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Y'all remember how I whined and complained about not transitioning well in Texas?
Well, I'm over it.

God has truly blessed us with the best neighbors.
Ever.

Within three months they have become friends, not just neighbors.
Tonight we were all hanging out in the circle while our kids played.
And then we decided to all go out to eat together as a group.
It was so much fun and...dare I say it...may not want to move again?

This shot was taken on our drive home.
It was feeling a bit flat, so I added a cloud overlay just to give it some texture. 

Focus is Overrated - Day 27

When I was taking photo classes in college, tack sharp focus was preached.

And then when I got back into photography after the birth of my children, tack sharp focus was still a central topic.

I have terrible sight even with contacts. And if that weren't bad enough, the more still I need to be, the shakier my hands seem to become! Not a good combination for that tack sharp focus, eh?
{and I refuse to be tied down to a tripod}

So instead of driving myself crazy trying to always get that perfect in-focus shot, I did a 180 from the masses and started purposely shooting out of focus.
{the out of focus happens in camera, not post processing.}

The result has been some very artistic shots.

Out of focus shots do a great job of evoking memories within the viewer.

What memories or feeling do you get from this shot?

How about this one?

What smells or temperatures do you feel when you look at this?

More Classics

Do you have an Etsy shop?
Would you like me to promote it here?
I still have a few more spots open for my week of giveaways in mid-September. If you'd like to sponsor a giveaway please send me an email! {katiellloyd@yahoo.com}

*****

Here are a few more shots from my walk around The Auto Collection...

The Softer Side of Vegas

How many of you expected me to come back from Vegas with shots filled with neon and slot machines?
And how many of you expected me to come back with exactly what you're seeing?

I definitely went the other direction with my camera and from my perspective I captured the softer side of Vegas. We stayed on the strip the entire time and surprisingly it's not all gambling, cigarettes, and sin....it's mostly those things, but not all.




This bright pink gate was in the conservatory/wildlife area of the Flamingo.




The Bellagio had the best non-Vegas features, such as this carousel.
And the art installations....oh my...gorgeous stuff! I'll share shots of those soon.




There was also a newer store on the strip called the Sugar Factory.
It was a mix of super pricey candy, sassy tee shirts, I think they might have even had a makeup counter?, and an attached restaurant.
{I could easily see a playboy bunny shopping there}

I'm Back!

Our trip to Vegas flew by!
We spent some time at the pool, a little bit of time gambling {stupid pai gow}, a lot of time eating, and on our last day I did a quick "photo speed-walk". There were so many shots I wanted but did get taken...such as a single shot of Seth and me! Mainly I just took time to relax and enjoy the time alone with my husband. It was actually nice to not worry about taking my camera everywhere with me.

I did manage to make it to The Auto Collection at Imperial Palace and a quick walk-thru at the Bellagio.
Here are just a few shots...I'll share more throughout the week.
{all of the following will be making their way to the shop soon, just an fyi}

A Concert and Fireworks

Here's a nice change of pace from the typical Fair shots I've been sharing lately...

Thursday night of the Fair was the Casting Crowns concert, with Sanctus Real as the opening act.



My photos of the concert were....um....awful.
But the concert itself was AMAZING!
Both bands sound exactly like they do on the radio...no funny business like with so many main stream pop stars. These guys and girls have serious talent!
And the place was packed! We all sang together, prayed together, and worshiped our Lord as a community.




And after the concert were the traditional Fair fireworks.
It's times like this that make me wish I were a planner and well organized.
I'd have brought in my tripod and gotten some fabulous shots.
Alas, I am not planner and I am rarely organized.

31 Days & The Midway

At the beginning of the month I read about the 31 Days series being open to all bloggers wishing to participate.
And I think my hand involuntarily shot up in the air.
So, I went with it.

Come October you can visit here every day for....




If you have any questions or subtopics you want covered, now is the time to put in your request!


*****

And now the midway...
Carnivals and fairs are so colorful!
Here are a few more shots with even more to come in the days ahead.

You would not believe how long I sat and watched this sky lift, waiting for an empty pink seat.
Rowan was taking a nap and we were in the shade with a nice breeze, so it was a pleasant wait!
:)

This is the entrance to the midway with all the extremely expensive rides and games.




And no fair is complete without deep fried food!
{I was having a hard time seeing hoards of people shoving calorie-laden foods into their gullets as pretty, so when in doubt...{all together now!}...blur it out!}

A Wordless Tuesday

{PS. Don't forget to visit Nancy at A Rural Journal & Jeska at Living Our Love Song for a chance to win a $30 shop credit to my Etsy store!}

 

Carousel Dreaming

Y'all have no idea how long I've been waiting to get this shot!!!
Carousels aren't exactly a commonplace thing around here...well, they will be this weekend I'm sure...but anywho, there's one at Kaufmann Stadium where the Royals play. It's part of a pretty cool kid's zone where they have a splash park, mini golf and batting cages in addition to the standard playground equipment.
(and you have to pay through the nose for each and every one, but at least walking around is free!)

The whole kid's zone area closes down sometime around the end of the 7th inning, so I headed over shortly after the 7th inning stretch. I'm glad I waited because the sun was already setting and the crowd was pretty light around the carousel. ...I got there just as they closed the line, which was perfect timing if you ask me.




As a side note, I'm sponsoring several prizes/giveaways this summer.

The one that is currently underway is:
June's Quarterly Top 5 - get more details and link up at Amber's Articles, Click It Up A Notch, or NapTime MomTog - the prize sponsored by me is any one 11x14 print from my shop! But there are two other fabulous prizes as well!

Plus one more is starting next Tuesday and there are two more coming up in August!
Be sure to Like me on Facebook to keep up with all the action. ;)



         

A Sea of Blue

Monday, I think it was, I promised you some shots of clay pots.
Not exactly exciting stuff to hear about, but hopefully you'll find these as beautiful as I do!

There were aisles and aisles of glazed planters!
All colors of the rainbow, all sizes and shapes and textures.
Oh my!




A few years ago, shortly after my son was born, I took a pottery class. It was mainly to get out of the house and have some "sanity time", but also as a creative outlet.
And when I look at these pots - especially the bird bath below - I am craving that 'get-your-hands-dirty' kind of creating! Now, mind you, there is NO possible way that I'd be able to jump in and make a gorgeous bird bath! In my class I managed to make a bowl, a votive candle holder that was supposed to be a bowl, and a plate...perhaps I should do a shoot with those???




And of course, I can not resist cranking that lens out of focus!
This one may actually be my favorite.
I can see it now - blown up to a large scale and hanging in a crisp white cottage over the fireplace.
POW!

Let's Play Ball!

Last Thursday Seth and I went to the Royals' Opening Day game with some friends.
(kids were with Grandma and Grandpa!)
It was cold, windy, and for a short while rainy.
But we had a blast!
It's just too bad the Royals couldn't pull out a win against the Angels.
(although they did win the remaining games in the series!)

I'll be the first to admit that I'm really no good at sports photography.
So I've adopted a motto, if you will:
"When in doubt, blur it out."

A lot of you already know that I love to use blur/out of focus anyway.
Here are the rest of the shots I took at the game, which are much more artistic than journalistic.




I love, love, love the chair backs at Kauffman Stadium.
Love.








The cotton candy smelled delicious!




And the fans were just the right mix of red, white and blue!