That time of year

Hot days, sleeping in, eating junk food, watching too much TV, wearing little clothing, dirty 5 minutes after a bath,spending lot's of time outside,  bbq's, beach days, road trips, staying up late, and just

an overall general love for life...

Yep it's summertime around here...

Monkeying around

Just had to make up a little monkey hat to throw in my photo prop stash. And of course  had to try it out on a few monkeys of my own. One was pretty OK with it, the other....not so much....You know me though. I will take what I can get.

As for pattern I just basically worked up a hat with ear flaps and added some circles to the sides but if you want a pattern more concrete then that there is this one.....Easy Monkey Hat

And this one, not quite pattern but a little more tutorial ....DIY monkey hat


Now who can get their monkey to wear it the longest????

Doing that thing...

You know, that thing that I said I wanted to work up the nerve to do? No? Well if you don't remember it's starting a bit of a business in Photography.

I am beginning to dip my toes in the water and I think I just might like it.....

The nerves are still running rampant and the self doubt is on high alert but the important thing is I am making progress...

So I kicked it off with the cutest little boys in the world...(next to mine of course)

And I just had to share a few with you :)


                                                                    Wyatt & Wylie



New ideas

Yes that's right, another hat pattern in the works. I think I have the actual pattern worked out just need to work on sizing and writing it all down.

Thank you everyone for your sweet comments on my recent patterns. It really gives me motivation to keep on racking my brain for new ideas.

As for this new pattern, I played around with a simple stitch pattern until I

got this idea. I am really enjoying it, but it does take a bit more time to work up.

So keep an eye out will ya :)

Black and White

There is just something about the simplicity of B&W

It has a way of forcing you to look at the details, drawing you into

the story of an image.

 

 

 

If you feel the same you will most definitely fall in love with

Vivian Maier

If you have heard of her or seen even a glimpse of her work you know what I mean

And if you have not, you are in for a real treat.

Small wonders with a few tips on how to capture them.

Sharing a bit of my little people from this week and training myself to enjoy some "not so happy" events in life with the click of the camera. It's not always easy being fun and original with photos of your kids. But I think the key is training yourself to see things differently and being ready for anything. Most importantly let them be them, I would say the #1 thing about getting cute shots of my kids is to give them the control and just go with it.


So here's a little inspiration...

They may keep you on your toes throw tantrums and down right drive you crazy at times but are always exceptional at bringing smiles to your face...I keep my camera handy as often as I can. Because those little moments of pure candid joy just don't happen all the time. In shots like these it's all about personality. They may not be technically marvelous but cuteness factor is everything here.

Trying to capture a few shots of my work while not "posing" them is often a challenge. But even if you don't get the shot you want the outtakes are usually insanely amusing.

Sometimes so much fun the pets can't help but come see what all the fuss is about.

And these are usually the best ones that are great to share with families.

Sometimes you can even get some real gems out of just throwing your hands up and letting

them take the reigns completely.

Oh the messes that turn into photo ops. Takes that angry steam right

out of you when you can replace it with something like this to remember it by.

Before you run for the towel or broom etc. Especially if it's a simple mess let them experiment with it

while you sneak in and snap away.

Their constant nosey, pay attention to me not her/him attitude can even be turned into

something sweet and innocent. When they are grabbing at your heels jump up on a chair and get a shot from above. You know they will be looking up at you. :)

And so what about the wind and the rain (or any other element) ruining your day.

Bring it on I say, there is a photo op in there somewhere. Maybe a little more effort to find then most

but it's there...

And I think the best part is imagination. Theirs and yours...

Photography of any sort fosters imagination. I say if you are lacking it look to your kids they are

always full of something to share or show off.

If it isn't obvious already..The most important thing is to have fun and make sure they have fun too

The second it turns into a chore for you or them it's game over.

I'm no pro just a mom but I hope I can pass on a little inspiration

in return for all that I find in blog and flickr land :)

I also want to send a big Thank you out to all that have offered to help me on my latest pattern project. It is so fulfilling to see others make something that you created and at the same time so very stressful to worry that you are wasting their time. I just wish I could portray my gratitude in a bigger way then a Thank you...Just know it is very very appreciated.



Seems I am stuck...

Apparently my hat creations come in bursts...I haven't been able to get them out of my mind the past few days. And I am seriously going to have to start selling or giving them away because I don't think Sophie needs one more hat. But then again she does look so cute in them so maybe I am over compensating since she refuses to wear shoes..haha...

We had yet another beautiful day here today and to be honest I am beginning to feel a bit guilty about it considering all the snow that's going on in other states. I don't want to lose it but I wouldn't mind sharing a few rays 

I also wanted to say thanks for all the nice comments about my photography. It is really becoming a passion for me. And I think with my recent progress/addiction I have convinced hubby to allow a camera upgrade sometime soon. With the promise that I would start venturing out of our little bubble at home and make some money off of this whole photography thing. I definitely have a long way to go but you gotta start somewhere.

I also wanted to add for those who are curious, I use a basic Nikon D40x with a 50mm 1.8,pretty much my constant lens. The other two I have are kit lenses, not bad but once you use a 50mm it's hard to go back to them haha...

As far as software I use photoshop elements, I really don't do anything crazy fancy, it's mostly colors/contrast etc. I am still pretty clueless when it comes to the fancy stuff elements has to offer. But I have been learning much from blogs like Texas Chicks tons of info there about it and then some.

And of course I can't forget about Picnik, when all else fails I pop over there and play with my photos. I'd say it's the perfect place to get awesome processing with little effort. If you haven't checked it out yet, I highly recommend :)

Oh and I definitely plan on selling this pattern so when I get the sizing thing down I will be on the look out for a few testers so keep an eye out for that request... And with that, I think I am done here :)

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!!!