Flourishes to Flowers

Photos of the week

2010-01-24T12:08:00.010-05:00

1/18/10
The purpose of this photograph was to capture the essence of elegance portrayed by an extra dining room chair up against the wall under the painting. Anyone who watches any type of design show on television has seen the unused chairs up against the wall by a piece of art. I guess had I been a magazine photographer, I would have spotted the outlet in the photo and hid it by positioning the chair leg in front of it. Lesson learned :)

1/19/10
I thought it might be interesting to try and capture the precarious position of the pup's toys. They are stacked in our log rack by the fireplace. Brody loves to go in there and raid the toys.

1/20/10
I knew what I wanted to photograph this day, but never took the time to actually take the picture.

1/21/10
Earlier during the day one of my AP students was telling me how many books she had on her bookshelf. It got me thinking that perhaps an angled shot that captured the different sizes, would be interesting. This would a shelf of one of my many bookcases throughout the house.

1/22/10
No photography ideas this night, so I took a photo of the norm that is seen in my kitchen each night-stacked dishes.I liked how the light was bouncing off them casting a shadow. Do you see them?

1/23/10
Yesterday was my favorite photography day this past week. I just couldn't choose one photograph to share with you, so I'll leave you with several favorite captured moments of this gorgeous day.

Hopefully my photography has inspired you to pick up your camera and not only capture those special moments, but everyday life as well.
See you next week!

Week in Review

2010-01-17T18:43:00.012-05:00

Now that school is back in session, between teaching during the day and then virtually at night, I just can't find the time to upload my photos each day as I did over our break. So, I'll be posting them as a week in review.
1/10/10

A picture of my favorite room in the house, my studio.
1/11/10

I had read somewhere that if you wanted to pick up the curvature of something to find the straight line and use that as the edge of your photo. I did that here, but I'm not too sure how successful it was in relaying the curve of my storage unit. What do you think, can you tell?
1/12/10
Sadly enough, by the time I realized I hadn't taken a picture on this day it was the next morning. I think from now on, I'll grab my camera as soon as I arrive home from school so I don't get sidetracked and forget.
1/13/10

Again, trying to pick up the shape of an object. This is my ab machine and the curves are really defined, which is what I was after in my image.
Here is another shot I thought may work.

1/14/10

Keeping the same theme: shape. This is on my dining room table. It is a glass container that I fill with potpourri. My focus again was the shape of the glass container, imagine my surprise when I first saw how beautiful the flower looked in this shot. I just love it!
1/15/10

These were my beautiful tulips right before their petals began to fall on my table. I saw how gorgeous they looked with the light coming in from the window that I couldn't resist snapping these. I couldn't choose just one to share with you, so I've posted them both for your enjoyment.
1/16/10
As I was grabbing my camera yesterday, I spied this in my line of vision. Any guesses as to what these are?

1/17/10
Today it's actually warmer and sunny outside, so I decided to venture out for my photography. Since all the pups wanted to go out as well, I found this on my side yard in my husband's pile of scraps from his shop.

The bent metal caught my eye; I find it to be very interesting.

That's it for this week's photos in review. I hope you're still picking up your camera and capturing that shot which could become a memory of a lifetime.

2010-01-10T12:41:00.002-05:00

Beforehand I was covering the shivering baby with blankies (old towels) while in his "bedroom" (pen).

I couldn't pass up this adorable photo opportunity, what a cute little face he has with those soulful eyes.

January 10

2010-01-10T12:27:00.006-05:00

My ds's Beagle, Brody, does not respond well to this cold weather we are experiencing, so being the great "grammy" I bought the poor, cold baby a sweater. What a chore that turned out to be since I had no idea how much the boy weighed. I turned to another patron at PetsMart who happened to have her little pooch donning a sweater very close to the one I had in my hand. She assured me it would fit him, so the purchase was made. Here he is in all his warm, cozy glory sporting his new duds.

Happy Day! January 5th photo lost, but now is found.

2010-01-10T12:07:00.002-05:00

I was uploading recently taken photos and realized the "lost" photos were still on my camera :)

Here is the original photo from January 5, 2010.
I have so much ribbon that I thought taking a photo from a different angle would hopefully be a fun look.

Is that frost in Central Florida?

2010-01-07T19:01:00.004-05:00

I woke to this on the ground; a rare sight here in the Southern State. I was playing around with my aperature seeing how I could capture the shadow of our orange tree on the fence. I think this photo turned out quite well.

I can't believe this!

2010-01-07T18:57:00.002-05:00

I inadvertently deleted my photo taken on January 5. I am using a new program on my computer and my finger slipped. DRATS! I really did take photos.
Here is my photo for January 6-this is something that is always seen on my desk.
Just a few books I've been utilizing to help plan my next semester at school.

January 4 Photo

2010-01-05T13:43:00.003-05:00

Today's photography goal was to not only capture the texture of the piece, but the upward curve and tassles. This ties back the shower curtains in my main bathroom. I just love the richness of the color and the texture of the rope. I wanted more natural lighting so the rich browns wouldn't be washed out by the harsh light.

January 3 Photo

2010-01-03T18:55:00.007-05:00

Today many shots were taken, more than I anticipated, but the one photo I was trying to learn how to take is this one. This is a portion of one of our pieces of art in the dining room, and I was trying to capture the texture as well as the different heights of the colored pieces.
Okay, I just can't resist sharing with you this fave photo I took of my girl this afternoon. She was in the backyard with my husband playing with the frisbee. Believe it or not, this shot was taken through my window pane in my dining room.

Sorry, I couldn't just choose one; she's just too darn cute.
Tomorrow I'm headed into another smaller room in the house hoping to capture that perfect shot.

January 2 Photo

2010-01-03T18:49:00.003-05:00

Believe it or not, it was cool enough last night in Central Florida for a fire. I tried to capture the flames coming off the log. I have been shooting in manual mode in hope of learning more about the capabilities of my camera.

365 Photo

2010-01-02T10:22:00.004-05:00

Jaunary 1, 2010 Photo

This is the year I am carving out the time to accomplish those "Oh, I'll do that sometime" things I've always thought I'd get to, but never have. I've had my Canon Rebel xTi for more years than I'd like to admit, and this is the year I will learn more about the capabilities of both camera as well as photographer. I am passionate about sharing my view of the world through my camera lens, thus my 2010 goal to take a photo a day.

My photo to springboard my idea is one of my fave subjects, my pooch Sasha. Here she is in all her beauty perched on their "doggy" sofa as she guards her domain.

My Word for 2010

2010-01-01T18:17:00.009-05:00

I was visiting another scrapbookers blog and came across this idea that was originated by Ali Edwards.
I've decided "Enjoy" is the perfect way to define
what I need to actively do more of this New Year. Just a few ideas for my word:
Enjoy knowing that perhaps I really am teaching my freshman "Something" this school year.
Enjoy the time dh and I have right now, who knows what the future economy will bring.
Enjoy the peaceful times knowing that in years to come there will be noisy, but adorable, grandchildren filling the rooms with nonstop chatter and laughter.
Enjoy the extra love given to me by Brody, ds's pup who currently resides with us.
Enjoy the commraderie shared on ScrappinMojo.
Enjoy the learning process by taking a photograph each day.
Enjoy the individuality of all those I come in contact with each day.
Enjoy my love of writing by taking the time to begin again this year.
Just enjoy daily life by slowing down and marveling in the wonder of it all.

If you'd like to read more about this concept visit Eli's blog at aliedwards.typepad.com.

I hope I've inspired you to come up with your own word for 2010.

Teenagers

2009-12-07T20:57:00.002-05:00

You've definitely been one, and maybe you've even raised or are raising one-who are these hormonal creatures we share not only our space with but our roads? They want to be independent, treated as adults, yet they teeter back and forth between adolescents and adulthood within seconds. How do we help our teenagers get through these awkward years unscathed? I haven't discovered a way, except to be there for them to pick them up when they fall, dust them off and encourage them to continue moving forward.

Scrapbooking the Day away

2009-12-05T18:27:00.003-05:00

I've finally decided to put the school work down and do what I enjoy the most-scrapbooking. My afternoon has been spent playing along with my members at We're having our annual Fall Festival online crop this weekend. How fun to have our mojo members come up with fast scraps/challenges and games to join in on our crop. If you haven't been over to the site before, head on over and play with us tomorrow from 10-4 EST. There's something going on every hour. See you there!

Hitting my head against the wall

2009-12-03T21:23:00.002-05:00

Have you ever had a day when no matter how hard or many ways you try, you just can't get your point across? This happened today with my freshman. I spent all class period, 80 mins., trying to teach them this grammar concept. How many different ways can one teach a concept, I mean really? After modeling three different ways to figure out how to obtain the answer, I ran out of ideas. Here's hoping at least half of my 33 students understood today's lesson. Guess I'll find out tomorrow when we grade their work. You ever have a day like this?

Which Are You?

2009-11-30T06:22:00.002-05:00

Call me a prude or old-fashioned, but I think everyone should Always be on time. If you say you're going to arrive at a certain time, please show up a few minutes early or be exactly on time, but this arriving almost an hour past the witching hour drives me absolutely crazy!
So which are you? Are you like me and arrive a few minutes early, or are you one of them that is always late?

"New"

2009-11-11T17:50:00.005-05:00

This is the first word chosen for a photography challenge I've decided to begin with two other aspiring photographers.

My interpretation of "New"

A newly turned leaf which we rarely see here in the deep south.

My son's dog Brody, who has adapted a "new" behavior. He has learned to just ignore the camera instead of walking toward it as he did when he first came to live with us.

Ultimately the Decision is Mine

2009-11-11T08:58:00.002-05:00

Any educator can relate. Should I or not? There is always so much to do: plan, grade, grade and grade some more. This is MY day off from work, but I know I must share my time even though it's forced.
The decision is mine or is it? I can't help seeing those 60 some odd faces of my AP students wondering what they scored on their last timed write.
So NO, the decision is NOT ultimately MINE.
Who says educators have it "Easy"?

A Year in the Making

2009-11-10T08:50:00.002-05:00

The money exchanged hands so long ago, but the anticipation has been building as the time drew near. An excited buzz filled the air as the release date got closer. Screen shots were shared, talk of new trailers and strategies flowed through the fiber optics.
Once the actual day arrived, hundreds of fans swarmed the shops anxiously awaiting the witching hour.
I'm sure many households were abuzz with excitement last night and into the wee hours of the dawn as mine was. My guys (my husband and son) were playing until 4 AM and amazingly are up again this morning at 8 AM ready to play this phenom they lovingly refer to as COD Modern Warfare 2.

What's the Purpose?

2009-11-08T08:53:00.003-05:00

What is the purpose of you writing on a blog? Do you hope to attract a plethora of blog followers? Who would make up that group of followers?

I posed this very question on my sbing site and most of my members said to offer prizes on my blog, but wouldn't that only attract a certain group of people? And honestly, if you've scrapbooked for any length of time, you've experienced the shopping euphoria where all is well in your world because you've just purchased the newest releases. So then I ask, "Why would you want more "stuff" when you already have so much already?"

Not only am I an avid scrapbooker, but I enjoy writing and photography as well. So wouldn't I want these people to follow my blog too?

After asking myself these questions, I came up with the following answers in terms to my own personal blog and why people would follow it:

I think people who follow certain blogs:
*enjoy your style of writing
*can relate your experiences to their own lifes
*hope to learn something in relation to their own hobbies
*just want to be entertained

Through the reading of my blog I hope my audience gain a few laughs, learn a few new things, view situations from a different perspective and learn not to take life too seriously.

Ask yourself this question and see what answer you come up with. Who would you like to follow your blog? What is "your" purpose for keeping a blog?

Here's what I've learned

2009-11-07T15:59:00.003-05:00

*You don't have to only blog about scrapbooking (or whatever craft you may love)
*Skipping days is okay, life happens-no need to apologize
*After reading 2 pages worth of blogs linked to Shimelle's class, I want to read only those that I connect with
*I don't have to change the name of my blog for people to read it, it's a metaphor really ;)
*I can add as much or as little writing/photos as I'd like
*And the BEST thing I've learned...I really do have ideas for blogging and didn't need a class to supply prompts, but this class did open my eyes to another way of blogging. For that I am thankful

What happened here?

2009-11-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

I bet you're wondering, "What's happened? Jan was off to such a great start and then Wham!" I totally understand, you don't need to explain yourself. This is how my life has been since Aug. 24 and I never know when it's going to hit (get crazy) enough that I'm MIA for a bit. The one thing I do know, or hope I know, is you'll all be here waiting for my return.

Tacky Day or was it?

2009-11-03T18:51:00.004-05:00

"Tacky" Day it sure was! The girls' outfits were hastily put together as they randomly selected clothing from their closets and drawers. Make-up was applied to create opposite effects on eyes as well as cheeks and their stockings... well let's just say these shouldn't be discussed within earshot of any of the principals.
These outfits transported me to days I'd rather not remember.
As the day progressed the outfits, girls and guys, became even more tacky. I thought to photograph a few of these to share, but later thought better of it.
Let's just say I'm glad this day only comes once a school year.

There's nothing like HomeComing Week

2009-11-03T06:28:00.002-05:00

It's great to see how many new followers I have-Welcome everyone!
Today is another scrappy opportunity that I'm armed and ready for. I have my camera with a fully charged battery ready for those ever so present photo opps.
Teaching teens is the best this time of year. They LOVE to dress up and get into the HomeComing Spirit.
Today is "Tacky Day" so I'm sure they'll be fabulous outfits to fill my frame.
I'll share later this afternoon after I get home from school, so make sure you pop on by later on.

Mitchell Mustangs Happy Halloween Cheerleaders

2009-11-02T06:00:00.002-05:00

Here is a photo of one of my AP students who happens to be a cheerleader. I asked her to come back with her friends so I could get a pic of them snazzing up their uniforms. I didn't notice the garters until after I printed the photo to scrapbook it. I think it's a sharp contrast to the halos they are wearing are their heads.

Halloween High School Style

2009-11-01T07:44:00.003-05:00

I'm in the process of creating my Halloween layouts, but I thought I'd share a photo of two of my AP students.

They were so sweet to pose this dramatic photo for me.

Something New

2009-10-31T21:31:00.006-04:00

I'm beginning a class by Shimelle on Monday that deals with blogging. I'm very excited and hope it inspires me to blog more.

On Scrappinmojo we have a "Monthly Master Challenge" that Diane runs for me. I just finished my layout of my niece and love how it turned out. I wish you could see the shabby edges better.

If you haven't been to Mojo, you really need to stop by and check us out. I'm sure you'll be inspired by our weekly challenges posted every Friday as well as our Sponsor reveals posted the 1st and 15th of each month.

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you have a safe night!

Adornit Blog Hop

2009-07-31T00:00:00.003-04:00

Georgana emailed me asking if I or any of Scrappinmojo members would be interested in participating in the Adornit blog hop. Of course we were, in fact 9 Mojo girls are playing along. If you enjoy the comraderie of a small knit group of scrapbooking fanatics, then you'll love scrappinmojo. Our forum isn't too large that it's overwhelming like some other sites, but there is always something fun going on from our weekly challenges, monthly contests to guest design team reveals. Come on over and check out the site this weekend as we host our Hawaiian Laua online crop.

My idea for one of my favorite activities this summer was when our seniors attended a mentor training in preparation for the incoming freshman class which they will oversee. I knew I wanted to document this event since it's our first year implementing the freshman university, but I wasn't sure how. Then I came across Adornit's Fern Collection which has such cute papers that I just couldn't resist creating this 6x6 book. I thought the "wise owl" theme totally fit with the seniors taking on the role of the "wiser student." Here are the photos I took to share with all of you.

Let's have some fun and reward you for blog hopping with some Adornit prizes. Leave me a comment telling me how you've used Adornit's Fern Collection or how you've been inspired during your blog travels. Also, if you decided to join us at scrappinmojo this weekend for our online crop, let me know you heard about it on my blog. I will have several random drawings on Monday, so make sure you leave a comment and/or join in on the fun.

If mine is the first blog you've visited, you can start at the beginning of Adornit's Blog Hop here.
Make sure you visit Summer's Blog to continue blog hopping.

Not too much longer

2009-07-27T07:29:00.004-04:00

until the Adorn It blog hop. I'm so excited to share with everyone the project I made with some of their product. I hope you're able to join us in the fun!

Meanwhile, we are getting ready for an online Hawaiian Laua at http://www.scrappinmojo.com/ It will begin on Friday, July 31 with a game of bingo and then continue the rest of the weekend with fun games, as well as challenges and quick scraps created for you by our very own Mojo girls. So stop on in for a chance to win the grand prize- a gift certificate to your fave online sbing store.

Adorn It Blog Hop

2009-07-21T08:07:00.003-04:00

Scrappin Mojo girls are joining Adorn It in their blog hop festivities July 29-Aug 1. Make sure you hop along with us and join the fun.

Bo Bunny

2009-07-09T13:14:00.001-04:00

Our guest design team, there will be 3 chosen for August, will be working with Bo Bunny product. If you're interested head on over to www.scrappinmojo.com and check out the August guest design team member contest for details. See you there!

Scrappin Mojo's Summer Soiree Blog Hop Kick-off

2009-06-26T17:00:00.002-04:00

Who's ready for a fun-filled weekend of scrapping? Scrappin Mojo's Summer Soiree Blog Hop is under way and will run through Sunday, June 28 at 5 p.m. EST. During this time complete as many of the blog challenges you can and post your creations in the Scrappin Mojo gallery . Make sure you register for the gallery first. Once you've completed the challenge and uploaded them to the gallery, your name will be entered in the random drawing for our Summer Soiree Grand Prize. But wait, there's more! For each comment you leave on each participating blog, your name will be entered into a Random RAK drawing. Make sure you check back at Scrappin Mojo's message board on Tuesday, June 30, for the official announcement of all our Summer Soiree Blog Hop winners.

Every scrapbooker has favorite photos-what I'd like you to do is chose your "most recent" favorite photo and create a layout. If you have more than 1 favorite and they work together for a layout use them all.

These are my two favorite recent photos I took just the other day.

This is my girl Sasha and ds's pup Brody. He loves laying on her.

The most important aspect of this challenge is using your "most recent" favorite photo on your layout.
Make sure you leave a comment to have your name in a random drawing for a RAK from me.

Have fun and flaunt your talent! Remember to upload your creations to the Scrappin Mojo gallery.

Hopping right along, hop on over to Terri's blog

to continue our fun challenges.
See you at Mojo-have a fantastic time hopping and scrapping this weekend.

Are you ready for a Blog Hop?

2009-06-25T09:02:00.000-04:00

Only one more day until we begin our blog hop at http://www.scrappinmojo.com/. Make sure you register so you can hop along with us.

If you love Bo Bunny as much as we do you'll just love our Grand Prize.

Remember, our blog hop begins Friday, June 26 at 5 p.m. EST at scrappinmojo where you'll find the link to our first blog challenge. We'll see you there!

Time Sure Flies

2009-06-23T07:48:00.001-04:00

Where has the time gone? It's been so long since my last blog update, but so much has happened at www.scrappinmojo since then. I now run the site with my sister, Terri and we have had so much fun. We have a great group of girls on the board that I'm sure you'd love to hang out with. Stop on by and check out the weekly challenges as well as see the awesome monthly reveals we have showcasing our unbelieveable sponsors.
Beginning this Friday we are having a Summer Soiree blog hop-how fun and the best part is the grand prize is a kit put together using one of Bo Bunny's gorgeous lines.
See you there!

Happy New Year

2009-01-04T12:12:00.001-05:00

It's been so long since I've blogged. So much has changed in the course of 6 months. Many scrappy happenings at ScrappinMojo, you'll have to go check out our February Guest Design Team Contest http://www.scrappinmojo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7558. I hope to see you all there.

I've got a surprise for you!

2008-06-01T18:35:00.000-04:00

Over at the site I co-own we kicked off our Summer Jamboree today. Go check it out as the grand prize is amazing!
http://www.scrappinmojo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5916

Beginning Friday, April 25, 2008

2008-04-24T20:30:00.000-04:00

I am joining a group to create a year long photo project. On the 25th of each month we will photograph the day to scrapbook. There will be a prompt provided, so if you'd like to join me in this exciting venture, make sure you visit my blog on the 25th of each month. I'll post my lo's after I've finished them; I'd love to see yours too!

New launch date set

2008-04-08T08:46:00.001-04:00

Like everything when it come to technology, there's been a glitch in the launch date. So we've decided to postpone it until May 1 so everyone has a whole month for our first contest. The new challenges were posted on Sunday, so if you haven't visited ScrappinMojo head on over. We can't wait to see your creations.

Today's the BIG day!

2008-04-01T21:19:00.000-04:00

Today is the day Jen, Amy and I officially begin our wonderful venture of running ScrappinMojo. I can't wait to unveil the new site, hopefully Saturday is it's finished in time. We have a lot of great ideas to spice things up-hint hint ;) See you at the site: www.scrappinmojo.com

New site look launch

2008-03-30T20:58:00.000-04:00

will be next weekend since my techie is completing homework and studying for a test on Tuesday. I'm really excited and wish I could share more with you, but then it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?

There are some really great ideas in the works that will be unveiled shortly thereafter, so make sure you keep checking back at www.scrappinmojo.com
New challenges will be posted on Tuesday, April 1st which is the official day of our running the site. I can't wait to share as I've been crazy busy this afternoon creating lo's for them.

See you then!

Whew! Redesigning a website is Hard work!

2008-03-30T08:32:00.000-04:00

Ok, I admit I've come up with the ideas while my son's wonderful girlfriend, Ashley, has been working on the techy aspect of it. She was here for hours last night putting the new site together, and still has several more hours of work. I'm hoping to launch the new look on Tuesday, April 1 since this is the "official" date that Jen, Amy and I begin running Scrappin Mojo, but with Ashley having to work today and having a test on Tuesday for one of her college classes, the big reveal my have to wait until next weekend.

There will be new challenges this week, so make sure you're ready to get scrappy and create!

Come back and visit often for more updates on the reconstruction of the site.

P.S. Here's a hint for ya: In regard to the "theme" of the site, think in terms of the name :)

Exciting News to share

2008-03-21T12:14:00.000-04:00

Two of my g/f's and I are going acquiring the website ScrappinMojo. I've been a part of the site since the beginning and now will have a hand in running it. I'm so excited, as are the other girls. We have some wonderful ideas in the works. I hope you stop by and pay us a visit. www.scrappinmojo.com

Finally!

2008-03-17T22:24:00.000-04:00

It took a VERY long time, but I've finally figured out how to attach a slideshow with my favorite layouts on it. I hope you have a moment to take a look. Thanks Nessa for all your help, I couldn't have done it without you.

Not much inspiration today

2008-03-16T21:45:00.000-04:00

Finishing these circle journals are at the top of my "to-do" list today. I've completed 2 of them and have 2 more. I am determined not to create anything else until these are done. Anyone else have something you just need to finish before beginning anything else? If you do, post it here so we can help you celebrate your awesome accomplishment.