the curse of the internet & much much more
Yikes! 2 weeks since I posted last. And I had ambitions of posting twice in 1 weeks. Psssh. Right. Guess this will have to do.
I’ve been trying to rekindle my artsy fartsy roots lately because I’m getting a craving for scrapbooking or bookbinding or something of the like. How have I been attempting this? With a restructuring of how I contain my art supplies. This started a few weekends ago when C & Dad and I decided when we would be having our family garage/barn sale this summer.
June 5th & 6th – be there or be square
That means I’ve got to get all the extra wonderful stuff I really will never use organized, priced and pretty in less than a week. Doesn’t sound so bad, but I’ve had events upon events happening each weekend for the last 4 making time a bit tight.
I spent the majority of 3 Saturdays ago going through the bag of extra scrapbook stuff I compiled before the move as well as the box of extra scrapbook stuff I compiled after the move together with the basket I compiled that day. I know – it sounds like I’ve got the room to purge! But there’s more…
Innocently enough, I was trying to remember the name of a particular Quickutz alphabet I want to bestow upon another lovely Quickutz user, so I went to their website. And I saw this…
Since leaving Reminisce last summer, I haven’t been keeping as close of tabs on the up-and-coming scrapbook supplies, which I actually find to be a blessing to my bank account. I had no idea Quickutz had come out with *new* seasonal sets. It was love at first sight! I mean really, look at those trees. What can’t you do with a handful of trees? I immediately started to do the math and figured that if I sell the few Kutz I have to get rid of, I might make enough money to pay for my new alpha/shape set. I bounced back and forth for quite some time weighing the pros and cons {as I do with most purchases} and settled on the clear fact that, yes I needed this. And no, I can’t wait until I have my sale earnings. In case you are thinking I probably have enough alphabets {insert Mur’s voice of reason with loud exclamation point after hearing the price}, you might have a bit of a point. So why am I buying another? Don’t fret, I plan to do big things with this one. In fact I used part of it to make the signs for our garage sale today. See, already starting to pay for itself. Darn internet.
My other super awesome recent online score is this fuzzy wonder…
I picked this up on Thursday morning and don’t really want to take it off yet. Ok – my love for fleece isn’t quite that extreme, but pretty darn close. The best part is that it has built in thumby holes. I know. You’re a bit jealous. Those usually take lots of work and wear and tear. Not anymore. North Face now makes clothes with holes built in. Jokes aside – fleece is my friend. I suggest you get yourself one too.
On a more photographic note, I have been a busy bee the last couple weeks! As I mentioned last time, I was embarking upon my first Equine photo shoot the following weekend. And today, after some quick math and calendar checking, I find out I’m late on posting those ‘sneak peaks!’ A week ½ ago I had a photo shoot with Ben and Jo, the beautiful horse and rider duo. They were so much fun to work with! Ben started to become a real ham after a while and I think Jo had some fun too. They did some of their favorite activities and I stood by in awe and snapped photos wildly.
We did some formal riding photos…
and some more fun, goofy photos…
{ok – you can’t say this isn’t awesome! My ‘nose’ dream has come true several times in the last few weeks, it’s just amazing}
We traipsed through some knee high dewy grass resulting in gorgeous photos and a pair of jeans that are nearly dry.
The weather was perfect and oh so moody. I will be working with Jo again to snap some photos of her cat, Bert in the coming weeks. She has said he is shy which might be a challenge, but I seem to work well with cats. I think it’s because they sense my serious love for their species and also somehow know I’m a sucker for anything fuzzy that purrs or nuzzles. Get’s me every time.
Ok – I promise – this is my last attempt at soliciting animals for me FREE mini photo session. I have a few spaces still available and I would LOOVE to have a few more dogs come out for their photos! {Deb that means you – there’s still time to plan a weekend} Either contact me via the blog, or send me a message from my ‘Want to Know More?’ portion of my website. It will be a blast, I promise!
And I really will try to make another post soon. I have some fun photos from my wild and crazy Minnesota activities of late. A train ride {to WI and back} and whitewater rafting {down a brown and wet river}. I know, I don’t mess around anymore when it comes to my goings-on during a weekend. Winter is over – I feel so free! I wonder how it feels during spring in Florida. I would think a lot less climactic.
so……………….
For those of you not paying attention yet, let me shout a recap in green. There will be a garage sale on June 5th and 6th in Riverfalls, WI (at an undisclosed address only accessible if you tell me you are interested and give me the password of “chicken”). There we will have much more than scrapbook supplies including books, tools, some tack items, household goods, etc. All items I know you can’t live without any longer. And there will be a FREEEEE mini photo session following the garage sale the day after (June 7th). For that, definitely send me a quick message and I’ll give you more details!
years in the making
just as a warning, i feel a long post coming on… you might want a bathroom break now.
Those of you who know me and my past photo projects might be familiar with the one so affectionately named, “Betty Crocker Country.” It encompassed photos from around my mid-west – aka Minnesota, Iowa and a taste of Wisconsin. I made some images I’m pretty proud of and liked the project enough I plan to continue {when I get that next gusto of inspiration, that is.} But the one photo I always wanted and never got was a variation of this one… I present to you, an image that has been 3 years in the making. I call it, The Horse’s Schnoz.
Ha! I really like this photo. I’ll let you take it in another moment.
To give you a bit more background on my ‘need’ for an image similar to this, let me start with I always felt that my project was not complete without a photo taken right up in a cow’s face. That kind of an image just screams Betty Crocker Country, no? The heartland {and possibly even the cheese capitol of the nation, depending on where you are} has lots of cows, so it seems only appropriate that they would be included in this encompassing photo essay. I was even very close to stopping on the side of the highway once to approach feeding cattle and get my prized picture. But then I had a vision of a farmer leaping off his front porch rocking chair with a shotgun in hand chasing me away while firing shots at my boots as I jumped in the air like Wiley Coyote. I believe that thought was planted in my brain by a combination of visual footage – the first Men in Black {where the farmer get’s taken over by the alien} and that rascal Wiley Coyote. I’m sure it wouldn’t have happened, but I wasn’t taking any chances. Alas, no photo of cow nose was in my final project.
I snapped that photo last weekend while starting my education on equine photography. I do really love horses, but they are a mighty different ball of wax than dogs or cats, including when it comes to photography. I’m taking pictures next weekend of Ben, a beautiful horse who I’m hoping loves the camera. This lovely horse is owned by a friend of my aunt who also owns this guy…
This fuzzy sheep was chit-chatting away waiting for dinner while I took photos of the horses. I think he was hoping my camera lens was a delectable variety of grain. I felt bad dissapointing him when it turned out to be made of glass. After I snapped this, his head went down in his dish and never looked up. I’m thinking it was because his winter wool had been shaved recently so maybe he was feeling a little on the naked side. I probably would if I was a sheep.
Post sheep I came across Fudge the brown and caramel kitty.
I understand this is not the most telling photo of Fudge or her personality. As far as I could tell, Fudge did not really have much interest in posing for the camera. With the light going down quick, I tried snapping a few photos but really all I got were a bunch of blurry ears nuzzling up against my lens. I think if I had had a bit more time to give some good scratching of the ears and I would have had her eating out the palm of my camera. Maybe another time.
Meanwhile, back at the C&G farm, the two darling dear pups were snoozing away after a long photo shoot of their own. As I showed last time, Roux and I ventured up to the site of the mini-session and also as mentioned, she was a bit like a jack-in-the-box. I mean that because I think the entire car ride over there was a bit like the ‘Pop Goes the Weasel’ song. As soon as we got up the driveway to the field **POP** – there was little stopping her. The best photos came from the end when I tricked her to come to me. This works every time, I love it – I call her name, and then when she looks, I start running the other way. It’s great.
60% of the time it works every time. {name that movie}
I got her to pause in a a patch of tall grass because I’m pretty sure it smelled like bacon. That seems like a plausible reason for a dog to stop running and eat grass, right?
After getting done most of what I wanted to get done ‘up top’, I ventured down to the house and found this little lovely.
Miss Ahni was planted in the driveway waiting for her family to return from the store. She had an expression of focus on her face like she was willing them to return. I suspect she does this a lot when they leave – she looked experienced.
Well that pretty much sums up last weekend – finally. Only a week behind, wish my scrapbook was like that 🙂 This weekend was a blast, too. Not so much photographically but creatively, comfortably and spring cleaning-y. More on that to follow. I think I’ve exhausted my typing fingers for the evening and it also gives me a subject for my next post. Since those seem to be few and far between, maybe I’ll actually get 2 posted in the same week! Eek – scary thought.
another update and a pretty sunset
Why hello! Happy Wednesday to everyone. So far the bummer of my week consists of getting a car wash on a bright sunny evening only to have my car rained on 12 hours later. I know. If that’s the worst thing that’s happened, I’m doing pretty good. But still. I wish for that gleaming car of Monday eve.
Over the weekend I spent lots of time doing all kinds of things! Mostly, I spent lots of time on my website. And by lots I mean about 10 hours. With 7 of them being consecutive {and my behind is still recovering from that decision!} Check it out if you’ve got time. I added a few new colors, a few new patterns and a few new images. I’m pretty happy with the work and I hope others like it too. I also spent quite a while doing other creative things for other people which I finished up last night – all I can share is they are invites of some kind and collages of some little cutie. That was nice to get those at least to the next approval stage! I love doing creative projects for other people they are a TON of fun! But they are also nice to complete and take a step back from and say, “I’m not a bump on a log. I can do something. See? I did something!”
Well – here is something I did. I added a snap shot of my new website layout. The address is still the same (www.ChocolateMooseImages.com) so I trust you could find it, but I like making screen shots. I feel so techy when I do it.
The other thing(s) I spent a lot of time working on this weekend were taking photos at the location of my FREE session which is out at my aunt and uncles in Wisconsin. {There is still space available, so see the last post for more info!}
I love it there! It is like a little escape. Their home and farm is tucked into the hills of Wisconsin which makes it a bit like a cabin vacation with a really good bed and a kitchen stocked full of beans. I took Roux up to the ‘spot’ to do some sample photos. Turns out that was a silly idea. She was so wound up from sitting around my feet all day while I was on my computer that she tore around the pasture for a good 20 minutes. I’m shocked I got her to sit still for this one!
Note to self: I think I need a little more planning as to the best ways to keep dogs calm while on set at the session. We are trying to avoid lost dogs at all costs.
I hope everyone is having a stellar week! It’s Wednesday which means the weekend is approaching quickly. And WHO isn’t excited for Grey’s Anatomy season finale tomorrow night? Hellllo? I’m going to be preoccupied for the 8-10pm window most likely with a box of Kleenex, a glass of wine and the lights out. I find dramas to be more dramatic when the lights are out. I feel more one with the TV. I haven’t decided if that’s good or not, but for tomorrow night I plan to stick with it. Have a good one!
June 6th and 7th 2009
UPDATE UPDATE:
exciting news around the Chocolate Moose Images hub {aka, my house} … The weekend of June 6th and June 7th is going to be the first FREE CHOCOHOUND photo weekend. I’m suuuper excited about the event! If you have contacted me already, you have probably already heard back from me with more info and if you haven’t contacted me already, now is your chance! I am going to be filling up my Sunday schedule first in 1/2 hour intervals starting at 7:30am until 10:30am and then breaking for the hot afternoon to edit pictures, take a siesta or play with any lingering dogs and will resume at 5:30 until 8:30. The reason I’m filling Sunday first takes me to my next order of business…
We are having a garage sale!! I love garage sales. I love shopping at garage sales. I love random awesome finds such as 1/2 a Mason Jar salt and pepper shaker set. Yes, that means just 1 jar. I don’t use salt so I really only need 1/2 the set. The garage sale is at the same location as the photo session located in Riverfalls, WI. So, come one. Come all! It will be a sale NOT to miss!
I am also going to be doing some photos on Saturday, but it will be a bit more on a limited basis for this particular weekend because of my need to work hard to sell my fabulous stuff that just doesn’t fit in my life any more {ummmm extra scrapbook supplies anyone ;)}
Have a great Wednesday night! Mine will consist of some delicious fish and a lot of photoshop editing. Horay, I love that program.