One Big Adventure

Suggestions Anyone?

2009-07-07T11:33:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to say that I've taken one photo that's been remotely blue. It isn't even that great of a photo, but the scene made me laugh.

I hope everyone had a good fourth. It was a beautiful day in this neck of the woods. I was hoping for a few more photos. Out of about three hundred I kept about five. Yikes!

I want to take more photos. But I guess I just don't seem very inspired. Does anyone have any suggestions? Please, throw them my way!

Blue It Is

2009-06-20T21:10:00.001-07:00

Yay, Kasey! You are my June winner! Blue it is! I will have something exciting in the mail for you very soon! And hopefully I will have some fun blue photos to share with you all soon. Meanwhile, I took this photo when Seth and I were on a beach excursion the other day.

I wish there were more hours in the day for photos, well, maybe in the evening to be exact. Seems like that perfect lighting only lasts for about an hour and a half.

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to making time for more photos in the near future. More blue photos that is.

My Studio

2009-06-08T22:54:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, you might have noticed a post a while back about an addition of a small studio on the property/back yard of my husbands parents. Well, I'm pleased to say that it is finally finished! YAY! I couldn't be happier! It's very small, but it's everything I need. We share the kitchen and the bathroom with the house, so at least we don't have to fit that! Anyhow, of course I took some pictures!

So there you have it! Also, I know it's already a bit into June, but I'm still doing my monthly give away! I'm thinking of doing a color study, so leave a comment with your color choice, and why, and I will enter you in the drawing. Sorry I haven't been around much. Now that the studio is finally finished I'm hoping I'll have more free time!

Buy One Get One Free

2009-05-20T17:34:00.000-07:00

I've been having so much fun with my new camera. I wish there were more hours in the day. I was taking a walk on the beach the other day when I saw the funniest thing...

A Dock Monkey! It tickles me still just looking at him. Just felt compelled to share him with you.

I also wanted to let you know that I'm promoting my Etsy shop with a buy one get one free! The free item just needs to be of lesser value than the first. I will be offering this buy one get one free thru the month of June! Just let me know in the message option at check out that you saw the promotion on my blog, and then specify which item you would like free! YAY!

Photo Shoot

2009-05-17T02:54:00.000-07:00

I did my first photo shoot. I was super excited, and a little bit nervous. It was for my brother... but still, right? It was a bit more difficult than I had expected. He wanted extremely specific shoots, so that made it a bit hard. I picked my three favorite photos to show you. They might not seems super exciting at first glance. I quickly began to appreciate my subject material when I learned that my brother created them from scratch. He is a landscaper. So I took photos of his finished work for a portfolio he's putting together. We did quite a bit of hiking. Especially in the first photo you see. It's of a retaining wall. We had to climb down the side of this huge hill. And all of a sudden I'm having this awful vision of me and my new camera tumbling down this dirt mountain. Thank goodness that was only my imagination.

Also, congratulations to Jamie! You won my give away! I dropped you an email, so I hope to hear from you soon!

Inspiration

2009-05-12T00:22:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about who I am, and who I want to be as far as my artistic endeavors are concerned. I feel like it's easy to be inundated with all the current trends... the newest and the latest. I guess I just want to feel solid with my own style. Although style is a difficult word to define. But I also feel it's not something I have to decide over night. Anyhow, with all that said, I've also been thinking about things that inspire me- it helps me to feel centered. (I found some fun pictures and thought I'd share them). Coffee, the color yellow, exercise, organization, music, fabric, my camera, the ocean, traveling... I'm sure I could come up with more, but for now I'm happy with these.

I'm enjoying my new camera. Jamie, I decided to name her Bambina. I definitely feel in a bit over my head. There are just so many options and settings that I don't even know where to begin. But I'm looking forward to getting to know her and taking beautiful photos. I'm not gonna lie, I've probably taken over three hundred photos in the past three days, and there are only two that I even remotely like.

If you haven't already, please leave a comment in my last post to enter this months give away. I will choosing a winner by the end of this week!

May Give Away

2009-05-06T21:42:00.001-07:00

I have been saving and saving, working and stashing! I've been saving for a new camera! And I'm happy to say that I've finally bought it! It's the Canon Rebel T1i. I'm super excited! It gets here Friday, so I'm sure you all will be seeing lots of photos in the near future. And I already have my first job! My brother has hired me to take photos for his landscape business. I'm sure some of you are familiar with my mum's blog

simplesparrow

She is a great photographer and agreed to give away a photo for this months give away. Here is a sample of here work

Leave me a comment on this post with your best photography tip/suggestion... something that's been helpful to you, and I will select a winner at the beginning of next week. The winner may pick a photo of their choice from her shop, so make sure you check it out!

Journals

2009-04-27T00:52:00.000-07:00

A buyer on Etsy approached me a few weeks ago, and asked if I would like to sell some items in a boutique that she works for in Palo Alto. I'm super excited. She asked me for some earrings and moleskine journals. So that's what I've been working on these past few weeks. I'm sure you must be tired of seeing earrings, so I posted some photos of the journals. I'm happy with the way they turned out, and am almost sad to ship them away.

Some of you might have read the post about the Modern Made Market and noticed that it was deleted. I am sad to say that it flopped. We had some personnel problems. Anyhow, maybe one day I'll be apart of someone else's craft fair.

How About Note Cards

2009-04-19T01:20:00.000-07:00

I loved hearing everyones ideas. And I'm so glad to hear that no one gets sick of fabric, thank goodness! Angela... I liked your idea about the note cards. I have yet to sell any of them in my shop, so why not give away a few. It looks like my random number generator choose ezeldabeth for my winner! yay! please email me your address and I will get your note cards on their way. Angela, I'd also like to send you some, so email me your address as well! Thanks for playing everyone, and I hope to see you next month!

April Give Away

2009-04-11T01:26:00.001-07:00

Yes, it is time for another give away here at One Big Adventure. I love doing giveaways. I don't know why, but there is definitely something satisfying about giving something away. I love reading everyone's comments or answers. I love announcing the winner. I even love packing up the surprise! It just seems that this month I'm having a hard time coming up with something to give away. I feel like I give away fabric or earrings quite frequently. So, this month, I'd like to hear what you, the reader/blogger/give away enterer would like to win. Please, go crazy! And... I will give away what I think the best answer is! I'm totally excited, and I can't wait to read what you come up with! And of course, because I can't seem to post without a picture, I've left you with a picture of my close friend and her baby.

Promotional Packages?

2009-03-31T00:04:00.000-07:00

I want to write a post, I need to write a post... but for some reason, I'm finding myself anxious. Part of me feels that I need to come up with unrenowned subject matter to impress everyone. But another part of me says that I'm not here to impress anyone. Yet at the same time, I don't want to be boring. I haven't been able to spend much time crafting lately, so no big developments there. The jobs are going well. The twins that I'm a nanny for are adorable. I love taking them for walks and dressing them in adorable outfits! And Starbucks is Starbucks. It's been really great for me to be around my mother in-law. She is wonderfully encouraging when it comes to crafting. Over the past few days I have slowly realized how easy it is to be satisfied with a few sales here and there in my Etsy shop. It's just become comfortable. But I don't want to settle, or become comfortable with mediocrity! She suggested that I find some boutiques that I like and send them a promotional package; a complimentary pair or earrings, or something of that nature. Anyhow, I really like the idea. I'm not gonna lie, the idea of approaching a business owner makes me a bit nervous. I guess when it comes down to it, I don't have the confidence. I suppose I feel like I should be or have something more. But the idea of a promo package sits well with me- no real threat of rejection. So with all of that said, I think that's what I will be working on in the near future. And if I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it right! So please, hit me up with all of your ideas and suggestions!! Wow, here I am now at the end of this post that I didn't even know if I could write. I do have one picture for you. I took it when my husband and I were out for a drive to enjoy the sunset. Nothing like a California sunset.

MORE EARRINGS

2009-03-18T00:20:00.000-07:00

I never pictured myself making jewelry, yet here I am... making jewelry. Then again, I never pictured myself doing a lot of things. The photo in this post is a custom order from my Etsy shop. But I'm so happy with the way it turned out I put another one in the shop. Things around here are busy as ever. Not only am I working at Starbucks, I got a job as a nanny for four month old twin girls. I'm excited. They are super sweet. The studio is coming along quite nicely. I've had fun looking at different paints. Is it bad that I'm most excited to paint? I've never been able to choose what colors I've wanted before, so needless to say I'm excited. I'll let you know which colors I finally decide on!

Working Away

2009-03-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

My poor blog, I feel I have neglected you so! We have just been so busy around here. We are building a studio on my husband's families property. So we have been busy designing and perfecting that. We are going to start building monday, so that's super exciting! I start at my new Starbucks on Monday, so that is also exciting. On top of that, I'm interviewing for a job as a nanny this evening! Four month old twins! And... I finished another commissioned project this morning. Things right and left around here! Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway in the post below! I haven't had time to visit any local fabric shops, so instead I am giving away fabric from my favorite fabric store in Portland, Bolt. If you are in the area you must visit it! Any how, I hope everyone is well! I'm hoping to be around more soon!

Settling In

2009-03-07T00:58:00.000-08:00

We made it to California. The drive was a lovely thirteen hours, but it's behind us now... literally. We are staying with my husbands family for the time being. It's great to see them all. A bit tight, but good. I'm looking forward to wearing sandals everyday and maybe even learning to surf. On another note, I realized that it's March and it's time for another give away. So leave me a comment on this post and tell me what your favorite thing to shop for is. I think mine is a tie between shoes and fabric. With that being said, I'm thinking about scouting out my new local fabric stores and maybe giving away some fabric. We'll just have to see. Leave your comment by next Saturday, the 14th. I'm looking forward to everyones answers.

* YAY MARYANN, YOU ARE MY GIVEAWAY WINNER! *

How I Hate Goodbyes

2009-02-23T11:18:00.000-08:00

My husband and I have spent the past week or so packing and preparing to move. But it's just recently starting to hit me that we are leaving. We have so many friends and loved ones that we will be leaving behind, and just the thought of that is enough to make me cry. Does anyone know what exactly is good about saying bye? The photo is of my husband and our friends baby whom we will miss dearly. It has been so much fun being a part of their lives. I am feeling the urge to keep my camera on me so I don't miss a single moment that we have left!

Commissioned Projects

2009-02-18T12:55:00.000-08:00

I feel like I haven't spent very much time blogging lately. I've missed seeing what everyone has been up to! Such a great time of the year for crafting! New news here (thats hard to say), we are going to be moving to California! We are super excited! No more rain, lots of sunshine, and we will be super close to our families. So, with all that said I've been a bit preoccupied packing. And on top of that, I've had a few commissioned projects that I've been working on. So, it might not look like it, but things have been quite busy here on the home front. Of course I have posted some pictures of what I've been working on.

So yeah, that's pretty much the update around here. Hope all is well with everyone. I'll probably be doing more reading than blogging in the near future. So I look forward to seeing what everyone is up to!

NOTE CARDS

2009-02-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

The other day I was browsing in Michaels when I came upon some super cute Amy Butler paper. The moment I saw it, I knew I had to have it! I decided it would be perfect for note cards. I found some super cute blank note cards and envelopes in the same isle. It was almost too easy. I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out, and one set is now in my Etsy. It was a super fun project. My husband was a bit skeptical as to them selling, but I'm hoping they will. If not, at least I'll have some cute cards.

Congratulations

2009-02-09T12:36:00.001-08:00

My random generator has selected three winners for the February Giveaway! Congratulations to

MaryAnn

Debra

Jana

Thanks to everyone that played, there were soo many of you! MaryAnn, you have won a beautiful blue bracelet (had to say it that way, the alliteration was too much fun).

Debra, you won a fabric covered moleskine journal!

And Jana, you won a jumbo pincushion!

If you ladies would be so kinda as to email me your address, I will get your goodies in the mail asap! Thanks everyone for playing, and make sure to come back in March for the next giveaway.

I WON, I WON

2009-02-06T12:58:00.001-08:00

About a week ago, I won my very first blog give away! I won these delightful Valentine Tag's made by

A Very Mary

They are so adorable, and I cannot wait to use them! Thank you Mary! She has an amazing blog, and did I mention she does a give away every friday? Yes, every Friday! She also has an adorable Etsy shop (with amazing prices)! So check out her blog and etsy today! Thanks again A Very Mary!

And We Have A Winner!

2009-02-04T19:02:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to number 71,

Merc

! You have won my fabric stash of all shapes and sizes! Thanks so much for playing! And a big thanks to everyone else who played. I hope you stop by again! Sorry that the picture isn't the greatest! But I thought you might want a little taste of what you won! Thanks again for playing!

STASH GIVE AWAY

2009-02-04T01:59:00.000-08:00

So, I came across this blog the other day www.imagingermonkey.blogspot.com

Katy's Blog

and came to find out that Katy is doing a massive stash give away! i'm totally excited and am going to be participating! So, please leave a comment on this post to be entered in my Stash Give Away. Also make sure to check out her blog and see a ton of other give aways! Also, if you haven't already entered my give away below, please do! Just want to make this clear, they are two different give aways, so please enter both! The winner for this give away will be chosen today! The winner of the other give away will be chosen next week. Yay for Give Aways!

Give Away

2009-02-01T13:09:00.000-08:00

It's time for a February Give Away! So, please leave me a comment below telling me your favorite (or one of your favorite) crafts! I have an amazing time reading everyone's answers, so please... go all out! If you can't think of one maybe come up with one you'd like to do. I'm excited to see what you guys come up with. I'll choose a winner in one week, so the 8th! And I'll probably do a mid week post with what your going to win, so don't forget to come back and check it out. Hope everyone's having a great weekend! And of course, I have a random picture for you, because posting without a picture makes me feel my post is too naked!

Fun Pictures

2009-01-31T17:04:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to post these pictures forever! They were taken by my mother in-law,

Toni

I think I will be calling her mum from now on. (Hope you don't mind Toni :) She took these photos at a wedding we went to about a year and a half ago. The first two are of me and my husband Seth. And the last photo is of me and Seth's youngest brother. She takes amazing photos, so if you have a moment or two, check out her blog. I can't believe it's the last day of January! Make sure you stop back by soon for my February give away!

Random Projects

2009-01-30T15:57:00.000-08:00

Things are pretty much back to normal around here. We are getting carpet in about two weeks, so thats exciting. I have a few random projects that I though I'd share with you. The first is actually one I did while I was on vacation. I made a stamp. It was actually a huge pain in you know what!. It seemed easy to begin with. You draw your design, trace it onto some foam, cut it out and vuala! Turns out the foam was super hard to cut out. It was a very frustrating project. I'm happy with the end result though. If you want to try this project I would suggest looking into some deluxe foam!

The second project is a knitting needle carrying case I made for a buyer on Etsy. This was a much easier project, and it made me supper happy to be sewing again! If you are looking for a simple afternoon project, I would highly recommend this one!

And lastly, a project that put a tiny dent in my huge collection of Starbucks cards. Someone recommended that I decorate a frame with some of them. I gave it a go, and I love it! I have it hanging in my workspace. If anyone has any other craft ideas for my never ending collection of Starbucks cards, I'd love to hear them!

NEW EARRINGS

2009-01-24T14:18:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to let you know I have some new earrings in the shop. Yay! We are glad to be home. The house is looking pretty good. Our friends who own it ripped out all of the carpet while we were gone. (If you are reading my blog for the first time, our house flooded the night before we left for vacation). Anyhow, they aired it out and totally cleaned everything up. They are so good to us! So, everything is almost back to normal, except there isn't any carpet at the moment. Off to finishing the laundry... don't forget to peek in the shop.