Jikana Damaru: 01/24/12

my little model+ quick photo lesson

I struggle in low light so I've been practicing a lot with Addison as my model to produce better indoor photos. I took these photos in her room right next to her window at 4pm when the sun was shining in just right. I used a reflector to bounce light onto her face. I made sure my exposure was spot on or just a notch overexposed. I hate turning up my ISO past 400 but after many previous failed attempts and ending up with grainy, underexposed pictures, I set it on 800. It really helped and there was a lot less noise then I thought there would be, or there would have been when trying to brighten it afterwards. So manual users (even though I've read it a million times and never listened) do not be afraid to higher your ISO!

35mm ISO 800 2.8/f & shutter speed varied between 1/100 and 1/300 sec.

Since I've had a couple followers e-mail me asking me some photography questions I figured I would do a post in the near future to answer a few. So leave a comment if you have a photography question. Again, I'm still learning myself, but I know when I was trying to figure it all out in the beginning I received a wealth of information off of other blogs. So I want to try and return the favor for those who just picked up their first dslr :)

you can find my Facebook photography page here: Jessica Lacey Photography, I appreciate 'likes' :)

& yes, she does get near weekly photo shoots. I think she's already getting used to it :) We have another this Friday at a little studio I am super excited about!

Happy

Sarah over at Faith, Hope and a Whole Lotta Love has made a change! This year we will "SNAP IT"

Each week will have a theme! This week it is...

Well my beautiful readers...this is me HAPPY!

Please head over to Sarah and play along! What is your "Happy" ?

I am also joining in with My Little Drummer Boys Wordless Wednesday!

x S.K.K x

Printsgram+Pinterest+Crochet Hats

I'm seriously addicted to instagram, and what a neat way to put all those photos together!

how cool?!
if you have instagram just go here: printsgram it takes literally two minutes or less to make!
find me on instagram: jeskapug

pinterest. also addicted. I'm finally getting the hang of it- only took a year ha.

Some things I'm pinning...

This DIY canvas for cheap!

Sugar Bee Crafts

I want to make this for Addison's 1st Birthday (can't believe I'm thinking of that already!)

Some scrapbook paper, ribbons and tape! Easy peasy.

cake

Oh if only my baby were a sound sleeper...

Jessica Vaughn Photography linked to Confessions of a Prop Junkie

And this is just seriously beautiful. I hope to be able to capture a photo like this of Addison when she's older. Saving to my files for a reminder.

Soft Rains of April

I mostly venture through photography boards because I'm really not crafty. But I'm getting into it... maybe I'll try my hand at a couple projects in the near future...

follow me.

And finally. In case anyone was wondering about some of Addison's crochet hats..

a good friend of mine makes them customized! They are also nicely affordable. Caterpillar Family.

Head over to her FB page and send her a message to get your little one a cute hat :)you won't be disappointed!

My Thoughts My Words My Mantra

Yesterday I wrote about my 2012! I wrote about my feelings and thoughts and the special place I am in right now! I am happy. So happy. Its quite funny actually. Everything is going so perfectly I sometimes sit back and just laugh. How awesome is this. How awesome is life. Last week I was inspired by the beautiful Claire to find my voice for 2012. How did I envisage 2012 to be for me! No goals, no resolutions but inspiration for each and every day.

Claire wrote down her words for 2012 and put them into one of her gorgeous inspirational prints. She posted her print on her blog for all of us to download! I printed it out and it went straight on my wall! It made me happy and her words made me smile! I knew I needed my own thoughts, feelings and words in my own print to put up right beside hers! I sat and I wrote from my heart! All the words that made me happy and that I wanted my new year to be all about. My words came from my heart, were sorted out through my head and were transferred to my computer. Here is my inspiration, my mantra for 2012.

Claire is one talented lady! If you would like to download Claire's inspirational print please head over to her blog and print yourself a copy! if you would like to create your own 2012 mantra please please please contact Claire! She will create you an amazing piece!

I love it so much! It speaks my truth!

Here's to a beautiful 2012!

x S.K.K x

The daily drive

Back in the day LOML and I rarely used our car. Our first car (for both of us) was a little turquoise manual Ford Festiva. A super-small car that's easy to park in the cramped inner-city, but LOML and I are 'big people' so I imagine many people thought we were driving by on our way to the circus.

We traded up a size to a silver Subaru Impreza hatchback when Maxi came along. Then a year later we had to upgrade again to a blue Subaru Outback because we couldn't fit the 'big rig' double pram in the back of the Impreza. Yeah, I know, the sensible thing would have been to rethink the pram, but hey, we were sleep-deprived.

Two years after that* we got the black seven-seater Ford Terror to accommodate three car seats across the back and all the assorted prams, scooters, bikes and friends that a family rolls with these days. We've had the Terror for three years now and we still have the Outback. The Outback Terror of it all.

Before we moved out to live amongst the sticks, we never drove a lot. Now we have two cars and we have to drive one or both of those cars most days to go anywhere. I've never properly adjusted to that. The fact that we need not just one but two cars, most days. A little while ago we had a few weeks where we loaned the Outback to LOML's sister and it was a really complicated, inconvenient few weeks indeed.

We rely on our cars. Eeek.

I miss being able to walk out our front door and go somewhere. We still do a big walk up to the shops or over to a friend's place or down to the park, but it's not the same. It's an excursion to walk anywhere these days, rather than just the way we get around. I used to walk to the city for work from our old place, now it involves a car ride, a train ride and a walk.

It's the only thing I don't like about our entirely likeable home. The fact that it's not close to anything at all. Impossible to change that, but who has hours and hours free to walk places?

How many cars do you have?

Do you still get to walk a lot?

* Looking back on that list now, I realise that LOML and I do seem to lack forward planning skills. Heh, heh, does that make us inefficient 'family planners'?

[Image via weheartit - please let me know if it is yours!]

Mini gluten free raspberry trifles

I love trifle but, being gluten intolerant I can only have it if I or my Mum makes it. This past Christmas I made some mini raspberry trifles which I served on my mini dessert stand.

Raspberry Trifle (makes 7 mini jars)

Ingredients

7 amaretti biscuits (make sure they are gluten free)
3 1/2 tbsp Amaretto liqueur
21 raspberries
1 packet of raspberry jelly made up as instructions
1 pint of fresh custard
150 ml double cream
1 tbsp toasted flaked almonds

Cooking instructions

Place an ameretti biscuit in the bottom of each jar and crush with the end of a wooden spoon until you have a flat surface
Pour 1/2 a tbsp of Ameretto into each jar
Place three raspberries on top of each crushed ameretti biscuit
Divide freshly made jelly between the jars, place in fridge until set
When jelly is set, pour cooled fresh custard over the jelly and leave to cool
Whip double cream with a pinch of sugar until you get stiff peaks
Fill piping bag fitted with a star nozzle with whipped double cream and pipe a star on top of each trifle
Sprinkle top of each trifle with toasted almonds
Keep in fridge until serving

Have a sweet day!