I love #Shutterfly

Shutterfly

I take photos constantly.  My friends know I'm basically the paparazzi.  And while I think I'm finding balance, I love to document my life and voyages and loved ones.

But, unlike many people who take a zillion photos and leave them to languish on photo CDs or memory cards (Mom! *cough cough*), I create photo books.  If I do a big trip, I give that vacation a book of its own.  Otherwise, I create semi-annual yearbooks of sorts.  I was never a dedicated enough scrapbooker to do all the fancy cutouts and pretty papers, but I really love putting photo books together and having them printed for future perusing.

Lately, I'm absolutely in love with Shutterfly.  In the past, I've shopped around for deals (Snapfish and Picaboo- okay, Printerpix- terrible customer service, Apple- expensive) but I think I've finally settled in with Shutterfly.

I love their layouts, ability to customize, and all the little scrapbook-like add-ins they create!  They also have tons of different items to buy, from phone cases to canvas to ornaments to calendars and whatnot.  (I think I need an afghan blanket of my cat, right?)  Not only that, but there's almost always a promotion happening that can get you free shipping, major discounts, and more.  So I plan to build my albums, then wait for sales to purchase them.  It's a win-win.

I recently did my friend's entire wedding album as a gift... which she loved!  It feels good to make something that she and her family will treasure for years.

Don't let your photos sit in Facebook albums.  Create something beautiful for your coffee table or wall.  Your great-grandkids probably won't be on Facebook to see your photos; leave something behind that's pretty and organized for them to see what life was like for you.  It's too easy, and not as pricey as you'd think!

San Diego Zoo

More San Diego Zoo photos... because animals are awesome! (even more after the jump)

Instagram & Friends

Instagram

I don't maintain a point-and-shoot camera anymore.  I have my iPhone on me at all times, and I have a DSLR for when I want to get super fancy.  And now, with the amazing apps out there, you can create incredible photo creations to share via social media!

Ever wonder which apps to use for the coolest filters, adding text, making collages, or editing?  Here are the ones I'm using...

Instagram:  Instagram is a photo app and social media destination in one.  They have some of the coolest filters out there, and it's 100% free!   I'm showed up late to Instagram, at the urging of my cousin S, and now I understand why Facebook shelled out the big bucks to purchase it.  You can follow friends with the app to keep up with their photos, and share yours simultaneously to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Phonto

Phonto:  Another free app, Phonto allows you to add text (in varying sizes, fonts, and shapes) to your photos!  I love this for adding a little more flair to your photo.  It can also import directly into Instagram or Twitter.

Diptic:  I credit my friend Nicole for this one!  I have been trying to figure out how to create little photo collages to share on Instagram, without resorting to Photoshop on my laptop.  While it does cost $0.99, that's nothing when you think of all the possibilities!

Diptic

Photoshop Express:  An honorable mention, I still sometimes use this free Adobe app for quick editing, though less and less since iPhone updated its camera app to allow cropping and other functions.

In fact, I'm super happy with the iOS updates for the camera, allowing quick access without having to unlock the phone itself.  Love it!  It's no wonder I use my iPhone camera all the time now... it has better resolution than my first digital camera, and it's super convenient.  Go Apple!

Now to accumulate enough photos to create some amazing Instagram products, like what's offered at Printstagram.

Black Friday: Hey, big spender!

iPad 2 from apple.com

It's official, y'all... I went hog-wild on Black Friday without ever leaving the comfort of my sweatpants.  Isn't the Internet a marvelous thing?  I got the same deals they had in-store.

Canon EOS Rebel T3i

I managed two big purchases today... and I'm super duper pumped about them!  First off, I ordered an iPad 2 from Apple (YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!) which my parents are giving me for Christmas.  (It's even being shipped to their house, so I can't have it until then!)  Apple is known for never giving discounts, so the little $41 off we scored today was minimal... but I'll take it!

The second big purchase today was the Canon EOS Rebel T3i DSLR!  I've been wanting a DSLR since college, but never was able to make the commitment to purchase.  Then, after months of research, I began to build my dream camera kit.  I've acquired two lenses at a steep discount (via Craigslist), purchased a gorgeous camera bag, flash diffuser, and memory cards.  And while there are still a few more add-ons (lenses, tripod, flash, etc.) on my wishlist, I knew it was time to take the plunge to buy my camera body!  I snagged it for just $610 from 42nd Street Photo, which was at least $40 less than anywhere else I saw it.  And, since I got the kit lens for dirt cheap, I saved a bundle overall!  I can't wait to use my new camera in Hawaii next week!

Anyone else snag some goodies on Black Friday?

Learn something every day...

This weekend, I was actually really productive!  I feel like I did things that are making me better.

(1)  I cleaned/de-cluttered the whole house.  It just looked so clean, and I'm really making an effort to keep it that way!  I can see my coffee table, I made my bed, my dining tables are cleared...  beautiful.  I even put all of my clothes away.  Everything has its place, and it actually makes me feel more calm.  (I just need to get motivated enough to clean the bathrooms again!)

(2)  I did a DIY decorating project!  I love walking into my room and seeing my Pride & Prejudice quotes. It just makes the room look more put together, and I'm proud that I actually hammered the nails into the wall myself!

(3)  I tried a couple of new recipes.  I bought a new slow cooker that is programmable, so I can set it and not worry about watching the timer.  It automatically goes to "warm" once it's done!  I made a slow cooker beef with red wine sauce.  I also made my friend JH's beer bread recipe.

(4)  I learned about DSLR cameras.  My friend VV took a class and is building her photography portfolio.  She taught me a lot of things I didn't know about, and I think I've got enough info now to make an educated decision on which camera to purchase.  I just have to save the money now.

(5)  I babysat for free!  In exchange for the DSLR lesson (and to give two deserving parents a break!) I babysat VV's 5-month-old baby boy!  I think I just have the best luck when I babysit, because I seem to get the best kids.  They are good at communicating, even when they don't talk much... and I'm not afraid of diapers anymore.  Babies aren't as fragile and scary as I used to believe, and I know more about how to take care of them.  My friends' kids make me feel like I could actually do alright at motherhood someday.  So it's good to give back and give them a little helping hand.  (And I checked off another "Before I'm 30" task!)

(6)  I took a dress-making class at Fabrika.  I'm glad my day off worked out so I had a chance to go back to Fabrika to learn more about sewing apparel; they taught me how to sew, so I'm eager to learn more!  (I will be blogging about my dress later... but I've included a fabric swatch as a teaser!)

I also got to grab lunch with my friend LC!  All in all, I got a lot accomplished and found some inspiration to do even more...  including studying for the GMAT again.

Fabric swatch for my summer dress! (Photo is not exactly true to color...)

Snapshot

"Home. I'll go home... After all, tomorrow is another day."

~Scarlett O'Hara, Gone With the Wind~

Retro Photo Session!

Yesterday, my friend LK and I journeyed to Atlanta to have a photo session with Pixelette! The road trip alone was an absolute blast, with the two of us singing at the top of our lungs to our iPod playlists, which are virtually identical. Once we arrived, Allison, our photographer, and Lindze, our stylist, made us over in full vintage style for a full day of retro fashion fun! We each got hair and makeup done (complete with false lashes and bombshell lips) and chose three "looks" to play with for our photos. I chose a retro swimsuit/beach look, a '50s housewife, and a Mad Men '60s theme.

I had an absolute blast! I can totally see myself getting into things like cosplay, and this was just super fun. I've wanted to do something like this for a long time, and I love the style of Katy Perry, Dita von Teese, and Mad Men. It's one of the reasons I wanted to start sewing, because I love retro fashion and it's not easy to find those kinds of pieces these days.

I can't wait to see how our photos turned out!

Always,

Aubrey