I've been tagged!

I've been tagged for the first time! It’s great way to introduce yourself to other bloggers.
I got tagged by Joanna!

Rules for tagging other blogers:

• Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

• Share seven facts about yourself on your blog – some random, some weird.

• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

• Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

Ok then, my seven random facts:

1. I love to cross-stitch.
   
2. I am a book whore. I have oodles of books, am always reading, and when friends & family see book sales I'm the first person they call.
   
3. I like to color... especially in geometrical design coloring books.
   
4. I have 6 tattoos. Well, mostly more like areas with tattoos. LOL
5. I have a cat that weighs more than most infants.
   
6. I love fairies.
   
7. I hate brussel sprouts. I mean serious hate and loathing. They are disgusting and I'd like to kick whoever discovered them square in the shin. LOL
   

And here are 7 people I am tagging:

• Always Amy
• Xjaeva
• libu
• Kat's Life
• Sunny
• Liquid
• Art Lover
  

Holy cow!

Has it really been almost a whole month since one of us has blogged? Yikes. Not good! 10 lashings with a wet noodle, or 10 laps around the house? You decide. ;)

Let's see... what has been going on since our last post? Luckily my camera hasn't been pooped on by a bird since our zoo trip. We've been out and about taking loads of pictures, playing around with Photoshop & especially with textures (they are fun!), watching the debates, and working hard.

I find that I get obsessions once in a while. Sometimes it's craving a certain food that I must have. Sometimes it's something new I hear about, like a new book, puzzle, or game. Other times it's something I want to try artistically. This time, it's the last example. I keep seeing the TTV style images and think they are wonderful, beautiful and unique. I've been doing some investigating and reading up about it online, so I think I'm ready to get out there and find some good cameras to use. While we're out and about this weekend, I think we may stop by some shops and see what we can find. If anyone has some pointers, I'd greatly appreciate it. :)

What I've Discovered on Etsy - Volumn 1

Now that I'm starting to get the hang of this blogging stuff, I'm going to start posting about neat/unusual/cool things I find on etsy from time to time. There is nothing better than giving recognition to a fellow etsian!




Is that not the cutest?? This adorable dragon was made by DragonsAlly. Right now they have 7 dragons in their shop, and it looks like they will also be making other animals, such as unicorns and teddy bears. Their shop url is http://dragonsally.etsy.com

~ Melissa

A trip to the zoo.

Oh how I love the zoo! It amazes me how different it is from the zoo I remember as a child. When I walk through the great exhibits like the Desert Dome and the Butterfly Pavilion, I don't know how or why I ever got excited about ground squirrels or yaks. :)

My sister and niece decided to join us this time. Mark and I don't have kids, so visiting the zoo is quite a different experience with a 6 year old. Although, Elise is a great kid who mostly listens, and only gets overly excited from time to time. The weather was perfect, and we all had a great time. That is, until a bird pooped on my camera.

Yes. Bird doo-doo. We had stopped for a little break and to get some water, I had my camera around my neck, when "SPLAT"! Oh come on! I was somewhat stunned, pretty grossed out, yet thankful it was the camera and not my hair or clothes. That probably would set off the waterworks. Anywho... Mark, my knight in shining armor, ran off to get napkins so I could clean up. I did my best to get every little crevice cleaned and poop free. Yuck.

Luckily that was the big debacle of the day. Oh. Wait. I forgot about Elise running up to Mark to get the napkins, not stopping, running into and bouncing off Mark into the pavement. Oh boy. I think it scared her more than hurt her, since she just had a little red mark on her elbow. Mark felt horrible, even though it wasn't his fault. So, to make it up to her, all he had to do was give her a piggy back ride to the next place we were stopping. It worked like a charm. :)

~ Melissa

Hooray!!

My laminator woes are over! I decided to return the Xyron creative center, since I was having a very difficult time finding the cartridge I needed. I instead purchased a wonderful, multi-setting hot/cold laminator. I am so, so glad Mark talked me into it. I was able to laminate the 5 bookmarks I had already made, and they turned out perfect! I added yarn and ribbon to 3, got photographs taken, and 1 listed on etsy. Yay! Finally! :)

This week is full of excitement. We shall be visiting the zoo again this Saturday. I'm hoping to get more butterfly photos, and animals we didn't see last time. It's supposed to be a beautiful day, so I'm wondering how crazy it's going to be. Not that it matters. :)

~ Melissa

... at the altar ...

Ok ... so Melissa and I decided to stop by Memorial Park last weekend to see if any good shots presented themselves in the rose gardens or around the memorial. We were both leaning over the flowerbeds … searching for the perfect angle … when we both, at the same moment, noticed that I was the only guy in the rose garden not wearing a tux and that Melissa was slightly underdressed compared to the other women who had, quite mysteriously, materialized nearby. It was a public park … no “reserved” signs anywhere and we WERE there first so they were being polite enough to not say anything to us. We, slightly embarrassed that we had been so focused on our project that we hadn’t noticed the wedding party arrive, quietly moved off to the outer edges of the gardens … sufficiently out of the way but still able to snap a few shots. So … it all worked out well … we got a few beautiful shots and witnessed the beginning of a hopefully wonderful marriage. The only negative, I would say, was this older guy … staring at my prosthetic leg. It’s not that I mind people looking or even asking about it … I mean I WAS wearing cargo shorts. What got me was his mannerisms and the intense look of what could only be thought of as disgust on his face. It was as if he was SO furious at me for having the audacity to lose a limb that he wanted to physically strike me. At first I was a little freaked out by it … then just found the idea hilarious … so I chuckled, made eye contact and smiled as I motioned “hi”. Ah … the joys of a good photo safari.

-mark

The woes of crafting.

To expand our product line, we have decided to try our hand at making bookmarks with our photos. Last weekend I purchased a Xyron Creative Station. You can use it for multiple crafting projects and the price was within my budget. Silly me didn't notice that the machine came with an adhesive cartridge, when I really needed the double sided laminate. I didn't realize this until yesterday when I started making bookmarks. Blarg. So today I went back to get the right cartridge. They had the one sided matte laminate, but no double sided. Double blarg.

Unfortunately, the other craft store that carries these items is closed on Sunday. I suppose I'll head there on Tuesday, with my fingers crossed, that they have what I need. If they don't, it's off to the internet to get one ordered.

Come hell or high water, these bookmarks will be made. :)

Melissa

What I see ...

When I look through my camera ... a world springs to life before me. I want to share the delicate intricacies ... the sharp edges ... the harsh grit ... and the sheer emotion of the world I see. When I release the shutter ... a moment is frozen in time and in that single moment the story of a lifetime can be conveyed. I'm searching for my moment ... my perfect moment ... to become frozen like that ... to move me and to be shared with others. K ... that ... and I just love to take pictures ... :D
-mark