[momentousangel]

My dm had a large collection of cardinal birds. I guess really I should say extra large collection of cardinal birds. Unfortunately, she lost them all in a fire that was a total loss. Losing everything she owned and all of her collection. Every cardinal and such, and everything else she owned, was destroyed. I've worked along with everyone in my family to help give her back alot of photographs, but still she is trying to regain her cardinal collection. I would love so much to give her another scrapbook that will also hold special meaning for her. A scrapbook filled with photographs of cardinal birds. I'm not sure if it is okay to ask others if they have any photographs I could use for it or not, so I first want to be sure it is okay to ask for something like that. I know it is every day that people take photographs of cardinals, so I'm not sure really where to turn other than to my friends here. Each photo given will have the credit to the person who took the photographs in this scrapbook. I thought it would be great to give my dm something extra special that she could always look through and know that even though I didn't take all the photographs in this scrapbook, that other people do share the same love and admiration for cardinals that she does. To show her that with such grace these cardinals can bring happiness and more. So, if it is okay to ask this, could someone please tell me the best place to post it? Thank you so much for always being here.

[varanda]

I think this is a perfect place to post it, I often ask for help with photos when I have a new kit but not the right photos: i.e. snow scenes and babies. I wish we had cardinals out here, but we don't, or i'd send you a photo to include. I would have no problem with donating such an image---too bad she doesn't like lizards, i have lots of those, lol!

[dinny]

I have one photo of a cardinal, and you are welcome to use it. I can email it to you.

iStockphoto a great source for professional stock photography (at very reasonable prices). Here are some cardinals that I found there.

[diazcamille]

my husband took some pictures of cardinals on our bird feeder with our film camera - I'll take the last few pcitures and get that developed and see how they turned out.

[momentousangel]

I can not thank you all enough. This gift I am sure will mean more to my mother than even I could ever possibly imagine. You're all so awesome. V, unfortunately she is horrified of lizards and especially Iguanas, lol. My dear cousin who I miss so much had this huge iguana. After he passed away I was left to take care of it and my dear mother was horrified of it, lol. Each day I would go to my aunts to feed it and take it out and play with it as well as take it for a stroll. It was as big as a small dog. My aunt ask me what we should do with it when my family was moving back to northern Indiana, so we ended up donating it to the zoo where they could take care of it and such because even my aunt was afraid of getting too close to it. Cardinals are my mothers first love, after her children and family. But some days when I speak to her over the phone you would think it was the other way around. Everytime she sees a cardinal or one of my siblings give her a new one she can't wait to tell me about all about it. I thank you all once again and will be forever in your debts.

[angleigh]

I have one that i'll send you. It was taken from a distance to there's alot of leaves behind the bird, but the file is large enough you should be able to crop it really easily. I'll send it to you

[DeeZee]

I unfortunately don't have any and can't take any since we don't have them here in New Mexico (or at least where I am!) but ... have you checked out stock photo exchange? You might be able to find some there ... it's a free membership and photos are freely offered by other photographers.

[Wxchic]

I have alot but they are all far away. I'll send them to you. Feel free to use them for your mama!

[Betsy]

Wish I could help, but I haven't seen a cardinal in ages!

[varanda]

Valerie, I remembered seeing these paintings over at Digital Scrapbook Previews, where I post previews of my kits. They are for sale at 8.50, but the cardinals look pretty nice, albeit traditionally rendered, there is a link for you to click to find the store, but here is the preview so you can check it out: Cardinal Paintings

Sorry your mom doesn't care for lizards...how about weiner dogs? got lots of photos of my boys, lol!

[momentousangel]

Thanks V for that great link. I'll definately have to have that cardinal painting. My dm is raising my nephew who has a huge pit bull. Foxy as they call her, is actually mean to everyone who comes near her. Shockingly enough, the first night we were at my mothers, Foxy decided she liked little Cola. Cola loved on Foxy and kissed her and layed all over her, which scared me to pieces, at first. Foxy didn't mind at all that Cola layed all over her and kissed her and hugged her. Later that night when my nephew returned and we told him about how Foxy acted with Cola, he was like "No Way!" so when little Cola went over and climbed on Foxy's back where she fell asleep, my nephew was like "Wow, Foxy won't even let me lay on her." The whole time we were there, there was a huge change in Foxy's demeanor. She went from being a dog noone wanted to be around, to a true protector of little Cola, to loving being petted and having people near her. This dog had no training, so of course every time Cola told her to "Sit Down" noone could believe it when Foxy did it. Cola told her to "Lay Down" and once again everyone was shocked that she did it. My nephew was shocked that little Cola, who hasn't even been putting sentences together very long, could teach Foxy to do those two things. It's funny as I sit here thinking about how Cola acted with Foxy and vice-versa. My mother was to the point of telling my nephew that Foxy had to go, but now after seeing how well behaved Foxy was with Cola, she is having second thoughts and has more faith in Foxy than she did before. She went from thinking Foxy was a mean dog, to having faith that Foxy could be trained to follow commands. As for weiner dogs, They are just so cute. I ask my mom this morning about trading Foxy for a weiner dog and she just laughed and said not in a million years. She said "Getting used to Foxy took Cola to show she wasn't all that bad and I don't want to have to go through trying to get a dog to like people again." All in all, I guess when Foxy started listening to Cola, they decided to enroll her in obedience training and go from there. It's funny that a 21 mo old who hasn't been putting sentences together could change peoples mind about a dog they were talking about giving to someone else.

[cyberblonde2]

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of the cardinal collection. My mother loved them and my little grandson loves them too. I made a layout for him one day when he said something that really showed a lot of insight for a 4 year old. You can see the layout HERE. It might be way too personal for her enjoyment but I hope she likes it!
Sheila

[momentousangel]

Wow, that layout is gorgeous. How cute of a little fella is that? Way cute! It never seems to amaze me the wisdom children truly have. Their points of view can really make us all stop to think about things beyond what we would have thought about without their words there echoing within our minds. When my df passed away, my nephew who was all of about 5 at the time, looked at me with such sorrow in his eyes, that what he said next really astonished me. After we explained to him that his papaw was in heaven way up in the clouds, he came up with this... "I am going to get lots and lots of kite string and tie them together until they go all the way up to heaven and put a note on my kite for papaw to hold on so I can pull him back down here with us." I've never forgotten that day when my dear nephew said this, as the tears that day turned from sorrow to partial joy when I realized that my dear nephew with his sad big blue eyes had thought of what he felt a way to get back my df. Those words now hang next to a photo of him and my father together on a plaque, as I couldn't take the chance of those words ever being forgotten. "Strawberry's With Wings" is something I guess it does take a child to come up with, as their visions compared to those of us as adults, is something more extraordinary than we at times believe is possible. Thank you so much for sharing you lo with me. I've e-mailed my dm a link to your LO. Having ten children of her own, raising her grandchildren, she simply loves children. Strawberry's With Wings" is sure to catch her eyes when she reads the words of your ds. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. It is truly a magnificent lo.