TwoFriendsTwoCitiesOneVision

She wanted to be a witch.

I said no.

She said please.

I still said no.

She said I can be a cute witch?

I said fine.

She said we can make me a hot pink tutu?

I said you are my child, aren’t you?

And we made a hot pink and black tutu with sparkly fabric underneath…but you can’t see it because I sewed the sparkly fabric backwards.  But don’t tell her because she thinks, because I told her, it was supposed to be like that.

And we found fabulous hot pink and black tights at Target.  And the hat.  And the broom which she picked out because it looked ‘vintage.’  Don’t you love her?

The entire costume cost about $10 and only about 5 minutes to make the skirt.  (tutorial alert!)

And definitely her most favorite…which is priceless.

Happy Halloween!

Canon XS, 50mm f1.8, ISO 200, 1/250

The Artisanal LA event this weekend was a blast.  There were some good finds and discoveries.

The best craft discovery was Common Thread.  Common Thread is a studio that allows you to rent their equipment. Inexpensive rentals!!  $10 an hour. Or $50 for the day.   They have a wide variety of sewing and craft machinery including equipment for silkscreening.

Grrrrr….I would never have bought my sewing machine and serger last year had I known Common Thread existed!  I don’t sew often so it would have been more practical to rent the equipment.

I have always wanted to try silkscreening.  Silkscreening equipment is expensive and Common Thread makes it possible to test it out for a low fee.

Here is a picture of Common Thread’s booth at the Artisanal LA event.

Common Thread also offers classes and private lessons.  You can find out more about them by going to their website at www.commonthreadstudio.com.

I am going to have to make a trip to their studio in Pasadena soon and check it out.

Do you have a studio similar to this in your city?  If so, please share this information.  This is something I am sure others would love to know about!

I also happened to come across this cork bulletin board on display.  I’ve been saving up my wine corks and wanted to do something interesting with them.  This just might be the thing!  It’s small and easy to make. I also love how they have it standing up like a picture frame instead of hanging on a wall. That would be so helpful and look great on a desk.

Here are some more interesting craft works that were on display at Artisanal LA.  The pattern mixes and color combinations are fun and inspiring!

When we first moved to Los Angeles, people told us that we would get sick of the good weather. That we would eventually yearn for icy days to could curl up with a blanket, drink hot cocoa and snuggle up with this furry guy. (This little thing puts out a lot of warmth.  And gives sweet licks.) I had just moved from Texas where the weather drastically changes. Freezing one day, then scorching hot the next with humidity that makes you feel like you have a perpetual film growing on your skin. So I pretty much thought these Angelenos were bonkers. They “warned” me that the weather was amazing and perfect. Can you believe? Who needs to be warned about great weather?

The weather is usually nice. But that 1% of the time when it isn’t really throws everything off kilter.

Take for example last Saturday. I woke up exited to go to the Affaire in the Garden.

And then to my surprise. Rain. Not just a little rain.  A mini monsoon.

Rain = no Affaire in the Garden. The event was located outside which meant getting drenched. And the main reason I wanted to go, practicing photography, would have been fruitless.

It never rains here. I was so unprepared for what was unfolding. Not only was I going to miss the event but I had left a lot of my furniture projects outside which was the worst tragedy.   Since we don’t have much garage space, I usually work on all my painting and restoration projects outside. After days of working hard on my vanity, I looked outside and it was soaked.  It couldn’t be moved because there was nowhere else available to place it.  I kept thinking it would stop any minute so I never covered it.

Well…for a city that never gets rain or bad weather, it rained for 5 days straight.

I looked outside and the drawers on my vanity appeared ruined.

But after close inspection I realized the rain had done me a big favor. Even though I spent several days sanding three layers of paint off these rounded drawers, I did not realize that there was a cheap molded plywood layer glued on the front of each drawer. The rain had softened the glue and the unwanted layer was rippling up.

After quickly peeling off this gunk, beautiful solid wood was revealed. The wood appears to have grooves but the lines are actually flat and the wood is smooth and perfect.

I only wish it had rained several days before I wasted days painstakingly sanding all the paint off!

Ahhhhh…. now everything is back to normal.  The sun is shining and my furniture is drying out ready to be painted soon.

The moral of this story? It may rain on your parade but it also might save you some sanding time.

Eat Ice Cream. Cotton Candy Ice Cream.

And that is what we did. Before dinner. On a Tuesday. And it was good.

You see…Sweet P and I are very close. She is experiencing separation anxiety at school. And she cries. And I cry. And it is awful.

And I think 3rd grade might just kill me.

I want her to feel better. We have never gone through this before and I would seriously homeschool if my husband would let me. But that is a different story on a different day.

We have set up goals and she has done so much better this week. So we went for ice cream and it was perfect. And this weekend we are having special time together…just her and I.

I am so thankful for her best friend and another friend who is a boy that are so unbelievably supportive to her. They wink at each other when her eyes get teary and tell the other kids she is suffering from ‘pollen’ aka allergies. What a blessing their sweet hearts are to our family.

And I pray for another little girl to stop calling her a baby. This is especially hurtful because she has known her for a long time. But we will pray…and move along. And be thankful this is making her stronger.

I now understand how my mother felt when I was hurting.

I would take it all away from my child in an instant if I could…and I would. Without thinking twice.

Being a parent changes your perspective on life, how you should be treated, and how you should treat others.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another.” Ephesians 4:32

They would be BFF’s.  Who knew Little Man could talk ‘doggie’?  Who knew Bella-boo-doodle-bug would listen to a 2 year old?  Who knew?

Little Man finally has someone he can boss around.

And you see Buzz Lightyear?  He has become my 3rd child…he goes everywhere with us.  And if we can’t find him, it is almost as bad as not finding blankie.

My days are a little hectic lately.  If you were to walk into my home, you might report me to that show “Hoarders”. Seriously.

But capturing moments like these make me forget about all the rest of the ‘stuff’ I have to do.  I don’t want my children to look back on their childhood and think ‘wow, we had a really clean house!’

I pray for them to remember coloring, reading, playing, dancing, singing….and teaching the dog how to spell.  And holding onto Buzz Lightyear for dear life and when we can’t find, mom turned the house upside down to find him.

Capture your moment today…and forget about all the rest of that ‘stuff’ because that is really all it is…just stuff.

Canon XS, 50mm, f1.8, 1/50, ISO 400

Love ya friends!

Now that I’m getting a small start in gardening, I ventured for the first time to the plant section at the Rose Bowl Flea Market.  I discovered these interesting plants…my favorite was this squishy cactus thing.  It looks like elephant feet – at least I think so!  And it felt like stale marshmallows.

I found these at the beginning of the market but didn’t buy any because it would have meant I’d have to carry them around all day shopping.  I like to shop but I can be lazy at it!  I wanted these little things and was kicking myself later for not picking some up.

I was playing around with a new camera lens for the first time also.  There was a lot of trial and error but I like how this picture turned out.

Inspired by Carrie who often shares her moments like this and unconventional photography methods like this.

I thought I would share as well.

Brunch with my husband captured with Hipstatmatic.  Hipstamatic is a photography application on the iPhone.  It is easy to use and simulates the look of using a vintage camera.  Just about anything you shoot with this application will look amazing.   As you can see here, ordinary glasses suddenly don’t look so ordinary.

This is only a picture of an inanimate object but you can see more examples with people and even some great scenery images here:

http://hipstamaticapp.com/

She is my baby. My eight year old baby.

She loves horses. She would ride her horse every day if we would let her…or if our wallets would allow it.

She learned how to ‘canter’ this week. To canter a horse is to gallop…fast.  Really, really fast.

It was completely terrifying for me to watch.

And the most exciting moment of her life…thus far.

Capturing this moment, right after the ‘big canter’, is magical. She was out of breath, giddy with adrenaline, and ready to do it again.

I love the sun setting behind the barn.  I love the dirt from Kaluha’s hooves.  I love the concentration on her face as she listens to her coach.  I love her more than words.

I don’t have a fancy camera. I don’t own fancy lenses.  I take pictures of things I love…my children, my friends, my home, my life.

Sometimes I get an amazing picture and most times, I don’t. But these are memories frozen in time and for that I am thankful.

Canon XS, 50mm, f1.8, ISO 200, 1/1300

Now it’s your turn to grab your camera and catch a memory.  I would for you to share!

Inspired by SouleMama, here is my moment:

New rain boots.  Perfect for rainy day shopping.

This photo was taken with my iPhone using the “ShakeItPhoto” app.

It is my new favorite application and the inspiration for a new photography project I will share soon!

Inspired by this blog, I am sharing my moment in time.

No words. A single photo.  To capture. To cherish. To love.

EDIT:  I do have words today. HA!  This is my Sweet P…nose in her book all week.  SInce when are 3rd graders given so much homework, tests, reading level requirements, and math fact drills?

She is exhausted.

I am exhausted.

I have completely failed 3rd grade.

And she needs a big bowl of ice cream and tickets to the Justin Bieber concert.

Canon XS, 50mm 1.8, ISO 250, 1/50

Before destroying our pool house with a paint collage, I enjoyed a great trip to the Silverlake Farmer’s Market.  It’s a small market with just enough of all the great things I adore: flowers, soaps, veggies, fresh fish, nuts and fruit.

I will admit I did not buy as many vegetables as I should have but it did give me a great opportunity to practice my photography.

Pics taken with Cannon EOS 5D, Cannon Lens EF 85mm, aperture value 2.8

Inspired by THIS BLOG who also inspired HER, I am sharing my moment in time.

No words. A single photo.  To capture. To cherish. To love.  

This is my life.