by | Jan 31, 2011 | Around the Home, Fashion |
My hubby and I went outside last Thursday around midnight while the snow was falling and we started snapping away with our camera. This picture is of a church that is on the opposite corner of where we live. Couldn’t resist taking a photo. It was so quiet and peaceful that night as the snow was steadily coming down. We have not had snow like that in a long time.
Church in Snow
The weather today is raining sleet wintry mix. I am continuously saying no sleet and no ice is coming this way. I like snow, sleet and ice I don’t like.
by | Jan 28, 2011 | Fashion, FBFF |
JT in Burgundy Fur Coat
1. What technology do you use in blogging? (computer, camera, video camera, tripod, etc…)
Olympus SP-800UZ 14 Megapixel 30x optical zoom wide angle camera
Olympus SP-800UZ 14 Megapixel 30x optical zoom wide angle camera
Gateway 15 inch notebook
Mac Notebook
JVC Everio GZ-MG630SU Camcorder
Targus Tripod
2. What computer and online technology do you use? (blogging system, photo storage,photo editing tools, etc..)
WordPress self-hosted site through BlueHost
Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 for editing
WindowsMovie Maker for Youtube videos
iMovie for Youtube video editing
Keynote for slideshows
Photobucket.com for photo storage.
Flickr.com for photo storage.
Google Picasa picture editing on my PC. (This can be downloaded online for free).
Slideshow.com to insert slideshows in my blog.
Gravatar.com so my blog pic comes up when I write replies or comments.
favicon.ico.generator for my blog icon.
iconj.com for my blog icon.
Photoshop.com for photoediting. There’s a free version of photoshop that you can create an account online.
3. What is your process for taking pictures?
No process, just fun!
Outside
If the weather is nice and sunny I love taking my pictures outside. My hubby gets the camera and tripod and we go outside and scope out different spots that work best with the outfit and how the light effects the picture. Once I get situated on a certain pose, five or six shots may be taken. Additional poses are determined and then more shots are taken.
JT in NewPort News Coat w Embroidery
Inside
If it’s really cold or raining my hubby takes my pictures inside. I have favorite rooms in my house that I really like take pictures in because the lighting is really good. I’m not a model as you can tell and I really like to focus on the clothes and not me. I often tell my husband that he should just take a picture of the clothes, my face doesn’t need to be in that. He continually tells me know we are not going to do that.
JT 30 for 30
4. When it comes to backdrops for your photos what do you consider? Do you scout locations or shoot the same spot daily?
My backdrop is my backyard if I am outside and my home if I’m inside. I am still feeling awkward about taking pictures on off-site locations. Maybe one day I will get the nerve, but not at this point.
I don’t like looking into the camera, I guess it’s a self esteem thing that I am dealing with. I am not twenty anymore so sometimes I feel quite intimidated and awkward.
5. If you could splurge and get one new piece of equipment what would you be buying?
A MacPro 15 inch Computer
I use Mac’s and PC’s but I am going for the Mac.
MacPro Apple Computer
If you would like to read what other bloggers use to create fantastic posts please check out Katy Rose, Modlychic blog.
by | Jan 26, 2011 | Fashion |
J in Guess
There he is, in his cool Guess jacket. Doesn’t that hat just top it off.
My hubby and I really love shopping together. We often hear friends tell us how rare it is, but not for us. For Christmas I gave him a gift certificate to buy the coat he really really had his heart set on. I didn’t buy it myself because my hubby is not that easy to buy for so I thought that this would be fun. He will look at pages and pages on the internet before he really thinks he likes something. Well he didn’t find anything so I said lets go to Macy’s where you can try the coats on and see how they look on you. He said okay and we went the next day to the mall in our area.
He decided to go to Macy’s. As a woman, I think that there are so many different colors to choose from; but the color choices were black, camel, brown or gray.
So with that neutral palette the three things he was looking for were:
1. A car length coat so he can get in and out of the car easy.
2. A coat that fits his physique and not oversized.
3. Modern youthful look, urban cool.
LondonFog Coat - Macys.com
He tried on this LondonFog coat in the store and it was fine but he felt it had no pizazz. Pizazz such as darts, hood, detailing so we passed on this one. It was a great coat but wasn’t a home run for him.
This Kenneth Cole peacoat was almost a winner when he tried it on but it was a little short on him.
Kenneth Cole Coat - Macys.com
The winner after being in the store for about an hour and a half was the Guess jacket that hubby has on in the picture. Mind you, we had went to the register and bought the Calvin Klein coat first. He said that it felt better than the Guess coat, I liked that coat but I said to myself he is the one who is wearing it.
Well as we finish paying for it we ran into a guy friend and I said in our conversation that we bought this coat but take a look this one. The coat has a hood, side pockets, and welt pockets.
My hubby started to take a different look at it. Our friend and I said try it on again. It’s a winner he says, he was loving that coat. The other coat was returned because it was not what he really wanted. I’m so glad we took another look. He’s enjoying the compliments on how cool he looks.
I can only speak about my guy and he often tells me that I talk about womenswear but men like to be stylish too. And I know that my hubby likes to dress up. Men like to look put-together. Since he said that, I will be posting on more menswear style tips and clothing sections in future posts.
I am so happy that I don’t have to get a male model out of a magazine to do this post, I got my best friend.
by | Jan 23, 2011 | Fashion |
Today I have the pleasure of swapping post with JTwisdom. Our featured topic is the color of the year. This is a unique opportunity to get two different perspectives on the same topic. Check out her post on my blog, The House in the Clouds.
Honeysuckle. Sweet, fragrant, optimistic. Reminiscent of happy times and the official color of the year for 2011. By now you might have heard the news, it was officially announced in December 2010.
Ever wonder why you can’t find the perfect shade of red or blue to match an item you bought several years ago, especially when at the time it seemed like that color was everywhere? It’s likely that your color is not longer on trend. It will be next to impossible to find a perfect match to the shade you already have. You’re better off finding something like looks good with it, rather than something to match the hue perfectly.
Why is that? Why are there color trends? Color trends reflect economic and social climates along with art, fashion and entertainment worldwide. They affect everything from cosmetics to fashion to home decorating to design. One need not follow trends for the trends to follow them. Experts around the world study us and develop recommendations based on the conclusion of their studies. 2009 brought us turquoise, 2011 brings us honeysuckle. It’s not only the color of the year but the defining hue for spring 2011.
“Honeysuckle is energizing. It lifts spirits and imparts confidence to meet life’s ongoing challenges.” – Pantone
Professional organizations like Pantone and Color Marketing Group are made up of experts and researchers who follow trends and forecast color up to 18 months in advance. These findings are studied, discussed and debated until the next color is agreed upon. Pantone is the defining standard for color consistency in production and design by means of swatch books for industries such as graphic design, industrial design, fashion and home decorating. Color Marketing Group is a professional organization consisting of color experts from around the world that determine color trends.
Here are some expressions that we can expect to see.
MichelleObamaViasSnsationalcolor.com
RubyBloomRingViaLinkelDesigns
by | Jan 17, 2011 | Fashion |
I would like to introduce my newest guest writer, My hubby Jason!
Greetings Elegant Readers,
My name is Jason. My wonderful wife is the author of this blog, Bubbling with Elegance and Grace. We have been married for almost twelve years. We enjoy many great hobbies and spending time together. We are avid fans of watching historically-set movies like the many Jane Austen movies. We are currently watching another great series on PBS called Downton Abbey. My wife has asked me to write a brief review of this series. From time to time, I will be back, writing on a variety of topics that we share together.
Google image
In celebration of its fortieth year on PBS, Masterpiece Theater is currently running the magnificent four-part dramatic series, Downton Abbey. Set in the English countryside just prior to the First World War, Downton Abbey introduces us to the Crawley Family and showcases the family’s struggle for peace and survival.
The first two episodes aired Sunday, January 9th and 16th.
Downton Abbey castle
Downton Abbey is home to Robert Crawley – the Earl of Grantham, his American wife, his vindictive mother, his three daughters and house full of squabbling servants. As in English tradition and law, the estate is to be handed down to the next male family member. Since the Crawleys have only daughters, they have no sons to inherit the estate. When the rightful heir dies in the sinking of the Titanic, Robert feverishly works to make sure that the estate stays within his family.
The drama heats up as the storyline continues with its many twists and turns, and underlying plots that still have not been revealed. Many suitors attempt to match up with Mary, the eldest Crawley daughter. Matthew Crawley, the rightful heir and distant cousin to Lord Grantham, moves into the Abbey with his mother. But at the end of episode two, Mary is still looking for a husband and there are doubts whether Matthew should inherit the Abbey.
Google image
Tune in on Sunday, January 23rd on most PBS stations to see what happens next with Lord Crawley and Downton Abbey.
By the way my wife is loving the costumes. She will probably be doing some future posts on period clothing and costumes.
by | Jan 4, 2011 | Fashion |
I participated in 30 for 30 in November of 2010. I must admit 30 for 30 was a challenge, but I love a challenge. Kendi Everyday had her Fall 30 for 30 and this was my first time being a part of the remix. Now I have to say that I have been remixing all of my life because my mother taught me that if you change things around it will make your wardrobe look larger than what it actually is in reality.
For those who do not know what 30 for 30 means, it’s basically a challenge created by Kendi Everyday where you choose 30 items of clothing including shoes and remix each day with those items.
The first eight days was not hard but I had to really think about the types of accessories I would be wearing with my outfits. My accessories that helped me remix with ease were tights, scarves, headbands and jewelry. If it wasn’t for those items it really would of been a hard for me to try and make those outfits pop.
Accessories are so important because I know that if you have a few pieces of clothing and are not able to buy anything at the moment you can easily freshen up an outfit with a scarf or make that dress or skirt pop with some patterned tights.
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