Decorating with Plants

I've recently been considering adding some flora up in the hizzie. When I'm entertaining, I like to purchase a small  grouping of flowers (usually white), and arrange them on a silver tray on my ottoman in the living room. If I'm hosting a shower or open house, I'll sometimes get a larger bouquet and place them on my breakfast bar.  I've been given a few potted plants (small bulbs, etc) as gifts, and I tried to have some potted plants live on the deck.  But all in all, I have a problem.

I HAVE A BLACK THUMB.

For my most recent birthday, my parents surprised me and bought me a wine barrel. It's amazing and I've always thought it would look fantastic as a planter. As we're starting to see the clouds roll away and everything is turning green again, I've begun to consider actually making this planter happen.

Simultaneously, I've been considered having some more greenery in the house.  We have fresh plants all around the office and they're so cheerful.  So, why don't I replicate that cheeriness here at home?  Knowing me, if I bought silk plants, the suckers would get dusty and gnarly pretty quickly, so fresh plants are probably my best option.  PLUS, they say elegance and quality to me.

SO, as I'm getting close to moving forward on bringing some greenery back into the home, I need your help. How many of you DO have fresh plants? How often do you water them? Do your floors get yucky underneath? What are the secrets to good flora?

I'm looking to YOU, dear readers, for the best tips for decorating with fresh plants!!!

CONDO2CASTLE: Use Your Storage Spaces Wisely

I have a confession to make...I can be a TOTAL slob.

It's true. Ever since I was a little girl, I have hated cleaning. As an adult, I have really fought with my sloppy nature and have lived more responsibly, putting things away and hanging things up...but I'm not going to lie, there are times when I do look in my closets and cabinets and shudder.

On the positive side of things, knowing my own limits, I now have a housekeeper who comes twice a month and makes sure that I'm not living in filth, HOWEVER, she doesn't do any organizing... that still falls on my shoulders. And living in a small condo, I've learned that organizing storage spaces is CRITICAL to feeling like there is a lot of it.

Under Bed Storage
If you don't have one of these, you can still replicate it. (Thanks Apartment Therapy for the image.)

Using under bed storage is a no-brainer. For those of you who live in cold areas, I encourage you to tuck all your BIG winter clothes away in the spring and summer.  There are a number of great and inexpensive products for under bed storage.  You can find bags/drawers/boxes with wheels at Ikea or even Target.

Hall Closet
You hall closet or coat closet can be another way to greet your guests. In many small homes (such as mine), it has to be multi-functional. That doesn't mean that it should be a catchall, though. Sure, you may need to store cleaning supplies, winter clothes, extra dishes, tools, etc, but by using shelving, storage baskets, organizational tools, it will not appear to be overcrowded or messy.  When guests come over, this closet can be used to take their purses or jackets.  If you have a place for them, and some extra hangers (I prefer wooden ones), it will show that no details have gone unnoticed in your home.  It shows you went to the extra effort to make your home hospitable.

This great green closet my friend Angry Julie's. Too learn more about it, go here. The thing I love is that 1) she used color 2) it's functional for storage, and for hanging guests coats 3) it doesn't have anything on the floors. It feels clean, open, and that there is plenty of space!

Kitchen Cabinets

Have you seen these before? They are cheap and incredibly helpful for those of us with teeny kitchens. Really, a must have! Organize World carry a boat load of similar options for less than $10. For those of us who don't have a pantry and really have to maximize space, creative vertical storage is crucial.

I'm also a huge fan of using drawer space creatively. For instance, dish drawers are becoming really popular. I know people with kids who love them because they're children can help put clean dishes away or set the table. Look how cool this is!

And don't even get me started about how much I LOVE pull out spice cabinets! They are functional, efficient, and totally fun!  They also make the statement that no detail in your home has been overlooked. And what a way to improve the value of your home by showing that you went to the extra effort to make your work space extra special!

Bathroom Cabinets

I have one bathroom in my home, which means that my bathroom is also for guests...unless I'm feeling REALLY mean. It can be a challenge keeping necessities, cleaning supplies, etc, together in a way that it organized and classy. There are a number of options that provide organization at low costs. This is a fun undercabinet organizer that I recently stumbled across:

Medicine cabinets and free standing cabinets can also be your best friend. Always keep guest towels and necessities in an easily accessible location, and always organized. Having things tucked away nice and tight will provide more room for storage and frankly, you won't look like a slob when visitors go rummaging through your cabinets, like you know they all do! : )

Virtual Vino: the 5 S's of Tasting

I love wine. I love wine tasting. But not because I'm a lush (well, maybe just a little).

There's a social side of wine that I've truly grown to love over the last few years. Being at a vineyard, amongst the grapes, is truly one of my favorite places to be in this whole world. I've never seen anything more beautiful. Sure, the ocean is amazing in all of its glory and power, but if I won the lottery, I'd move to wine country in a heartbeat. Anywhoooooo...

When I'm tasting wine with friends, I truly enjoy talking about flavors and the unique differences we all experience. I love how we can all taste something and say "that would go great with steak/fish/a summer salad/chicken." I also love how we can have a taste of something and say "this would be so and so's favorite." It's just fun!

Last week, I was invited over to a friend's house for an event with a private sommelier. It was a blast. But it was also educational...and today, I'm going to share the things I learned from her, with YOU!

The Five S's of Wine Tasting

See
First, start by looking at the color of your wine. Is it almost clear? Greenish golden? Buttery in color? The tone of the wine will help determine what kind of wine you're about to drink.

Swirl
Swirl your glass around and look at how long it takes for the liquid to run down the glass again. If it's thick and kind of drips down, it has a different chemical equation and taste than if it's thinner. This is also known as the "legs."

Sniff
After you've swirled your glass, the oxygen has opened up the notes and "bouquet" of the wine, so take a deep sniff. Stick your nose right on into the glass and determine the flavors you smell. Berries? Mellon? Grass? Pepper? Nothing is wrong and your sniffer will give your taster a heads up next.

Sip
Take a small sip, and determine if the notes you smelled are the ones you taste. Make an initial assessment.

Savor
Now, take a larger sip and roll the wine around your tongue. Make sure all your taste buds interact with the wine. Sometimes, the flavor will be stronger on the tip of your tongue, sometimes on the back; sometimes the acidity will react with the underside of your tongue, too. This is truly where you will determine if you like the wine and want to have a full glass. (A taste is usually just one to two ounces; a full glass of wine is 4 ounces.)

I hope you've enjoyed this first installment of Virtual Vino! I know that some people have challenges with alcohol, and I hope this doesn't offend anyone. I'm not talking about abusing it here, but enjoying it with friends!!!

Special thanks to my wine club girls (and Amy's dad, who was our special guest star). What started as a small group from church, ended in a wine club. Yes, Jesus turned water into wine, and we've taken his example and learned to enjoy it and fellowship with each other!!!

Off to My First Photography Conference

I attend conferences all the time for work. I do public affairs for a large developer and began my career in politics, therefore I can talk to just about anyone. Celebs don't freak me out and I always like to find things I have in common with folks...just to have a real conversation, instead of forced fake stuff.

Well, I head out today for WPPI, the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International conference. I'm SO STOKED and excited to be going. I'm taking workshops on boudoir photography, night photography, and I'm going on a shoot out in the desert. I couldn't be more excited. I'm also excited to go to seminars and learn from the greats. This is seriously a trip to Vegas that I'm thrilled about...and I'm not even a gambler!

I can't wait to share and implement the things I learn. In the meantime, please head over to my photoblog to check out the maternity shoot I did for my best friend last week!

PhotoFANatic Friday: Lens Love

On twitter last week, I saw a number of shooters discussing lenses for their DSLR cameras and asking about what they "needed" next. I've been considering a new series to discuss all the crazy things I've learned over the last couple of years and thought to myself, "why not now?"

So ya, I do have a photo business, but it wasn't all that long ago that I was just a chick with a cool camera. I now how an even cooler camera that I was able to buy from business revenue (woot!), but the things I learned on my smaller camera are still the basics that I consider today.

So, if you're a mom, a blogger, or just a regular ole joe with a DSLR and don't have any plans to go pro, I applaud you! You are pushing your creative juices and rocking some good equipment! And here is where I tell you the truth that many won't say:

YOU DO NOT NEED TO SPEND CRAZY AMOUNTS OF MONEY TO LOVE YOUR IMAGES!

You do NOT need L line lenses. You do NOT need Photoshop or Lightroom. If you're on a tight budget, relax, and know that you can take quality snaps without dropping big bucks! Photoshop Elements is great. I have a bunch of friends who use Picnik, too, and I've also heard great things about Aurora.

But this post is about lenses, so let's get back to the topic!

Wide Angle Lenses:

First of all, do you know what wide angle means? I didn't at first, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Wide angle means the camera is able to take in more of the frame from one side to the other. The frame is literally WIDE. It also means that your subjects aren't going to be super up close.

This kind of lens is GREAT for landscape or other important scenery. I like to blog about recipes and goofy things I do in the kitchen or other DIY projects around the house. Having a wide angle lens on my camera ensures that I can get a broader scene in the shot.

This is where things get goofy. Wide means a smaller millimeter on the lens. So, 55mm is wider than 200mm.

Not All Lenses are Created Equal:

THE OTHER IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW ABOUT LENS SHOPPING is that not all lenses are created equal. Yes, many are a great option and great for the budget, but they might not last forever.

Let's take my favorite lens as an example.

I'm a Canon and my first lens was the 50mm 1.8. It was DELICIOUS. It was fast (meaning that it let in more light and had a bigger aperture - i.e. lower number) and affordable - about 80 bones. It was also light weight and plastic.

Then I upgraded to the 50mm 1.4 and I dropped that old boyfriend like a bad habit. The 1.4 is even faster, is made of metal and is sturdier, and cost about $350-ish. It's sharper and more precise, has a fast focusing ability, and is my go-to lens in portrait sessions. THEN, there's the BITCHIN 50mm 1.2. I don't own this bad boy, yet, but someday, yes someday, I will make him mine and we will ride off into the sunset together. But at over a thousand bucks, that someday isn't here, yet.

All this goes to say that if you want good buttery bokeh (subject in focus and background blurred out), you want something in a higher aperture than a F/4. Most consumer lenses start at either F/3.5 or F/4. If you want to get a higher aperture (lower F stop #), find a good and affordable lens like the 50mm 1.8. It's not going to break the bank and will kick your consumer lens' arse in the bokeh category, if you're shooting on Av priority or manual! : )

EF-S vs. EF and DX vs. FX:

Next up, in the affordable everyday awesome lens category, I want to talk to you about EF lenses versus EF-S (Canon) and DX versus FX (Nikon) lenses. Please put me on pause, then run out and check your lenses. You can see what you have on the front of the lens before the mm designation.

Some time ago, when camera manufacturers went digital, they thought it would be good to make lenses for small sensor digital cameras. Usually the cost doesn't change, however, a EF-S or DX isn't made to fit on advanced camera bodies, which have full sensors. SO, let's say that someday you decide to go pro and upgrade your camera body to a pro-level camera, you won't be able to use the EF-S or DX. SO, if you have the opportunity, only buy EF or FX lenses!

So, if you're ready to take the plunge and start shopping for new lenses or other camera equipment, I highly encourage you to go with a reputable company. Going online and buying the "cheapest" isn't always the smartest. Sometimes that price comes with poor customer service. The company that I frequently use has great prices AND customer service. And they even purchase used equipment. Click on the link below to learn more about Adorama and their great prices and selection.



So, that's all for today. I've probably blah blah blah'd WAY too much about this topic, but I'm eager to share with you all the interesting things I've learned to date. I have a business, but I don't claim to know it all. I'm just sharing...AND if you have any further questions, PLEASE feel free to contact me at any time at jj@theblahblahblahger.com. And I hope to continue this series, unless of course nobody comments and you all tell me I'm a doofus. If that's the case, I'll bury my head in the sand and go back to talking about my house. : )

Where Do You Sit?

So, the new table and chairs are in full effect. But I've got a problem...

I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO SIT.

As said before (too many times to count), I'm single. My former table, now sitting in the garage waiting for my sister to come and get her, was a large square and I loved it. I always sat wherever I wanted, usually that was closest to the kitchen. I typically had that side of the table to myself. However, now I've got a true head and foot. My inclination would be to sit at the head, but it's not as close to the kitchen. Is that a problem?

Where do you sit when you've got people over? Tell me what you think I should do!

I'm leaning toward the head (which in this photo is against the mirrored wall over there on the right).

Tool Talk Tuesday: The Mysterious, But Ever Helpful, Allen Wrench

If you've ever had to put together a piece of furniture, you've likely encountered today's featured tool...the allen wrench.

An allen wrench is a special "L" shaped six-sided wrench, coming in various sizes, that fits into a recessed hexagonal socket hole in the end of an allen bolt. These guys come in very handy when you have a tight space that you need to get to OR when you need to use a lot of force and pressure.

The first time I saw them in my toolbox, I was confused about how often I'd really use them. But, being an avid DIYer, I have owned many random pieces of furniture that have come in a kit and required me to put them together. And let's face it, just about every early piece of furniture I owned came from IKEA, where they LOVE to send you home with a heavy box and lots of little pieces. I don't know who decided to create the allen wrench or bolt, probably just some guy that we'll call "Allen", but you can bet that he made his goldmine off of these crazy instruments.

Owning your own set of allen wrenches is always a good idea, too, because many times, when using a lot of force, an allen wrench can get stripped. Most of the DIY kits come with one, but I always like to have a back up. And mine came in handy this week when I received my new étagère for the living room. LOTS of allen bolts and one pitiful allen wrench. But you know what, I got the job down all by myself...with the help of Allen!