures, staying connected to family, nurturing friendships both near and far and old and new, growing my graphic design and photography business in fresh and challenging directions, hosting soirees, communing with nature, updating my garden with quirky and photogenic new plants, hitting the road in search of adventure (and fresh photographs), getting back to my painting (fine art, not walls), shooting more photos (and not just botanical), honing my writing craft, acquiring new skills and learning something new every day.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.