wear + share: 11.9.12

Happy Friday! There are many things to be excited about this weekend... Not only am I celebrating my birthday with my whole family, but today is my 3 year blogging anniversary! There have been a few times over the years that I thought about giving up, but I'm so so glad I've stuck with it. And I'm even more glad that you've stuck with me! Anywho, here's what I'd love to wear to my birthday dinner tomorrow night...

 

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And here are some things I loved this week, and hope you will to!...

  • Seriously.
  • Have you seen the new brand from Williams Sonoma? Pretty much Christmas gift central. A necklace with Emma's name? Yes please. There are also lots of gifts for others if you're into that sort of thing.
  • Proof once again that Louis CK is the best guy in show business. Period.
  • An amazing video about NYC during the blackout
  • A beautiful illustration of one of my all time favorite quotes.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

turn it up: the election day edition

Illustration by the amazing Katie Daisy

Happy Election Day! In addition to being very excited about the things I have the opportunity to vote on this year, I'm nearly just as excited about finally being able to unsubscribe from all of the political emails I've been getting. (I'm passionate about politics, not so much about being bombarded for cash multiple times a day.) What are you most excited about knowing that today is the last day of election?

I decided a while back that I needed to bring more music into the blog since it's such a big part of my life, so what better day than today? Here are some songs to get you into the voting mood. Which you should definitely do, no matter who you're voting for. Seriously. Except maybe that last part. ;)

[embed light]http://open.spotify.com/user/121515752/playlist/2jqyF3YMCOewYzRtofbL1U[/embed]

wear + share: 11.2.12

I mentioned yesterday that I'd be doing something a little different today, and here it is! The revamped Link Love: WEAR + SHARE...

Happy Friday, everyone! After a crazy busy October, Jared and I are welcoming in November with a date night. We're finally going to Volt, which I've been looking forward to trying since before we even moved here. Here's what I'm dreaming of wearing Saturday night...

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And here are some things to help you kill time 'til 5pm...

Well that's it! I hope you guys like the new format, and that you have a most fantastic weekend.

you think you know, but you have no idea

Yep, that's a reference to MTV's Diary, and it's exactly how I feel about blogshop. It was two jam-packed days filled with all the stuff I never knew I didn't know about Photoshop. And how to do all that stuff super fast. I have to be honest, my expectations were pretty high for this class, and it surpassed all of them. I was also super nervous and intimidated, but Bri and Angela were fantastic teachers in addition to being super sweet and adorable. I thought I knew my way around Photoshop, but it was clear after the first hour that I didn't have a clue. And that things I thought I knew how to do, I was doing completely wrong. Thankfully, Bri and Angela showed me the light.

I learned how to do this...

And this...

 

And I made this from scratch in under 10 minutes (something that prior to blogshop would have taken me a good 2 hours)...

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And that's really just a fraction of what we learned. Masking, liquify, templates, retouching, gradients, levels, I could go on and on. If you ever have the opportunity to attend blogshop, I highly recommend it. In addition to all of the Photoshop content, we got great little goody bags, BKR glass water bottles (which I'm now obsessed with), delicious food, and mimosas. (C'mon, at what other class would you get a mimosa?!) It was such an amazing and inspiring weekend and I left feeling tired but so excited to apply what I learned. Look for some new features on the blog very soon. Maybe even tomorrow! Okay, definitely tomorrow.

Thanks again, Bri & Angela!!!

Lil' Red

Happy Halloween! Well, first I hope everyone is safe, sound, with power, cell service, etc. Second, Happy Halloween! I'm so glad the kids around here will still get to go trick or treating tonight. Emma's still a little young for that, but I made her a costume anyway because we all know I just couldn't help myself.

I used Simplicity 1774, red fleece for the cape, and blue gingham for the dress. The pattern could not have been easier, especially with fleece because that meant I didn't have to line the cape. I did add some topstitching to give it a more finished look. And I used buttons to fasten the shoulder straps instead of hook and loop tape. Mostly because I forgot to buy hook and loop tape.

We were late getting out the door this morning, so this was the best I could get. (Note to self, learn how to use my Speedlight. That grain is killing me!) What you can't see here are the adorable new white chucks I got her to go with her costume, which of course are her favorite part.

Have a happy, safe, and sugar-filled Halloween, everyone!

a shot for Jen

Jen Burgess Thompson was a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a photographer. She was 37 years old and last Friday she lost her battle with ovarian cancer. I did not know her personally, but I found myself so profoundly moved by her story... and brought to tears at the thought of her husband and two young boys. Jen's message to all of us moms was simple - get in front of the camera with your kids. Too many of us, whether we have a fancy camera or not, are so busy taking photos of all the milestones, all the funny faces, that we forget to get in the frame.

So, Jen... this is for you. It's not perfect, but I love it. And I hope that one day Emma can look back on this photo, and the many more I plan to take with her, and see how much I loved her. Thank you.

To learn more about Jen's story, click here.

Here's a video Jen made with her kids not long after she was diagnosed.

And here are other Shots for Jen, by women who are way better at this than I am.

fall is in the air

It is officially Fall here in Maryland, and as much as I love Summer, I really really love Fall... it's one of the few things I was looking forward to about coming back to the east coast. The crisp air, apple cider donuts, the leaves changing, apple cider donuts, apple cider donuts. Yeah, I'm kind of a fan. And we didn't really get Fall in Portland... once October hit, it was cool and rainy until the following June. Bleh!

So as all parents do this time of year, we welcomed Fall by taking Emma to the pumpkin patch. She LOVED it! We went to Summers Farm here in Frederick, and in addition to the pumpkin patch, they had this giant in-ground moon bounce, a little train ride, pig races, a petting zoo, putt putt, and loads more. Did I mention they also had the most deeeeelicious apple cider donuts I've ever had? I could have eaten a dozen but I restrained myself to 1. At least while we were still there. ;)

We let Emma pick out her own pumpkin, but she decided she'd rather bob for it instead of pick one up with her hands. What a goof.

What about you... What's your favorite thing about Fall?

link love - 10.5.12

Hi everyone, and happy Friday! I don't know if it's because the days are shorter now or we've been so busy, but the weeks seem to be flying by lately. I'm off to my cousin's wedding this weekend, and we'll be taking Emma on her first trip to the pumpkin patch. Hopefully Emma loves it as much as we hope she will. She's a gal who likes to get her hands dirty, so we're optimistic that acres of dirt, hay, and pumpkins will be right up her alley.

My free time has been spent immersed in all things photography this week, so I don't have my usual links ready for you. Sorry! But I do want to share some of my favorite photographer discoveries so far... As I try to figure out what my "style" is, I find myself drawn toward lifestyle (as opposed to posed) photographers whose photos capture the simple, every day moments with their kids. After all, that's my personal goal as I work to get better at taking photos of my family life. I hope my children will be able to look back on the photos I took of them growing up and see the story of their childhood... not just the milestones, but the little mundane things, too - the favorite toy, the way their room was, how their hair looked when they woke up from a long nap. These are the things I hope to capture, and these are some people who I think do an exceptional job at it...

I hope you all are as inspired by their photos as I am. Have a great weekend! :)

my grandmother

I got to thinking the other day that I don't recall ever seeing a photo of my mom with her mom... she died of breast cancer when my mom was in her early 20s. My mom was her rock through surgery, treatment, and ultimately death... and as much as I wish she'd talk about my grandmother, I understand why even after 40 years it's still too painful. Given that it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I decided to ask if she'd be willing to let me photograph her holding a beloved photo of her mom... surprisingly, she said okay.

I realized after I uploaded this photo that my mom was wearing the necklace she had made from her mother's engagement ring diamond. She gave me and my sister necklaces with that same diamond when we graduated from college, and it's one of my most cherished possessions. I love that my mom wore it for this photo.