Saturday, December 25, 2010

Pinata 101 - How to make a Pinata

Hey So for Zoe's birthday, I really wanted to make her a cute Piñata. I wanted to share how it was made.

I purchased all the supplies at the Dollar Store and the candy and stuff at CVS, WholeFoods, Marshalls.

What you need:


  • Candy & Filling - I made a mix of Organic Lollipops, Candy bars, Pixie sticks(Crack for Kids), Stickers, Dora Towel that grow with water
  • Balloon - I used a Helium Balloon because I like the size and shape much better than a traditional balloon $1
  • Newspaper, Tissue Paper, Junk Mail - I used old paper ads - which is a good way to recycle and tissue paper that was used to wrap some glass jars.
  • Flour - $.50
  • Water


1.  Tear Paper into two inch wide long strips - I used a paper slicer to speed up the process.

2.  Mix flour and water together until you get a runny paste consistency. I started with a cup of flour and 2 cups of water and kept adding until it was just right. You want to be able to dip the paper into the paste and wipe off excess paste by running between your fingers.


   

   3. Start covering the balloon in strips. I slightly overlapped each strip to make sure it was really covered. Cover 1 layer and let dry.
Since my balloon was Helium and came with a string, it was easy to hang the balloon to dry.  You want to dry 24 hours between each layer. I hung the balloon on a shower rod and put a fan blowing on it for a few hours to speed up the process. So I probably waited 6 hours between layers.



  4.  Repeat process. I used old tissue paper that was used to wrap some jars that I had purchased. It gives you a more even look and a nice & neutral look.

Laugh at baby playing with crepe paper......check

  5.  Third & Final Layer - dried and ready to go.

  6.  I pierced the balloon and removed but I did wish that I would have waited for that part because it would have been easier to apply the petals and keep from crinkling my design.

  7.  Cut out a hole big enough to insert candy. FYI: My candy was super heavy so I used duck tape inside to reinforce around where the string will be.
The hole def didn't need to be this large but I did cover it once I filled it with the candy.

  8.  Decorate!!! You can paint it, use crepe paper, fabric, glitter, feathers, whatever your little heart desires to make this puppy shine. I use google often for inspiration.

  9.  After decorating, poke out two holes and hang using rope. Again I did reinforce the inside where the holes and string would be to make sure the Piñata would hold up.

This is the photo that inspired my yellow flower design.

I cut out petals out of crape paper and glued them on using stick glue to make a flower design or a big bird body as my husband called it.



This was a lot of fun and only cost me $2 plus candy. 

Zoe got to swat at it a few times before the bigger kids destroyed it. 

Planning Zoe's Party

So Zoe, my little baby, is turning one December 11 and I am beginning planning her fiesta!! It's really exciting because I want to make it a special 1st birthday.  The theme is flowers and butterflies. The colors are pinks, oranges, purple and yellows. Very pretty and pastel :)

Here is the Invitation that I ordered. I use Tiny Prints Tinyprints.com for all her invites. They come out really cute and they always use recycled paper. I sent them out already and am now awaiting the rsvp's.

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas!!! We woke up to a white snowy Christmas day!!!

So we had a nice Christmas Eve Day yesterday. We took Zoe sledding at the Forest Preserve on Milwaukee & Devon, Chicago.  I took her down once and so did Dan. She didn't look scared at all but very serious lol.

She did love seeing all the kids laughing and sledding down the hill. We gave her a ride on the sled as well and she loved it!!!

It was also her first time playing in the snow. She crawled and scooted around.

I went down the hill about 3 times by myself and man I felt like a kid again :)

Great time and a nice start to our Family Tradition. We will go sledding every year!

In the evening we went to my mom's and celebrated with a traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner. Fish, Beet Broth with Mushroom Ears, Polish Pierogi and other goodies. We all found money under our place setting and exchanged Wafers with wishes of good fortune and health. Zoe enjoyed the wafers and especially the beet salad.

After opening gifts we went to celebrate the evening with Dan's mom and siblings.  We had only an hour to spend due to Dan needing to take a nap before working that evening.(we works overnight at a hotel) We opened gifts and shared some laughs. Zoe especially enjoyed time with her cousins.

Today we will be celebrating at Dan's Dad's House after I am off work.

Merry Christmas!!!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Furniture Heartbreak



I know this is going to sound crazy BUT I am absolutely heartbroken over the fact that a piece of gorgeous furniture I was having held for me sold!!!
It was a mid century vintage credenza. So beautiful and perfect piece to house all of my photography equipment and projects.....well Dan was giving me a hard time about spending the money I didn't have on this piece. I found it through Craigslist and it was a really good price. Well you snooze, you lose! The guys couldn't wait 2 days for me to get a car big enough to move it and sold it without even telling me. my hear aches so......look at this beauty that i lost :(



Saturday, August 21, 2010

A little about me......

Every photograph captures a moment in time, a memory, a life.

I specialize in Candid and Photojournalistic Style of Photography. Photography is my passion. I find such joy squinting through my viewfinder, composing the images swimming in my head. It is like poetry or a sonata that has to be brought out and recorded and shared. It's like a romance and deep emotion that I experience when I step behind the lens.

I use natural light whenever possible to capture the most beautiful images. There is something so simple and pure about natural light filtering through the scene. The colors become vivid, skin tones are beautiful, natural, and true.

I am most inspired by nature. Every bit of life, down to the smallest of elements, has been artistically designed with meticulous detail. Every detail, color, texture can make a beautiful image. I try to capture small bits of elements, little treasures of life.

I am fascinated by people. I am interested in their past, their journeys, their experiences, and their story. I find such mystique in the eyes of a stranger that pulls me in. Each person shares something special that can be discovered, captured, analyzed and enjoyed. I especially enjoy working with children. The innocence, spontaneous nature, and spirit of a child can be forever captured in a photo.

A photograph can spark a memory that pulls emotions from the past. I live to capture those moments for you.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Rut Rut Rut

So I have a 8 month old baby, a sick husband, a small cluttered apartment and I just can't get it together lately. I am definitely feeling a rut that I need to fix. I feel like I should be doing more with myself and for my family. I have gifts of being creative, persistent, adventurous but lately you wouldn't know it. Do not get me wrong people, I LOOOOOVe being a mommy. It is the best, hardest, most challenging and rewarding thing I have ever done!! It's not that I am not happy being mom because I truly am. But besides being SuperMom, I feel like I am missing something else.

I love photography, it is my passion. It's the thing that makes me so happy, secure, insecure, creative, amazing, etc, etc, etc. I barely pick up my camera anymore. I need some inspiration in my life. So why am I wasting each day not exploring my talent and need for hearing that shutter click?! How does one juggle real life and the creative outlet all in one day? I barely manage to shower and put myself somewhat together. Any advice?

Zoe is Officially Catholic!!! Amen



Zoe was baptized this Sunday, August 15, 2010. Being 8 months old, she was pretty interested in what was going on. The priest held her interest and I am pretty sure she enjoyed the baptismal water poured over her forehead. She didn't cry at all. I am shocked because she didn't take a nap at all and must have been exhausted. All the excitement of seeing new faces, family and friends, kept my little Angel wwwwwwwide awake. Yay to her!