Janna Wilson

Day 3- still #making it!

Inspired doesn't even touch the creative frenzy I've been in! LOL! Got paper, got ink...been designing and printing pretties. Some just samples, some for reals. I'm definitely running out of wall space! Gonna have to uncover my desk before starting again in the a.m.

If you follow me on Instagram- you know I love to take IG photies. I love IG because it takes me back to those little Instamatic cameras with the bulb flash when I was a kid. The smell of those flash bulbs popping off! Square photos with the awful exposures. Ahh..gotta love it. I love square pics, what can I say!?  I print them, I've digi scrapped them. Love em. Anyway, I have some ideas...and this Instagram collage design was a start. This is an 11 x 14 print I made out of my Canon 9000 and I absolutely adore! I see many more of these in my future with quotes, personalization, etc.

I printed one of these for an 11 x 17 sample. Love how it turned out! Great for a bride, anniversary-- all those special dates. Need more frames! oops!

Always look forward to picking up my sweet boy after school. So excited to see him and squeeze him again. 

Productive day on the creative front ;) Until tomorrow!

35 things...

Well, I'm officially half way through my 30's.  I'm okay with that.  Even though...I still don't know EXACTLY where I'm going in this life...though I'm pretty certain I know where I'm going after :) I thought I might share 35 things-- random stuff -- lets see what happens.

1.  Here's the road home to where I grew up...snowed over (Jenny will like this :)

2.  I always ask for or make coconut cake for my birthday...though, these cupcakes were the bomb.  Strawberry with dark chocolate filling :)

3.  I went to a gallery opening tonight of one of my UAFS professors...I was impressed.  Really.

4.  I want to make art-- for some reason, I'm stuck in a rut.

5.  Pinterest is my favorite new place online.

6.  If I could do anything...I would be a print/pattern designer and create illustrations and designs for fabric and home decor...Janna Wilson for Target :)

7.  I wish I had more time to create for the fun of it.  But outside of my school schedule its slim pickens.

8.  I love my husband's facial hair :)  esp. a tidy goatee. 

9.  Right now I have 4 commissioned projects to do/in progress :)  Paintings. Here's an in progress one...

10.  I'm a bad friend.  I get stuck in my life and don't contact the outside world. 

11.  If you don't already know...I love red and turquoise :)

12.  I have quite a bit of art and illustration just waiting for a purpose --and for me to have the time to purpose it :) 

13.  I have purposed some of it...don't forget about these freebies from this post last year.

14.  I love making heart art :)

15.  We've had lots of snow in our neck of the woods!

16.  I think my kids are super talented artists :)

17.  I had lots of fun decorating for Cash's birthday on the cheap...this was a fun centerpiece (used plastic shot glasses from the Dollar Tree party section for individual candy serving.

18.  I usually always make the family's birthday cakes...even though Cash wasn't impressed

19.  He had an awesome party...

20.  That birthday banner is still up in my dining room--Sara hung the streamers so we thought we'd try to keep it for future use (it was only a buck :).

21. I love moments like this...

22.  Sometimes, I just love to have homemade popcorn for dinner.  I can't stand microwave corn now...

23.   I'm gonna cut my bangs in the morning, I think.

24.  OH my gosh, I just found a file I've been looking for for WEEKS!!!! YAY!!!

25.  I really like decorating with numbers and I love roses.

26.  There's two kinds of beautiful...soft, unassuming beauty...

27.  And there's striking, demanding beauty...each perfection in their own way.

28.  Speaking of love...I LOVE bruschetta!!!

29.  My favorite restaraunt is Green Papaya-- Vietnamese.  MMmmm!

30.  I really need to take more pictures.

31.  My least favorite class I've had in college so far...speech...and not because I have a problem speaking in front of people.

32.  I really love McDonald's coffee --three creams and an Equal--large is $1.64 in Alma.

33.  Studying about the Renaissance makes me dream of Florence.  I wanna go to Italy so bad.

34.  I really, REALLY miss Jenny....my sister.

35.  Thirty five...yep, I can handle it.

(me on my birthday)

 

Life in fast forward------>>>>

 

Thank goodness for cameras...to capture things like these fun times OR the first time your little BIG girl wears makeup to a party. 

 

And speaking of cameras...I really hate to spout off about getting something new....but I just have squeal about my "new" camera.  I've had my Canon 10D for nearly 9 years now...wow!!!  For the last few years I've just gotten used to the shutter lag---theres a delay when you depress the shutter button and sometimes it takes and sometimes it doesn't...I've just gotten used to it and hardly even notice anymore.  Still takes great pics...just that one little issue.  So, a friend's hubby upgraded cameras and they sold me their 30D for just a little more than it would've probably cost me to get my shutter fixed!!!  YAY!!!!  I'm thrilled!  Pulled my 50 mm lens out and I've been having fun with this new toy (Santa brought early ;).  I'll keep my 10D forever...incidentally, all these pics were taken with the 10D...except Sara's pic above.  Best money I ever spent...good times, good times....such as these...

 

Shot these a few weeks ago after we got home from school one day.  It cracks me up to watch Cash on that pink scooter...he assures me that even though its pink boys can ride it too because scooters are for boys.  I cringe every time he speeds down the hill around the driveway.  ;(  Scary!!!

 

 

The kids love to rollerblade...though they are quickly outgrowing the pairs we have!  Santa, are you listening?

 

 

Abby is a total camera hog...rightly so, she certainly is photogenic!

 

Santa brought this silly little scooter a few years ago for Cash and everybody LOVES it!!!  FUN!

Well, today was the last day of class for a few days.  A little break from life in the fast lane is so welcome.  However,  I've vowed to myself that I MUST get a lot of school work done.  I have a ton of stuff to do to ready my portfolios for finals in my art classes.  Whew!  I got a backlog of Algebra homework done tonight...so I will paint tomorrow...and draw...and cut and paste...I have about 50 pages of notebook work to complete in addition to current assignments.  Oh my! 

I'll leave you with some sunsets of late...so pretty...

 

 

   

Redneck sk8er...and other fun stuff!

Found this cute shot on my camera...Aunt Jenny must have snapped it!  It was like finding a $1 in the laundry or in a coat pocket!  Such a fun surprise!

and he's an awesome cutter...(he gets that from me ;)

and later this day he went deer hunting with Daddy.  And the next day...they killed a deer together. 

Priceless!

Growing too fast!

 

Today in Pictures...tales from the kitchen

 

The girls were baking cookies and decided they would film it with the Flip Camera and play "cooking show."  LOL!  Can I tell you how many times I did this as a kid!?  A LOT.  Except I totally DID NOT have the Flip!  Totally took me back and I grabbed the camera, of course...

 

So here is some behind the scenes...Sara is the "star" of the show and I believe Abby is something like "director" or "clean up crew?"  LOL!  Obviously, you can see who's the camera man!

 

CUT!!! 

...and ACTION!!!

{more from the kitchen}

Even the boys like to get into the action of the kitchen...Scott's specialty is breakfast foods (greasy ones, of course ;) and he makes a mean pan of gravy in his iron skillet.  This day he was making fried eggs. 

Cash likes to make his own pizzas...we like to do homemade pizza once a week...so good on the Old Stone and totally easy with the Kitchen Aid dough hook!  Can you tell he likes black olives?

Our kitchen is definitely the heart of the home...and the messiest part too!

(Strong) Coffee Memories

I think for lots of us...the memory of coffee is "strong" -- pun intended!  LOL!   My Dad is a 2-3 pot a day-er...and the coffee is almost ALWAYS on at "home" no matter the time of day.  This may be weird...but when we were kids, we just loved dipping buttered toast in Dad's creamed coffee-- soggy, crunch...mmmm!  I don't do that anymore, but sure did love it back then.  

I love to get up with Scott (not that I always do especially this summer) and we have quiet time over a fresh perked pot of coffee.  (We love our Farberware Percolator...reminds me of cooking coffee on an open fire --camping :)   Or if I miss the early session with Scott,  the coffees still hot (and a little stronger the way I like it) and I still get up before the kids are up and percolate over my to do list, check email and just soak up the silence.  Good stuff.

I see a coffee themed scrapbook page coming tomorrow...

And now coffee is a big business isn't it?!?  Its not just Folgers and Maxwell House anymore.  LOL!  Loved those old Maxwell House commercials, I think --when someone came home on Christmas morning (from college), was getting engaged, etc...  Don't I wish I had some stock in Starbucks!?!? $4 bucks for a cup of brew...wow!

Thanks to friend Linda, I've found a new LOVE...this Starbucks VIA® Iced Coffee!  (oh no!)  I'm thinking this will be a lifesaver and easy to tote on the go this fall.  And it is YUMMY!  No creamer required...and I love me some french vanilla creamer!  I see its cheaper here on Amazon ($4.95 per box) than in the stores so if you have Amazon Prime of course you get free shipping!  Deal!!!  Can you tell I'm loving Amazon lately.  It's just way too easy!

Or I found a coupon here on the Starbucks site if you wanna pick up a box at your local Starbucks store.

Now I think I'm going to steal back this AWESOME cup I gave my Mama for her birthday since she prefers Sonic styrofoam!  LOL!  And I'll be all set up for portable iced coffee consumption! 

Today...in pictures

So, I've purposed that I will take more pictures...and maybe I'll start a little category...today in pictures...hmm?  It makes me happy, oh-so-happy to see these little snips and snaps of the kids and daily stuff...

No professional photography here...mostly just unedited, reality...home.

Love.

...here's how most days begin and end...doing dishes, unloading, reloading...)

 

...coming from the mailbox...just found out who Abby got for her 4th grade teacher....

 

...a REAL, geniune, perfect Abby smile...she got Mrs. Ingold/Mrs. Griffith--thrilled :)

 

...lunch yesterday, okay, I had more than this one.  We LOVE bruschetta...with homegrown tomatoes and my fresh basil-- YUMMY!

 

...wishing, hoping, pleading to take my old sax out of the case...nope!  (for sale to a good home :)

 

I love this view...from the kitchen to the dining room (my old scrap space).  I love that it is clean, clear of clutter, bright, and features some treasures that are dear to my heart...china that my Mother in Law bought Scott when he was a teenager, crystal that she bought me when we got married, the table that Scott crafted from tree to table, the wood floor we put in...the first update we did in this house, those charming glass doors...just so much about this room I enjoy.  Though I'm going to work on taking a better photo...

what is it with boys and lining their cars up?  LOL!

...playing favorites!

...my Dollar General haul...a whopping $9.66 after $7.55 coupon savings...LOVE clipping coupons!

Post it Notes & Flags: $1 minus $1 coupon here

Dawn $.85 minus coupon from last Sunday paper

Chef Boyardee $.75 minus $1.50 off 4 here

Scott paper towels $6 minus coupon from last Sunday paper

Dr. Pepper $1.25: .55 cent coupon on bottler

Today...in pictures

...I picked up the mail and I found my TWO brand new batteries for my OLD camera (that I love).  Can I mention that these TWO brand new batteries cost $12.95...shipped!  Gotta love eBay :)

...and of course, I had to charge 'em up right away and challenged myself to capture the day with my camera...today!  So first I caught this little guy...looking adorable, of course :)   I played with this one-- some PS actions.

 

This was the look he shot me as I was trying to convince him to eat his egg sandwich (which he didn't eat :).

The kids were so happy they all survived the "snake in the pool" incident this morning!!!

I had this beautiful visitor in and amongst my zinnias this morning...so gorgeous! 

 

  The party moved inside where we all took up residence in the craft space...Cash likes to watch his "shows" (iTunes ;) on the puter while we create!

 

Sara made cards for some folks at church...I love this one!  She HAD to use this cute Bella Blvd. birdy!  Speaking of...a little birdy told me that YOURS TRULY will be the guest blogger on the Bella Studio Blog on Thursday!!  So be sure and check it out! 

And to end the day...Mr. Sleepy gave it up just before dinner...
(took this one with my phone and tweaked with Camera Bag app)