a girl and a camera

Pssst....

2011-06-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

Decided tonight I have a hole in my heart where my blog once resided. Be back soon. I'm real excited...

The Season of Giving

2010-12-10T10:36:00.000-08:00

Just picked up a fresh batch of these from the print shop. One is going to someone special...

I am honored to be participating in an online fundraising auction this weekend. Melissa of The Cheeky Whale is having an auction to raise money for her mother who has been battling Cancer for 14 years. My heart goes out to her and her family. I cannot imagine the difficulty of that battle even without the added strain of financial struggle. They are accepting donations as well but there are some incredible things to bid on if you still need to complete your Christmas shopping. You can preview the items immediately and bidding runs from 12am MST Dec. 11th through 12am MST Dec. 14th. I know I have my eye on the custom portraits done by Melissa herself. So adorable! If you have something to add to the auction, contact Melissa at helpingjenny(at)gmail(dot)com. To learn more about it, donate or place your bids go HERE.

Best Job Ever

2010-12-07T21:10:00.000-08:00

Gemma has been super snugly lately and anyone who knows me is not a bit surprised to hear that I am seizing the golden opportunity to get my snuggle on. Today we spent a solid chunk of time lounging on the carpet hugging, chasing, wrestling, tickling, smooching and laughing. I am grateful to be hyper aware of how fast time flies and the fact that moments like those won't be around forever. So I pulled out my camera. The angle and light are not even close to flattering (for me - G looks beautiful always!)but it may go down as one of my favorite photos of us. I only hope that in the future when I look at it I can - at least a little bit - feel what it was like the day 14.5 month old Gemma was thrilled to play on the rug with her mommy.

{Dream} home away from home

2010-12-05T21:07:00.000-08:00

Spent the weekend with my family in Central OR. It was dreamy as ever. Now I'm home and I'll be working on pairing up some ornament swappers. Thanks to all of you who are participating! Check your email Monday afternoon to see where you'll be mailing your bits of Christmas cheer...

Etsy Ornament Parade

2010-12-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

Just a few of the pretty little ornaments I found on Etsy today...

Quilled Snowflakes from Forever Filigree

Ceramic/Metal Leaf & Soft Snowflake from Picciolo

Matryoshka Dolls from Kim's Crafty Apple

Your Initials in a Heart & Baby's First Christmas

from This Fine Day

*I am especially in love with these and they are local for me- here in Portland! I neglected to get Gemma a "Baby's 1st Christmas" ornament last year and I think I've got to make up for it by buying this one... darling, right?

PS- Only 1 day left to join in on the fun we'll be having swapping ornaments!

That Martha Stewart is one crafty broad

2010-11-30T23:07:00.000-08:00

In case you need a little inspiration for the upcoming ornament swap I've compiled a list of my favorite tutorials from the Martha Stewart website. I kind of want to make them all.

Clockwise from upper left: Three-Dimensional Doily, Button Wreath, Floating Ornament, Holiday Rickrack Craft, Ribbon and Bow Accessory

Button Ornaments, Ribbon Star, Holiday Card, Tinsel Snowflakes, Recycled Ornaments

Tomorrow I will post some ornament finds from Etsy so you'll be covered even if you'd rather buy than make. Meaning no more excuses. Send me that email so you can participate in the swap. You know you want to.

O Christmas Tree!

2010-11-29T21:49:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we had a big family Thanksgiving Day feast, nearly avoided the 'Black Friday' crowds and took a trip to a tree farm on the outskirts of town. Visiting Sleighbells is such a fun holiday tradition. We were lucky the rain stayed away - we were able to find just the right tree. Maneuvering the crowded gift shop was a little trickier feat. Little Gemma-grabby-hands was very interested in the thousands of ornaments lining the walls. Fearing a "you break it, you bought it" policy we kept our shopping time brief and I walked away without a single ornament. Sad, but not really because I have an idea...

Let's have an ornament swap!!!

Please, please, please join me in this fun (and possibly first annual?) ornament swap! Don't be shy, I want it to be a big and diverse group from all over the place. Here's how it works:

1) You send me an email: carrie@rascalpantsart.com by this Friday the 3rd and include the following info:

*Your name and email address

*Your mailing address

*Your blog (if you have one)

2) I will match you up with 3 other swappers by Monday the 6th and you will mail one ornament to each of them by Monday December 13th.

3) You receive 3 ornaments from 3 different people (Yay!)

Fun, right? So I want to say the ornaments have to be handmade but I will just strongly recommend that they are. (By you, or someone else). Let the Christmas crafting commence!

Let It Snow

2010-11-22T21:52:00.000-08:00

Snow in the forecast tonight. I'm crossing my fingers that tomorrow I will be able to make a few more photos like these...

Mid November

2010-11-15T13:58:00.000-08:00

I can't believe November is half over and Thanksgiving is next week! The holidays are here and I have some fun plans for my bloggy friends... If only I could spend all my time having fun! I suppose when your job is photographing it's hard to have any room for complaints. I have been busy busy though and just finished retouching the lovely gal pictured above's senior portraits. Great idea to wait for fall to shoot them, the colors were beautiful!

Thrifty Loot

2010-11-10T20:32:00.000-08:00

Behold my loot from today's thrifty adventure. I had a job up the street from my best thrift store today and I couldn't possibly be that close without going in. Sadly it profited me nothing. All was not lost however, the thrift store next to it was filled with treasure! Thrift store #1 is on probation lest I choose a new bestie. My purchases as pictured clockwise:

* The first globe in what I hope becomes a very large collection

* The perfect shade of fabric to go with the mustard yellow paint I'm using to refurbish my work space chair (Will post soon)

* Very wrinkled but in otherwise perfect condition pillow shams from West Elm in a silvery faux bois

* A doily (go granny chic)

* A choker made of what appears to be brass mesh that I intend to wear as a bracelet

* A wooden hanger to be used in Gemma's room makeover (Will post about that real soon too)

* Awesome melamine mugs

This Weekend

2010-11-05T23:04:00.000-07:00

My plans include:

*Watching Stranger Than Fiction. I've been in the mood to for weeks- I absolutely LOVE that movie.

*Crossing my fingers my photo shoot doesn't get rained out AGAIN tomorrow.

*Going to the fabulous ACE Hotel to attend Little Winter with friends.

*Cheering for the OR Ducks

*Editing lots and lots of photos.... I'm way behind!

What are you doing?

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T20:37:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin patch picts from a few weeks ago...

We had a "trunk or treat" at church this weekend and friends over for homemade chili with cornbread tonight. Now I'm settling in with a mug of cider to catch up on The Office with The Mr. I hope your Halloween is happy and spooky and whatever you want it to be!

Calendar Love

2010-10-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hello and happy Friday! I'm real excited because this morning I signed up for a 2011 calendar swap. The gals at Design Crush and Greedy Girl are organizing it and I can't wait to see who they pair me with. You can still join in the fun through tomorrow so hurry on over to check it out. I finished creating my 2011 calendar last week and it's currently for sale in my little shop (which has a new name, did you notice?) Anyway, I'm real proud of it - have a looksy:

Saturday to Saturday

2010-10-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

I'll post more pictures soon but I had the most incredible light to photograph Gemma and her cousins at the park last Saturday. It was that golden hour in the evening and it was so pretty! I'm equally excited about this weekend's plans. Remember this post? Well it's Fashion week here in Portland and Seth Aaron is opening the closing show (did you follow that?) Yours truly will be walking in his show and I CANNOT wait to see what I get to wear. I'll try to get photos so you can see too.

quote of the day

2010-09-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

"Anything that excites me for any reason, I will photograph; not searching for unusual subject matter, but making the commonplace unusual."

-Edward Weston

Well, Hello again!

2010-09-28T22:58:00.000-07:00

In case you hadn't noticed, I recently lost my will to blog. I felt a little lost and out of balance so I stepped away for a bit to get my bearings. Today I got my photo mojo back for the first time in a while. I was strongly reminded why I love making photos. Experiencing the world through the camera's eye is one of my favorite things ever. I decided to share the love and that reminded me of something else. I don't want to miss out on the sharing that occurs among the artistic community here in blogland. That means I'm back on the blog-wagon. I'm still trying to decide exactly how I want it to play a role in my life so any advice/input you could provide would be appreciated. Why do you blog? How does it impact your life? What do you hope to get from it?

Gemma & Rockstar patiently waiting for me to find my photo mojo:

Dear Pretzel M&M's,

2010-06-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

You're the devil.

The Weekend of My Dreams...

2010-06-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

Looks something like this:

via definitely golden

allister ann via a cup of jo

caiti anne

via free people

anna wolf via design crush

and includes -

hiking, climbing and playing amongst the trees

slurping a slurpee

wishing on a shooting star

singing a song by a campfire

swinging on a rope swing and making a splash

I. am. READY. for. summer.

ps- Happy Birthday Etsy! I went to your birthday party tonight and I came home with a few gifts... I'll have to take their portraits tomorrow and show you!

Underwater Adventure

2010-06-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

I had a little fun with my disposable underwater camera on our vacation. I should have waited for better quality scans but I was too excited to show you the images I got. I'm underwater again today but sadly it's in the form of rain showers. I'm sure the rest of the world is sick of us NW'ers whining but you really can't imagine the pain. I'm daydreaming of all the summer activities that are calling my name. Maybe I'll compile a list for tomorrow's post.

What Home Means to Me

2010-06-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

Today it's my turn to participate in 'Pin it Forward' and post what home means to me. But first, a big thanks to Victoria over at sfgirlbybay for organizing all this. Also for letting us in on the wonder that is Pinterest. I have had my eyes opened to a whole new world of inspiration and eye candy these past weeks. It is such a great tool for cataloging ideas and photos found on the www and so much prettier than file folders on your desktop. Thanks to poppytalk for pinning it forward to me on Friday and I'll pass the torch to slipcover your life who will be posting tomorrow. Check the schedule to see who else is involved. For the rest of my 'What Home Means to Me' Pinboard, and others go HERE. Enjoy!

To me, Home is...

A Place To Come Back To

cori kindred

A Place To Kick Off Your Shoes

haeshu

A Place To Be In Love

cneefs

A Place To Learn

andrea singarella

A Place For Commitment

marchorowitz via shanna murray

A Place To Fill With Music

tyler.elizabeth

A Place To See Yourself Clearly

zitaaa

A Place To Let Loose

michelle smith-lewis

Have a Dreamy Weekend

2010-06-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

I love love love this.

Can't find the original source but I "pinned" it from Jules Fuller

April Showers...

2010-06-10T23:15:00.000-07:00

I'm staying at my sister's house since Jeremy is gone and while eating in her dining room tonight I was reminded of a little party I threw in that very spot back in April. It was her baby shower and I never shared the pictures of my hard work and the fun we had. Here they are...

I sewed vintage doilies onto ribbon for a little garland she now uses in the nursery

a girly tea party

with treats

a quiz

with a prize for the winner

(one of my necklaces was inside that box)

gifts

and party favors: tea bag pouches and felt flower pins

Work Space Inspiration

2010-06-09T23:54:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to finally be setting up a workspace in the corner of my bedroom. Now I can leave projects be instead of wasting half my work time (Gemma's nap time) taking out and putting away supplies to prevent our kitchen table from being overrun with craftiness. I've been keeping an eye out for pretty ways to organize my space and here are a few inspiring photos I've come across...

Jordan Ferney @ Oh Happy Day!

Bird's Eye View

2010-06-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

Jeremy is speaking at a conference in Miami on Thursday and he decided a red-eye flight was to be his means of arriving there. Yuck. I much prefer flying at a time of day I can enjoy the view from the window seat. If you stop to think about it, the opportunity to sit in the window seat of an airplane really is under appreciated. Common people do it by the thousands day in and day out and it is even passed up by many who prefer aisle seats. We take it for granted. Seriously though, we are FLYING. We are 35,000 feet above the surface of the earth and we can look down at it's mountains, canyons, rivers, fields, cities, weather patterns, etc. How incredible is that? Well The NY Times asked for photo submissions from people who do appreciate the view from the window seat. What they got was incredible. I posted a few of my favorites below. See the rest and read the associated article here.

Why is a Yorkie like an Ab Roller?

2010-06-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

My friday night plans are to put Gemma to bed, pop some popcorn, snuggle up with my boys (Jeremy & Rockstar) and watch Alice in Wonderland for the second time. I have been looking forward to it all day! I realize a few of the words in the Mad Hatter's riddle above are slightly off. That's because of a little story I have to tell you. When I heard it myself I laughed so hard I cried a little....

Rockstar the yorkie lives a charmed life. He sleeps in the bed with Jer and I every night. (Don't judge me). Well a few times each night Rockstar is struck with a terrible thirst that drives him out of bed and over to his dish. When he returns he whines for help getting back into bed. (Apparently darkness renders him unable to jump up on his own the way he does throughout the day). He knows that darkness also renders me grumpy and unwilling to assist small animals into my bed so he goes directly to Jeremy's side. This has become routine over the years and Jeremy doesn't even have to fully wake up when lending that rascal a hand. That reality became apparent this morning when Jeremy, while rolling over, elbowed what he thought was Rockstar. He opened his eyes to apologize and make sure Rockstar was uninjured when he saw it. The Ab Roller. That's right, it was in bed with us. As Jeremy put it back in its proper place (as proper as it is to keep an Ab Roller next to your bed) he saw Rockstar glaring back at him from his (rarely used but much more appropriate) doggy bed on the floor. I wonder what went through Rockstar's head in the middle of the night when he watched Jeremy ignore his whining plea and instead pluck the Ab Roller from the ground and place it in our bed.

A Message to the NW Weather Gods:

2010-06-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

Um... seriously?

I wish I could say I'm happy to be home but really I'd rather see this in front of my face again:

What Happens In Vegas...

2010-05-26T21:53:00.000-07:00

...Doesn't happen to me. And I'm not just talking about the drunken gambling and promiscuity. The Neon Boneyard is closed for the summer which means I will not be toting my camera(s) there this weekend. I suppose our long weekend in the desert (at least I get some desert sun) will have to be spent otherwise. Thankfully we are staying off-strip at my FIL's so I'm thinking it will be rather laid-back. Lot's of pool time with The Mister and our sweet little Gem. I hope your Memorial weekend treats you right.

source

California Dreamin

2010-05-24T16:07:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been really in the mood to go to California. It might have something to do with the stormy weather we Portlanders have been experiencing. (And are SO over.)

I am dying to:

see a palm tree or two

sip a lemonade by the pool

view some atomic ranch loveliness

enjoy the sun-bleached color of the mid-century glamour that is Palm Springs.

In honor of my longing I curated an Etsy Treasury inspired by that hipster desert. Check it out here.

PS- So excited today is day one of Pin It Forward. My day will be June 14th but there will be lots of inspiring posts till then. Check the schedule here.

Here's where I get sappy

2010-05-16T20:48:00.000-07:00

Went for a nice little walk this evening with my man, our girl and that rascally dog. Looking down at G in her stroller I had one of those moments. Those moments that come on unexpectedly but with surprising frequency. I saw her tiny feet in those pink flower shoes and I thought "how long I've waited to see tiny feet in pink flower shoes that come home with me." I felt that little joy of gratitude in my heart, pushed her home and tucked her in bed.

Quit Clowning Around

2010-05-14T10:03:00.001-07:00

A few weeks back I met up with my old college roommates for the weekend so we could attend BYU Women's Conference and also shop, eat and discuss all sorts of nonsense to the point of hysterical laughter. When we were in the planning phase of this year's SHREX (Sperry House Reunion EXtravaganza) I thought a clown-themed photo shoot would be a grand idea. You see back in our Sperry House days we were such a circus that we earned ourselves clown names one by one starting with Bozo aka Jenny. They have stuck with us (my name is Chums in case you were wondering) and so we decided to take it to the next level. Thanks to my tripod and self-timer I was able to jump into the group shots. We rather enjoyed ourselves despite the occasional snowflake. (I'm not kidding, it snowed. It was THAT cold.)

Photoriffic

2010-04-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

Maybe today I'll get around to editing/posting our Easter photos. Until then, here are some brilliant images by girlhula. She was the street artist and the photographer mastermind behind these. Sounds like fun to me! Check out her blog here.

Get Thrifty

2010-04-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

This great print is from ashleyg

and a few of my recent treasure-hunting acquisitions:

Peapod Treasures

2010-04-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

Did the Easter bunny bring you good things? If all you got were marshmallow bunnies and a few jelly beans then treat yourself to some affordable vintage/vintage inspired jewelry! I recently had the pleasure of meeting the gal behind Peapod Treasures. She's real sweet and her jewelry creations are too. (But with a little funk so they're not too sweet.) She's got that formula perfected and I had a hard time narrowing down my choices of what to purchase. Below are 2 of the 3 I decided on. Check out the rest of the fabulous options in her shop!

The weather in the NW

2010-04-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

...has been so cold and yucky even our Easter eggs need to wear sweaters. For directions on keeping your Easter goods protected from the elements, see this cute knitting tutorial. Happy Easter weekend!

I only got a few of you but...

2010-04-02T07:24:00.000-07:00

April Fools!!!

Normally I am super gullible and fall victim to some prank because I forget that it's even April Fool's Day. This year I decided things would be different. In case you're still confused, there is no bun in this oven.

Fortune Teller

2010-04-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

Took that picture at Cargo yesterday. I went there in search of these:

Which I found. And also this:

The "miracle fish" told me and Jeremy that we're jealous and fickle but it failed to report this:

Looks like I've got my own "miracle fish".

Indie Biz

2010-03-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

I'm currently taking this fabulous online class:

We were instructed to decorate our notebooks... Here are some pics of my finished product:

So it's officially Springtime...

2010-03-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

...time for blossoms, pinwheels and sidewalk chalk to make their seasonal debut

stars in my eyes and sun in my hair

2010-03-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

Editing photos (will post later today) and listening to their new album that came out today. It all takes longer when Gemma and her perfectly scrawny neck keep tempting me with tickle breaks.

well, hello there...

2010-03-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

...it's been a little while! We've been busy trading viruses around our house and unfortunately I didn't feel that Gemma wiping her boogery nose on my sweatshirt was blog-worthy information. We're on the mend and had a pretty nice weekend. Breakfast with friends and then an afternoon of just me and my man. We took a nap, went to lunch and then vintage furniture shopping. The above photo is a random pic I took while we were out and about. (I'm fairly certain that's a drawing of our virus) Now I'm planning my back-to-normal-and-healthy week ahead. Sayonara boogery noses, we've got lives to live.

"I'm investigating things that begin with the letter M"

2010-03-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

I am sure there are a million and one more qualified movie reviews floating around the internet right now so I will keep mine short. I whole-heartedly enjoyed myself during this movie. Way to go Mr. Burton. Well done. Magnificent, even.

That Big Green Monster

2010-03-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

Called jealousy.

Read this oh-so-funny post about blogland envy.

I am laughing out loud.

20 Questions

2010-03-01T10:23:00.000-08:00

1. Show us the inside of something cute

2. What's the last home cooking you had?

The Mr.'s French Toast

3. What do you miss?

stacey my love

4. What makes you laugh often?

5. What's your favorite word?

6. What are you trying to quit?

7. What's your favorite commercial right now?

For so many reasons, this one:

8. Whose style do you dig?

9. Link to a great blog you've discovered lately...

This guy's photog is splendid-

10. What's the last craft you made?

11. A photo of the last happy mail you got

these pretty earrings

12. Something you've got lately

this poster-

13. What are you looking forward to?

SUMMERTIME!!!

14. Post a recent snapshot of yourself.

15. Recent favorite movie?

16. Something you're working on right now?

This blog post

17. If a movie were made about you, who would play you?

In a dream world (which is where we'd be

anyway if there was a movie about me):

18. What gives you goosebumps?

19. Share a new obsession

20. What's the meaning of your life?

LOVE

From my Heart

2010-02-26T08:51:00.000-08:00

Dear Gemma,

You're the funnest ever.

Love Mom

starlight, star BRIGHT STAR

2010-02-25T10:01:00.000-08:00

I finally watched Bright Star. I found it so interesting. Not a movie I immediately loved but I keep finding myself thinking about it. I can only describe it as hauntingly romantic. And also beautiful. My favorite scene: in response to a letter John writes Fanny where he wishes they were butterflies, she turns her bedroom into a butterfly farm. Amazing. This picture doesn't do it justice.

Writing about it makes me want to watch it again. It's one of those movies I think I'll fall for further each time. Here's one more image (beautiful) this one's from rehearsal before filming.

Little Feet

2010-02-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

Just stumbled upon this bib tutorial which is darling but what really grabbed my attention was those sweet little bow shoes. I immediately scouted them out online and two pairs are presently making their way to my doorstep. One pair for Gemma and the other for a sweet girl I'm looking forward to meeting in the near future. Can't wait!

My claim to (Reality TV) fame...

2010-02-23T11:30:00.000-08:00

Back in my modeling days I would often see this tall skinny guy with cool style and a star tattooed on his neck. He was working as a stylist at a studio I frequently worked for and one day I met him. I was doing a Lucy shoot and he came over and asked if I would model a few things for his portfolio as he soon would be auditioning for a little show called Project Runway. Fast forward to present: that very same star-tatooed man won last week's challenge on episode 6. Meet Seth Aaron:

And here's a photo from my shoot with him. If Heidi Klum has seen a photo of me can I say I met her too?

For more about Project Runway, Seth, and even me go HERE

My parents are cooler than your parents

2010-02-22T10:22:00.000-08:00

We went to a few record stores over the weekend. The bargain bin was good to me. 5 records for $6. Not bad. Time with parents who have good taste in music is pretty cool too.

I hope your Valentine's Day was full of LOVE

2010-02-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

xoxo

Fly Away Friday

2010-01-29T11:45:00.000-08:00

Headed up north this weekend. We celebrate The Mister's B-day in Seattle every year. A few years ago for his 30th, I earned wife of the decade award by surprising him with a sunset helicopter ride. It was one of the most incredible experiences of our lives. After our tour of the city we landed on a dock in front of the restaurant we had dinner reservations at. It was a beautiful evening- see for yourself:

imagine how pretty they'd be with a little photoshop magic...

In Love

2010-01-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

Did a little Valentine's photo shoot this morning.

Can't wait to show you on Feb. 14th...

Blue Monday

2010-01-25T17:26:00.000-08:00

Went thrift shopping with my Mom and at Red, White and Blue and I found the above blue treasures. We also went to the doctor where G got three shots and then on to the DMV. If that's not a blue Monday, I don't know what is.

ps- apologies, apologies... I pressed "save" the other day instead of "publish" so this post is just showing up on Thursday... oops! :)

Bacon, Eggs and Mustaches

2010-01-15T22:19:00.000-08:00

This girl is four months old today
Not really old enough to grow a mustache (let's hope she never is) but she even makes that look cute. New Years Day we wore mustaches to breakfast at the delicious Gallery in Sisters, OR. I knew it was a crazy idea, but crazy in a funny way I thought. Our waitress failed to see the humor... I hope it's not lost on you.

2010

2010-01-11T09:24:00.000-08:00

Central OR treated us right over the holidays. We got a respectable number of snowflakes and a healthy dose of relaxation/family time. I have been wanting to post pictures of our adventures there but that task has joined all my other new years resolutions somewhere far far away from my current reality. I really intend to post them before it becomes too ridiculously late to even think about it (that's last year after all) but I wanted to get something up here on my little blog right now. I left our vacation feeling nothing but hope for the new year. I made LOTS of plans for the things I intended to accomplish (sometimes I forget I'm not super-human, ever happen to you?) Then I got home and Gemma forgot how to sleep (actually that happened on vacay but I had hoped she just needed her own bed) and I felt like a zombie all week and didn't make a lick of progress toward my intended new year habits. So I decided to come up with a new list. Just the fun things I want to do this year. I won't throw the old list out but I will promise myself to value the new one too. Here it is...

1. Take my 7 year old niece to the rollerskating rink I always went to as a kid and bring my camera. And maybe wear tutus.

source

2. Frequent this photo booth. And this one.

3. Try 10 new restaurants

4. Form a photography club... this one inspires me

5. Float the Deschutes River and play on the rope swing

6. Participate in Renegade Craft Fair

7. Make a photo everyday (BTW, Jeremy Claus made my dreams come true by gifting me with this baby for Christmas:)

8. Learn to crochet

9. Finish my photo wall (will show you when finished)

10. Go to Powells Books more

11. Play my guitar well enough to do it in front of somebody else (somebody, not somebodies)and maybe well enough to justify getting a new one next Christmas. Do I have to change my name to "The artist formerly known as Carrie" to get away with a purple one?

12. Show Gemma the ocean

13. Keep a journal... and blog.

A Chilly Portrait Session

2009-12-21T10:46:00.000-08:00

Feeling Festive

2009-12-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

Jeremy's in the kitchen making gingerbread dough so we can create a few of these:

While I address our Christmas cards so I can finally get them in the mail. Here's a sneak peek:

All would be complete if only this album was part of my small collection. I want to hear Bing's voice on my record player...

Gemma says "Merry Christmas!"

Phone Photos

2009-12-15T21:11:00.000-08:00

My girl is 3 months old today. Time flies when you're having fun! Seeing that sweet face every time I added something to my cart made grocery shopping much more pleasant this morning. In fact that face has been the cause of many of these moments over these past few months:

Apple, please forgive me

2009-12-15T20:55:00.000-08:00

I bagged on my computer a few weeks ago and I owe it an apology. In reality it was Comcast that was deserving of my disappointment. Don't worry though. After weeks without internet, hours on the phone with tech services and two consecutive afternoons of hosting their "friendly" tech crew in my home... I am officially back online. At least for the moment. When it comes to Comcast, I won't get my hopes up. Let the blog posting commence.

Button Bling

2009-11-30T21:30:00.000-08:00

I've been looking for some cute understated baby headbands for quite a while with no real luck. I had nearly given up when I realized how incredibly easy they would be to make. A little ribbon, some elastic and maybe a button or two. Here's what I've come up with. Don't you think Gemma looks like a doll in them?

ps- I know I completely failed the whole blog-post-a-day thing... I just wasn't dedicated enough to get creative when presented with the whole no-internet-at-my-house-at-all-for-days-and-days obstacle. Sue me.

It makes me happy

2009-11-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

that my house smells like this...

we have a winner!

I Blame Apple

2009-11-22T17:20:00.000-08:00

So my computer has been acting lame-o and preventing me from posting. I could manually change the date/time stamp to make it look like I posted each day but I felt like that was cheating. Instead I'll just name each post for the day it was intended. Here ya go...

Saturday's Post

2009-11-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

Just got home from my friend's birthday party. It was great fun to celebrate the super cute, super talented Pamela and it was also fun to bring home a gift myself! If you've seen her Etsy shop, you know Pam is quite the artist. She gifted Gemma with this darling hand-stamped children's silverware set. I believe she will be selling them in her shop in the near future so you too can receive some silver goodness.

Pardon the terrible picture, I am ill equipped to photograph small product.

Please forgive me Pam- I know your photo's will do them justice.

Friday's Post

2009-11-22T17:15:00.000-08:00

Not that you care but since I was shamelessly open about my plan to see New Moon, I'll be equally open about my opinion of it. Not a fan. The fun of the books was the way Edward seemed like the unrealistically perfect teenage suitor. In the movies he seems more like the scrawny, hairy, unbelievably awkward teenage suitor. And don't get me started on Bella. Every scene between the two of them that was supposed to be romantic made me uncomfortable. There was something hot in the movie though- Brandon Flowers' voice. Take a listen. I apologize I could only find it in video form... maybe just close your eyes.

Playing with dolls

2009-11-19T23:24:00.000-08:00

never looked so fun.

These Blythe dolls make me want to revert back to my childhood. I guess I could always buy one "for Gemma".

photos found on Danielle's blog

Blast From The Past

2009-11-18T23:07:00.000-08:00

Nearly a year ago my dear friend Emily came to visit. Back in high school we were always staging photo shoots. We decided to do another for old time's sake. The setting: our middle school- where we first met when we were assigned to be locker partners.

exploring my inner willy wonka

Another 2 a day

2009-11-17T23:21:00.000-08:00

To hopefully make up for my lack of post yesterday...

photo found here

I love this random little sentence. Some days, especially recently, I feel like creating all day long. Also, I already mentioned my desire for a photo booth but I think in addition, I'll need a reader board in my future studio. I would have such fun playing with the letters and putting up new quotes and thoughts everyday.

Great Song Lyrics- 2nd ed.

2009-11-17T22:31:00.000-08:00

Lyrics from an Adele song...

doodle style on a card I made for Jeremy

To Do List

2009-11-15T21:57:00.001-08:00

For this week:

-Start working out again (and quit with the vanilla tootsie rolls)

-Find the perfect retro tree

(photo found here)

-Cut down our real Christmas tree (I realize that both are real... I mean living. At least until we take a saw to it.)

-back up all my pictures... I'm the worst and having nightmares of my computer crashing

-Practice guitar

Me on my 14th b-day with my best gift

-Go to craft store for supplies

-Go see this movie (I know, I'm such a dork)

My New Toy

2009-11-14T22:46:00.000-08:00

I happened upon Urban Outfitters' incredible sale today... 50% off all clearance, and 1/3 of the store was on clearance. I was FIRED UP. I got this cute camera for 10 bucks and now I can take photos like this:

found here

Great Song Lyrics- 1st ed.

2009-11-13T18:04:00.000-08:00

And if I need a rhythm

it's gonna be

to my heart I listen

-Roisin Murphy

A great lyric, a great song. A contributing factor in my love for it: one of my favorite choreographers, Wade Robson, used it for this dance. Enjoy.

Did I tell you the one where Tom Petty was in my delivery room?

2009-11-12T20:57:00.000-08:00

Tom Petty sans The Heartbreakers

So I took Gemma to her 8 week check up today (which involved 3 shots... Now that's a heartbreaker) and seeing the doc reminded me of a funny little thing that happened on G's B-day. I'm at the height of labor and my doc's phone rings. Apparently it was his wife because his ring tone was "Here Comes My Girl" by Mr. Tom Petty. He tells her he'll call her back and his focus shifts back to me. I apparently never moved on because I couldn't get that song out of my head for the remainder of my labor. I thought it was hilariously ironic- the song that was stuck in my head while giving birth to my daughter was "Here Comes My Girl". And there she came.

A Rainy Day

2009-11-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

A look out my window

Gemma's Pad

2009-11-10T08:48:00.000-08:00

Today I took some pictures of Gemma's room. I keep getting asked if I did what I had planned in this post. See for yourself...

I stitched them together in Photoshop to make this slightly crazy perspective panorama. It kind of reminds me of a pinhole photo. (No, the furniture isn't tiny- they are 14 foot ceilings so from this perspective they just look miniature.)

I painted her dresser and ric-racked her lampshade.

And closer up...

And closer still...

That hankie in need of ironing was my Grandma's. (Jean, from whom Gemma got her middle name. She also collected elephants and now Gemma has a small collection)

That baby doll was my most prized posession as a kid- I got her for my 2nd birthday and gave her the obvious name: Birthday Baby

I love this little picture. It's from a vintage card I got at my shower. The giver said she found it in her grandmother's old things. Precious.

A new take on a bookshelf/toy chest

An out-of-focus close-up on her bedding

Like the photo on her wall above? It can be purchased in my little shop any day of the week!

And quite possibly the coolest thing in Gemma's room (aside from the girl who lives there) is this painting. For my birthday my rad sister had this custom painting done of me and the wee babe. The artist is the super-cool, super-talented, super inspiring Elsie. You can follow her creative life on her blog or support her efforts to "take over the world and make it cute" while getting some cool stuff by shopping at her shop.

Weekend Snapshot

2009-11-08T21:32:00.001-08:00

*Finally put finishing touches on Gemma's room

(see tomorrow's post for more where that came from)

*Did massive amounts of laundry

(seriously, I only have one child- how do you keep up with more?)

*Watched the Ducks lose to Stanford

(What the?)

*Ate way too many vanilla tootsie rolls

(I love/hate Dollar Tree for bringing the king sized version into my life. Midgies just don't cut it anymore)

*Took a nap with The Mr. after church

(Bless our child for being a sleepyhead)

Fall Fashion Inspiration

2009-11-07T21:16:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of J. Crew

Surprising combinations and unexpected layers make for great looks that aren't trying too hard.

I'll take one of each please.

Today's post

2009-11-06T20:32:00.000-08:00

I have a migraine.

Also, a 7 week old baby asleep on my chest.

The latter makes the former much more bearable.

So Excited...

2009-11-05T21:33:00.001-08:00

...for Christmas!

The past 2 Christmases we were all packed to move. (Yes we have moved a ridiculous number of times) No decorating, no tree.

This year we've not a move in sight and it's Gemma's first Christmas. I'm going all out. Here are a few of the crafts I'm itching to begin...

Felt Circle Garland

Cute Stockings and Garland

Stuffie Ornaments

Pom Pom Wreath and Garland

Quilled Snowflake

NaBloPoMo Cheater

2009-11-04T17:29:00.000-08:00

So, day 3 and I already slacked. Does 2 posts in one day make up for missing yesterday? Here goes-

Quote of the day:

Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

A little Autumn Love

2009-11-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

Last week. Took a walk, took some pictures.

Weekend Snapshot

2009-11-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was as great as ours.

*Finally got my haircut

*Spent Halloween with my family eating Angie's homemade chili, cornbread, caramel apples and of course- candy.

My sleepy skeleton

*The Ducks beat USC
*Sunday was Gemma's blessing day at Church

lately she's been all smiles!

*and I made my fav- pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

image borrowed from here

Things We Do Daily

2009-11-01T21:47:00.000-08:00

Eat

{My Photo}

Sleep

{found here}

Brush Teeth

{found here}

Put on Clean Underwear

{found here}

And at least for the month of November... Blog

NaBloPoMo

I signed up for National Blog Posting Month and it starts today. Just trying to get myself back on the blog-wagon. Looks like I'm going to be blogging my heart out for a bit. See you tomorrow!

{found here}

Lovely Little Prints

2009-10-21T22:47:00.000-07:00

Stumbled upon FreyaArt's Shop and absolutely adore her work!

Here's one I want for Jeremy:

And one for Gemma:

And one just for fun:

How can one person's mind work in such a cute way?

One Month

2009-10-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

Little Gemma is one month old today. I can't believe it. Time is flying. She's already having deep thoughts, but don't take my word for it- look at the picture I took of her today:

I believe she is thinking back on the past month and all her firsts...

Her first time cheering for an Oregon Duck football game on TV:

Her first real bath: (thanks Grandma!)

Her first mohawk: (and last, we hope. Thanks daddy!)

Her first photo shoot: (thanks mommy!)

-she DEFINITELY was worth the wait.

Happy Birthday to Me

2009-09-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

This year I got the best present ever:

Introducing

Gemma Jean Stoddart

born 2:20pm September 15th

8lbs, 12.5 oz, 20.5 inches long

"Sleepytime in the Western World"...

2009-09-09T23:12:00.000-07:00

...but I'm caught in the sleepless zone somewhere between restless leg syndrome (a lovely pregnancy side-effect) and anxiety surrounding labor & delivery. Not a total loss, it has provided web-surfing opportunity in which I am adding to my birthday wish list. I mostly just want new clothes (anything I haven't worn 3 days in a row and with room for a belly will be a much-welcomed change). There are some fun non-clothing items I've got my eye on as well. Like a pretty granny square afghan to snuggle this fall & winter. This one's amazing and she has so many more rad ones... super talented!
And this "She told her story to the stars" journal on etsy:

And at the risk of being annoyingly obsessed with miniature things... mini credit card sized poloroids! I want this camera!!! Fujifilm Instax Mini 7S Instant Film Camera

Still here, still pregnant

2009-09-08T15:22:00.000-07:00

I know that posting a "sorry I never post" post is ridiculously lame. So I'm not gonna say it. I just want to clear things up in case you thought it was because I had a baby. It's not. In fact just this morning my much-adored husband did an awesome job when I asked him to shoot some prego pics of me. That's me at 39.5 weeks. The one below is a cheater TtV (done in photoshop) because I thought having him tackle my TtV contraption would be asking too much. I may have time for a few more posts before Little One arrives where I can share a few things I've been up to... If not, stay tuned to see her sweet face. I know I can't wait to.

A Splendid Baby-Moon

2009-08-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday we got the crazy idea to have one last get-away before Little One arrives. We've since been told that's called a "babymoon". Jer found this great boutique hotel in Astoria so we took Friday afternoon off and hit the road. We were pleasantly suprised with how hip and cool Astoria was. Most Oregon coastal towns are a little bit backwards. Astoria is the exception. It is enjoying a revitalization period and we were enjoying right along with it. We stayed at the super cool Commodore Hotel - recently remodeled and reopened after closing it's doors suddenly in the 1960's. When bought a few years back, everything was untouched and in place as it had been for 40 years. The photos they took are what decorate the walls and the lobby is full of random artifacts. I highly recommend a night's stay there. We checked in, walked around town looking at shops and galleries, drove onto Sunset Beach (literally drove... right up to the ocean's edge, rolled down our windows and read with the sound of the sea in our ears), ate a yummy dinner at the funky yet stylish Astoria Coffeehouse, watched a movie and fell asleep to the comedy channel. Saturday brought a walk along the pier to breakfast at The Cannery Cafe, a drive-by of the Goonies house, a visit to the outlet mall, and one more walk on the beach at Seaside. It was Fab. Looking back on the pictures I took, it appears Astoria inspired me in a graphic way...

My Real Cute Baby Shower

2009-08-21T08:14:00.001-07:00

A few Saturdays ago, my amazing sister threw me an amazing baby shower. She had the help of a few of my family and friends when it came to execution but she was the party throwing wizard behind the curtain. You must see some of her darling/brilliantly creative ideas. Sadly, I took these pictures as guests were arriving so they were rushed and don't do justice to how cute everything was. At least you'll get a little glimpse...

The "garden party" took place in my mother-in-law's beautiful backyard

guests were greeted by balloons

Paper poms and lanterns hung from the trees

And even tiny little girly clothes

Butterflies in the bushes

Super cute centerpieces on the tables

And my-oh-my, look at that food table!

with yummies galore

And brightly colored beverages, each with their own label containing a different profound quote about babies or motherhood

These were on the gift table but I didn't get pictures until too late...

Ang made those photo holders. Those and the frames held baby pics of me and Jer. Can you tell who's who?

This platter was loaded with favors containing Angie's homemade caramels... mmmm!

And here we are after the big event... My mom and sister are the best ever!!!

I wish I'd had my camera...

2009-07-30T23:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to "Last Thursday" on Alberta and it was so much fun. The perfect summer evening activity. Yummy food, local art and music, superb people watching. Superb. If you live in or visit the area- go. I highly recommend it. It was a fun way to feel more connected with the people in our city. When you're all standing around listening to the same street musician, it feels like life can be simple and all can be well for a moment. On our way out of the neighborhood, we patronized the coolest place ever:

That's right, The Grilled Cheese Grill. They serve a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches out of an Airstream Trailer (ours was delish) and you have the option of sitting at a picnic table or in a school bus that's been renovated with tables covered in old yearbook photos. I wish their website had pictures cuz it was seriously brilliant. You must go and partake.

I'm back... token pregnant picture... and a WINNER!

2009-07-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

Home from Girls Camp. Trying to catch up on sleep and rest my weary fingers. I probably braided no less than 40 french braids this week. We had a blast, ate too much and slept too little. That's me in our cabin... 33 weeks along. Can I really get bigger to the tune of 7 more weeks? Yikes!

Now on to more exciting news... We have a WINNER! I had The Mr. randomly choose a number that related to one of the lovely people who so willingly supported my fun contest. He chose.... drum roll please.... Dear sweet Natalie!!!! I was lucky enough to meet Natalie when I moved into a house full of 7 other girls back in my BYU days. Coolest girls ever, I love them to death and Nat is a total rock star. Talented, beautiful, stylish and funny funny funny. And now the owner of a pendant necklace + print. Nat, please email me which ones you'd like and I'll drop them in the mail! ALSO, to all of you who participated and so generously mentioned me on your blog (or still plan to) - email me your address and which print you like and I'll send you a mini-print as a THANK YOU.

If you happen to be in Portland...

2009-07-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

Please come and see me here:

Now excuse me for a few days while I head off to Girls Camp with a hundred teenage girls. Me and my belly will be sleeping on a cot and getting up in the middle of the night to go to the outhouse. Yaaaay. No, but really, I'm super excited. We have so much fun every year I couldn't stand to miss it even though EVERYONE says I'm crazy. I say crazy is the only way to make it through the day.

PS- and seriously, where's the love? Does nobody want free stuff? I know I gave you till the 26th but only 1 comment so far? Ouch.

Another Family Shoot

2009-07-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

One where babies came in two's...

So precious!

NEW ETSY GOODNESS!

2009-07-17T17:17:00.000-07:00

My little shop got some fresh new pretties today!

Go on over and take a looksy.

Some new prints and some pendant necklaces.

Now you can take a piece of my art wherever you go!

And in honor of this new addition, I'll be having a GIVEAWAY! (Yay for free stuff). Just (1.) mention my shop/new product on your blog and (2.) paste a link to said blog in the comments for this post. You'll be entered to win a pendant necklace with any photo you fancy (that I've taken, that is) AND an 8x8 inch print of your choice. I'll draw a winner on July 26th. Thanks for the love and good luck!

I have a confession...

2009-07-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

...I'm really good at eating sweets. No, really. You might think you are, but I guarantee you're a total light-weight when compared to me. You probably eat half a cupcake and then say "This is so rich, I'm going to be sick." Or maybe you finish it but then you say "Wow, why did I eat that? I feel sick." I know you. I've been to dessert with you. You share with your husband. You even let him pick and then "just have a few bites". Pathetic. Me? I ate a three-course dinner at St. Cupcake tonight. No lie. My friend (who requested she remain nameless) came over, we took a walk, we stopped at aforementioned bakery, we closed the place down. Course #1- Pumpkin Spice. Course #2- Fat Elvis (involves banana, chocolate, peanut butter). Course #3- Pumpkin Spice. Now if that's not a balanced meal I don't know what is. Totally satisfying. You will not hear of any "feeling sick" on my part. At least not until my next doctor appt. when I have to step on the scale... eek.

Up to my eyeballs in digital images

2009-07-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

I wake up every morning feeling startled. The only thought in my head: "I have so much to do". A major deadline is looming... a new baby. So much work and so many projects going on and I want to share them all with you. Just too darn busy to take a blogging break. The time will soon come but until then, enjoy this photo I am oddly attached to. It's one of the thousands I'm sifting through as my current project in an attempt to get organized and ready for the thousands more I'm sure to be taking once Little One arrives. And speaking of baby photos, I get to photograph some brand new twins tomorrow. So excited. I promise to share.

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-04T14:14:00.001-07:00

With Love,

A Real Cute Family

2009-07-01T23:44:00.000-07:00

I rarely post pictures from my portrait sittings but decided now is a good time to start. Consider me officially getting the word out... The "word" being that I do portraits. Word. I had the privilege of working with this real cute family last week. Have a looksy, they don't mind.

All prepped and ready for his mission. Leaving in just a few days!

And meet the latest victim of my "repeat" button. I adore this song. While it plays, it takes all the discipline I have to stay at my desk and keep working on editing photos. Sometimes a girls just gotta do a little lyrical dancing in her living room. *I hope you didn't just picture that cuz it's really not pretty- me being 7 months pregnant and all. btw, I think I might get the courage to post a prego pic of me by next week. Just to satisfy the curious requests I've been receiving.

Skinny Love - Bon Iver

ps- I really will be updating my shop very soon. Promise.

A Walk in the Park

2009-06-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

Me, my baby belly, dogface and my cameras all took a walk to the famous Rose Gardens this morning. What a nice way to start a day...

I think Lewis Carroll would be proud

2009-06-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

Read a bit of USA Today at lunchtime and got a preview of next year's Alice in Wonderland... Tim Burton style, that is. It looks like it's going to be beautiful!!! I wish my brain was so creative. Tim Burton proves that it pays to keep pushing further and further when it comes to your art. Oh, and Johnny Depp as Mad Hatter? That's a tea party I'd like to be at!

My Little Shop

2009-06-19T08:05:00.001-07:00

I recently ended my morning-sickness-induced Etsy hiatus and gave my little shop some much needed love. I posted some pictures for sale and I'm super excited to have one chosen for this Treasury:

I'm also really excited about my next shop update... new prints and a lovely new product I've been working on and am proud to offer.

Check back soon to see what it is! :)