happy birthday sweet potato

got an early 30th birthday/5th anniversary present for my hubby yesterday (something he's been asking for for several years). two significant events that will both occur in july when i am states away. one of the best parts of giving a gift is seeing the recipient enjoy it :) i'll be thinking of you this summer, you better practice up!

the weekend

i was taking some photos of this old upright piano at my m-i-l's house this weekend when she offered up a wide-angle lens. she had brought in an old minolta slr camera with 3 lenses. they are not compatable with my canon but because it is a 35mm camera i took it home to mess around with. it will first need a good cleaning before i can put any film in it but i was able to capture images of the camera.

she then proceeded to get out some old kodak cameras from my husband's great-grandma. one of them was broken enough that we could not extend the lens out. there was even and old pin-hole camera made almost completely out of cardboard. i really enjoyed looking at these old cameras and taking photos of them. the old piano served as a perfect backdrop.

hope you had a nice weekend!

quilt top

finished my quilt top today. i'll be working on the back sometime in the next week and quilting it at the end of the month. i'm not in love with it right now because it has a lot of white in it. in know that it will turn out pretty in the end after i quilt it with grey thread and add the blue binding. i was going for a blue and yellow quilt with a little green, pink, and grey in it. i used a pattern from a magazine for the sizing and it is about the size for a twin bed but it seems long and skinny... could be the way the blocks turned out. i sewed random 9 patches out of 2.5" squares.

also learned how to use my flash, external flash that is. i know i still have a lot to learn about it becase there's just as many buttons on the flash as there are on my camera but i know how to get it to flash and take a picture at the same time now :) thought i'd show a comparison of a flash photo (with cute bokeh reflection off my glasses sitting on the table) and a no flash photo.

leaving for montana in 4.5 weeks, won't you come along on my journey? i'll be here at laura's birdnest as my adventure unfolds. this blog will probably morph into a photography blog by default but i'll come back to sewing in the fall.

things about this summer...

with our recent, unseasonably warm april weather (85 degrees today!) i've been looking ahead to summer quite a bit. there are many things i am really excited about for this summer and with those, there are things i am not looking forward to.

after much stress, deliberation, and research i have found myself on a new life path that will take me on many adventures to come. after doing a bit of self-searching i realized that although i liked the artistic design and working with clients part of interior design, it's not really where i see myself growing right now. and for the last 10 months or so, most everything i've done has revolved around taking photos. i make sewing projects so that i can photograph them, i photograph family when visiting, i set up vingettes in the house to photograph. which makes me believe i am probably only half-crazy about my upcoming adventures....

i am really excited about:

-studying photography at RMSP

-riding my bike EVERYWHERE this summer (including the grocery store and evening activities)

-getting into a scheduled routine

-meeting new people

-spending time away from the city

-visiting no less than 3 national parks

not so excited about:

-leaving my hubby, dog, and family for 12 weeks

-living in somebody else's home

-driving 23 hours there and 23 hours home

-driving in mountains (yikes!)

say cheese

today i made this cute little camera charm. i just printed it from the computer, put tape on it, placed it in the bottom of the charm, and filled with jewlery resin. i think it turned out pretty cute. i'm also moving along on my quilt... photos soon.

sewed up some 9 patches from joel dewberry's deer valley line for a collaborative quilt i'm helping with. i also cleaned the bathrooms, did laundry and dishes, went to the library, returned a movie, and now i'm cutting out my next quilt.

hope you're having a good weekend so far!

just us girls

just me and penny around these parts this weekend. we'll probably run some errands and rent a movie, maybe sew a little. i really should clean the bathrooms.... now i have an hour to shower and get the house clean enough for a showing, blah.

spring!

went out and found spring today. it was beautiful outside. i love all the spring colors. the grass turned green over the weekend from the warm temps and rain. i'm loving the pretty bokeh from the new 24-70 lens :)

i've decided if i ever have a house that requires painting i'm going to paint it this color blue, with white trim. i love the colors in this photo, the blue house, white trim, yellow forsythia, grass green, and pink magnolias. i may just use this color palette for a new quilt.

and happy bench monday!

happy easter

hope you had a good easter weekend. we spent time with family, went on a bike ride (in 20 mph wind) and interupted another family's easter celebration so i could take this photo of their beautiful clydesdale, rose. doesn't she have the greatest red barn home? she lives next door to goats and chickens :)