Pretty as a Picture

It's a day late but...

2011-05-09T11:18:00.002-04:00

Alright, I know that I am totally a day late wishing all the moms reading this a Happy Mothers Day..but yesterday was a (great!) busy day for me. In fact, the past 3 weeks or so have been extremely busy for me and I am afraid that I will be completely burnt out soon unless I get to the beach ASAP. I definitely need a tan, I think a tan would make things all better. Anyway, I digress with my daydreams of a vacation...

I got this pretty little rose from my sweet husband yesterday. And, yes, it did in fact come from this rose bush that I mentioned the other day (ha ha..which I find both funny and endearing!). The rose was on top of a bag filled with peppermint patties (loooove), a couple of music cd's that I have been wanting, a handmade card with a poem, and pictures of my daughter and him taken in one of those photobooths at the mall.

It was pretty awesome and pretty much the most perfect gift(s) ever.

Now..back to that vacation..I need a sunny beach with a lounge chair, a good book, a cd player to play my new music in, and quite possibly a few margaritas. Oh, and a babysitter to entertain my dear toddler as I soak up the sun uninterrupted :)

Flowers on Saturday

2011-05-07T09:23:00.000-04:00

Just thought I'd start the day with a gorgeous flower!

Macro & Skywatch Friday!

2011-05-06T11:37:00.000-04:00

At first I was just taking pictures of the beautiful orange flower..til I noticed the unique "hairy" thing that was hanging off the side of it. Will that be another flower?

FYI, whenever I find a new action or texture I ususally end up overusing it for a couple of weeks playing around with it. It's like a fun, new toy. Which seems to be the case with Captivus Soft Nature Action Set.. I used Rocks on this particular picture and adjusted the opacity slightly.

I actually took this sunset picture several weeks ago in my front yard and I had forgotten about it. I upped the contrast just a smidge to make the trees more of a silhouette, but other than that it is SOOC. Don't you just feel awesome when you are blessed with a gorgeous sunset like this?

Hope Ya'll have a great weekend!

Texture Thursday

2011-05-05T15:13:00.000-04:00

Even though my allergies hated me for hanging outside for too long around these gorgeous flowers, it was totally worth it. There were hundreds of these peonies lining the outside of the greenhouse at Reynolda Gardens the other day. I was just there a couple of weeks ago and these were just started to come up out of the ground, now they are in full swing (though in this particular photo, this peony is lagging a little behind the rest). Even though this one is not in full bloom, this was still one of my favorite pics of them--it's like the flower is wrapped up in a pretty package.

Macro Monday

2011-05-02T13:26:00.001-04:00

Now how is it that I can get my cat to model for me more patiently than my daughter now-a-days??

This is Simba, she's pretty much the queen of our house..and the neighborhood, too.

She really is the sweetest cat. She lets Seraphina tug and pull her to her hearts content without even a meeew.

P.S. Did you notice my new header? I think I like it a lot better than my last one..shows a little bit more of my personality and style. You can always just make your own but if you are blogging during naptime (like I am..) then a template is a lot quicker! I got this free header template HERE.

Macro Friday!

2011-04-29T11:41:00.000-04:00

I have this puny rose bush in my front yard. I have contemplated taking it out because it has obviously been neglected by previous owners--it's misshapened and sad looking most of the time. But then one day I walked outside and noticed that roses were about to bloom on it. Now, several days later, there are a handful of beautiful red roses adorning it. Glad I didn't take it out, it would have been a shame to destroy such hidden beauty!

Make wish..

2011-04-28T11:05:00.000-04:00

My 50 mm 1.8 lens produces such gorgeous bokeh. I can only imagine what the 1.4 is capable of.

I found some lovely free actions over at Captivus-I used the "Sunshine" action on both of the photos above. You can find the whole action pack to download HERE.

I created the collage with rounded corners in Picnik.

On a more serious note, I am so grateful that my particular area in the South has been spared from the disastrous tornadoes and thunderstorms that have been all over. But there are so many that have not been so lucky. Just last week hundreds (thousands?) were effected just an hour East of me in the Raleigh area. Yesterday, not only was there a Tornado Watch for my county (as well as the surrounding counties) but there was absolute destruction in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia.

My thoughts and prayers are going out to everyone that has been affected by the rash of tornadoes.

Macro Monday..and a Recipe!

2011-04-25T10:14:00.000-04:00

Like I mentioned on Saturday, I made a Peanut Butter Mousse Pie for dessert for Easter. It was a request by my husband and I had never made it before. Quite honestly, baking is not really my cup of tea. There is too much precise measuring involved..I prefer cooking meals where I can measure by the pinch and shake. I was in luck though 'cause this pie is bake-free. Actually, the recipe did call for a little baking..I was supposed to make the graham cracker crust from scratch..but I cheated and bought one and I am completely ok with that! I think it turned out pretty darn good.

1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips (about 8 ounces)

2/3 cup plus 1 3/4 cups chilled whipping cream, divided

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

2 tablespoons sugar

6 ounces (1 cup) peanut butter chips

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned style or freshly ground)

1 pre-made graham cracker crust

Combine chocolate chips, 2/3 cup cream, corn syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium heat until chocolate softens, about 3 minutes. Whisk until melted and smooth. Spread chocolate mixture over bottom of crust. Freeze 10 minutes.

Microwave peanut butter chips and 3/4 cup cream in large microwave-safe bowl on medium heat at 15 second intervals just until chips soften, stirring often. Whisk in peanut butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cool to barely lukewarm.

Beat remaining 1 cup cream and 2 tablespoon sugar in medium bowl until very thick but not yet holding peaks; fold into peanut butter mixture in 3 additions. Spoon mousse over chocolate later. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!

Ingredients:

A flower on Saturday

2011-04-23T11:21:00.000-04:00

Just a quick flower photo to start this Saturday off with. Now I am off to make a peanut butter mousse pie for Easter tomorrow! Mmm..I'm sure pictures and recipe will be following soon-that is, as long as it turns out yummy. I've never even attempted to make such deliciousness so we will see how it tastes.

Have a great weekend ya'll..and a lovely Easter!

Bleeding Heart

2011-04-22T11:45:00.001-04:00

..But totally not in a gross, bloody way..

How cool are these little heart shaped flowers?? These are called "Bleeding Heart Flowers." How appropriate..and a little disturbing. They have a (kind of) neat folklore story behind them which you can read HERE if ya want.

Thank goodness I made it out yesterday to the park and capture these 'cause today is rainy and chilly. Heres hoping for a warm and sunny weekend!

In CS5, I added a free texture (sugar n spice) from Life-n-Reflection that I found HERE . Blending mode was "overlay" and I adjusted it slightly to my taste. Then I erased the texture from the flowers in the foreground.

Texture Thursday

2011-04-21T16:49:00.000-04:00

Seraphina and I headed out to Reynolda Gardens to see what new flowers had bloomed since the last time we were there. A lot more has definitely come up and the fountain was on which was a sure sign that Spring is here for real. There were a lot more flowers up and some almost ready to bloom and that is what I love about that place..literally, every time you go there, there will be a new flower(s) that has bloomed. I didn't get as many pictures as I really wanted to, I had Seraphina strapped on my chest and it was real fun keeping her little grabby hands away from my camera..and my hair..and the flowers.. I guess that gives me an excuse to go back this weekend (though I will bring an extra set of arms this time..my husband!).

I don't remember what kind of plant this is but I think it looks so neat!

It didn't really need that much editing (in my opinion) straight out of the camera but I did use Ashley Sisks Nice & Easy action on it. I usually play around with textures on my photos but I felt like this one had enough texture all on its own. I love how abstract the background looks.

Unedited Version:

WordFULL Wednesday

2011-04-20T11:50:00.000-04:00

Seraphina's wild hair is finally long enough that I can pull it back into a clip (though she hates it when I mess with her hair..I think she prefers to be a wild child with wild hair to match).

I think about how she is going to be as she gets older a lot..which I suppose all parents do. But my thoughts go quickly from "is she going to hate her curly hair when she's a teenager?" to "is she going to be in a wheelchair?", "will she be able to talk?", "will she be made fun of because she might be 'different'?" I think the last question saddens me the most.

You read all the time about bullying in school and how mean kids can be. How exactly are you supposed to protect your child from that? I suppose I have time to figure that out. And maybe I won't have to figure that out at all..perhaps all of Seraphina's "issues" will work themselves out in time and she will have no visible disabilities.

Sometimes I think I am in denial.

Am I in denial?

Would I know if I was in denial?

Or am I just trying desperately to stay positive.

Because negativity is not going to help anyone.

I think the hardest part is that I just don't know what she is going to be like as she gets older. I have no idea if she will ever have the strength to walk on her own, or even sit up on her own.

There are so many questions that will have no answers until time unfolds them.

The hardest is when a stranger sees Seraphina and asks how old she is (14 months)..they in evidently ask if she is walking up a storm and usually I just grit my teeth and say something like "oh, she just prefers my arms!..she just wants to be held by me all day long rather than walk!" See?-denial. But saying that is easier than saying (::insert deep breathe::..I will not cry I will not cry as I type/say this..) "My daughter has cerebral palsy" and then watching their faces fall a little and scoot away after muttering "oh I'm so sorry."

But here I go again..this wasn't really supposed to be a post like this but I opened the floodgates of my thoughts and they came spilling out. But it feels good..this is like therapy for me because like I mentioned earlier, I may-or may not-be in denial that there is anything but normalcy with my dear Seraphina.

Regardless of the obstacles that we may..or may not..face in the future, my baby girl loves me for me and I love her just the same, no matter what.

Thanks for listening on this word-full Wednesday.

Macro Monday!

2011-04-18T13:53:00.001-04:00

My tomato seeds have sprung to life!

This is very exciting for me!

I got this little kit a couple of weeks ago from Target..it cost a buck and contained a cute little red pot, soil and seeds.

It has been living on my kitchen window sill and I have been anxiously watching the seeds start to sprout.

And then,

one day,

TA-DAAAA,

here they are!

Hiding from the rain

2011-04-16T09:39:00.000-04:00

Just a quick flower pic for this cold and rainy Saturday.

Hope where ever you are it's warm and sunshiney!

Have a great weekend Ya'll!

Macro Friday

2011-04-15T10:51:00.000-04:00

These two little guys (they were maybe 2 1/2 inches tall) were drinking tea (or something) and hanging out under a Bonsai Tree.

I found them at the Botanical Gardens last Saturday.

(Yes, I am still talking about that excursion..but this is the last picture from there that I am going to share, I promise..I think.)

By the way, I have added the Bonsai Tree to the list of trees that I want to acquire..

For the edit: in CS5, I ran the Nice & Easy action by Ashley Sisk (this is my new go-to action to use on my photos before I do anything else-LOVE this action. Thanks, Ashley!). Then I ran Fresh & Colorful and Boost from the Pioneer Woman Actions Set (Love these too!). Finally, I added a texture that I found HERE (blending mode set to "soft light" and adjusted to my taste).

The many faces of Phina

2011-04-14T10:59:00.000-04:00

She posed for me by the window--gotta love that natural light. Look at all those teethers!..the better to CHOMP you with..seriously. She is growing up so quickly-I swear, overnight she has grown into a toddler. When did that happen??!

back to botany

2011-04-13T11:16:00.000-04:00

How did I never know that the Dogwood tree comes in this gorgeous pink??

I have been making a list in my head of trees that I need to eventually acquire for my yard..and this is the most recently added one.

Also on the list are a handful of those beautiful purple Crepe Myrtles, a weeping Cherry Tree, and a Plum Tree.

My allergies are probably going to hate me even more when I finally do get all of these flowering trees planted.

P.S.Warren Baldwin, from the blog Family Fountain, has written an enlightening post that features one of my photographs. You can check it out HERE.

Not another flower..

2011-04-12T09:30:00.001-04:00

I'm not going to lie, it was little hard for me not to post a picture of a flower up here today.

But I had been saving these since last week and wanted to finally share them (this was the first picture of this cluster of buildings that I posted last week).

Even though I do love these buildings (they are so old and neat!), I can't help but cringe a little at how dreary they look..especially after I have been obsessed with bright, happy flowers lately!

Oh, but don't worry 'cause I have a cheery flower all lined up for my next post :)

By the way, I use my fave grunge texture that I found HERE on both of these photos.

I 'm also linking up to C ommunal Global

Macro Monday!

2011-04-11T11:21:00.003-04:00

Like I mentioned before, we went to the Botanical Gardens on Saturday and it was awesome. It was cold and damp that day but that didn't take away from the beauty of the flowers. One section was devoted to tulips of every color, it was like a rainbow threw up on the ground (how do you like that imagery ha ha). And I learned something too..if the tulips have already bloomed and then it is cold, tulips close up, so unfortunately most of them were "in hiding." But I got sneak peak of a few of them. I will definitely be making another trip out there soon on a warmer day.

These are a few of my favorites from that day..

I love the water droplets on this one. So pretty and delicate.

And I love the bright pink and contrasting vibrant green in this photo.

I wanted to include these to show you just how many tulips there were..It was beautiful! I am definitely going to have to plant a bouquet of these in my yard.

Guess what?? This is my 100th post! Woo hoo! I am so grateful that I started blogging because it reignited my passion for photography and it serves as a wonderful creative outlet for me. I appreciate each and every comment I receive and enjoy browsing other people's sites for inspiration. So, thanks for being there along the way with me!

As soon as my Facebook page reaches 500 "likes" I will be doing a giveaway so why don't you head on over there and "like" Marci Bruno Photography! Everyone likes free stuff, right?!

Flowers on Saturday

2011-04-09T10:18:00.000-04:00

Don't you just want to lay right on top of these and take a nap in the warm sun??

I know I have been going a bit "flower crazy"..I feel like nearly every other post is of some flowers but I just can't help it, Spring is in full bloom here and I am soo excited about it!

And you will probably see a ton more next week too 'cause we are going to the Botanical Gardens today (despite it being overcast and cooler today).

Have a great weekend, Ya'll!

See ya on Macro Monday!

Macro Friday!

2011-04-08T10:13:00.001-04:00

Ode to the Dadelions

(or Why I shouldn't Cut the Grass)

By Nancy Ness

The sun shines high: the rain's gone by.

It's Dandelion Day.

From fertile spawn my plush green lawn

Is mottled yellow spray.

The neighbors' round, all cutting down

Their blades and flowers gay -

Now green they've got, a common lot,

While mine's in vast array.

Why should I mow these lovelies low,

Defying Sunshine's ray?

To bring them down the sun might frown,

And turn blue sky to gray.

I'll let their seeds fallow new weeds

And mow another day.

Resplay they should, the neighborhood.

The Dandelions stay.

______________________________

My sentiments exactly!

For this edit, I added a texture that I found HERE.

Have a great weekend, Ya'll!

Texture Thursday

2011-04-07T11:10:00.000-04:00

It's funny, 'cause when I was growing up in my hometown, I couldn't wait to get out of here. And I did. I left town to go to school an hour away..then decided that wasn't far enough either and right after graduation traveled another 600 miles 'til I hit New York. Aaahh-that's better. I was free, I thought.

New York City is where I met my husband and where we fell in love. I have fond memories of NYC but it wore on me too. I needed my space, I needed my air and New York was slowly turning me into an angry person. We eventually made it back to my hometown in 2009 and every day I love it more and more.

The reason that I am going on this tangent is particularly about these buildings that I photographed the other day. The old tobacco buildings that stand prominently and ominously in downtown Winston-Salem, NC. I love these buildings. Love love love. I love their oldness, and their history, their architecture and their mystery (uh-no, I didn't mean to rhyme there..but it sounds nice anyway!).

I go downtown pretty frequently to photograph them. I would love to have access inside these old buildings..but there's a tall barbed-wire fence surrounding the premises. And actually, at this visit, half of the building was covered in a tent with a sign saying "Danger: Asbestos"...hhmmm..

I'm a sucker for lines and architecture, so this ended up being my favorite shot of the day. In CS5, I auto corrected the tone/color/contrast and added my favorite grunge texture (that I found HERE), with the blending mode set to "overlay."

This is the unedited version:

Red Robin

2011-04-06T18:33:00.000-04:00

A red robin modeled for me today.

Chirp.

Hope your day was as lovely as mine.

Gorgeous weather + Husband took the day off work + Happy baby = Awesome day!

P.S. Do birds always stand with only 1 foot??

Macro Monday...and a Recipe!

2011-04-04T10:07:00.000-04:00

Spicy Kale Chips

Who would have thought that Kale could be so gooood?

Oooo-I love when I get bokeh in the most unexpected places!

Fancy Smancy Olive Oil

I actually used my cheap-o olive oil for this recipe but this bottle was so pretty that I wanted to take a photo of it!

So here's the easy peasy recipe:

Remove the center ribs and stems from 1 bunch kale; tear the leaves into 3-to-4 inch pieces.

Toss w/1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika and 1/4 teaspoon salt.***

Spread on baking sheets coated with cooking spray.

Bake @ 350 degrees until browned around the edges and crisp, about 12-15 minutes.

***I didn't have smoked paprika (though that does sound good!), so I used a little bit of chile powder, garlic powder ('cause I looove garlic), onion powder and a salt blend that has rosemary, garlic, oregano, black peppercorns and red bell peppers in it. This is actually my go-to spice blend that I use for pretty much anything that I throw in the oven! Oh, and I never measure olive oil and spices..I just eyeball it.

They were delish and they honestly satisfied my junk food craving because they were a little salty and crisp similar to potato chips. And they were soooooo easy to make. I think I may make them again today!

Have a happy Macro Monday, Ya'll!

Quarterly Top 5

2011-04-02T10:12:00.000-04:00

My top 5 pics of baby girl Seraphina from Jaunary through March 2011.

I've posted all of these before but this time I messed around with different processing techniques/actions to switch it up a little bit (all of which were from Pioneer Woman Actions Set).

It was so hard to choose my top 5!

In no particular order...

I love her smirk in this one.

She loves this tricycle that I push her around in on walks. And I love that pink hat-so cute!

Even though this doesn't even showcase her whole face, I still love this one! The cropping brings the attention to two of my favorite things-her beautiful eye(s) and her wispy hair.

This was a shot I took for her birthday Thank-You card--she was so excited, sometimes she can be such a ham for me! Love that wild hair (as it is most times now that it's getting longer) and that toothy, big smile.

I just posted this one yesterday but I looove that blue eye and those looong eyelashes!

Have a great weekend, Ya'll!

Heres Looking at You.

2011-04-01T13:39:00.001-04:00

Why hello there, beautiful!

My husband and I both have brown eyes, so my girls lovely blue eyes amaze me every time I stare into them.

Don't you just love kids eyelashes?? So looooong.

Have a great weekend, Ya'll..See you for Macro Monday!

P.S. Don't forget to follow the link on the right to ny Facebook page..when I reach 500 "likes" I'll be doing a giveaway!

Blue Skies

2011-03-30T15:40:00.001-04:00

No, we don't have blue skies here..today.

Today we have gray, rainy skies.

But yesterday, the sky was filled with perfect, lovely, fluffy clouds and blue skies.
This photo was taken at my favorite time of day this time of year..right around 5 pm.
At this time of day, at this time of year, the sunshine turns into pure golden rays that makes everything just absolutely gorgeous.

Mmm..just looking at this makes me (almost) forget how nasty it is out today.

Also linking up with Better in Bulk

P.S. Once I hit 500 "likes" on my Facebook page,

I'll be having a fun giveaway!

Follow the link on the top right to like

Marci Bruno Photography on Facebook!

What makes me happy..

2011-03-29T14:15:00.001-04:00

...This face. Those cheeks. That nose. The ringlets. And that smirk!

I love them baby blues too!

Oh and hey, guess what?? I just put new, fun Shop Local Etsy Love up on the right hand side of this blog. You should go check it out! This week, all things inspired by North Carolina ('cause I got Carolina on my mind). I may be cheating a little bit with the "Local" part..only 3 of the artists are actully from N.C. but maybe the others are local to you.

Macro Monday!

2011-03-28T11:22:00.000-04:00

I woke up to cold rain this morning..which quickly turned into snow.

Wait, what?? Snow?? SNOW?!

Huff.

All I gotta say is this little flurry that we are having better not kill my daffodils that just starting blooming.

This photograph was taken last week..when it was a balmy 80 degrees and gorgeous outside.

Aaaah-memories..

Have a great Macro Monday, ya'll!

I am also linking up to Monday Rewind over at Chic Homeschool Mama (I couldn't get the button to work..)

Before and After

2011-03-24T12:45:00.000-04:00

I don't usually do this type of effect with my photos but I was in the mood to play around so I decided to experiment with duplicate layers.

I started with a ho-hum picture that I took of a lone dandelion in my yard:

In CS5, I duplicated the original layer 13 times (whew!) and erased everything from the duplicate backgrounds except the dandelion. Then I moved my 13 duplicate dandelions into a heart formation and I flattened the whole image (layer>flatten image). I added 2 textures: White Oak at blending mode "saturation" and a leaf texture that I found HERE at blending mode "soft light." I slightly adjusted both layers then erased the texture from the dandelions. I also used the patch tool to get rid of some of the brown grass and leaves. Finally, I added the text.

Honestly, I'm not really sure if I love my end result. I mean, it's definitely better than the SOOC but I think I may have gone a little overboard on the editing because I was having so much fun with it. That happens sometimes.

Spring

2011-03-23T15:21:00.000-04:00

I love delicate Spring flowers.

I love them even more when paired with my 50 mm lens.

It creates dreamy bokeh and a soft, ethereal focus.

We have had Spring weather full force now for several days in a row..it's been great. Nothing like hanging out on the lawn with my daughter, feeling the grass between our toes and seeing all the bright colors slowly but surely pop up. This is by far my favorite time of the year..any winter blues that might have been hanging on to my soul have been fast slipping away and I feel as cheerful as the birds chirping! It's amazing what a little Vitamin D does for you.

But, alas, I knew it couldn't last..after all, it is only March still.. The forecast says that the temperature is going to stay only in the mere 50's for the next week or so.

Say it ain't so weatherman!

Macro Monday

2011-03-21T09:56:00.001-04:00

Just one simple picture for this lovely Macro Monday morning!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday!

2011-03-20T11:16:00.000-04:00

I love when I find the time, inspiration and motivation to participate in Ashley Sisks Sunday Scavenger Hunt! Here are my takes on the 5 words for this week:

Camera Phone

This is a little blurry 'cause, well, I took it with my camera phone (and I don't have one of those fancy phones that take great pics)! Since I get the privilege of staying home all day with Baby Girl, I am constantly snapping pics of her throughout the day with my camera phone and sending them to my husband at work so that he doesn't have to miss out on all the fun we're having! She is getting some back molars in now, so she is seriously chowing down on her fingers and is a drool machine.

Camera

Thinking of what to capture for this word was, well, obvious..but it also brought of memories of my old film cameras that were buried away in the attic. I know, I know..isn't that awful that I kept them up there? It's just..when I got my first "real" digital camera (at the time, my Nikon D70), I neglected my poor film cameras because I was so excited to have instant gratification of digital in my hands. I dug out my film cameras today, dusted them off and plan to put them back in action very soon. This camera above though, is an antique Brownie that I have never tried to use-I'm sure there are light leaks and such but it would still be interesting to see what kind of images I could get out of it.

By the way, for these images I used the "Vintage" Action from Pioneer Woman. I don't know why it took me so long to download her FREE action sets but I am in love with them now! You can get them HERE.

Shoes

I use to live in heels back in my early 20's when I was single and going through my Sex and the City stage. Now, not so much..I reserve them for special occasions and my feet now live in ballet flats and flip-flops.

I have owned these sparkly shoes forevvver. I still hang on to them just in case (of what? I don't know..but I know that I will officially be old when I finally get rid of them).

Chair

I stood on my kitchen chair and took a pic looking down for this one. I definitely wanted to get an abstract shot of it..'cause otherwise a chair could look rather boring. I think I succeeded.

Btw, I used the PioneerWomans Black & White Action for this one.

Imperfection

Let me clarify, the ONLY reason that I say that this picture of my beautiful baby girl, Seraphina is "imperfect" is because she is totally not smiling and about 2 seconds away from ripping that headband right off her head. I tried to have a little Spring Photo Shoot with her yesterday in our backyard and she was totally not having it and acting like a diva lol But this shot was actually one of my favorites.

Macro Friday

2011-03-18T14:22:00.000-04:00

I have been pretty much obsessed with flowers this week..and I don't see this obsession stopping any time soon. I even made a Flower Power themed Treasury on Etsy this week..it is FULL of gorgeous flowery things, go check it out and show some love to talented independent artists! You can see it HERE. What?..you've never heard of/been on Etsy before?? Oh, you poor thing..go..NOW!..

and check out Etsy--it is awesome and you will surely become addiccted to looking/buying/fantasizing about all of the lovely things that are on there.

Anyway, here's one more flower pic for this week.

This is from my peach tree that I planted last October. I wasn't even sure what a peach tree looked like (it was a mere twig when I planted it)..I sure didn't know that it would have pretty pink flowers on it and I am super excited to see some getting ready to bloom!

Have a great weekend Ya'll!

before and after

2011-03-17T14:30:00.000-04:00

My mom has these fabulous smelling flowers growing in her backyard and she brought a hand full of them over to my house yesterday. Mmmm..my whole house is smelling absolutely Spring-tastic now.

Aren't they pretty?

SOOC

For this edit, I brought the image into CS5 where I atuo adjusted the contrast and color. I added a "white oak" texture that I found HERE then I added a bokeh texture to just the top half of the photo ('cause I think you can never have too much bokeh!) that I found HERE. I had both of the layers blending modes set to "soft light." Then I "erased" the texture off the flower that is front and center.

Just another reason to go to Target..

2011-03-16T12:17:00.001-04:00

You know what I love?

These cute little things that I got from Target a few days ago. They were in the dollar bins. They always have the cutest things in there! It said "guaranteed to grow" and it also said "only plant 5 seeds" but just to make sure, I dumped the whole packet in each one. So, we'll see if I produce an obscene amount of chives, parsley and basil in a few weeks! Mmm..I hope so!

linking up to ProjectAlicia

P.S.

I have new ShopLocal EtsyLove up on the right-hand side..why don't you go check out some of the artists! No theme today..just pretty stuff that I love/want/need.

I am also in the process of completely renovating my own Etsy Shop which means new prints are up! There is a link on the right-hand side of here for my shop as well. I only have a few prints in there now but hopefully in the next few days I will have a better inventory.

Getting to know me..

2011-03-15T15:05:00.003-04:00

I found this link up over at NapTime Momtog and thought it was a cute/neat idea. Each Tuesday, there will be 2 random questions for you to answer.

These are this weeks:

Go check out every one else's responses!

Macro Monday

2011-03-14T10:09:00.000-04:00

It's just about that season to start mowing the lawn again. But until we drag the mower out, I will be just as happy to photograph these pretty little flowers/weeds that are sprouting up all over my backyard.

By the way, is there anything better than the smell of fresh cut grass on a warm day??

Nope.

I even enjoy waking up to the sound of my neighbors mowing the lawn.

Seriously!

They are very whimsical and the lens I was using gave them a etheral feel with the way they are sort of glowing.

I feel like fairies should live here.

I used my new favorite texture (which I found HERE) on this one and faded the color a little. I like how it sort of has a vintage feel now.

Awww, lovely bokeh!

I love the abstract painting feel in this one from the textures that I added.

What are these anyway?

Macro Friday

2011-03-11T16:52:00.000-05:00

Sweet baby eyelashes!

I guess by now she is not so much a "baby" anymore since she is nearly 13 months old.
:::Siiiiigh:::
This is also the time (apparently) when everyone and their mother ask you when you are going to have another baby..then some even take it a step further and make it seem like I will be doing an injustice to Seraphina if I don't supply her with a younger sibling ASAP.
Just.back.off.a.little. Pretty Please.

Anyone else have that problem?

Anyway.
You know I love texture..and I love macro..so I could not resist to combine the two in the shot above.
Here is the original shot:

For the edit, I brought it into Photoshop, where I converted it to b/w and I bumped up the contrast a smidge. Then I added a grunge layer and a bokeh layer..both of which I found HERE. Both of them were on "soft light" blending mode with the fill opacity dropped down to about 70%.
I then "erased" the texture from her eyelashes/lid and burned in that same area.
That's it.

Have a great weekend!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

A story for Saturday

2011-03-05T10:10:00.000-05:00

Go ahead and grab a seat, 'cause this one is a rambling..

As some of you may or may not know, my daughter, Seraphina, did not come into this world easily. We had a pretty traumatic childbirth experience, which caused her to sustain brain damage (specifically in the basal ganglia area of the brain). I don't even really like typing those words. Brain damage. Sometimes it is hard to believe that because she appears so "normal" in so many aspects. She laughs hysterically, she reaches out and grabs the cats tail, she gets an ear-to-ear grin when daddy gets home and reaches her arms out for him. But she also can't sit up, crawl, stand, walk, hold her own bottle, say any sort of discernible words (other than constant babbling)..all of which are milestones that she should have reached by now. We started her in an early intervention program when she was just a newborn and I am so grateful we have the resources available to us that we do. She has physical therapy once a week (which she hates) and water therapy once a week (which she absolutely loves).

Quite honestly, despite having therapies and such for her, I try not to think about it. It pains me to think about, to talk about it. To think of my daughter as any different than any other child. To think of the difficulties that she may have growing up. It breaks my heart. So, I just don't think about it. I go through the routines that we need to go through and when I see other toddlers her age, I try to tune them out because I can not bare to inevitably "compare" them to my child and wonder what we are both missing out on (and believe me, I hate myself for doing that..it's not fair to my child, or the child that I am comparing her to).

A "normal" childhood, full of playgrounds and running.

Some days are easier than others.

But, I suppose, what is normal, anyway?

Seraphina has recently gotten a "Stander" from the physical therapist.

It seriously looks like a torture device.

Full of velcro and buckles, metal and leather.

She "stands" in it for 30 minutes everyday. The goal is to help strengthen her torso, keep her feet flat and her legs spread so that eventually she will be able to stand and walk on her own.

Despite the scary look of it, she actually enjoys being in it. Seriously.

It has all sorts of knobs and levers.

And as I look at her in this apparatus, I can't think of anything that is more opposite of her.

Her delicate, soft features contrasting against the cold, dark steel.

But she's a fighter, always has been.

Sometimes I think that she is stronger than me in so many ways.

I truly believe in my heart that she will be just fine. More than fine.

Perfect.

That she will be running towards to the swing set all on her own, soon.

Yes, some days are easier than others for me and obviously today is not one of those days because I am dwelling on things in the past and things that I can not change.

But as Seraphina is sleeping so soundly in my arms as I type this,

with her lips slightly parted, smiling in her sleep every so often, her looong eyelashes fluttering and her tiny hand holding tightly onto my sweater,

I realize that she is perfect already.

Thanks for listening..I needed that.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Macro Friday

2011-03-04T14:26:00.000-05:00

Meooooow

I don't have many other words for today. In another funk, I suppose. This happens every couple of weeks to me, where I am at a loss for what to photograph. And at an even bigger loss to find something coherent to say about whatever I decide to take a picture of.

So, with that being said..Have a great weekend Ya'll!

A sign of Spring

2011-03-03T07:53:00.001-05:00

Oh you have no idea how happy it made me to see buds in all of their glory bursting open on the hydrangea bush! I anxiously look around everyday to see if I can spot any flowers yet...I am dyyyyying to photograph some pretty flowers...but nothing yet.

Soon though!

I can feel it..I can smell it!...Spring is near!

(Can you tell that I have a serious case of Spring Fever?....my body is craving it like water right now)

Macro Monday

2011-02-28T14:10:00.000-05:00

Well, hello there bloggy world!

I feel like I have been away from here forever..but I suppose it's only been 4 days since my last post.

I enjoyed a family weekend with my husband and daughter, enjoying the sunshine

(helllloooooo 75 degree weather! I missed you! And won't you please stick around for a while?!)

and I also discovered that I am awesome at bocce...who would have thought?

I love to start my week off with a little Macro Monday!

Mmm...looks refreshing-right??

My afternoon snack.

Because I have run out of girl scout cookies.

Happy Monday, Ya'll!

Inspiration Strikes

2011-02-24T09:05:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to mess around with this little project since I saw Ashley over at Ramblings & Photos do this..but I let time slip away from me and I forgot all about it.

Then I saw that Alicia over at A Beautiful Mess did the same thing and it looked pretty darn awesome.

I knew that I just had to finally try this.

It was super easy to do..the hardest part was finding a suitable picture to play around with.

I ended up using a landscape photo that I took last fall.

It's a bit (a lot) busy and very abstract..but I kinda like it!

This was the original photo:

I use words like "smidge" and "a bit" in both recipes and photoshop,

so to learn how to do this, follow Ashley's tutorial

HERE.

Thanks Alica and Ashley for the inspiration!

yumminess.

2011-02-21T16:45:00.001-05:00

yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum.

I am such a "junk food vegetarian."

**sigh**

I don't want to be, I really don't.

And in an effort to eat healthier, I just chopped up some veggies and oven-baked them.

Don't they look delish??

And they are making my house smell phenomenal.

I plan on eating these all week long.

Wanna know what's in/on them?

Sure ya' do.

1 of each: green, yellow, red pepper

1 red onion

1 zucchini

1 squash

2 sweet potatoes

4 cloves garlic

cumin, turmeric, chili pepper, salt & pepper (a sprinkle of each)

olive oil

Chop, dice, slice your veggies, layer them on the pan in the order above (that way the peppers don't get burnt and the sweet potatoes cook through).

sprinkle garlic & spices over them.

cover w/foil and bake 425 degrees for 20 minutes

remove foil, drizzle some olive oil over them and bake for another 20 minutes.

serve with beans, rice, quinoa, whatever your heart desires!

bam, easy-right??

much thanks to my sister for the simple and delicious recepe.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday!

2011-02-20T10:48:00.000-05:00

I haven't participated in the Scavenger Sunday over at Ramblings & Photos in forevvvvvva so I am glad that I found some time this morning to snap these pics and join in!

Here are my interpretations of this weeks words:

Chocolate

Numbers

I so desperately want to be a coupon-toting, money-saving maniac at the grocery store. Every Sunday I diligently cut the coupons out of the paper..then I proceed to throw said coupons into my purse where they get crumbled and torn and I inevidently forget to use them all together.

I need one of those hard-core accordion style organizers for coupons.

Canned Food

Doesn't this soup sound yummy?? I am totally going to make myself an extra-cheesy grilled cheese with a bowl of this for lunch today.

You wanna know what my secret to grilled cheese is?? I don't grill it at all..I put the 2 pieces of bread with cheese on them open face under the broiler for a few minutes so the bread gets all toasty and the cheese gets all bubbly, then I smash the 2 pieces together for utter perfection sans all the butter and grease.

And just to go on a rant for a sec..I had a divine grilled cheese the other day when I met my friend for lunch..

It had pimento cheese, fried green tomatoes and caramelized onions in between some nice rustic multi-grain bread.

ohmygosh-itwasawesome.

Music

Stack

This is one of my favorite sandwiches to make.

It is mozzarella cheese (I usually use fresh mozzarella but I ran out, so I just used shredded for this one..), green peppers, red onions and spinach stacked on a piece of french bread that has been drizzled with olive oil and some salt and pepper. I also usually add a few leaves of fresh basil. Then you throw it in the oven for a few minutes til the cheese melts. Mmmmmm.

a little texture twist

2011-02-19T09:34:00.000-05:00

I was super excited when I saw that Kristy at Life-n-Reflection is having a link up for images that you have adorned with texture. I love texture. It can completely change a photograph and it is so much fun to play around with. I find a lot of my textures HERE and HERE. And then Kristy informed me that she has some free textures too, HERE (Thanks Kristy-they are awesome and beautiful!).I took this photograph several weeks ago in a greenhouse that I visited. I didn't adjust the colors-they were really like that-cool, huh?

Macro Friday!

2011-02-18T10:47:00.001-05:00

Ugh, don't you just hate these things??

They are all over my backyard.

I was talking to my friends mom the other day and she said that when her kids were younger and they would get in trouble, she would make them go out in the yard and pick up 100 of these little gumdrops.

Ha ha..I might have to remember that for when Seraphina gets older.

Oh, but my Seraphina would never act up--right?!

She's always going to my lil' angel!

I was digging through all of my camera stuff today and I found something that I had dug out of my dads old camera bag a while back and forgot about--a Kenko NT Auto Teleplus 3x (which, by playing around with it, I am assuming is an extension tube for lenses-right? Correct me if I am wrong..).

It's attached to 50 mm 1.4 lens (which I can't get off-huff..I think something broke on it and it is now permanently attached..).

This is what I used to take this pic and I am loving how close I can get to things!

I can't wait to play around with it more.

This is how close I could get with my 50 mm 1.8 lens that I already have:

Pretty big difference-huh?

I see a world of brand new macro shots coming soon with this "new"-to-me and I am super excited!

Have a great weekend Ya'll!

Before & After

2011-02-17T14:10:00.001-05:00

I am a big fan of making cards rather than buying them (if I have the time) so that I can personalize them. The image below is part of the Thank You cards that I made to send out to all the lovelies who spoiled Seraphina for her 1st Birthday this past Sunday.

The blocks were one of her gifts and as soon as I saw them I had sort of an "A-Ha!" moment where I just knew I was going to use them for some sort of photo.

Let me tell you, it was no easy task to try to put these blocks directly in front of her and then try to snap a pic before she destroyed them.

I obviously couldn't scold her when she would play with them during our "shoot"..I mean, they are her toys.

So I had to be quick.

But I still wasn't quick enough..so I had to use tape.

Which only held for so long until she could finally get them up lol

Anyway..here is the Straight Out Of the Camera Shot:

And this is the edit that I did:

I opened the photo in CS5. I cropped the photo and then added used the "quick mask mode" to paint over just the letters. I also had to use the "healing brush" tool to make that piece of tape that she revealed under the "S" disappear. Once that was finished, I turned the rest of the photo into black/white and I bumped up the saturation on the letters and bumped up the contrast in the black and white. I added the text (which I found that cute font HERE) and added the frame (which I found HERE).

This is what the entire Thank You card looks like:

(can you read the print that is on the 1st pic? It says "Oh my gosh Ya'll, I had so much fun turning ONE!"

I might have to change that font..)

Cute-huh?

Well, I think so!

Now the hard part is done..I just have to actually print them and send them.

We'll see how long that takes me..

Macro Monday

2011-02-14T14:26:00.001-05:00

It is such a beautiful day out today! Sunshiney, warm, not a cloud in the sky.

Too bad baby girl is not feeling too hot right now..she had her 1 year check up today and ended up getting 5 shots. Holy mackeral. I'm not going to lie..I nearly started crying with her-I hate seeing her go through that. She's sleeping off the tramatic experience now and I am lusting after the sunshine through the window.

Oh, and no, these flowers are not real. I use them to spruce up the kitchen year-round..you really can't tell they're fake unless you are investigating closely. However, I did notice that the tulips that I planted around my mailbox in the fall are starting to slowly sprout up! Yea!

I'm hoping this warm weather lasts for at least another few days. Or, what the heck, let's just dive into Spring already!

Here's hoping that wherever you are, it's a beautiful day too..and you have the luxury to enjoy it!

Oh and Happy Valentines Day too!

love letters to kitty paw...

2011-02-13T20:08:00.000-05:00

As some of you may or may not know, my daughters 1st birthday was today! She had a barnyard theme for her party, which included an awesome petting zoo. When I was going through the pics I took (which, by the way, I hate how I really didn't get that many or that great of shots today 'cause I was juggling all the responsibilities and stresses of hosting a party), I immediately thought of the love letters to kitty paw contest that Ashley Sisk (over at Ramblings and Photos) is hosting right now. I couldn't resist using that play on words!

Hope ya'll had a lovely weekend--see you tomorrow for Macro Monday!

A delicious idea.

2011-02-11T10:11:00.002-05:00

mmmm...pb&j with bananas on multi-grain bread.

You might say that I am a little addicted to this easy and delicious combo. After all, every morning I eat toast w/pb & bananas and several times a week I eat this sandwich for lunch as well.

There are worse things to be addicted to for sure.

And less yummy things too.

For this edit: I opened the image up in CS5, desaturated the image a smidge, then added the grunge texture layer (that you can find HERE) with the blending mode set to "soft light." I found that nifty vintage frame over at The CoffeeShop Blog.

P.S. I just added some new, lovely items to the Shop Local Etsy Love that I have on the right hand side of this blog. Even if you aren't local to my area, go ahead and check out their stuff anyway. It's all things little girl inspired in celebration of my baby girl's 1st birthday that is coming up!

ten-on-ten

2011-02-10T23:18:00.000-05:00

My day in pictures..and a few words..

7-ish

Good Morning! Coffee-an absolute must to get my day started. And what do I have here? Krispy Kreme doughnuts?? Don't mind if I do..

8-ish

Oooh, Cat. You are so entertaining. If only you had opposable thumbs, you wouldn't even need me.

9-ish

Naptime. Eyelids getting heeeeavy. Going, going, gone. Love little baby feet. num num num.

10-ish

I swear I am going to get this day started.. Showertime while baby naps. This is my medicine cabinet-kinda lame-huh? You would be sorely dissapointed if you were snooping through my cabinets.

11-ish

Yes, I really am this disorganized. I'm just a smidge embarassed that I am even admitting what I keep hidden behind closed drawers and doors..

12-ish

Lunchtime for Seraphina! She was NOT happy that I decided to snap a pic of her lunch before I started feeding her.. But look how happy she was afterwards with a full belly and spaghetti face! LOVE her!..she is turning ONE on Sunday!!

1-ish

I am sort of obsessed with vacuuming. I actually really enjoy it. Something about the instant gratification of sucking up dirt. I vacuum every single day. Sometimes twice. Seriously.

2-ish

So I made this super-cute banner thingy to hang up at Seraphina's Birthday Party. I printed up a photo from each month that she has been alive, glued them on to colorful construction paper and attached all of them with ribbon. I'm going to hang it on the mantle. Look at that cutie pie face she's making in month one! That was her "fish face" :)

3-ish

Have you tried the Honey Mustard flavored pretzels by Rold Gold? They are deeeeelish. Oh, and just for the record, I totally ate more than just 4 of these..

4-ish

Well, actually this was more like 5-ish..I missed an hour somewhere..

Dinner time for Seraphina! What a terrible pic to end the day with..I had a squirmy baby on my hip while taking this pic..and you already saw how she gets when she has to wait to eat (aka the lunch time pic above!). Has anyone tried those 3-in-1 yogurt meals for babies? Seraphina looooooves them. She also had some bananas, a mashed sweet potato and blueberries. This girl definitely eats healthier than me!

________

This is my 1st time linking up to Ten-on-Ten..it was fun documenting my day and keeping an eye on the clock but after looking at my photos, I really didn't have an exciting day today (well, except for the doughnuts..that was pretty awesome-right?!)!

You can follow the link to check out other peoples days!

Snow what?

2011-02-10T14:24:00.000-05:00

Patches waiting to go play in the snow.

SOOC

For the Edit, I opened it in CS5, cropped the image, turned it in to black & white, then added a grunge texture layer (blending mode overlay) that I found here. I added the text then took it into Picnik where I added the border.

I woke up this morning confused..obviously I didn't get the memo that it would snow. Just a light dusting, it was gone by lunch time. Thank goodness.

Just 3 days 'til Seraphina's 1st Birthday (& the party!)!

It's supposed to be a sunny 59 degrees Sunday.

Keeping my fingers crossed it stays that way.
We have a nice "barnyard" themed party planned and I would love to spend it outdoors!
I am definitely more excited about this party than my daughter is at this point ha ha

Macro Monday

2011-02-07T09:58:00.000-05:00

Another flower shot that I got when I visited the greenhouse the other day. What is this?..some kind of orchid? I really need to get into a habit of snapping a pic of the name of the flower as well. I know it's the same type as the 1st flower that I shared HERE..just a different color. Love this color.

Looks like it's going to be a beautiful day out today-53 degrees and sunny, I can handle that.

Enjoy the nice weather, if you have it!

Project 365; Week 5

2011-02-05T14:49:00.001-05:00

1. 1/29/11 A beautiful sky while going on a walk.

HERE

2. 1/30/11 I got this amazing body spray from Target the other day and it smells sooo yummy that I have to resist the urge to bathe in it. Seriously. As if you needed a reason to go shopping at Target..go there..now..and get this!

3. 1/31/11 This is the one plant that I have managed to not kill..yet. I am very happy with myself. I took this shot for Macro Monday and you can see the bigger version .

4. 2/1/11 Seraphina loooves these little puff snacks.

5. 2/2/11 Isn't this plant beauitful and sooo unique?? I've never seen anything like it before. I found it at the Reynolda Gardens greenhouse the other day, where I also took THIS picture.

6. 2/3/11 Seraphina and I took advantage of the sunshine and went on a walk. She got a cool tricycle for Christmas that I can push her from behind until she can reach the pedals and go go go herself. I love her eyes in this picture-stunning. You can see more pics of her that I have taken this week HERE.

7. 2/4/11 I got a cute little box of valentines chocolates the other day..thank goodness I at least got a pic of them quick 'cause my husband promptly ate all of them..

How was your week?

I'm linking up with Naptime Momtog and...

On this day...

2011-02-04T08:53:00.000-05:00

February 4, 2010.

This was my (estimated) due date exactly 1 year ago. This was the date that we were looking forward to since the pregnancy test said "pregnant" at the end of May and as my belly grew and the date grew closer..and closer..I was giddy and excited (and maybe a little scared). My husband and I talked to her daily while she was in my belly, telling her about this beautiful world that she was going to be coming into. Telling her how much we loved her. Telling her that it was okay to rest at night so mommy could get a little bit of sleep (in fact..we are still telling/asking/pleading her this!). Then as this day last year came..and then went..and then the next day came and went and so on and so on..we began to tell her that it was time. It's time, baby girl, to make your grand entrance. It's time to meet face-to-face.

She must have been quite comfortable in there, making a nice cocoon pressed conveniently between my lungs (so my breathes seemed to always be quick and short) and bladder (so I constantly had to run to the bathroom). I took such good care of her inside of me for those loooong months, I guess I can't blame her for not wanting to leave her 1st home. But I so wanted to meet her, see her face, kiss her, snuggle her.

As a 1st time mom, it was hard to not take the due date to heart..that is the day that I had written in my calender with hearts and smiley faces on it. That was date that was marked months before as "Seraphina's Birthday." That was the date that I had envisioned celebrating her birthday every year for years and years and years to come.

Oh, how naive of me! I'm not sure what I expected to happen: 12 a.m. on February 4 comes and my contractions start (smoothly and painlessly of course) then an hour later Miss Seraphina does a somersault out and says "Hello World!"?!?!??

Uh, no.

She did in fact wait until 9 days later (I was certain that my poor HUGE belly would surely explode from the pure enormous power of it) and on February 13, 2010 she came into this world. But that is a story that I will wait to share (though some of you know bits and pieces of it already). When I woke up this morning, I hadn't intended to write a novel here about this particular date, I didn't even really remember what date it was today but when I did notice, I was overwhelmed with emotions and memories. I felt it necessary for myself to remember and share these memories so that I never forget how lucky I (we) are.

Always and forever, my baby she'll be.

Now you know that I take a million pictures a day of baby girl..these are just a few from this week:

Look at those lashes! She certainly doesn't get them from me..

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Have a great weekend, ya'll!

Is it Spring yet??

2011-02-03T08:34:00.001-05:00

While it seems like everyone else in this country got barreled with more snow (eeek!) we got a refreshing burst of Spring yesterday. Thank goodness. I'm not sure if my soul can handle any more hard core Winter weather. That's seriously one of the main reasons why I moved back to my home state of North Carolina from New York..the Winters were soooo cold, dreary, grey and depressing (for me at least).

Baby girl and I went to one of our favorite places to enjoy the warm weather..Reynolda Gardens. I don't know why I thought that blooms would be bursting and bare limbs would be covered with lush green just because we were having 1 beautiful sunny day...uh, yea, it's still Winter, even if it was 65 degrees out. But, lucky for us, Reynolda Gardens has a lovely greenhouse with flowers blooming year-round, so we were able to get our fix anyway.

SOOC

Edited

I looooove taking pictures of flowers. Love Love Love.

It makes me absolutely hysterical with happiness.

I wish I could have captured the smell inside the greenhouse..it was

aaaahhhhh-maaaaaaaa-ziiiiiiiing.

I did a simple edit:

In CS5, I bumped up the contrast (+71) and the saturation (+25). I added a texture layer (bokeh) that I found HERE, with the blending mode set to "soft light." Then I erased the texture from the flower that's front and (sort of) center. I added the text, then brought the image into Picnik, where I added the border.

By the way, I found that neat-o text on this awesome blog that I follow. She has a ton of free fonts that you can download..and she even gives you a tutorial on how to download and use them in whatever program you use. Her blog is super fun..and I'm not plugging her blog 'cause I know her or anything ('cause I don't)..I just think it's awesome (is it ok that I just used the work "awesome" twice in one paragraph??) and full of lots of fun stuff and useful info for photogs & crafters alike.

Macro Monday

2011-01-31T09:58:00.000-05:00

I don't have a green thumb..at all. I can't seem to keep any plant alive. Even plants that aren't supposed to need much attention die on me. This is obvious by my dead plants that are still hanging out on my deck since the summer. I think I am holding out a little hope that they will miraculously come back to life.

So needless to say, I was super excited to see my plant that has been hanging out on my kitchen window sill has sprouted new bright green leaves! It had been just a bare twig a couple of weeks ago.

We have plans to cultivate a vegetable garden once Spring finally comes and warm weather sticks around. I have dreams of fresh zucchinni, squash, peppers and tomatos in my future. Hopefully, with my thumb now a shade of pale green atleast, I can maybe make it happen. It should be an interesting project..wish me luck!

Project 365; Week 4

2011-01-30T16:20:00.001-05:00

Eeeek--I've been a bad blogger/photographer this week. A few of the days this week I barely even picked up my camera..I really just snapped a shot so that I wouldn't miss a day and you can tell that by the quality of my photographs in this weeks collage. But-oh well. I hope that inspiration and motivation strikes me for this week and I get back into the creative spirit.

P.S. I just realized that on my Week 3, I labeled it 2010 (which I guess no one else noticed 'cause no one told me!)--ha ha..get with the program, Marci!

Anyway..this is my week:

22. 1/22/11 ; 1:13 pm Right after lunch, which is evidenced by what's left on her face. Love her big smile.

23. 1/23/11 ; 12:11 pm Chopping up some peaches for my daughter. You can see an edited version of this shot HERE.

24. 1/24/11 ; 1:15 pm Is anyone else excited about all the Valentines & Easter candy that is in the stores already?! My 1st Cadbury Egg of the season..

25. 1/25/11 ; 7:30 pm This is my turtle, Timmy. He's a Red Earred Slider and pretty darn cool.

26. 1/26/11 ; 7:37 am Reflections of a tree in a puddle of water. You can see more reflection photos HERE.

27. 1/27/11 ; 7:07 am I am not happy about this shot at all. But it's the only pic I took that day, so there!

28. 1/28/11 ; 2:31 pm Pretty kitty just hanging out.

Hope Ya'll had a great week..can't wait to see everyone else's week in pictures!

I'm linking up to Naptime Momtog and...

Reflections on a rainy day

2011-01-26T11:58:00.001-05:00

To me, nothing is worse than a cold, rainy day. Yuck. If it was warm, maybe with a chance of a rainbow afterwards, then the rain wouldn't be so bad. But, today, today is cold. And rainy. Whatever happened to the "don't worry, Spring is right around the corner!" weather that we had last week??! I crave Spring.

I need Spring.

Anyway, I looked outside this morning and there were some wonderful reflections going on in the puddles.

I love reflections.

So pretty!

The red is from the wood on my deck.

I couldn't decide whether I like this picture better...

...Or this one with the texture ** added...

**you can get that texture HERE for free!

Have a great day..hope yours is filled with sunshine! :)

Millions of Peaches...

2011-01-24T13:49:00.001-05:00

..Peaches for me!

Or really, peaches for my daughter 'cause I'm just really not a fan. Maybe it all stemmed from my hatred for peach schnapps..I realllly hate that stuff. Yea, I seem to remember liking peaches before an incident with peach schnapps years ago..

This time of year made the peaches in the grocery store look a little less desirable (or a lot less desirable for me..) but I picked up a few anyway for Seraphina because she looooves them. Lucky for her I actually have a real live peach tree in my front yard! Uuuh, I don't think it plans on blooming anytime soon but I am still excited about future home grown peaches! I might even eat a few myself then!

P.S. Yea, I know my banner is looking all blurry and wonky..I'm working on it..

Project 365; Week 3

2011-01-22T10:44:00.000-05:00

Yea for Week 3 of My 365 and Yea for the new template that I found over at The CoffeeShop Blog!

15. 1/15/11; 11:04 am The morning sun was creeping in through the blinds on the window over Baby Girls happy face. I took this picture right before I snapped this one.

16. 1/16/11; 5:30 pm She was being held by her father. I took this shot for last Sundays Scavenger Hunt for the word "hair."

17. 1/17/11; 12:38 pm Just a Macro shot I was playing around with.

18. 1/18/11; 10:30 am Playing with some toys with Seraphina. You can see an edited version of this shot here.

19. 1/19/11; 4:13 pm Trying to be healthy..

20. 1/20/11; 8:24 am One of the most beautiful mornings I have seen in a long time. You can see more pics from that morning here.

21. 1/21/11; 11:20 pm Right before I was about to go to sleep, I realized that I hadn't picked up my camera at all that day! Hey, it happens. I snapped this pic of my favorite earrings. I wear them nearly every day. Love them.

A lovely start to the day..

2011-01-21T08:05:00.000-05:00

The sky Thursday morning was absolutely dreamy. I mean, seriously, it was amazing and beautiful and heavenly and I think I could go on and on about it..but instead I'll just show you some pictures! Anybody else catch it?? I ran out there in my pj's, barefoot and all, so I could snap these. One of the things that I love about my little plot of land is that even though there are houses on all sides of us, we also have trees all around us, which makes the sky a real unique backdrop to the bare tree limbs silhouettes. The trees also offers us (a little) privacy so I didn't feel too silly out there in the freezing cold in my 'jammies snapping away..

SOOC

I added a Color Grunge texture layer with the blending mode set to "soft light" then adjusted the opacity a smidge. Then I took it into Picnik where I added the text and border.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

__________________________________________________

P.S. I have been wanting a gallery wrapped canvas of one of my photographs for a looong time but every where I have found has been a tad expensive (and believe me, I have looked at a lot of places on line). Until I found Za Za Gallery. I actually follow them on twitter and saw last week that they were giving a few FREE 16x20 gallery wrapped canvases to people. All you had to do is e-mail them to see if you qualify for the give away and send them a high resolution jpg and they will mail you the canvas in about a week. Sure enough, my package came to me yesterday and I ripped open the box like it was Christmas.

Wow. It looks great. Seriously. And I'm not just saying that because it's one of my photographs :) It's a picture that I took of the beach and the Great South Bay in New York over the summer and it is just what I needed to look at to get me through the rest of winter! The colors are so saturated and bright. The image is so crisp and clear. The wrapping is seamless. The turn around time was fast. And the prices are amazing. It still would have only cost me $68 for the 16x20 if I had to pay for it..and I do plan on ordering more from them in the future. Oh, and it's family-run and (..even though I shop at Walmart..), I try to support the "little man" when I can.

So, you should definitely check them out, look at their prices and go ahead and order one. And/or you should start following them on Twitter because yesterday I saw they were still running the promotion of a FREE 16x20 gallery wrap..

Play Time!

2011-01-18T14:58:00.002-05:00

But then, when is it ever not play time with an 11 month old?? Well, I guess that would be nap time.

Seraphina and I were playing on the floor with her toys strewn out all over the place and when I stood up, I thought immediately "oh, I gotta grab my camera, look at all those colors!" Now, I have always been one to have my camera nearby but since I have consciously started the 365 Project , I have been nearly fanatic about taking pictures..which, I suppose, is a good thing! At least my daughter can't complain about the camera being all in her face all the time..yet..and I plan on taking advantage of that for as long as I can!

For this edit, I added 2 texture layers; Bokeh, blending mode "soft light" and Color Grunge, blending mode "overlay" and I adjusted both layers opacity's to my liking (I really need to start writing the specifics down!!..) then I "erased" the texture off the shapes in the foreground. I took the image into Picnik, where I added the text and the frame.

Macro Monday

2011-01-17T13:42:00.000-05:00

I love love LOVE Macro Monday (and Friday!)! I look forward to scavenging around my house for an every day object that I can capture from a different angle and perspective.

Today, I found some push pins that I thought might look neat.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday!

2011-01-16T18:49:00.000-05:00

A Different View

Looking Up

Abstract

Hair

Half

I usually accompany my photographs with at least a little scribble of word..but not tonight..hubby's got a movie on pause and he is getting inpatient waiting for me so I gotta run!

See ya Monday!

Project 365; Week 2

2011-01-15T07:33:00.000-05:00

Project 365

Week 2

Jan. 8-14 '11

1. 1/8/11 ; 4:36 pm Baby girl's mouth is getting full of teeth, which means plenty of slobber and chewing/biting. Ouch.

2. 1/9/11 ; 3:19 pm I had originally taken this photograph to be used HERE..but didn't. I like this picture because I am wearing my most favorite pants and boots, both of which are so worn in and comfy that they are getting holes in them. It will be a sad day when I finally have to throw them out..

3. 1/10/11 ; 11:02 am I swear my husband has the magic touch.. Morning naptime for little miss Seraphina. A sleeping baby is the sweetest. And of course Simba the cat had to come up and snuggle too.

4. 1/11/11 ; 12:23 pm Seraphina all bundled up for the latest snow storm that we had.

5. 1/12/11 ; 5:34 pm Patches the cat just hanging out.

6. 1/13/11 ; 3:55 pm One of my favorites this week. You can see a bigger, edited version HERE.

7. 1/14/11 ; 8:55 am I took this pic right after I took THIS one. I know it's not an extraordinary picture of an apple but I do loooove granny smith apples, so there.

Happy Macro Friday!

2011-01-14T09:49:00.003-05:00

Cheers!

Yea for Friday's and double YEA for it being a "family day" for me and my fam..my husband has the day off! Too bad our family day consists of doing laundry and painting the hallway..but at least we will be together while we do it!

I've been collecting corks forever and have been trying to come up with clever ways to use them. I've tried making coasters out of them (eeh) and I made a wreath out of them..but so far the best use I have found for them is just to take their picture..

Very simple edit: In CS5, I adjusted the tones, color and contrast to my liking and added 2 free textures (vintage grunge & wood) that I found HERE and HERE , with "overlay" as the blending mode in both texture layers (adjusting the opacity a little..) , I also went back to the original layer and "erased" the textures from the tops of the 2 corks standing up, then I brought the photograph into Picnik where I added the text and border.

Have a Happy Friday, Ya'll!

Icey Beauty

2011-01-13T15:43:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to photograph some icicles since this winter season began but I hadn't found the right specimens yet..'til I saw these beauties hanging on the front of my house today. I love the sun peeking from behind and the reflection that it is causing on the snow covered roof. Oh and of course the bokeh (which I enhanced in my edited shot) and the sunflare, which are 2 of my favorite things. And I super duper love the fact that it is getting increasingly warm outside (THANK GOODNESS!) which is causing everything to slowly melt away and added another element to the photograph that I love..the water droplets coming down from the roof!

SOOC

Edited

I started in CS5 (wooo hooo, I finally upgraded from Photoshop 7!) and adjusted the tones, color and contrast. Then I added a bokeh texture that I found for free HERE. I brought it into Picnik next, where I added a "1960's color" effect (faded it a bit), the text and the frame.

Sneak Attack..

2011-01-12T18:27:00.040-05:00

So, ever since Seraphina got her walker for Christmas, she has been buzzing around the house like she owns the place. She loves her new found mobility.

The dog, however, is not quite as thrilled about it.

Don't get me wrong, Tadem (the dog) is being a super-good sport about it..she puts up with all sorts of "abuse" from the hand of the child..there have been plenty of ear and fur pulling. But I seriously think that I sometimes I hear a heavy siiiiigh coming from Tadem, as if to say "oh boy, not her again.." as Seraphina draws near.

Seraphina aimed straight for poor sleeping Tadem from across the room.

Streeeeetching...

I love how Seraphina turned her head to look in the other direction when Tadem woke up..playing so coy.

"What? I wasn't doing anything, just hanging out.."

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-01-09T21:48:00.001-05:00

This is ME!

I tried, I really did, to take a real self-portrait..that wasn't just me in a mirror holding up a camera. But..that didn't really work out for me. So, here is me, in a mirror, holding up a camera.. I do like the effect I added to it though. Oh, and now you now-I'm a Nikon-kind-of-gal.

Resolutions

...To eat less cookies.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Yea, right!

I don't know, I didn't really make any New Years Resolutions-and I don't really feel bad about that.

I have a couple of things that are bouncing around in my mind that I would like to put into action but I'm not committed enough to say them out loud..yet.

And I'm certainly not going to deprive myself of cookies.

(By the way, these are some delish snickerdoodle cookies that I made yesterday..that are almost gone..)

Treasured

My wedding ring and band.

There are lots of obvious reasons why I treasure these two things. My husband and I picked out the wedding ring together, which may not be conventional but it was perfect for us and I got a ring that we both know that I absolutely love. The band I received from my mother-in-law, which she got from a recent trip to Sicily (his family is very Italian) and it was a surprise..and it was a beautiful surprise (how awful would it have been if I didn't like the ring!)!

The rings are also treasured because of the symbolism they have. I know my husband and I can get through anything because we made this commitment to each other. We are in it 'til the end and beyond and it feels really great to know that.

Innocence

A sleeping baby..need I say more?

Primitive

Turtles have been around forever. They're kind of like dinosaurs roaming the Earth in present day.

This is Timina. She used to be named "Timmy" 'til we realized he was a she..

She's a Red-Eared Slider and she is pretty darn cool, very entertaining.

(You have no idea how long it took me to get a shot of her that she wasn't completely blurry..this turtle is fast.)

Check out everyone else's interpretations of these words here:

Project 365; Week 1

2011-01-08T22:20:00.001-05:00

I wasn't sure until..right now..that I was even going to participate in the 365 project (take 1 picture every day for a year). Sounds so much easier said than done. But I decided to try..and not beat myself up if I miss a day here or there. I'll be posting them each week as a set of 7.

Set 1

Week 1 of Project 365

January 1-7, 2011

1. The morning sun has been absolutely gorgeous every morning this week. I loved the intensity of it and the shadows it created.

2. Seraphina just checking things out...with that morning sun again!

3. "Talk to the hand, Mama!"

4. Ok, I promise, this is my last picture of the morning sun this week..

5. Making some music with her new keyboard.

6. Meow..Queen of the jungle-oh, I mean, our house.

7. These little bath toys were too cute not to take a pic of, so there.

Just playing around..

2011-01-07T09:36:00.004-05:00

Seems like this week I'm only showing off pics of my sweet baby girl. Oh well, it happens. I haven't really been out exploring this week, so what better subject could I ask for around the house than Seraphina?!

She obviously got spoiled this Christmas..here she is playing around with another new toy of hers..

love little baby fingers...num num num

(that's the sound of me eating them up 'cause they're so sweet!)

She looooves monkeys..

Play it baby!

It's always cool watching her learn something new. I could almost see her little brain clicking and comprehending as she was hitting a button and it would make a sound.

Man, I love this kid!

..and a lil' bit of attitude..

2011-01-06T12:14:00.001-05:00

Giving me attitude already...

Or maybe she's saying "please, mama, quit taking pictures of me already!" Yea, right, like that's going to happen..

SOOC

I have been having, um, issues, with all things electronic lately..and I could not for the life of me get this photo uploaded horizontally. Blogger has not been my friend lately.

Very simple edit: cropped and converted to black & white in photoshop, bumped up the contrast slightly, put text and border on in Picnik

Lil' Explorer

2011-01-05T18:01:00.001-05:00

Exploring

Seraphina just got this walker for Christmas..she is diggin' her independence and giving hell to the dog. The morning sun pouring in the door this morning was amazing.

_______________

So, I had something slightly terrible happen to me yesterday. My laptop crashed. A blue screen popped up. And then **poof** everything was gone. I have a bad habit of just saving my photos in a folder on the desktop labeled "maked cd's of"..that folder was full, brimming with pictures of my daughter, the first snow of the season, Christmas, my trip last week to NY, family, everything ..and needless to say, I lost ALL of my photos from the past several weeks. I think I nearly had an anxiety attack. I had, thankfully, already uploaded all of the pics from Christmas & family to facebook, so I atleast have those on-line. I seriously still have a heavy feeling in my stomach about losing all of those pictures. It was very sad.

But anyway, I feel like I must see/find the good in this.. I hope that it not only inspires me to take my camera out even more to make up for my lost archive but to also start seriously backing up my stuff! Seriously! As for my laptop..it's going to be just sitting here lifelessly for a while 'til I can get a new hard drive. My husband has graciously allowed me to use his desktop computer, as long as I am gentle and don't break it.

Oh yea, did I mention that this is the 3rd hard drive that I have gone through with my laptop?! Guess I should have asked Santa to get me a Mac..

Memories, Dreams & Reflections

2011-01-03T16:05:00.003-05:00

After a week hiatus from the cyber-world, I'm back! And just in time to participate in Ashley Sisk's Memories, Dreams & Reflections. She told us about this..oh, I don't know, a month ago..and yet, I still manage to put it off to the last minute! Oops. And I also didn't do all 25 words-double oops. I didn't even know if I was going to do it or not 'cause quite honestly, after taking a week off from blogging for my vacay up to New York to see some fam, I feel kind of out of the groove. Like when I first started blogging and I felt like I couldn't put words together to form a sentence (I attribute this to "mommy-brain"..) and all my posts were a jumbled mess..then after a couple I got the hang of it. Yea, I feel like that again. But I thought, what better way to start again then to just jump right in. So, here I am! My 1st blog post of the New Year all about last year! Last year was definitely the best year of my life thus far..the birth of my daughter in February made 2010 a year that I will forever remember. So, expect a lot of pictures of her in this reflection! I am rambling now though, so let me just get to it..

10/23/10

I hate doing self-portraits. I think most photographers do. But I do like how this one turned out. This was taken for the October Scavenger Hunt. I was at the Lexington BBQ Fest and they had an antique car show going on..this is a mirror that was on one of the cars. I love the shape and the colors.

I Love You

11/21/10

This my family. I am so proud of my family, we are a team and we grow stronger every day. Not only do I love this picture because it showcases my family but, I'm going to toot my own horn here, I think I look great in this photo! ;) And we are all smiling. I took this pic when we were HERE exploring. There were two sets of granite stairs facing each other and I set my camera up on on set with the timer then raaan across the way to sit down before the timer went off. Baby girl loved that..she was so amused by me sprinting to get back to them-that's how I got her to smile so big!

Winter Wonderland

12/4/10

Our 1st snow of the season.

Birthday

2/27/10

If you know me, or have been following my blog, then you know that my baby girl, Seraphina, didn't come into this world easy. When she finally came home from the NICU after 12 days, we had a birthday party for her. This cake celebrated her being on this Earth for 2 weeks, a feat that defied the odds of all the doctors. Oh, and by the way, I still remember how delicious this cake was! Yummy!

Friends

7/21/10

This is a photo that my BFF and I take every three years or so. It started when we were in college together (we went to Randolph Community College in Asheboro, NC for Photography) and we were working on a project together and we had one last shot on the roll and we got that crazy mess that is in the 1st frame. I obviously was caught off guard a little lol We try to recreate it every couple of years just for giggles.

Spring Fever

4/27/10

I went through a phase where all I took pictures of were flowers, this pink peony (taken at Reynolda Gardens) is one of my favorites. To me, this picture screams "spring!" with its lush colors and almost blooming flower.

Travel

10/22/10

My husband and I talk about traveling a lot..to Italy, to the West Coast, to Canada, to Georgia or Tennessee, or really, any where, but we just don't have the time or the $$ to go on all these great adventures that we plan in our heads. We do however take a lot of daytrips whenever we can and explore our beautiful State of North Carolina. We are lucky enough to be situated sort of in the middle of the State, so both the mountains and the beaches are just a short drive. This is Pilot Mountain, with Hanging Rock right behind it.

Summer Days

6/6/10

Great South Bay

New York

I looooooove the beach. LOVE it. I could bake in the sun (yea, I know I know..it's not good for me..) all day long. When I lived in NY, I was just a ferry ride away from the ocean. You could smell the salt air as soon as you stepped out of your door. To me, warm sand and salty air is Summer. I took this picture on a visit we made up to New York over the Summer.

A Day in my Life

12/4/10

A day in my life consists of this cutie-pie..and for that I will always be grateful!

All Smiles

10/26/10

Here she is again! She literally poses for the camera every time I take it out now.

Autumn Harvest

9/30/10

Family

12/22/10

This is my side of the family. It gets harder and harder to get everyone together but boy, when we do, it is so much fun! Every year, the kids keep multiplying..I wonder how many there will be next year lol I love this picture because it is not perfect, we're not posed..we had just finished eating dinner so I made everyone hold still while I grabbed my camera and set the timer. It's like a "Where's Waldo" of family, with little heads poking out everywhere!

I Miss You

12/31/10

This is from the most recent trip we took up to NY to spend time with my husbands side of the family. We always make it a point to go to the water and take a big deep breath (and of course some pics). While I don't miss actually living in NY, I do miss his family and that water. It was freeeeezing when I took this pic, there had been a blizzard up there a few days previous. I do not miss the winters up there!

Dress Up

10/31/10

I sort of cheated with this one..I didn't take this shot, my husband did with my phone camera. My baby girls 1st Halloween! Little Pumpkin!

Macro

11/21/10

This is one of my favorite Macros that I have taken this year for some reason.

Holidays

12/9/10

My Fave

11/26/10

I don't know why I love this photograph so much, but I do! This is one of the 1st images that I began playing around with textures on.

Don't Ever Change

4/18/10

Please please please, just stay my baby forever, k?

Just Because

7/8/10

RJR Building

4th St & Patterson

Winston-Salem NC

I have a thing for old buildings, they look like they have such good stories to tell, if they could. This building has been closed for who knows how long. It looks so ominous. Spooky. There are definitely some ghosts hiding inside those doors..

Hopes & Dreams

7/8/10

"Keep your eyes on the sky and your feet on the ground."

-Theodore Roosevelt

I'm going to be vague on this one but let's just say, I have big ones (hopes and dreams that is..).

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T12:01:00.000-05:00

I spent the day yesterday with the whole fam..brother and sisters (and their "other halves") mom, dad, grandma, nieces, nephews, and of course my husband and daughter. It was so much fun as we all ate sweets and spaghetti, took pictures and laughed and celebrated not only an early Christmas but also my niece, Lucianna, turning 1!   This will be my last post until at least Sunday, hopefully I'll find some time to do Ashley's Scavenger Hunt Sunday ..but maybe I won't, so if not then I won't be back 'til 2011. Next week, we will be traveling up to New York for some good family time with my husbands side of the family, which I'm sure will be more of the same mentioned above!

2010 has been amazing..there have been so many momentous occassions!   It has also flown by.  I mean, geesh, is this really how fast my life is going to go now? Can't I just slow. it. down. just a smidge? But I do look forward to a new year, a year full of endless possibilities and many more special moments that I will capture on my camera to remember forever.

Merry Christmas to you all..and have a safe and Happy New Year's Eve with all your celebrations! Me, my celebrating will probably involve being in a bed at the stroke of midnight..hopefully sleeping soundly..  Yea, I know, motherhood has turned me slightly lame..and I wouldn't change it for a thing!

The Church Series

2010-12-21T09:32:00.001-05:00

I guess I am sort of doing a series of Churches right now..I'm not really sure when it will be "finished" and I haven't really defined any guidelines for this on-going project of mine. I just really enjoy taking photographs of Churches. I started with this one, then I took this one. I finally snapped this one on Sunday..this is my Church. It's so warm and inviting and I always feel at home there.

SOOC

Maple Springs United Methodist Church

2569 Reynolda Rd

Winston-Salem

I have one texture that I looove in particular so I use it a lot..I used it in the photograph above, as well as my other 2 Church pictures.

You can find that texture, as well as hundred of others (all free!!) here.

With most of the photographs that I add textures to, I have a pretty standard process: Open in Photoshop, Auto Contrast/Levels/Color, add texture (overlay..fiddle with opacity 'til I like it), go back to original photograph layer and bump up contrast a smidge, then take it into Picnik where I add the border and text.

Oh, and with this image, I also used the clone stamp to take out that tree that was hanging out on the right hand side.