flash vs. no flash. it's no question.

great tips on some photography questions I get a LOT. 

what can I do to get better pictures. I found someone who agrees with me & here you go...

http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2010/12/snap-even-more-photography-tips/

just found it today from one of my favorites...The Lettered Cottage. 

even though I don't claim to know much, this really is helpful for anyone because most snappers (snappin cameras) just turn on the camera & take what they get. sometimes, its just about capturing that moment. all good! really.

BUT if your trying to get something you see, you NEEEEED to turn off that flash. None of us look better under flash. Truly, and if you notice in low light situations it just makes the person or thing in front look whited out, an everything behind it dark. No good. 

and then

there's the problem of keeping up with the flash. As in, your trying to get that birthday candle blowing out an its all happening so fast and the flash won't keep up so you have bright white-out, followed by dark dark white out again. No good. 

Turn off your flash, steady yourself and snap. No need to worry about it blasting the person out or camera not keeping up. 

The other plus is, it looks a whole lot more like what your actually looking at!

here's a quick (as in I just looked thru my photo library & grabbed these)

of the difference

 fine. BUT not what I was really looking at, or very birthday wishes time.

that's better, the candles have life, she is not blasted white out & when she moved in to blow, she also came more in focus. 

No flash. 

Amen.

get crafty; Heart Clip Valentines

no. It's still December. promise

We were talking the other day about how to quickly fulfill all the gifts for the season without breaking the bank. 

And this came up. 

BUT 

it is a valentine idea. 

so, no I'm not getting ahead of myself, promise.

I just posted because someone wanted the 411 to alter to make gifts for Christmas for their girl scout troop. 

This is a step by step for Heart Clips I made this last Feb for my daughter's class. 

SO simple to make

& 

quite cute I think....

 I did not use the temple for the hearts, I free handed by cutting red felt into small squares, folding in half & then cutting a heart like I did in elementary school

 ...allllll day lllllong......

 used the scraps or strips to cut small squares

put the squares inside the clips 

{bought those at a beauty supply store 100 clips for about 8 bucks!}

 used fabric tac glue

added the heart to the top, so the clip is in between 

the drying 2 pieces of felt

 turned them upside down to dry...so glue wouldn't leak on to my table ;)

sweet as pie. 

displayed here on two cutie girls....

a while back. {not related to Christmas}

we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium

and even though we've been there so many times {like 100+}

for some reason this trip, it all was mesmerizing for the kids. 

I love that. 

AND

the usual stuck in a corner to only see a curled up ball-o-octopus

was in a new mood. 

She decided to be entertaining!

AND 

because you can't use flash and it is small quarters with lots of peeps (with cell phone cameras, I mean honestly, surely not one of theirs they were pushing on me for turned out)

ew....that sounded 'tog snobby, sorry.

anyway

she was fabulous! 

And the pictures show the crazy neat-O creation she is

(yes, I know it was a she because they told us)

 so cool huh? She was moving along the glass....

 who gets to see this? crazy stuff. mesmerized kids. huge crowd. I love my camera.

 the eye of the beast. 

 Then she just dashed across the "scene", like she flew but obviously in water.

 AH mazing. Wild. Fantastic.

 Here they gave her a ball with food stuffed down a small hole in the ball. It is a challenge that evidentially they do to stimulate the creatures. She leaped up to grab it, then here she is "working" the ball (can't see it) 

guess the "working" out got to her... made her turn white spotted. 

Truly a fantastic & amazing 10 minutes of watching an octopus in a whole new light

(but without lights or flash)

splendid show!

here is a peek at what I've been up do.

more to come!

let me be the first to say...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

{other than Costco of course, 

they said it in August :( but poo on them }

and then I say this today

 and I LOVE IT! So darling! And very "in" but who cares. 

 very cheerful, huh?! Love this. And love it even more because we get CAROLED! Oh that makes me filled with Christmas Glee like nothing else. 

Just imagine, home. 

Making dinner, cleaning up, folding laundry. 

A knock at the door, open & my yard is full of people singing me Christmas Carols, that's cheerful!

But this is my favorite. 

I'm thinking of something wonderful to do with them. 

Not sure yet. 

But I love them! 

found them here.

She gets the credit, I just did the "blog-lifting" 

:)

Thankfulgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for...

a million things

but 

mostly 

this guy. 

Who makes my world & life  wonderful...

Cutest Couple 2010

doesn't this just make you swoon? 

dreamy isn't she? 

I love LOVE old pictures. 

And this darling couple just steal my heart...

Last month they celebrated 67 years married. 

67 years since this day!!

Cutest Couple 2010, right?

They are my grandparents...Alice & Weber. 

I have love notes he sent her back during the War. 

{he doesn't know that, he'd flip}

 but long ago-like when I was 15! My grandma in one of her getting rid of moods

[she's a neat freak, he's a pack rat]

She gave me a stack of old letters....

his nicknames for her

 how much they missed eachother

dreams of their life together when he was done with service. 

Before kids

before grand kids

before great-grandkids.

Just imagine for a second.....

 This is my grandmother's oldest brother & her sister who died at age 3.

I never knew this story. Ever. It kinda shocked me, see I have always loved true life stories. 

Always. 

As a kid instead of reading me a book, I'd ask for stories to be told to me...

I learned a lot. 

{side note, I still prefer a biography over fiction any day!}

But I never knew where my mother got her name....Doris.

This little chub of love would have been my great-aunt. 

Thank heaven there's a Heaven. And I'll meet her...

 stinkin cute.

me : "Grandpa, you were so CUTE!"

grandpa : "what's this were business?? I still am!"

ha!

Hands down cutest couple 2010....as seen in July 1944.

Cheeseball Recipe

just incase your looking for it...
http://lifeasachefswife.blogspot.com/


Cheeseball Fans here you go!

one of those talks.

I had to do it today. 

UGH. 

Breaking down & sharing 

"when I was a kid...." 

to prove my point. 

One of my "little blessings" 

had made a "remark" along with 

a sneer 

a chuckle

about someone

at school that is a bit strange

a bit different

a bit annoying

and has less than them. 

It sounded harmless. 

It truly wasn't a strong or hateful thing. 

BUT

it was enough. 

It ate at me for days...

I had started to talk about it with them 

and just couldn't formulate what I knew I needed to say.

See. 

That girl

(just like the one they made fun of)

was me. 

In school I surely was strange annoying and had less than most.

I moved almost every year 

I didn't get invited to birthday parties

when I did, it was an eye opener into 

"normal kids lives"

I had a job by 12.

I rode the city bus if I wanted to go to a friends house.

I cleaned houses on weekends to help out.

I was "that girl".

Tears rolled. 

But my explanation made my point. 

Each of us has the chance to make someone's day 

either bad

or 

good. 

And I know their heart was changed even if just a bit

to have compassion for everyone around them

the strange

different 

annoying

less cool

less fashionable.

Don't you agree we all have that opportunity everyday?

take it.

when you wish upon a book store...

on my list of wishes are these I found around blog land...

saw this & it made my heart sing....what lovely ideas to inspire creativity

{beyond playdough}

and make things to welcome the season...

I always need this kind of inspiration!

The dreamywhites gal shows us some goodies she's made here

found this goodie here

why do I love the? 

well, because I am a wish-I-were-a-sew-girl. I want to make things that I see in lovely store and w/o a manual, I'd be stuck paying retail forEVER. 

A different blog I can no longer recall (SORRY) showed this as the book "currently reading"

spend some time looking at this inspiring (better said than coveted) book here

Yep. She's the author of this lovely Christmas-ness & has a blog too. 

what's gets you in the mood to create??