I Clicked It Up a Notch | Photography Contest January 2012 & Wordless Wednesday

This is my favorite photo from January 2012. Our weather this winter has been very unusual for the northeastern part of the country. We have had unseasonably warm temperatures and very little snowfall. (I, myself, am not complaining, ha ha). But one can only imagine my girls' insane elation when we FINALLY received our first significant snowfall. 





                                

New Look!

As you can see, I am going for a new look! :D  I have always liked the way photographs look against a black background, but truth be told, I was feeling like it was pretty dark and drab for a blog. Maybe its me ... in the throes of winter. We haven't seen the sun much as of late which probably doesn't help matters. Regardless, I needed a change. So, I did a switch-a-roo, from black to white. Its taking me a few days to get everything switched around, but I'm liking the way its looking.

I "discovered" a way to enlarge my photos or really, what I should say is ... an extremely helpful photographer/blogger "friend" tipped me off. Instead of uploading my photos straight to blogger, I am now uploading to Photobucket. There I can size them to fit my blog. Thank you Alicia for all your help this week!!! You can check her out here at Project Alicia. Her site is great, she shares many helpful tutorials and has awesome freebies. As well, her photos are amazing!

You also might have noticed my cute, little social media buttons on the right-hand side of my blog. I really, really wish I could take credit for designing and making them, but I cannot. While I have only scratched the surface of how to utilize layers and photoshop-type tools, I don't have much more than a clue as to what I'm doing. Instead, I went to Etsy and found Moxietonic. Natalie is incredible to work with and so friendly! She has several options for buttons already, but will work with you and customize your order. I sent her my color combo, placed my order and the buttons were ready the next day, attached to an email with a tutorial on how to install them. She is available for questions and responds very quickly. I would certainly recommend Moxietonic if you are looking to customize your blog or newsletter.

While its been a week filled with much blogging frustration, in the end I feel a sense of satisfaction. I've revamped my site, learned a few important tools and tricks of editing and can now size my photos to fit my site.  I do not yet have a photo banner at the top of this new design as I am having difficulty uploading one to fit the entire width of my blog. (More frustration.) Oh well ... it's all part of the journey! 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a great week! January is almost over, then on to February! We're one day closer to spring!


- tish   xoxo

Project 64: Brown.

I found a great match for this week's color right on my windowsill. This particular vase and the one behind it were special gifts from my best friend. She previously lived in Israel and brought these back for me on one of her return trips to America.  

Wordless Wednesday: Mini shoot with My Girls

My husband bought me a backdrop stand, a black backdrop and remote control for Christmas. After just a little begging, I was able to talk my girls into mini shoot. Though I still need to work on some lighting issues, I was fairly happy with the results ... and we did have a fun time. 

Happy Wordless Wednesday! 

Project 64: Blue Green

My photo this week is a favorite of mine. Its a treasure I bought in Key West last year. 

I'm crazy for jewelry, especially rings, and I love finding a special ring during our travels.

Not So Wordless Wednesday: Our Nephew Got Married

Two weeks ago, my husband and I flew to Texas to celebrate our nephew, J's, wedding to a most wonderful girl ... also J. The rehearsal dinner was a lot of fun - done Texas style - complete with family members sharing wonderful memories and loving words about the couple. 

Family members from left to right - bride and groom's fathers, groom's grandparents with J&J, bride's father and brother. 

Groom's great-grandfather on mother's side and paternal grandfather sharing a moment.

And finally, the big day! The groom awaits his bride.

And the bride just couldn't be any lovlier.

First kiss as husband and wife.

I just love the way she's looking at her father.

The bride's beautiful family.

The groom's family.

The groom's grandparents, also my in-laws.

The facility was gorgeous, everything was absolutely perfect!

My husband and I with friends, S & J.

It was great to catch up with family and friends we haven't seen for awhile as well as meet and get to know some of the sweetest people ever!

The bride and groom made their exit through cheers and sparklers. 

Welcome to the family J! And congratulations to both of you!! We are so glad to have shared in this very special wedding celebration! 

i heart faces: Family Fun

These sweet siblings are never short on fun, but boy, when that camera came out, the silliness really began. Big brother and his younger twin sisters were a lot of fun to photograph!

Project 64: Strawberry.

So nothing like being last minute! But ... between a whirlwind trip to Texas for a family wedding last weekend and recovering from a miserable cold, I almost forgot to post my entry for Project 64 this week. You wouldn't think it would be so hard to find something strawberry-colored in our home, but yep, it was. I finally found my match as I rooted through our bottles of nail polish. So, here is my last minute entry. 

i heart faces: best face photo from 2011

"The eyes are the window to the soul."   - English Proverb

I Heart Faces is celebrating their third anniversary! The theme they chose for this week is best face photo from 2011.  I was excited to enter and knew right away this was the photo I wanted to enter.  

I love this photo - her eyes capture her bright spirit and love of life. 

Project 64: Green.

 After a holiday hiatus, we are back on at Project 64. 

This week's color (week 50, if you can believe it) - Green!

Here are a few leftover green sprinkles from Christmas. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! 
Make 2012 great!!! 

Teresa, Missy and Mallory

You may remember I met Mallory earlier this year. She is an incredible musician/singer/songwriter in our area whom I've had the wonderful privilege of getting to know better as I photographed her both individually and then with her band, Mal Scoppa and the Tall Tales. 

Before Christmas, her mother contacted me to schedule a session with herself, Mallory and 

her other daughter, Missy. I was thrilled to be able to meet the other ladies in this family and 

I was certainly not disappointed. They are three wonderfully sweet ladies, all three gorgeous 

and extremely photogenic! 

I should note that all the jewelry the ladies are wearing was designed and created by 

Missy. She is a very talented jewelry designer and metalsmith. You can check out her work here 

and here.  Mom sure does have so much to be proud of! 

These three certainly know how to have fun together! It was such an enjoyable shoot! 

Thank you!