yay...

I had big hopes of announcing the winner to this FANTASTIC giveaway in a totally cool and creative way like I have seen other's do..

BUT

I woke up feeling yucky, sore throat, body aches.  NOT.GOOD.

I have big plans this weekend and I.CAN.NOT.BE.SICK!

so I am going back to bed...

BUT

first, I have some exciting news to announce!

AND.THE.WINNER.IS

growing a butterfly {email me girl and we will get you hooked up}

via

thanks so much for all the love with this giveaway.. I would say it was SUCCESSFUL and can't wait to do another one!

cheers to 1000 fans | GIVEAWAY...

1000 facebook fans... I feel so loved!  and to show you how much...
I have a sweet little giveaway here for ya! 

lots of lovelies from some of my fave handmade shops...

first up...

ThE pInK jElLyBeAn {that's me}

offering a $25 store credit to use on anything in the store...   I love my peeps!
 {the store is on vacation until the beginning of next week... getting ready for fall!!}

WiLd HoNeY DeSiGnS
this shop, oh my, you must check out... she offers some of the {COOLEST} scrap books I have seen.  My fave, the name books...

name flip scrapbook

perfect for photo's

summer scrapbook

and Wild Honey Designs is kindly giving you a name book with a word of your choice {your kid's name, Love, Summer ~some of my faves}

eLiSsA hUdSoN iLlUsTrAtIoN
I {heart} her work... love her prints, and her style!  It is so hard to choose just one, so maybe I will take one of each...


you are my sunshine print

 

my personal fave

illustrated alphabet

Elissa Hudson Illustration is giving you any print of your choice in her etsy shop {excluding custom}...

check her out friends...

shop | blog | facebook

AlL tHaT sAsS

this store has the sweetest bling for your little... the minute I saw her necklaces, I knew I had to have one for miss presley... every little girl loves to dress up and feel pretty, and every mom loves those girly photo props...

All That Sass is giving you any 1 necklace of your choice... you will fall in love with this little store,
just like I did...

shop | facebook

KnOtS

this sweet little shop offers the cutest of headbands and photo props... I am in love with her work and her shop is stunning!  from newborns to adults, this shop has something to accessorize everyone, including boys! {yay}

Knots is giving you her newest item {the bowtie}.  You can get one for your little man and one for your little lady.  so, you get a chance at 2 bow tie's, either one boy and one girl {on a headband or a clip} or 2 girly one's.. or even 2 for both your little guy's. how fun is that?

shop | blog | facebook

A pErFeCt TrEaSuRe

my sweet little friend Karen, has the cutest little shop... she hand stitches all of her designs, using the softest minky... perfect for little's, keeping them so cuddly... she offers the most perfect girl designs and handsome little fella designs... you better believe Presley Jane has several of these.. they wash perfect and look so adorable!

peace sign tank top

burp cloth | perfect gift idea

rockstar guitar onesie

Miss Karen is giving one lucky reader a $20 store credit to use on anything in her store... check her out!  you will love her designs... I know how much we do!

shop | blog | facebook

LoVe TeEnY dEsIgNs

this shop takes the essentials and makes them styling... love her diaper wipe cases ... and must get one in my diaper bag asap!

cream and black wipes case

my personal fave

Love Teeny Designs is giving you 1 of their adorable wipes case's.. you choose which one!  Sa-weet!!

facebook | shop

ThE sNoOtIe PiG

huge fan of this store and her funky headbands, perfect for pictures or everyday wear, and I may be eyeing a few for even myself {yep, not ashamed}.  I love her style, from her fun, oversized flowers to her classic flower trio's, this lady is rockin the headband biz!

I {heart} this lime green flower on the brown lacey headband

for me?  yes please!

newborn photos, omgee!

The Snootie Pig is giving you $15 store credit to use however you'd like... but how do you choose ??  check this one out friends!

shop | facebook

FoRtY tOeS pHoToGrApHy

my lovely friend Jenn has a truly amazing thing going!  1. she takes amazing photos and is sought out by TONS of designers {myself included} to take pictures of our designs 2.  she has an adorable little that is again sought out my TONS of designers {yep, me too} to model their designs... Jenn knows all of the best designers and I would just LOVE to take a peak in her daughter's closet... oh and did I mention, she also has her own shop? yes, she is amazing! check out her blog for inspiration, good photography, and if you love to win stuff, your in the right place.  Jenn, hosts giveaways all the time for you!  {and it's good stuff too}



see what I mean?



Jenn is giving you 2  months on advertising spots on her blog {a 50 dollar value}for FREE.  want to grow your business? increase views to your etsy? blog?  then you definitely will want to win this!

blog | facebook

JeSsIcA n DeSiGnS

this store, rocks my world.  I am in love with these cake servers, perfect for any wedding... or how about beautiful bracelets, yep, on my must have list!  Jessica has a creative little blog  as well, where she offers inspiration as well as posts involving her adorable family and shop.  MUST check out!

hello love spoon

personalized hand stamped bracelet



you are loved necklace



Miss Jessica is giving you a personalized hand stamped bracelet custom for you ...

shop | blog | facebook

Here's the skinny... to enter you must be a follower of this here blog... leave a comment telling me that you are and how excited you would be to win all this loot {yay}

for extra entries, show some love to all my peeps by liking or following their pages {linked below}, then leave a separate comment for each thing you do! 

I am not very good at math but I think, yep, it is, that's 10 possible entries..  ok friends, this giveaway will close Tuesday August 30 at 8 pm central ... are you ready?? get set... GO!

all that sass

elissa hudson illustration

knots

wild honey designs

a perfect treasure

love teeny designs

the snootie pig

Jessica N Designs
forty toes photography

Fountain Fun...

the mister took a little vaycay time last week and presley and I had so much fun doing fun things with him.  we decided to head up to crown center and visit Fritz's {the train restaurant} as well as Science City at Union Station!  we had a ton of fun and presley litterally ran herself tired!  my fave part of the day, we went to the fountains at crown center!  in all my years in Kansas City, I have never played in the fountains... but so glad we decided to try it out!  it was a blast!

and.. having daddy with us, meant that mommy got to be in a few pics..

linking up with the lovely emily for embrace the camera. 

I heart dr. pepper

just for fun.. I typed "dr pepper" into the ole' search on pinterest... here's what I came up with!  gave me a laugh, and perhaps all you dr. pepper peep's, 
will enjoy this post as much as me!

true? possibly!

dr pepper bbq sauce?



dr pepper cake! oh.my



yes, love me some dr pepper

have a lovely day friends! 

week 11: your daily environment

wrapping up these basic photog classes.  I can't believe how much I have learned and how much better I am with my camera.  thanks for following along too!

this week, your daily environment, is a great way to practice all we have learned and to also remind us that as we seek great things to photograph, the best may actually be right in front of us.  something we overlook everyday as ordinary but holds a special sentimental value and is memory should be preserved.

ok, so check out today's content here and I have an awesome mommy-ographer her today to offer some tips!  when I read today's lesson, I knew right away who I wanted to guest blog for us.  she is a master at at capturing her daily environment, and guess what? she started out just like us.  with these basic 12 week lessons.  so inspired by her photography!  ok, ok, friends.

introducing, zoe...  tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am a wife to a wonderful husband, a mommy to two awesome littles, and a working-stay at home mom. (That means I work 8 hours a week, as a nurse, taking care of other mommies and their babies.) I have the best of both worlds! 

how did your relationship with photography get started? how do you use photography in your everyday life??
My actual relationship with photography started when my son was born.  I wanted to capture every little detail from his wrinkly piggies to the way his little mouth curled down when he slept. How he slept through all those flashes I will never know!  As adorable as those pictures were, they weren't the quality of pictures I wanted, so I purchased my first DSLR and then the obsession/hobby really started!

 
I love the way pictures tell stories. That's why I don't take one picture of my daughter playing in the sand, I take about 40.  I could take one really great, perfectly exposed, perfectly composed shot of her by the sandbox, but it doesn't show how she crinkles her nose when she buries her hands in the sand or how she giggles when the sand falls through her tiny fingers, or the pile of sand she leaves on the ground.  I want the whole story! 

 .

any advice to those of us who are just using a dslr camera for the first time?
Take pictures of everything!  Carry your camera everywhere to get comfortable with it.  

A couple of years ago I started doing the Project 365. I still do it instead of a scrapbook for my littles.  I will take a picture of anything! A favorite chair, their left over sandwich with a little bite mark out of it (love), a pile of train tracks dumped on the floor.  Whatever is symbolic of them, even if they're not in it. To me, those are the precious little memories I don't want to forget. It also is a great way to get used to the camera because you have to use it at least once a day

any insights to today's lesson?

how as a mom, nurse, wife do you find time to take such great pictures of your family and have such adorable pics on your bloggie?
I'm in love with candid shots. I prefer my kids not look at me too much when I'm taking pictures of them. I don't want the "Cheese" smile, I want the little smirks they give when they don't know I'm watching. So that being said, I don't often pose pictures. It just takes a few seconds to snap a couple of pictures while playing with your kids.  And of course, it helps that they are adorable!

 and then any other advice you may want to add!!!
 Be sure to get in front of the camera every now and then.

 
and there you have it, great advice, great pictures!  stop by and check out zoe's blog where you will find some cute little kiddo's and great humor!  make sure and say hi!

I L.O.V.E. today's lesson! I love the candid shots,especially of kids.