Tonya Millsaps Photography

Staining wood with homemade stain !

2012-10-08T10:49:00.001-07:00

When buying wood to transferring photos to I've noticed that the only options at the craft stores are light colored or untreated wood. I really wanted some darker wood for some gifts I've been working on, and decided to try to find a way to stain the wood at home. I then looked to good ole Pinterest :) And, she didn't fail me! I used this blogs directions http://www.homeheartcraft.com/blog/diy-vintage-wood-stain to make my own stain and it worked great! It was a bit too dark for what I was looking for after the 2nd coat, so I'll probably only put one on from now on. Here are a few photos.

Also, I used a apple cider vinegar, instant coffee grounds, and steel wool from a SOS cleaning pad ( I washed all the cleaner off. It was cheaper this way ).

I'm transferring a photo to it right now. So, I'll let you know how that goes... ?

First coat

Second Coat...

Update on Canvas People canvas!

2012-10-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

I received my canvas last week. Yay! And, I love it...

I can definatley say that I like Canvaspeople.com better than Pixwraps.com .
I ordered my canvases the same day from both places and have yet to hear anything about my canvas from pixwraps. I emailed them today, so we'll see what happens.

I guess I'll tuck this baby under the bed until I find somewhere to display :)

Tacky Sweater Day

2012-09-28T06:11:00.002-07:00

I was going through some photos earlier and came across some photos from our tacky sweater day at work last year. Myself and co-worker, Kendall thought this up and was excited to see everyone in their sweaters. We didn't have the turn out that we'd hoped for, but had several people participate.
Here are a few of our favs.

Seeing old things in a new way :)

2012-09-27T05:50:00.001-07:00

When I was around 10 years old my friend Amber and I had a sick obsession with cheer leading ( and Bon Jovi and Vanilla Ice...ha ha ha ). We finally got a chance to be on a little league team and was excited. Amber's grandmother stitched us up some uniforms quickly because the team had already ordered their uniforms, and frankly my family couldn't have afforded the "real" uniform anyhow. I only cheered for two years, but really enjoyed it.
I stuffed the uniform away in a drawer and pulled it out for my sister, Crystal to wear for Halloween a couple of times.
Twenty years later, my nine year old niece, Emily tried it on and looked so cute. It made me realize that sometimes it's worth holding on to old stuff. It was really neat to see her wearing something that I loved when I was her age. I encourage her and my sisters and brother to hold on to memorable things.
Here are a couple photos of all three of us in it.

This photo is cut up because my younger sister (Crystal) was very mad at me and took scissors to it. Luckily I stopped her before she destroyed it...

Me wearing the uniform for Halloween, as a Cheerleader. How original?

Crystal on Halloween. She was a killer Cheerleader...ha ha ha

And, our little Emily 2012. Nine years old

Transfering photos to wood = Fun decor

2012-09-26T07:11:00.001-07:00

Well I'm one of those Pinterest lovers. So, when I seen this on Pinterest, I had to try it. I have to say it's not as easy as they make it look. It's hard to get the paper off the wood without rubbing the ink off. But, I'm still in the process of trying to figure it out.

I've transferred several photos to wood and a couple to canvas. The transferring to wood is a lot easier than canvas. For some reason, the ink doesn't stick to the canvas as easily, or I'm not getting the photo stuck to the canvas well enough. Either way, I'm going to get it right at some point. I want to stain the wood to give it a more finished look, but haven't seemed to master that yet.

I got my directions from this blog.
http://huckabyshappilyeverafter.blogspot.com/p/craft-inspirations-and-diy.html

I done it a little different than the website, I used the Mod Podge for both the sticking the picture to the wood and to seal it. It seems to work, and that's less money you have to spend.
Below are some that I'm done with. You'll see that I've made them look aged. I done this for two reasons. One because I like the look of it, and two because I had parts of the ink come off with the paper and wanted it to all come together to look right.

Here are three current projects I'm trying to finish up. My Mom and niece Emily helped me start them up, and they will be given to them when I'm done. You'll see that the ink has started coming off on the canvas of my sister and Emily. Hopefully it doesn't do it too bad. I don't think Emily got the Mod Podge on the canvas good enough before sticking the photo, but I think it'll turn out :)

Hope this has helped you, if your looking to do it yourself !

Primitive signs and decor / Corn Cob Cove

2012-09-26T06:47:00.001-07:00

( Brittany says that her and Russell's grandfather, Andy had a love for "junk" as do most Millsaps men. This is where the idea for the sign came from. He was born in 1931. )

This is a sign that my husband won at our annual Christmas dirty Santa game, played at Grandma Betty's house. We love it... Our cousin Brittany makes these signs. She is currently selling them on Esty and her facebook page.
Check her selection out. Your sure to love them!

Below is the link to her Esty page.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CornCobCove

The fam on Easter

2012-09-25T10:45:00.002-07:00

Here are a couple photos I snapped of my family on Easter this year. That's about the only time I can get everyone to half way dress up. I think my family is beautiful :)

Wells Family

2012-09-25T09:53:00.002-07:00

It seems that more and more these days couples opt out of having conventional children, and have fur babies. That is exactly what this couple has done. Meet their fur family...

A growing family

2012-09-25T09:46:00.001-07:00

Wow, these kids are getting big! I shot their photos a couple years ago and couldn't believe how much they had grown when I seen them! They've also grown in size. This year they added a new cousin, and a girlfriend to their session. Hope you enjoy looking at these cute faces ! ( I snuck a couple of Tuffy's senior photos in too )

Norman family session

2012-09-25T09:38:00.001-07:00

Meet the Norman family. I shot their session in the Spring. I had so much fun with them. These two adorable little girls will melt your heart with their smiles :)

Kyndra's sweet 16

2012-09-25T09:33:00.006-07:00

My little sister turned 16 ! I can not believe it. I took her sweet 16 photos in the spring. Here are a few that I really liked.

Random photos from past sessions. Boudoir, Family, Birthday, Children, Spring, Fall, Sessions

2012-09-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

Catching up on photography/blogging life...

2012-09-25T08:30:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I've just not been able to keep the blog up to date with recent sessions. I'm really going to put forth more effort in doing this! With that being said, here are some photos from recent and not so recent sessions :)

The Wright family

2012-09-25T08:29:00.001-07:00

Brody is one of my very best friend's 1st child. To say that I was excited for Anya to have a child is a understatement! They were so excited for the arrival of their baby boy. The excitement continues as he grows and forms his own little personality! He is simply adorable. I am in love with this child, as is anyone that meets him. So, here are a few photos that I've taken of Anya and Brody.

Canvas art

2012-09-25T07:54:00.000-07:00

This will be somewhere on the wall in our future home, on canvas. I designed it myself using photoshop. I have to say that I like it! I hope it turns out well. I ordered the canvas from canvaspeople.com. So, whenever I receive it I'll post a picture of how it looks, and let you know if it meets my expectations! If you'd like me to design one for you. Just send me a note and I'll price it for you :)

King Wedding

2011-05-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

I shot this wedding in Nov. I know it's been awhile, but I still wanted to share these photos with everyone on my blog. Lance and Alison make a wonderful couple. Lance ( as you may know ) is my wedding partner. While shooting his wedding, I have to admit, I was a bit nervous. But, everything went great and I loved meeting all of his and Alison's family and friends.

You can check some of Lance's work out at http://www.lancekingphoto.com/.

Our friend's beautiful family

2011-02-13T18:38:00.000-08:00

You may remember Jeremy, Alisha, Nathan, and Colt from their sessions in the past. We shot their Fall session at Iams Nature center. The boys loved running around checking everything out. Alisha and I are going to take the boys and my niece Emily back when it's warmer to further explore.

Alisha is another long time bestie that I've known for 13yrs. (Wow, I just counted that up and didn't realize it had been that long....) Jeremy and Russell have been friends for around 18yrs. It's crazy to think about all the things we've all gone through together. I know Russell and I are very thankful for the friendships we have with these two. They are truly wonderful friends, and we love them.

Watching these boys grow into their own is exciting. I'm glad that I can provide Alisha and Jeremy with the photos to look back on as the boys grow older.

Anderton Family Session

2011-02-11T19:03:00.000-08:00

       We met for this session at Iams Nature( http://www.ijams.org/ ) center in South Knoxville. It was beautiful!   Nature trails, huge rocks, and a variety of flowers and trees over look the Tennessee river. Needless to say, we had a variety of places for great shots. Russell and I went hiking there last summer and I've been itching to come back for some sessions.
   This family truly touched my heart. Seeing these young children Sign to their parents was amazing. You could tell by the way Wendy looked at her children that she is deeply in love with them, and very proud. Meeting this family reminded me that god has a plan for everyone.  Honestly at one point during this session I teared up :)
   Yes, I'm a sap. I've always been the first to cry during a sad movie, reading a thoughtful card, or crying when I'm extremely happy. Even been known to tear up when I've been mad. My mother says that it's the "Meredith" in me (which is her maiden name).  Sometimes I'm thankful for my over emotional side, and other times it can be really rather annoying!
     I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I did shooting them...

Kingsley Fall Session

2011-02-04T18:46:00.000-08:00

These photos were shot in the Kingsley's front yard under an amazing maple tree that was screaming FALL to us! Amanda is a long time best friend that I simply adore. She and Tony have two beautiful little girls, Layea and Lily. They are adorable! The girls really done an awesome job considering that it was so cold outside. Layea kept telling me that she was a model on a cat walk, lol. She is so cute. And Lily, played in the maple tree leaves while I shot some great photos. I love this family, and I'm sure you will love their photos. Take a look :)

Brock Family Session

2011-02-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

I've known Tresa for years and was so happy to hear that she wanted me to take her photos! She and her husband Columbus have 3 wonderful children. Kyle, Zach, and Erica done great on the shoot and were very well behaved. Tresa wanted Fall photos, so we met in Norris and were lucky to find some vibrant colors considering it was the end of Fall. Enjoy a few of the shots that made my fav list :)

Dutton Family Session

2011-02-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

Meet the Dutton Family! Tiffany and her Brady bunch -2, was a lot of fun. We shot their photos at UT gardens on a chilly, and drizzling day. Despite the weather, we had fun and ended up with some great shots. The beautiful roses at the garden made a wonderful backdrop for the girls, and the old rusty truck worked great for the guys. If you have never been to UT gardens, you should defiantly check it out sometime. I recommend the spring :)

Chase's Newborn photos

2010-10-24T17:40:00.000-07:00

This is Chase. My friend Rebecca's 1 wk old little angel. He was born on Oct.1st.

Check out some of our favorite photos. I'm sure you'll agree that he's adorable!!!

Hale wedding Oct 6th

2010-10-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

Meet Joey and Alyssa! Lance and I shot their wedding on Oct. 6th at the Gatlinburg Falls Resort. It was one of the prettiest weddings I have seen. They had a beautiful background of the Smoky Mtns.

Here are a few of my favs! Enjoy!

Becca's Maternity session

2010-10-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

Becca and I went to school together, and have worked with each other for 10yrs.! She and I have really grown up together. We've helped each other get through rough times in our lives, and I treasure her friendship. I am so happy for you and Micheal, Becca. I hope everyone enjoys a few of their Maternity photos. :)

Evans Wedding

2010-10-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

You might recall Chevy and Ashley from their E-Session I shot a couple months ago. I shot their wedding in LaFollette Tn. The sky had been unbelievable that day, and made a perfect backdrop for their fall wedding! Take a look and tell me what you think ;)