Saturday, January 28, 2012

Photography: Behind the Photographs

I came across a really cool book the other day. Behind the Photographs, by Tim Mantoani, features over 150 photographs of famous photographers holding their most iconic photograph. Tim uses a large format Polaroid 20x24 Land Camera to take the photos. It is fascinating to see the faces behind some of the most well know photos of the last 50 years.


 {all images by Tim Mantoani}

The images are featured in two editions of a book that can be purchased here.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Must See Videos

As a result of my evolving interest in photography, I've been getting more and more interested in short, home-made videos. I've made a few of my own, mainly for recent vacations, but I love putting together photos, video clips, and just the right music to capture a moment time.

This first video, Made in Ireland, does just that. Beautiful music and video combine to paint of picture of Iceland that will make anyone want to visit.


The second video, Gimmie Shelter, is an amazing cover of the Rolling Stones song played by street musicians around the world, and put together by Playing for Change. Dare I say it's even better than the original?!


What short video's have inspired you lately?

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Spotted

Here are some sites and posts from around the web that have caught my eye this week.

{Photo via Tumblr}

Tara Whitney: catching my breath.

Milk and Bookies: throw a party, donate books!

Skillshare: have a skill? want to learn something?

About One: organize everything! on the web!

Tar Sophia Mohr: find your calling.


Well Grounded Life: acidic vs. alkaline body chemistry.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Beautiful Space: NYC Bedroom

My jaw dropped when I saw Joanna from Cup of Jo's bedroom makeover. While the "before" was calm and pretty, the "after" is perfect!  Cheerful and colorful with pops of yellow and red, I love all the little details. My favorite details are the curtains with the yellow trip, the gallery wall of photos, the red rug, and the black lamp and dresser to ground all the color. I'm thinking my bedroom needs a makeover now too!



{Photos via Cup of Jo}

Head on over to Cup of Jo for the full bedroom tour.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Beautiful Photos

One of my favorite things to find on the web is a beautiful photo. An amazing photo can capture so many emotions, and often says more then words ever could. As an amateur photographer, I'm always trying to capture that special something in each photo I take. Most of the time the perfect shot is elusive, but every now and then you see a shot on the screen that is even better than you hoped it could be.

These two caught my eye today.

 {The Milky Way. Photo by andyspictures via Flickr}


{Magical Sparkles. Photo by Images by John 'K' via Flickr}

Monday, January 23, 2012

Blogs I Love

I recently discovered two very addictive food blogs that I just can't keep to myself. The food photography is also amazing on both sites.

The first site is Gilt Taste. Gilt Taste is run by Gilt which is a free-membership shopping site. Gilt Taste has sections for recipes, gifts, and sales, but my favorite section is called "Stories". This blog has amazing stories about food and cooking written by some of the best food writers out there, including Ruth Reichl. These stories might make you laugh or cry, and I guarantee they will also make you hungry!

 {photo via Gilt Taste}

The second site is Food Gawker. Food Gawker is basically a photo gallery of some of the best recipes around the web. The site gets hundreds of submissions every day from food bloggers around the world, and only the best are chosen. Clicking on a photo takes you directly to the recipe. The site is mouth-wateringly delicious!

{photo via Food Gawker}

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Spotted

A couple things I found this week that I would love to add to my home!

This print, available from The Love Shop on Etsy.  What a great family mission statement to hang in your home!
 {print via The Love Shop}

This beautiful 100% wool souk rug from West Elm. It would be amazing in my living room!
{photo via West Elm}

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Weekly Menu Plan

I haven't posted our weekly menu plan for a while, but the meals I've planned for the coming week look so good I thought I'd share!

Monday: Goat Cheese and Roasted Corn Quesadillas
 {photo by Randy Mayor via My Recipes}

Tuesday: Stuffed Shells and homemade Breadsticks
{photo via Pioneer Woman}
 {photo via Clover Lane}

Wednesday: Avocado Grilled Cheese and Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup
{photo by Claire Buys via 365 Days of Crockpot}

Thursday: Turkey Chili and Baked Hush Puppies
{photo by Natalie (Perry's Plate) via Tasty Kitchen}

Beautiful Space: Barcelona Home

Architect Benedetta Tagliabue's beautiful Barcelona home is featured in this month's Dwell magazine and also on SF Girl by Bay's blog. This home has beautiful architectural details and design and I would love to move in!



Head on over to SF Girl by Bay's blog for more photos and details, and to Dwell magazine for the full tour.

Friday, January 13, 2012

New Year's Resolutions

It's that time of year again. Looking back at my resolutions from last year, I didn't do so well. I did work on my photography a bit, but in some ways I think it's gotten worse! I certainly didn't try yoga. Numbers 3, 4, and 5 were a moderate success. Progress was definitely made. #6 and 7 I'm still working on, and #8 will always be on my list!

Perhaps I need more do-able resolutions this year! I'm intrigued by the approach a couple bloggers have taken. Run Lucas Run has a beautiful (free!), downloadable template you can fill in with your answers to nine thoughtful questions. She also includes a template you can fill out with your children.
{photo via Run Lucas Run}

 Tsh from Simple Mom has a list of 20 questions to reflect on on New Year's Eve. Once you've reflected on the past year and are ready to think ahead to the new year, Tsh shares a downloadable PDF with a list of questions to help you set goals for the future. 

I've printed out both of these PDF's and hope to have some time over the weekend to think about the year ahead and put some goals and plans in place.

Another idea that always inspires me is Ali Edwards One Little Word project. I haven't come up with my word yet, but have a few I'm mulling over.

What are your goals and resolutions for the new year? How do you come up with them?