Wanna Be a Better Photographer?

I just found this series of online lessons that will help you to "Become a Better Photographer in 31 Days."  Yay!  I'm so gonna do all them!  I need to work on my photo ninja skills.  And the author is great!  While he makes the corniest jokes, he presents all of the techie stuff in a super understandable way.  And he provides helpful visuals like the following:

Ahhhh!  I get it now!  That pesky shutter speed and aperture can be so confusing :P

images courtesy of Peter Carey

Namaste

As part of my recovery from the nerve injury I've been dealing with the past few months, I've been doing yoga...pretty much everyday!   

I LOVE it.
I'm obsessed kinda.  
But it truly has changed my life for the better in so many ways. 
Not only am I a bit more stretchy and flexible, but I am just calmer, more positive, more at peace with myself.  I'm not so tense.  I also have more of an appreciation for my body, for the world around me, and well, let's face it, yoga clothes are just super cute, so I have an adorable new wardrobe as well ;)

Check out this site!  Spiritual Gangster.  It has totally hipster, totally chill yoga clothing.  Love it!

Here are a few faves:

images courtesy of spiritualgangster.com

Much Needed TLC

Oh I just feel so terrible...my lil ol' blog has been repeatedly pushed to the back burner for quite some time now...poor thing is longing for some much needed TLC.

To be honest, I have been in need of a little TLC and haven't exactly been doing a very good job at giving it to myself.  It's hard to slow down.  Even in a state of injury, as I am in, it's hard to take care of yourself.  I know what I am supposed to be doing to help myself heal and get better, but the world is so demanding and if you take just the tiniest bit of time to help yourself, you feel so guilty.  If you take the slightest bit of time away from something you think you should be doing, you feel like you've let someone down or like you've dropped one of the many balls you are constantly juggling...or at least I feel that way...

Well today I have truly taken a total me, total TLC day.  I started my day with a yoga class, practiced deep breathing and found my center, then I soaked in a warm bubble bath, and engaged in a bit of meditative healing and a lie down with my heating pad.  I then perused the web for a bit of online shopping...meditative healing may have its therapeutic rewards, but helloooo, online shopping is equally if not more so rewarding!!  I followed up my retail therapy with a bit of sun worshipping.  I find there just really is nothing more relaxing than an afternoon nap in the sun!  I may have even gotten a little bit of a tan!  Ok ok ok, so I probably didn't really get a tan...I don't exactly have the skin type that tans :P

But what I came to discover today is that I think in general, perhaps, we need to be a bit kinder and gentler toward ourselves...allow ourselves to take some timeouts from the rush our lives have become.  I think we've come to believe it isn't really ok to do that.  Had I taken a few more timeouts myself I think I may not have gotten my injury in the first place.

So today I took a timeout.  I slowed my thoughts, my actions, I took care of my injury, and it wasn't selfish, and the world didn't come to an end and my friends and family didn't hate me for it as I kinda sorta feared.  I kinda want to do it again tomorrow! 

I hope you enjoyed your weekend and maybe took a little timeout of your own :)
xo!

P.S. here are my online purchases from today!

Lola Side Table

Pharmacy Side Table

Acid Etched Letter

So cute!  I love them!

images courtesy of urban outfitters

I'm a Gawker.

Yeah.  

I'll admit it. 

I will spend countless hours gawking at photography blogs, etsy shops, crafty DIY sites, the latest TOMS shoes and Coach purses, digi scrap galleries, and dachshund rescue pages...I need to stop. 

Seriously.

But it's really hard when I come across sites like THIS and THIS that just totally feed into my obsession.

You people are doing me no favors.

But secretly I totally love it. 

So sue me.

craftgawker.com and weddinggawker.com

 

kaBoks CT call!

I have super duper exciting news.
I am going to start selling my very own line of digital scrapbooking products!  I am beyond thrilled and excited and nervous and inspired and totally and completely freaked out and have no idea what I am doing but so totally warm and fuzzy and all smiley about it.

My dear colleague Siri is starting her own online shop...check it out here...it looks amazing...and she asked me if I would like to join her team of designers.  I immediately said YES!

The philosophy behind kaBoks, Siri's new online scrapbooking store, is to break down the walls that exist between the various scrapbooking communities. kaBoks will be a store that will not only bridge traditional, hybrid, and digital scrapbooking, but will target different religions, ethnicities and languages by offering a wide variety of products that speak to inspired creatives around the globe.  There will also be a special department called "kiddy scrap" filled with less serious products aimed at crafting for kiddos! or for us big kiddos at heart ;)
 

The Grand Opening of kaBoks will be on September 30th and at that time we will need a few lovely crafters to join our creative team!

What we are looking for: 

 - digital crafters (scrapbooking, art journals....) 

 - card makers (both traditional, hybrid and digital) 

 - scrapbookers (both traditional, hybrid and digital) 

We are also looking for 1-3 traditional crafters with no or little experience in hybrid/digital craft. These crafters will be documenting their “journey” into a new world using blog posts, tutorials and videos. 

We would also like to receive applications for a CT manager position.

The team members will be required to:

    - create a minimum of 4 projects every month uploaded to the kaBoks blog and private blog (Subject to change depending on number of members)

    - host contests/challenges on the kaBoks blog (No. of challenges depends on number of members)

    - create tutorials or videos of projects/techniques (two projects during the 6 month period, this could be a tutorial on one of the required projects)

    - create blog posts featuring  techniques /inspiration/ projects

    - participate in challenges

    - promote kaBoks and the designers on their blog and elsewhere

    - upload creations to our public gallery

PLEASE SUBMIT the following to admin@kaboks.com

• Name
• Address
• Phone Number
• E-mail Address
• Link to your blog
• List of forums and galleries that you frequent
• List of current Design/Creative Team positions (Team experience is not required)
• Tell us why you want to join.

I would so love to see you on the team and have you as a part of the kaBoks family!  Please apply! Or visiting as a customer who comes and says hello now and again is fabulous too ;)

xoxo

Mini Matchbook Notepads

You know how I feel about lists.

Love 'em.

Pretty much can't live without 'em.

Seriously.

I am totally and completely lost without my lists.

I take great care compiling my lists, and it is these lengthy compilations of to-do's that get me from here to there.

So.

With that being said, this little crafty project was PERFECT for me, not only did it take me literally less than five minutes, but it was super cute, and super practical!

Little mini matchbook notepads!
OMG. The perfect home for random thoughts, lists, and notes to self!

Toooootally adorable.

Now the ones pictured are from the first round I was experimenting with so they are not all that stellar, but you get the idea :)