Bicycle Built For Two

I am rethinking the color scheme for our office/guestroom. It was going to be just red & black. But, I felt like it was missing something.  It wasn't a cheery or welcoming space and I felt like it needed to be if it was going to be where our friends and family slept. I did a little Pinterest "research" (lol) and found that turquoise was paired with red a lot. As it would turn out...I LOVED the combo!

Take a look at my inspiration board for the space here.

I got the design itch and made a printable for my husband.  After all, the red & black room was originally inspired by his alma mater, The University of Georgia. He played football there and has a wonderful collection of UGA swag! We love riding bikes together (separate bikes, hehe) but I thought this bicycle built for two was the perfect touch for this print. Can't wait to frame and put above our desk!

If you want the file, feel free to email me at lindsay.hooten(at)gmail.com and I'll get it to you!

Santa, baby!

Pinterest, you've done it again. I came across the most adorable pin of a baby wrapped in Christmas lights. Being the photog mom that I am, I knew I would have to try it!!

Pinterest Inspiration

It was super easy and a lot of fun. Here are a few tips in case you want to give this shot a whirl.

1. This is a two person job. You need one person to hold the camera, and the other to make sure your precious baby isn't getting electrocuted. Lights in the mouth=BAD!

2. Depending on the look you are going for (I wanted to be able to see some of the tree)...you don't need to do this in the dark. You can adjust your shot in post production to make it darker, anyways. I recommend doing the shoot during "magic hour" light, which for this time of year is around 5 pm. Try to avoid using your flash. Work with the natural light coming through your window.

3. I only wrapped little mans waist and one of his shoulders (Prince William sash style, lol), otherwise they can get tangled around easily around their arms. Hot mess!

4. I took the shot before we decorated the tree, which kept the focus of the lights on him. But, a decorated tree would be cute, too. 

5. If you are shooting in RAW, adjust your white balance for auto, it allows really soft, ambient light.

6. Your little one will be so busy playing with their new toy that you'll be able to catch them in some really sweet candid moments, so don't worry about having to distract them. After all, you want to capture them in their moment of wonder!

7. Put your camera down, even if just for a second...and just watch. This is a moment you'll cherish forever!

Here's the light of my life...

Have fun and Merry Christmas!!!

Pumpkin DIVIDED

My husband went to Georgia. I went to Florida. Yeaaaa...I know. I know. We have managed to keep calm and cheer on...that is until our son arrived this past February. It's been a mini battle to see how much orange/blue or red/black we can dress him in. So, when figuring out our pumpkin decorating theme for this year...I thought...house divided=PUMPKIN DIVIDED!

Jake painted his UGA pumpkin--very proud of his skillz, BTW! I painted my UF pumpkin and then we fused our alma maters' colors together and painted Jackson's pumpkin. I've never done a no-carve pumpkin before and actually realllly loved it! Especially with a little one around, I'm thinking this may be our new tradition. Ohhhhh the possibilities!!

We may have divided pumpkins and houses....but this blog is alllllll mine! With that said...GO GATORS!!

Dollar Tree Funkins!

You live, you learn. You craft, you cry. Am I the only person out there who feels there's a spell on me that prevents me from reaching my full crafting potential?? My Dollar Tree pumpkin revamp turned out ok...but if you could only see how they first started out (yikes...no, more like YIKES!!!)...then the final product should be considered Martha Stewart approved.  I didn't get pics of the first go around...*not on purpose I promise! There's no shame in the game!! These are some of the materials I started with for the first attempt...

My first attempt at the fabric pumpkin included 1 inch wide and 6 inch long pieces of linen-esque fabric that ended up making the pumpkin look like a mummy!! At least I was keeping it the Halloween family!! I was trying to follow the directions at The 36th Avenue. This is one of my FAV blogs to follow. They did a fantastic job on their Mod Podge fabric pumpkins. I'm known for not following directions well....so, my version turned out quite different than theirs. I decided to not give up (even though I may or may not have thrown a mini temper tantrum).

My ammunition:

-Mod Podge
-sponge brush
-square and rectangle shaped fabric pieces from my discard pile
-thumbtacks (I'll explain later)
-acrylic paint
-Dollar Tree pumpkins (1-"carvable" and 2-small pumpkins)
-pinking shears

Since the initial method was not jiving with my mojo...I decided to make a quilt-like pattern fabric pumpkin rather than small strips wrapping the pumpkin. I had fun picking out the pieces of fabric and placing them like little puzzle pieces. I placed Mod Podge on the pumpkin as I placed the pieces of fabric on top (not all at once).  Once a piece of fabric was placed I also applied Mod Podge on top of the fabric. After the entire pumpin was covered with Mod Podge and dried, I painted the stem brown to match the color scheme better. Still wondering about those thumbtacks??

I painted the two smaller pumpkins with an ivory hued acrylic paint...they dried beautifully. I def plan on playing with acrylic paint more in the future. My fav part...it washes off your hands so easily! Ha! I wasn't a fan of the squiggly stems that came with the smaller pumpkins. A little too Tim Burton for me....so, I had the idea of using thumbtacks in their place. I simply painted the thumbtacks brown to match the stem of the fabric pumpkin. I haven't decided where these cuties are going but I wanted to share my funkins with y'all!!

Printables on Pinterest

If you haven't noticed..."printables" are all the rage in blogland these days. Whether you are printing fun subway art for your home or an entire birthday party's decor...you'll soon fall in love with this easy and inexpensive way to customize.

I recently hosted my husband's 30th birthday party using a lot of homemade printables and other's that I found online. ALL free*! Minus the ink/paper expense, of course! ; ) It was an 80's party---which explains the DeLorean on the cake!

*Side note---I would totally pay money for some of these amazing party printables! I just happened to luck out and score some neat freebies. A few of my fav designers are The TomKat Studio, Anders Ruff, Anna and Blue Paperie and Living Locurto! I suggest you check them out for your next event!

I wanted to share my collection of free printables with you, to help you get started! You can follow my Pinterest board to view some of my favs! I've got a little of everything- gift tags/wrapping paper/envelopes/party decor/Valentine's/Easter/Halloween//Thanksgiving/Christmas/meal planning/financial tools/subway art/nursery decor....lots of fun and most of all...FREE goodies!

I download the files as I find them. I recently got a new computer, SO...I have the space...for now! ; )  But, if you are short on space for the files, simply bookmark them or add them to a Pinterest board for future use. I decided to download as I find JUST in case the blog deactivates the free download. What a travesty that would be!! LOL!

I have created a "printables" folder on my desktop and have organized them by category...see below. I know, I know...I'm a dork!

Another tip- since I'm now following so many craft/DIY blogs...I decided to "like" the one's that are on Facebook (which is most of them) and now I use FB as my daily blog reader. That way it's super easy to follow my fav bloggers!

At first, I was printing like crazy...and then filing them in here by category:

But then, I realized my ink cartridge wouldn't last more than a day...so, I only print what I think I'll use in the near future. Since the rest of the files are on my desktop in my "printables" folder...I don't have to worry about losing the files. 

I'm a SAHM on a verrrry tight budget so I'm loving the savings that printables can offer. For example-I printed a really fun Father's Day card that would have cost me at least $2 at Target. Over time...those savings add up! It also makes sending cards in the mail more fun when you have added your own special touches to the designs like adding ribbons and buttons. Honey bee-let your creative juices flow! Happy printing!

{DIY} Calendar

The term busy bee has never been more appropriate! I recently got hired as an account executive for a new company, Sweet Deals. It's a site where women: brides, moms, and girls who just want to have fun can find amazing steals on products and services. Check it out and sign up for the email list. We are launching soon!!
Up until this point I've been able to get away with my phone's calendar. BUT, for some reason, it just hasn't been cutting it lately. BTW...not a fan of my Droid. I'm an iPhone girl, but ditched it for the "family plan".  As soon as TMobile gets the iPhone...I'm switching back. Oh happy day! Anywhooo....there's something about a good old fashioned paper calendar. When I can cross things off with a "fun" pen (not exactly sure what that means), I feel extra accomplished and organized.
I've been looking for a nice little calendar (midway through a year, go figure) but just couldn't find one I liked. Or...I would find a layout I liked...but it had a neon unicorn on the cover. What?? SO, I decided to make my own. I found this FREE printable calendar from The TomKat Studio that was simple and fun. And instead of a neon unicorn, I designed my own cover....drum roll please:

 

Oh yes, I did.

I can add pages in between the months for contact lists, to-do-lists and more pictures of my son looking awesome. I'll prob bind it with ribbon to give my desk area a little pop of fun. Printed everything on cardstock to make it a tad more...legit. 

*If you wanted to use these calendars one month at a time, for your kitchen perhaps...you could frame the month and then use a fine tipped dry erase marker to make your entries. 

{Photography} Papa Stanks!

Yes, that's right....Papa Stanks!!

     That's what my client (the sweet girl in the photo above) taught me! She performs in beauty pageants all over Georgia and has quite a lot of experience in the smiling department. As a trick to keep her smile from looking fake and forced...her mom would have her say, during her photo shoots...Papa Stinks (which in her adorable southern accent sounds like...PAPA STANKS!). Poor Papa!! 

     Low and behold, I got some of the best smiles ever outta this cutie! So, if you are taking family pics or have a client that's a little on the shy end....give this a try! It'll make them laugh and giggle...you're bound to get a great shot! For more tips on how to get some great smiles, check out this blog from I Heart Faces!