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Encouraging Words

Everyone should hear them. I do not think that a person can hear, “I’m proud of you,” “I believe that you are capable of this,” or “this is difficult, but I believe you can do it” to much. Sadly, most people don’t hear them enough.

Recently some people rained on my parade. They didn’t mean to. They truthfully didn’t even know that they were doing it. But in my mind, I was losing confidence. My brainchild that has not been born was unknowingly being criticized and I was beginning to think, “Maybe I had a bad idea and I shouldn’t try this.” “Why would anyone want to be a part of this.” “I’m not that creative, this is not that big of a deal. I should give it a break.” Backing out is easy to do. The bad (and sad) thing about backing out is that you are left with the thought of, “I wonder what would have happened if I HAD…(insert your dream here.)”

I left the critizing situation a little while after those words were said and I went about my day. Well into that evening I was still questioning whether or not I needed to scrap my idea and go back to the path I was on before. I spent time with a friend who was a little more encouraging and then went home. I crawled into bed with my journal and my bible, ready to continue processing how much time I should put into my new adventure.

As I opened my journal a card fell out. It had been a while since I had written and I had forgotten about the card I had received the first week in September from a friend. This is what I saw when I opened it:

Encouraging words. ENCOURAGING WORDS!!!!!!!!! Yaaaaay!!!!! I do not believe anything is without purpose. When I looked at the post mark date, the card was sent the day before I dreamed this new dream and I received it the day after. While I don’t really believe in signs, I do believe that God knew I was going to need those words on the day that I read them. He knew that I would need a reminder that He is our hope. He knew I would need a reminder that my friends love me and will support me, even if things don’t go the way I plan them in my head.

I have pressed on with my fun new project, slow but sure. I am excited that it is making a little progress. I have embraced that it may fail. But the fact of the matter is it may NOT FAIL. Regardless of where and how God chooses to use it, I will never wonder what would have happened because I will try. – the end 🙂

Fun fact: Picture Packaging

When I posted the other day about templates I stated that I didn’t know how to make two pictures sit next to each other. Later that night I was playing in Photoshop (again) and was attempting to learn how to make a slideshow. Instead I figured out how to make the pictures sit next to each other without using a template. Photoshop users see below:

First: File – Automate- Picture Package—- The name makes me laugh every time I open it.

Next:

• Under the file option in the box that opens select choose and pick your picture.
• It will put the picture you selected in both boxes at first.
• Click on whatever box you what a different picture in and it will take you back to your file selection.
• Choose another picture and it will put it in the selected box.
• You can also add boxes by choosing the edit layout and then adding a zone.

The two pictures above are actually one image… a picture package. WA-LA!!!

Sarah vs. Iron on a Stick

The iron won in a serious way…

Here I was all excited about using this fun new tool for my “AHHH MAAAZING” crafting and well… let’s just say the fun was delayed a bit.

The craft iron is used to iron down really small pieces of fabric that you can’t reach with a regular sized iron. I like to call it, “iron on a stick.” But here’s the thing: the iron on a stick is hotter than where Satan himself lives. I’m mean the warning is clearly labeled for people like me, who think to much of themselves and aren’t paying attention. The funny thing is I can’t even tell you what happened. That’s how bad it hurt. I don’t know if I reached through plastic guard or if I wasn’t paying attention when I tried to pick it up. Oh I forgot to mention that? Yes, it even has a guard around the heating element and I still burned myself! I just remember throwing it and I know that my first three finger are toasted and blistered.

For those of you who are really concerned, I did not burn off my finger prints. There was a brief moment when I wondered if I was going to look down and have to decide if an ER trip was needed. Thankfully my fingers are still on my hand and are regaining feeling. I gave up on life for the rest of the night and went to bed holding ice. No crafting for me.

“I’m  Sarah the queen of creative coolness and I don’t need to pay attention where I put my hands on the ironing board.”

As if burning my left hand is not enough, I’m also sporting a cut on my right hand from gettin’ all sassy with a box of freezer paper the night before.

Crafting- art only for the brave.

Rylan’s Fall Photo Shoot

My nephew is awesome. So is the land behind my neighbor’s house. Ashley and Brock brought Brody out for a few pictures and that was awesome as well. Have I over-used the word AWESOME yet?

I learned several things during this fun little practice session: 1. It is easier to shoot when its cloudy and not sunny. People are far less “squinty.” 2. I am not so great at posing people right now. Babies are fairly easy if you are patient. Eventually they look cute… or in our case on Saturday they keep screaming and you stop taking pictures. But babies don’t have those awkward moments where you aren’t sure what to tell them to do, because they can’t do anything anyway. 3. Right after I read about how careful you should be when cleaning your sensor the other day, I thought” I’m so glad I haven’t had to do that yet.” Then, while shooting a baby in a basket IN A FIELD OF GRASS AND LEAVES, I had something on my camera sensor. Thankfully I was able to blow it of gently and there are no more spots in the middle of my pictures… but now I’m scouring the web trying to figure out if I’m capable of cleaning this thing when I need to… or if I need to pay a professional to clean it someday. Alas, this is also not high up on the list of things I can pay for right now.

Here are a few pictures from our play date on Saturday that I have attempted to edit. You may see some repeat pictures that have been edited different, I’m still practicing. I learned how to remove acne. Incase you were wondering, that fact makes me WAY cooler than I was before. Now if I could learn how to do that on real people and not their pictures… I would be a millionaire and I would be living in Costa Rica until next summer when the weather warms back up. Please enjoy the pictures and have a great weekend! Happy Friday.

Sharing the Template Love

This post is dedicated to Brooke. Why? Because I love that someone stalks me every now and then and leaves comments!!!!

One thing I have always wondered how to do is make pictures sit next to each other in my posts. Mostly I see professional wedding photographers doing it with two pictures that are side by side. I love it.

So one day while I was stalking Ashley Ann’s blog, she mentioned something about using templates. They are super easy to use if you have editing software to open them in and you can google around for some free ones. I found a few free versions on scrapbookingetc.com. Click on the link and then look at the options on the left side. There is a tab for collage templates… click it 🙂 Scroll down and looks for free downloads. You will have to sign up for there newsletter at some point. They actually haven’t been bad about sending random things if you are worried about that. After you do that you can download as many as you want. They look like this:

After you download the free template, go to the “how to” section for instructions on how to use it in whatever software you are using. I know there is a way to do this in photoshop without a template but I haven’t figured out how to do that yet and I like that this was somewhat easy to learn. Just practice a few times. Sizing was a little difficult for me at first but just practice a few times with the instructions close by and you’ll get it! Enjoy and happy collaging!

A Word from the Nocturnal

I feel like this at night.

I have trouble sleeping. Frequently. It has been an issue for quite awhile and to tell you the truth it gets kind of annoying. It is as if my eyes are tired but my brain won’t shut off. I’m not worrying. Stressed… maybe a little but that isn’t really why either. I just THINK. All the time. I’m a dreamer, though clearly not a night time participant. I actually wish that my mind had a menu button like my computer, “ Restart, SLEEP, Cancel, Shut Down.” Not only would that be convenient, I’m pretty sure I would utilize all of those options.

Since I don’t have a “sleep” or “shut down” option at bedtime, I try to put my midnight hours to good use. This week my nocturnal habit has produced a bit of productivity. I have made friends with Photoshop. We have spent a lot of hours together this week and we are slowly but surely becoming more acquainted with each other. This week I have learned:

How to collage. Yes I know. We’ve seen them already. 🙂 There will be MORE.

I have learned how to round corners thanks to a post from Ashley Ann Photography.

I have played with filters. Yay for texture.

And you know those photos with creepy blue kid eyes? Yep. I’m there. Why? Because at 2am even I am fascinated with the blue creepy eyes!

Original:

After a little magic (plus a few other experiments):

So, I’m glad to see a little progress, even if it is slow and basic. I’m also excited that my sister and bro-in-law are bringing my nephew out for a family photo session this afternoon. I’m pumped to have people willing to let me practice on them! Plus my nephew is cuter than yours. 🙂

Beth Ann and Jeff

They are both fun as individual people and they are both fun… together. I traveled to Gainesville, Georgia for their wedding on October 9, 2010. Enlisted to help with hair and makeup detail, I packed my gear and headed for warmer weather (also because of “fixing hair” I just realized I do not have one picture with the bride or OF HER in her dress! Sad.) The weekend could not have been more perfect for them. The bride and groom were both so laid back and excited to see all of the people who arrived to celebrate the start of their lives together.

Enjoy the few pictures I did take. Aren’t you so happy that I learned how to make a collage? If you guessed that you are going to see a lot of them, you’re right. It’s my new fun thing for the week. I want to collage EVERYTHING right now. I’ll try not to over-use them but I’m def not promising anything.

Assignment: still life

I’m sitting at a coffee shop with a friend right now. We were just asked if we would like to be interviewed for local news coverage on “mid-term elections” and “don’t ask don’t tell.” The reporter actually made a face at me when I said I didn’t want to be on camera. I mean really? He made a face at me? He for real made a face at Amanda when she corrected his knowledge about a supreme court decision. I volunteered the guy behind me who clearly had plenty of opinions to share. Hilarious.

It’s also nice to run into a few friendly faces while hovering around in public for the day. Lang, a guy I knew from college and haven’t seen in years maybe, walked in for some coffee before an engagement shoot. Check out his work when you have a chance at Lang Thomas Photography. I openly stalk his blog and I’m just saying now Lang, if I were getting married tomorrow you would be shooting my wedding.

Now, on to my next assignment. Still Life. In this section I had a chance to learn about exposure and metering. I’m still working on metering a little. A special thanks to the ladies that are posing in the pictures. I promise I don’t have a shoe addiction. Ok well, I don’t have one right now because I can’t afford it… but I guess the pictures give my past away. I love them.

I also learned how to make a collage in Photoshop yesterday. When I need to be humbled I use Photoshop. When my ego is inflated… I use Photoshop. Photoshop literally makes me want to cry… but I keep trying. The collage is something I’ve seen on photographer’s websites and envied for years now. It isn’t completely the way I want it to look but for my first attempt and using a template I feel pretty good about it. Holla!

Life by the Books

Sometimes I have to laugh at myself. I was cleaning last night and had to pick up books from all corners of my room. I stacked them on the bed so I could vacuum and when I turned around, this is what I saw.

If a stranger asked me for a list of what I was reading at any given moment, they would quickly be able to tell what my current season of life looks like. So here’s a peak at what I’m reading:

1. “The Word,” “The Greatest Love Story Ever Told,” “Holy Bible, the Pocket Version.” I mean there isn’t a lot of explaining to do here. I am about ready to love me some passages from Isaiah.
2. Spanish Complete Course– I’m obsessed with Spanish culture. Please don’t ask me where it came from because I have no idea myself. I have wanted to learn Spanish for years and never gave it effort when I had the chance. According to my list of things to accomplish in life, I have started to learn…again. (I cheated on every Spanish test in high school! Ahhh! There, I confessed! I feel so much better now that you know the truth…)
3. Crazy Love by Francis Chan. This book, my friends, is a reality check. It is a reminder that we are loved by a relentless God and that we deserve nothing. Yet He gives us grace and shows us compassion every single day. Are we doing the same for others? Are we showing others the love of God as the Bible tells us too? Or are we blurring the words to make ourselves comfortable? Ouch.
4. Linchpin by Seth Godin. This book makes my brain make a little more sense to me. A ball started rolling in book number three. Am I really giving back when I have been given so much? Book four is showing me how to do that from a business standpoint. It is helping me address my fear of failure. It is also validating why I felt like my own shirt was choking me when I was working in a cubicle for a white-collar factory. It is allowing me to own the fact that I am creative and that my creativity needs to be used to help others. It is encouraging me to make a move, even if that attempt fails. Because if it fails, I can say that I went down trying. You’ll hear this one come up again.
5. Digital Photography Masterclass by Tom Ang. This book is like giving candy to a child. I use it as a self-motivator for the book sitting under it. I get to read a chapter and complete an assignment in this book when I have studied what is currently a priority. It is why you see the occasional “Assignment” post. The next one is coming soon. I know you can’t wait to see me learn about exposure. I do want some credit because I am now shooting on manual setting. Now more autofocus for this little lady. Infact, all of the pictures from the previous post slideshow are on manual. Yay!
6. The GRE test for Dummies– I’m just going to take this time to be real. I hate this book. Every time I have to open it I want to throw it across the room and then take it outside and set it on fire. Am I being dramatic? I don’t think so. It is test that has nothing to do with ANYTHING that you study in graduate school. When the first paragraph of the entire books says, “ the GRE has no connection to the real world” you know you are about to read something stupid. November 5, 2010 is D-day. Bring it on.

7. Old spiral notebook of graph paper. This happy little notebook is holding the notes, sketches, lists, and thoughts on the fun new ideas that have been brewing while reading books, one, three, four, and five. I have started putting it in my study bag even if I know I’m not going to open it. It makes me smile when I flip through. I mean how often do you get to use graph paper for something fun? Almost never. But I am.

The other part of the life in the picture that I’m not reading is the quilt under all of the books. When I posted about it last time it was in a billion pieces. Now it’s finished and I want you to see the final result. When I brought it home I untied it and laid on it for a long time. It was the best I could do for bonding with a nonliving object. It makes me smile every time I walk in to my room. And I’ve already mapped out the next one. As for the powder blue room… you have to admit that it looks better than it did in the before pictures.

I hope you like my map taped to the wall and my chair with horrible material. In my current unemployed state framing and recovering are not high on my list of things that need to be paid for. Some day though. Happy Monday.

Begin Work Zone

It was late. The kind of late that you don’t really want to see. The wee hours when you lay in bed praying that you will see the back of your eyelids because sleep is all you want. I rolled right, left, and I swear at one point I was upside down. It wasn’t happening, so I turned on the light and propped myself up, at three in the morning. I read a chapter in a novel. I played 37 rounds of “Angry Birds” on my iPhone. At one point I started reading my camera manual, hoping it would be so boring that I would sleep sitting up. Not so lucky, I gave up and got out a notebook and pen.

Earlier in the evening a brainchild was born. I was brainstorming a crafty gift idea and something amazing happened. The possibility that I had come up with a way to combine my building creativity with possible income, and above all else, a way to help other people had ignited a fire that was growing. It was because of this blaze that I could not sleep.

I know I’m horrible because I’m about to be a tease. I can’t tell you what my super fun idea is. Even though I can’t reveal my fun new project just yet, I am pleased to say that it is under construction and in motion. I am headed into a work zone. 🙂 What I can show you are pictures of a beautiful Kentucky fall day. I shot some pictures for Rainhill Equine Facility on this fine Saturday morning while they were adding on to the barn. Enjoy.

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