Day 4: Simple Edit Tutorial

I thought I'd try something a little different today so I put together a tutorial for a simple edit that can be used in photoshop or even some of the editing websites that are free online. 

 image SOOC 

Open your image in your editing program.

I really love this picture and there isnt much that needs fixing but I always bump up the contrast to give an image a little extra kick!

Bump up the contrast a tad to add some definition to your image. I adjusted the brightness a little lower because I tend to like a richer looking image.

Next open your saturation/lightness layer and adjust your saturation up to bring out the green in the background and the blue on his shirt.

Like I said I really like the richer edited look so I am opening my levels layer and adjusting the black and white sliders in towards the center just a little bit. This really brings out the color in the image.

The last step is to open another levels layer

Dont adjust anything

Choose soft brush blend.

And lower the opacity on this level.

Here is the final product!



This is a simple edit that that can add a little extra to any image!

Here is the SOOC next to the edit

Happy Editing!

Day 3: Crayon Hearts

I do have a craft for today but first I have to share a few pictures I took of CJ today, he just turned 19 months. I have a bad habit of always taking Carson out if I want to shoot somewhere for fun so today I made it all about him. These were taken with my new camera and Im still experimenting with all of the awesome new settings I have to play with.

I just love him so much!!

 

On to Day 3's craft! I decided to move onto a craft that is a little more challenging today. Here is a tutorial I found on Martha Stewarts website of these crayon hearts. Hers are much prettier than mine!

Supplies
- crayons ($.47 at walmart on sale, I got 2 boxes)
- wax paper (around $3 at walmart and I got the name brand because I wanted to make sure it wouldnt rip)
- iron
-old towel or rag that you dont mind getting ruined
-if you decide to follow Marthas tutorail you will also need kraft paper (I didnt use it but I probably should have)
- super thin yarn, ribbon or string (I had tons laying around)
- decorative board to hang the hearts from (optional)
- handy dandy glue gun, or you could use tape

Set your work station up with all of your supplies. Make sure you put an old towel or rag over your ironing surface because the crayon will melt and stain the area if you arent careful. I also put down a piece of cardboard under the towel just to be safe. I placed the crayon shavings (I used all of the purple and pink crayons in the box) on the wax paper and then cut another piece the same size to place on top. I folded the towel over the top of the wax paper and started ironing until the crayon was good and melted and then ironed from the center out to the edges to get the melted crayon even all the way around. Once the entire paper was covered I let it cool (it only takes a minute).

From here you can either cut hearts free hand or you can trace out different size hearts and cut them out. Once you've finished you will need to cut as many strings as you have of hearts. To make it look really pretty cut the strings different sizes. Get your glue gun ready and start by dabbing a dot to the back of a crayon heart and attaching a string. Once you've finished all of them you can start to hot glue them to your decorative wood or item. I had an extra piece of wood left over from an earlier craft that I had already decorated but didnt know what I was going to do with it. It was perfect : ) I hot glued each string to the back of the wood piece making sure to spread them out and vary the lengths. I added some cute pink flowers and voila!! Its not quite the same effect as Marthas but its perfect for my little sweethearts room and she loves it!



I cant wait to put it up in her window and let the sunlight shine through it.

I already have a sheet of green and one of red made so I can make another that is Christmas themed.

Day 2: Canvas Love

Day 2 of crafting and Im in L-0-V-E with this one.

I am not a painter so I dont have much use for blank canvases, but I saw a really cool idea online for taking a blank canvas and some wooden letters and making a new piece of art for your wall.

Here is a link to the site where I found this idea from, Not on the High Street. I know I cant afford to spend $200 on wall art and I wasnt loving the seperate canvases so I made my own version. This is a cute idea for a baby girls nursery, girls room or in your own love nest.

Supplies
White Canvas, I chose an 11x14 for this project. They came 2 to a pack (I will be using the other one for another project in a few days) and were on sale at Wal-mart for less than $7. Im sure you can find them cheaper somewhere like Michaels.
My handy Spray Adhesive
Pink Spray Paint that I have left over from yesterdays craft ($3 at walmart)
and my wooden letters at $2 a letter

I spray painted the letters with the pink spray paint, let them dry and then sprayed the adhesive to the back of each letter and placed them on the canvas. Very simple!

Have fun with this one and make it your own! There are several different ways to get creative by using fabric, different color paints etc...
If you make your own please share it with me, I'd love to see what you come up with : )

Day 1: Wall of Fame

I know its late... technically an hour into November 2nd but if you know me at all you were already expecting me to be running a little behind ; )

I have been so busy getting all of my supplies together that when I sat down tonight to kick off day 1 of my self challenge I didnt know where to start! So many ideas! So I picked one that is practical for my house and displays my favorite type of art, my childrens : )

I actually got this idea from a little of this, a little of that's blog (really cute, you should check it out).It is such a great idea and a super simple one to complete. My version might vary a little bit from hers but not a whole lot.

Supplies
(2) 1" by 4" pieces of wood, (cut the length according to the space you have set out for this display) I used some old boards I had already sitting around and already at a length that I was happy with.
3 boxes of large magnetic clips (there were 4 in a box at Wal-mart where I bought mine for around $2)
picture hangers to put on the back of the boards in order to hang the wood (wal-mart for around $2) Or if you wanted to get even craftier, you could attach decorative ribbon to the back for hanging.
Wood Glue (on sale at Wal-mart for $2)
As an extra I found some cute bubble letter stickers at Big Lots for $2 a sheet. I hadnt planned on using them for this but I did and love how they turned out.

Sorry for all the dark pictures, this was a night project since we were out all day and didnt get started until after the kiddies were in bed.

Spray paint the boards, we did pink for Carson and blue for CJ of course.

We added a little distressing to the boards by wiping some vaseline in random spots before spray painting, waiting for the paint to get almost dry and wiping it off with a paper towl. We let the blue board dry a little too much before wiping, its best when the paint is still a little damp so it will smear just a little.

After the boards were dry we added the hardware for hanging to the back.



Flipped it over and started working on the front. I added the sticker letters with the help of some spray adhesive.

I made them a little off center so I can go back and add some fun embellishments with Carsons help at a later date. Then we added our large paper clips with the wood glue. The glue takes a while to dry so we had to leave them sitting flat in the yard for about an hour before moving them inside to dry overnight.

Here is the space before...

Ignore the big white paint spot, I tried stenciling "Wall of Fame" over their brag boards but it was kind of a disaster. I think Im just going to hand paint it after I touch up the wall paint, but that is another craft for another day : )

Just a quick picture of some random art of Carsons I threw up there. The glue on the clips isnt quite set so I will have to let them lay flat through the night but I wanted to have a completed looking picture. I will update it with all of their newest works of art when the boards are dry!

I love how they turned out and Im so excited that my kids will now have a place in their room to proudly display their latest works of art.

This was such a fun project and Im so glad my hubby decided to help me out with this one. Nothing better than working together to create something new for the ones we love.

The Challenge

I feel like Im wiping the dust off of an old book, it has been far too long since Ive updated this blog! If you are checking back in with me a lot has changed since my last blog post.

I am still crafting as much as possible, however I am not very involved with Carlee's Corner any longer. I love to still make the hats and tutus and everything else, for fun, as gifts and for my daughter but I have really stopped enjoying making them for sale. I am still selling quite a few things through my mother in laws store.

Ive started a photography business and I am extremely busy booking sessions and learning everything I can about photography!

Here are a couple from a recent newborn session.

You might be wondering about the title for this post, well Christmas is just around the corner and I am that person that loves to make decorations and gifts BUT I always leave everything until the last minute! So throughout the month of November I have set out to challenge myself to completing 1 Do It Yourself craft a day and blogging about it. I have put together every kind of DIY project from baking to decorations to creating a new space. Stay tuned for Day 1 of crafting!

I have totally been neglecting my blog! Lately Ive been so busy working, when I have a free minute, the last thing I want to be doing is something on the computer. But its more than that, Ive been neglecting my blog because I havent had anything of substance to say and Ive been aftraid to use this blog as an outlet to express myself, stresses and all. So here I am at 2:51am, probably barely making sense, the night before Carlee's Corner Boutique opens for business. This has been such a whirlwind from the beginning. I started by needing a hobby and less than a year later, here I am with a full time job! Im worried that I wont be able to handle being a full tme mom, having my kids at work with me, and still having a chaos free workplace. Im worried that while I have a loyal fan base, noone will come to my store. Im worried that all these hopes and plans I have for my business and future might not work out. Then on the other hand I worry that people will come, that I'll become too busy. Too busy to be a mom, the way I want to be a mom. Too busy for free time with friends and family. Too busy for church functions. Ive always had this standard for myself that I would never be the mom that put work first, money first and success first, before family. Then again Im not content sitting at home all day with the kids and not having an outlet. I am so passionate about my work, both the photography and the boutique, and I thrive on the consistancy and effort that my job requires. Its the same issue women have been wrestling with for years... to work or not to work. CJ still has 4 years before he goes to kindergarten, so unless I want to put him in daycare, which I cant afford full time anyway, my only option is to bring him to work, and of course Carson too. Taking the kids to work hasnt been and wont be easy, but for me its the only solution to still being their full time mom but also furthing my hobby/passion into a career.
Pray for me :)  Working and 2 little ones are hard to combine!
And pray for the store, I am super nervous to see where this next step will take me and CCB, if anywhere. All I can do is pray and leave it in Gods hands. I know He has a plan for me and my family and I just pray that CCB is a big part of it.

New Carlee's Corner Boutique Location!

Things have been a little hectic these past couple of weeks for the Casey family, between Carsons soccer schedule (every tues. and thurs. night), trying to make it to the Y a couple nights a week and getting the new store together, and while its been stressful, its all about to pay off... Carlee's Corner Boutique will soon officially be open for business! Here are a couple of pictures to show you our progress. We still have a long way to go and Im sure I will move everything around 10 more times before we open but here is a sample of what you can expect from Carlee's Corner Boutique!

This is my mother-in-laws store Unique Finds located at 502 S. Center Street in Statesville.

My store Carlee's Corner Boutique occupies a small section in Unique Finds.

tutu's, bows and ruffles!

Some of the new merchandise we will be carrying.

And of course the same headbands and hairbows as always

Let me know what you think!

Ill keep you posted about our Grand Opening date.