The sun isn’t even up yet and everyone is ready to rip open gifts. Before the stockings come down and wrapping paper begins to fly, have your camera ready and read through these tips on how to photograph your Christmas morning.   Check your camera settings the day before. Specifically, white balance, shutter speed, aperture and ISO.   What is one item you always need on Christmas morning? Batteries. Make sure you not only have batteries for the toys and electronics, but for your camera too!   Double check your SD card or Compact Flash card to make sure you...

      As this is the first Christmas for my husband and me, I’ve been searching the stores for a special ornament to portray our love for years to come. Unfortunately, I’ve left empty handed many times and decided a DIY project would be best. Photos of wedding invitation ornaments have been all over Facebook, Pinterest and blogs. I found a great tutorial on from glitter to gumdrops, located my box of leftover wedding invitations sitting in my living room, visited Michael’s and $5.00 later, I had all the supplies I needed. I chose to use ribbon from my wedding...

I LOVE my ruffled scarf; however, it took me a bit longer to finish than expected. I initially found the idea on Pinterest and the blog author said it was quite easy. I thought, “I’ll have a scarf within the hour!”. Ha! The easy part was picking out my material, from there, it was a learning experience. Hopefully, my mistakes and trials will help you smoothly through this ruffled scarf tutorial.         Here's what you'll need: 1.5 yards of light/sheer fabric Matching thread Sewing machine Elastic Thread       Step 1: Fold your fabric in half and...

Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. It’s not hard to catch the holiday spirit way before Thanksgiving even arrives! I've been browsing Pinterest for wreath ideas for several weeks and found one I just had to make on Living Artfully.           To make a wreath like mine, pick up the following supplies:   About 40 to 50 large sized metallic bulb ornaments (your color choice) About 20 to 30 medium sized metallic bulb ornaments About 15 small metallic bulb ornaments High heat glue gun and glue sticks A 14 inch foam wreath form   Before...

Today, I begin what I hope to be one of many blogs by "do it yourself" brides. On this first post, Marie Bucciano, a bride from Keene, NH, shares her wedding details, resource suggestions and DIY projects.   Marie's budget was $5,000. Her vendors included:   Venue: Keene State College Camp on Wilson Pond, Swanzey, NH Dress: Country Bridals, Jaffrey, NH Photographer: Shine with Jennifer Leigh, LLC, Chesapeake, VA Flowers: Anderson the Florist, Keene, NH Justice of the Peace: Terry Cote, Manchester, NH                       Hair: Melissa Cumings, Keene, NH Make-up: Tracy Gilpin, Waterford, CT  Marie's top 5 DIY suggestions:   1) Utilize...

  A few weeks ago I wrote about my love for all things French Provincial. While shopping in a Salvation Army, I picked up a beautiful side table, made by Distinctive Furniture by Stanley, for only $15! It definitely needed a new paint job and it had a few chips of wood missing from the drawers. However, the serpentine wavy drawer front with embellished handle made me fall in love with this piece.   Determining the color for this piece was quite a decision. The most common restoration of French Provincial furniture is to paint it a shade of white. My goal...

When it comes to decorating, I am addicted to all things French provincial. The style originated in the 1600s and has kept its cozy, rustic and warm appeal throughout the centuries. The beauty of French provincial is that it can be paired with a number of different design approaches!   My husband purchased our home a little over one year ago and we are slowly decorating it. We've been trying to determine our combined style. I love elegant, feminine, white, slightly distressed painted furniture. “Shabby Chic” pretty much sums it up for me. Mr. Adams enjoys wood grains, rustic, brown...

A candy bar is the perfect way to offer fun, colorful wedding favors for your guests. I had such a wonderful time matching my candy with my wedding colors and personalizing candy bags, jars and labels. I think it may have been one of my favorite DIY wedding projects!   For my candy bar centerpiece, I made home-made lollipops. It took me two different attempts to get it just right. I called my good friend, Gillian, over to help me out with the last batch. We had a blast laughing at ourselves with candy and food coloring on every inch of...

A few weeks back I was reading through the Sunday newspaper and saw a useful article on hanging art (How to Hang Art - The Right Way by Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz, Chicago Tribune). As a photographer I love to display my work for family and friends to see. However, when I get out the hammer and nails to start my project, I never quite know the best way to organize it on the wall. Here are the items you need to get started:   Painting/Photograph (framed, with hanging wire affixed to the back) Hammer Picture hooks and nails or threaded anchors with screws Measuring tape...