Wednesday, February 25, 2009

learning... working... living

Learning...

I have been working very hard to LEARN the technical aspects of photography. Sure, I can see something that would make a pretty picture and point my camera at it and shoot... but I want to understand the HOW and the WHY behind all the settings I can use, and I want to master them. I have read my users manual several times, and while it all makes sense while I am reading it somehow I was getting all screwed up when it came time to implement what it said, so I would switch back to Auto and let it be.

I have been reading dozens of photography blogs, looking through flickr to see what it is people are doing in their photo's. I want my photo's to look as good as possible right out of the camera, so that any editing I do will mostly be to enhance the photo, and not to fix what I didn't get right in the camera.

My husbands friend is a photographer, and he has started to teach me. Its amazing, for some reason, all the times I read everything about how to do this or that to achieve this or that in a photo it all just didn't make sense to me when it came time to apply it. And then, after one time working with him and him sitting with me showing me, it suddenly clicks in my brain. HOW did it not make sense before??? I have already gotten a little better, I hope I can continue to do so. In general my only subjects to practice on are my children, since I spend all day with them :) Here is one of the photo's I took of Kayden this week.

Kayden

Working...

I have been creating lots of new jewelry for my shop these last couple weeks. Most of it Twilight stuff, just because that seems to be what is selling the most. Which is fine with me, I have all the money I need for Squam now, and I am working on the money for my plane ticket now :) I will also likely have a vendor's spot at TwiCon this year selling the Twilight jewelry and my Twilight prints. That should be a fun weekend!

Another thing I am working on is getting into better shape. Now... this is not coming along very well LOL! I honestly think I have a thyroid problem and I will be setting an appointment with a Doctor soon to get it checked out. I hold no illusions that I will EVER be a size 4 again. But if someone cuts back their calories to roughly 12 to 15 hundred a day you might expect they would shed a few pounds... even just ONE! but I have actually gained weight. AMAZING! I have magical powers of expandability! so yeah... Trying to find the motivation to continue with this whole getting in shape thing that so obviously works for me *sarcasm*. I think I mentioned a while back that I stopped eating meat, and for the most part I am still going strong with this. I have had an occasional nibble of chicken, and I made chili last week (I ate around the meat, but it was still in there LOL). This has made it so i very rarely eat out. Fast food doesn't offer many non-meaty options. I have been eating a lot of Tofu and brown rice with veggies... Again... you would think at least a FEW pounds would have decided to go away and leave me along. Wouldn't you???

*sigh*

Living...

Life is good :) We are still here in Arizona, and it looks likely we will remain. At least for a while. Which makes me sad because I want to be with all my friends and family in Utah, but happy because I get to stay near all my friends and family here for a while. We are going to Utah for spring break though... maybe we will change our minds for the umpteenth time LOL! That was especially funny to anyone who has known us for the last oh... 3 years or so. EVERY time we have visited Utah we have come home making pronouncements of moving there within a few months time... we even sold a business once... and then ended up staying here. *sigh* I guess when the timing is right we will be there... right?

I am super happy that American Idol is back on! I LURVE this show... although the way they are getting to the top 12 this year is not my favorite. So far, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Adam Lambert ( I saw him perform in Wicked when I was in LA last year, and he was simply amazing. Like Uh.Maze.EENG!!!) And Danny Gokey, and the girl with the pink streaks in her hair... But mostly Adam, There is something about a guy who can REALLY sing... his range is ENORMOUS, and I admit that I dig his eyeliner, and nail polish... and did I mention his voice? YOWZA!

Observe his awesomeness as Fiyerro.





I *heart* boys who sing.


Overall though things are good. I hope things are well with everyone in blogland. Drop me a comment to let me know you are out there :) I have become so bad at blogging I feel out of touch with all my bloggie friends.

xoxoxo
Georgia

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

The Forks Fork... and other news :)

My shop was featured over the weekend in the blogs of a lovely lady whom I have been messaging back and forth with on Etsy.

Stop by and give her some bloggy love :)

HERE

and

HERE

Thank you Ana Cristina!

Also, I wanted to share something fun I created over the weekend and will be adding to my shop soon. I have made several of these with the word Forks, and several with the word Cullen on them... They are my Forks Forks ;)



I made this one from a silver seafood fork. Its real silver baby :) The rest of them that I will be listing are all stainless steel, I only had the one that was actual silver... I will have to be watching the ebay auctions to try and get more silver ones. Random fact: Real silver is expensive! The stainless ones are equally as cool as the silver one though.

In other news, I sent off my registration to Squam yesterday, I sent it Priority :) I am so excited for September to come so I can go! I am taking a song writing workshop from Jonatha Brooke, who as many of my friends know, is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE musicians. I have been a fan since I was about 15... that is a long time! I emailed her because I was nervous about taking it as I don't actually play any instruments, unless you count my voice, and she put me right at ease :) She is so cool. I am also taking 2 other writing workshops and a painting, mixed media type class. I just know that these classes (especially the writing ones) are exactly what I need this year. I have been talking about writing a book for about 10 years, I am excited to take these classes and hope they give me some tools I need to get started writing :)