Photo edits for Constructive Criticism

This friday I "heart" faces is hosting a constructive criticism McLinky to help out all those beginner photo editors out there. This is my first time to post to this but I think that this is a great idea. I'm a beginner and really have no idea what I'm doing when it come to photo editing. I'm definitely self-taught and would love any constructive criticism you would like to offer.

I took this photo of my cousins son earlier this year. It was something I just clicked really quick while he was sitting down. I used the auto setting on my camera. I use a Canon Rebel SXi. I'm still learning out to use the equipment as well. But I really love this camera. So here's the original.





This is the edit. I cleaned up some of the dirt on his face and made the background a little blurred to give a softer look using the Gaussian blur filter. I also used the unsharpen mask on the eyes.

I used PS CS4 to make the edits. I like this photo but I think it could be so much better. Any ideas you have to take it the next level would be appreciated. Thanks for visiting and for your comments.

The Entryway!

This week Kelly at Kelly's Korner is hosting "Show Us Where You Live Fridays." Entryways are featured and this happens to be one of my favorite parts of my house. Actually this entryway is what sold us on this style house rather than the other two we were offered.

This is the chaise lounge we have in our entryway. I got this when I moved into my first apartment. When we moved into the house we had no idea what to do with it. We didn't really have room for it in the living room or our bedroom and I just couldn't get rid of it. I LOVE it. My mother-in-law suggested that we move it into the entryway. At the time I was looking for a bench to place in this space. So Daniel and I moved it into the entry and loved the way it looked in there.

Here's the view from the front door.

A view of our front door. I made the wreath. Its not great but I love it and nothing says summer to me like sunflowers.

I found theses mirrors at Hobby Lobby for 66% off the price. I picked up two of them to put above the chaise. I love the arched look.

I found this candle holder at a flea market for $20. I change the garland around it with the seasons.


This is the ledge that we have in our entryway. I change the decorations to fit the season. The pictures stay the same for now. They will change out eventually. Right now they are some of my favorites from our wedding. I use these red candle holders for multiple seasons. I used them on my mantle for Valentine's Day decorations. For Christmas I have used them on both this ledge and on the mantle. They were on sale when I bought them from Kirkland's.

This is the view from my living room. The door on the left in a coat closet and the open doorway on the right side of the picture is one of the other bedrooms.

Hope you enjoyed the little tour of my entryway. Have a wonderful weekend.

Birthday vacation idea

Since Daniel and I were unable to plan a big vacation this summer, we have decided to try to fit it in the budget to go away for our birthdays. He was born the day before me at the same hospital. Actually, the same doctor delivered us. His mother says that we were destined to end up together. I agree.

Anyway, I've started looking into packages and vacation ideas that we could do together. He really enjoys the outdoors and I enjoy camping and hiking as well. I, however, require a few more luxury items when I camp. For instance, a flushing toilet. I know, I know... not really true camping. Sorry it's the best I can do. I think I've come up with the perfect trip for us. I was looking into the Disney resorts and the rates for lodging and tickets to the parks. Well, turns out they have a campground resort. Perfect.

In addition to wanting something perfect for both of us, we need something that won't break the bank. This is why this Disney World idea is even more perfect. This year they are offering a birthday promotion where you get free admission to one of the parks on your birthday. Since Daniel's birthday is the day before mine we can get two days admission for the price of one. And if we camp at the campground resort we can stay at one of the Disney Resorts for around $50 a night. The campground has all the amenities of a hotel with the exception of having to sleep in a tent or camper. I'm perfectly fine with camping as long as there are bathrooms and in this case showers. There's also a restaurant in the campground and entertainment. Plus we would be able to take the shuttle to any of the theme parks at no extra cost.

I'm thinking that this is going to be a perfect trip.

BlogHop Favorite Photo

This is a favorite photo of mine. It's of my husband at a scout event from earlier this year. I love this photo because it's so hard to get one of him with a genuine smile. He's one of those people who can't really fake a good smile. He looks so happy. He is love being a scoutmaster and working with the scouts. I'm so proud of him.

They're growing!

The vegetables are getting bigger. I'm starting to get squash that are big enough to pick but the tomatoes and cucumbers aren't quite ready yet. It seems like they plants have just exploded with vegetables in the past couple of days. The tomatoes are the right size for picking but they just won't ripen. These look small but they are cherry tomatoes. I'm not really a big fan of green tomatoes. I prefer them nice and ripe and juicy. I can't wait. Hopefully in the next couple of days they will start to ripen. My taste buds just can't wait. I LOVE vine ripened tomatoes. I also LOVE watermelon. My mom says its because she craved watermelon when she was pregnant with me. She would eat a whole watermelon a day. When I was born I had a small red birthmark on my back that was shaped like a watermelon seed.

Silent Auction Success

Yesterday Daniel's scout troop held their second semi-annual Court of Honor. This is a ceremony to celebrate and recognize all the boys' hard work and advancement. We also honored some of the adult leaders at this time as well. In conjunction with the Court of Honor, we held a silent auction to raise funds for the troop. I was in charge of organizing the auction. I'd never set up something like this before and I was a little worried while I was working on it. We got some amazing donations from the some of the parents and the companies where they work. We had about 40 items ranging from a $500 chair to homemade cookies. It went off really well and all but two items got bids. We raised over $800 for the troop. I feel like this is a GREAT success.

Gardening is not my forte.

So I planted a few vegetables plants this year. Last year the husband built a little area to plant some veggies. We planted two tomato plants and ended up having four last year. Crazy story. Anyway, this year I decided I wanted a few things other than the tomatoes. In addition to two different types of tomatoes, we planted squash and cucumbers. I thought I left plenty of room around the plants when I planted them. I was dead wrong. I've never seen a squash plant as big as ours. I knew they would be really big but I didn't imagine it would take up all the space. The plants are thriving and starting to produce but they are running out of space. Next year I'm expanding the garden area.