New blog home?

OK, well, since I have had nothing but trouble here when I post, I'm going to try a new host site for blogging. Check me out over here: http://www.nothingfiner.wordpress.com/

I will keep this one open until I decide where I'm happiest, but I'm hoping it's better over there/
Thanks!! :)
K

Thanksgiving 2011

Here I am!

It's the weekend before Thanksgiving, and I'm thinking of family and friends. Missing all of you, and hoping you are well.

Getting more organized in the house, little by little it will come together, but we are loving it, and it's going to be so nice, (and we are very thankful) to have a real home for the holidays. We will be staying home for Thanksgiving, and having a very relaxing, low-key dinner.

I've been getting busier at the salon, and as the holidays approach, I hope it gets even busier! I spoke at a sorority chapter meeting, and I've had a great response from it.

We had our salon Thanksgiving on Friday, and we have our Christmas party on the 3rd. I am taking some fun props to make some really silly, fun photos, and I will post them next month. :{>

I've taken some pictures of the house with furniture to show you, but keep in mind, there are still boxes around, and I didn't always have the where with all to get them out of the photos. Lots will be changed, in time...

It's just to give you (mostly Mom) a general view for the moment. :)

 (just for the record...I have the worst time EVERY time I try to post photos on this blog. It is the most infuriating process to try and make the photos line up, and move them. They disappear, move to the top or bottom of the post, add space where I don't want any.  I yell and cuss EVERY time I try to do this. A lot of times, it's just the best I can do, and makes me not want to post anything. I think that's why I don't do it as often.  I'm going to have to figure something out, and maybe switch to a different format or provider. ugh.)

 

Oooh!! I forgot to tell you! My picture got hung at the Fair this year!! Yay!

I didn't think it did, so you can imagine my surprise and thrill when I came around a corner, and there it was!!! Even better? It SOLD! :) I was so excited. I took it to the lady in person, and she hung it on the wall right then and there! So cool.

Speaking of photos....

I have 2012 calendars ready in my etsy shop! Plus lots of new photos, so stop in if you get a chance!

(The link is on the right)

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and Happy upcoming Holidays!

Love~ K

Totally Rad!

So...we are finally getting settled in to the new house. Still so much that needs to be put away and organized, but the day to day operations are smooth..:)

I have finally had some inspiration to photograph, and the weather has been amazing! California weather. NO humidity.

But what's really got me inspired is this new editing tool called RadLab! Oh man, it is FANTASTIC! I am an editing Fool these last few days.

 

I am trying the demo, and saving my pennies to buy the full version. I Will have it..Oh yes, I will.

They finally have editing software that works with Photoshop Elements (what I use), and whomever dreamed this up deserves a big kiss and a meeelion dollars! :)

I love how it has boosted my creativity, and shown me things I hadn't been able to figure out on my own.

It has all these cool "stylets" that I can just hover my mouse over to see just what my image will look like. I can also add and adjust multiple filters to create a personal recipe (that I have the option of saving), to use later on another image! The options are endless!

Here is a screen shot:
 



I have been having some fun re-editing some old photos, and having some amazing results with new images too!

 
I just can't get over how cool it is!  If you're a photographer, please check it out here!  RadLab 
I guess it's just another awesome product to come out of Orange County! :)

 

Here's some of my play:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks RadLab!  You're Rad!



Some of these will be available in my etsy shop soon!

New Home!!

Hey all!!
I know I'm so overdue, as usual, but so much is going on here! Lots of exciting things.
Chris and I found a house!! To BUY!! :)


Looooong story, but after much looking and finding "so close" but just not the "one", and after reeeeeally considering builing a new home, we found the perfect house! 
It was the total "love at first sight" story....loved the outside.."oh look! covered porch", "Chris! Arches!" OOH!! 


Vaulted wall/ceiling! Ooo! island! granite, stainless, Ooh! split floorplan, GIANT closet! 
You get the picture. It just felt like- this it it. This is the one. :)
It is a brand new house made by Mungo homes, AND another cool thing is that it is a new floorplan, the first of it's kind, and the ONLY one like it!! (so far)
We didn't really want to jinx anything, so we kind of kept it quiet. With the volitile market and economy, we didn't advertise too much detail, in case we were heartbroken, but in just 2 days, it will be ours!! 


We are moving out to Lexington. (about 10-12 miles away) In a sub-division they call Manchester Park. All English town street names, and 3 rampart lions on a crest on the Entry signs.  They are still building, and we are maybe in the 2nd phase.   It is an area that is growing, and we hope the trend continues around us.
Anyway, back to the house...all stages have gone really well, and we are just thrilled with how Mungo has taken care of us, and given us so much of what we asked for!  We have laminate floors, granite, stainless appliances, blinds, a covered porch and entry, a privacy fence, so we can get a doggie!! :):)
A 2 car garage!! and a tankless water heater. (that means "on demand" hot water, no tank. My understanding is that water is run through or over coils that heat the water as you call for it. So it never runs out!)
Pretty cool to have new stuff.


We also want to say how AWESOME our Real Estate agent is! Thanks to Karen Chandler!  We  consider her a friend for sure.


I have some pictures I will put up, but of course more will come as we get in and settled.  We just need to finish packing and move this weekend, and then once settled in, I will start taking pictures. 
I will send out our new address in email soon.  Think of us on Thursday! We close at 2pm. 

 Master bath

 The entry and our gorgeous floors!

Kitchen island, dining. Nice and open.

 Above is Master bedroom wall color.


Here is our giant great room wall. This is the only wall with color.

Yay!

As an aside...I have made a new calendar for 2012!  It's a loose page calendar, and I really love how it came out! I may still make a wall calendar, after the move, but this one is ready to go. 12 beautiful 5x7 flower/nature photos, and after each month, you can cut off the calendar and have a 5x5 fine art image to frame!  You can put the pages on a magnetic board, an easel, frame, or clip, however you want!

I have some ready to go, but give me a few days to get moved.  You can see it in my etsy shop.  

www.etsy.com/shop/kellynphotography   (I have my shop in vacation mode right now, because I have to change my address everywhere, and I don't want things getting lost in the mail.)
If you really like the bigger, wall, calendars, I will let you know when those are ready. (they will cost a bit more)
OK, that's it for now!
                   XOXO~
                                Kelly

California 2011

Where does the time go?!?

Seems like I just got back from California, and was having a really hard time getting back on schedule, but it's really already been 3 weeks! Yikes! (addendum: WAS 3 weeks, when I first started writing...coming up in 4 now...since we've been so busy house hunting, I didn't get to finish this!)

I had a great time, and really needed to be 'home' and reconnecting with friends and family. Tho I love my new life in SC, it's hard being away from your network of friends and what has been your entire reality for so long. I tell ya, I never felt more popular than since I moved away! hahaha...

I had a very busy, but FUN schedule!

As per usual, I got my bags and rental car, and headed straight for the beach! :) The weather in SC during the Summer is miserable, and to see blue skies, but cool temps just makes me giddy!!

I went to Balboa penninsula, and took some pics, but not for long. I headed to my friend Frankie's in Laguna. We walked the beach and caught up over some frozen yogurt.

Then to Danielle and Malcolm's where I would be staying. They took me out for Mexican food, and I was in heaven!! :)

The next day I was up and running..breakfast with my Starbucks friends, off to Redondo to see Sharon and Jerry with Bonnie, then back to OC for a Fair preview!

Friday morning was the infamous 'bike to get coffee' episode, where I fell into the wall, and spilled coffee all over myself, undoubtedly giving some commuter a great laughing start to their day! LOL funny!

Then out to Riverside to get Rick from the train station, because of course it was "Carmageddon" that weekend! We caught up, saw his parents, and got a little nap in (on cloud beds) before our Licorice Pizza reunion! So much fun! Lots of old friends showed up! We laughed A LOT!! So great to see everyone.

I can't believe I stayed out until 1:30, and I was whining! hahahaha Guess I got old at some point.

The next day was back on the road to San Diego! I spanned 4 counties this trip!

Met with friends the Curran's for lunch in Oceanside, and more catching up! I hadn't met their (beautiful) kids yet!

Had some photo fun with Kim, (she took this rather flattering photo of me) and was off again to see Flicka and family in Escondido!

                         

 

Spent some time hanging out there, laughing, taking pics, and eating a fabulous meal Tom cooked for us, before heading out to Julie's for the night.

 

Had fun at Julie's with the kids and their friends in the party kitchen, telling stories and watching Adam's post wisdom teeth-pulling video! HA!

I always sleep SO good at Julie's house. I don't know what it is... but the futon and the open window, combined with the sheer exhaustion, and being with family all must add up....zzzzzzzzzz :):):)

Next morning with Julie and Greg, then back up to OC for a nap, early dinner and the OC Fair!

Went with Malcolm, Danielle, Catie, and Laura to meet up with sister Joanna!

Got some photos, rode some kid rides with Catie, and cruised the exhibits. Got to see Danielle get another ribbon for her baking!

Monday was my last full day, and after a nice morning walk, and easy morning, Danielle and I met with our former Spanish teacher Andrea Kustin-Mager for lunch in Laguna. We had a lovely afternoon catching up, and laughing over great food. When that was done, I let out a big exhale, as all my commitments were done! I had so much fun seeing everyone, and still had more to see that night, but my travels were over.

That evening, Phil and Tracy came over, then Leslie and Dennis, and our great old friend Curtis!! So nice to see everyone! Malcolm grilled some awesome Mexican fare, and we all ate outside and then had some Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake!! How cool is that?! :)

Aren't you just tired reading all of this?!?! lol  This is definitely one of those "I need a vacation after my vacation" times.

Even so, what a great trip, awesome weather, awesome friends, awesome family, awesome memories!

I have to say, flying Southwest was just fine, and there's nothing like flying out of smaller, closer, airports. Orange County and Charleston were easy to get through security, and easy to get in and out of.

Thanks to everyone who made my vacation so wonderful!

I love you all!

XOXO

Houses, baby (photos), and vacation!

So much going on, I really wanted to post before I leave for California.

I'm so excited to be coming home for a visit!  I can't wait to see many of your faces, and re-connect with what will always be 'home' for me.
I'm sorry if there are some friends/family I won't be able to see, but I'm excited to see some I haven't seen at all since I've moved.

OK, so last I wrote about doing the newborn shoot. It went really well!  My friend Amanda loaned me all the gear I would need, and that made it so easy.  The tricky part is trying to mold, move, and bend a new little baby!
I know they don't break, but when they're not yours, and well, frankly, they don't WANT to be in the fetal position, it's a little hard. hahahaha!
This little sweetie was not a big fan of the fetal position, but she is adorable nonetheless, and it was my pleasure to meet her. :)

Of course, she was wide awake when we started...of course every OTHER day she was asleep by now... lol

But we soon got her sleeping, and then we had fun.

What a sweet little baby.  I learned a lot, and think it went pretty well for my first time. :)
This one is my favorite tho, classic.

I have 2 more children sessions now coming up, and possibly another newborn session in Jan. I may have to start buying some gear. 


The house hunt is on, and last night Chris and I went out for our first looks with our Real Estate agent!  It was good for us to see in person what we liked online..we knew they would be different, but some were REALLY different. (not in a good way, lol)
We found 1 that will be on the short list...and if it had a garage, we probably would have made an offer! ha!  We just started tho, and if that one is meant for us, we will have it. For right now, we are still looking. Very exciting times!

I got home last night to find another photo sale from my etsy shop! I just get so thrilled when someone buys one of my photos! It's a good feeling.

We are in Full Summer swing here. 90+ everyday, thunderstorms possible or real everyday.
Life is good, and it will be even better next week when I get to CA, and the cooler coastal, NON humid weather! :)

OOh!
Update on Tom:  He is doing much better. Healing from his bypass surgery, and from his unexpected bloody nose episodes! ugh. It's not always easy for this man.  Keep on sending those healing prayers! :) Thanks.  He'll be back working before we know it. 

Love and blessings.

Recon

So a couple of weeks ago I ran down to Charleston to do recon before my trip to CA.
I am flying out of the Charleston airport and I have never been there before, so I wanted to find it, and the long term parking lot, before I go.
I also wanted to go downtown to Charleston and walk around a little bit. See the things I missed the first (and last) time I went.
The third thing I wanted to do was drop by The GATE salon and see some hairstylist friends to talk about the new color line I'm using.

I wandered around downtown Charleston, and went into the City Market. They are doing some construction, but I still got to wander a few stalls.  The new fans they put in must help some in Summer, tho I was already getting hot, and it was not very crowded.

I walked King Street, and had a little lunch before walking down to the Battery, and Battery Park.  Turns out, that was about 18 blocks. UGH! it was like 90+ degrees. :(  I got some cool window box photos tho, and I'm glad I got to see more, but I really got overheated, and was glad for the breeze down by the water.

I loved the different textures and how preserved all the Historic homes were.  It was just too hot for me.  I will have to go back again in the Spring time and hopefully get some more shots in better weather.

Next, I went to the airport. Uh, yeah, SUPER small airport! lol

It looks really big on the maps, because it's next to (or shares land with) the Air Force Base.  Well, I'm glad I went, because it will be easy to get to and parking is very close. I won't need 2 hours before hand. It's seriously like Orange County airport WAY back. I think 2 terminals. Ha!

Then I went to visit the hair stylist friends, and talked a little shop.

I have switched my color line to Keune.  I hadn't heard of them before, but they are a Dutch company that's been around since the 20's.  I even read they were the first to make a cold wave perm! huh!

They have a new education center opening today actually, in Altanta, GA, where their distribution center is located.  They are excited for an expanding US business, and they will be offering some great support for stylists.  They also have some really innovative technology that is supposed to keep color in the hair longer.  I am excited, and I am loving the results so far! 

This last week I have been super busy at the salon! Yay! I am loving the new place, and hope it keeps getting better! 

I have been adding photos to my etsy store. Go check it out! 

Today I drove out to a photographer friends' house to pick up some equipment (and get some coaching) to do a newborn session! Yikes! My first.  I'm not that nervous, because they know me and I don't boast AMAZING results. hehehe

They are clients of mine, a sweet lesbian couple, and I can't wait to meet their new daughter! 

Hopefully all will go smoothly, and I will ask if I can use a couple of shots to post here. Fingers crossed!

That's what's happening here.  We are HOT, and I'm not ready for it.

Coming to CA for a visit in July. I have pretty much every day booked up, but of course I hope to be back again soon to see anyone I don't get to on this trip.

Hopefully Chris and I will be moving into a house in the next few months, and you can come here and stay with US! :)

Be back soon! :)

Black Beauty

Black Beauty, a photo by kelly*n (Flair4hair) on Flickr.

Testing...1,2,3...Blogger and Flickr haven't been playing well together.
Showing one of my butterflies from a recent trip to the Butterfly exhibit in town.

Happy Corner

Hello everyone!

I'm sharing this happy image with you today because it's the first image I've sold in my new etsy shop! Yay me! :)

etsy.com is an online marketplace, and it took a lot of work, but it's paying off now!
I was so excited to wake up to an order.

Of course I have been meaning to post something, but I thought I would wait for something big to happen, or for us to move, but here we are still.

Chris is SUPER busy at work, and there is no time during the week for house stuff. OH! I see I didn't say before..we are looking to BUY now! (Well, Chris is going to buy.)
It's very exciting and SCARY times! That's a lot of money! :)


Not too much went on in May here...we did go see Mattie's (Chris' niece) basketball tournament. They live in Beaufort, but the tourney was here in Columbia, so we got to go! That was fun. (I won't even tell you how bad the ref'ing was, OMG!)

I'm coming to CA in 6 weeks. Get excited! lol
I'm bummed the fair isn't starting until after I get there! I won't get to go as much as I'd like, but that makes more time to spend with friends!


My Step-Dad, Tom is recovering from triple bypass surgery, and is doing really well, but healing prayers are always welcome!


My ex Brother-in-Law Eric is moving to Texas with the kids. We are excited for their new adventure! I know Joanna is sad, and the kids will miss their Mom and friends, but this is a great opportunity for them, and we wish them the best! Good Luck guys! (er, um, I mean, Y'all! hehehe)

The heat is on here in the South. OMG...it's already 95-100* every day. :(
Not happy about that. Here comes Summer!

So, click on the Flickr link in the right column for my latest pics, and my new etsy shop is here:

www.etsy.com/shop/kellynphotography hmmm..this may not work if you don't have an account. Try http://www.etsy.com and then search under "shops" for kellynphotography. :)

It's a work in progress!

Love you!

accented

accented, a photo by Flair4hair on Flickr.

Hello everyone,
Just popping in to say that after much agonizing, we have called off our move. Yes, 4 days before.
Loooong story short, the house was not move-in ready, and we didn't have confidence in the owner's abilities to get things done.
So, we start the search over. We are packed and staying here for another month.
We would appreciate your prayers for the perfect place to open up for us! :)

Love you all!

Hellooo!!

I'm here, I didn't forget. I've had so much going on, I just haven't had time to organize my thoughts and put a post together with some photos. It's the photo part that's hard too, because I can't pick!

I'm making mosaics to make it easier.

First of all, the Spring has been gorgeous. So many flowers. The pollen hasn't been too bad, as we've had a couple of rainy days to wash it all away.

                                     

 

The flowering trees are so pretty here. I love seeing the progression of Crab apple, Tulip magnolia, Star magnolia, Bradford Pear, Dogwood, and Crepe Myrtle.

 

Wisteria, Carolina Jasmine, flowering quince, all making the world a more colorful place.

Spring is just the best for flowers, colors, and smells. :)

Anyway, the new salon is AWESOME! I love being there. The girls are all nice, and the atmosphere is way better, more fun, and buzzing with good energy. I have been getting many more referrals and I'm getting busier each week! Yay!

I got my new glasses, and the progressive thing is good, but takes some getting used to. Pretty much tho, your brain takes over, and you just look in the right place. They are a bit heavier tho, so I worry about them hurting over time. I tell you what tho...it sure is nice seeing up close! lol


I just got back from a fun birthday weekend in Savannah and Beaufort with my friends, and it was So much fun! We met up with the lovely Georgianna, and went to Savannah to our favorite shops, photos, and lunch at the cool Sixpence Pub.

They were all so nice, and I got some wonderful gifts that I will treasure, but the best, of course were the handmade gifts from Josh (age 7) and Ben (age 4). :) So sweet. Then there was the "Death by Chocolate" cake!!! omg....SO decadent.

It was a fun party. And a memorable birthday.

The next morning was a major thunder storm and got me up at 5:30 am. But after blueberry pancakes and some REALLY strong coffee, we took Georgianna around Beaufort for more pictures and fun.

                                                                     

It was nice to have some fresh eyes there with us, to see the places in new ways. She focused more on gardens and we saw back behind many houses and found some pretty scenes.

Now that I'm back it's ALL about packing and moving. We are renting a house about a mile and a half from my work, about 5 miles to Chris'. It's a 4br 2ba, 2 story with a 2 car garage. It's got a lot that needs to be done to it before we move in, and that has us a little worried, but we are trusting that it will be all set for our Apr 23rd move in! We are really most excited about not living in an apartment anymore and underneath the incredibly inconsiderate, belligerent neighbors.

Keep your fingers crossed that all goes smoothly!

So, today I did my first "official" photo shoot! A friend of mine works at a salon in a neighboring city. They asked me to do some group photos for them. I learned a lot! (now that I'm editing..)

And it's really interesting....for those that know me...I got a message today about 'baby steps'...we take them first to see how badly we want something... I just don't know how I feel about 'shooting' people. It feels pretty natural and not super stressful (with this group), but I don't think it would be so bad. I DO know I do NOT want to be a wedding photographer! lol

Anyway, it's my first paid gig! *nodding* cool. :)