stacie

Mother’s Day Portrait Party

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Once, many years ago on Mother’s Day, I assisted a few photographers who took an afternoon to photograph several families using an 8×10″ camera. Each family paid around $50 and received one 8×10″ Polaroid. They could choose either b&w or color and I helped the photographers make chocolate (taking the B&W Polaroid neg and sandwiching it with the Polaroid Color positive). Something I learned from my friend Christina who interned at the Polaroid studio in NYC. A pretty special and unique print.
Ever since working that Mother’s Day portrait event I have wanted to do something similar. Mother’s Day is a special day and a portrait of mom’s little ones would be a perfect gift. I know this post is 2 months too early, but it’s never too soon to plan for the most important woman in you life, right? Besides, this is an awesome deal and I’m sure many will take advantage of this opportunity.

If you were wondering, I would love a fancy new camera bag (like this) for Mother’s Day, or a new fixed wide angle lens, and the latest “Healthy Bread in 5 minutes” book (which I just bought yesterday, sorry).

Ezra Said…

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Ezra last night in the tub: “Why does Aunt Teri talk funny?”
Me: “What do you mean ‘talk funny’? Can you talk like Aunt Teri so I can hear what you mean?”
Ezra: “No, I can’t get my voice so crumbly.”
Really, it could have been anything from her surfer lingo to her surfer accent. She’s an awesome surfer chick (not at all like Gidget) and has a blog somewhere… here it is!

Me to Ezra this morning at the front door: “What’s the weather like outside? Is it cold or warm?”
Ezra: “It’s kind of cold and smells like meat.”
Me: “Meat?! What kind of meat?”
Ezra: “Umm, Tom and Jerry meat.”
Whaa??!!
Still unsure what “Tom and Jerry” meat is.

This is us at the HB pier. Teri took a few of the kids and I together. She got a few decent ones that I will share shortly.

Menton and Eze, France

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Window in Menton, after we visited the structures made from citrus.


On the way up to the village Eze.


Zed at the chapel in Eze at the end our day there.

Young House- Arapahoe Acres Flagship Home

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I call this the “flagship home” simply because it is often the first home seen in Arapahoe Acres. Ironically it was one of the last homes to be built in the neighborhood. With its Asian lines and details, this home represents Hawkin’s influence from his trip to Japan.


The beauty and uniqueness to this home is not only in the architecture. The current homeowner is quite the collector, with vintage pieces carefully placed throughout the home. Beautiful paintings and even a vintage tube television add beauty and charm. Who would have thought that a pink sofa could look so good in this space?


I was struck by how all the furnishings and details of this home just sing. From the restored grass wallpaper to the copper fireplace to the cork floors, this home is a perfect example of a proper restoration. Being a 1950’s split level home, with the bedrooms and office on the south “wing”, allows the kitchen, living and dining room ample space. The home is small, as so many homes are in this neighborhood, and has two bedrooms upstairs a third on the lowest level along with a den.


The use of exterior materials on the inside of AA homes is prevalent. In the Young House, the window sills are exterior bricks, the ceiling planks extend to the patio outside. The brick on the fireplace is the same as found on the home’s exterior. I love that Hawkins used copper for many of his fireplaces, this was my first to see and photograph.

I am so happy to live in one of these beautiful homes and experience my neighbors’ living spaces. Thank you so much for allowing me to photograph them.

Final Christmas Gift Post

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I keep returning to this awesome yarn/craft store on Broadway here in Denver. It’s called Fancy Tiger. The yarn and fabric and other odds and ends they sell there are the best and the folks who work there are always fun to talk with. So I bought a whole bag full of yarn all for myself sometime after my birthday. But my birthday is in November, which is so close to Christmas that I had to justify some of my purchase by making a few things for my family. So I knitted two of these cowls. The cowl pictured was sent to my step mom and the deep purple with green buttons (not pictured) I kept for myself. I found the pattern here, through Ravelry this great knitting and crocheting community.


I made these for my sister who is always complaining that So Cal is cold. Well, I gave her a gift that expresses just how cold I think So Cal is… only cold enough for fingerless gloves. So there! Cold in California, HA!

Every year at church we have what is called Super Saturday. Basically a few hours on a Saturday in late Nov. early Dec. where we make stuff. Last year I learned to knit. This year I was somehow wrangled into teaching how to etch glass. I had never etched glass in my life. But how hard could it be? I etched metal plates in my college intaglio print class 11 years ago. How different could it be? Oh, it was much easier. No acid baths in trays, no need to wear gloves or be under a fan (although a well ventilated room is a must) and we used contact paper to make the stencils. The hardest part was laying the stencil on the curved glass ornaments I had bought. The contact paper just didn’t want to bend the way I wanted it to. I made these plates for my mom. One of each of the kids’ profiles. I figured she could use a few extra plates. Since they are etched, they can be used without fear of rubbing off the decoration.



PS. The fingerless gloves were researched but no one pattern used, it was a mix of several. Also, the part around the fingers I knitted both white and green yarns at the same time. I saw someone using 2 strands at once while at India’s cello recital, of all places. One glove might be larger than the other… I will confess to nothing!