I loved Nester & Melissa’s workshop at the Wednesday Workshops at Blissdom. Here are some things I took away:
Melissa shared a profound quote (from Barbara Cook, I guess?): * “If you’re able to be yourself, you’ll have no competion.” No one else has your experiences, your outlook, your talents, your take on things. Be the best you can be and lift those around you.
* What is the purpose for your blog? How do you want people to feel when they leave your blog?
In my “about” section I say, “320 Sycamore is about bringing out the charm and potential in our homes and families, with a bit of nonsense and good deals scattered here and there. I am a stay at home mom of 5, I'm so NOT a professional, but I love to look at possibilities of what can "become" with limited time and money.”
That hasn’t changed in two and a half years, but they pointed out that it definitely can. Blogs can evolve over time and your focus may shift.
These are the notes I scribbled down from the uber-talented Amy and Deanna, mixed in with some random pictures of the Opryland hotel.
*turn off the flash! Try to time your pictures with the best lighting of the day. (clarification on this: of course you have to use a flash sometimes. Amy recommended lightscoop.com and I think I’m going to give it a try on my camera…)
*capture people and kids as they are: try to avoid “say, cheese!”
*move in closer! nope, even closer.
*seek out the good light~having them simply turn their faces can make a world of difference in pictures. Ty to avoid harsh sunlight on faces, backlighting (light behind person), spotty lighting.
*If the light is bad, make the most of it. Capture their outline in the sun going down, or some close-up details.
*focus on the details! zoom in to capture the toes, the dirty little hands, the expression, or the mis-matched socks.
Bedtimes are the hardest for me….I’m exhausted, they’re just getting a second wind and it is usually not the time I shine as a mom. This quote doesn’t make it any easier, but I try to remember it when I’m about ready to lose it (again).
I didn’t even tell you I was going, did I? I remember when I wasn’t going last year and it would kill me to hear the pre-blissdom talk, so I tried to stay restrained about it, plus I was nervous as heck.
Blissdom is an annual blog conference held in Nashville at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. The timing was not good for my family as my husband is in the middle of the semester (he’s a professor) and juggling it with 5 kids was a task. But I was able to arrange to fly down early Wednesday morning, attend the Wisdom Workshops, and then I headed right back Thursday morning so I ran with it. Crazy, whirlwind trip, but it was worth every penny.
Mostly because I got to spend the day with my sister, Kristin!!
I have a denim pencil skirt that has a high slit up the back that I wanted to fill in.
I took a men’s shirt I got at a yard sale for $1 (do you ever buy shirts just for the fabric?? I loved it..)
Cut a piece of fabric out to cover the slit (finished edge of the shirt on the bottom)
1. Leave your Christmas wreath up, complete with a red ribbon.
2. Stick in some glittery heart picks from Michaels craft store ($1 each).
3. Voila! Very Valentine.
Happy Tuesday~
I don’t do Valentines decorations throughout the house, but we decided to dress up our hutch in the kitchen.
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