In Photos: Weddings

Before we get started on today’s post, I would like to announce the winner the Thirty-One Giveaway!  The winner is  . . . Jennifer K.!  Congratulations!  Please email me, Jennifer.  I would like to thank everyone who participated!  I would also like to thank Brandy for donating this prize for the contest!

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Yesterday, I wrote about how I felt about my wedding day nine years later.  I figured it would be a great time to share some of those shiny, red-carpet moments with you. 

But first, let me show you the picture of Marie as a flower girl in my cousin’s wedding.

She is so beautiful in this picture.  It kind of makes my heart ache a bit.

Here are some from my wedding.  I decided not to touch them up so you get the full effect of actual film.  (And I'm also exhausted).

It's official.  I am a married woman.
Please note: I did not like my bouquet, but I went
along with the florist because I thought she knew better.

Showing off the bling in the limo.
Also: the date is wrong in this photo.

I look so happy!  Yay!  I married the love of my life!
And I get a KitchenAid Mixer!  Woot!  Woot!

I wanted something simple, bright, and not stuffy.  This totally worked.
Until some over-served guests used the leaf place mats as loin clothes.

This is one of my most favorite photos of the day:
happy and not posed.

In Photos: A Thirty-One Giveaway and Brandy Nicole Photography

Do you remember when I had headshots done this summer?  My sister-in-law, Brandy, ofBrandy Nicole Photography did an amazing job.  Check these out awesome shots that she took of me:

Not only is Brandy an amazing photographer, but she now is selling Thirty-One products.  Between swim lessons and hanging out at the pool, I have to say that I pretty much lived out of my Expand-a-Tote that I bought from her.  I also love my Picnic Thermal bag!

Brandy is going to be giving away this super cute thermal tote in Pink Parisian Pop.  I have this tote in another print, and I love it!  I can fit water bottles for me and the kids (that actually stay cool), and it fits in the expand-a-tote very nicely!

This print is part of the U R U collection, and a thirty-one cents from each U R U collection will be donated to a charity that helps to empower women and girls. 

What do you have to do to win such an awesome prize?

-  Become a member of Brandy’s Thirty-One Group on Facebook by clicking this link and leave a comment of your favorite product.  Be sure to check out the new fall catalog for new products that might become your favorites!

- Leave a comment on this post about your favorite Thirty-One product and that you signed up at her group.       


To be eligible, you must live in the continental United States.  The contest ends on Wednesday, September 19^th at midnight EST. 

Good luck!

In Photos: Lunch with Ricki Lake

Last Monday, I had lunch with Ricki Lake. 

Me with Ricki Lake

Well, not actually lunch as in we sat together and shared a meal.  Actually, I was lucky to enough to sit next to these wonderful bloggers and social media mavens.

Lauren from Mrs. Weber's Neighborhood,
Emily A. Hay and Betsy Critchfield
from Hay There Social Media, me, and
Elena Wollborg from Mommy is in Timeout 

While we ate an amazing lunch of grilled chicken and kale salad, we were listening to Paula Tutman from Local 4 interview Ricki Lake.

Ricki Lake and Paula Tutman

I am super excited for The Ricki Lake Show which premiers on September 10 at 3pm on Local 4!  I think the way that she plans on incorporating social media into her show is incredible.  Ricki has created the hashtag #FriendsofRicki on Twitter so viewers can continue the conversation after they are done watching the show.  Also, the Friends of Ricki Facebook fan page is a great way to connect with viewers.  What I think sets her apart is not only that Ricki’s production team accessible via Twitter, but they have production meetings that are open to the public (I had the pleasure of meeting Josh from Team Ricki, and he was very friendly).  You can log in at the website and participate -  seriously, how cool is that?!

Ricki talked a lot about how she has evolved as a person and how her life experiences (marriage, motherhood, divorce, producer of The Business of Being Born) have helped her to gain a better understanding of her authentic self.  As someone who is trying to figure out this new stage in her life, I connected with this statement.  And I like how she used evolved rather than reinvent.  I look at it like this: to “evolve” is to take life experiences and learn from them as opposed to “reinvent” which sounds like forgetting the past and disregarding any lessons learned.  

My day could have stopped there, and I would have been totally happy.  Hanging out with fellow bloggers and meeting Ricki Lake was such a fun way to spend the afternoon.  But the cherry on top was meeting Local 4’s weatherman Andrew Humphrey (who is so incredibly nice and tech savvy), chatting with Paula Tutman, and getting a little peek at the Local 4 studio.

Me and Andrew Humphrey

I savor these moments that are totally out of my normal routine and soak up all that I can, whether it be adventure, inspiration, or fun (or in this case, all three).  It was an incredible day, and I feel so fortunate to have been invited!  

In Photos: A Beach in Lexington, Michigan

 This photo was taken in Lexington when we stayed at my aunt’s lake house.  I’ve been going here for years, but this time was different.  I wrote about it here for the Detroit News MichMoms blog.

I focused on the brightening and contrast tools with layers that Brandy from Brandy Nicole Photography taught me.  I am learning that a photo doesn’t always need a total overhaul.  These edits may be subtle, but they are just enough to make the photo reach its full potential.

Which is kind of symbolic of yesterday’s post and today’s post at MichMoms.

Once an English teacher, always an English teacher, right?

So here’s the original:

Here’s the edited version:

I cropped the photo, and made a duplicate layer.  Then I went to Enhance Tab and clicked on Brightness and Contrast.  I made the Background Copy (NOT Background) super light by sliding the brightness over to the right and Contrast to the left.  I wanted to make the buckets, sandcastles, and waves brighter.

Then I highlighted the Background , clicked on Eraser tool, and went over the buckets, sandcastles, and waves so the super light original background copy would show through

What do you think?

In Photos: Another Chicago Photo Using Layers and Masks

Another Chicago photo!  Remember that little trip I went on that included a stay at Kimpton Hotel Allegro that I won’t stop talking about because it was the coolest thing EVER!

In case you don’t remember, here’s the original post I wrote about it.  But if you click on this link and read mylatest Detroit News MichMoms post, I really explain what this trip meant to me.  Check out and let me know what you think.

So here’s how I took this photo:

And made it look like this:

Crop out as much junk as I could.

I enhanced it by brightening it to 50 and Contrast to 22

I used the Clone Stamp to get the rest of the junk.

I created another layer and lightened it up a lot.

I added a mask so the super light background showed up, but then used the Paintbrush tool to go over Marie to show the original layer with her in it.

Sound complicated?  I thought so, until I practiced it and it finally clicked!  If I can figure this out, I have total faith that you can, too!  Yay!  Also, Brandy is a fantastic teacher!

If you have an issue with Photoshop Elements 10 that you want to go over, let me know if the comments!

In Photos: Serendipity in New York City

 I have been taking this show on the road!  First I went to New York City and New Jersey with the kids.  And the next thing I know, I’m in Chicago testing out the new Allegro Kids Rule Program at KimptonHotel Allegro. 

This week’s MichMoms post explains how travelingwith young kids is not easy, but it is so worth it.  Traveling just makes me feel all lit up and alive as I experience life in a different place, and I hope my kids will love traveling as much as I do.

This Brandy and I decided to focus on the Blur Tool and the Sharpen tool.  (And she’s new to Twitter, so be sure to give her a nice warm welcome).

This photo was taken at Serendipity in New York City.  That frozen hot chocolate was delectable!  (Thomas almost finished the whole one by himself.  And then proceeded to crash from the sugar high.  Obviously).

Here is the before:

Here is the after:

Here are the steps:

1. Crop

2. Blur Tool (Strength 100%, Size 169px)  Go over the area you wish to blur a bunch of times because the effect is subtle

Hover over Blur Tool and click on the Sharpen Tool (Strength 35%, Size 100px) I focused on focal points, like our eyes and the frozen hot chocolate

Guided Edit Tab in the upper right corner, Scroll down to Photography, Effects Lomo Camera Effect

Apply Vignette

Viola!  A pretty photo is created!

Are you struggling with Photoshop Elements 10?  If you have an effect you would like to learn about, be sure to mention it in the comments!

In Photos: Instagram Edition

If you read yesterday’s post, you will know that I made it back home from our family vacation adventure team building exercise experiment.

Although I was mortified by my children’s behavior, we did have some fun times.  I have proof via Instagram (which if you aren't following me, I highly recommend that you do.  I'm erin_mommyonthespot).  If you are wondering why Buzz Lightyear, Jesse, and the alien from Toy Story are in our photos, they were our family mascot.  This was a comment on my What Do You Think Thursday with Skinny Scoop by Moms Are People Too, and thought it was a great idea.

If you are wondering where my Photoshop lessons with Brandy Nicole Photography are, look for a bonus post this Friday!

Enjoy!

Off to NYC!

 

Break time with Monster Sundaes at Friendly's!

Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity gets a thumbs up!

Central Park after going to see Freckleface Strawberry.

We love Central Park!

View from my family's apartment.

Home again!

In Photos: How I Wish I Could Have a Clone Stamp in Real Life

** Thanks again to everyone who voted for me inSkinny Scoop’s Top 25 Top Mom Bloggers of 2012. I came in at number 4!  Iappreciate all of your support! **

** Be sure to check out my post today at MichMomswhere I talk about how a little old raised garden box gave me so much more thantomatoes and herbs. **

I am very excited to announce that Brandy from Brandy Nicole Photography will be collaborating with me for my In Photos post.  She is a super talented photographer, and she has been kind enough to set aside time to show me the finer points of Adobe Photoshop Elements 10.  See, for Christmas I asked for this incredible program, and when I tried to use it, well, let’s just say it didn’t quite work out.  I’m looking forward to sharing everything I learn at my Photoshop lessons!

This week we focused on the clone stamp.  It looks like this in the side tool bar.

This tool is amazing because it can take something in the photo that you don’t like and make it look like something else in the photo.  For example, say you planted this AMAZING garden, and because you are a blogger, you took a gazillion photos of it.  When you look at them, you think, why I didn’t move that giant bag of rocks before I took these lovely photos.

See that unsightly bag of rocks by that ugly air conditioner unit?

So to make that disappear, I used the clone stamp and cloned the bricks and grass over those eye sores.

Here are the simple steps:

• -          Click on the clone stamp in your tool bar.
• -          Click on the area you want to get rid of.
• -          Hold the “Alt” key until you see a little target.
• -          Hover over the new area while holding the “Alt” key.
• -          Release the “Alt” key.
• -          Go back to the area you want to cover and click on it.
• -          You should see a clone of the area you copied.

Now don’t you wish you could have a clone stamp in real life?  A stain on a shirt?  No problem, I’ll just clone this clean part of the shirt and *PRESTO* it’s new again.  Someone’s giant tokus is in your family photo taken at Disney World and therefore in your Christmas cards?  Just clone a tree and *POOF* it was like she was never there.

The possibilities are endless, really.

Is there a Photoshop Elements 10 tool that you would like learn how to use?  Let me know in the comments, and be sure to include your blog information so I can link it back to you.

In Photos: A Taste of Summer

Today I wrote a post for the Detroit News MichMomsblog about the magic of summer.  After being cooped up all winter long, it’s great to run outside in a T-shirt and flip flops.  And the summer feels fun now (unlike by mid-July and I feel like an overworked cruise director).

Here’s a photo that totally encapsulates the magic of summer: eating gooey s’mores in the swing set clubhouse.

Here’s the before:

Here’s the after:

I cropped unrestricted.  I adjusted the light and the dark.  I also played around with brightness/contrast along with enhancing colors.

I then adjusted the field of depth and used the Orton Effect to 100% light.  I then put a mask using the soft mechanical brush at 100 pixels and 18% opacity.

I’m not sure if that makes sense, but I thought I’d share the steps so you could tell what I could do better next time.

Because learning this Photoshop Elements is hard, yo.

I personally think it’s a bit too light.  What do you think?

In Photos Gallery U Boutique Fairy Garden Ball

 Why, hello, there!  I know what you are thinking: “It’s Wednesday!  What are you doing posting, you over-achiever, you.”

Well, I am trying a new feature here at Mommy on the Spot.  If you haven’t heard already, I am writing for the Detroit News MichMoms blog.  A lesser known fact is that I am trying to teach myself Photoshop Elements 10.  My sister-in-law Brandy, who is a super-talented photographer, has been very helpful in teaching me a few things, so now I am going to practice them until they become easy for me.  So I had the brilliant idea of (hopefully) tying together my post at MichMoms to a blog post here, but somehow trying to fit in practicing Photoshop.

And, ta-da!  That was the birth of my In Photos feature.  I will be posting a photo here that ties into my MichMoms post. 

I welcome any and all critiques of my photoshoping skills.  In fact, please tell me what I should be doing because I am struggling with this program.

Also, since I am on the topic of favors, pleasecheck out my new MichMoms blog post and show me some comment love.  I would ever so appreciate it!

And one more thing, please PLEASE vote for me atSkinny Scoop’s Top 25 Mom Bloggers of 2012!

And now I present to you a photo taken at the FairyGarden Ball held at the Gallery U Boutique in Royal Oak, Michigan.

BEFORE:

AFTER: