Daily Ramblings - So neglectful!

I really do feel like I've been horribly neglectful of my blog readers recently.  2012 has proven to be positive in many ways, but it certainly hasn't given me an over-abundance of time.  It's times like these that I'm glad I decided not to set myself a ton of new year resolutions - I blinked and it's March, and I've done a lot but strangely feel like I've not accomplished enough!

A quick rundown of the highlights from last week.  I finally started posting some new jewelry items in my shop.  For example, I found these donut beads a while back and immediately knew I wanted to present them with cord.  I really like how they turned out, and each bead is so unique!  I also changed the backgrounds for my jewelry photography.  The plain white wasn't highlighting the pieces in the way I wanted to show them, so found a really cool pack of metallic scrapbooking papers to use instead.  I also got another order of beads and findings from Artbeads.com, which I hope to start working with soon.  I see stitch markers being available some time in the future.


I missed Foto Friday again, but I've still been keeping up with my photography project. Here's a couple of my personal favorites from last week.

From the brilliant (if not slightly deranged) mind of my co-worker, Randy. 
He makes amazing rock sculptures, which I just had to photograph and share!

A photo from a poetry book I had at my parents' house. 
I think the illustrations are beautiful and hope to pass this down to my own kids some day.

Then, this weekend, I did an engagement photo shoot for some friends of mine - Marcy & Kent. Marcy rides horses, so we decided to go with a horse themed shoot, and spent the afternoon at Sullivan Canyon - one of L.A.'s little secret spots with beautiful trails to walk and check out the houses of the rich and (potentially) famous.  Then it was off to Santa Monica to catch the last few minutes of sunlight before the sun set on the horizon. We were lucky to have such a beautiful SoCal day. If anything, there may have been a little TOO much sun on occasion, if that's even possible! You can check out the entire set of photos here.


I have so many things that I want to get started on, and I'll find the time at some point (I hope). How has your 2012 been so far? Don't forget to take time to breathe!

Daily Art - Foto Friday (Week 7)

Last full week of February already?  I'm almost thankful for the extra day this month, given how quickly the year seems to be moving along.  I have been diligently carrying my gigantic purse around, with gigantic camera in tow.  I hope I'm not giving myself back-ache, although I guess that could be a useful way to get a massage out of husband.  This week I was happy to have gotten out and about a little more with my photos as a result though - even if I started a trend last weekend which involved snapping pictures while sitting in the car (although at least the car was stopped).  I also got a chance to check out the wide-angle lens that I've been coveting (thanks to my friend Holly).  Now I'm really trying to justify a $479 lens purchase.  Photography - a habit that is more expensive than buying yarn.

Daily Ramblings - Weekend recap

Can't believe I missed Foto Friday!  I was running between my house (waiting for our new fridge) and my in-laws' house where we were depositing the contents of our freezer overnight.

Here's my favorite shot from last week.  Husband's grandmother has been giving me her vintage buttons and this crest just has to be my favorite!


  

Speaking of the new fridge though, check out our new toy!  We didn't have a fancy side-by-side before, and this fits into the space with a quarter inch to spare on either side.  I'm thrilled that we now have an ice/water dispense, that the freezer isn't leaking into the fridge space, that we now have room to put all our frozen foods without having to stack them on top of each other so we can't find anything...

I'm also very glad that I had to take everything out of the old fridge and inspect some of the things that were in there - like the very expired bottle of BBQ sauce, or some other things that could now pass as pickled (despite that not being the original intent).  Note to self...be better about finding things that may be lurking in the fridge!

Of course, in the never ending pit of home ownership, we will at some point want to switch out the (currently white) stove and dishwasher to match.  One thing at a time though.

The other highlight from the weekend was checking out a Pho restaurant that husband and I found up the street from his grandparents' new apartment.  It's called Pho-King Delicious - seriously, how could we NOT eat there?!  The Pho itself wasn't as good as the place near our house, but the egg rolls were pretty pho-king good.  I would go back there for the great name and the egg rolls alone.  

In the meantime, still trying to get over this damn cold/cough thing.  It's keeping me pretty exhausted really.  Hoping you're all able to stay healthy!

Daily Art - Foto Friday (Week 4)

February already.  It's already starting to stay light for longer in the evenings, which I actually enjoy because it's not quite so dark when I leave work.  California is suffering beautiful weather as usual.  My husband's team (Go Giants!) are in the Superbowl.  2012 is off to a great start. 

This week is a truly random assortment of things.  The first couple of pictures here were snapped on my phone (seeing as my best intentions to pull out the DSLR went horribly wrong), I actually took a picture in the parking lot at the grocery store (which is still pretty funny to me), then had some fun with random household items (really enjoyed the straws!)  I hope you enjoy...and always down for a critique.

Daily Art - Foto Friday (Week 3)

Three weeks in and I'm hitting my stride.  I'm constantly scanning my surroundings for photo ideas and even have a little list going on my phone.  I'm encouraged that I'm trying some new things and finding inspiration in new places.  I was half anticipating that it be a chore to remember to take a photo every day but I'm actually enjoying taking the time each day to find something to capture.  My week has a bit of an Asian theme, inspired by Chinese New Year.  Enjoy!

Daily Art - Foto Friday (Week 2)

Another week gone already?! This month seems to be flying by - although not sure if that's just because I've been super busy and done a lot of running around. Regardless, I'm back with Foto Friday to document my progress with the 365 Photography Project.  I feel like I'm getting into my groove with this, and really trying out some new things - both on camera and with a little bit of Photoshop magic.

Hoping you all have a fun weekend planned!

Daily Art - Foto Friday

So that you can all see what I've been up to with my Project 365 photography adventure, I'm going to try and start doing "my week in photos" each Friday.  That will be a picture from every day each week...I hope you enjoy it and would love to hear which are you favorites!