Saturday, February 27, 2010

I'm Lovin' It

April writing...

Here we go...this is what I am lovin' this week!

How about this super cute zipper flower bracelet!! I think it's a super cute idea!! And just think of all the different colors you could use!! In fact I have two pink zippers at home that I have no plans for...hmmm...there may be a project this weekend!


(image courtesy of Craftaholics Anonymous)

Then there is this lovely headboard/wall design over at J & A and Co. It's gorgeous!!


(image courtesy of J & A and Co.)

I am lovin' this covered patio over at The Old White Cottage. It's such a gorgeous relaxing place!! I want to go there now! :P



(image courtesy of The Old White Cottage.)

What are you lovin' this week?

Friday, February 26, 2010

My Husband Rocks Friday

April writing...



My Husband ROCKS big time this week!

He has been hard at work studding-in our basement! And I mean hard at work. He was so sore last night. He is just as excited as I am to have our basement finished and he is doing his best to get it done; quickly, affordable, and just the way we want it!

Thanks babe for all your hard work...it has NOT gone unnoticed!

Kids Drawings & Stuffed Animals

April writing...

I had another bloggy friend turn me onto Messy Canvas. I love her. Some of her Most of her ideas are so great!! Here is my favorite one so far; like I seriously cannot wait to do this for my kiddos...

She took a drawing from one of her kids...



and made stuffed animals from them!!!



I mean...that's a great idea! It's such a great way to foster creativity and to let your children know that what they make/create means something. And they can have the picture and animal for the rest of their lives. *sigh* SO CUTE!!


Thursday, February 25, 2010

I Love JibJab

April writing...

yeah...you're welcome!


Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Wear your Seatbelts!

April writing...

I know...it must be video day...but enjoy anways.

What an amazing look at the importance of wearing your seatbelt!



The Price of Beauty...

April writing...

Ok...don't hate me if you love her...but Jessica Simpson...well, she kinda drives me bonkers...Her voice is annoying when she talks and I cannot stand to watch her sing...however...

I will be giving this show a shot...even if JUST for the subject matter.



Wednesday, February 24, 2010

It's all in the "attitude."

April writing...

A friend of mine just posted this video on Facebook. I love it!!

An elderly couple walked into the lobby of the Mayo Clinic for a checkup and spotted a piano. They've been married for 62 years and he'll be 90 this year.

Check out this impromptu performance. We are only as old as we feel, it's all attitude. Enjoy! They certainly do!!



Dwell Studio LURVE...

April writing...

I think I'm in love...with all things Dwell Studio at Target. (Who am I kidding, I love most anything about Target...ha!)

But seriously. Dwell Studio. Rocks. (that link shows ya just about everything Dwell Studio that they got over there at the Tar-jay...)

Allow me to share some favorites...




I actually have this one...it is an excellent addition to mi baño. :P



See....



What do you LURVE in the Dwell Studio collection?

Coffee Cozies...

April writing...

Oh I am SO making some of these! How amazingly cute. My Manda-Rose would love them I am sure!!

I found them over at Scrap Girls Digital ScrapBlog.

What great gifts for the coffee drinkers in your life!!






Ahhhhh-dorable!

DSLR Photography....Part 2

April writing...

While I am waiting on this sweet little thang, I am learning all that I can about photography!!!

Check out Part 1.

I have been searching all over the Internet for the best tips, tricks and tutorials!! I ran across a great one over at A Southern Accent that I would love to share with you!

You can find the original here and here.

here are some ideas to quickly improve your photographs, regardless of what camera you use:

1) Taking digital pictures is free! Take a lot of pictures. You won’t run out of shots like your old 24-frame film camera. No more “3..2..1..Smile!” Don’t just take one shot, take three or four of the same scene. Chances are that someone’s got their eyes shut in two frames, leaving you one or two good shots. Fire away and dump the bad ones.

I am trying to get better at this...I tend to take pictures specifically based on what I want, and I think in that process I have been missing some potentially great shots!

2) Get closer. I’m not just talking about relying on that 8x digital zoom, I’m saying physically get closer to your subject. By filling the frame with your subject, you’re reducing all other distractions.

Here is a great example. When doing a maternity photo shoot for a dear friend of mine, She was sweating at the thought of me and my camera being so close to her tummy. I assured her not to sweat it...I would take good care to make sure she looked amazing! I really do love close up shots...and thanks to excellent cameras and photoshop...anything is possible.



3) Find a better background. Take a moment to check what is behind your subject. A great picture doesn’t have trash cans or a parking lot in the background. Maybe you can move five feet to the left, changing the background from a parking lot to nice bank of trees. Keep the background clean and simple.

4) You’re allowed to turn the camera sideways. With some exception, you’re more than likely taking pictures of people who are vertical, yet most beginning photographers only take horizontal pictures. Turn the camera on its side. You can do it. It works, particularly for close-up portraits on a person’s face.

5) The most direct route from a good picture to a great picture is the time-tested “rule of thirds”. I’ll bet many of you put your subject smack-dab in the middle to avoid the old fear of cutting someone’s head halfway out of the frame. While simple and effective, it also makes for rather static, boring pictures.

Here's another example of the "rule of thirds."It's one of my favorite pictures of my youngest sister. As you can see I have used the left third for my subject, and her eyes alone along the top and middle thirds.



To use this rule, cut the frame into thirds horizontally and vertically. The main focus point of your picture (like the person’s eyes) should be near one of the intersecting points.

For whatever reason, our brains like to view things following the “rule of thirds”. Look at any magazine ad, the Mona Lisa, any of your favorite photographs. Chances are the main focus lies at or near one of these intersecting points in the frame.
Here’s how to do it:

a) Focus on the main subject and press the camera shutter halfway down. This focuses the camera on your subject (always the eyes in portraits).

b) Keep pressing the shutter halfway down, locking the camera’s focus on the subject.

c) Move the camera slightly to recompose the shot, placing the subject near one of these intersection points (usually the top intersection points for portraits).

d) Press the shutter all the way down to take the picture.

6) Last but not least, sometimes break all the rules. Take pictures from crazy angles. Partially cut off the subject in the frame. You’ll develop your own style.

Here are some more tips....

1. If you shake the camera when taking a picture, it's going to be blurry. This may sound like an easy one, but even the action of pushing the button on the camera makes it move, so you really need to be conscious of that. If you want clear, clean pictures, you gotta stabilize that camera as much as you can. If you have shaky hands, you're gonna have fuzzy pics. So, stabilize it on a table, on a little tripod, put your elbows on something - just be still.

2. Your best pictures are going to be ones with clean, solid backgrounds. Don't worry about whether you're in front of the house, or the flowers in the yard or whatever - you don't even want that stuff in the picture, so get a solid background. The more color, the better.

3. Perspective is key. If you want good pictures, don't shoot something as you are seeing it. Get down on the ground and shoot up. Literally lay on the ground - don't feel stupid, just do it. It makes kids laugh and when you're outside, you can use the sky as your solid background and the ground to stabilize yourself. Take photos at an angle, get up high, get really close, get far, far away.

I have a great example of using the sky as a background, of course it's on my home computer, so I will have to add that one later.

I hope these tips are helpful to you guys, like they have been to me. Challenge yourself to take some shots in a different style or manner than you are used to! Post them and come back and give us the link!! I would love to check out what you guys come up with! I will be sure to do the same!

My Mom's ninja thrift shopping skillage...

April writing...

Seriously.

Check out what my Mom found me at Goodwill for $14.99?



Whaaaaa?! I know right!!

That junk is normally $79!!!!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

I'm on a horse...

April writing...

I saw this commercial last night and I nearly wet my pants. I watched it three times!

Seriously...who comes up with this stuff?!

Enjoy the hilarity!





...and shut up....I found this one while I was getting the code for the one above...





My night is complete.

Oh Tar-jay....you've done it again!

April writing...

Just another reason I lurve Target!

Available on March 14th...Liberty of London prints...on what seems like everything from bedding, to garden to bikes!!

These are just SOME of the patterns!!! I have seen glimpses of what looks to be a green/blue/teal paisley combo...AHHH!!




You can head over to Facebook and take the Liberty of London "Patternality" quiz!

Here's mine!



What do you think?? Anyone wanna join me on March 14th!!! :P

Go ahead....

April writing...

ASK ME ANYTHING!

Head over to my Formspring page and ask away. I will post any questions and answers on the blog for Q&A Friday!!

DO IT...ask ANYTHING!

New carpet...

April writing...

We are in super home improvement mode...checking out options, seeing what we like...and actually DOING!

Carpet.

I hate our carpet now.

It's old.

It's dirty.

It's...gross. (in my opinion)

I am so ready for new carpet...but what kind?!

I am really liking Frieze!! It's fluffy and soft.



Then again, there is Berber...which is sturdy and classic...but it's what we have now...and it doesn't seem as nice.



Then there is plush carpets. Which we had in our first home. It was decent, it was soft. But it wasn't very stain forgiving.



I want soft. I want stain forgiving. I want easy to clean. I want nice.
We will more than likely do Berber in the basement; so I am thinking I want something different upstairs.

What kind of carpet do you recommend??

What's under the stairs?

April writing...

So we are in the process of finishing our basement. We have a couple 'trouble' spots that are requiring some flexibility and creativity...one of those spots is under our stairs.

Here is what we need: Function and storage. We ran across some ideas the other night...what do you think??











We also thought about possibly putting some floor cabinets with a counter top, and possibly a mini fridge between the cabinets. Since the basement will be our movie/man room area. Hmmmm...oh the possibilities!

Beautiful Blogger Award

April writing...


I was given the Beautiful Blogger award by A Police Wife. Thank you so much! I haven't ever been awarded with a Blog Award before! (Can you tell I am just giddy with excitement) The rules of this award are:
  • Thank the person who nominated you for this award
  • Copy the award and place it in your blog
  • Link the person who nominated you for this award
  • Tell us 7 interesting things about you
  • Nominate 7 bloggers and link to their blogs
7 interesting things....oh, well I'll try!!

1. I overbook myself constantly. Emotionally. Physically. I just have the hardest time saying "No." Most of the things I do, I enjoy...but sometimes it just gets to be too much. I to my best to save time for Husby and Me...or just time for my own sanity. Between household stuff, helping family or friends with whatever or volunteering at church.

2. I can't stand sleeping with a top sheet. I feel trapped and wrapped like a mummy. Right now we are using a top sheet because our new bedding isn't soft enough for sweet Husbys "baby soft skin," as he likes to call it. *sigh* Oh the things we do for love...! :)

3. I love to make lists and charts and write things out. I am constantly doing it. For our basement renovations I am actually making Husby a chart with drawings of the basement that include measurements, ideas, etc. It's our own little inspiration mood board...or will be when I am done! :) I make at least 3 lists before most grocery trips too. Can't ever be too prepared!!

(gosh...this is the hardest thing to do!!)

4. I am a closeted fashionista! I love clothes. I love style. I just come down pretty hard on myself cause it's hard to find cute-stylish clothes that are my size. Others will disagree, but I am not willing to pay an arm and a leg for them!! I love looking at clothes and I love clothes shopping...except when I actually have to buy something...I can never find what I want! I even have dreams of designing my own clothes...I have lots of ideas...just not alot of patience to make it happen. Maybe one day...

5. I could eat french fries or baked potatoes every day of my life! I don't...good thing...Lord knows I would probably be much bigger than I am now!! I am also a steak and baked potato woman if there ever was one! I don't mind gettin' busy with some ribs or chowing down on some barbecue chicken! I could never do without my meat or my potatoes!!

6. I wish I could dance. I try when I am all alone. The dogs aren't amused. Ha. I love music and I wish my body just worked in the way that I could move perfectly to the music. I have rhythm, I can clap on beat...but getting this body to move the way I want. That just doesn't happen. I also loooovee to slow dance. Don't get to do it nearly enough, if only life really had it's own soundtrack and we could dance the day away!

7. I love photography. I can't wait to get my new camera...one day, one day, one day...I keep telling myself...I want to take pictures of my family and my friends. Babies. Dogs. Nature. Photography makes me see in crisp detail just all of what God has created...and I can keep the pictures forever!

Now I am supposed to pass this award on to 7 other Beautiful Bloggers...and here I go...happily!

Officer Hottie's Wife (heehee) over at A Police Officer's Wife.
Elizabeth over at Confessions from a Working Mom.
Mrs. Officer over at Mrs Officer 2U.
O'Nealya over at Shaped to Serve.
Regina over at Tale's from a Leakey Faucet.
Mrs. Deputy over at The Deputy's Crazy Wife.
Elizabeth over at The Chronicles of Food Mania.

These ladies are wonderful...and BEAUTIFUL bloggers! :)

Thanks again for the award!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

I'm Lovin' It

April writing...

I figured I would start a new segment called "I'm Lovin' It Saturdays." In honor of my favorite day of the week, I will enlighten you; my wonderful readers with some of the things I am 'loving' for that week!

Ready? This should be a blasty-blast!

First off, I am lovin' this sweet little, brightly painted garden! Makes me really want to push to make my garden this year...(yeah yeah, I know I have been saying that for like 2 years now...!)


(image courtesy of diyideas.com)

And this is kind of along the same lines...I am all for adding COLOR to the backyard!!!


(image courtesy of diyideas.com)

Then there is this little thang!! What a great idea...and I am even more jealous that she hand painted it on...I would totally use a vinyl decal! :P


(image courtesy of Craftynest.com)

So what are you lovin' this week?!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Have I ever mentioned...

April writing...

...how much I LURVE reading blogs! I am thoroughly addicted! I mean, there are some mornings when I hit my Google Reader page and it is bulging at the seams. Bulging with NEW ideas, GREAT stories and so much more!! AHHH!!

I have come across some outstanding blogs, today alone...one of which suits my fancy like no other...



Oh man. I am in HEAVEN!!

Husby laughs at me because I am constantly wanting to see inside peoples houses. In fact...insert freaky stalker song here! I love it when you are driving through a neighborhood at night and someone has their front blinds or curtains open (gosh, this is sounding worse the more I say!) and the lights on...and you can see right in...It's like you get a glimpse into their story...their lives...but more importantly...you can see their style!

Now, don't mistake me for some kind of creeper...I don't linger...I just glance. I love to see brightly colored walls that I would never have the guts to paint myself! I love to see beautiful pictures hanging on the wall.

Come on...am I the only one?

Well...whatevs. With this site, I can SIT and STARE as long as I want!!

*le sigh*

OK...enough sharing about how strange I am...I am off to look at other peoples' houses!!!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

I think I've found it...

April writing...

Husby is watching Curling on the Olympics tonight...snooooreeee so I figured now is as good a time as any to blog about what I found tonight. We were wondering around Target this evening...we went to purchase a new iron cause he knocked ours over and it broke...sigh. Anywho...I came across this little bit'o sweetness for $79.00...


DwellStudio® for Target® Algiers Comforter Set


Here is a better shot of the colors...up there it looks a little to bright on the blues...


If we get it..which we may...seeing as how it is similar to this one...


Barbara Barry "Poetical" Bedding Collection

Especially seeing as how this set, JUST the Queen duvet cover alone is $312!!! *thump* Sorry, that was me passing out!

That's just ludicrous! I absolutely LOVE the Barbara Barry collection...but I am not trying to spend that much money on bedding...I don't have it like that! haha!

What do you think of the Algiers set??

Does it make "cents"?

April writing...

I won't lie, I look for any way that I can to make an extra buck. In my mind being debt free and getting the home improvement work done to my house to be something that is a high-priority in my book...and for all that...we need money. dinero. pesos. moola.


So today I looked a little into Google AdSense...to make some "cents" with my blog. Everything I am reading says you need a blog that satisfies a certain "niche." A specific topic...and people are drawn into it, reading it, and potentially clicking on ads!

Hmmm...I wouldn't say I have a specific "niche" but I do seem to get a good deal of traffic per day.

So I guess I will give it a show...as long as the ads aren't bugging me or my readers!

So...I guess what I am asking is this...does Google AdSense make cents? Does it work? Do any of my readers out there use AdSense? Dish the dets! I am ready to learn and EARN! :P

Top 3...

April writing...

So Elizabeth over at Confessions of a Working Mom asked what my three favorite TV shows are....and here are my answers.







3. Grey's Anatomy - This one safely sits at my #3 spot...where I look forward to the shows, but I don't RUN to the DVR to watch as soon as it airs!









2. Criminal Minds - I LOVE this show...actually Husby and I love it...we always watch it together.








1. LOST - It's def. my TOP show. I am so bummed that this is the last season, but I can handle it. I am ready for some answers.







I must give an honorable mention to Fringe...that show is just...wow.



...and just for grins and giggles...my TOP FAVORITE SHOW of all time...



ER.


Man, I miss that show!
Although, I must say...I did miss the Dr. Green days! :P



What are yours?
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