Time to pack up the holidays
This year we didn’t put up as much as in the past but now that the new year has begun its time to pack everything up to save for next year. This small sleigh is one of my favorites which I put different things in each year. I found cinnamon spiced smelling pinecones this year which was a great addition and I’m hoping they will still smell yummy next winter.
Happy 2013!
I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year! As the new year starts we all start off with a clean slate and look back and reflect over the past year. Last year had some major bumps in the road along with a lot of tough times and loss of a beautiful angel from our family. I’ve taken a hiatus to try and regroup and am ready to take the next step forward into the new year.
I’ve decided to do a 365 photo challenge! I’ve realized how important photos can be to remember the amazing people in your life and memories over the years. I know the 365 challenge may be a little tough to remember to take photos every day but I’m hoping it will be the perfect jump start to my creative side while capturing memories throughout the year.
Here are the first 2 photos bringing in 2013.
Do you have any resolutions for this year? Is anyone taking part of a 365 challenge?
Photo Magic
Ever have that photo where you thought you had the perfect shot only to later see the huge ugly obstruction in the background? Think we all have. Most of us are not Ansel Adams so we rarely get that perfect photo. That’s not to say that we can’t make it perfect…Hello PhotoShop! Recently my cousin had sent a photo to me asking if I could remove a few things from the photo so she could frame it for my uncle. When I got the pic it had some ugly orange construction cones right in the front of what was an adorable photo of my aunt and uncle who have been together for over 50 years!
So the challenge begins. Above is the original photo and the first step was to remove the cones from the foreground. That was the easy part because I then realized I had to get out the orange reflection on the side of the car. From there came the removal of the sign from the building and truck from the background. I was even able to remove the guy that you could see through the car window in the background. I’m so happy with the way it turned out and pleased that I could help out and make the photo perfect for him. =)
Do you have any projects you have been working on recently?
Photo love
I love taking photos and have taken tons over the years from my travels but feel like I still have so much to learn especially when it comes to product photography. I have a basic point n shoot now which you would think is easier but I miss my manual camera playing with different lenses and settings. Weird enough I had better success with my phone camera compared to my digital over the weekend at a friends wedding so I’ve got to look at my settings because something is definitely not right. As much as I looove traditional film sometimes I feel like it’s just more cost effective to use the digital since film gets so expensive to process. That’s another thing on my ever growing dream list…. a darkroom.
Sarah from Thifty Decor Chick had a great post the other day on photo editing which was perfect timing after some of my frustration with my camera over the weekend. Sarah mentioned the site Picnik which I had heard of before but didn’t realize how truly wonderful it really was. After finally checking it out I’ve found a lot of the same settings I love from my phone apps that I can use to edit my digital photos. And the best part… it’s soooo easy to use! I played with an older image from our honeymoon and below you can see the before and after. I was able to lighten it, get rid of the red eye, crop, round the edges, add the sepia tone and that’s just for starters. You’ll have to check out Sarah’s post here to see how amazing you can make your photos.
Hope you are enjoying your week!
Delicious Coffee and Design
I love coffee or should I better rephrase that as I live on coffee haha! I tend to work a lot between my multiple jobs but I’m also known for getting involved in a craft project and before I know it it’ll be the wee hours of the morning. Does this happen to you too? Last week I had a surprise gift of coffee and it came in the most adorable packaging! Of course I had to take a few pics and I played around with the FxCamera for the Android. The Warhol version is fun but my favorite was the warm vignette setting through the ToyCam.
Hope your week is going well!
~ gail
We all scream for ice cream =)
A couple of us were standing outside after lunch enjoying the beautiful warm day we are having, when all of a sudden we heard that familiar musical jingle instantly recognizable from when we were kids. But wait… this is a business complex so we must be hearing things. Walking back into the building everyone was looking out the windows and it was true! The ice cream truck was sitting outside our office, what a surprising treat! I got a chocolate ice cream cone with rainbow sprinkles. Perfect way to get some energy for the rest of the day. Had to share a pic before I ate it. This was taken with my phone and edited with the PicSay Pro app.
Hope you’re having a “sweet” afternoon =)
Viva Las Vegas!
A few weeks ago we had a wonderful well-needed vacation out in Vegas. My brother and sister-in-law met us out there and we had a fantastic visit. We stayed just off the strip which was perfect to have some quiet restful evenings but still close enough to enjoy the night life.
We took a couple evenings to walk the strip and we still didn’t see everything! You don’t realize how big all the hotels and properties are until you start walking and next thing you know you’ve walked quite a few miles. We had heard great things about the fountain show outside the Bellagio so we stayed and watched quite a few of the shows as each one is different and set to different music. My brother described them as water fireworks which is fitting with some of the explosive finishes.
Each hotel has a set theme based upon where their location is created after such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris. So creative and so much fun to see everything. The Venetian had a gorgeous vaulted ceiling painted like the Sistine Chapel and a cute Gondola ride going around the hotel as well as one going through the hotel. Of course my sister-in-law and I had to convince the guys to do this but we loved it!
There was still so much more to see and do that we ran out of time for but all the more reason to plan another trip and go back!
Capturing the Moment – Sweet Treats!
The other day at work someone brought in some delectable little sweet treats to share with everyone and they were so cute I had to take a few pics before trying any. I have a new app on my phone which I played around with some of the vintage style effects and love the way they came out. Some of the styles were a bit extreme and the lollipops would lose their stems with some of the effects making them look like creepy eyeballs…yikes. Here’s the completed collage. Enjoy!
Now it’s beachtime to enjoy this gorgeous weather we’re having. Have a great rest of your weekend!!
Capturing the Moment – Vintage
I absolutely looove old vintage effects! Old photographs always are so unique in the coloring, faded areas, and distressed markings. I’ve always been fascinated with vintage and how I can replicate the look and feel. I’ve taken a few photos using different techniques and each one is always a little different. This one from the summer used more of a grunge feel which can be seen here. Another I had played with used more subtle and saturated colors which can be viewed here in a previous Capturing the Moment post.
Recently I came across a great blog at Blog.SpoonGraphics. He has some fantastic tutorials and various techniques for Illustrator and Photoshop. So while I’m always looking for new ways to play with my photos I came across his recent post for giving your photos a Vintage Polaroid Effect which you can check out on his site. I decided to see what I could do with a couple of photos from my travels over the years. The mountains are The Grand Tetons and the canyon is the Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. As much as I love the originals, especially the vibrant colors of the canyon, I love the older worn vintage look of the distressed images.
So what do you think? Which are your favorites?
Capturing the Moment
There’s nothing better than a beautiful, warm fall day. It’s almost Thanksgiving and it’s warmed back up again with no humidity. You can’t ask for anything better when you can open all the windows and doors and let the fresh air blow through the house. This was a perfect weekend to enjoy the outdoors and I spent it running a 5k down near the inlet and topped it off climbing up the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. So yes my legs felt like jello after all that but it was worth it for a beautiful view.
I came across a great Vintage Effect tutorial on Veerle’s blog archives. Check out her awesome site Veerle’s Blog 3.0 as well which has tons of designs, tutorials and new design information.
Original Image
Vintage Effect
Hope everyone is enjoying the nice fall weather and getting ready for thanksgiving!
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