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Today’s giveaway (three more tomorrow) is brought to you by the lovely Eadaoin of City of Blackbirds!  Eadaoin (love that name) is a big sweetheart and takes the most beautiful pictures of macarons, cupcakes, architecture, flowers and more!  One of my favorite things that she does is heart bokeh with lights, so dreamy~!  One look at her blog where she shares photos she has taken and you’ll immediately come away with a smile!  Earlier this year, I got to participate in a series she was running called “Inspiration Secrets” where a handful of bloggers did guest posts, here are my secrets.  If you aren’t following Eadaoin, I really think you’re missing out!  I’ve asked Eadaoin to answer a few questions so we could all get to know her a little bit better…

{MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHER}

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am a full time music student, part time library assistant and some times photographer living in Dublin, Ireland.  Photography is a huge passion of mine but I also love to blog, write poetry, sing, doodle, bake and take care of my husband when I remember to 😉

The name City of Blackbirds is really just a reflection of my feelings about the city that I live in.  I grew up in the countryside but moved to the city almost 10 years ago.  When I first moved here I was really struck my the blackbirds that sang in our garden at all hours of the night.  I guess they were a little off kilter because of all the bright streetlights, so instead of singing at dawn they sang pretty much whenever they felt like it!  It used to keep me awake for hours, not because they were loud but because it was such a strange thing to lie in bed and listen to birdsong in the middle of the night.

These days I live in a different apartment and don’t hear them singing at night, but there is a blackbird who likes to sit at the top of the tallest tree in the garden on summer evenings and sing his little heart out, it makes me so happy.

I chose City of Blackbirds as a name because I think it reflects who I am and what I am inspired by.

3) How did you get into photography? What inspires you?

I got into photography rather slowly, it actually began with making coloured squares on GIMP, I set myself up with a Flickr account so that I could share them with a colour loving friend who was helping me to create them.  You can still see them at the very beginning of my Flickr account!  When I first discovered Flickr I spent hours on there looking at amazing images; something stirred inside of me and I wanted to start creating beautiful images of my own.

So I bought a little point and shoot camera and a Holga and spent many happy hours snapping away with both of them.  But they were just not enough for me; in my head I could see the kind of images I really wanted to take and knew that I would need a different kind of camera for them.  So eventually I got together enough money to buy myself a DSLR and since then I’ve never stopped taking photos, I just adore it!

I am incredibly inspired by nature and the world around me, and always have been in all my creative pursuits.  When I am in the country I like nothing better than to take a dawn walk with my camera, there is always such a magical feeling and amazing light at that time of day.  As a child I used to go outside and just sit in the early morning light in our garden, soaking up that beautiful magic and the dawn silence.

I am also very much inspired by my peers.  There are many wonderful and talented bloggers and photographers I come across online, their beautiful work often fuels my own creativity, driving me to be the best I can be at my own work.  I am so grateful to have met the most amazing people who not only inspire but also encourage me to keep on creating.

I just LOVE Ben and Jerry’s Caramel Chew Chew!  In fact there’s a tub of it in our freezer right now…  ice cream for breakfast is allowed when you’re on holidays right?? 😉

{GIVEAWAY}

Eadaoin is so graciously offering up any 2 prints from her shop, the winner can choose their favorite ones!

How to enter:

1. Visit City of Blackbirds shop and leave a comment with your favorite item!

For additional entries, leave a separate comment for each action.  If you already follow the blogs/twitter, you can still enter by letting me know in your comment.
2. Follow this blog with Google Friend Connect
3. Follow City of Blackbirds with Google Friend Connect
4. Follow @sandyalamode and @ctyofblackbirds on twitter
5. Tweet about this giveaway (make sure to use @sandyalamode and @ctyofblackbirds in your tweet)

Feel free to use this tweet:
@sandyalamode is having a giveaway party! @ctyofblackbirds is giving away two of her beautiful prints! http://bit.ly/hpd41U

This giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY and closes on Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 5PM CST.  Good luck!

GIVEAWAY HAS BEEN CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!