AHA: Featured 5 & 5

THIS WEEK FROM THE #myAHAmoments FEED

There is so much wonderful handcrafted work out there and I really wanted to share some of my favorites with you on the blog so I started a new hashtag on Instagram for peeps to tag their work to and I will feature 5 of those submissions every week on my IG feed and here on the blog as well. If you aren't following me on Instagram yet well, YOU SHOULD! And if you are a maker, crafter, doer, designer, artist or stylist and want your work to be featured then just make sure to tag your favorites to #myAHAmoments.

1 >> Shared by @littlemisspobean - This little pineapple sunglasses case is pretty adorable! I might just be able to find my glasses in the bottomless abyss I call my purse if I kept them in something so cute.

2 >> Shared by @ross_lab - I love these cloud mugs and can totally see myself sippin' on some tea daydreaming about that beach vacay I would really love to take right now.

3 >> Shared by @nokitchensink - This sweet Harry Potter ring is just magical!

4 >> Shared by @justforyoucrafting - Minh has taken over his wife's craft room and I'm pretty impressed with all this craftiness he's got goin' on. Way to go!

5 >> Shared by @oriana_lewton_leopold - Her paintings are just dreamy and this selfie adorned with the flower just makes me smile! 

THIS WEEK FROM PINTEREST: MACRAME AND YARN ART

I love seeing all of the macrame and yarn art designs popping up everywhere and one of these days I am going to try my own hand at it. Here are just 5 of my favorites...

1 >> Macrame Chair - Um, I just want to grab my Outlander Book and curl up in this and read for days. How amazing is this hanging chair!!

2 >> Macrame Rope Hanging Lamp - What a great idea for covering the cord of a hanging lamp! I love the simplicity of the bare lightbulb but the detail in the macrame rope is stunning and I really want to recreate this for my own house.

3 >> Macrame Wall Hanging - This has such a peaceful and natural essence and I just love the teal-dyed edges. Beautiful! 

4 >> Macrame Hanging Planter - I have been noodling over ideas for our screened-in patio and want to incorporate hanging planters and this is the perfect example of what I am looking for! 

5 >> Gold Dipped Yarn Hanging - I'm SWOONING over here! This suites my style perfectly and I pretty much just need to make myself one over the weekend. Ok, I might not have time this weekend but this may be something you will be seeing on the blog very soon. 

I hope you all like the new Friday round-ups! Are any of these one of your favorites? I'd love to hear!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

It only took me 182 shots to capture the perfect photo!

Hello! How is this week treating you so far? Life is busy as always over here but I've been chipping away at checking off some smaller goals I have in motion to bring this blog and the launch of A Handcrafted Affair as a business into full swing. I will share more details soon on the business side of things but if you are looking for styling and crafting services for your wedding, parties, boutique displays or photo shoots, I might just be the gal for you!

Ok, back to the blog! I have this idea to start a new column sharing behind the scenes details for what goes into some of my DIY projects, styled shoots, Instagram posts and anything else you might wonder "how'd she do that?!?!"

I thought I'd start today's post by sharing some of the outtakes for an image I posted a couple weeks ago on Instagram. I had received several compliments on the image but I found it comical that in order to get that ONE pretty picture, I took 182 takes of it. Seriously?! Let me preface this by stating I am not a professional photographer by any means but I am a perfectionist so perhaps 182 shots might be a little excessive.

The above collage is just a snapshot of the many takes and the center image was the selected hero shot. Here are the two key factors I was looking for in the shot - lighting and composition. I always try to shoot with natural light if I can. For this image, I stood with the window to the left of me and it was taken in the early evening. I either try to take images in the morning or the early evening to get the best lighting. In photography, this is referred to as the golden or magic hour.  I also stood about 4 feet away from the wall so that helped to create a sense of depth in the picture especially with how the shadows were cast on the wall behind my hand and the paper bloom.

I think hands can look weird when photographing so I think that's one reason it took me 182 takes to get a composition that I didn't see my hand as looking awkward, uncomfortable, too shaded or too tense. I was aiming for what APPEARED to be a natural pose but when you are holding a paper bloom that doesn't really have much of a tip to grasp onto in one hand and then the iPhone 6 that is almost too big for me to take a one-handed picture in my other hand, it get's a little tricky to take that perfect photo! I know there are gadgets out there like selfie sticks and iPhone tripods but I haven't invested in those yet so sometimes you just gotta work with what you have on hand (literally).

In the final photo, I had managed to get a sliver of lighting through my thumb and forefinger and the posture of the rest of my hand looked pretty relaxed and I was happy with the lighting and positioning of the flower itself so this session was finally wrapped! Which was a good thing because my kiddos were running circles around me while I was shooting and asking me every two minutes when dinner was going to be ready, ha!

For retouching images I take with the iPhone, I first use Afterlight and then a final tweak in Instagram. I mainly adjust the exposure, brightness, contrast, highlights and shadows. Occasionally, I tweak the saturation or warmth of the image as well. Honestly, it just takes some playing around with the tools in your photo editing app to get a feel for where that sweet spot is. It also helps to look at some of your favorite photographers and study their images for color balance, bright whites and perfect contrasts.

Like I said, 182 takes might be overkill but with practice I will continue to grow my iphonography skills and eventually I will get to a place in which getting that perfect shot can happen in a lot less takes and time.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your week! Cheers!

A Few of My Favorite Blogs

Hello! So, I was catching up on some of my favorite blogs last night and it occurred to me that I have quite a few favorites. It's an addiction I tell ya! I'm always on the hunt for inspiration or just a good article on how to better myself (aren't we all) and when I come across a brand new and curious blog, I feel giddy as I soak in the contents of their feed.

I started to think about how many blogs there are out there that I am not even aware of so I thought I'd share some of my favorite go-to blogs with you today and I would love to hear if you have any favorites of your own. Just leave me a comment. I promise you it will make my day if you do. J

A Beautiful Mess
The Glitter Guide
Martha Stewart
Inspired By This
Design Love Fest
Melodrama Blog
Oh Happy Day
The House That Lars Built
Design Sponge
Hands and Hustle
Paper & Stitch
I Spy DIY
Decor8
Centsational Girl
House Beautiful
Emily Henderson
Green Wedding Shoes
Style Me Pretty
Magnolia Rouge
100 Layer Cake
Ruffled
TomKat Studio
Sweetopolita
SprinkleBakes
Sweetopia
My Cake School

Enjoy!

A Mother's Day DIY Roundup

Hi friends! How have you been? Can you believe it is May already? I feel like I need to go to confession but please forgive me as it's been a month since my last blog post. I'm taking some time right now to work on some regular WEEKLY content for you all and I'm excited to share some upcoming projects as well. So bear with me just a little bit longer and I promise to make this an awesome blog!

Well, since Mother's Day is this coming Sunday I thought I'd share some of my favorite Mother's Day DIY posts from around the blogosphere (because you know I am all about the DIY!).

STRAWBERRY BUTTERMILK DONUTS WITH STRAWBERRY GLAZE
Yes, please! I would happily devour these sweet delights. Serve it with a mimosa and I will be one happy momma.

Image via Little Broken

DIY PAPER MAGNOLIA FLOWER
I am a sucker for real and paper flowers and would be giddy about either as a Mother's Day present but these crepe paper flowers by Lia Griffith are so beautiful and you'll earn extra brownie points for making them yourself!

Image via Lia Griffith

PAINT DIPPED KITCHEN UTENSILS

How cute would these be displayed in the kitchen! A super simple DIY gift that is stylish AND functional. 

Image via Cleverly Simple

DIY MOTHER'S DAY MUG

I love this idea and what a great way to personalize it with a favorite quote or the kiddos artwork. Whether your momma is a tea or coffee drinker, this would make a wonderful DIY gift!

Image via Gimme Some Oven

HOMEMADE COFFEE SCRUB

Every momma needs a little pampering in her life and this DIY is one to try! Not only would this smell amazing but apparently it helps lessen the appearance of stretch marks and cellulite. Who knew, right?

Image via A Pumpkin & A Princess

I will cherish any thoughtful gift, card, artwork or activity my family plans for me this Sunday but most importantly, I will cherish the time I get to spend with them! Days are busy and packed around here and just to sit back and relax and enjoy them is what I want most for Mother's Day.

Hugs and best wishes to all you wonderful mommas out there!