Through The Camera Lens

Three for Thursday: Team-Up

  "New"

New snow in Wisconsin & new bloom in New Zealand. "All in a Row"

Town Hall in Auckland, NZ & General Mitchel Field Airport Milwaukee, WI "Black & White"

I choose a single flower while Akesa put together a lovely collection.

Since the New Year been teaming up with my friend, Akesa in New Zealand again. We did participate last year but a trip to NYC found here camera missing & the camera phone was difficult for her, but thankfully she received a new camera for Christmas & we are back on! The prompts are provided here & posted to this Flickr group & thought I'd share our last 3 weeks today.

It's a fun little project we can do together though so many miles separate us. Sometimes we talk beforehand about what we will capture & sometimes we create happy accidents, like with our "All in a Row" photo - we both captured architecture.

Hope you grab a friend, virtual or otherwise and play along! Next week's prompt is: "STACKED"....hmmm.

Three for Thursday: Lovin'

Lovin': "Expressive Photography" by Shutter Sisters & "Mess" by Keri Smith. Lovin': Everywhere Punch from Fiskars. Lovin': "Fall". Akesa's is on the top, mine is on the bottom. More Team-Up Thursday here.

Three For Thursday: Randomness 5

First, I think I learned today maybe doing journaling at 3AM isn't the best idea - I thought I put together a sentence. Anyway, my lesson on the 7th was how nice a nap can be - can put a whole new outlook on the day. After a long summer with very few, it's nice to have the option again. lol

Last week was a bit of a blue week. Just missing my older kids who have both left the nest, one just a few weeks ago. I know we have to let go someday, but boy - it sure isn't easy!

I got my pictures for my layouts from stock photos from here.

And lastly, Team-Up Thursday with our prompt being "small" this week:Akesa's is on the top - a cool close-up of a bottle cap and all I kept thinking was "small as a button" so there ya go on that. :)

Time to put LSNED aside for a few days and get the last touches of my Iron Cupcake Display ready for Monday, including nailing down which flavor cupcake I'm going with.

Speaking of flavors of cupcakes - what is your favorite?

I love a nice Vanilla Bean Cupcake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream lately. Yummy!

Three for Thursday: Randomness 4

Our prompt for Team-Up Thursday this week was "Selective Focus". Akesa's is on the left with a picture of her Batman Signal on her desk at work & Wonder Woman figure in the background - when she sent me her pic I knew it was time to take a pic of 9s Littlest Pet Shop collection - a bit of it anyway.I used one of my favorite "homes" -  a light up "Under the Sea" piece for the background.

Yesterday was the start of another School year so I decided to continue with the diptych and take a look back to 2009: I think this year was a bit of a happier morning. lol

And besides all the other classes I have going on this month, decided to jump in to "Live a Better Life in 30 Days", a link I found on Sharyn's blog recently. For the first day we took a look at different areas of our life and then filled in a Calendar with actions we will take to make changes over the next month. A few of the areas I chose to focus on are fun, for myself & with kids and fitness.

Are you in?

Three for Thursday: Randomness 3

Starting with Team-Up Thursday and the prompt of "Old". My picture is on the left, taken in my town in Wisconsin, one of the old buildings standing in a nearby field and Akesa's is on the right, some beautiful stained glasses windows from St. Patrick's Cathedral in Auckland, NZ, a gift to the Church in 1902. Next, made this quick necklace from a Big Idea Festival project at BPS for 9 y/o out of an old bosher & a piece of scrap from the Booklet I made last weekend.

And lastly, think I am going to jump into the Iron Cupcake Milwaukee challenge in September. The theme is *PINK*, one of my favorite colors and the charity is Susan B. Komen, one of my favorite charities and since I lost my Grandmother to Breast Cancer, seems it is calling to me. So besides many emails with my Mom working out theme, throwing team names & flavors around and digging through Grandma's recipes & books I've begun test baking. My first test came out too much like a muffin - good but no Cupcake so it's back to the kitchen. Hoping to get a Team name nailed down & register this weekend.

Breaking the rules and adding a 4th bit of randomness - almost time for "Learn Something New" again by Shimelle! So excited! Plan on  pulling supplies together the next couple of days.

Are you in?

Three for Thursday: Randomness 2

First, it's Team-Up Thursday with Akesa's pic on the left of her and her 5 year old niece's hands together for our prompt of "BIG" this week. Mine is on the right and taken Downtown Milwaukee of the sculpture "The Calling" or "The Sunburst" if you ask a local. You can check out other's takes here.

Secondly, hit the Zoo & got to see my fav animal getting the bark off a log, so cool! Working on that what's left of "Summer To Do List":

• Go to the Wisconsin State Fair.
• Hit our favorite beach (Sadly it's been closed, hoping it opens soon).
• Take a day trip to an as of yet undecided & new to us town.
• Finish a few books on summer reading list.
• Have lunch with a few friends, maybe some scrap shopping!{Planning a road trip to Archiver's & other scrap stores after kids go back to school. :)}
• Attend Drive-In one more time.
• Fires in the backyard - with s'mores of course!
• Get to the Zoo.
• Begin "Carrie's Cupcakery" aka my kitchen decorating makeover. {I started buying stuff for the walls - does that count? lol}

And thirdly, the last two pages for the technique book for @Home class. Here I put sticky back canvas in an embossing folder and then using blending foam lightly applied paint to the raised design:

And then debossing a painted piece of sticky back canvas and with a brush, swirling Perfect Pearls over the design and into the design grooves, I went with a color darker than my paint - I like it but think I'll try a lighter shade next time:

We are moving on to finishing our book covers and a canvas project, can't believe soon the 12 weeks will be over!

Kids are off to visit Grandma this Saturday - it's starting to feel like a LONG summer, so just in time.

What's your go to activity in your free time?

Team-Up Thursday: Morning

Akesa's & my takes on "Morning" for this Flickr group. Akesa's is on the left taken in New Zealand and this is the note she sent along with the photo:

"I took a photo out my window this morning, it was 6:30am and its my favourite time of the morning because the sky is a nice mix of the night before and the day to come."

I love it! I decided to take a pic of one of the mugs from my favorite set, it actually says "tranquili-tea" but I wanted to focus on the "state of peace" as that is what Akesa's picture puts me in. :)

Heading back out to the Wisconsin State Fair today - but waiting til it's a bit less oven-like outside! Yikes - it is HOT!

Hope you are staying cool...and tranquil. :)

Team-Up Thursday: Looking Up

For our prompt this week Akesa took a picture of Sky Tower in New Zealand on the left and since most buildings around my town are 2 stories, I decided to head to a local church that is just a little bit taller and I also liked the way it sorta looked like an arrow pointing upwards.

For more Team-Up takes on Looking Up, head over here!

Thanks for stopping by!