ETSY PLUG - The Pat-a-Cake Baby

Babies seem to come in batches. At least for my friends. I went through one buying spree last year for some friends and relatives who were having children, and I found what I thought was the most brilliant idea - the pacifier bib - at The Pat-a-Cake Baby. I don't know much about babies, but I have noticed they drop their pacifiers in some of the dirtiest places, leaving mom to either wipe it off or carry a spare. With this bib, you kid will never lose one again! And your dog won't run away with it, either.

The Pat-a-Cake Baby also makes regular bibs that are as cute as a button.

Another smart product The Pat-a-Cake Baby makes is the Diaper Diddy. It is a changing pad that folds up into a clutch that has a pocket for a diaper. This is perfect for when you are out and about.

I'm in love with thier adorable onesies, too. The fabric appliques are just too cute. As for baby batch number two - due to arrive March through June - I think I know where I'm going to shop.

IMAGES: THE PAT-A-CAKE BABY

First Freelance Project - Complete!

The Guernsey Area Economic Development and Tourist Corporation (the town I lived in before I moved to Wheatland) knew I used to be a graphic designer before I came to Wyoming and asked me to do a travel brochure for the town. I was excited to do my first freelance graphics job, and also to have a way to showcase the photography I have been doing of the area.

It was also interesting to learn about the place in detail, from a local historian, and to sift through hundreds of old photos of the area. Above you can see Guernsey in the 1930s, nearby Hartville in the 1920s, and the big picture at the bottom is of the miners at Sunrise in 1926. The mine closed in 1980, and since the entire town - houses, hospital, school and all - was owned by the mine, it became a ghost town. Someone owns it privately now, but one of these days I'm going to get out there and see what there is to photograph.

The inside is peppered with local attractions from Boot Hill to the Guernsey State Park and museum, to Register Cliff and the nearby National Historic Site of Fort Laramie. The only photo in the brochure I didn't take (besides the historical ones) is that spectacular sunset on the golf course. Not exactly something I could get in the winter. Thank goodness for stock photography.

The back panel is info and a map (which I also very crudely made for the first time). I just sent this off to the printer and I can't wait to see it in all its glossy prettiness.

Blue Bus - An Old Friend In The Fight

These are some very old pictures I took in college while on a camping trip with my future husband. I've been seeing a lot of them lately, in the fight with my Web site, trying to find a better way to display my photos (they have been my 'sample' gallery in the many tryouts that have been conducted). Simpleviewer is my top choice, but I have no way to make folders in my Web site directory, so that, as well as the albums you can built in Photoshop, is out. I feel uncomfortable with the legal agreements you have to make with sites like Flickr and Slide, so those viewers are out. I'm too lazy to move my site to somewhere I have more design freedom, so for now, the Blue Bus and I will keep plugging away at it. We've been at this for days, so do wish us luck.

Featured on "Stuff Under Twenty" Blog

I'm delighted to share that the lovely ladies over at the "Stuff Under Twenty" blog featured my mom's blue glass cheese plate (an excellent $15 value in these tough economic times).

If you've not been there, do check out this blog. Every day several cool items are posted from all over the internet - unique items from Etsy, great fashion steals from your favorite stores like the Gap and Alloy, and cute items for your home from Anthropologie and much, much more. The best part is, all the items are under $20! It is like having someone find all the best deals for you. And who doesn't like a deal?

Mardi Gras

I'm not from Louisiana, but every Mardi Gras season, I wish I was.
My pile of beads, my collection of Louisiana music, and a home cooked pot of jambalaya will have to suffice.

Giveaway - Only One Week Left - CLOSED

Don't forget to enter my One Year Etsyversary Giveaway! There's only one week left!


I'm giving away one of my most hearted 8x12 photographs, "Wide Open." It is from my collection, "An Abbreviated Road Trip: Southern Louisiana." It's one of my favorites, too.


To win, leave a comment on this post, and you'll be entered into the drawing on Feb. 28.

ETSY PLUG - Par Amour Designs

I searched Etsy high and low for the perfect Valentine's Card for my husband - something graphic and clever and not mushy. I found just the right thing at Par Amour Designs. It said all I needed to say.

Par Amour's designs reference vintage illustrations, most often in black and white for a clean simplicity that I find refreshing.

Par Amour's cards all all letter pressed, which I think are just decadent. And if you are bothering to send a card to someone you care about, why not be decadent now and then?

The designer feels that greetings cards are more than text and image on a small piece of paper, that they capture a dialogue between the card giver and the receiver. I think in our fast-paced life, this is such an important thing to make time for. We all know the feeling when we open the mailbox and find a card from someone we love. When it is a surprise, it is even better. Par Amour has many cards for holidays, but the cards that aren't for a special occasion are really my favorites. You don't need a special occasion to let your friends and family know you are thinking of them.

I particularly love the "Sweet Home" card for the story the designer shares. Though she now lives in New Your City, she was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey and her entire family still lives there. She visits her family twice a year, and says that she feels "like a bird going back to its nest." I feel the same when when I go home to South Carolina.

IMAGES: PAR AMOUR DESIGNS

In the Details

Love is in the details, you know? Like pretty little statice flowers, and candy-striped bows.

Silver Spirals

These silver spirals came in the Valentine's bouquet I received. Through the lens I found them mesmerizing.

More Roses

I know you are probably sick of seeing roses by now, so I'll try to refrain from them tomorrow. I just always take so many photos, and it is hard to edit them down to a select few. These two may be my favorites (maybe).

Rose Details

I love how abstracted the lines of flower petals become when I shoot macro.

Roses

My husband gave me beautiful roses for Valentine's Day. I love it when he buys me flowers - he knows I will have as much fun photographing them as I do looking at them and sniffing them.

ETSY PLUG - Jengs Shop

I bought the sweetest Valentine note flats to send out to my family this year from Jengs Shop, a small paper goods design studio based in New York. Artist Jennifer Eng designs and hand crafts all of her beautiful products.


I had a hard time deciding between the ones I bought and this other beautiful design by Jennifer.


I've been a fan of Jengs Shop for some time. I fell in love with the designs that feature natural elements at in a simple and graphic form. There are a lot of tasteful black and white designs, but Jennifer has lots to offer in beautiful, saturated colors.

In addition to note cards, there are many small and large notebooks in Jengs Shop. I think these would make perfect gifts, especially for those people in your life that are hard to shop for. EVERYONE uses a notebook, so why not make it beautiful?

Jennifer also has a few black and white photos listed in her shop and some colorful illustrations.


For more info on Jennifer and her store, visit her site and her blog.

IMAGES COURTESY OF JENGSSHOP

Breakfast - Yogurt and Blackberries

I don't think this one really holds up to the other Breakfast photos, but I did learn something new. Blackberries are very hard to photograph (esp. against white).

Ode to a Blue Ceiling

This painting is "Ode to a Blue Ceiling." I did it last night. There is a story. Let me explain.

A few months ago, I painted the master bedroom a light green and we moved in. The first night in our new bedroom, we lay in bed, looking up, and Brian swore the ceiling was blue. I had broken the switch to the overhead light as soon as we bought the house, and had painted the room without it, and I just assumed the ceiling looked a little dark because it was in shadow.

I denied that the ceiling was not white, since I had just spent a lot of time with my face very close to it as I taped off the room and painted it. For days, Brian kept reiterating that the ceiling was blue and I kept denying it. Finally, I noticed the blue paint on the top of the ceiling fan. I had been *gasp* wrong.

I wanted to paint the ceiling white. I'm not sure why, but to me, the universe seems all wrong if a ceiling is any other color than white. It DID seem kind of dark in there, even after we fixed the light. But we had moved in our boxes of clothes and our bed and there was no way I was either moving it out or painting with it all in the way. The ceiling remained blue.

Time passed and I began to worry the room I had chosen for a studio would be too small for the furniture I wanted to use. Bri suggested that I take the master bedroom for my studio, since it was much larger. I mulled it over for a few weeks and decided that yes, that really was a good idea. So we recently moved our things into the guest bedroom, giving me access to the ceiling again.

Once I applied the first stroke of white paint, the ceiling looked shockingly blue. Like "How did I NOT realize that" blue. So I did a painting to commemorate my denial that anything was wrong with the ceiling. In the basement I found the can of paint the previous owners had used for the ceiling. So I painted my canvas flat ceiling paint white and the rings are the old, blue ceiling color. I plan on putting it up in my studio once I move all my stuff in. When I look at it, I hope I will remember to REALLY look at things rather than just assume they are what they should be.

Blue Shotshell

Don't think I've completely lost it. These images aren't political commentary or a cry for help.


My husband brought home these blue bullets - made for shooting snakes in particular - and I sincerely thought they were beautiful. I've always loved the color combination of blue and silver. I was also fascinated that you could see the shot through the blue tips.

They are made for a revolver, which is another object I know isn't traditionally considered beautiful, but I find a certain bit of poetry in the gunmetal and the revolving cylinder. If looking at a firearm conjures a negative feeling for you, I ask you to view these photos objectively. Don't think about their use, or their purpose. Think instead about the shapes and colors, and the way the light bounces off them. SEE them differently, even if just for a moment.

I think these may be my next collection.

Six By Five

I was driving to Laramie last week when I saw this buck. You may not be able to tell from these small images, but at full size I can see 6 points on one side. If your husband isn't a hunting enthusiast, let me tell you, that's a lot.

One Year On Etsy Giveaway - CLOSED

I've been selling on Etsy since last February and can hardly believe it. It's been a slow, sometimes delightful, sometimes painful learning process, but it has certainly been worth it.

So, to celebrate, I'm giving away one of my most hearted 8x12 photographs, "Wide Open." It is from my collection, "An Abbreviated Road Trip: Southern Louisiana." It's one of my favorites, too.

To win, leave a comment on this post, and you'll be entered into the drawing on Feb. 28. And of course, I know some would prefer if it came 8X10, so I can cut it down for you if you'd like.

Good luck and Happy February!

ETSY PLUG - archdelineator

I was starting to think this never really happened - that someone would see something cool in a Treasury and actually buy it. I mean, if you look, you can find endless awesome items that you'd LIKE to buy, but most of us have realistic budgets that don't lend themselves to frequent impulse purchases. But when I saw this Treasury by offset, (some time ago) my Intoxicated No. 4 print was cozying up to Archdelineator's "Sunset Flight." And I thought, "This may be the coolest Treasury ever."


I had to wait a little while, but I kept my eye on "Sunset Flight" until Christmas.
It looked even better in person, if you can believe it.

Zack's stencil paintings are on substantial wood panels, and they come with a groove cut into the back so you can hang them right away. They also stand up very well, and it did so on my end table for a while, but I did eventually hang it in m kitchen with some of my other favorites.

Here it is with my "Squareblock" paintings and Heather Young's "Lee Lee's Sweet Ice Tea." I smile every time I walk past this grouping.

I'm not sure why I'm so drawn to the airplane imagery, but they are my favorite among Zack's subjects. This one is "Air Traffic Control (danger zone)."

Zack designs and hand cuts all his own stencils. I didn't know I liked the look of stencils until I saw Archdelineator's work. Zack steps them up by making sure no two paintings look alike. His textured backgrounds and the angles and compositions he uses make each piece unique. A good example is in his paintings of leaves. If you look closely, you can see a single leaf stencil that looks like it may have been used in both "Red Rustling Leaves" and "Icy Leaves Stencil." But with the different colors and sizes and angles, they are two very distinct works.

I also really love Archdelineator's stencils of trees. I like trees in general, I suppose, and his remind me of the Pacific Northwest, though they could be any needled sort of tree anywhere.

Of course I love Zack's work because the stencils are themselves very graphic, and I am drawn to that. But he adds more graphic dimension with how he frames his subjects. Like the red stripes in "Stag Revisited."

I love the red I see in a lot of Zack's work, but he also has a subdued side. "Desert Night Stencil" has such a serene feel that only the sparseness of the desert can provide.