Photo-A-Day Update

Does it ever seem to you like the best photo opportunities are ones you only recognize in retrospect?  I feel that way often, in fact as I am typing this I am in one of those moments.  My daughter (age 6) had an eye exam today, and it turned out she needs a pair of reading glasses for school.  For about 30 minutes, we were trying on frames, she was making faces in the mirror… and I was not taking photos.  Ack!  How could I miss that moment?  So bummed. 

Anyways, I have been doing pretty well with my Photo challenge for March (only missed 2 days, which for me is awesome!), so I thought I’d share a few more photos today.

March 14: Clouds. Or, rather, the almost complete  lack of clouds, which is something I am particularly happy about!

March 15th: Car.  I cleaned it out, vacuumed, washed it, even scrubbed the upholstery.  The photo prompt was good motivation!

March 16th: Sunglasses.  Yeah, THIS is where the photos of Milena trying on glasses should be!  But I’ll have to look for another shot.  The day is young!

Go take a photo!

~Alyssa~

More Photos…

A few more photos from my Photo-A-Day challenge to share today.  If you’re playing along, feel free to link your pics to the Miss Art’s Facebook wall.  I’d love to see!

Day 3 Prompt: Neighborhood

We live in a quite little neighborhood in a small town.  This is the view from my window while I am doing dishes.

Day 4 Prompt: Bedside

I groaned when I saw this prompt.  This is truly truth in photography.  My nightstand seems to be one place I never think to clean!

Day 5 Prompt: Smile

My daughter unwittingly provided the perfect shot by cutting out this photo frame, then asking me to take this pic. Love it.

Having fun with photos,

~Alyssa~

A Photo A Day?

Ok, I’ll admit it.  I started project 365 last year, and BOMBED.  Big Time.  I made it about 2 weeks.  So I didn’t even start this year.  But when I caught wind of THIS monthly Photo-A-Day challenge, it seemed doable, and fun… so I decided to give it a go.  In an attempt to keep myself motivated, and to encourage photo sharing, I have encouraged the group of students at Miss Art’s Papercrafting School to join me.  So, if you’re over there too, please link your photos to the Miss Art’s Wall.  I’d love to see them.
Day 1 Prompt: Up

Day 2 Prompt: Fruit

I’ll be back soon with more pics, and another layout to share soon!
~Alyssa~

My Version of Project 365

It's Wednesday afternoon, and so far it has been a productive day.  Dinner is in the Crock-Pot, the dishwasher is loaded, work for Miss Art's is finished for the day, and I've taken a 2 mile walk with the kids to the library.

They say today is as good a day as any to start something, right?  Well, I've never been a traditionalist, especially not about waiting till New Years to start new resolutions or to make changes.  I firmly believe that if I want something to happen, I just need to start... not wait for a random future day when I may or may not be as motivated as I am today.  That's why I have decided to do my own Project 365... starting today, this day in September.  I think it's fitting in many ways, because yesterday my husband and I celebrated our anniversary.  So it is a whole new year for our family, our marriage.

So, because I am the creative type, I've decided to call it my photo-a-day project (haha!).  You will be able to see the accumulating photos on the new Photo-a-day tab at the top of my blog... if you even care.  :)  but my goal is to at the end of the year, have a documentation of our lives for the past year.  This is especially meaningful to me now, since our house is for sale and we are hoping to build a house in the coming year.  We'll see if that happens or not!

Here is my photo for today.

I hope you'll join me and capture a memory today!

~Alyssa~

Friday Faves

Ok, peeps, I am SOOO wanting to get back into the blogging routine.  I miss it!  So, starting this week, I am bringing back Friday Faves.  I used to do this every week, and it was a blast, sharing with you some of my favorite discoveries from the week.  So, without further ado, here are this weeks top 5:

5. Our new household puppy.  Apparently, his name is Max, he eats table food and is toilet trained.  He also wears a Barbie dress on his head.  At least I don't have to worry about him biting the neighbors.  I think.

4. Instagram photos.  I LOVE.  Words aren't enough.  So, here are some (more) examples.

3. My Crockpot.  I made this, it was awesome.  Wish I had a photo.

Mom's Scalloped Potatoes and Ham (from Simple and Delicious)
10 medium potatoes, thinly sliced (peeled if you so desire)
3 cubs cubed, cooked ham
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 cups shredded cheddar (use sharp cheddar if you really like cheddar)
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 t. paprika
1/4 t. black pepper

In greased slow cooker, layer in potatoes, onions, ham and cheese.  Repeat layers till cooker is full.  Pour soup on top, sprinkle with paprika and pepper.  Cook 8-10 hours on low.

2. Plums.  got some huge, juicy plums this week, and I've been eating them all day long.  Yum.

1. Design-seeds.com.  A-MAZE-ING color inspiration.  Here are a few that are at the top of my list.  See my Pinterest or Design Seeds for more.

Have a beautiful weekend!
~Alyssa~

Sunshine Inspired

It wasn't so long ago, this morning.  It was one of those magical mornings when the sun was streaming through the windows, everyone was in a good mood, and none of us were rushing to get somewhere.  My daughter pulled a small table right into a sunbeam and started drawing, picture after picture.  So I started taking photos, and this one was my favorite:

I added it to this layout, using a circle design that has been in my head for a while.  The Out of Print Collection from Basic Grey was perfect for the design and movement that I wanted to convey.  It ended up stopping a little short of my usual details and layers, but somehow it just felt right for the photo.

Thanks for coming by!  I hope you are leaving inspired to create.
~Alyssa~

Supplies:
Basic Grey Out of Print Papers and Olio Rub-ons
Basic Grey Chipboard alphabet
Basic Grey Micro Mini Alphas "Olivia"
Other: cardstock, buttons

Seeing Grace

Today i woke up to water spilled all over my desk and my nearly completed layout.  Several sheets of precious paper and a sheet of chipboard were ruined, along with several photos (thank goodness for digital images I can reprint!).  Given that A) my day started on this sour note and B) I no longer have that layout to share with you, I decided to instead focus on the lovely day we had yesterday.

So, yesterday we took a break from the typical Monday routine to go visit a precious little one.  Grace is our newest cousin, and adored by all (how could she not be??).  I grabbed these photos during our all-to-brief visit:

In other news, I pretty much wrapped up the July Miss Art's kit (called Eleanor's Garden) by making another layout and 5 (!!) cards last week.  Some of the projects are being submitted for publication, so I can't show them here, but these two I decided to post.  This kit is small, but packs a huge punch for just $16.99!

Thanks for coming by!

~Alyssa~

Sneaky Mommy

A few days ago while we were playing a board game, I picked up my phone and started taking pictures of the kids.  I got a few in before they realized what I was doing.  Then they figured it out and started hamming it up for the camera, and I captured these shots:

Now I just need time to get these on a layout!

Thanks for coming by!
~Alyssa~