Is it just me or does everyone say  “Once I get through (this week,  month, etc.) I’ll have more time to…”?  Yet, lately it seems once I finish one thing there are a million others waiting to take their place!  I mean I can’t complain about what’s been going on lately.  It’s been FUN stuff, it’s just kept me extremely busy and then before I know it the whole day/week is gone.

All of that to say I’ve been neglecting my blog.  I have a few completed projects to share with you but that will have to wait a little longer, because tomorrow I leave for Nashville!  I’m VERY excited to have the opportunity to go to Blissdom this year.  I’m not exactly sure what to expect but I’m going to keep an open mind and take in as much as I can.

This break will be a tad different from where I was a week and half ago, but just as exciting!    My husband and I went on a seven day cruise and had a great time.

Lots of sand and sun,

reading and relaxing (I know you’re jealous of my homemade Kindle water protector!)

and other fun adventures!

(Ziplining in Isla Roatan)

I have my camera packed for this weekend!  I will make sure to take lots of pictures to share when I get back.

If you’ll be there this weekend, send me a Facebook message and let me know!!!

Have a great rest of your week.

~Angela

Share on Facebook

Tomorrow I am leaving for a seven day cruise with my husband.  I am very excited!  It’s a much needed vaca for just the two of us.  So, I will be away for my responsibilities laptop for over a week.  February is going to be CR-AZY!!

I thought I would leave you with this wonderful blog.

**************************************

Last Fall I had the pleasure of meeting Pattie, at Horton’s.  She is a very sweet and very talented blogger who happens to live right around the corner from me!

Check out her blog.  Her home is even more beautiful in person!!

The Shabby Chick

Have a great weekend!  I’ll be back soon.

~Angela

Share on Facebook

The countdown begins!!  There are only 27 days , well more like 26 days now, left until Blissdom 2012.  Any of you going??

This will be my first year and I’m very excited and a little anxious.  I’m most excited about meeting other bloggers who I have read their blogs for years, but I’m also super stoked about the sessions.  There are so many great topics.  I am hoping to learn a lot and come back home refreshed,with a renewed passion.

Now, the anxiety…I will actually get to meet the people who I have read about for years, in person.  I’m already feeling awkward just talking about it.   I’m also nervous about what to wear!  I don’t know the exact number,  but I think there are going to be about 600 women there.  That’s a lot of great outfits!!

Any suggestions?!?  Let me know if your going, I would love to meet you in person!

~Angela

Share on Facebook

So, I got a lot of comments and e-mails asking to give some tips about taking pictures and editing.  I’m definitely not an expert and just learning, but I have a few tips to share.

Taking the Picture

First off, lets talk about taking your camera off of AUTO…I have a Nikkon SLR, so that’s what I’ll be referring to.  This is the approach that works best for me and can just be a jumping off point for you to venture off of the “safe” setting!

Alright, turn the dial off “AUTO” to the “A”.  It stands for aperture and dictates how much light is let through your cameras sensor.

Now go to the “wheel” thing…not sure the proper name.  It looks like this:

Turn it until the “F” on the screen has the lowest number possible.  This is called “F-stop.”  The lower the f-stop the more light will be let in.  It’s kind-of like the pupil of your eye.

So you have your setting, now you need to figure out how you want your picture to look (the composition of the photo).   Here’s where it can get tricky!  Because you are not on AUTO you will need your camera to be very still when you take the picture.  If you don’t have a tripod there are a few things you can do:

1.  Use a stool, ladder, chair, anything you can find!

or

2.  Hold your breath and snap.

I use both of these methods and they both work pretty good, but a tripod is by far the easiest.

Here is a photo using auto:

Using “A” function and low “F-stop”:

Just that simple change has already made the photo better!

Editing

I was using Picnik but they are closing their site in April.  So, my brother suggested Gimp.  It’s a good alternative to a mix between Picnik and Photoshop (and FREE).   It’s pretty easy to use, has more capabilities than Picnik, and the best part, you download it.

(I will be using Gimp for this next section on editing but Photoshop is very similar.)

1.  Once you download the program, open your picture as a layer.

***For each of these next steps, you will just have to play around with each setting until you get the feel that you are trying to achieve.***

2.  The first thing I adjust is curves.  It’s under “Colors.”

You want it to make an “S” curve.  It will be a straight incline and you want to make it look like an “s.”  Click on the line in the places you want to adjust.

3.  Adjust the contrast to make the objects pop.  You might also need to adjust the brightness.

4.  I also like to adjust the saturation.    Again this is a matter of preference.

5.  If you would like to add your stamp to the photo, open it up as another “layer.”  The image will need to have a transparent background.

6.  To move the image, use the “X” shape.  Make sure your cursor is centered on the picture and the ” x” takes the place of your cursor, otherwise it will move the actual photo.

7.  To adjust the the size of the stamp, click on the below symbol.  It will bring up the scale.  Make sure the the chain-looking symbol next to the width and height is “locked.”  Then you can adjust the picture without the ratios changing.

Hopefully you can use some of these tips!

~Angela

Share on Facebook

I’ve been wanting to make some design changes to my blog for a while and I guess there’s no better time than the present!  My brother visited this last week and we worked on my new design.  It is a lot cleaner and elegant.  I’m really happy at how it is turning out! (Hopefully you are too.)

So with the changes and the new year, I have made a decision to LEARN my camera and actively take better pictures.  Most of the time pictures are an after thought.  He gave me a few lessons on my camera and editing AND boy does it make a difference.  NO MORE AUTO MODE.

Here are some photos from our “photo shoot.”  I think I’ve come quite a way in just a few hours.

I will say that it takes more time, but seeing the results I think it’s worth the extra effort.  BTW, I will do a whole post about photo editing soon…I still have SO much to learn but what I do know might help you.

My hope is to have a “SHOP” built into my website, which I’m in the process of working on.  It will take a while because I will have lots of leg work to do.  BABY STEPS!

*****************************************************************

Yesterday, I found out that my wonderful friend, Michele had passed on the Liebster Blog award to me. Michele and I met in college and have been close friends for about 10 years.  She lives in Texas with her husband and two of the most adorable boys.  I shared a little about her and our relationship here.

And the Liebster goes to…

Erika @ Bliss Images and Beyond

Kim @Feathers From My Nest

Kathy @ Never Enough Thyme

Carrie & Doug @ Hot House Market

Jackie @ Shambora Studios

~Angela

Share on Facebook

Here’s a sneak peek @ something I’ve been working on…

Hope you like the changes!

~Angela

Share on Facebook

Here’s what we started with…

And here’s some of our inspiration…

Jill wanted the color palette to be soothing and restful.  Something SHE would enjoy!

And, here is the finished product.

When we originally met, Jill was talking about finding furniture.  But what was already there had so much potential!  The spare bedroom had been housing her furniture from when she was a child.  Fortunately, the overall design of the pieces has come back into style.  She wasn’t sold at first on the the updates I suggested, but after showing her a very similar style from Restoration Hardware, she agreed to the inexpensive changes.

I didn’t have the time to paint every piece in it’s entirety, so I just used the upper wall color to paint the panels and blue lines.  We changed out the knobs with clear ones from Target and painted the rest of the hardware to match the new color.  I think the simple update turned out great and only cost around $50.  We had also searched and searched for a crib and couldn’t find anything we loved that was under $500.  A friend offered her crib (for free!) and although it wasn’t what we had envisioned, we just used fabric to make it a little more elegant.

Which brings me to our next design decision.  The fabric.  We went shopping together and she decided on a fabric she loved.  It wasn’t the traditional “baby” fabric, but the color was soothing.  I paired it with a softer more baby friendly fabric and some other complementary  fabrics.  I think it lends to a more luxurious feel but keeps it soft for the baby.Our biggest problem was the lighting in the room!  There wasn’t any!!!  I found a fabulous old chandelier at our local Habitat ReStore for $25 that was perfect.  (If you have one close, they are definitely worth checking out.  It is a hit or miss kind of place, and you never know what you will find!)  The problem was that there was no way to install it without hiring someone to put in an electrical box or me doing it myself.  I was pretty confident I could do it, but my dad visited over Christmas and offered to do it!  Thanks DAD!!

We also used a dimmer switch to adjust the light…you know for those late night/early morning feedings.  :)

I think the chandelier is probably my favorite part of the room and I was DETERMINED to make it work!

Do you recognize the chair?  It was my first reupholster project.  I haven’t talked much about my office in a while because it is no longer in that room.  I have switched out rooms, yet again, and now that room is back to a guest bedroom.  Long story short, I didn’t have a place for my chair and it fit perfectly into the nursery.

I used an artificial cherry blossom branch in the place of a mobile.  I just hung it with invisible tread and some eye hooks in the ceiling.  I think it’s the perfect finishing touch to the room (Jill’s husband still isn’t sold, but I had a feeling that might be the case!  Thanks, Jason for letting us do what we wanted!)

Most of the accessories were things that Jill had around the house or things she inherited from her mom or grandmother.  I think that the best design incorporates things that are special to you.  It helps you connect with a space in a more personal way.  Our biggest splurge was the wool rug we decided to add at the end.  It adds the texture that we were hoping to achieve.

I am very happy at how this room turned out!  If you would like to see more pictures of the finished room, click here.

**********************’

My brother is here visiting and has been helping me with some design updates for my blog.  I am SO excited to incorporate these changes!  Hopefully it will be up soon.

Have a great week!

~Angela

Share on Facebook

Well, it’s finally finished!

For those of you who are new, I have been working on nursery for a little over a month.  This was the first room project for someone other than myself.

My friend, Jill, had asked me this past Fall if I would be willing to design her nursery and of course I said YES!  It was a little nerve racking designing a space for someone else, but she was the best first “client” I could have!

Here’s the finished room…

There are so many pieces that have meaning in this room.  The plates on the wall were her great-grandmother’s, whom her daughter is named after AND the furniture was Jill’s when she was a little girl (with just a little update).

Surprisingly, we did the room on a pretty small budget.  (Hopefully, you can’t tell!)  I will do another post with all the details and what we did to save money, in the next post.

I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

~Angela

********************************************

To see the full details click here.

*********************************************

Share on Facebook

As the year is coming to an end, I thought it would be fun to join Rhoda and recap my favorite projects from 2011.

These are in no particular order and there aren’t a lot of “stats” involved,  just a few of my favorites!

Mom’s Night Out with a French Twist!

Vintage Nursery Rhyme Baby Shower

Zinc Dining Room Table

Wax Paper Tranfer

I had NO idea how popular this wax paper tutorial would be!

I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has read my blog and encouraged me along the way.  I LOVE your comments and appreciate every single one!

Here’s to another great year of CRAFTING and DIY!!

~Angela

Share on Facebook

I am thankful this Christmas that God has blessed ME by giving US his son!

 

 

I pray that my children understand the true meaning of Christmas and that they are grateful for all the “extras”.

I hope you are having a blessed Christmas!

From my family to yours!

~Angela

Share on Facebook

]]> http://www.unexpectedelegance.com//2011/12/25/thank-god-for-the-silent-nights/feed 1 http://www.unexpectedelegance.com//2011/12/25/thank-god-for-the-silent-nights