my fantasy

i have this fantasy of going to starbucks or peets coffee something like that. sitting with my cafe' mocha in hand while writing a lovely blog post with the other. listening to arcade fire in the background. all. by. myself. then going thrifting for an hour or two finding some fun pieces for my living room and something for the creative arcade and maybe a retro black & white polka dot dress... all. by. myself. then meeting a bestie for lunch at sally loo's, chatting it up, laughing, and going for a walk together in the gorgeous sunshine. hugs, goodbye, then off to take photos all around downtown, vintage shops, crowds crossing the streets, bubblegum ally, manequins in the window, fur lined lampshades, and hosery... all. by. myself.

this is a fantasy, that one day i plan to live out. maybe when the baby is in preschool and all my chores are done, the bedroom trim is caulked and painted and i decide to fly by the seat of my pants :)

Photography Friday: {playing with picnik}

choose a photo in picasa 3

click edit, then edit in picnik

 for this app you can download picasa 3 PC or mac free from google

click effects

start playing!

boost:

soften:

infrared film, neat-o!

holga-ish, pretty cool.
remember you can combine more than one choice for some cool effects!

1960's:

cross process:

posterize, i like this one it reminds me of pop-art :) fun!

there are also lots of frames like polaroid!

all these are free, however there are also features you can pay for like this reflection one:

i went with 1960's - it reminded me of my childhood looking at old family photos.
which is your favorite?

have a terrific weekend dear readers!!

hugs to you all!

xoxo,

Find me over at Allora Handmade

come visit me today over on Allora handmade
for an inspiring guest post :)

xoxo,

what i love wednesday linky party {No. 5}!!

here's what i love this week:

1. tiny pouches from the pleated poppy

sew fun!

2. new custom stationery i am working on for a sweet client ;)

3. Brockman, aka Mr. Boy and Francesca chasing the ducks on a sunny day.

4. these sweet mugs in No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane's shop.
*love* her!

5. lovely lemons. our teeny tree is quite the producer.
these lemons taste like candy! i kid you not!

now it's your turn! link up what you love :)

have a lovely day!

<a href="http://www.lollipopscards.com/search/label/what%20i%20love%20wednesdays" target="_blank"><img alt="lollipops" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9_XYUUYAXJiCLm3sQ3sWjgxnbKNG_nG4PYhheWlO07gp_NuIk-C6RL0OeY1driw_ZKR-9-LxCXLL2dFs7Acljw0DV_7eYiNAYm7k-98TqEjxh3lLswrOG-f60VLP4omnfP1AEhydyyRs/s150/DSC_0305_2-1.JPG" /><br /> </a>

Tuesday Tutorial {just because}

no successful woman ever made it to the top by cleaning her house.

life can get really busy. work, laundry, social networking. we spend a lot of time with our kids homeschooling or with homework, teaching, bringing up and disciplining. with all this time with them i forget that none of it counts as "quality time" "emotional deposits" "relationship building" whatever you want to call it.

"mom, come have tea time with me." -ok after i fold the laundry, and look at the kitchen! i don't have time right now. i need to clean the house first. plus i have a ton of emails to answer. on and on my list goes.

sometimes we just have to stop. literally stop everything and just play, snuggle, talk, listen, have tea, and engage with our children. the house can wait, the dishes will still be there when you're done, the emails will still be in your inbox, the laundry can wait, but my children are growing up fast - they cannot wait day after day to finally spend time with me. it's ok if the house is a mess, orders are waiting on my desk, laundry is getting wrinkly - really it's ok.

i have the hardest time stopping.

sometimes holidays and special occasions make it easier. though doing something special together just because has an even great impact. the nice side effect that comes from spending one on one time with my kids whether it's a quality 10 minutes or couple of hours, is they are happier, better behaved children because they aren't competing for my attention. this makes the time i am working, folding laundry, and answering emails a whole lot easier :)

find a few extra moments to engage with your child today.
plan something special this week for one on one time. a picnic a walk, a snuggly movie...
write them a note, "meet me for tea and cookies at seven o'clock thursday night. love mom".
what will you do together?

xoxo,

scattered!!

last week i was on a mission to find paper heart doilies on Valentine's day

and the day after and the day after that! i needed them for a paper project i am working on. i was surprised not to find any at the local crafts stores, so i tried the party supply stores, then 3 grocery stores, 2 dollar stores and 3 drug stores. i had one heart from my son's parent participation class that gave me an idea. i even asked the class teacher the following week (two days after V-day) if there were any left. no.

i have never bought these before. i thought they were pretty cheesy things, until i had a use for them.

on my last attempt i had gone to the dollar tree, not finding any and in a hurry to leave with a kicking and screaming child who didn't want to be strapped to a shopping cart - i quickly grabbed him, the bag of items i bought to fill the void, and left.

3 hours later i realized i had left my wallet in that shopping cart - outside!!. i phoned the dollar tree and they already had it in their safe. thank God for good honest people. leaving my house for the 30 minute drive back to the dollar tree and to pick up my girls i collected my wallet - everything was still inside. relief. came home and to what to my wondering eyes should appear? i had left the door to my house wide open. wow. that bad. what? am i 3? you would think i was pregnant or going through major tragedy. nope. just a bit frazzled, scattered, and ever so slightly crazy. nothing happened - nobody ransacked the place or decided to take a shower here or whatever.

luckily.

thankfully.

on my knees in His Grace.

i eventually broke down and ordered paper heart doilies from the only place in the world that has them hours after Valentine's Day - online. i ordered through Joann's and paid for... shipping, ugh after all that driving around! is the project worth it? my passion says: "yes!".
and also because my wallet and home were still intact through the experience :)

Photography Friday: {playing with iPhoto}

the edit:

while many photographers use photoshop as their weapon of choice, i'd like to point out two things. one is some of us have no idea how to understand photoshop it's like driving a rocket instead of a car - too many gadgets. and two, sometimes you don't need photoshop. most of my photos are shot, viewed, and blogged. sometimes i add a fun filter or frame. i don't like changing so much of the photo that i feel as though i didn't take a good photo in the first place. i challenge myself at the shutter and believe me i still have a loooong way to go :)

here are some fun effects in iPhoto and next week we will play with another photo editing app.

first this photo looks crooked so let's straighten it

better

 now for the fun. let's try some effects (original)

antique on 1 and fade color 2

go back to original and boost color, hmmm

black and white is fun but not for this pic

ooo, sepia

 let's try antique on 2 fade 1 and edge blur, hmmm, yep i like it :)

just a few clicks, easy peazy :)

which one would you choose?

have a fabulous weekend lovelies!!!

you are all totally AWESOME!!!

xoxo,

the letter writing project

do you know someone who needs to be encouraged?

someone who is dealing with tragedy?

write that someone. lift them up.

you don't have to have a solution for them,

but a simple hello will brighten their day.

i will have some assignments for you in weeks to come!

who are you writing to?
share your story...

xoxo,

what i love wednesday linky party {No. 4}!!

what a great turnout we had last week!!! 

here's a snippet if you missed it:

thank you all for sharing your loves.

i hope you link up again!

here's what i'm loving this week...

1. i really do love fonts, i get so excited about them sometimes. 

this is freebooter script - weird name but pretty font.

download it for free at dafont.com.

2. my top seller. i love this print :)

3. i am making the move from etsy over to big cartel. 

i am a bit nervous but mostly excited!

check out my new shop here :)

4. ok, i totally love this ruffled skirt Ruthanne from

eclectic whatnot made! get yours here right now!

(then come back and link up ok?!!)

5. lisa leonard holds my heart in every single one of her pieces.

i just LOVE her work. isn't she an outstanding woman?!!

now it's your turn link up what you love!!

and like my friend Darcy at my3boybarians says: 

"Be the encouragement you wish to receive! 

What’s a party if no one talks to you? 

Please comment on some of the other entries."

xoxo,

<a href="http://www.lollipopscards.com/search/label/what%20i%20love%20wednesdays" target="_blank"><img alt="lollipops" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9_XYUUYAXJiCLm3sQ3sWjgxnbKNG_nG4PYhheWlO07gp_NuIk-C6RL0OeY1driw_ZKR-9-LxCXLL2dFs7Acljw0DV_7eYiNAYm7k-98TqEjxh3lLswrOG-f60VLP4omnfP1AEhydyyRs/s150/DSC_0305_2-1.JPG" /><br /> </a>

Tuesday Tutorial {pretty birdcage}

this isn't really a "tutorial" per say, as maybe more of a fun idea:

get yourself an old, dirty, hunk of junk birdcage.

prices range anywhere from $0 - $5.

mine came with evidence that birds once lived here, fabulous.

set up an area where you can spray paint this puppy 

without ruining your weed infested backyard.

whip out a can of spray paint in your favorite color

i chose ode du turquoise. 

no, not really, just turquoise ;) $3.49 at Home Depot

now spray like crazy...

see? pretty birdcage!

from crap to pretty crap :)

just kidding.

ok, now let it dry a day and then you can use it.

ta-da!

repurposing old to new is so fun!

i hope i've inspired you to repurpose today :)

xoxo,

krystina

Love Actually

what's black and white and red all over?
my fireplace mantel :)

these pictures stay up all year and i decorate around them.

my girls dancing on the beach, baby boy wrapped in a blankie,
the surfer guy and i on our wedding day.

these are the things that matter most today and always.
thank God for loving us so we too can love.

Happy Valentine's day dear readers!

xoxo,