365 Project- Day 12

Decor.

365 Project- Day 5-6

Blogger was not being cooperative yesterday, so my post from yesterday is being posted today, along with Day 6.  So...

Day 5.  My holiday star candle holder thingy that hangs out on my front porch.  With this one, I was playing around with focus.

Day 6.  Taking advantage of having the holiday shrub up, I snapped some more photos of some favorite ornaments.  The owl is a particular favorite.

365 Project- Day 3

Attempts at migraine photography.

A Simple Saturday

This afternoon Kiddo and I took a walk out in the back yard, where I was hoping to practice with my new camera.  I bundled him into the Moby-wrap and headed out, where my first sight was...

weeds growing out of a pile of compost that had somehow made its way to the back half of my drive... I'm sorta confused on this one.

Continuing on...

My wind-blown fence

 For these next two, it's the same view but the pictures were taken with two different camera settings.  The first one seems to be a more realistic representation of the actual colors, but I prefer the richer color of the second, which was taken with a flash.  Which do you prefer?

With the following, I played with focus.

This one was an unexpected view I saw in the camera window, but it really drew me in.

A rose.  It took me many, many tries to get good focus on this one, first because Kiddo was shifting around in his Moby (for the record, baby-wearing and photographing don't mix very well), and second because every time I'd get a clear image in the camera window, the breeze would pick up just enough to sway the flower.  But I'm quite pleased with this one.

One of the beautiful, old trees in my back yard.  The deep fall colors that reflect the setting sun just struck a chord in me.  

After much fighting with Kiddo to remain still enough to allow me to take pictures, I finally got annoyed and set him down on the ground.  His face screwed up like he was about to howl for a moment, then he realized that it was actually pretty neat down there.  So, of course, he became the subject for the last of my photos.

What did you do with your Saturday?

Tuesday's Treasure

And another Tuesday is here, reminding me that it's time to pick out a new treasure.  This week it's a lovely glass vase that I found at Goodwill over the weekend.  What struck me about it is the fact that it's off-kilter and not at all squared as it probably should be.  

And it's actually come in handy, currently being used to hold the massive amounts of pennies that we've accumulated...

Tuesday's Treasure

Posted on Weds, due to uploading problems yesterday...  but here it is!

This week I picked a beautiful Venetian mask that hangs in my hall, courtesy of my beloved husband.  He bought it for me several years ago while on his first deployment.  While it will always remain rather creepy, it is still a treasured piece, reminding me that we've made it through military life and what would have destroyed other marriages.  This is a badge of love and commitment.  

Creativity Boot Camp- Day 8

Ornament

This idea came instantly.  Of all of the beautiful little knick-knacks I tend to collect, by far my most treasured is the cake topper from my wedding.  All that can be said about it, about the meaning behind it as opposed to it's physical characteristics, is that it embodies the essence of the love my husband and I share.  Here is the original and a black&white version, which I prefer, as it gives it a more timeless quality.  Which do you like better?

Taking a Break...

I've just discovered how to play with iPhoto to enhance images!  Yes, it took me a while, but give me a break, I'm relatively new to this whole Mac thing.  So I took some basic photos, and played around with them.  Any and all feedback is welcome, from staging (help!) to style, to anything.  And before we begin, I'm much into sepia tones!

The original picture is a few posts down, under Grow.  I like the black&white with this one, with the edges ever so slightly blurred to give it a more timeless look.  

This one isn't a great shot, but i enjoyed the light play.  It's not terribly visible in such a small frame.  Sepia toned.  My son's crib, partially together :)

Thank you notes for my baby shower (which really need to be written and sent).  Top is the original, which I like well enough.  Bottom is antiqued a bit with the blurred edges, again giving it a slightly ethereal quality.  Considering my very, very beginner skills, I'm pleased with this one.

This one is slightly antiqued.  Again, I'm practicing not photographing everything head-on.  

And last one for today, black&white, once more simply working on staging.  Not great, but I'm getting better, and better still, recognizing and acknowledging my own improvements.  The creative boot camp has helped me take a step forward in not giving up after the first two or three failures.  What skills are you working to improve upon?  

Inspirational Pictures... in other words, Adrian is Keeping Mommy Awake

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Wonderful idea! If only my cats could be trusted not to eat the flowers...

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I love this! And will definitely have to get one for Adrian.

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Here is something similar to what I'm envisioning in Adrian's room, with the theme of birdies.

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These are the two prints I purchased as the original inspiration for his room. P. Carter Carpin's work is fantastic, and I could easily spend a pretty penny on her prints!

Life Continues...

Today was a sleepy day, but this evening I did, indeed, get a few things accomplished. Skipping over the boring stuff... last night, when Adrian was wide awake and bouncing happily around, I created little flat trays for the wire stand in the bathroom. Unfortunately, the craft store only had two pieces of craft ply wood to fit, so I'll have to go find another elsewhere. But after covering them with pretty scrapbooking paper, the top two shelves look lovely.

And, after finding some bizarre stuff that needed to be cleaned, subconsciously (yet with growing awareness) ignoring the whole of my house, I put some pretty glass pebbles in another wedding gift from Adessa. This hangs over the window in my kitchen.

And I finally got some pictures of the lovely, handmade, silk Persian rug that Michael brought back from his first deployment. It's hanging in our hallway, and is one of my favorite treasures.

My photo-taking abilities leave somewhat to be desired, so some of the images are slightly blurry. But the detail is exquisite. And the purposeful flaws are in and of themselves amazing, giving the rug even more character than it would have otherwise.

Alas...

This was going to be a rant about a specific Arizona school district that is being horribly, horribly racist to their own students, but I am far too angry to write anything rational on the subject at the moment. But rest assured, dear friends, the rant will come.

For the time being, I decided put out some pretties that have been sorely neglected for a while.

Here is the basic setup... seeing as how we need to completely re-do the bathroom before Adrian arrives, due to serious water damage and mold issues, I'll post this "before" picture. Cute little stand courtesy of my mother-in-law and baskets acquired from who knows where. The walls on this lower half of the room will, hopefully, eventually be painted.

And my pretties! The clear set in front was a gift from Michael's grandmother. The fun, colorful ones in back were a wedding gift from Adessa, probably from Pier1 Imports. I'm hopefully going to find a pretty tray or somesuch to set them all on, to lessen the chances of them falling and to better see the clear ones.

I have high hopes that someday I'll have a big enough house to have a craftsy room of my own, and be able to make and create fun things. For the time being, though, I'll likely stick with basics. Such as simply cleaning the house I have and, if at all possible, cleaning the kitty-pee out of the carpets.

And on a Happier Note...

Here is a preview of Adrian's room! And yes, I know that he won't be able to like it or not in the beginning, I'm splurging (just a little) to make it comfortable for Michael and I, in hopes that he'll pick up on our happy vibes. At the moment, he is very, very happy (it's 2am) and will likely remain that way until at least 5, when Michael wakes up for work. Hopefully, he'll be content to settle and sleep a bit at that point, but I won't hold my breath.