Valentines Photo Shoot

I loved doing this little Valentines photoshoot with E. I expected her to be squirmy, uninteresed, and annoyed. But she loved it. Besides getting her into the little pink dress, she was happy to be the perfect baby model. She enjoyed chewing on the Valentine's props.

I found a blank wall and white blanket for the background. I learned recently from an Etsy tutorial that the best lighting for pictures is natural lighting. Shocker, I know, but actually I didn't know that. I thought the yellow fuzzy glow of a lamp was just fine . . .which makes for yellow fuzzy pictures.

I used a DIY music sheet heart garland and Playtouch Kodak camera. I was snap happy and took a ton of pics to make sure I got really good ones. I also used a white onesie, black headband, and red quilted heart. I used a white plastic tub, fake pink roses, and a crocheted pink baby blanket for other props. I lightened the photos on photoshop, cropped if necessary, and warmed the colors a little. This was so simple, but I am so happy with how they turned out.

I want to frame these for inexpensive Valentine's Day gifts for some of my family.

Valentines Photoshoot with E

Family Traditions

I am surprised to see that there are still a few strands of Christmas lights lingering on neighborhood porches. I have even noticed a few Christmas trees still enjoying warm living rooms  Christmas went by too quickly, and maybe keeping out the decorations helps some people slow it down. I admit, I just put away a lonely Christmas mug, a Charlie Brown Christmas cd, and pile of candy canes. I am already thinking about next Christmas. I like to think that it is a definite time that I will see far away family.

I love family traditions, some little ritual that you enjoy together and goes back in time as far as you can remember. We could not listen to Christmas music until the day after Thanksgiving. Mom traditionally tried to break that tradition every year :). Papa read the Christmas story. We downed enough gummy bears to keep us content until next Christmas. We ate the best and sweetest papamade cinnamon rolls.

Every year we would be sentimental about opening gifts, and at least half the family would be crying. During the last few years, we were very aware that that Christmas could be the last one we were all together, since we were all growing up and beginning our own adventures. Every Christmas Mom put out our stockings which are now spread out all over the country, just like my family. Those stockings are old fashioned and beautiful. They are red velvet with white satin linings,and our names and a little Christmas picture are beaded onto them.

I know that this Christmas post should be tucked away in the archives of a few months ago, but I couldn't help writing it now. My husband and I have begun traditions for our own little family. This Christmas we loved watching little E play with the nativity scene and the wrapping paper on her first Christmas gifts. She has her own little stocking too. It isn't anything fancy, but I hope it will be just as special and sentimental as mine is.

Christmas DIY Stocking

The Little Felt Reindeer

I had an extra stocking with a B on it. It could have meant B is for Baby, but I wanted it to be unique for litte E. So I used light and dark brown felt which I cut out in this reindeer shape. I used white thread to stitch the outline, spots, and eyes. I added the curled Christmas ribbon for a scarf because I thought it needed a little something. I hot glued this onto a cream-colored felt square and hot glued that over the B. Now three stockings can be hung with care.

What are your family traditions during Christmas?  

It Needs a Better Name

I often forget how good salad can be. Everything has to be just right in a salad for me to think that it is really good. Creating in the kitchen is something that I like to do. I think recipes are "more like guidelines" as one of the pirates said in one of the Caribbeans.

Anyway, I tweak recipes alot, and I make up recipes sometimes. I recently made up a salad that is amazing in my mouth. I know salad isn't really a cute thing, so it shouldn't be in a blog about cute things . . . but I think baby carrots could pass for cute. However, this salad doesn't have baby carrots in it. Whatever.

Blueberry Red Pepper salad 

with Italian Yogurt Dressing

(it needs a better name)

The salad is made of a lettuce mix, thinly sliced red peppers, shredded mozzarella cheese, and blueberries.

The dressing is a bit more complicated.

 I made a single serving to try it out. Mix 1/8 cup plain yogurt, 1 TBSP of vegetable oil, 1 TBSP of vinegar, 1 TBSP sugar, and a sprinkle of garlic, thyme, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix it in a blender. Add a few blueberries if you want the dressing to be a pretty lavender color.

Change the amounts of each ingredient to desired taste as this is a general recipe. The dressing would still be good without all of the herbs. A store bought coleslaw or poppyseed dressing would taste good too!

Enjoy!

Vintage Romantic Wreath

I am sitting here awake, wide awake, when I should be asleep. Blogs, doors, and starting a small business*-these are the thoughts banging around upstairs. What AM I THINKING?! I should be wide asleep. Wide asleep.

I am not trendy. I do not set trends. I am not a trendsetter. So of course blogging, like Pinterest, skinny jeans, and Mumford is something I am all excited about while everyone else is like "um, where have you been, Meg?" I am a trend turtle. Well I suppose that is a trend, to be a tail ender of trends. So, anyway, I thought I would start a blog about cute things that I like to make. (If you are wondering why all the cute things are in a corner . . . well, corner is a cute word and corners are kinda cute anyways.)

This cute thing is for doors. A wreath and the right kind of door go a long ways in making an ugly house look  almost lovely. Brad and I love to look at houses and pick the ones that we should live in. We are content apartment dwellers who like to dream a little. Often, there are some big awkward houses that don't really know what to do with themselves, they just stand around in the neighborhood looking strange. However, if they have a bright door, a little bush or two, and a wreath, you really forget how awkward they are and maybe even admire them.

So, back to the wreath. I have two of these versatile twiggy circles. I like to change them for different seasons and holidays. For fall I did a rich pumpkin colored ribbon, sage green ribbon, and a creamy ribbon with brown vines. I added faux fall leaves and a little squirrel in the middle.Way to much detail? Just put up a picture Meg. (I am a lover of adjectives, I'm sorry.) For Christmas I did red ribbon and teal taffia and two white reindeer (ornaments from target). With ribbon, some fake flowers, and odds and ends from around the house, you can make inexpensive and attractive wreaths.

For this simple Vintage Romantic Wreath, I used my pearl necklace, two repainted bird ornaments, a cardboard heart with old sheet music modpodged on it, cloth roses, and a white ribbed ribbon. I really like how it turned out! Our door is now celebrating Valentines Day.

*I am excited to share my small business idea soon!