A walk in the park...

Hello!!  This past weekend, I walked around one of my favorite places, a nearby forest preserve, taking pictures of all the beauty that this time of year holds.  I enjoy practicing my photography and then I enjoy coming home and playing with Photoshop :) :) :)

This mama and her baby let me creep up pretty close and snap a few photos...

Aren't they adorable??!

This next one is taken through the side of the bridge...

I love this old gate...

There's even an old windmil...

When I was in Denver a few weeks ago visiting my friend, her photo savvy

 husband showed me how to do something called HDR {high dynamic range} to a photo.  You need the HDR software, but you also need to use the bracketing feature along with continuous shoot mode on your camera, inorder to get 3 different exposures of the exact same picture.  The software then takes those 3 photos and is able to pull out more details in the photo than would be visible in any single picture.  The possibilities are endless...

I used the HDR software on these last 2 photos...

I hope you all have a fantastic long weekend!!!

Summer is on it's way!!!

Tracey

Na-Da Farm Barn Sale

Well my friends, it has taken me so long to upload all of the pictures I took from the Na-Da Farm Barn Sale this past weekend, that now I am just about out of time to write anything {I need to be out the door for a church meeting in a few minutes}...so I am going to keep the chit chat short and sweet!

This beautiful, fun loving girl picked me up at 4 sharp on Friday and off we went in search of barn sale treasures...

While waiting in line for the sale to open {yes, there was a line!}, I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Suzanne from Privet and Holly...who drove 6 hours to come to the sale!!!  I'd also like to give a shout out to another wonderful blogger that I met for the first time, Cindy, from Open Ended! 

When the doors finally opened, we were not disappointed...

Everything was displayed and set up soooooooooooo beautifully!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anne Marie, Jen, Joy, and Angela did an amazing job!!!

The lighting in the barn was a little challenging for getting good pictures, but I'm gonna throw gobs of pics at you anyway :)  Enjoy...

Traci and I finished up the night by going to a nearby Mexican place for some margaritas and delicious food!  Thanks for the great time my friend, I had a blast!!! :) :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Enjoy your week!!!

Tracey

Simple joys...

{having fun with Photoshop}

Happy Thursday!  Almost the weekend :)  Yesterday I decided to focus on appreciating the simple joys in my day...those little things that bring a smile to my face and joy to my heart...here is a sampling of the delights of my day yesterday...

my morning latte...

cannoli from Il Giardino del Dolce {I think I'm addicted}

happy flowers in my garden...

fresh cut flowers from my garden to brighten the house...

...carried inside in my favorite chippy old basket...

a gift from my daughter...a sweet heart in a little red box, with her picture on one side, for me to look at when she is at school and I am missing her...

an independent two year old who can dress herself...well, kind of...

I hope you all find simple joys in your day today!






Tracey

Shop News!

Hello my friends!  I'm finally back.  I left Thursday morning and headed for Denver for the weekend, inorder to visit my best friend Natasha.  She has been my friend now for half of my life!  It was an amazing weekend...we did a lot of shopping, ate waaaaaay too much food {as always :)}, and laughed continuously!!!  I came home after my girl's weekend feeling blessed to have a friend in my life that I know I could turn to with anything and she would always support me...Natasha you are simply the best!  I also walked away from the weekend feeling blessed to have a husband who lovingly allows me the time I need to renew my spirit and nurture my need for friendship and creativity!  As a total bonus, I was also able to spend time with my friend Jeanne on two different days, as she lives in the Denver area as well!  Let me just say, that Jeanne is as warm, kind, and genuine as she seems on her blog, and I feel incredibly lucky to count her amongst my friends!!

I have been wanting to change things up a bit in my SHOP for awhile now and finally found the time today to finish making those changes.  I have decided to switch over to free ground shipping on all orders {in the continental United Staes}!  The price that is listed is exactly what your end price will be, with no additional shipping charges being added at checkout!*  I have learned a few things since opening my shop and I just feel that it is easier all the way around for everyone if they know exactly how much an item will cost them up front.  I am very excited for this change :)

I have also started adding a few new items to the shop...

After my trip to Paris, I have been craving all things French, even more than before!  So I have added some vintage inspired table runners and napkins to the mix of what I offer.  These items are inspired by old French linens and are beautifully fatigued to look like the vintage grain sack originals... 

And, how about these adorable little franc plates?!  Great for adding some French bistro flair to your entertaining...

I kept a stack of the blue striped napkins for myself and piled them in an old locker basket for display...

I will continue to add new items to the SHOP in the next few weeks...most of them inspired by my love of French Farmhouse style!

I have also put quite a few items on sale, to make room for the new items!!!

I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful weekend!  Here's to a great start to your week...

*{Illinois residents will still pay 8% sales tax}

Tracey