This is my INSANE week. Not only do I have template stuff to do, but other design deadlines-END OF YEAR teacher stuff, and my kids have all sorts of field trips and after school social events. So I’m just plain ole busy.I got something very exciting in the mail yesterday!! Wait till you see.

You know how much I LOVE personalization and gifts like that right? Its seriously an addiction.

Well Upon GOGGLING such items, I found this UBER cool site called Bags of Love

After spending forever there I decided I HAD to have THIS make up bag

BIGGEST Dilemma: WHAT photo to use. I wanted all of my family on there so I used our Christmas photo. We don’t get many FAMILY photos. Let alone including our sweet dog Daisy 😀

This is what it looked like-

I about bounced off the wall with excitement! I was just over the moon. It looks great, and the photo is a very soft, satinish kind of feel. LOVE IT.

I went with the tan since it would match like everything I buy.

Side 1

I now want MORE stuff 😀 I’m thinking tote bags for Alexa, Amber and Noah with their photos! I may even ask about scanning their art work onto a bag, and sending that in for them use in place of a photo 😀 Now that is cool!!

Other side

 I was on the hunt for a cool makeup bag that would match everything! Now I needed one that would carry me for some time, because every time I get a new handbag- I get a new wallet, check book cover, makeup bag etc. I end up spending a ton of money with each Vera Bradley purchase! LOL! Now I have one that makes me smile every-time I look at it.

Plus it fits everything perfectly.

Inside view

Sooooooo, on the 29th I ordered that makeup bag, and it arrived on my doorstep on the 3rd! HOLY SPEEDY!

Just HAD to share my fun find with ya!! I’m thinking they’d make great gifts too.

The photo looks really good on there too. Honestly I was a littler leery to order, thinking it may be crappy, maybe the photo wouldn’t be good, so I didn’t spend a fortune. Now I’m wishing I got more. The quality and feel was super. Well made, not CHINCY. Im quite happy it . Their delivery time was right on. Im especially surprised since they are coming from the UK!

I’m in love with Bags of Love! LOL!

Anywho…..now for some other eye-candy.

Stampavie had a Sketch Challenge that no only was I late for, but I obviously can’t follow other peoples sketches very well! I somehow veer off and just do my own thing in one way or another. OH! WELL! It was a start it this creation:

Guess What

Are you familiar with the book :Guess How Much I Love You? by Sam McBrateny?

Its Amber’s favorite, and I always get teary reading it. Its definitely a MUST HAVE book for the family.

Well its about a mommy bunny and her baby bunny, and as they walk through the forest they talk back and forth. The theme for each page is Guess how much I love you? Then they go through and say how much, each time one out does the other.

In the end he goes through and says I love you all the way to the moon and back, as the little one falls asleep in the mommy’s arms. Its so sweet.

Well, Amber says to me-about a literal 20 times a day -randomly

“Mommy Guess what?!”

me-What?

You wanna know how much I love you?

I say “How much? This much (and I make a tiny amount with my 2 fingers)?

She says “NO! I love you THIS much (and stretches her arms as long as they will reach) and to the moon an back! And when I get bigger, I’ll love you even bigger.”

Then she takes her hugely (yet little) stretched arms and wraps them around me with a big squeeze.

AWE! That melts my heart, and no matter what is going on, in that moment, I just stop and enjoy the squeeze at my legs. Its the best feeling in the world. I know this won’t last forever, so I am just cherishing it.

So I made her this card-so we will always remember this time (I HOPE!)

The bunny image is Rachelle Anne Miller Hoppy Spring

The “Guess What” rounded tab is from JustRite Stampers Demi Phrases set, put into a small 1 3/16 round stamper!! Yes, It will go in there! I was quite excited about that.

So that is that!

Thanks for stopping by.

Im going to bed. (I HOPE!)

You are all going to get SO sick of seeing Amber by the end of the month! LOL!

I do have a STAMP post to share, but not till later today. I HOPE to get a video done but with the first few nice Spring days may just play with my kids 😀

Im having so much fun learning more about my camera-Jay got me this FABULOUS book called

Nikon D40/D40x Digital Field Guide by David D. Busch

This is perfect for me since I am self teaching. I don’t know why self teaching with a  CAMERA stresses me out, when that is how I do everything else!

Anyway the book AWESOME! Full of color photos-easier to understand too. I only had it 2 days and would totally tell ANYONE who has a camera like mine to get it (or his other versions for other cameras as they are the same-just camera specific)

I took it to the park and used it to get the best photos I could!

What I LOVE about the book is it has these sections called Creating Great Photos and Photo Subjects-It has a guide at the end of each section to guide you!

It guide has the following categories in your photo selection-

for instance Portrait :talks about all the key elements and directions to maximizing the best reults of your photos

At the chapter end (they aren’t LONG-and are easy to understand)

There is a GUIDE for HOMEWORK! So YOU can try what he talks about a go!

Sections are what you need to set on your camera or other key elements

“On your own” “Lighting” “camera settings” “Exposure” “Lens”  “Accessories” so it walks you through the steps for the BEST results. LOVE IT.

So I gave it a try.

I got a SOFTER look on this one above-don’t remember how! LOL!

Now she goes forward-

YIKES! Shes comin right for us!

There is a section in the book called “Practice Picture”so I can see exactly what I need to do with my camera when needing to get an ACTION shot-being at the park Amber was actively swinging on the swings-so I was able to quickly look up HOW to get the best photo! I think I got great results for owning my camera a few days. Only my second time using it 😀

I LOVE this one!!! Wind in her hair-just so happy. I used a continuous photo setting, to get every second on the swing-it was REALLY cool.

I don’t think I got it ALL right, as I didn’t want to MISS the moment of NATURAL fun and I definitely did want to make her pose endlessly! But it was SOOOO fun.

I had like 6 mom’s at the park excited about MY experience and asking me questions, just  because I was just giddy over all of it. One thought I worked for a newspaper! LOL! NOPE! Just a crazy mom here! LOL!

 2 of them were going to the camera store (there is one in our area that is closing and they are having a 40% off sale) right after the park! Im going today after hearing that news!

Now she is running

I obviously should have done something different due to the shadows-but I was on continuous run-so I don’t think I could use the FLASH with that one.

Closer to the camera

And SLAM! This is her running right up to the camera

Kind of dark. Bad lighting. But I still love the look.

Now I will move onto the GOLDEN photo!

I got a soft look and blurred the background. I am totally loving this photograph!!! I really like the angle. I was literally laying on the ground!

This is another one I got.

Much more serious. Poor kid had to cough, but held it in and said she was waiting for me to take the picture! LOL! She then went on a coughing jag (she is sick this week-:C) for like a minute!

 I love the color and the way the trees look in the back. It toally matched her shirt!! And eyes! How cool is that??

So I think after a MONTH of photos, Ill decide which 6 to submit. I should just make her a portfolio! LOL! It will be a HARD 6 to pick 😀 Ill keep you posted.

Thanks for all the great links and comments on my new venture. Im having fun. All in all-my kids are much more FUN to get pictures of than my card creations! LOL!!!! They are, afterall my best work to date!

I hope to get some nice kid TRIO pictures soon too. They grow SO fast.

Thats it for my photo stuff.

Thanks for reading.

I’m very excited about this post!

It features one of my favorite subjects-my daughter! 

SO here I am going to share  my very first photos playing with my new camera-totally unedited except for cropping. Obviously I don’t have the lighting down or anything cool-just messing around, getting to know my new camera. I feel so “professional” even though I’m so NOT.

I have to say I had SO much fun for the 10 minutes I got to play. Amber had a playdate, so I couldn’t steal her all day.

I just played around with my settings for each photo, to get some fun photos of Amber for possible consideration for the Parents Magazine Cover Model contest-and this is what I got, while playing with various settings.

Obviously I have no idea what I used for each photo!

She was very patient as I thumbed through my camera manual! LOL!

Photo 1

I LOVE this one. I like the ANGLE 

 This is the smile (or smirk) that Amber will give you, and then, while looking at you like that- at some RANDOM point during the day-then will blurt out-Mommy I love you! Or some other really sweet thing.

AWE! Melt your heart cute, I tell you. She has us SO wrapped around her lil finger its ridiculous. She is my little side kick. My crafting and shopping buddy. My baby. So sad to see her growing so fast.

Photo 2

This was a bit bright! YIKES!

Now we move to a profile shot (Yes! I know its time to trim her bangs!)

I told her to just turn her head and look at the tree.

She was uncomfy sitting on the rocks, so we moved.

Now we go the the front porch area. Better sunlight.

I adore this photo because this is the face I see when I look down at her. So small and sweet.  Someday she will look me in the eye.

She has the biggest prettiest eyes. So blue-like Daddy.

Now-This photo is my favorite. I see her ALL grown up some day. So serious looking.

This was her, waiting for me to figure out what to do next! I told her to stay exactly as she was!

See, she can’t help but smirk. Thats Amber-always a little smile on her face.

That concluded our first photo session.

Thanks for letting me share my first photo attempts! I have a LONG way to go!! But the camera is so fun. I want to take the kids to the park and get some REAL photos of them in their natural element! Those are the best photos.

Photos are truly amazing when you think about them. ONE- tiny, precious second, engraved into a tanglible moment, forever.