The New Photographer in the Family

There could not be a prouder mama at this moment - my daughter Ava has shown a growing interest in what I do for a profession and asking more questions about cameras and photography.  She took the hipstamatic on my iPhone today and practiced snapping photos of things she found interesting (including moi!) and I am just so proud of her.  I especially loved her explaining her photos to me as we browsed through them.  I had to laugh at the variety of photos completely covered by her little finger or the one down on the far bottom left that she unknowingly took of herself but she's still in the beginning of the process and I am so excited to see if this passion continues to bloom! Here are some fun snapshots from today we'd like to share with you....

The "Aurora Dress"

Before our trip to Disney, I asked Ava which princess she would like a dress modeled after for her visit to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  I knew she'd want to feel like a princess but also that some of the dresses there are outrageously priced.  She chose Sleeping Beauty as her favorite Disney princess so I proceeded to make a dress for her modeled after Aurora, one that would be more casual for everyday wear but still special enough for a princess.  I used the Gem One Shoulder dress pattern from Brynnberlee Designs - and incorporated leftover material from the Far Far Away I collection by Heather Ross. I loved how the roses were symbolic of Aurora's alternate identity: Briar Rose and the sleeping moons on the pockets were symbolic of her other major role as Sleeping Beauty.  Ava, of course, loves her new dress (especially the pockets - she's a huge pocket person!) and had such a blast wearing it to her princess makeover and lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table! Disney pictures to come....!

Kale Chips

So, this is not so much a recipe as it is just a "prettying up" of an already super-for-you food that's also....um, a little hard to eat sometimes.  Especially for kids!  You can find this basic recipe all over the web so I'm just breaking it down for ya' with a few pretty pictures.

The first thing you want to do is buy kale.  Easy.  Except not.  Preferably, you'd want "dinosaur" kale becaues it has flatter leaves.  The only kind of kale my lame Walmart sold was the curly kind.  Oh well, I still used it. 

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. 

Thoroughly clean and dry your kale and begin to tear all the leaves off the stalk.  Don't include the stalk - it will bake up too tough.  Try to scatter and lay the leaves as flat as you can in one layer on your pans..

Now grab your olive oil and any type of seasoning you prefer!  Salt, pepper, paprika, Old Bay...I'm just sayin....any type would work and is always worth a try!  Just a word to the wise concerning Old Bay - don't go overboard....your chips will be WAY too salty!

Oh, and also...don't put baby feet in with your kale.  They're fun to kiss and tickle but not too eat - if that baby has been crawling or walking around, chances are - they're far too dirty!

Now I'm going to break it down for you (just pretend that I'm rapping)..

1. in the oven for 15 minutes
2. take out of oven, toss - with tongs, fingers, mitts - whatever you fancy
3. put back INTO the oven for another 15 minutes. 
4. please use a timer and don't try to guesstimate - if you're like me, you'll get lost and distracted by some other shiny doo-dad and forget all about your kale and then your children will cry...
5. turn the oven OFF and let the leaves continue drying and cool down IN the oven
6. viola and serve! kale chips. no, I did not say potato chips.  but just as yummy and good for you too! 

I served mine with grilled cheese sammies because my family can usually be bribed when cheese is involved.  However, they love snacking on these "leaf chips" now so no bribing is necessary anymore! Good luck with yours!

download and print recipe HERE

Our Little Kitty Cat

She growls when she's hungry or upset.  She weaves in and around our feet when she wants to be held.  She purrs when she's happy and her little rump gets to wiggling.  She'll claw your eye out if you're not careful and and makes the tiniest of snores while dreaming.  Yes, that's right. We have a kitty cat.  Her name is Lydia.  Little Lydia Lulu Ladybug.  Our happy one minute, scratching, meowing, clawing the next minute baby.  We love her to death and wouldn't trade her for the world. 

< Mommy, hold me >



Secret Obsessions

I have always been a "crafty" person - I grewup in a crafting house - we made almost everything from scratch....Christmas cards, clothes...bread!  Ok - making bread isn't a craft necessarily but it could definately be considered an artform!  There were always snippets of paper and thread, yarn and glue all over the kitchen table and sometimes our bedroom floors.  About three years ago, when I first became a SAHM (stay at home mom), I discovered digital scrapbooking.  It was the gateway, to put it lightly, into what soon became my obsession with digital design, Photoshop, and ultimately, getting "crafty" with my photography. Recently, with our upcoming family trip to Disney looming over us, I've discovered a quite addicting digiscrapping community called Mousescrappers.  Now, everyone has their secret, closet obsessions - some people read wikipedia too much, some people suck the creme out of an eclair and throw the rest away, some people have to trim their nose hairs on a daily basis - I digiscrap.  I hadn't done it in SO long but thought I should get back into it whenever I have a free moment, especially now that I've gotten much better at so many things - making my way around Photoshop being one of them.  So, without further ado, my latest page I did for mousescrappers:

This upcoming weekend, I'll be participating in a speed scrap challenge so I'll have a lot more to show off...hopefully! You can view my growing "Galleria" here.  If you ever have any questions about digital scrapbooking or Disney (because I've been doing a lot of personal vacation research lately, my brain's about to explode...) or why DOES your husband always forget to take out the trash in the mornings?? feel free to email me!  I don't have all the answers, especially to that last one, but I do love to chat!

'take a look, and you'll see, into your imagination...'

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I rarely get to do photoshoots with my son, Ethan, because....well, he's just constanty moving.  He also has a tendency to get a litte <clear throat here> impatient......or whiny....or whatever you want to call it.  He has far more important things to do than to be bossed around by me in itchy clothes and tempered weather and toss around fake smiles.  But this photoshoot he actually wanted to help with!  I remember saying "well, you know, if you don't wanna do it - I can just have Ava do it" (she loves helping with photoshoots!).  But he jumped right aboard - and it didn't have anything at all to do with the fact that he could chow down on some succulent candy afterward....right?!  This photoshoot is actually connected to a giveaway that is going on right over at the Plumb Photography blog from now through Valentines Day so head over and check it out! But first, wait to be amazed by this awesome sauce coming your way because Ethan not only had a blast doing this photoshoot and helping me come up with concepts - he totally rocked it just being his goofy ole' self!

This concept came from the idea of the "everlasting" bubblegum. I tried to get Ethan to hold his breathe 'til his face turned blue but he wouldn't do it.  I wonder why?

Remember in the original "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" they drank the laughing gas stuff and had to burp (and etc.) to float back down to the ground?  Yea, Ethan couldn't manage to float either but I think you get the idea....

This one was one of my favorites to edit and one of Ethan's favorites to shoot!  He loved that he got to be both the "tv guy" AND "willy wonka" in the same photo!  Plus, he completely killed those glasses - I don't doubt he'll be wearing them all summer long this year like they're something normal...

aaahhh - the chocolate bar.  What started it all........

If you enter the contest over at Plumb, you could win by receiving a "golden ticket" in the mail - at least you don't have to purchase 1,000 candy bars in order to get it!! 

This was a purely random capture - he was scootin' around on his skateboard and I called his name.  When he looked, I just clicked and it has become one of my favorites! I mean, he just makes Wonka seem so...cool

More skateboard shots.  Practice makes perfect!  I've never seen such an awesome sk8er (<---sorry, i couldn't help myself).  Also, I may be a tad bit biased.

Thanks for dropping by our world of flight, fancy and fantasy!  Hope you have a "sweet" day!