{What_______ looks like} turning 8

It's that time again!  I know, I wasn't able to participate last month and I hate that.  Things have been crazy this summer with traveling, the house remodel and the kids being back from their trip.  When they got home from being on their adventurous road trip with Grandma & Grandpa May I wanted to soak in every moment with them that I could and that meant pushing personal projects aside (boo!).  But I'm back!  This month, on the first of August, my baby girl turned 8 years old!  Yes, 8!  The picture above was Brielle when she was 6 months old.  She was born with thick black hair.  Very different from my blonde little boy.  But soon light brown hair sprouted and her tips were black from birth.  Still trips me out.  Ha!  Brielle couldn't believe she was turning 8 either and was beyond excited for the day to begin so we could celebrate and tell stories of her birth and her as a baby.  I loved every minute of her excitement!   We started the day with a fluffy pancake breakfast, in the afternoon Jeff surprised Brielle by coming home by noon then we were off to play to at Dave & Busters for some games and prizes.  That night Brielle requested a home cooked meal.  What did she want?  She wanted a blue cheese iceberg wedge, steamed broccoli and a juicy prime cut steak (Jeff cooks the best steak), too bad I'm not a red meat eater.  But she devoured it!  For dessert she wanted a Red Velvet Cake with cream cheese frosting and ice cream.  She was in heaven ;-)

Oh and I had to capture my baby the day she turned 8 so when Jeff got home we quickly snapped a few photos before we went off to play.

The next day Grandma Rasmussen flew in to be with Brielle to celebrate her birthday!  She was beyond excited!  And when Grandma is in town in the summer, swimming in the pool is top priority.  We don't want Grandma to go home but we're thankful she was able to spend this time with us and the kiddos.

Thanks for taking the time to pop by my blog.  Complete the circle and visit all of the other talented photographers in this project.  Click here for Wendy VonSosen's post.  She never disappoints!  :)

We're back!! Bloom Basics is back!

After the wonderful responses from the two Bloom Basics courses Stephanie Moore and I have taught, we're back to teach it again!!  And we can't wait!!   The course takes place on the Bloom Forum in a private classroom so if you're not a Bloom Forum member you will just need to sign-up for a couple of months so you have access to the classroom. Who is this course for?  For those of you who have a DSLR camera and want to know how to shoot in manual mode and learn how to edit in photoshop.

I'm continually amazed with prior students and how far they've come after taking this course.  Several have started their own photography business after taking this course and then completing our second course 'Defining Yourself'.

Are you really going to be able to learn in an on-line course?   I 100% believe that our teaching methods make on-line learning easy.  We utilize video explanations when needed and some of the course material is presented via video, photos, diagrams, etc.  I'm a visual, hands on learner so we really strive to give as much visual guidance and teaching in this course.

Our prior courses have sold out so be sure to purchase a seat before they're gone.

Please contact me at kara@karamayphotography.com with any questions you might have or for pre-registration links.

{DysFunctional Photo Friday} taking the disˈfəNGkSHən out of your photos

It's Friday!  Gosh this week went by so fast!! My kids are gone RVing with Grandma & Grandpa so it's been a strange week without hearing their little voices echo throughout the house.  Since they're gone, I've been extremely busy.  Like can't sleep at night because my brain won't turn off busy.  It's been very productive with editing, packaging orders, painting my office, remodeling the kitchen and trying to finally decorate this house after being here for a year.  I have decorating commitment problems...hence the reason for these weekly posts.  These ideas are helping me sift through my images in effort to display them throughout my home in creative ways.  Remember this post?  The one with the driftwood and twine?Well Free People just posted their own version with instructions on how they did it here.   I love their creativity with this - so colorful yet still very organic.

Have you seen this cool wallpaper sold at the Scandinavian Design Center made by Lisa Bengtsson?  On the right wall and in the right space this would be super cool.  Just put a pop on a photo, jewelry or anything that's special to you (or just leave them blank) and  you have cool art on your wall.

To make a 'BIG' statement, these wall murals are the way to go.  Super impressive with the right image!

{image below from khooll.com}

{image below from WeHeartIt}

{image below found on HGTV - with instructions on how they did it}

Very cool ideas to think about.  Hope you enjoyed this week's post.  If you have a cool idea and want to be featured on my blog e-mail me at kara@karamayphotography.com with your idea.

{DysFunctional Photo Friday} taking the disˈfəNGkSHən out of your photos

I've been struggling with ideas on how to display photos in my office.  I'm sick of the blank walls - I want to paint and then fill the walls with images that tell stories.  But how should I display them?  That's my problem.  I've been fascinated with the idea of using clothes pins (and possibly glitter-ing or painting them first) and then hanging them from twine.  You can tell a story in each photo or in a cluster of photos that have a sequence of events.  Anyway, here are some ideas I've seen that are really inspiring.  I found this image at Promise Tangeman Updates Blog - she explains exactly how she makes her cute display.  I love how the pictures aren't straight.

At the Old Brand New Blog - they've used a few different sizes of clothes pins and painted them a solid color.

Oh Houzz - I found this display of vintage photos.  I think these are clothes pinned to an old metal mattress base.  Pretty clever.

I love Southern Weddings showed this sweet display used at a wedding.  I think it would be cute for a birthday party or engagement party too.  Simple yet creative and organic.

This image I found on Pinterest and it wasn't linked to anything.  But I thought it was super cute using vintage hangers to display photos along with some miscellaneous meaningful things.  Kinda of a hodge-podge of special things and not necessarily just photos. 

If you have any ideas you'd like me to share (of your own or something that's inspired you)  please send them to me at kara@karamayphotography.com  with the subject 'Dysfunctional Photos'.  Thank you!

{What _____ looks like} 'the last few days of the school year'

Summer is here!  Yes, the kids are out of school and another year has quickly passed.  My momma heart has a hard time realizing and accepting that they are growing up.  I was hoping my littles would stay little forever (or at least for a lot longer than it has been).   I'm always an emotional mess as the school year comes to an end.  I want to be at everything and soak in every moment of volunteering and being with them 'in the moment' at their schools.  These years will have such a huge impact on them and I want that impact to be positive.

Sometimes I feel like that mom on the Capris Sun commercial.  You know which one I'm talking about?  (I posted the link below) I promise I'm not that protective but every time I see that commercial I laugh since that's how I feel.  Don't get me wrong, just because I want my kids happy doesn't mean I don't discipline them or hold them accountable... I definitely do.  But sometimes I wish I could protect them from every negative influence. Sigh...they're growing up and I just have to accept that.  ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h_5Y0llfwU

The picture below was the morning of the last day of school.  It was pajama day!  They were pretty excited about that.

These next 3 were taken 3 days prior since we had some time to kill in the courtyard.

The second to last day of school was 'water day' for Brielle.  What a fun way to end 2nd grade!

Ty in his class autographed T-shirt (i should've taken a pic of the shirt but I wanted to capture his sweet 4th grade face).  5th grade next year - yikes!!

This last picture was the first night of summer (taken with my iPhone).  Brielle was exhausted after a full day in the sun.  Ty was full of energy on Minecraft at 10pm (I know....late.  It was an exception/celebration welcoming Summer break). I'd say the first day of summer was a success!!

Check out what Stephanie Moore posted this month and click through to complete the circle of photographers participating this month.

{DysFunctional Photo Friday} taking the disˈfəNGkSHən out of your photos

It's that time again!  This is helping me sift though my photos and forcing me to display them, I'm a photographer and right now, looking at my house, you wouldn't know it.  Since moving last May (a year ago) I have not put up a single picture!  I know, lame.  Every house prior I had wall displays, mini albums and other displays of my kiddos sprinkled nicely here and there in every room  Oh wait...I have one picture on my wall.   It's in Brielle's room.  Pictured below.  But that's the only photo displayed right now.  {shaking my head with embarrassment}   

These posts are getting my mind thinking about ideas and I'll try to post some of the ones I do along the way.

Lately, I've been trying to figure out how to organize and decorate my office (well every room in the house really) and I want it to be a creative space that represents me and this passion of mine.  I'm struggling with design ideas since there are so many directions I want to take with that space.  Right now I'm obsessed with just a hodge-podge of photos on walls.  This is a little unlike me since I like clean lines and no clutter, and this is a very cluttered look but it's organized, creative clutter and I'm drawn to that.  If I had a couch like this I think I would want to do the same as the image below.  I found this on Flickr and fell in love with it!  The one below that had me thinking about our new (well soon to be new - it's not up yet) mantle.  I found that image on Flickr too.

This one makes me think of my workspace.  It's just eye candy...you can never get sleepy with a wall like this in front of you each day.  {I found this image here.}

For a little more of an organized look, I thought this was cute.  Might look great on a small wall  or in a girls bedroom.  I think Instagram pictures would look really cool in this collage format.

 So my mind is spinning with ideas.  I can't wait to share more cool finds next week.  If you have a unique display to share please e-mail me at kara@karamayphotography and in the Title write:  Dysfunction Photo Friday.  Thanks!!

{DysFunctional Photo Friday} taking the disˈfəNGkSHən out of your photos

We've all been there.  We have gobs of photos that are stored in drawers, on shelves, in tidy little boxes, or on the computer.  I'm a repeat offender...but I'm vowing to stop the 'dysfunction' and put my photos to use by displaying them creatively.  If you're like some of my clients, they order images and put them in frames. I love that!  But there's so much more that can be done with those images.  We just need to think outside of the box and that's what this series is about....making your prints functional, unique and displayed in a beautiful way.  Every Friday (or every other Friday) join me in this new series and discover creative ways to use & display your photos.  Put the 'Function' back into your photos with some of these fun ideas.

There's so many ways to display your photos - I'm excited to try some of these myself.

What a cute way to display vintage photos...using vintage milk and medicine bottles. Just roll your photos to fit into the opening of your bottle, the photo will unroll once it's in, and you have a cool display.

{photo via Apartment Therapy}

And another take on the same concept, this time with some twine wrapped around the neck of the bottles.

{white life photography - Lisa Roy}

If you live on the coast this is a very fitting idea.  I used to find drift wood along the shores in California all the time when I lived there.  A really organic display using twine, paper and wood.  For detailed instructions on how this was done visit the link below this image.

{Morning Creativity}

Driftwood as a photo holder!  So unique!

See, there's so many ways to creatively display your photos.  If you a unique way to display your images please share them with me at kara@karamayphotography.com with the title 'Dysfunction Photo Friday' and you might be featured here on my blog!  Thanks everyone!

{'My Instagram Life' - it's more than just food photos}

Most of us have them...another life on Instagram.  We may have a Facebook life, an Instagram life and 'real' life.  Instagram is a fun outlet for me to post everyday moments with ease and without lugging my big heavy camera around.  And I can honestly say I don't know if I've ever taken a food photo (shocker I know...)  oh wait....I have taken a picture of what I'm putting in the crock pot since cooking is a struggle for me as well as healthy smoothies I've made.  So I guess I lied...I may have a handful of food photos.  I'm just not a foodie. lol  Anyway, when I first started Instagraming I thought it was my own private albums and a place to store pics.  I had no idea they were shared for any user to view if they so choose.  Then my friend Laura & Haleigh informed me one day that they commented on something on Instagram...I was like, 'What?'  Yeah, I do that a lot.  I had seen comments but thought they were an auto thing from Instagram.  I know....you're laughing at me.  But now I get it and it's such a fun way to share pictures with friends near and far with ease.  So what can you do with your Instagram pictures?  That's what I wondered after taking dozens of pictures.  There are so many places to print your Instagram photos now!  Places are popping up everywhere with the most creative way to display and print them.  I just ordered my first set of images from 'Origrami'  http://www.origrami.com  I love them!  They're printed on heavy 4x5 postcard quality paper and they come in this cute little box!  I love them.  I plan on pinning them up with little clothes pins in my office...either within a large frame or just on the wall. I'll take a picture when I remodel my office and put it up.  The back of the print shows 12 unique designs if the photo map information is not included on your photo. This makes Instagraming even more fun!  I'll be sharing more Instagram randomness soon - I may make this a series too.

You can follow my instagram life at karaphotogirl on Instagram if you'd like.

{I did it! I finally have a Facebook business page}

It has been extremely very busy, insanely fun, ridiculously non-stop time for me and my business lately (and it's not even busy season).   I have so much to post about.  Workshops I've had the honor to speak at, ladies I've met and now call my friends, shoot after shoot, traveling like a nomad, and yet trying to be 'in the moment' as a mom, wife, friend, etc.  So with all of that business - I finally gave into the pressure from friends, clients and peers to get a Facebook business page.  I know...it's about darn time right?  {shrug}  Here it is!  https://www.facebook.com/karamayphotography  I'll be posting recent sessions, things that inspire me, everyday things that help with my creative juices, and more.  I try to blog as much as I can, but I have to be honest...it's much quicker and easier for me to post on FB and interact with you all.  I love hearing from you and of course getting to know those that follow my work.  We have a common passion, otherwise you wouldn't be here reading this right now.  So come visit me and say hi.  I'd love to hear from you.  Thanks!

{What ______ looks like} 'siblings, swimming & sugar'

It's that time again!!  These are so fun and I so look forward to making sure I squeeze these into our busy life.  I usually have my iPhone camera where ever we go but this forces me to get out my big camera and capture every day fun.  This month has been nuts and I wish I could've captured more fun, simple, living in the moment fun.  This month was the opening of 'pool season' (sort of) in the May house.  Brielle was dying to go swimming so she talked her brother into coming out and jumping in with her.  They ended up only getting in to their shoulders since the water was still 70 degrees.  Ty's only a fish when the water is 80 degrees.  Brielle is normally always a fish but she only wanted to get in all the way  if her brother joined her.   Below, is a treat!  We try to really manage the amount of sugar we give our kids (don't laugh) so this was a BIG DEAL!  Cookies!  Girl Scout Cookies!  The kids made me giggle as they got these out, stacked them and then asked me for some cookies.  Yes, guilt trip!  So I made a little shoot out of it and had them wait a little.  I asked them questions and got some silly expressions.  I'm easily entertained by them. After scrolling through this post please click through the circle to see what the other talented ladies in the group have posted. I'm sure Jenny Cruger will have some amazing eye candy.