I’ve been doing a little experimenting with Photoshop. It is an amazing program, and one I wish I knew better. Here I’ve played with adding little butterfly wings to a photograph of Chloe, and to a couple of my friend Greta’s photos. It is interesting to see the results. Aren’t these little girls darling?
There is so much I’d like to be writing and sharing right now – Chloe turning 14-months-old(!), getting paid to photograph my first product shoot(!), drumming up the courage to submit photos for consideration in a juried art exhibit(!), working on a graphic design project for a service to benefit the low-income, elderly, and the environment(!) – but for some reason, I can’t seem to pin down my thoughts on any of those things right now, so instead…
I’ll mention our recent trip to the mall :-). We were so bored with the rain yesterday, and with Chloe bouncing off the walls we hoped it would at least be a dry place for her to burn some energy. I could also get my “free birthday gift” from Sephora, and David wanted to look at pearl earrings to replace one I lost (the original pair was the first jewelry gift he ever gave me, over 15 years ago. You can imagine how my heart broke just a little when I looked in the mirror to find one missing).
Anyways, no luck at Sephora (they were out right now), and none of the pearl earrings we saw were quite right (the original ones were so perfect!), but we did check out a new self-serve frozen yogurt bar called Orange Leaf. I admit I was drawn into the bright and modern design of this little shop, and for 39 cents an ounce it was a decent deal.
The cheesecake was our favorite. It was one of two “low-fats” in a sea of “non-fats,” and where skinny-mini Chloe is concerned, more fat is better. Along with traditional toppings, they had some unusual options like a gummy rice flour candy popular in Asia that I had never heard of. There was a lot of fruit to choose from, too, including fresh options like mango and blueberries, which I got for Chloe. After the first cold bite, where she squinched her face up, she kept saying “more?” “more?” until the bowl was empty. A pretty healthy choice as far as mall food. And the crazy thing? I loved the spoons! They are orange and very modern shaped. Like contoured little shovels. I should take a picture. Anyway, we got two and we’re going to keep them (although they are biodegradable) for when we’re on the go. Cute and yummy!
I’m happy to say that I completed a craft project for January! I had seen a pair of fleece baby mittens in a store downtown and couldn’t believe the price tag said $20 bucks! More than I’d spend for two tiny swatches of fleece that Chloe would use only for another month or two. Plus, I hate to admit it, but her grandma sent out a set earlier in the year that Chloe wore once before we misplaced them. Not a good track record for us.
All in all, it was pretty easy once I got started. Unfortunately, one of my bad habits is spending way too much time thinking about a project, instead of just trying to do it. The leftover fleece came from my stash, and though it took two tries to get the shape and size right, I’m pretty happy with the results. I worked on these after Chloe went to bed, so they were hand sewn. I kind of hemmed and hawed over leaving the wrist edges raw (one thing I love about fleece), but then decided to finish with a blanket stitch. I also added a ribbon to secure them to her wrists. Sewing on velcro or elastic just seemed too complicated for my limited skill and patience.
I think the funnest part of the project was doing a mini photoshoot with Chloe! She really liked them! I thought she might have a problem grasping things, but she didn’t seem to at all. If I have time, I’ll post my pattern and maybe a brief tutorial. Now, all I need to do is find a new recipe to try and I’ll be done with my blogging goals for the month!
P.S. We found her old mittens in the tray compartment of the stroller. Of course! And I’m also proud to say I made her hat, too. The easiest beginner knit hat ever. I see more of those in her future.
..
..
I’m thinking about putting new photographs in the four gallery frames hanging in our living room. Over the years they’ve held illustrations, photos, artwork, magazine pages and right now they’re displaying fabric. However, you’d think with all the photos I take, I’d easily fill those four frames with new photographs. But, no. The issue? Finding four vertical shots to make a set. Since I don’t often photograph vertically, there is a limited number to choose from. Choosing a matched pair is easy. A set of three, fine. Finding four that look good together? That’s a challenge.
I briefly considered doing four shots of Chloe, but it seemed too shrine-like in our little house. Then I considered texture shots, but now I’m thinking about the four nature scenes above. I think what ties these together is the sunlight and glow of color, plus the combination of crisp foreground and softer background. I also like that Chloe and David are represented in one of them, but not overly so.
Someday I’d like to shoot a set of nice black & whites – maybe architectural in theme – bridges, buildings, cityscapes. I like the set of three France photographs donated to Craft Hope’s Etsy shop (they sold!), but they are all horizontal, too. Or maybe I just need to scrap the current frame layout and turn them all sideways. Hmm… there’s a thought.
Have you heard about the Cueva de los Cristales in Mexico? David showed me a video on the BBC’s site, and I was awestruck. This cave holds unbelievably massive gypsum crystal formations, unlike any ever seen. I took a few screen captures, but you should just watch the video. I mean, imagine, being a worker with the Naica Silver mine, breaking through a cavern and being greeted by the site of your life! Like Indiana Jones or (due to it’s killer conditions) Superman. At a boiling 135 degrees and 100% humidity, it may look like heaven, but feels like Hell. I guess they won’t be selling tickets.
I’ve been feeling unsure about what to write regarding the tragedy in Haiti. So much has been written, far better expressed than anything I could have put down on paper. But I feel like I would be remiss to remain silent. With that in mind I am going to link to these posts on SouleMama and House on Hill Road, simply because I have read them most recently and they in turn provide links to information and ways to help.
Also, if you are a crafter and have something you could donate, please check out Craft Hope. All proceeds will benefit Doctors Without Borders. Already the crafting community and those who purchase handmade goods are showing their generosity – according to the most recent post the Craft Hope for Haiti Etsy shop has made 162 sales and raised almost $4000 $10,000! All those contributions (including those seemingly small ones) really add up, so please take a look.
…
Isn’t this a fabulous little playhouse? Chloe’s Grandma Sandy custom made it just for her! What a lucky little girl. I can see years of fun out of this particular gift. It fits perfectly over our kitchen table and includes lovely details like windows complete with white eyelet curtains and pink ribbon tie-backs, a sewn-on garden hem, half yellow and half pink interior walls and little buttons to hold the door flaps open. That Grandma Sandy is just so clever, I tell you what. Of course Chloe loves it! What little girl wouldn’t want a cozy and fun place to play (or simply enter and exit over and over)? Thanks again Grandma Sandy!
See more photos in Chloe’s Playhouse Set. Other Grandma Sandy related projects include these baby bibs, appliqued handtowels, and nursery mural. Just wait until I get a chance to photograph Chloe’s Busy Book!
David finally ran out of his old deodorants. I say “finally” because he bought one of those multi-packs from Costco ages ago and it has taken him forever to use them up. The problem was that I couldn’t stand the way they smelled! We are not going to make that mistake again.
Although it is controversial, I believe that aluminum in anti-perspirants/deodorants is unhealthy, and I try to avoid parabens as well. I’ll admit I’ve tried many natural and organic brands in search of the perfect deodorant, but I have yet to find one that I am loyal to. Unfortunately, those just don’t work as well. Under normal circumstances, I’ll use a natural version (or none at all – another perk of being a stay-at-home and work-from-home mom), but to be perfectly honest, for those times I want to be extra sure, I do own a container of Degree. I’d like David to have a natural alternative on a day-to-day basis as well, if just to humor me.
At the store, we read labels and sniffed a bunch of options and scents, but frankly they all smelled and looked kinda girlie. The “Dusk” scent was the best of the bunch. David balked at the price, but I was adamant. I’d like him to have a good smelling deodorant for a change. The brand, Herban Cowboy, gave me pause though, but I’m a sucker for packaging. Here’s hoping it actually works. 🙂
Chloe had her first finger-painting session last month, shortly before David’s birthday. I warmed up the kitchen, sat Chloe in her high-chair wearing only a diaper, and taped a sheet of paper down to her tray. A few globs of finger-paint in various colors were applied to the tray surface and directly onto the paper. She didn’t get it at first, and I was glad she had eaten recently or I would have been wiping a lot more paint from her mouth. By the end there was quite a mess, but several sheets of “drawings”.
From this:
To this:
To help her make a card, I used an exacto blade to cut out a fish pattern (her dad’s favorite sport) on cardstock before placing a piece of Chloe’s artwork behind it. Voila! Instant birthday card from Daddy’s special little girl. We also made a similar piece of art for Chloe’s Grandpa Feldkamp for Christmas, but I forgot to take a picture of it. Instead of lots of little fish the cut-out consisted of two more-detailed trout silhouettes.
A while back I came across a really good post on displaying baby and child artwork, but now I can’t find it. However, a quick “What to do with kid art” search pulled these other interesting display ideas from Tiny Decor, CookieMag, Real Simple and Parents.
P.S. I used cardstock for the paintings because the non-toxic kids paint can soak through thin paper pretty easily, causing possible tearing if baby tries to pull at the edges. Despite the heavier paper, they still wrinkled while drying so I placed them under some heavy books after they were completely dry to flatten them back down.
Paperseed
paperseed.wordpress.com 
Recent Comments