Merry Christmas!

by | Dec 25, 2008

Well, I just finished wrapping the last of my presents from Santa.. (No small feat!) Now I am headed off to bed so I can enjoy a rich day of opening gifts and all the excitiment that goes along with it..

I am feeling pretty good tonight. I finally caught up on the last episode of Dexter. (nothing like watching back to back episodes of Dexter to get you into the Christmas spirit ;) It took me 1 complete episode to put all of the presents together, (not so good with the screws and screwdriver) then 2 episodes to get everything wrapped. I guess 3 hours flying solo is not too shabby though :)

As I look around me at all that we have been blessed with, I am just feeling really lucky. I have learned that while life can be very unpredictable, it is also still pretty amazing. Sometimes it is difficult to accept change when it seems to be forced upon you, but I have really found peace in learning to let go of the things I have no control in changing. In letting go, I am finding joy. Honestly, I didn’t think I would be here so soon.

I wish you all a very Merry Holiday Season. Thank you so much for your love and support!
~M

 

A Little Scrap Therapy

by | Oct 15, 2008

Hello lovely blog readers.

Just a little scrap therapy today.

I scrapped a new layout today of my little cuties with their new little cutie, Minnie.

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Everything here from my new (paper) release with Fancy Pants Designs, Splendid. FP has two new lines that they will be debuting TONIGHT :) And not that I am partial or anything,  but they are yummy :)

Also in response to everyone’s emails and notes :)

I am doing well.  Things are looking up. Thank you so much for your kind thoughts and notes.

Happy Wednesday!
~M

I’ve been bitten

by | Sep 2, 2008

Back from the Creative Photography Retreat last weekend. WOW. Was I ever impressed!! It was truly fabulous. The teachers and the event overall was just phenomenal!! If you were trying to decide whether you should attend or not, GO! It is well worth the money and it was a BLAST!  I doesn’t even matter what level you feel your photography is at, if you are more advanced, or just starting out, you will walk away completely inspired.

Here is just one of my favorite images I took from the weekend. To me, it really sums up just how much fun I had :) The assignment was to take a picture of something retro…

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LOL, it just makes me smile :)  From Left to right: Lori, Andrea, Tana and Melody.  Melody was new to our little group, and we all had SO MUCH FUN!

So, I am still to get back into the swing of things.. Seems as I have a little problem though..  Just Two Words.

Stephenie. Meyer.

Yeah, I’ve been bitten. I held off for pretty long though!! Remarkably long actually since I LOVE vampire books. (go Anne Rice!)

I started reading Twilight on the airplane to San Jose, (ignoring Lori completely no less) didn’t have much time to read at the event, but read again on the way home (sorry Lori!)  Read more last night and took a mental health day today ;) to finish the second book.. LUCKILY, when I was at the book store purchasing the second book, I also grabbed the third. As I was walking to the counter with both books under my arms I could feel the stares I was getting.. Poor girl, they must have thought. She doesn’t stand a chance.

And I didn’t . But I am loving every moment of it.. Trying to get a little bit accomplished today so that tonight, after the girls are in bed, I can snuggle up to the third book until my eyes will  no longer stay open :) AHHH.

So, please forgive me if I don’t have quite as many goodies in the store for our sale. I promise to have SOMETHING :) I am also trying to juggle some Fancy Pants deadlines, as well as various other projects.. So we shall see how well I fare.

Wish me luck!!

CD Really cracks the whip…

by | Aug 20, 2008

That CD is one tough cookie! ;) She really cracks the whip!  :)

No, really, she is such a sweetie and we had so much fun having her stay with us. My girls just adore her and they feel like it’s just a big party. (and it usually is!) We’ve been working so hard preparing our classes for Europe, they are really going to be amazing! France is probably the only stop on our tour that  I will be teaching fully digital classes, all other locations will be hybrid and traditional because as far as I know there are no computer labs.. However, if there is enough interest (and people bring their laptops!) I am sure we can do more digital classes in all locations.

I will post all cities and locations as soon as I can. We are still firming up all the dates. But the main one will be in France, Versailles actually. October 10th, 11th and 12th. Our classes haven’t been posted yet, but you can register at:Paper and Co Show.

So.. Like I said, I had a blast with CD here, One night we popped over to CKU Provo for a bit, and met up with Lisa Bearnson. She was so sweet, just like a girlfriend that you have known forever.  We started talking and realized that we literally lived around the block from each other.  A few nights later, CD and I were working late and I get this phone call. I am thinking WHO would be calling me at 10:30 at night?? I look on the phone and it’s Lisa :) She wanted to bring us chocolate and she asked if she could get us some drinks or something.  We told her to bring us lattes, and she was so cute, She was like, What’s a latte?? LOL!  Being from Utah and all, she wasn’t sure what a latte was..  She ended up bringing us some yummy frappuccinos from Starbucks and the best java ice cream I have EVER had!

It was just so funny though, because I am on the phone with Lisa, and I am giving her my address and CD immediately pops up and starts cleaning my house. We had been working all day and it was truly a sight to behold..  But hanging out with Lisa and her sweet friend Cherie was really great! Loved having them over :)

So in other news.. I did finally finish up my You Say I’m A Dreamer set :) I scrapped one of my all time favorite photos of the girls.. It’s just FUN :)

BLFUN

I also have a new photo action out (yeah new stuff!) But I am about to go silent for a while, I have a new line with FP that I have to finish up in the next week, classes to finish planning, and Paul is about ready to take off on another adventure of his own.. He will be climbing Mt. Rainer next week :)  I am also getting ready for Little Dreamer’s semi annual sale..  It will start September 15th.. And there should be some yummy new FALL goodies from me in the shoppe :)

So I better get crackin! :)  NIGHT!

Serious Blog Hijack

by | Aug 14, 2008

Hello there peeps!
This is Michelle’s friend, CD, guest posting to tell you why she hasn’t been around and most importantly why she hasn’t yet released that adorable pack you see below.
Well you see, the problem really is me….it seriously is.
I
have
kidnapped her.
yeppers people,
I am holding your beloved Michelle and all of her talent hostage.
You possibly are sitting there right now thinking that I am a total dork and just kidding around, but I kid you not.
I am right now sitting in Michelle’s adorable newly painted office in her lovely home and I have made it my mission to take up as much of her time as I possibly can.
Want proof? fine
here’s my view from where I sit:

shells+office+peek

 
yumm, isn’t that just the best blue that walls could possibly be? it is WAY conducive to creative thinking. Oh and Speaking of creative thinking my little friend Brenna and I had a great chance to sit together and get creative the other morning. She is such a special person, I really enjoy taking time with her.

brenna+painting

Vanilla tea is being consumed on a nightly basis, yummy homemade crepes, popcorn and pizza have been made, we are laughing far too loud at times ending in AM and waking her kids up, and most importantly there is some SERIOUS creative messing going on folks! It is not all fun and giggles out here, we have been creating for over a week and the results will be knock -your-socks-off RAD!!!

I have asked Michelle to team up with me on my next Europe tour in October and I just can’t wait to share with everyone what we have been cooking up.

That’s the scoop
Please be patient with me and I will soon return her to you :)
Peace out,

CD Muckosky

Can’t focus today…

by | Jun 27, 2008

I am sure it has something to do with the fact that all the contents of my former office are now residing in my living room.  Piles of product and magazines, books and well, just STUFF.. All over my house.  See, I had intentions of painting my office the perfect shade of blue. (Aqua blue!) I tore it completely apart after we got back from Jackson, have the room all taped off and ready to paint then I took a little tumble down my hill in the back and I just haven’t been able to get to it yet!! The mess is really messing with my mojo..   I am hoping to get it painted tomorrow, so I can re-claim my life ;)

Thank you to everyone for your comments on my new logo design! :) I really appreciated the feedback. I have decided on a final design. (For now anyway!) I may end up changing it as I go on, but this one should stick for a little while :) And I *think*  I am ready to debut my Photo website.  (Little Nervous!)  It’s still very much a work in progress..  BUT..

You can take a peek here :)
http://www.littledreamerstudio.com

And just a word here. I am still looking to book  2 or 3 more  sessions at my portfolio builder rate (Un-heard of rate of $50!) If you are interested in scheduling a session please contact me! :)

A note on our caterpillars. They have all hatched? metamorphosed? into butterflies. We kept them around a bit so we could observe them and the girls released them today :)

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All in all it was a good experience, the girls really loved their little critters, we’ll probably do it again next summer.

I had a great photo session last night with the fabulous Jodi of Fancy Pants Designs. We did a few family photos but mostly some singles of her cute little kiddos. I will get those posted tomorrow :) Or, you can take a peak at a few by looking at my latest gallery on my photo site :)  NIGHT!

 

Took a little spill today…

by | Jun 20, 2008

I was setting up the slip and slide for the girls today. Being the first day of Summer we wanted to celebrate a little by playing in the water and having some fun. I couldn’t get the placement right on our little hill. We wanted to have a slide that the girls could just sit down and slide on because they didn’t like running and diving.  We have a nice hill in the backyard, We used it for sledding in the winter :)  Well, as I was trying to move the slide, I slipped. (*Note to self: Do not move Slip and Slide while water is stil runing) I landed flat on my back and as I went down I heard a nice little *POP*. Great. I totally jacked up my ankle. I can’t put any pressure on it at all.  You should have seen me trying to crawl back up my hill. (Apprently I am not a very gracefull hopper. )   So that was fun :) I am icing it and praying that I can walk on it this weekend..  I’ve got people to see, things to do ;)

I did have to laugh out loud though when I checked my email this afternoon. Lorynn (my four year old) has comendeared my laptop. Her favorite thing to play on it is is Photo Booth.  A.K.A> Funny Pictures..  I guess Brenna showed her how to email them, because this was what I found in my inbox::

MyPicture01

MyPicture4

MyPicture02

MyPicture

MyPicture5

 Not sure what’s funnier, the fact that she copied her dad, myself and Brenna on the email, or the pictures themselves ;)

Hopefully these emails were also not inadvertently sent to anyone else..

Feeling Refreshed

by | Jun 18, 2008

So we are back from a very gorgeous trip to Jackson Hole. It was magnificent! And I am feeling completely refreshed. So much so, that the first thing I did when I got home was to tear my office apart :) From the day  we moved in, I have wanted to paint my office the perfect shade of blue. Since it will be a YEAR soon! I figured, it’s now or never. Currently, my computer and the former contents of my office all reside in my dinning room. Yep, it’s a mess. But I am so excited to re-do my office space :) (photos soon to follow)

So, Jackson. Wow..IMG_0298

And I thought MY mountains were beautiful.

IMG_0314MAN!

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We saw a TON of wildlife!
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Of course I had to break out the skirts ;)
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Yep, that’s snow!
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 One of my favorite shots :)
We really did have a great time. Just hung out, did some hiking, a little boat trip across Jenny Lake to hike to Inspiration Point, of course some photography, and lots of swimming. We went out on an early morning float trip down the Snake River, and that was pretty cool. Lorynn wanted more ‘rapids’ though. That girl is fearless..
Thank you all for your kind thoughts on Lorynn getting her first set of specs. I think I am over the shock of it now.. Will tackle that job later this week ;)

Can’t focus today…

by | Jun 18, 2008

I have been having such a hard time focusing on design today. My mind keeps moving over to photography. I feel like I have spent the last 24 hours surfing the internet finding some of my favorite photographers. Man, there is a lot of talent out there!! I have a running list of favorites, but some new ones I found that just AWE me are:

Peta Mazey

Kate Powers

Amy Parrish

Just to name a few ;)
I think I am just anxious. Tomorrow evening is one of my first REAL gigs.  Three babies under the age of two.. YEP. I may be a glutton for punishment. So today, I really tried to be productive and work on the designs I was supposed to be working on.  But I just couldn’t get this upcoming session out of my head. Tonight I brought the girls to the location I am going to be shooting tomorrow for some test shots. (I know, I should just chill, right??)

_MG_0806 _MG_0808_MG_0852_MG_0885 _MG_0956

We were only out for about an hour and I got quite a few great shots of them, so that at least restored some of my confidence a bit :) I was using my 85 MM 1.2, but I am not sure if it will work the same for moving babies..  We shall see.. Bringing back-up lenses just in case ;)

And on the caterpillar front. Yikes. Turns out we need a little practice with these too.. Out of the 30 caterpillars only 16 have lived. We have moved the chrysalises  into the pop up habitat and now we wait for 7-10 days for them to emerge.  Even though nearly half of the little buggers didn’t make it, the girls are still really enjoying watching them and taking care of them. I will keep you updated! :)

Now, off to actually get some designing done today.

Ready, set, GO!

A Little Blue Today…

by | Jun 12, 2008

Damn. Turns out my husband and I have passed our bad eye genes on to child #2.

Apparently she has pretty bad astigmatism in both eyes. She will need glasses.  It kind of makes me sad. Both my babies in glasses at such a young age.  I have been putting off her exam because I didn’t want to admit she needed them. Aren’t I a good parent? Denial is not just a river.  Frrrruump.
Yep. now I am feeling blue.

Kind of over shadows the fact that I am supposed to be packing for our family vacation. Also over shadows my happy photos I snapped yesterday with my new lens.

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My new lens is so pretty.

Still feel like crying though.

Will try to keep it together for the youngans.

UG.

And in other news. Sweetie is the first caterpillar to start forming her chrysalis.  She was the fatest juciest caterpillar of all :)

And yes, they will all be joining us on our vacation. Should be interesting :)

We’ve Got Worms…

by | Jun 6, 2008

Well, they look like worms. They are actually Caterpillars, or Callapithers as Lorynn calls them.
The gross peanut buttery goo stuff is their food..

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We’ve decided to grow butterflies this summer.. We ordered one of those little butterfly growing kits. It comes with live caterpillars and all the goods to grow them into butterflies. The caterpillars were not as cute and fuzzy as I expected them to be.. In fact, they were kind of creepy, but the girls loved them. Except for the occasional scream when one would unexpectedly drop to the floor.  The kit we purchased had 30 caterpillars and each fuzzy little guy (or girl) got their own mini container and food.  The girls had to transfer each one from the main container to their own cozy living quarters.  And of course each caterpillar got a name, followed by a kiss on the jar from Lorynn.

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(Man, this child really needs her own pet..)

I am excited about these creepy little critters though, It will be fun watching them grow into butterflies. However, I don’t think I planned their arrival very well.. Looks like our little friends might just be joining us on our vacation in a couple of weeks ;) Oh well.. At least we are not flying.