Thursday, May 31, 2012

Moving fun!

Well it’s not fun…but we are moving. Better yet…we have completely moved everything three hours away to our new house.

But…we are at the farm right now until I can start feeling better. On top of moving, I had oral surgery last week and have had a few complications. Today is the first day I have felt somewhat okay and without intense pain. It’s always something isn’t it?

I did want to share a few pictures with you of our precious new casa. We LOOOOVE it!

This is my new kitchen….

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It’s not at all this empty now…..we have boxes everywhere!

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I sooooo love my dishwasher. I get a dishwasher….and I’m ecstatic!! It’s the little things in life right?

And this…is not little….

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Love my enormous tub too! Jaxon said it’s a swimming pool bubble bath. Ha ha!

I hope to share more pictures of how I’m decorating and how our progress is going. For now I’m trying to feel better and wrangle Summer school which has also started in the middle of everything too! Yay!

Hope you are having a MARVELOUS start to your summer!

XoXo

Tiffany

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Typewriter love...

The other day the girls from class and I were cracking up at how it felt to use the old, vintage typewriters back in the day. Remember....the hummmmmm....and your hands would vibrate and then the loud pounding of the keys. We were in tears we were laughing so hard.

This pictures makes me think of that moment. It also makes me think how great it would be to write at this desk. It's gorgeous!!!






Do you have any funny typewriter memories???

Happy Friday!!
XoXo,
Tiffany

Saturday, May 19, 2012

New review and giveaway! CameraBag 2 editing software and a Canon 5D MKIII!

Hi sweet friends!


Are you ready for a FANTASTARIFIC new review and giveaway? I am soooo delighted to start a new branch in Easie Peasie world, and that would be offering various posts about photography. I’ve been thinking for months now that I want to incorporate information such as how to start your own photography business, what works for me living in a small town, what does not work, and of course everything in between such as taxes, how to hang your prints and outfit ideas. There are so many things we can talk about in the world of photography and I am ecstatic to implement this topic on EP!
The awesome folks at Nevercenter recently asked me to review their new photo editing software Camerabag 2. You know I was thrilled! It was also a perfect way to kick off the new photography features! I even let my parents look at the software and they instantly loved the user-friendly features. If you have wanted to edit your photos, but weren’t sure you could jump right into Photoshop or Lightroom, this program is perfect for you. It has all the bells and whistles you need to jazz up your favorite photos. And, the software is a dual platform for both Mac and PC's.
Check out this video clip and you will be HOOKED!

Soooooo….are you ready to get started?
Here we go!
I recently took this shot of an old, junky, beautiful truck in Marathon, Texas. You know how much I love rusty, old goodies. I thought she would be a perfect shot to edit with the program.



I opened my CameraBag 2 software...

To load your photos...simply click the large "LOAD" tab.

Then if you look to the right-hand side of your screen you will see five tabs starting with "Styles."

These will actually be your navigation points for each type of editing you are wanting to accomplish.
Let's start with the "Styles" tab. If you click on the tab you will see a long list of various names. When my Dad first read it he asked me why there were so many dates on his picture. Those are actually just a name for the type of edit on each picture.


As you scroll through the choices, it will show you a preview of the effect on  your photo.


I LOVE this feature. Instead of applying an action, then seeing what it looks like, you have a "live" view of the edits on your photo! AWESOME!
Here's one of the color edits.

Here's one of the black and white edits.

If you want to see a full screen of the various edits, simply click the bottom tab on the righ-hand of the screen titled "Quicklooks."

Then click the "Styles" tab. A full screen will be generated with your photo and each type of edit style. You can actually go through each type of editing style in the "Quicklooks" format. This is super cool! It makes editing a SNAP!


After perusing through all my options, I chose the 1937 filter. Ohhh I love the vintage black & white feel!



Then I scoped out the "Borders" tab. Hello cuteness!






This one is my far by FAVORITE! It was destined to be paired with my old truck love!





And here's the FINAL PRODUCT! I looooooooooooove it!!


Soooooooo are you ready to win your own software!
Nevercenter is sponsoring a great giveaway to three lucky readers. Please leave me a comment telling me what was the brand of your very first camera!

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post


This giveaway is open to anyone age 18 or older.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 5/19/2012-6/19/2012.



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Are you ready for EVEN BIGGER NEWS?????

What if you could win this bad boy?



You have until May 22nd to enter Nevercenter's sweepstakes to enter a free Canon 5D MKIII!

I'm a Nikon girl, but this is one HOT CAMERA!

To enter you need to download a free trial version of the software. And it rocks!! Then, edit a favorite photo and upload it to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or your blog.

Your post must include this text "My entry to win a free Canon 5D Mk III via @CameraBag 2 (http://bit.ly/cb2-5d) #cb2giveaway"

Finally, click HERE to complete your entry by sending your name, email address and the link to your photo.

And your are DONE! Easie Peasie!!

Gooooooood luck!!! I can't wait to see what you guys come up with! Send me a link too!!

If you want to see what everyone else is posting, check out the official sweepstakes Pinterest page HERE!

You can also find them on Facbook HERE!

Let's rock their socks Easie Peasie readers!!

XoXo,
Tiffany

Friday, May 18, 2012

Gypsy Love....

I found these the other day and just fell in love. They make my hippie-gypsy soul just beam!





image via Pinterest

image via Pinterest

image via Gyspyville

image via Etsy



Have a SOUFUL day!
XoXo,
Tiffany

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Book love...

I so adore this photo. Wouldn't it be awesome to have a cup of coffee and peruse all the books stacked up. Or better yet, go inside and see what book goodies you could find?




Have a SUPER day!
XoXo,
Tiffany

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

So trying this!


Have you seen these??



Oh my heck! Sooooo trying this soon!! Think about all the possibilities? I see these everytime I go junkin!

Love it!!

XoXo,
Tiffany

Monday, May 14, 2012

Who knew???

Are you obsessed with vintage Pyrex? I am!!! I snatch any pieces I can find whem I am junkin, thriftin or rumaging.

I had nooooooooooo idea there were this many cute options!!! I loooooooove them! Ah!


I'm smittend with the quilt too. I'm just sayin!

Oh goodness!

Happy Monday!!!
XoXo,
Tiffany

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Sunday Soul Inspiration...


P.S. Happy wonderful Mother's Day to you all! Hug your babies and thank God for all that is good, wonderful and perfect about being a Mamma!!

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Recent sessions...

With all of the grad school final craziness around here I haven't shared many sneak peeks from recent sessions.

Here a few cuties that I've had the honor of capturing recently!





Have a MARVELOUS day!
XoXo,
Tiffany


Friday, May 11, 2012

So I finally mastered fishbone braiding my hair.
Gosh it only took me forever.
I so LOVE it though.
Super fast...easy and cute hair-do for long hair!


Have you tried it before? Did you like it?

XoXo,
Tiffany

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Embracing changes...

Has it really been over  a week since we chatted? My goodness time flies when you are having fun. Oh wait. I wasn't having fun. I was trudging through grad school finals. I think I may have survived. Maybe. Perhaps. My brain feels like complete Jell-O. But hey...I made it.

This little guy has been my saving grace....
All I have to do is look at that sweet face and suddenly everything doesn't really matter....melts away.
He's soooo into bugs right now. He loves picking up ants in his little bug-picker-upper-thingy and then he puts them in a Mason jar to watch them. I love my little scientist.

On a different note I have so huge, amazing, wonderful news!!

Jaxy and I are MOVING!
Oh m gravy! Can you believe it?

We will be moving sometime ths summer to.....ALPINE.
A lot of really amazing things have fallen into place and it's going to be change for us that is both scary and exciting.

I will keep you posted as things progress. Right now I'm just trying to wrap my mind around the whole thing. The worst part of it that I can think of so far....the closest Hobby Lobby will be 3 hours away! LOL!

Have a MARVELOUS day!
XoXo
Tiffany

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

I love Alpine, TX! And a new giveaway!

If you have read my blog for any length of time, you know that I travel three hours away from my hometown of Stanton, Texas to the Big Bend region of Texas to attend grad school at my alma mater Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. Find out more about Sul Ross by clicking HERE.

Most of the time if I mention Alpine it is usually to bellyache about all the homework I need to get done or projects that are due. Hey, life as a single Mom grad student isn’t easy, so I get to bellyache just a smidgen I think!? Every once in a blue moon I will show you a picture or two of Alpine,Texas but for the most part you don’t really know about my favorite place in the world. I love Alpine. It makes my soul and heart happy to be there.
Today I’m going to take you on a tour of Alpine, Texas and show you where I stay, where I eat and all the groovy and cute things that make Alpine such a wonderful place to visit. It’s a long post, so grab a cup of coffee and get ready!
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Texas is the experience of being transformed by another culture without ever leaving the state. I am lucky enough to just drive a few hours and arrive in an entirely different culture and landscape.

Once I cross the Pecos River I know it won't be long before I start seeing mountains in the distance. I actually learned to swim in the Pecos. Pretty neato, right?
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When I hit this part of the highway on my trip to the Big Bend my heart starts beating faster. See the mountains? When I start seeing those beauties in the horizon I know I’m almost there!
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When I stay in Alpine, I stay at the Antelope Lodge.
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I have stayed there every single visit and I adore the owners and everyone who works there. I feel like I’m at home when I am at the Lodge.
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They have individual cottages with kitchenettes and even a desk for someone like me who brings their entire office and kitchen with them while traveling.
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I even bring my own coffee pot, because I have coffee issues. I also bring my laptop, printer, photography lights, props and everything else I might need for school and for any photo shoots I may have while I’m in Alpine. Yes, I’ve even done photo shoots in my cute little cottage!
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Speaking of coffee -- my favorite thing to do (when I have time!) is to drink a cup of coffee on the porch of my little cottage and watch the sun come up.
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They have a magnificent gift shop too, featuring rocks, minerals, jewelry and a wide variety of marvelous gifts.
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You can find more information about staying at the Lodge or the gift shop by finding them on Facebook HERE. Tell them I sent you!
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My favorite breakfast spot in Alpine is Judy’s Bread & Breakfast. It’s a SUPER cute café. Find them on Facebook HERE.
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Everything is homemade and absolutely delish! I actually bought a loaf of the wheat bread (pictured) to take home. It’s full of grains, nuts and yummy goodness!
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They also feature a different artist each month in the café. While you are munching on homemade cinnamon rolls, pastries, breakfast or lunch, you can scope out some fantastic artwork by local artists.
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For dinner, the girls and I from class LOVE to go the Reata. It’s absolutely superb.
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We love the atmosphere, the drinks, the food and the people. I crave their tortilla soup and can never wait until it’s Reata night! We go at least once every trip, but we’ve been known to go twice in a weekend. It’s that GOOD!

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The Reata offers unique cuisine such as a Field Green Salad with Texas Goat Cheese with San Saba Pecans and Sherry Wine Vinaigrette or the Chicken Caesar Salad with Asiago Cheese and Sourdough Croutons.
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Pan-Seared Pepper Crusted Tenderloin with Port Wine Sauce or the Grilled Salmon with Boursin Cream Sauce…
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and Alpine Black Bean & Chicken Nachos….
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Check out their entire dinner menu, reserve a table and/or learn more about the Reata by clicking HERE. Find them on Facebook HERE.

And as if that isn’t magnificent enough, you should see their dessert entrees. How does a chocolate chunk bread pudding tamale served with dulce de leche sound? Or what about dutch oven apple crisp with cajeta? Maybe molten chocolate cake with drunken berries and vanilla cream? Tres Leches Cake? Are you in heaven just thinking about it? Well take a look at this…
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The best part is you can indulge in all this fabulousness and enjoy a West Texas evening on the patio.
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If you plan on dining at the Reata, making reservations ahead of time is your best bet for large groups.
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Shopping in Alpine is as unique as the eating experience. There is something for everyone! I most adore that there are a lot of shops that feature local artists. I may not have a huge budget, but I try to support local artisans in any way possible. One precious artist that I met on this trip is Georgia Waller.
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She is a beautiful and talented artist who creates these one-of-a-kind earrings and jewelry pieces.
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Each piece is handmade and completely unique. There are even hand painted details on some of the feathers.
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Georgia calls them “Solos” and they are not meant to be worn in pairs.
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If you can’t make it to Alpine to get your own gorgeous jewelry from Georgia, you can visit her online Etsy shop to order one by clicking HERE. All proceeds actually go to help rescued horses which you can read more about HERE.

Downtown Alpine is full of unique shops and venues. You are sure to find something you like!

Another one of my favorites is the homemade bath salts found in the Desert Divas boutique. Find them on Facebook HERE.
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It is also a cute boutique and tanning salon, offering clothes, jewelry, hand bags and crafts.
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My favorite thing to do for relaxing when I’m in Alpine is to drive around and catch a gorgeous sunset. You can drive in any direction and watch the sun set in the mountains. There is something magical about fresh mountain air and a sunset.
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On this particular trip, my friend Jennifer and I drove in her convertible on the Scenic Loop drive to watch the sun set.
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It was absolutely MARVELOUS!
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On a previous trip, I drove toward Marathon, Texas for a few sunset shots.
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As you can see, Alpine and the Big Bend region is a wonderful place to visit. Everyone is warm and friendly and there is something here for everyone. I feel like there is so much more to share about this great place. I might have to do a few installments just to cover all the wonderful features.

If you plan to visit, let me know! I’d love to hear all about your experiences. If you visit any of the places featured, let them know you read about them here!

Have a wonderful day!

$100 Visa Gift Card Giveaway

Travel Texas and BlogHer are sponsoring a great giveaway to one lucky reader. Please leave a comment telling me where you'd like to visit in Texas. You can request a free Texas Travel Guide from the TravelTex.com website where you can get lots of great ideas!

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 5/1/2012-6/1/2012.

Be sure to visit the Discover Texas page on BlogHer.com where you can read about other bloggers' adventures and find more chances to win!


 
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