Unconventional Photos

Making your subject at ease can be tough. I like to put the client in a familiar setting or position to help them relax. My subject was most at ease doing this-blowing a bubble.
Isn’t he just the cutest?

I liked the photo, but there were a few things that needed a fixin’. (That’s Okie talk…)

I didn’t like the chair sticking into the frame. I made a copy of the background and then cropped out the offender.

His skin looked a little flat, so I used the ‘diffuse glow’ function. It’s very flattering to skin tones-boys and girls alike.

He looks so darn purty now. But don’t tell him. He is very macho.

The overall color was too brown for me. I adjusted the levels using ‘color balance’ (found under the tab ‘Image’ and scrolling down to ‘adjustments’).

His eyes needed to pop a little more, so I lassoed both of those cute little suckers and clicked on the ‘Filter’ tab. Scroll down to ‘Sharpen’ and then choose ‘unsharp mask’ and adjust the amount, the radius and the threshold to your liking.
I learned this from Pioneer Woman. I like her. And her photo tricks.

Next, I wanted the bubble gum to stand out a bit more. I lassoed it and then clicked on the ‘Image’ tab and scrolled down to ‘Hue and Saturation’. I brought out the pink in the gum a little more.

Here is the cute finished product. I just love this little guy. However, he is my nephew after all, and I am a little biased.

Sassy ‘Dress Shirt’

Typically the vintage dresses I come across have been ripped, stained or eaten by evil moths. Instead of parting with the abused garment, I hide the problem areas with a little creativity and turn it into a sassy
one-of-a-kind shirt.

This is what my finished product looked like, but each ‘Sassy Dress Shirt’ will be unique! Read on to learn how to make your very own ‘Sassy Dress Shirt’.

What you will need:
An old dress
Seam Ripper
Iron & Ironing Board
Straight Pins
Sewing Machine
Ribbon to match the dress (if desired to cover holes, etc)

Assess how long you would like your ‘shirt’ to be and cut the excess off, leaving about two inches for hemming. I don’t subscribe to the midriff look from the late 90‘s, so I hem my ‘shirt’ to fall a couple inches below my hip bone.

Turn your ‘shirt’ inside out and measure your hem all the way around, pressing and pinning it as you go. Sew your new hem with a blind hem stitch or whatever you normally fancy when you hem something up.

If you have ribbon or embellishments that match your new ‘shirt’, now is the time to hide those stains or moth holes. No one will be the wiser! In the past, I’ve made little fabric flowers out of the left over material to cover the problem areas.

For this shirt, I removed the ribbon that was once around the bottom hem of my dress to cover over a stain on the front, following the neckline.

I opened the seam where the zipper stopped on the backside and followed that opening with more ribbon. This allowed me a little more booty shakin’ room.
Sew all of your ribbon and your embellishments in place.

Here’s my backside… of the shirt. What were you thinking I meant? Scroll down to see the front again.

Ta-Dah! I love wearing this cute little number out on the town. Let me know if you try making your own Sassy Dress Shirt. I would love to see how yours turns out!

The Mothers and Women in our Lives

You may be overwhelmed with laundry, soccer games and PTA meetings. I want to encourage every mother out there about their invaluable impact on generations to come. YOU as a woman, mother or not, has a lasting affect on every life you touch.

This woman, Bicep’s Grandma, chose to be true to her husband and stuck it out even for 70 years until her husband passed away.
She raised her four boys to fear God, to be men of character and to love their wives with an unbending love.

Bicep’s father found a woman that is true, steadfast and kind. My mother-in-law raised her children to be considerate, righteous and patient. She is the most amazing mother-in-law a girl could hope for.
Because of her, I married the best man for me and have not once been disappointed in my decision. I love him with a crazy kind of love.
Thank you Connie-Mom!

Bicep’s sister is a tender and patient mother. She raised her son, my nephew, to be confident in his place in the world and to know that he is loved and valued.
I am praying for his wife even now. He deserves the best.

This entire family is a result of Bicep’s Grandma and her commitment to her marriage and her God. This family tells of strong and lasting marriages, well-adjusted children and a love that is unbreakable for each other.

My Grandmother is steadfast and consistent. She has been a member of the same church for over 50 years and raised her children to know God. She hasn’t ever met a stranger and is generous beyond belief. And she loves to party-that’s where I get it from!

Her son, my dad, set his standards high and found a woman to fit the bill-my mom. She raised us with tenderness, compassion and the stiff arm of the law. I always knew my boundaries and though I tried to stretch them, she wouldn’t have it. She kept me safe. Anytime I was tempted to drink, smoke or do naughty other things, I could hear her voice and feel her threatening gaze.
Thank you Mom for keeping me on the right path!

My oldest brother married this lady. She is the sweetest mother to her four boys-my four nephews. Her children will grow up knowing they are loved and that their parent’s marriage will last. Their wives will be lucky to have them and confident in their own marriages because of her.

My grandmother has impacted our entire family. Our bond as a family continues to grow. The generations after her are blessed because of her steadfast and generous spirit.
‘And her children will rise up and call her blessed…’
Thank you mothers that have stuck it out, dug in your heels, pulled yourselves up by the bootstraps and whipped us all into shape. We need you. There is nothing like the love of a mother.
Tell me about your mother. I would love to hear about her!

Falling in love with…Wichita, Kansas

I have a confession to make. I am a recovering Kansas snob.
Growing up in Manhattan (Kansas State) you weren’t supposed to like Lawrence (Kansas University).
You did your shopping on the Plaza in Kansas City. You visited Topeka to see the state capital of Kansas.
But, there was never, ever, ever any reason to visit Wichita. Ever. I didn’t even know anyone from Wichita. It was far away, mysterious and supposedly a ‘dirty cow town’.
But then, you meet people like this, who have the coolest house ever and your heart begins to open.
And you discover a section of Wichita you have never before seen with your own judgmental eyes-Old Town. And you fall in love.

The guys played two nights in a row in Wichita. The second night was at the Wichita Music Crawl in front of this building. The name alone, ‘Museum of World Treasures’ intrigues me.
So mysterious.

I love that both shows have been outdoor shows. There is much less of the body odor/beer stench mixing with cigarettes and Axe cologne.

Side note, if you ever see a man without a pony tail running sound, there’s a scam going on. Ok, back to how much I am in love with Wichita.

Last night, we sat up here on the second story patio, had a great, quirky waitress and a $2 ‘brewed on the spot’ beer. I was in heaven. The stars were aligning for me and Wichita. And then our drummer made a bold statement. He said the fish and chips were the best he’d ever had.

This ‘cow town’ had such a great charm to it. Tons of brick, tons of artsy independent business, tons of live music. Oh, Wichita. Where have you been all my life?