Etsy Inspired Challenge #139

Hello all!  It's time for another Etsy Inspired Challenge!  This week we have a cool home decor shop for you to be inspired by... Paula Art.    I really like her industrial and recycled items, especially this candle holder. 

I was inspired by the colors and simplicity of the photo/item to create this layout.

 This layout is one of my One Little Word assignments to write a letter to myself about my life right now.  It was a wonderful process and one that I will do again, along with writing a letter about where I see myself in another year.

Our sponsor this week is a great digi shop that specializes in digital papers...Shery K Designs.  Personally, I love her fun polka dot banners and scalloped borders.

The Etsy Inspired Challenge is now bi-weekly so you have more time to create a project for your chance to win great prizes!

- Visit  Paula Art  and find an item that inspires you.
- Create a project of your own and post it to an online gallery or blog.
- Link your project up to the Etsy Inspired Blog by Friday, June 3rd at noon for your chance to win a fun prize from our sponsor or featured Etsy shop!

Visit the design team for more inspiration!

Angi

Ashley

Carole

De

Ellie (May Guest DT)

Emily B

Jackie

Joy

Kerry

Ruby

Savannah

Sherry

Virginia

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend planned!  I am busy working on a special mini album for my mom for her birthday!

One Little Word - In Photos

So, I have had a challenging time with my One Little Word assignment this month. Ali encouraged us to take photographs of things that represent our word, literally and figuratively. I have kind of been waiting to have certain things speak to me but am having a difficult time seeing my word NURTURE in pictures. I know what it means to me but I just can't seem to capture it with my camera. However, today while working on my photography assignment for Elisha's class I was inspired to capture two images that I think represent 'nurture'.

I was reading a book recently with an image of hands holding a heart on the front and so I recreated that idea on my own and love how it turned out.

Also, I think these Willow Tree figures are a beautiful representation of love, nurture, and motherhood. I have about 10 of these figures but specifically picked these three for the photo shoot to represent nurturing myself, my relationship with my husband, and my kids.

I made sure to nurture my creative self today! I think I took at least 50 photographs and created two cards. And yesterday I created 4 cards...trying to see if I can get a few picked up for publication!

It was a snow day for us here today so I enjoyed a fun day at home with my boys...we'll see what tomorrow brings!

Photography 101

So, my one little word this year is NURTURE and part of that is nurturing myself...my interests, my creative soul, taking time for myself. I have been enjoying Ali's One Little Word Class at Big Picture Scrapbooking and when I saw that they were offering a photography class titled Mastering the Manual Mode, after I hestitated for a minute about spending some money on myself, I decided to go for it! The pre-class assignment is to take a variety of pictures that we will then take again at the end of class to see how our photography has improved. So, I thought I'd share my pre-class photos here and in a few months I'll share my new photos and we'll see how my photography has changed.

Here are the picture assignments:

1. Someone you love - (my oldest son).

2. Two people you love - (my hubby and new baby nephew)

3. Your favorite food. (M&M cookies...YUM! You can find the recipe HERE).


4. A flower, tree, or plant.


5. A landscape. (Obviously not my strong suit.)

6. A person or pet in action - (my youngest son running to come see me).


7. A candid photo (try not to let the subject know you're photographing them).

8. A self-portrait. (Yep, that's me...can't wait to learn how to improve this! :)

9. A favorite object in your home. (The leaves have great sentimental value as we picked them up for a third anniversary gift when we were on vacation in Oregon. However, the red bowl and decorative balls made for a nicer picture I think.)

10. A group portrait. ( Unfortunately I can't share one of my favorite group photos...as it has a whole bunch of kids in it that I don't have specific permission to share here.)

Have any of you taken a great online photography class, visit a fab photography blog, or have any photography tips? I'd love to hear them! Any feedback on these photos is also appreciated! :)