Monday, April 18, 2011

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...

Saturday, April 16, 2011

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.

Caped Rabbit 02

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!

Caped Rabbit 01

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?

Caped Rabbit 04

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

Bird

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

Bird's Eggs

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!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

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.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

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.

Beautiful skies Albuquerque to Dallas 3

Beautiful skies Albuquerque to Dallas 2

Beautiful skies Albuquerque to Dallas

Sunset on the road home from Albuquerque to Dallas

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.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

New Mexico :: Part 2 (Albuquerque)

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

From School to Lofts

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.


Cable Car Ride to 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.


View from Sandia Mountain 2

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


King of the Mountain 2

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).


Skiers on Sandia Mountain

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


View from atop Sandia Mountain


Smile!

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.

Dallas to Santa Fe

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.


Old Santa Fe Inn

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.


Park in Santa Fe

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.


Church in downtown Santa Fe

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.


Church in downtown Santa Fe

Apparently, neither had this guy!


Plaza in downtown Santa Fe

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.


Berries N Snow

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)!

Santa Fe to Albuquerque