January has been good for.....

It's a proven fact that January provides a blissful amount great of down-time from the normal busy school and family routines we find ourselves in during the year.  So we've taken advantage of this time to do things we just haven't had the time or inclination to before now. Things like:

1. Water blasting the property

Poor Mark was outside for 9 hours straight water blasting the whole of our property over the long anniversary weekend. It looks great but it was a labour of love - we hadn't water blasted for four years and had never done the driveway in the eight years we've lived here so it was a BIG job. Good job done though - it looks amazing.

 



 

 



2. Out with the old

Whilst Mark did the water blasting, I finally got the motivation to clear out all the baby clothes from our attic - there were boxes and boxes and boxes of the stuff - they were somewhat organised into age but a lot of stuff had been thrown back in there after lending it to another friend and so I had to painstakingly go through about 15 boxes of clothes sorting into ages, putting some stuff aside to take to the Salvation Army and then cataloguing and photographing everything else to go on Trade Me as well as determining what size box they would fit in to give accurate shipping costs.



This was also a massive job and took me most of the long weekend. It felt good to be able to see the floor again in the attic and I'd challenged myself to do it in order to put the proceeds towards some more photography equipment I want to get but didn't feel I should just fork out for it without some kind of sacrifice!

3. What's been on the box

Since we got back from our Christmas break we've also had lots of spare evenings to catch up on things like the latest series of Homeland (12 episodes), Derek (6 episodes), A Place to Call Home (10 episodes), the Christmas specials of Call the Midwife and Downton Abbey as well as I've lost count of how many Modern Family episodes (halfway through Season 4 at the moment). I do so love being able to watch a series in one go rather than having to wait week by week as each episode airs - I wonder what that says about me? Impatient I'm guessing!



Broadchurch has just started back on TV as well - which makes for pretty compelling watching and we are hoping to watch the Boyhood movie too - has anyone seen this - it's up for loads of Oscars and it completely passed us by when it came out last year? I don't remember seeing any hype about it at all.

4. Saving pennies and going some extra miles

With the two boys at holiday programme for four weeks straight - this is a bit ouchie on the wallet so I've made it my mission not to drive in to work once over the holidays to save about $100 - so far so good - with only a few days left till school goes back on Tuesday 3rd February. It helps that the weather has been pretty kind the whole time too though! And I'm clocking up a good few kilometres of walking/jogging on the new Strava app I've been using for the past few weeks - I'm thinking of setting myself a goal for the year of 1,000 km travelled (which doesn't include any miles pedalled on the bike trainer which I do a couple of mornings a week but I can't easily track this) - not sure if it's doable but I'd like to hope so!


5. Goal setting

Being less busy this month it's allowed me some time to think about a few goals for my photography this year. In other years I'd have had some blogging goals too but I've already decided to take the pressure off this year and not make any goals and just share on here what I want when I want. And you have no idea how freeing that feels! But to be able to continue to grow and challenge myself both as a photographer and in the little side business I have set up I do need to have some real and attainable goals. The response from setting up my website and doing the fair last year has made me realise that unfortunately I'm not going to be an overnight photographic sensation that takes the world by storm and I will need to chip away it with small steps here and there. As long as I'm continuing to move forward in the right direction I have to be patient and be OK with that!

 



These are just a few of the goals I've jotted down - there are more I can think of!

We also have a fairly big family goal to work towards this year. It's not something I've shared openly here on the blog although some of you may already know what I'm referring to if we've discussed it one-on-one in the past and it's very much top of mind to work through how we can make it actually happen. There's still a lot that needs to fall into place but hopefully we are starting to make small steps in the right direction there too.

So there you have it.... how has your January been? Do you find this time of the year is good for goal setting and making progress on ticking off the to-do list that you just can't find the time for when the daily grind takes over?! Tell me I'm not the only one!

Why I write - and a blog hop

Do you ever wonder how a blog post comes to life? Sometimes it's as easy as words flowing like silken water onto the page or incredible mind-blowing photos that accompany every single post. And yes, I'll admit some days are like that. Other days it's a hard slog and you backspace more than you type, and you critically find yourself wondering whether it's even worth hitting the Publish button because is anyone going to be even the slightest bit interested in what I've got to say?

 



I was tagged by the effervescent and talented Miriam at Create Hope Inspire whose own creative processes you can read about here. I have had the pleasure of meeting Miriam on a couple of occasions and she is the spunkiest breath of fresh air you can possibly imagine. She and her family are currently experiencing an expat life in Adelaide, and I love how Miriam has already embraced finding some wonderful, unique places in the city. Her weekly series on Learning Together and Becoming the Mama I want to Be are just two examples of the amazing love and time she's willing to put into growing great human beings. Oh and did I mentioned how handy she was with a sewing machine? I didn't? Well she also Makes my Week here.

So over to me to think about how and why I do what I do:

What am I working on?

This may be obvious (or not!) but lately on the blog I’ve pulled back from posting 4-5 times a week and some weeks I'll be lucky to do three. Since I’ve been upping the ante with getting out for photo shoots around Wellington most weekends, something has had to give if I want to spend the time editing and processing all the photos I'm taking to a decent standard!

At the moment in life in general I feel like I have more creative stuff that I want to do than I can possibly handle and definitely not enough time to do it! Don't you hate that?! So here’s what’s on my want-to-do list:

1. Set up a dedicated photography website – all I need to do is buy the domain name, start up a self-hosted wordpress site and use one of the great template designs I found specific to having a photography website. Sounds simple right?! Simple in principle, but requires some time investment for sure. So that'll be done in around 2018 at the rate I'm going!
2. Sell some prints (set up an online shopping cart system through Etsy or Shopify). That can't really happen until I do point 1). So the ETA on that is 2023....(jokes!).
3. Print some photos on canvas and/or other mediums ready for the Thorndon Fair (some friends and I - we call ourselves the Creative Chicas are going to have a stall at the fair on the first weekend of December). Exciting and scary at the same time!

How does my work differ from others in the genre? 

In terms of blogging I’m not entirely sure what makes my work unique other than the fact the design is my own and I think the sheer volume of landscape photos of late have expanded the overall feel from just being a family, travel, and sometimes crafty blog.

 



I’d still like to think my voice on my blog is unique – even if it is a mish-mash jumble of landscape photography, things I’m loving, portraits of the boys, reviews, crafts and recipes. One of the things I do is try very hard to focus on the positives for the most part – and whilst some might say this gives a warped impression of life being 'all roses' at our end which is far from the truth, I think it's important to keep perspective and that stopping to record the moments in life that are positive breeds an attitude of gratitude for this one wild and precious life we have been given.

Why do I write what I do?

I write about my boys week to week as I want to remember all the funny moments and special achievements that might otherwise easily pass me by. I write about my experiences while out taking photos of my gorgeous city, and I hope that the love I have for my home town shines through in these posts.

 



I have been so inspired by the creativity that abounds in the blogsphere and there are so many creative things I've been able to try myself as a result that I have then shared here. Who would have thought that my How to make a Death Star Pinata would be my most viewed post - with 15,000 views. Apparently there's a lot of Star Wars fans out there!

 



How does my writing process work?

I try to stay ahead of myself so I’m never faced with an empty week with no blog posts planned – that way if something unexpected crops up in the family schedule which invariably happens I’m not stressing that I have nothing to post. I used to mix it up and have a fairly set schedule of what types of posts I would do on a given day but now I just go with the flow for the most part – that in itself has been quite a freeing experience and has taken the pressure off.

 



Writing a photography based post is a bit different as the photos are the main course and the words more just like the sauce on the side to go with it. Even so, sometimes it's hard to come up with words to describe the places I've been and things I'm seeing without just saying 'hey look another nice sunrise' or 'wow more scenery!' but I try to tell the story of how I happened to be there on this particular day and how I captured my shots.



I am a bit of a perfectionist though so where some might be happy just to tap away, have a quick read through and hit 'Publish', often my posts are a bit more like write something....come back to it later and write some more.....edit....re-edit.....check...check....check some more.....hit Publish...and then WAAAAAH I can still always seem to find a mis-spelled word afterwards!! Or if not me, my Dad always does!

I'll often have a few drafts sitting as ideas in my posts to finish off at a later date, but if I come back to them and find I can't remember where I was going with it, I'll just delete at a later date. And I find myself composing blog post sentences in my head sometimes too.....do you do that too or is that just me?!

Either way I find the process of taking jumbled thoughts and crafting into something resembling a small essay, or at the very least a series of bullet points an enlightening experience. It's not always masterful or colourful or even that interesting to anyone but me I suspect, but I love it nonetheless. I guess that goes without saying as why else would I have written 1075 posts these past seven years?!

Anyway, it's time for me to hand this baton over to some lovely people whose every post I get so much enjoyment out reading. The first is the lovely Leonie over at Sunshine x 3. You certainly won't find a more talented creative mama whose delight and joy is her three girls and making beautiful things for the people she loves. I also love the fact that she is still very much committed to capturing her journey on her blog (when others have fallen by the wayside lately - ahem!) and her weekly Show & Tell links are a veritable feast for the craft senses. Most of the time I simply gaze in wistful awe of the things she creates - like gorgeous personalised quilts for her girls. Plus she has this amazing ability to make me smile on a Friday morning with links to great music that are usually previously unknown to me like Geronimo by Sheppard - a new family favourite in our house!
 

Another lovely lady I'd like to nominate is Sophie at Little Gumnut. Sophie writes the most beautiful heartfelt thoughts on her faith, she manages to write so eloquently about what's on her heart and every time I read a post I have come away feeling challenged or refreshed and usually both at the same time. One of my favourite posts so far, her post on believing God for the impossible in 2014 gave me some amazing insights into the things that I could be trusting God for if only I can scrape up a little mustard seed of faith. Also Sophie is on a health journey that I know all too well and it's nice to have another bloggy friend out there who knows what it's like with these challenges! I'm especially interested to hear how Sophie manages to come up with such beautifully written, spot-on-for-my-soul thoughts.

Last but definitely not least is my dear in-real-life-but-also-bloggy-friend Marie over at It's Marie Made. I've known Marie for a good few years now, and I have loved watching her creative talents simply blossom. She hasn't even been crocheting a year and unlike me who learnt one weekend and promptly forgot, she has been creating the most amazing creations ever since like this beautiful blanket that I got to see in progress being created, all of which get gifted to lovely people around her. Her transformation to creative queen has been quite epic and I'd love her to tell you what inspires her to write about her creativity!

So over to you lovely ladies now.....

MNM's Giveaway winners!

There's a few lucky people who are going to be waking up this morning to a nice surprise having won themselves some cool treats! 

So without further ado the MNM's Week of Giveaways winners are:

MNM's Adventures in the Kitchen cookbook winner - Renette - Mind the Minions

Bohemein Chocolates Box 1 winner - Sammy - The Simple Life

Bohemein Chocolates Box 2 winner - Louana - NZ Green Buttons

Bohemein Chocolates Box 3 winner - Amy - On a Crafty Adventure

Winter is Coming Mittens winner - Angela - Tall Short & Tiny

MNM's bracelet winner - Juliet - Tartan Kiwi

MNM's personalised Word Art photo winner - Elizabeth - To Find a Silver Lining

Please make sure that if I don't already have your mailing address that you email me using the email icon on the blog home page or leave me a comment below with your email address so I can get in touch with you.

Thanks everyone for all the support and encouragement over the past 1,000 and something posts. You have inspired me to grow and be more creative than I ever thought possible, you challenge me to keep finding new things to write about, and without your on-going support, I think this whole blogging journey could easily have fizzled out to nothing a long time ago.

So, thank you for the inspiration and the encouragement, it's what keeps me coming back!

Wardrobe Wednesday....what's your style?

A few months back I sent Kelly over at Kiwi Womens Style responses to a Wardrobe Wednesday interview she was planning to run on her blog. The interview never quite made it to air and Kelly is taking a break from blogging at the moment, so rather than it just gathering dust, I figured I'd share it here instead...........

Tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a full-time working mama to two boys (7 and 4) working two longer days and three shorter days so that I still get to enjoy some precious time with my wee guys after school.  I also love to bake (gluten-free / dairy-free treats), I craft when the mood takes me (or when I see something on Pinterest I love) and am very passionate about travel. Towards the end of last year, we went on a month-long trip to the UK which was an amazing experience that had been 5 years in the making – during which time I had plenty of opportunities to check out the latest styles over there.  And with the NZ dollar so strong against the UK pound, everything seemed very affordable!

How would you describe your style?  Does this change with the seasons?

Being a working mama means I really need 2 wardrobes – work wear AND weekend wear although I do like to try and merge the two when I can! Living in the windy Capital means wearing a floaty dress  is often a challenge and I have been known to look out the window or check the weather forecast before finally settling on an outfit for the day.  I don’t so much change with the seasons,  but I do go through phases where  I love certain colours, a few years back half my wardrobe was baby pink, then I went mad on brown and the current favourite is minty green.

What tips and tricks to you employee to suit your shape/size/lifestyle that we may be able to copy?  E.g. showing wrists to make your arms look longer, etc.

One of my tricks is layering! I’m a cold bunny and in winter I feel like I need to wear  4-5 layers to be properly  warm, so I like to wear 1-2 singlets (cotton/merino), then a long-sleeve plain black or white top under whatever outfit I go with, then I usually top it off with a black merino cardy. That way I can still turn a summer dress into a winter outfit, and then ditch the under layers again come summer so my wardrobe stays functional all year round.

Another tip would be when you’re in the changing room trying on something new, if you immediately love it – then buy it! If you stand there umming and ahhing you should walk away and take some time to think over exactly the reasons  why you should/shouldn’t get it rather than buying and regretting later. When I’m trying something on, I always try and mentally picture what other items from my wardrobe it will go with (particularly when trying on trousers/skirts etc) to make sure that it’s not going to be a one-hit wonder or that I’ll then have to buy something else to go with it!

How do you learn or discover new things about style, fashion and trends?   Favourite websites, stores, magazines or other sources.

I’m not much of a fashionista and I don’t read any fashion mags or follow any websites, so about the only way I keep up with trends is by wandering in shops to see what the new season trends are.  I recently discovered how much I love Superdry (a UK brand) for fun, casual wear and so had to have a bit of a splurge while visiting their outlet store in Bath.

If the readers could buy just one item to enhance, modernise or update their wardrobe right now – what would you recommend?

Find an outfit in your wardrobe that you love or have loved in the past (but might be a bit sick of wearing it) and then go on a bargain hunt for some new accessories to go with it – whether that’s a colour co-ordinated scarf, some funky matching jewellery or a jacket. You’ll be surprised just buy adding in one new element how much it feels like you’re wearing a whole new outfit all over again.

So do you invest any of these tips and tricks when finding items to complement your wardrobe? Do you have a particular style or do you just buy what you love regardless of what style it is?! Do share!

And....don't forget there's still time to enter the MNM's week of giveaways here (all giveaways close this Friday):

MNM's Adventures in the Kitchen Cookbook
Bohemein Gourmet Chocolates
Winter is Coming Zebra Mittens
MNM's Bracelet
MNM's Personalised Word Art

MNM's week of giveaways: Personalised Word Art

Well, here we are - the end of the road. The end of a week of celebrations and I hope that you are all feeling the MNM's love!

Last but definitely not least comes the opportunity to win yourself a personalised Word art photo designed by me in up to an 11 x 14 inch (27.5x35cm) size.

Here's the summer one I designed.

And this one hangs pride of place in our home with memories of our amazing time in Santorini.

So, in a joint collaboration - you can choose your giveaway.

You can win EITHER a copy of the summer one above OR together we'll design one that's personalised just for you.

All I'll need is an original picture (a picture outdoors in nature will work better than one with people in it), and twenty or so words that describe this place or this memory for you. It might be a special holiday location or a memory of a special moment in your life.  Either way we'll work together to make it it just right for you!

So, to be in to win, you know what you have to do (you should be getting good at this by now right!)

1) For one entry, leave me a comment with which photo or experience you'd want to personalise into a Word art photo.

2) For another entry, tweet, instagram or share this giveaway on Facebook and leave me a comment that you have.

Entries close on Friday 11th April. Giveaway open worldwide.

All giveaway winners will be drawn by and announced here on the blog on Monday 14th April.

Good luck!

MNM's week of giveaways: MNM's bracelet

Hello my lovelies. Roll up, roll up, another day, another giveaway - can you believe it!

Today's giveaway is something a little bit MNMs. Before Christmas when I was searching on Felt for gifts for friends and family, I stumbled across this.

Isn't it cool. I guess you might have to be a fan of the chocolate MNMs to like it. But even so, I thought it was pretty fun. And I really did consider keeping it for myself! But then I thought hey it's better to give than receive. And if I liked it, others were bound to as well!

The bracelet comes from a local designer Sarah McAlpine and measures 19 cm in diameter.

Entry details:

1) For one entry, leave me a comment with one outfit you have that adding this bracelet would knock it out of the park.

2) For another entry, tweet, instagram or share this giveaway on Facebook and leave me a comment that you have.

Entries close on Friday 11th April. Giveaway open worldwide.

All giveaway winners will be drawn and announced here on the blog on Monday 14th April.

Good luck!

MNM's week of giveaways: Winter is coming

I know no-one wants to believe it, but there's colder times a-coming. The clocks are going back here in NZ (boo hoo!) this weekend which is just another sign that winter is on its way. The nights are getting longer and the temperatures are definitely getting cooler.

So you might as well be prepared for what's a-coming right? And look the bees knees when it does!

Today's giveaway is for a pair of yummy zebra striped mittens from Glassons - one size fits all.

Don't you think your little handies would just love being all warm and cosy inside?!

Entry details:

1) For one entry, leave me a comment why a pair of snuggly mittens would go down a treat for you this winter.

2) For another entry, tweet, instagram or share this giveaway on Facebook and leave me a comment that you have.

Entries close on Friday 11th April. Giveaway open worldwide.

All giveaway winners will be drawn and announced here on the blog on Monday 14th April.

Good luck!

MNM's week of giveaways: 3 Bohemein Gourmet Chocolate Boxes

There's chocolate - and then there's this chocolate. We are huge fans of Bohemein chocolate and it is our go-to gift of choice when it comes to spoiling others and sometimes ourselves!

I have lost count of the number of times we've given these chocolates away or indulged ourselves over the years. When we make up a box of 12, there are certain flavours that always make it into the box: sea salt caramel, wasabi cream, rosemary and apricot ganache, lemon and thyme ganache, and balsamic vinegar and honey ganache. When I'm standing there having to fill up a whole dozen though, I find I stand there wandering up and down the counter unable to make a decision about what else to put into the box because they all look so darn AMAZING!

Source: Bohemein

And today, the lovely folks at Bohemein are offering you, my readers, not one but 3 chances to win a box of these sensational chocolates for your indulgence.

That's 3 boxes of a dozen gourmet chocolates just waiting to wing their way to you and melt in your mouth.

Source: Bohemein

 

Entry details:

1) For one entry, leave me a comment with the one flavour you'd love to try from the menu here.

2) For another entry, tweet, instagram or share this giveaway on Facebook and leave me a further comment that you have.

Entries close on Friday 11th April. Giveaway open worldwide.

All giveaway winners will be drawn and announced here on the blog on Monday 14th April.

Good luck!

*Disclaimer: I was given 3 boxes of Bohemein chocolates to run this giveaway. I am not being compensated in any other way and all opinions and content expressed within are completely my own*

MNM's week of giveaways: Adventures in the Kitchen

After yesterday's melancholy, I think it's time to move on and just bless because I know how much that will cheer me up. So are you ready? For a week of giveaways - are you?! Are you really?! Well come on, let's get started then!

Here's Monday's giveaway for you: MNM's favourite tried and tested recipes from our kitchen to yours. There's Mark's crowd-pleasing brownie and my famous double dark chocolate cookies with sea salt I'm always making for people for starters.

Then there's some of our quick and easy go-to family dinner meals that still pack a tasty punch like Thai Green Curry (not too spicy for the kids!), Pork and Sausage Cassoulet (great to warm the belly on a cold winter's night) or Ridiculously good Risotto.

Either way there's bound to be something for all kinds of different tastebuds contained within these pages.

It's super easy to win your very own limited edition copy of MNM's Adventures in the kitchen.

Entry details:

1) For one entry, leave me a comment with your favourite MNM's Adventures recipe. For more ideas, click over here to the Cooking page.

2) For another entry, head on over and like/follow MNM's Adventures page on Facebook here and leave me another separate comment here that you have (or already do!).

3) For a third entry, tweet, instagram or share this giveaway on Facebook and leave me a comment that you have.

Entries close on Friday 11th April. Giveaway open worldwide.

All giveaway winners will be drawn and announced here on the blog on Monday 14th April.

Good luck!

Stay tuned......

Next week I'll reach 1,000 posts.

Yep, you heard me. One thousand times I have sat at the computer. Fingers tapping clickety-clack, brain humming. On this side of the world, and that. Daytime, night-time. In good times and bad. The words spilling out onto the page.

Hey, let's be honest though, sometimes the brain humming bit would be a bit of an understatement. Sometimes, I have stared at a blank white page and just willed the words to come and it has been a huge effort just to get a sentence out that will even make any sense to anyone. Me included.

But I'm still here.

For better or worse. I'm still here.

And I plan to be around for a while longer yet.

So to celebrate this auspicious occasion, I have some cool giveaways just around the corner for you my lovelies. I have a feeling you're gonna want in to the whole week of fun that's coming!

So stay tuned...not long to go now.....

3 reasons to edit your phone photos with Snapseed

If you're a big Instagrammer like I am, then you'll have often felt a bit restricted by the simplistic nature of the editing functionality within the Instagram app itself with only a dozen or so filters to choose from. That's why I choose to edit my phone photos with Snapseed

Snapseed is not to be confused with Snapchat of course - they are completely different apps. I honestly believe Snapseed is one of the best mobile phone apps out there for quick but punchy editing that take your photo from good to grrrrrrreat!

From this to this.

It's a very simple app to use, so here's my top 3 quick and easy edits to really make your photos pop:

1.  Tune up your image (brightness, ambience and contrast)

Use the Tune Image button. Tap on the screen, then scroll up and down to get options for brightness, ambience, contrast, saturation, shadows and warmth. Once you are in the individual tuning function, scroll left and right to add or subtract brightness, ambience and contrast etc.

As a minimum on every picture, I always brighten the picture, add a bit of ambience and a slight pop of contrast.

2. Add a bit of Drama

Some pics look great with a bit of drama added. My favourite edit is to add about 50% Filter Strength and a little bit of Saturation, but it depends on each picture how much looks right. Just play with it till it looks right. To move the Filter Strength up and down just tap on the photo and scroll up and down.

 

3.  Add some Center Focus

There are a number of good edits within this filter, I usually just try each one and figure out which one looks best for the individual picture, but my favourite edits are Portraits 2 and Old Lens. If you tap on the screen, you'll get a center dot that you can move around or make the vignette around the outside more or less intense.

Then Save to your photo library and post into your Instagram feed a shot with a lot more oomph!!