The Fox and the Hound

Yes, I'm calling myself a fox.  Who can blame me?  Gadget is the hound.  He has found my return to OOTD photography very exciting.

 

Sweater, Walmart; skirt, thrifted; boots, Rack Room Shoes; belt, gifted (thanks, Kristin); earrings, gifted (thanks Sue/Krisitin); necklace, Target.

I don't know why the chevrons on this belt are pointing out.  Doesn't it make more slimming sense to have them pointing in?

 

I think this skirt came from my thrifting expedition with Gracey of Fashion for Giants.  I haven't worn it enough in the past year, but now that I've rediscovered it I'll have to find other possibilities for pairing.

Side Saddle

This is one of my favorite outfits, so it gets a fair bit of wear in assorted variations.  I had an impromptu girls' night with a few of my friends recently, and I immediately reached for this equestrian-themed standby.  The outfit was great.  The photography... it was a little sideways.

 

Shrug, gifted; dress, Target; belt, thrifted; tights, Target; boots, thrifted; earrings, gifted (thanks Sue/Kristin!).

 

I wish I had noticed that my tripod was cockeyed before I started, but this dress has too much horsepower to be bogged down by crooked photos.

Leather & Lace

I want to love this dress.  I love the lace, and I like it with this embroidered leather jacket, but the fit is just wrong.  I can't make it right.  I think this will be the last time on the blog for this dress.  It is going into the swap pile.

 

Jacket, thrifted; dress, thrifted; boots, Rack Room Shoes; tights, Target; earrings, gifted (thanks Sue/Kristin!); necklace, ebay.

 

The leather/lace sweet/tough dichotomy is a bit overused, but it is used so much because it works.  It creates visual interest and contrast between colors, shapes, and textures that makes the outfit more visually appealing.

 

I have been over-wearing these earrings, but it is so hard not to.  They are delicate and pretty, and they hang just so.

Blanketed

Being sick really left me blanketed.  When I started to feel better I was behind at work, at home, and, of course, online.  You can guess which part of my life was least important to get back in order.  I'm finally caught up with the other two, so now it's time to get back to the internet.

 

Sweater, thrifted; dress, thrifted; tights, Target; boots, thrifted; necklace, earrings, and bracelet; handmade by me; rings, Amazon; fitbit, gifted (thanks, Mary Ann!).

 

This sweater is the perfect pseudo-blanket in which to wrap myself as I got back to reality.  It's nice to be wrapped in a blanket while still looking like I care.

 

Oh Snap! Day 7-? Postponed Due to Pestilence

I'm too sick to blog these days.  Be back when I feel like a human again.

Oh Snap! Day 6: Ice Ice Baby

I never thought ice would be notable, but in Georgia it is.  I don't remember the last time it was cold enough to freeze a puddle solid.  Here's the proof- from the puddle at the end of my driveway.

It will be fine if this is the only ice I see outside of a drink for a while.

Oh Snap! Day 5: A Boatload

I wasn't sure if I'd take a photo today or not (I'm still feeling quite rotten), then these boats jumped out at me.   I like how the line of the boats and the line of the dirt road both draw the eye into the photo.   

I may even post an OOTD today; if the plague I'm fighting doesn't turn into the zombie virus.  

Oh Snap! Day 4: Reflections

An area where I like to walk is flooded right now, but the loss of a walking area makes for a photographic opportunity.  I like the trees reflected on the water.

Oh Snap! Day 3: Sunset

Yesterday I snapped the sunrise.  Today I have sunset.  Once again it was taken in a parking lot.  Before the month is over I'm going to take some from a prettier setting.

Oh Snap! Day 2: Sunrise

This is yesterday's photo.  I was suddenly stricken with the plague and went to bed around 7 last night.  I'm feeling much better today.

I've been wanting to photograph sunrises and sunsets, but they tend to happen at inconvenient times.  Sunrise is on my way to the gym.  Sunset is on my way home from work.  I pulled over in a parking lot a took this shot on my way to the gym.  I like the colors and the flag, but I didn't like the ATM kiosk in the background

So I demolished it, with the help of Photoshop.  I started to take out the phone lines/power lines too, but they were a giant pain.

Oh Snap! Day 1: Colors and Moods

Here's my first attempt of the Oh Snap! photography challenge.  Today's show was supposed to be a sunset.  I've been wanting to photograph a sunset, but the sun didn't cooperate today.  It was misty and grey all day- fading into darker grey as the day ended.

 I chose my new orchid as a substitute subject.  I read that flowers photograph well against a black backdrop, but I didn't have a black backdrop.  Instead I chose my red dining room wall as the background because I like how the red contrasts with the blue of the flowers.  I should have used a tripod to keep the camera steadier for a sharper photo.  I should have done something different with the lighting.  These orchids were a Christmas gift from my mother in law.  Thank you, Mary Ann!

One more bonus photo from Christmas morning.  I like how this close-up shot captures the moment in the details while losing the identities.

Day one: done!  I'll describe my goals and results as I go.  Feel free to comment with tips or suggestions!

Challenges? Oh, I Forgot about Those.

Do you remember how one of the goals of my blog is to challenge myself, live beautifully, and love my life?  I've fallen down with the challenging myself lately, at least on the blog.  I haven't done a challenge since my closet excavation challenge, which I abandoned in May 2013.  May!

I'm kicking off 2014 with a new challenge.  This one is inspired my my recent acquisition of the new Canon EOS 70D.  It's my first "real" camera, and I saved my pennies and did freelance work to buy it.  I'd like to become a good enough photographer to deserve it.

I'm carrying it with me every minute of every day to get more practice, and my January challenge is to encourage me to keep up the habit.  For the month of January, I'm going to do an extra post every day to share something I've photographed.  I'm calling it my January Oh Snap Challenge.  For these photos I'm going to avoid the two things I photograph all the time: my dogs and me.  Come back and see what I shoot this month.