A Little Bit of Lauren Mikael

Hey guys just wanted to let you know that a few days ago I released a book of short stories and poems that I wrote back in High School, titled A Little Bit of Lauren Mikael. You can get it here: https://amzn.to/3Fr1mf4

-laurenmikael

Tuesday Starts with Tea: Blogtober 2021

I meant to have this post up earlier in the day. To be honest with you I have no idea what to write about today, so I guess I’m just going to wing it and see what happens. Oh, I know…let’s talk about Tuesday Starts with Tea

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I spent the day reading a book by an author I found on Twitter. I haven’t finished it yet but this book is a real page turner. I’m thinking I’m going to do one of my Tuesday Starts with Tea book reviews on it when I finish. Which works out well because not long ago a got in three Harney and Sons Fall tea flavors that I need to tell you guys about. If you are new here you are probably all like: What is Tuesday Starts with Tea? Well, let me fill you in.

*This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn compensation when you make a purchase from the links provided. At no additional cost to you.

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On Tuesdays I do book reviews on this blog (Haven’t in a while…but, whatever.) I am obsessed with tea. Harney and Sons Fine Teas, to be exact. I decided to drink tea while reading books…and I like to give all of the series on my blog cute names, that’s how Tuesday Starts with Tea was born. Most of the teas I review are from Harney’s, because I know good tea when I see it, err umm…taste it. I am a bit of a snob when it comes to my tea, I won’t even lie. Occasionally though, you will find me discussing other tea brands on this blog.

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Between writing my own book and taking proper time to grieve, I found I haven’t been spending much time reading; unless the book really grabs me. Which this on definitely did. I’m not going to tell you the name of it or anything yet. We’ll save that for when the review comes. That will probably be within the next week or so. Either way I’ll let you guys know when its time.

Until then… you can catch up on other Tuesday Starts with Tea posts, Some of my favorites are The Dirt by Motley Crue (Part one and two.)

See you back here tomorrow for a Tuesday Starts with Tea that will make you want to become a minimalist.

Oh, also as of today my book Flip the Switch is now only $10 (it was $13) you can get your copy here:https://amzn.to/3oA1qEb. It teaches the importance of keeping a positive mindset.

-laurenmikael

Be sure to share this post if you liked it. It really helps out a lot!

Are we friends on social media yet? You can follow all of my accounts below:

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If you liked this post (or my blog in general) a tip/donation of any size would be greatly appreciated! You can update the quantity in your cart to adjust the amount of your tip. Thank you!

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Blogtober 2021: Dear Daddy Update

Remember last year when I participated in Blogtober Challenge: 31 Days 31 Posts? Well, it’s time to do it again. I’ll admit, that last year I didn’t do the full month worth. However I did end up creating some of my best content during those days that I did stick to it. A lot of the posts from that challenge ended up being turned into my first book. (They are no longer on the blog.) All of those posts were uplifting and positive. That is how Flip the Switch was born.

*This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn compensation when you make a purchase from the links provided. At no additional cost to you.

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You can find my book on Amazon (available in ebook and paperback) right here: https://amzn.to/3FhMFMa. It’s FREE with Kindle Unlimited.

I figured if taking part in Blogtober last year helped me fulfill my lifelong dream of writing a book, and becoming a legit author…then I better do it this year too; because who knows what this Blogtober 2021 will bring.

Plus, with grieving the loss of my Daddy (and wring a book about him) I haven’t spent much time on the blog. I’m hoping doing Blogtober will help change this. I miss blogging and interacting with my readers as much as I used to.

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As you may already know, in Dear Daddy I write letters to my Dad who unexpectedly passed away earlier this year. It is available for preorder now for only $0.99 cents. Release date is Valentine’s Day 2022. Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/3A5ZwO2. It will be available in paperback starting on release day.
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So far Dear Daddy is well over 122 pages, and is filled with funny and touching stories about “the best Daddy in the world.” Plenty of pictures are included as well, so that the reader can get to know my Daddy, along with the rest of my family. This way his life can be honored in a way he deserves, and he will never be forgotten.

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I know I’m technically two days behind on Blogtober, but let’s not worry about that. I’m going to do the best I can, but I don’t want to make any promises, because last year I only lasted about two weeks, if that. I have plenty of ideas floating around in my head as far as post ideas go; I’m excited about this!

-laurenmikael

Be sure to share this post if you liked it. It really helps out a lot!

Are we friends on social media yet? You can follow all of my accounts below:

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If you liked this post (or my blog in general) a tip/donation of any size would be greatly appreciated! You can update the quantity in your cart to adjust the amount of your tip. Thank you!

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Flip the Switch: Second Edition (August 2021)

I just wanted to let you guys know that today I published a new and improved version of my book Flip the Switch. I added more to the story that was revealed to me after the book had already been published. It is now titled Flip the Switch: Second Edition (August 2021).

Flip the Switch is a quick read that teaches you the importance of keeping a positive mindset. This book is just the thing you need for a more positive mindset, attitude and lifestyle.

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Flip the Switch: Second Edition is available on Amazon and in the Kindle store now. You can even read it for FREE if you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber. If you don’t have Kindle Unlimited yet, now worries. Just click the the link at the bottom of this post to be on your way to reading Flip the Switch: Second Edition and many other great books.

Flip the Switch Second Edition features new content and brand new covers on both the Kindle book and the paperback. Personally, I love these covers so much more than the originals. They have a more “legit” feel to them if you know what I mean.

*This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn compensation when you make a purchase from the links provided. At no additional cost to you.

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If you have a paperback copy from earlier this year…well, then you can now say that you own a rare first edition copy. 🙂

https://amzn.to/3jK6D8E It’s FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited.

If you are saying to yourself “What in the world is Flip the Switch?!” It’s a book I wrote and released at the end of January this year. Flip the Switch teaches you the importance of keeping a positive mindset. To learn more about the book, and my writing journey you can read this post.

As I mentioned Flip the Switch is available for FREE with Kindle Unlimited, but you can get it for $2.99 otherwise.

If you prefer having a hard copy to read you can find the paperback version right here: https://amzn.to/3s4thMK

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Click this link to get 30 days of Kindle Unlimited for free. Kindle Unlimited Membership Plans

I know I haven’t been active on the blog much lately, but that’s only because I am putting as much of my energy as I can into my new book Dear Daddy.

-laurenmikael

Be sure to share this post if you liked it. It really helps out a lot!

Are we friends on social media yet? You can follow all of my accounts below:

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If you liked this post (or my blog in general) a tip/donation of any size would be greatly appreciated! You can update the quantity in your cart to adjust the amount of your tip. Thank you!

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Delivered From Evil by: Anthony Greve: Book Review

It’s been a while since I have done a book review on the blog, or even had the chance to read many books, in between writing a few of my own; but a few weeks ago I finally had the chance to read one that I had been waiting to be released for a long time. Delivered From Evil by Anthony Greve. If you have been reading my blog for a while (or even my book Flip the Switch) then you probably already know a bit about Anthony’s story.

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Anthony was in the band Pop Evil for a while, which used to be one of my favorite bands. I used to go see them every time they played in Arkansas. I always stuck around for a while after the shows ended, to hangout with friends, and talk to Pop Evil. He has always been a really nice guy. Well, all of them are actually. I remember the day that they put out a Facebook post saying that Tony was leaving the band. It made me really sad that he was leaving, but then I found out why he left, and I was so happy and excited for him. He left because he found Jesus and made the decision to become an Evangelist.

*This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn compensation when you make a purchase from the links provided. At no additional cost to you.

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Delivered From Evil takes you on the whole journey of being in a famous Rock band, to finding Jesus in a hotel bathtub. It’s such a great story. Granted there were a few sort of creepy parts mixed in, but as you may know, things like that tend to happen when you are finding your faith. It is a wonderful story, that much like when I read The Dirt by: Motley Crue I couldn’t put it down. Something exciting was happening on every page.

Whether you are a Pop Evil fan, a Christian…or maybe even someone who hasn’t found their faith in God yet. This is an amazing book, that can open up your eyes to a few things. I highly recommend that you check out Delivered From Evil by Anthony Greve. It’s a pretty short read, and definitely worth it.

Get Delivered From Evil here: https://amzn.to/3v1Ovv9. Paperback copies will be released on Tuesday, June 1, 2021.

You can keep up with Anthony and all of the great things being done through his ministry, on the Facebook page: here.

You can order my book Flip the Switch here: https://amzn.to/3orBetD

You can pre-order my newest book Dear Daddy here: https://amzn.to/3ouuhrz (Release date Valentine’s Day 2021)

Be sure to share this post if you liked it. It really helps out a lot! Thank you! 🙂

-laurenmikael

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If you liked this post (or my blog in general) a tip/donation of any size would be greatly appreciated! You can update the quantity in your cart to adjust the amount of your tip. Thank you!

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Are we friends on social media yet? You can follow all of my accounts below:

Just Wanted to Check In…

Life has sort of been a blur since losing my Daddy in February…

The days have sort of to all just been blending together in a way. I started writing Dear Daddy immediately after his death as a way to cope, without taking much time to actually mourn him. That is basically what I have been doing lately, taking time to greive him properly…even if that means not even getting out of bed some days; and why I have been away from the blog for about three months.

The book is turning out really well, and you can pre-order your copy here: https://amzn.to/3oeMucp if you haven’t already. It’s only $0.99 cents until release day. (February 14, 2022)

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I also wanted to mention that I will no longer be discussing any of my personal relationships on the blog, after all… privacy is power.

Recently a few guys have refused to date me, or even get to know me; simply out of fear of possibly one day being featured in a blog post of mine. Which is in a way, completely understandable. I’m going to keep all the dating posts I have already written, up on the site; seeing as they are quite popular, and many of them have been ranked in Google already.

I started this blog off of many recommendations from people who said my dating stories were entertaining and funny. This made sense to do so at the time, but I don’t see it that way anymore.

My relationships are mine and the other person involved’s business and…no one else’s. I don’t want to miss out on new relationships due to past mistakes, you know? Dating in a wheelchair is already hard enough as it is, due to the stigma that surrounds it. I don’t want this blog to be a reason for it to become even more difficult.

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I already have a few ideas lined up to take Life as Lauren Mikael in a different direction. No more dating, and with a broken heart…no more Dachshunds; still have last part of the tagline though.

Hope you are doing well…

-laurenmikael

Dear Daddy, Goodbye: My Second Book

It’s been a while since my last blog update, you can probably tell why I have been MIA, just by reading the title of this post. My Daddy passed away. I’ve been trying to collect myself before I wrote much about it, plus we’ve been busy with grieving; the funeral and all of that stuff…mixed with the snow storms and whatnot.

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I haven’t written since announcing the release of my first book Flip The Switch, a few days later (February 10th 2021) My Daddy unexpectedly died of a heart attack. I am so glad he had the chance to read my book before he left us to go to Heaven. I know he was really proud of me; he knew I always wanted to write books, and he was alive to see me actually do it.

Daddy’s text to me about my book; and me showing him that the first paperback copy came in.
The post I wrote on Facebook in honor of him.

Today is Friday, so it’s the perfect day to do a Fangirl Friday. Daddy liked Ed Sheeran. Mama Susan and Daddy’s wedding song was “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran. That song summed up their marriage…well, perfectly. They were the definition of marriage goals, for real.

This is a photo I took of Mama Susan and Daddy on their wedding day (July 28th, 2018.)

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“Perfect” was also played at Daddy’s funeral, since that song told the story of their lives together pretty perfectly.

“Perfect” Official Music Video:

Since Daddy died I have been listening to Ed Sheeran a lot. I downloaded his album Divide, which features “Perfect”

While listening to Divide, I was introduced to Ed’s song “Supermarket Flowers” which is about Ed losing him Mom. Exchange the lyric Mum for Daddy, and this is a perfect representation for how I feel. This one hits me hard, it’s a beautiful song; but you might need a box of tissues before you give it a listen.

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“Dad always told me, “Don’t you cry when you’re down”
But mum, there’s a tear every time that I blink.

Oh I’m in pieces, it’s tearing me up, but I know
A heart that’s broke is a heart that’s been loved

So I’ll sing Hallelujah
You were an angel in the shape of my mum
When I fell down you’d be there holding me up
Spread your wings as you go
And when God takes you back we’ll say Hallelujah
You’re home

Hallelujah
You were an angel in the shape of my mum
You got to see the person I have become
Spread your wings and I know
That when God took you back he said Hallelujah
You’re home”

Listening to both of these songs makes me cry my eyes out every single time. It’s so hard to lose someone you care about by surprise; but atleast this way I know Daddy didn’t have to suffer.

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Daddy was always very supportive of my blog, and writing in general. I’m pretty sure he read every post on this blog, he was always liking them and sharing them on Facebook for me too. A few days before he died he even left me a tip on the blog.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_2574.png
(For some reason PayPal wouldn’t let Daddy change his name on his account after my parents got divorced…that’s why it says Jacqueline instead of Tony.)
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I’ve already started working on my next book, it’s about him…and it will be published around this time next year. I’m writing a letter to him, everyday for a year. It’s titled Dear Daddy. That’s all I am going to tell you about it until it’s done…because remember, Privacy is Power.

My new book about Daddy is available for pre-order now. Get it here: https://amzn.to/3uj5FEy

-laurenmikael

PS: Featured photo at the top of this post is my Daddy and I (around 1992.) Apparently we were both part of the silly glasses club.

Are we friends on social media yet? You can follow all of my accounts below:

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If you liked this post (or my blog in general) a tip/donation of any size would be greatly appreciated! You can update the quantity in your cart to adjust the amount of your tip. Thank you!

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Flip The Switch: My New Book is Out Now!

You guys, I wrote a book! Flip The Switch: Change Your Perspective Change Your Life.

I’m so excited! I have wanted to write a book all my life, literally since I was probably 5 years old, and I finally did it.

I remember one day when I was that age, I was staying at my grandparents house and they had these little sheets of square paper…I had my Nanny staple a whole bunch of those sheets together so I could write a book… each page was dedicated to a specific family member. I wrote out their names and the words ‘is good’ on each sheet. I remember writing Nan is good on the first page, second page was Mom is good, third Dad is good…and so on, I think I even wrote about a cat my grandparents had at the time. Deep stuff. Haha! I wrote it all in orange crayon too!

A few years later (around 7) I wrote, stories about snowmen; I wrote a short story ‘The Day I Brought a Frog To School” but I think they all got lost somewhere. 😔 I wish I could find them.

As a teenager I was obsessed with Degrassi: The Next Generation. Not like I’ve seen every episode once obsessed. I’m talking wrote Fan Fiction on The- N (TV Channel they used to air Degrassi and all the other amazing shows on) online message boards, and I would write it in such accurate detail that people honestly asked if I actually wrote the scripts for the show itself! Sadly, when they deleted The- N’s message boards they took my Fan Fiction with them. I wish I would have thought to save them…they really were some of my best work. Oh, well. That’s in the past.

*This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn compensation when you make a purchase from the links provided. At no additional cost to you.

So…let’s focus on what’s happening today! Since it is the launch day of the book, I am running a deal all day today where it is available for FREE on Amazon.

Remember to rate and leave a review once you have read it. I would really appreciate it!

You can get it here: https://amzn.to/36uk3zT

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Book cover of Flip The Switch: Change Your Perspective Change Your Life  by: Lauren Mikael; A robin blue background with a black and white photo of a light switch set to the 'ON' position

Here is the description: Have you ever noticed that when you are in a good mood everything seems to work out in your favor? Same goes for when you are in a bad mood and things just keep going wrong, there’s a reason for that. The Law of Attraction. In this book you will learn the importance of faith and positive thinking and what a difference they both really make in our lives. In just 8 chapters your perspective on life can be changed for the better. Flip the switch; light up the darkness.

——————————————————————————————————————–

It’s called Flip The Switch. It’s about God, faith, positive thinking, and affirmations.

You can get it here: https://amzn.to/36uk3zT

Paperback copies are going to be available soon!

Also, I added a Shop page to the blog (in the navigation drop down menu if you are viewing this on your phone) that contains the link to my book, along with the link to my photography print shop.

Thank you all so much for your support! I really hope you enjoy Flip The Switch.

-laurenmikael

Be sure to share this post if you liked it, that really helps out a lot. Thank you!

Are we friends on social media yet? You can follow all of my accounts below:

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If you liked this post (or my blog in general) a tip/donation of any size would be greatly appreciated! You can update the quantity in your cart to adjust the amount of your tip. (Example: Changing the 1 in the box into a 2 would reflect a $4.00 tip.) Thank you!

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Voice Recorder: Sony ICD-UX570: Review

A few days ago I wrote a post and mentioned that I bought a voice recorder, so today I want to write a post dedicated to the voice recorder itself.

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Whenever I’m looking to buy something I always check Amazon first, since they have such a wide selection. After browsing voice recorders for a while I settled on the Sony ICD-UX570 Digital Voice Recorder.

Sony UX Series Digital Voice Recorder Black ICDUX570BLK

This thing is great, and like I said in the other post…has pretty much paid for itself already. It has a USB that slides out of the bottom for charging the battery, and uploading a recording to your computer. The battery last for a long time too. In fact the only time I’ve had to charge it yet was during the initial setup when I got it out of the box almost a month ago. I’ve used it a lot since then…and for long periods of time at that.

*This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn compensation when you make a purchase from the links provided. At no additional cost to you.

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The only complaints I have are that I wish you could name the folders your recordings go into and the recordings themselves on the device. To name the recordings you have to connect the voice recorder to your computer. Which honestly isn’t that big of a deal, but having the option to name files on the recorder without a computer would be nice.

The microphone is pretty awesome and records clearly. I’ve even turned the recorder on to record videos I watch on my phone and they still come out sounding great, almost as if it isn’t from a video; like the person talking is being recorded in the same room as you.

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If you want you have the option to attach your own microphone, for even better sound quality. There is also a slot for a micro sd card to give you more memory to work with.

If you are a writer I totally recommend getting a voice recorder. It has already made my life so much easier and I haven’t even had it a full month yet. If you are anything like me you come up with ideas for your newest book or blog post at the most random times, most of which are when pen and paper are out of sight…and you tell yourself It’s okay, I’ll remember it later when I’m actually writing

…but then you sit down to write and the great idea you had earlier is now gone. That doesn’t happen to me anymore now that I bought this handy dandy little dude. Plus, you can just get Microsoft Word or any other program with a dictate button to write out what you spoke into a written document, which makes writing so much faster, because then all you have to do is correct mistakes if the translation made any.

If you want one, you can get it here: https://amzn.to/3oy5v8t

I said in the post I wrote the other day that I take this little thing with me everywhere I go, which is still true. A few days ago I had a mini panic attack because I couldn’t find it; turns out it was wrapped up really nice and cozy in my bed sheets. Maybe sleeping with it isn’t the best option.

-laurenmikael

Be sure to share this if you liked it, that really helps out a lot. Thank you!

Are we friends on social media yet? You can follow all of my accounts below:

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If you liked this post (or my blog in general) a tip/donation of any size would be greatly appreciated! You can update the quantity in your cart to adjust the amount of your tip. Thank you!

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Photography: My Camera Journey and Print Shop

I’ve finally opened my own print shop (check it out here.) I’ve been into photography for almost as long as I can remember. My first camera was a purple Samsung Spectrum 20. I loved it so much, because it was one of my favorite colors and you could see its guts, which was fascinating to me.

*This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn compensation when you make a purchase from the links provided. At no additional cost to you.

Product Image 1 - Vintage Rare Samsung Spectrum 20 photography
Photo Credit:
coolvintagecameras (depop.com)
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As I grew, so did my taste in cameras. As a teenager I transitioned to the Fujifilm FinePix S Series S1000fd: https://amzn.to/3psAALP

Amazon.com : Fujifilm FinePix S Series S1000fd 10.0 MP Digital Camera -  Black : Point And Shoot Digital Cameras : Camera & Photo

I was over the moon about this camera for the longest time. Until I started going to shows, and made some real photographer friends…that’s when I realized my little Fujifilm wasn’t going to cut it anymore.

So, I moved on…to my first dSLR camera- Canon Rebel T1i: https://amzn.to/3t7qH8E

Amazon.com : Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with  3-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens : Canon Xti : Camera & Photo

I was blown away by this camera. Every picture I took was the best picture ever (in my mind)…but I still wasn’t satisfied. I knew in my heart that I wanted the Canon 5D Mark III, I Just wasn’t ready to pay the price tag for it.

A few years go by and my Rebel T1i is starting to show some wear and tear, cracked screen…amongst other minor things. Around that same time I happened to get approved for a Best Buy credit card with a pretty hefty limit.

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…so guess what I bought with it…

My dream camera Canon 5D Mark III : https://amzn.to/2KW2PDJ

Amazon.com : Canon EOS 5D Mark III 22.3 MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR  Camera with EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens : Camera & Photography

After getting the camera of my dreams, ironically I fell away from photography, even though this was/is in my eyes, the perfect camera…I just wasn’t inspired anymore. Photography had lost its spark.

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Good news though! The spark has been reignited in me.

For years people have been telling me I should sell prints of my photos, and even though I wanted to I sort of always just blew off the idea… “Yeah, one day I will I’d tell them; or “I’m working on it” when I most definitely was not working on it at all.

I finally did it! I opened a print shop.

pastel farris wheel ride photography

Check it out here. (Both photos featured in this post are available now.)

I will be adding new photos often, and I’ll let you guys know when new prints are available in my store. If you like what you see please feel free to share this blog post with your friends.

-laurenmikael

Are we friends on social media yet? You can follow all of my accounts below:

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If you liked this post (or my blog in general) a tip/donation of any size would be greatly appreciated! You can update the quantity in your cart to adjust the amount of your tip. Thank you!

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