Saturday, March 30, 2013

Saturday Link List: the March tutorials edition

Welcome to my Saturday Link List!  I've put together a wide variety of great craft tutorials for you.  Enjoy!



 







If you're still looking for more craft tutorials, check out the crafty articles that I put together last month.


Create your own link list and grab a button for your post or simply spread the word on your blog.
Saturday Link List

Did I feature your work here?  Grab a button for your blog or web site!
Saturday Link List



Did you use one of the resources, tutorials, or recipes from my link list?  Leave me a link in the comments or send me an e-mail (randomcreative28@gmail.com) with your photos and stories.  I would love to post them here.

Get a sneak peek at the new tutorials I've been looking at this month on my Misc. DIY Tutorials - March 2013 Pinterest board.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Mitchell Park Domes Conservatory revisited

When it snows three inches right before the first official day of spring (covering the several inches of snow still on the ground), you take a little trip to the conservatory. Enough said.





If you have an SLR and you've never tried shooting in black and white, I highly recommend it. It's rare that I take photos without shooting a few in black and white anymore, even just around the house.


This is one of my new favorite compositions. I put together something similar with a railing by a beach this winter.

This is another one of my favorite compositions these days. You can see another example that I did at the zoo.


 



I did a few Photoshop edits with this set. I have a couple more ideas, but this is what I've put together for now.

My original plan was a turquoise and red color palette (surprise, right?), but my first few attempts were way too harsh so I moved to pink instead.

Once I had the airbrush technique down for the above shot, I gave the red another try. I kept it really light in the background and still let the pink dominate in the flowers. I will figure out how to do a more bold turquoise and red edit at some point that doesn't look ridiculously cartoonish, but I love this result, too.

How are you coping with the extended winter weather this year?

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

turning 30

The final year of this decade started with a few really rough months, but it's ended well. Overall this has been a pretty amazing decade.

I completed my undergraduate and graduate degrees, got married, lived in four states, taught special education for four years, started a freelance writing career, bought and sold a condo, bought a house, and adopted three cats.

There have been a lot of hard times along the way. I am really grateful that I am done with having a long distance relationship, that Jake is done with med school and intern year, and that we live in a place that feels like home again where we have a lot of family and friends. There are plenty of things that still aren't easy, but I'm happier and less stressed than I've been in quite a long time.

When I turned 20, I didn't know what I thought about much of anything. I certainly don't have everything figured out, but I have a lot of confidence about my beliefs and opinions now.

I have a lot more confidence about myself in general, too.

I have furthered my writing, jewelry making, and photography skills more than I ever thought possible. I'm sure that if you showed my 20 year old self the pieces that I've produced during the past couple years, I would not have believed that I did any of that work.

Whether or not I ever go back to teaching, I am not sorry that I got the degrees that I did. My academic career and experience teaching played a huge role in shaping who I am today. A large part of why I feel confident putting myself out there as a professional writer and artist is because of that background and expertise.

A couple months ago, I put together a five year plan of sorts with goals for each year. I highly recommend this exercise to anyone. During the past couple years, I've avoided this topic with many people and made a lot of excuses about why I haven't done something like that because things in my life haven't always gone the way I planned. It's nice to be at a point in my life where I can start moving past some of that and finding a balance between living for today and making my own long-term goals a priority.

Turning 30 feels a lot better than turning 20. I'm excited about what this next decade in my life holds.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

kitten cell phone round up

Welcome to another installment of kitten cell phone photos!


Do you remember how both kitties used to fit in the sink? It doesn't seem like that long ago, does it? They have grown so quickly! Apollo loves to chill in both the tub and the sinks, whether or not there is water.



Both cats often prefer to sit in this position in our laps while we're working on the computer instead of laying down.



Helper cat.


Another great helping moment.

Apparently some cats love empty soda boxes. Our kittens fall into this category.



Apollo loves to help with any and all things involving making the bed, changing the bedding, folding laundry, and putting away laundry. He sat in the basket while I folded and stacked this entire load of towels and then "rode" in it downstairs where I put them away.




I swear that I do not put my cats in these poses in order to take funny pictures. They do this all on their own. Also, this picture really needs a caption. I'm open to suggestions.


What have your cats been up to lately?

Where I Linked Up Today:
 Treasury Tuesday