CSN Stores Review

Has it really been almost 2 months since I said I was going to shop at CSN Stores?  I always have one small problem - making a decision!  The inventory is so huge and I have a great time looking and trying to narrow down my list. This time, I picked from both my "wants" and "needs." In the "wants" category was a LeapFrog fridge magnetic toy.  Dylan loves playing with the magnets on our fridge (off, on, rearranging) and had fun with...

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playground fun

Dylan (navy shirt) and a couple of his buddies having fun at the park last week: Supplies: Gennifer Bursett's Blueprint #4 template; Karen Funk's Bloom kit; Sara Schumtz's Colorwheel papers; Audacious Designs's Good Dog alpha; Batik regular and Arial fon...

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Shoot and Edit: Green

I took this photo in the Butterfly House at the Life + Science Museum in Durham a few weeks ago: ISO 400, ss 1/60, f5.6 Join in the fun with Jill Samter Photography and Ramblings and Photos...

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Shoot and Edit: Flowers edit

I spent a bit of time last night playing around with multiple edits for my flower shot this week.  I knew starting out that I wanted to warm up the photo.  Although the flowers are from a plum tree, they are more pink in real life.  The SOOC shot had too much purple and gray. First I tried my hand at editing it using many of the same steps I've used in the past few weeks. For the second edit, I started off the same as the first...

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Cookie Monster Pillow

The first friend in Dylan's playgroup celebrated his 2nd birthday last week.  I'm still in shock.  It seems like it wasn't that long ago all of us mommies were pregnant (well, the first time around - some just were/are now - no, not me!). The theme for his party was Cookie Monster and he definitely has a love for the blue, furry friend.  Normally I steer clear of the party theme for the gift, but this time ... well, I had a crazy idea...

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Pinterest addiction

As if I needed another addiction ... totally loving Pinterest.  So much inspiration for everything from crafty fun to decorating to recipes and I can pin it to my own virtual boards to refer to later.  Love it.  Find my pins here. ...

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Shoot and Edit: Flowers

I took this photo just over two weeks ago in prep for this week's theme, flowers.  Always my first sign that spring is upon us - I love these pink flowers on the plum tree in our front yard.  They suddenly appear.  Cover the entire tree.  Then just as suddenly are gone as the purple leaves fill in.  Only a few flowers remain this morning and they will most likely be gone by the time I share my edit. ISO 100, ss 1/320,...

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Shoot and Edit: Yellow edit

I had a lot of fun playing with this little ducky.  I love his worn look and am really happy with how the edit came out. Here are my steps ... Levels - set white and black points.  Adjusted input and output levels until they "looked" right. Duplicated background layer and used high pass filter. New adjustment layer - curves.   Merged all layers. Duplicated background layer and applied Gaussian Blur. New adjustment layer - levels. ...

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Art Smock

Over Christmas while digging through the final couple of boxes of "stuff" I have stored at my mom's house, I came across my childhood art smock.  Neither Mom or I can recall the origins but the story that it was made by me (possibly during the 4-H sewing class I took) seems to make the most sense.  Especially when you factor in that one tie was longer than the other! ha! The smock had seen better days.  A few of the stitches were...

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Natural Science Center of Greensboro

My Dad & I took Dylan to the Natural Science Center of Greensboro on Monday.  The last time we went was when he took my sister and me when we were kids.  It was fun to see the changes and enjoy the fun through Dylan's eyes.  Oh the good time he had!  We'll definitely have to visit again on a future trip to Greensboro. Supplies: Simply Tiffany Lefty Righty 9 template (used left side only); Miss Mint's Craft Jar, Kindergarten...

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Shoot and Edit: Yellow

I check the list for upcoming Shoot and Edit themes to help me start thinking of shots I want to take.  This duck teeter totter at a local park caught my eye last month for the yellow challenge.  I took a photo then with my DSLR but wasn't too thrilled with it.  Harsh lighting was part of the reason.  Yesterday we were back at the same park, later in the day and I snapped a few photos with my point & shoot for fun.  When...

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Etsy Treasury Feature

I was thrilled yesterday to see the newest addition to my Etsy shop was featured in Baby Boys Baby Blues treasury by leenieb1233.  I just began adding crayon rolls to my shop after getting requests following the one I made recently for Dylan.  My Leaf Print Crayon Roll is the far left in the 3rd row...

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Shoot and Edit: Spring edit

I did not realize how dull and faded my SOOC shot was until I began to edit it.  I looked back into my previous Shoot and Edit posts to help guide me.  Here's the path I took to get to my final (and much more exciting) photo ... Levels - set white and black points.  Adjusted input and output levels until they "looked" right. Duplicated background layer and used high pass filter. New adjustment layer - curves.   Merged all...

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Shamrock Art

We were excited to participate in our usual Thursday playgroup today.  Dylan & I have missed the last two weeks due to other adventures.  Today we joined our friends for art and lunch at Allison's house.  She found a great idea online for a Tissue Paper Shamrock Craft.  It turned out to be the perfect, quick craft that entertained 4 toddlers and resulted in very little mess (a huge plus all around!). I printed the shamrock...

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sandy toes

Earlier this week, I bought a digital template from my good friend, Laura.  I finally had a chance to play with it yesterday.  Seems Dylan's sandy toes were still on my mind from Monday's Shoot and Edit post.  I grabbed that shot plus two more, did a few edits and dropped them into the template. Supplies: First Parade template from Laura Edwards Design; Ellie Lash's Detour kit; Kitty Designs's Cherish kit; Stamp Act and Arial f...

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Shoot and Edit: Spring

This is spring to me ... cool enough to still wear your favorite pair of jeans, but warm enough to go barefoot in the sand box.  :) ISO 400, ss 1/1000, f5.3 Join in the fun with Jill Samter Photography and Ramblings and Photos...

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Camera Strap Cover

In between projects, I picked out fabric and sewed a little treat for myself - a camera strap cover.  I wanted something pretty to cover up the blaring yellow "Nikon" and pad the strap a bit making it more comfortable on my neck. I used this tutorial by Priddy Creations on Everything Etsy and adjusted the measurements slightly to fit my strap. Supplies: fabrics - Central Park by Kate Spain for Moda (floral) and unknown (light purple solid);...

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Tea & Trucks Baby Shower

I am very blessed to have made wonderful friends during a prenatal water aerobics class I took two years ago.  Six of us have maintained a close friendship and playgroup with as many of us as possible getting together at least once a week.  Altogether we began this adventure with 5 boys and 1 girl.   2011 is bringing at least 2 more little boys to the group with one little one making his arrival almost two weeks ago and another...

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