IHF Week 4 - “Texture” Photo Challenge!

This week's challenge over at I Heart Faces is texture.  Here's their description:

"We {heart} texture a bunch...whether it's texture we find out in nature, on a building or if the texture is added by using your photo editing program. We are looking for entries that incorporate texture in an interesting and beautiful way.

You must (of course!) have a human face strongly incorporated into your photo as well" 

 

I wasn't quite sure where to go with this challenge.  Because of the torrential downpours we've had this week, I was struggling with where to go for this theme.  After going through my Flikr photostream, I realized texture was right there in my face!  

This photo is of our wonderful friends, Jennifer and Aviana Hodder.  Aviana and her grandfather were badly injured when they were hit by a car while crossing the street this past June.  So badly, Aviana wasn't expected to survive the night.  Almost two months after the accident, her friends and family flooded into the UC Davis Children's Hospital to celebrate her 3rd birthday.  I captured this moment when we took her outside to rest under a beautiful tree.  You can read about the Hodder's and their journey at AvianaReese.blogspot.com.

 

I Heart Faces Week 3 - We Are Family

This weeks contest at IHF is 'We Are Family'.  Here's a description:

"Let’s celebrate families this week!

It doesn’t matter to us at all if your photo represents a “traditional” family or a “non-traditional” family. We are looking for photos that show off a cool way to capture a family together…be fun, creative, unique and enter the most awesome photo you can! We would also like each photo entry to have at least one (1) adult in it and even possibly a wide variety of ages represented.

What we don’t want to see?? A photo with just children in it."

This is a photo of my cousin holding the baby of the family, Ava.  

 Head over to I Heart Faces to see more awesome pictures!

Snow Trip!

So while I've been off trying to rest by wrist up, we decided to take a day off and go to the snow.  We live about an hour to an hour and a half away from most of the ski resorts.  We decided on SnoPark, which is just below Boreal off of I-80 East.  It was a great call!  They have a nice little store there, and a lodge for when it is busy.  During the summer they have yurts, room for rv parking, and even a laundry facility. 

When we got up there we found only a handful of other families, and all with little kids. Emma made fast friends with another little girl her age, and jumped right in to help with making a snowman.  We spent a couple hours building away.  Well, mostly I watched and handed them snow while sitting on the sled.  Then we had a little lunch and walked over to the sled runs.  There were a few families over there, too.  Oddly enough, all their kids were 3 years old, too.  We took a few runs down the hill before I got trapped hip deep loose powder.  Whoops!  After a few snow angels, we were all ready for some dry clothes.  

The best (or worse - depending on perspective) was Adam's leap of faith.  He decided to jump off a four foot snowbank and onto pavement.  Well, what he though was fresh powder on the pavement was actually ice.  He's a tall guy, and I knew as soon as he jumped that he'd eat it. Big time.  There was a huge thud when he fell.  I ran over to make sure he was okay. Thank God he was!  He was feeling it for a few days, though.


We need to hit up Goodwill for some snowsuits without plunking down a ton of change.  Hopefully we can go again the weekend after Christmas!  New Years day might actually be nice since everyone else will be hung-over and sleepy. 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

Holiday Shopping Guide - Mixed Species

 Annika Bastacky guest artist shirt

Today's featured shop is one of my absolute favorite Etsy shops.  What is Mixed Species?  I don't think anyone is really sure.  The guys of Mixed Species hail from Corvallis, Oregon.  Face McSpecies, Poppa McSpecies, Hairy McSpecies, and Corporate McSpecies make up the enigma that is Mixed Species.  I honestly have no clue what their real names are, and I kind of like it that way.  (McSpecies - get it?)  Get your fill of delicious man meat at their Etsy shop or at MixedSpecies.com.  You can visit their blog here, follow them on Twitter, and make sure to visit their Flikr page while the kiddies are sleeping away. (Trust me, it's easier than explaining.)  So turn on some of your favorite 80's rock, pop open a cold one, and get shopping!

 

Primer Black Attack

How did you get started crafting?

After realizing that most of the bands we were in scared more women than they attracted we decided to soften our approach and start the first male craft super group! The female to male ratio of the craft world further helped cement this idea as the best EVER!

Why did you decide on Mixed Species for your business name?
Our MixedSpecies name and logo embodies what we are and hope to be! Ok, actually to be honest BigDaddyMeatStraw and TwoTonLoveWhores were both taken, so we went with our third favorite, Mixed Species. We wanted an icon we could use as a brand but also represented who we are and where we are from. At one time or another in our lives we had all seen the post card at the roadside gas station with a picture of a jackalope or the bait and tackle shop with an actual stuffed jackalope. The image and name Mixed Species seemed to fit our background, fashion sense and the duality of some of our re-purposed products.

Dungeon Master Tee

Do you have a muse?
Actually we have four muses:
Attention, Booze, Laughter and Attention

Do you take custom orders?
Every once in a while we take a custom order but typically we do not. You see custom orders sometime remind us that we all still work for “the man”. This results in a fetal ball of thumb sucking, cold sweats and sobbing. The only known cure is a little recipe we invented called the Alcoholic Gravy Shot!

Brief Jerky

What does a typical day look like for you?
Our typical day is just like everyone else’s. The only difference is as most people put their pants on one leg at a time, we make so much money we pay someone to put our pants on for us!

Where would you like to go for your business?
1.) Quit our real jobs.
2.) Get our own TV Series. (the working title is “Big, Hairy and Crafty”)
3.) Hairy McSpecies and Face McSpecies have side project that will have them marrying you AND dowsing for a well on your property.

Hairy ripped a rig from the popo V-Neck

What is one strange or funny thing you’d like to share with us?
It hasn’t hit the press yet but Poppa McSpecies has been rumored to be dating White House Crasher Michaele Salahi while simultaneously “counseling” Tiger Woods’ wife Elin Nordegren.

Most of all we want to thank our customers and tell everyone out there HAVE FUN!!

-the Mixed Species guys

Unplanned Hiatus

I woke up the other day to find that not only was my carpal tunnel was worse, but it hurt like Hell to move my thumb.  I move it and it makes me want to wail.  I'm in a big brace that keeps my thumb stationary. (Thumb spica splint if you want to be fancy.) 

Coming up this week is a feature on one of my favorite Etsy shops - Mixed Species.  I have to take a little break to let the swelling go down, and hopefully can pick back up next week.  I apologize to the shops on the schedule. I promise I'll make the wait worthwhile!