I've been wating for Spring... patiently!!!

Yea!  I think it's finally arrived :)

catching beautiful

Just thought I would let you know that I have decided to have a separate blog dedicated to the photography class I am taking this semester.

You can keep up with my progress here:

catching beautiful

I may post some things over there and here too, but some will just be over there.

I hope to post here tomorrow :)

Practice makes (maybe one day) perfect and other random thoughts

Christmas brought a gift I've wished for quite some time.

A new camera.

Which has brought lots of reading about photography - 
and signing up for a digital photography class at the local community college.  
I can't wait!  

I've been reading different blogs with tips about photography... and aperture, and shutter speed and light and other things I really have no clue about.  

Years ago I saved up my pennies and bought a 35mm film camera hoping to take spectacular, breath taking photos.  Can't remember any that took away my breath, but lots of nice memories were preserved.  I think deep down I have always had that desire, so here's hoping.

I've been playing around a bit - reinforcing my knowledge that I have a lot to learn :).

Let's call these some "before" pictures...

 We got a leetle bit of snow.

 These usually sit on my kitchen windowsill.

 I love this little man... so cute!  My daughter and I found him on one of our annual Christmas ornament shopping trips.

 Have I ever told you I love pineapples?  They are a symbol of hospitality (we give our neighbors a pineapple each year for Christmas... a real one, not a ceramic one ;)

 Caught relaxing after a long day at church...

 And then I got caught...

I can't wait to share what I learn.  See ya soon :)

It's a keeper...

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.  I loved being with family... and we dodged the BIG snow :) (unhappy face from my kids).

I have been working on some of this and some of that...   

I found this soooo cute tutorial for a coin purse at where the orchids grow blog...

It is for an adorable coin purse using hexagons.  I made one for my Mom for Christmas (did I take a picture??  of course not - I forgot).

But, I decided to make myself one - more simple... no hexagons, just fabric I love.  I still am trying to follow/figure out her tutorial for the assembly.  I know this sounds weird, but I would rather make up my own pattern than try to follow one.  I feel like I am trying to bend my brain in half.

This is what I made:

I still want to work out some kinks, and then maybe a tutorial...

I hope you are enjoying your holidays :)  Talk with you soon :)

Work in progress...

A tisket, a tasket, here is my simple Christmas basket.

A change of season calls for a change to the front door...  
I think of the front door as the lipstick for the house :)

I've always loved old, cool baskets

but they have always been a bit LOT too much for my budget... 

so I found this one at a local shop 

( I am SO sad to say they are no longer in business :( - boo!).

I paid $12.95 for it earlier this year.  

If you found a simple basket you liked that didn't have a handle, you could add one - my handle (came with the basket) 
is just some jute rope tied onto silver rings.  
I tacked a small nail into the door to hang it.

Usually I have flowers filling the basket in the spring 
and leaves in the fall, but 
it was time for a Christmas transformation, 
so this is what I came up with...

I had some garland from years past that I cut into a strip as long as the front of the basket (about 8 inches) using the cutting part of needle nose pliers.  

Looks like some creepy mutated spider!  EEK!

 

Fluff up your garland and put it over the front of your basket... some of the pine tips going to the front of the basket and some to the back.  This will help keep it in place.

Do this again for the back of the basket.

It's starting to look like Christmas already!!!

Well, maybe not just quite yet ;)

I headed to Joann's and found some sparklies I liked - at a great price of course.  Each one was $1.99 and then 50 or 60% off (I can't remember which it was).

Here is one before I cut the stem shorter, but after I bent the stem :)

(with the needle nose pliers again).

I bought four of these stems for a whopping $4ish dollars.

Then you just stick them in the basket...

One

Two and three

Four

For the finishing touch...

I found this cute pick from Neiman Marcus...

ha ha ha!  Just kidding - 
from Dollar Tree - yep one buck for this cute baby - clip and all!

 

I wanted to add a bit more fullness to the greenery part, so I found a 'bare' place between the pine tips, took the trusty needle nose pliers and cut the wire.

   

 I then tucked a few extra of these clippings into the greenery until it felt 'right'.  So I spent about $5.00 plus tax for this right now.  If you add the basket and garland (depending a lot on the garland... there are so many different garlands from super cheap to really pricey.  We'll say $6 for the garland and $13 for the basket - still under $30.  Not too bad if the basket is used year round :).

So at long last...Ta Da.... (wow, I am really impressed that you are still reading this!)

Hope this inspires you to put some lipstick on your door :)

Let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping by!  

sleigh bells ring... are ya listenin'?

Can you hear it?  That feeling of peace on earth... good will to men...
Well, maybe not if you read the news, but I will do my best to spread the love of Christ this Christmas.
I do love this time of year and am hoping we can start and renew some traditions here at home.

I hope this finds you cozy in your home and thinking happy thoughts!

source

On a side note, I found a wonderful tutorial for making a blog header here at City Girl Gone Coastal.  I've been planking around on the computer while I am lying... or is it laying... well, being lazy on the couch recovering from strep throat that my children shared with me over the Thanksgiving holiday... and found her awesome tutorial.  I had never used picmonkey before, but know I will again.
Oh, and I found the cute bunting for free at pretty little studio.

There is just one problem.  I went to save my file and the monkey danced around for a loooonnnnngggg time and never would save my file.  So the new blog header you are seeing is my second attempt.  Ugh.  I hate when that happens!  Despite all this, I will still continue to use picmonkey.  Yep.  I'm forgiving like that ;)

So let me know if you have any plans for the Christmas season... or your thoughts on picmonkey... or any thing else.  I  do love randomness you know :)

p.s.  Now that the new header is loaded, I do like the header itself, but would like it wider... but I think that will be for another session. 

p.p.s.... I found another great tutorial here at Sew Many Ways that was also very helpful.  Picmonkey still was giving me some problems and I'm still not totally thrilled with the width of the header, but, for now, it will do.

Happy

Here's looking at you...

I have put off having family photos taken for waaayyyyy tooooo longgggg!!!

So, when I saw an awesome deal for an hour long session photo shoot offered on Living Social I signed up right away.

Courtney Smith took our photos last month and I had some of them blown up at Costco. 

 I love ordering photos there.  The prices are great (I had five 16 x 20's printed for just under $30!!) and they are usually ready the next day.

So, this is what I did... inspired by some pins I saw on Pinterest.

 I found this 5 pack of 16 x 20 canvases at Michaels.  They were $19.99 and I used the 40% coupon (LOVE that coupon!) and used Mod Podge...

     

slathered it on the canvas with a foam brush and then put the photo over top of the Modge Podge.     To make sure I got all of the air bubbles out, I turned the canvas with the photo on it over and ran my hand over the back of the canvas.

  

Next I flipped over the canvas, photo side up and slathered more Mod Podge all over the photo.  I let the first coat dry and ten added a second.  I used the matte kind of Mod Podge, but you could use whatever finish you like :)

So here are the final results...

I hung the photos with simple 3M Command poster strips (2 per photo) and hung them going up our stairs.  

I love seeing my children smiling every morning at me :)  at least in picture form ;)

 

You can find the darling printable about home here at eighteen25's blog (I found this out from my wonderful friend Tifani :).  They have different color options you can choose from and some more really cute things you can download.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful day!

50 Years of Wedded Bliss

We had a surprise party for my wonderful in-laws. 

The chalkboard was gussied up in their honor...

I was nervous they would find out beforehand... but everything worked out beautifully :) 

They were truly surprised!

I loved having so many wonderful people in our home all at once.  I have a phobia about the house and feeling like things aren't just right to have people over, but this was a good ice breaker for me...

We were able to take a four generation picture at the party...

Grandpa Key, his daughter (my Mom-in-law) Brenda, my hubby Jason, and our son Harrison. 

My kids had a great time and said we should have a party every week... 

They loved all the leftovers!