Rustic Photography Phun…

With Coffeshop Free Action: VINTAGE
I was in a friend’s backyard today, and was totally inspired to take a few photos.
I was certain they all wanted to look old with a smidgen of drama, a wash of black and white, and maybe a blush of color leaking through.

I love playing with this free action. I know my way around PSE, but don’t plan to figure out how to create actions etc. anytime soon. So I’m all about free actions. I’ve had this one for years but I keep forgetting how great it is. So in the rustic garden gate above, I removed the part that de-colorized the color of JUST the gate which was green in the first place.

I brushed out the overlay especially in the sky in this one. Allowing the blue to show through. And in all the photos I added the darker vignetting action around the edges with the built in layer for darkening. Coolio eh?

Also in all the images I first alter the levels (Control-L) and then increase both the brightness and the contrast. I like that step when I know I’m headed for a de-colorization like this vintage action.

…a little birdhouse in your soul… (go ahead and thank me for putting They Might Be Giants in your head).

I brushed the greenery back in on this one as well.
Plus I’m playing with watermarking. Mainly for photos that land on Pinterest.

What’s inspired you lately?

I’ve never been a fan of watermarks. So don’t hold me to it.

SISTERS

I took this photo on the oldest’s Birthday back in November.
(The day she got her hair cut in fact.)

I fell in love with the two sisters smiling like this.
And THEN later I saw a Pinterest Pin (I can’t find it now to show you) but it had a framed image of sisters above a cute desk in their bedroom.
I was all. VOILá. I am SO doing that with this photo.

I ordered a giant 20×24 poster of the image and now I need a frame!
(I’ll update when it’s on the girl’s Wall.)

Yin & Yang you ask?
Yeah they are so completely opposite in sooo many ways!

Taken with my Nikon D5000, probably on Auto??
But I used a pre-set ‘action’ in PSE8 from Marcel Walker Photographica Called “Honey Daze” —my favorite one, I use it a lot.

A little Year end wrap up…

Where have I been, what have I been doing?

You know those Christmas Card letters? A little bit like that—with more snark.

Sometimes this year I have literally forgotten my blog’s password. I shock myself. But I’ve been having sooo much fun landing content in too many other places.

Working backwards:

• Figuring out the Wonderful World of Freelance Writing with SchoolFamily.com

I am writing a weekly column for SchoolFamily.com titled ‘GoodNCrazy Mom’. I get to write about all things related to my life as a mother of 3 school age kids. From weight loss goals with all kids in school, to whirlwind trips to Spain (what do you do with the kids when you leave?!) and pondering a little less holiday hustle and bustle… not everyone agreed with me on that one! And one of the posts was picked up by my School district’s Superintendent… he forwarded it to every teacher in the district! They had no idea what hit them.

Possibly my favorite School Family post so far… My Un-Resolutions for 2012, what are you NOT resolving to do this year?

• Getting my GalTime On (and then taking it back off again)

I have been the GalTime Local Ambassador Liaison for the past 6 months, I love the website and I have a passion for helping new online writers and mentoring and brainstorming, but in 2012 I will be stepping down from this gig, focusing more on my own writing (and getting more dishes done).

• I was asked to Join the Parent Advisory Board for Famigo.com

What a completely fun little company. They created an amazing cell phone app—check out their Android App, you’ll thank me when your kids stop destroying your phone settings! I get to flash my techy mom skills and I write a ‘mom-techy’ post twice a month over there!

• Project Manage Sponsored #TMOM Twitter Parties

Travelingmom.com is a niche travel info website and the community there is truly a blast to work with. If you haven’t joined in the #TMOM Mondays (9PM Eastern on Twitter) then you SHOULD!

• I’m coming up on 18 Months working with VolunteerSpot

VolunteerSpot.com is a free online sign up sheet service. It helps you organize your volunteers, plain and simple. And I jump in and play social media expert/consultant  and chief brainstormer on a regular basis. Plus, I personally love the service, I recently organized a Chili potluck dinner for my Cub Scout troop and it was oh so easy (and tasty!) with VolunteerSpot. (They just hit the 1 million volunteer mark! Yay VSpot!)

Fave articles I’ve written in 2011
(…I kind of think they rock):

Top Ten What I Wish I’d Known Then About Blogging — For TaraDara

Stop Annoying Your Teacher– for VolunteerSpot.com

Holiday Hustle and Bustle — for SchoolFamily.com

Un-Resolutions — for SchoolFamily.com

Seattle Streaker in Safeco Field — for GalTime

Getting Creative with Cub Scout Activities, turn them into service projects! — for VolunteerSpot.com

Recycled and Toilet Paper should NOT be in the same sentence! And Mom TP Types, Which Type are You? — for ToiletPaperWorld.com

And in my mom-life, what have I been doing in 2011?

• Foster Care, we have a 5 year old little boy living with us right now, making us a family of 6.
• My parent’s 50th Anniversary this summer in Southern Idaho, Way to Go Frank & Virginia!
• A family Trip to Lake Tahoe (never been, IT was amazing!)
• A Trip to Madrid with my husband while he was on a work trip! (Huge thanks to my mother for taking care of the kids!)
• Old Lady Basketball, every Tuesday night, whether we like it or not.
• Cooking a lot of Stove Top Stuffing Meat Loaf, I swear it’s my new favorite meal.
• Sooo much less reading. Who has time? But I did manage to read a few books this year: The Help, Gladwell’s Outliers, One Day, Tina Fey’s Book… I saw a lot of movies though.. does that count??
• Still haven’t taken a photography class, but I’m dying to begin using Adobe Lightroom. (Hello, 700 photos from the family reunion this summer!)
• Cub Scouts. I’m the new Den Leader, I have no clue what I’m doing most of the time… shhh, the boys don’t know the difference!
• Parenting a High Schooler, who has early morning seminary, and never-ending Play Practices (A Thespian!) We’re blaming her dad.
• Back to the Gym with a vengeance. I’ve lost ten pounds (when the scale is working right).. and I can’t believe it. I’ve never been able to lose any weight since my youngest was born (7 years ago). YAY ME!
• Blogging conferences: BlogHer11 August (Oh the fun drive to San Diego with @MaryHeston), Mom2.0 April (New Orleans! WOW.), BlissDom11 January (Travel in January is no fun, ended up staying the night with @Chaotic_Barb in Denver and how fun was THAT!?)

It just appeared there.
Right on the SideWalk.

My Family in Silhouette… walking in South Lake Tahoe:

And because it was so fun… we needed a second shot of course!

Ta Dah! I have no idea how to tell you to create your own..

You need a wide enough side walk.
You need the sun perfectly shining angled just so.
You need to be walking with your back to the sun.
You need a fun group of pals.
And a Camera of course!

Good luck!

Oh My Gosh. How fun is this?

I’m working on my ‘lighting’ technique… and the front doorway at sunset is FABULOUS light! Donchathink?

Cut peonies are nearly as gorgeous as they are in my front yard!! Happy-Happy little peonies…

Fstop 22. Amen to sunbursts. I may have to devote a whole FLICKR stream to Sunbursts at Sunset!!

And another daughter pose. Which do we like best? FULL crazy pop of color or the soft B&W?

For Summer Solstice on Tuesday We made What Else??

Sunshine Cookies!

We invited a few neighbor kids over for Sprinkler fun and enjoyed the HDOTY (hottest day of the year) so far! Seriously, it was the first day we were OVER 80 degrees!

Then later that night we headed to one of our favorite spots in town to watch the sun set on the longest day of the year.

Plus I have a secret Peony Fetish.
And Dangit, last summer (the first one in this house-and yard) I missed the Peony explosion that is my FRONT YARD!

So I had the brilliant idea to capture my Peonies on a day by day basis. You’ll have to forgive me in advance, get ready for bazillions of peony photos (I’m thinking Facebook/Flickr overload so watch out).

I think we are about a week out on these BABIES!

(All Taken June 22)

My Fun Friend Cecily (My Chaos My Bliss) Said I should play along…

So here you go! FENCED FRIDAY!

Green ivy on a rustic fence near Snoqualmie Falls, Washington. We were up there last weekend. Gorgeous. I think I took 10,000 photos of this fence alone!

I didn’t even know there was such a thing. Share your fence photos in the Flickr Group: FencedFriday (but only on Fridays DUH!)

And one more…

Not really a ‘fence’ but what? Kick me out of the club? It’s the docks in Seattle. Taken through the rail keeping you from walking off directly into Elliott Bay. Sunset. Seagull. Bliss.

Thanks Cecily for the heads up on yet another group I don’t have time for!

Everyone go check out her Friday Photo Link up!

Wanna see even more Pretty Pictures of Snoqualmie Falls? You’ll be happy you clicked.

SEATTLE!!!!!

We spent Memorial Weekend in Seattle this year.
It was the first trip for the kids. (The hubs and I honeymooned there eons ago, and we had a FAB-U-LOUS trip back there for our 15th Anniversary a couple years ago…).

Our main reason for going this time was to see a Yankees game!
(#GoYankees!)
—Okay they lost. Whatever.

We spent the day before the game in the Seattle Center and of course taking a ride up to see the sites from the top of the Space Needle.  It took about an hour to wait, but in 65 degree weather and sunny no one was complaining!

We did however strip down our coats and jackets during that hour. (This will be important later.)

Overall the trip to the top was well worth it, and if you are ever thinking about dining at the top go for it, plus it will save you the $$ for the elevator, they don’t charge if you have restaurant reservations!

Overall for a family of 5 it cost us nearly $80. And yes there is plenty of kitschy stuff to buy both at the top of the needle and back at the bottom where you are let out in the middle of a souvenir shop!

We all took a bit of a break in the shade out side the Needle and then hopped the monorail into downtown Seattle. We were in search of the FAMOUS donuts they make fresh in front of you down at the Public Market. And we totally found them! Oh Yum, did we ever.  You’ll need a dozen of the cinnamon/sugar ones. Just sayin’.

About this point I realized I don’t have my coat with me any longer?
Well crap. Where did I leave it? On the Monorail? Outside the Space Needle? At the Top of the Needle?
What am I a kid again? THE MOM LOSES HER COAT? What the WHAT?

There was nothing of value in the pockets and other than it being my favorite lightweight jacket, it wasn’t that big of a loss. But still. I was pretty sure I left it at the top of the Space Needle. Do I pay another $20 and wait in line to go find out??

Nah. After the monorail back to the Seattle Center, I asked a very helpful person at the Restaurant reservation desk and she called up to the top and asked if a red jacket was found? Then about 5 minutes later… voilá!

A very nice ‘security’ guard reunited me with my favorite red jacket.
How cute is that? She posed and everything!

Huge thanks to the Seattle @Space_Needle!

SPRING…

Finally.

Last year when this tree first began blooming I was convinced it was a flowering crab tree. How NICE! We bought the home in March and in the spring everything that came out was a surprise!

But.

Later.

In August.

We realized there were a couple very small peaches growing on my crab tree?

How’s that for a surprise?!

There you go.

Turns out we have not only a Peach tree in the back yard but also a Cherry tree as well! Niether are very healthy and both really really need to be pruned.

But, it still makes me happy on a spring day.

What do you best love about SPRING?

This is what we did for Spring Break.

STAYED HOME.

…And went bowling!
(And a few other close-to-home things.)
But it was such a great staycation.
We will totally plan one again real soon.

Check out the ACTION SHOT:

And…

A STRIKE of course.

Yes I’m shocked.

I last bowled (real bowled, not Wii-tainment) many many moons ago.

I love this family.

And for your Purty entertainment:  Not quite in focus, but who cares, it’s kind of cool anyway and bright colors make me happy….

Yes. BOWLING BALLS.