My Mom

My mother passed away on June 19th.  It was a very sudden and unexpected loss that has completely devastated my family.  Most days, we are all still so shocked that I don't think it really sinks in.  On other days, I hold tight to my pictures and memories of her.

I've always been this idiot that wandered around taking pictures of things that looked interesting, buildings, textures, colors, sculptures, etc.  I remember people always saying "[Someone] go stand over there next to that" so that I would have a person in the picture too, and I thought... why?  Pictures with people are pictures with people... but this thing right here... it's unusual!

I have been a fool.
Give me an old, poorly shot picture of my mom and I will give you my hard-drive full of thousands of pictures that all seem like trash now.

These are the last pictures I have, from a trip in May to her favorite fishing town - Rockport.

I miss you, Mom.

Two Small Dogs and One Small Chair

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for furniture that is two sizes too small. When I was a kid, I wanted an entire set of furniture that was just my size. And now, I want a entire set of furniture that is one fourth my size.

Today, we saw this lovely little chair and my imagination took off...

Usually taniaWorld™ is pretty far from reality, but this idea seemed doable.  Once the thought had crossed my mind, I just couldn't leave without the chair, now could I?  Big thanks to Debbie for helping my tiny chair dreams come true.

Mosley and Lola were happy to test out the chair for us.  Mosley can be seen surveying the yard above.

Queen Lola commanded cuddles and delicious food for all the kingdom.  But this peace would not last long...

Only one can rule in the game of thrones... (the rest of the shoot is on Flickr.)

From a photography stand point, I think the focus ended up being a bit soft on these pictures.  But, I like them so much, I did my best in post and hoped they would be good enough to share.

I also probably ought to mention that the chair featured here is not even a kid's chair--the owner of the furniture store informed us that it is an African Birthing Stool.  If you know me, you can probably imagine the look on my face and the internal "ewwwwwwww!" I had to suffer through to still love this chair.

Hydrangeas

I've been wandering through some old pictures as I try to take my photo organization and tagging to the next level.  The whole experience has solidified one of the many reasons I love pictures!  There are so many events/moments that have escaped my shoddy memory--it is beautiful to be able to re-discover those moments as if I am living them all over again.

Anyways, I stumbled upon some pictures from last year's Valentine's Day, and this just felt spring appropriate.

We had hydrangeas at our wedding and they have held a special place in my heart ever since.

Last year, we planted several hydrangea bushes in the backyard, and it has been very exciting to watch them come back to life this spring.  A few weeks ago, I started to see the slightest hint of pink blooms.

Did you know that the color of the bloom depends on the soil?  That's one of the most interesting aspects of these flowers, the blooms can vary from pink to blue throughout our garden and even on the same bush.  They were purple/blue last year, but they came back bright pink this year.  They can be any color they want, I'm just excited that something survived the horror that is my gardening.

Snake-A-Palooza

Recently, the hubby and I went to the local park.  It is a gorgeous park that seems to go on forever, hosting several different types of wildlife, fabulous bike trails, and an altogether wonderful atmosphere.  I grabbed my camera, hoping to get some cute wildlife shots.  Instead, what followed was an intense evening of snake spottings and crazy occurrences. 

Perched atop a bridge over the beaver dam, we looked for signs of our dear friend Justin Beaver (pics coming soon).  Joining us was a large group of children, also hoping to spot something amazing.  I asked them if they had spotted anything, and they responded "Nothing but snakes."  Oh, I thought.  Silly kids.  "No, really." One of them says, pointing right beneath us.

"Oh. That IS a snake."

"Nope.  It's four."

Blink.  Why, yes it is.  How incredibly... strange.

The children wander off looking for more cuddly discoveries, but we stay perched atop the bridge... waiting.  Suddenly, there is a scream and some pointing.  I'm thinking that a beaver has surfaced, and I'm happy the kids found what they were looking for.  But, one of them starts running towards us.

For The Hugs

Did you know that 1 out of 10 monsters go their entire life without a hug? It's true.  All these malicious rumors that have been spread accusing monsters of only inflicting pain or cultivating fear have drastically decreased the number of Monster Hugs received daily.  Won't you please help these poor monsters?   

Look at this little guy.  He's just a baby, looking for a loving home to give him hugs.  For just 1 hug a day, you could help change the life of a little monster just like him.  Please dial the number on the screen now, and do your part to end this horrible Hug Drought.  Call now.  Monsters are standing by.

Monster provided by the talented Deanna Molinaro.  Thanks Deanna, I love my birthday Monster! :)

Mysterious Bug Meeting

"No, I'm AT the corner... where are you?"

Search for a Camera Bag : Part III - The Final Report

Part III of III

I have finally reached the end of my quest for a Camera Bag. In Part I, I discussed the "ideal" camera bag and started my search by comparing some of the popular retail options available.  Moving on to Part II, I added several excellent Camera Bag options available from the handmade realm.  I also provided a comparison sheet for all the bags we had discussed and revealed my choice of the Porteen Gear Camera Bag.

Yesterday my bag arrived, only 2 days after I had ordered it.  Now, that's impressively quick shipping from MI to TX.  I'd also like to take a moment to say that Robyn of Porteen Gear has been nothing but exceptionally attentive and responsive throughout the entire research and purchasing process.  And no, she did not know I was going to review her bag... so it wasn't special treatment.

Packaging

The bag was excellently packed and covered in plastic to protect it from any weather elements on its trip.  Inside the plastic wrapping, the bag was carefully wrapped in complimentary tissue paper, tied with a ribbon, and closed with a Porteen logo sticker.  These lovely touches made it feel like I was receiving a gift for myself in the mail, and that's just a nice way to make your customers feel!  The inside of the bag was thoroughly packed with bubble wrap as well, so it presented perfectly straight out of the box.

First Impressions
I have to say, the colors of this bag are exactly as they were pictured in the online store.  I guess that is one of the many advantages of purchasing from a photographer!  All was as I expected it to be.  Robyn has a great eye for color, allowing her to combine multiple fabrics that compliment each other and work together to create one truly cohesive look.

An Apron fit for a Crafter

I received my custom made Crafter's Apron from Laura of childsPLAYdesigns this week, and I love it!  Laura was wonderfully patient with me as I picked out the perfect fabric to compliment The Curious Cake Shoppe, and she allowed me to design the layout of the pockets as they would work best for me.  Allow this apron has been extremely helpful in all my crafting endeavors this week, I mainly ordered it to serve as an extra set of hands at my craft shows.

The bottom pocket is the perfect size to hold my money pouch, and I also have pockets for my cell phone, business cards, pen, price tags, and lots of miscellanea. I love it so much, I even got in front of the camera again.  I don't think this is going to turn into a habit, but who knows!

Too bad I can't fold up my camera and put it in one of those pockets...

Search for a Camera Bag : Part II - Handmade

Part II of III -- (click here for Part I: Retail)

As you may start to realize, the search for the perfect camera bag took the better part of a week. Looking for a good handmade bag took almost 2 days in and of itself.  I would like to mention that although many of the bags in Part I are cheaper than the bags featured in Part II, that is an intentional move. MANY of the camera bags I looked at were $125+, but I wasn't willing to pay that much for a retail bag. So, when I saw the price starting to climb, I came back over to the Handmade Universe and did some research.

Search for a Camera Bag : Part I - Retail

Part I of III
I was recently the lucky recipient of an amazing new Canon EOS 60D. I'm thrilled, but cautious. It doesn't quite fit in my old camera bag, so I'm hesitant about taking it out into the world. I can't wait to get out there and start shooting, but I want to take my gear with me and not worry about something breaking. Luckily, I was able to get an additional discount on the camera he bought, which cleared up some cash for a camera bag. And the hunt began...

The Caped Rabbit

About three years ago, I ventured to the Cottonwood Arts Festival and fell in love with two sculpture artists: Sumati and Michael Colpitts. Amongst their many creations, they make these gorgeous Caped Rabbits. The detail is amazing, and each piece is made by hand--you'll find no molds or casts here. Unfortunately, I was not able to take any of their work home that day. But, I have been visiting their shows ever since that first day, waiting patiently until I found a piece as perfect as the one that stole my heart that first day. Today, we found him.

We promptly took him to a nearby park and had a little photo-shoot. We found the above tree/trunk in the middle of a walking trail, it was perfect!

Since we live in Texas, we had to stop by a bluebonnet field and grab a couple of shoots there too. What, you didn't know that bluebonnet pictures are a mandatory requirement of Texas residents?

On the way out, we ran into this lovely protective bird.

We tried to stay out of her way, but accidentally stumbled upon the nest anyways.

No worries, we didn't disturb the eggs in any way. I am curious to know what kind of bird this was, though. Does anyone know? You can't see it here, but her eyes matched that orange on her wings perfectly. Just beautiful!

A New Toy

My birthday is in May. As you can imagine, it's quite the surprise to receive a birthday gift almost a month early. Even more so, to open the box and find something as spectacular as this.



Yep, my husband surprised me with a Canon EOS 60D. He had this grand plan for the reveal. I was setup at a Craft Show and he was going to show up taking pictures of my booth with MY camera! How thoughtful is that? My reaction recorded on my own gift. Too bad the wind was so terrible that he had to show up early and help me literally hold my canopy and products down. No matter, the whole plan has me gushing as you can see. The truth is, it was a very sweet thought and that really IS all that matters. Besides, a new camera doesn't need a big reveal to be breath-taking. I couldn't be happier.



Mosley and Lola were absolutely speechless. I can't wait to see what this baby can do when I actually KNOW how to use it.

New Mexico :: Part 3 (To Dallas)

We decided to drive back in one day. This may have not been the greatest idea, but when you hit the end of a trip you are just ready to be home again. The drive was long and exhausting, but the view was spectacular.









I think there are very few sights that beat a gorgeous sky. There is nothing more inspiring than looking up to an ever-expansive masterpiece.

New Mexico :: Part 2 (Albuquerque)

About halfway through our trip to New Mexico, we headed over to Albuquerque to visit with an old friend.



He lives in an old school that has been converted into lofts. It is really a gorgeous complex.

One of sites he took us to was Sandia Mountain.




We took the cable car up to the top of the mountain. I wasn't sure what that experience would be like, but it was quite enjoyable. Lots of fun pictures and a gorgeous view to absorb.




The view from atop Sandia Mountain was breath-taking no matter where you were.




Of course, the view is best from the very top of the mountain. It's a great place to look off into the distance and think about very important things (like where the bar is and so on and so forth).




There were more people skiing than I had expected. I like to keep my bones unbroken, so I kept myself entertained by the scenery.







It was, of course quite cold. I was very happy that this was one of the few times that we found ourselves properly dressed for the weather.

Just like Santa Fe, we ate a lot of really amazing food here as well. If you're interested, you are welcome to check out my Yelp reviews (and filter by location) here.

Stay tuned for New Mexico :: Part 3 (To Dallas). Sounds like it should have been pretty boring, but it was actually a gorgeous drive and a stunning sunset.

New Mexico :: Part 1 (Santa Fe)

It will come as no surprise to you that I am behind on posting pictures again. Its so easy to take them, and so difficult to find time to get them out in the world sometimes. So, I'm going to take a break from my Multiple Series to re-visit our December/January trip to New Mexico.



This was the longest road-trip that we have taken since I was very young, so it was certainly a new experience for me! We did decide to take it easy and stop over in Amarillo though, so the drive was beautiful and very pleasant.




We stayed at The Old Santa Fe Inn which is right in downtown Santa Fe. The hotel was an older, recently-renovated building. I'm not sure how many rooms are there, but it felt like a very cozy, comfortable, mom & pop operation. There was a kiva fireplace in our room that I mainly thought was just, you know, cute. Cut to three days later when it's below zero and our heater can't keep up. Thank you, dear fireplace, for keeping me from freezing.




Despite the feet of snow and freezing weather, we walked pretty much everywhere. The snow was gorgeous, especially for a Texas girl. You can barely tell, but Richard is standing in front of that fountain. That's right, we weren't just walking from place to place... we were frolicking.




This snow was not lightly dusting the area. It was coming down in buckets. I'm not sure I've ever experienced snow like that in my life.




Apparently, neither had this guy!




I was happy to see people enjoying the snow as much as we were. I saw one 6 yr old that had built a snowman as big as her torso and was carrying it around the plaza. These girls cracked me up. Their snowman is not only prepared but chic.




I don't know what these are, but they looked amazing covered in all the bright white snow.

In between our snow adventures, we ate a lot of really amazing food. If you're interested, you are welcome to check out my Yelp reviews (and filter by location) here.


Time to hit the road again... stay tuned for New Mexico :: Part 2 (Albuquerque)!

Multiples Part I

I've always been a fan of close-ups, which you can probably tell by looking at my pictures. But, getting up close and personal with multiplies creates some of my favorite photos. Well that's my favorite type of shoot. There is something inherently beautiful about a million similar objects that come together as a group, but manage to keep an essence of individuality. Each piece catches the light in it's own special way, each piece has a personality as a piece, and as a whole collection.

So, I thought I might do a series of posts about multiples, and you are reading the first of many!



I am especially fond of this picture, as it captures the characters created for my small business: The Curious Cake Shoppe. I was so excited to see each and every one of the buttons when they arrived, but when they spilled out of the box--I fell in love with the whole mess. A great example of loving both the individuals and the entity they combine to reveal.

Doves

Do you ever stumble upon a picture and think: "Did I take that?" Since I have a fairly short term memory, this tends to happen a lot. This was one I ran into tonight.



I really love this picture. It was right before my husband and I closed on our first house. Two doves had built a nest on our apartment balcony and we had the pleasure of watching their two goofy kids grow up. This was their mom, who was rarely far from the balcony. I think her blue eye shadow is particularly gorgeous.