French and Country Cottage: Guest Post

Today’s guest post is from Susi, a writer for Arcadian Lighting, a must-shop resource for beautiful light fixtures and lamps online. Visit their website and cool blog for more information. Enjoy!

French country and cottage style go together like Nutella and bananas; both are wonderful on their own but together they are magic. Cottage living is all about comfortable chic. Add in some French country flair and you have charming room full of style. Here are 8 pretty French country cottage rooms to inspire your imagination and decorating.

favim (via)

French country cottage is a cozy, comfortable style that invites you to linger and relax. This room has an indoor/outdoor feeling to it with the stone wall and tons of natural light. Natural wickers and painted furniture give it a cottage feeling, while the armoire adds a bit of French country.

Country Days (via)

A French country cottage room is filled with vintage finds that show their age, like the shutter and reclaimed wood on the window seat. French linen makes great pillows. The gingko leaf shade is an easy DIY project.

Vintage Chic (via)

French country cottage blends traditional and farmhouse elements. a crystal chandelier, hangs above a worn painted farmhouse table and delicate wall sconces adorn the fireplace. Flowers and greenery add dots of color to the monochrome color theme.

Vintage Chic (via)

In French country cottage décor, an all white room feels anything but sterile and boring. Layers of shades of white mix with vintage and antique finds to create an interesting, unique room.

Pinterest (via)

Pretty painted pieces create a lovely French country cottage dining room. Palest hues of green and yellow with hints of pink add subtle colors to this cottage white space, as well as the beautiful light fixture that hangs above the dining table.

Pretty Things (via)

A lovely French country cottage living room is awash in warm whites and grays. Linen upholstery is a classic choice for cottage furniture.

Topic Den (via)

A French cottage kitchen sparkles with the perfect lighting fixture for this room, a crystal hung chandelier. White glass fronted cabinets show off pottery and glassware. Love the vintage clock above the stove.

Eclectic Revisited (via)

Pale colors and subtle patterns liven up this cottage bedroom. French country painted furniture and Provencal patterns give the room a distinct French flair.

Content provided by Arcadian Lighting, a site that specializes in the best lighting fixtures with very affordable prices. be sure to stop by the Arcadian Lighting blog and say hello!

How to Take Better Pictures: Guest Post

 I wanted to share a guest post I did a while ago on my friend's blog...

Why and how did you get started in photography?

I got started with photography about 7 years ago.  My first digital camera was a Canon Powershot and I have always loved those for point and shoot cameras.  I still use a Canon Powershot when I don't want to lug around a big DSLR in my purse.

After owning my first digital camera I realized how much fun photography was and decided to slowly get into it.  I bought a $200 camera (Kodak) that looked a little more professional and started doing free photo sessions that I would advertise on Craigslist.  After getting more practice I started charging a very minimal amount to save up for a DSLR.  Then I bought my Nikon D100 for $500, Nikor 50mm lens, then eventually my Nikon D90 that I am currently using.

For someone just starting out (whether for a professional reason or just for family pictures) I would definitely suggest saving up for a D90.  It is definitely worth it.  or, buy a used D100, D70, D80, D90 etc. on craigslist or KSL.com.  For a starter lens, I would definitely go with a 50mm 1.8f.  And never buy the cheaper lenses.  They aren't worth it.

Are there classes you would recommend for beginners, or did you learn more from other means?

The first class I took was a beginner's course at Utah Valley University (after hours and not just for UVU students)  It was taught by Rex Allen (owner of Allen's Camera) and it was on $35 for a 6 week course.  It was definitely a good starting class for me.  However, the classes that I would recommend for all starting and intermediate photographers is Nicole Hill's classes.  She has a few different ones and they are all AMAZING.  You will learn SO much and it is worth EVERY SINGLE penny.  Here is the website with more info about those.

Do you have a favorite photo shoot? 
 My favorite shoots are always the ones that I have fun with, can relax while I'm there, have good lighting, and the pictures turn out really good.  I have had a lot of favorite shoots, but the one that I can think of last is this one I did last November.  The weather was a perfect 72 degrees, I had a gorgeous couple to work with, who I knew and could relax with, and the pictures turned out great. The second part of the shoot here.

My second favorite shoot recently was this one I did.  I just love photographing couples and bridal/groom sessions are really fun.  It was another gorgeous day and a gorgeous location in the foothills of the mountains.  Plus, I had my MIL there helping out, which is always a lot less stressful and makes the shoot MUCH easier.

What's your favorite thing about doing photography?

My favorite thing ever is when I can show someone how beautiful they really are.  When I see them look at their pictures and they are surprised at how good they look.  I love to see the confidence that a good picture can give someone.  My favorite part of a shoot is when I come home and put all the pictures on the computer.  It's like opening a present to see all the pictures on the big screen and adjust them just how I want them; especially when they turn out even better than I thought they would, and when I captured it just how I wanted to.

What's your least favorite thing about doing photography?

Bad weather, difficult children, and stressful shoots that don't go as well as I was hoping.

What are some tips you'd give us amateurs who'd just like to know how to take better pictures?

Hmmm. There are so many tips I don't know where to start.  First of all, try to keep your backgrounds as simple as possible.  Try to shoot in the best lighting available (no direct sunlight, 1 hour around sunrise or before sunset, and in shade)  Make sure the eyes of your subject are in focus.  Use the white balance settings on your camera so the coloring looks good.  You can read more about some of these tips here.

I hope that this helps and please feel free to email me any specific questions about photography!  You can see more of my work on my photoblog.

Bright, Bold and Beautiful

Just in case you missed it, I thought I would share the guest post from the blog Bright, Bold, and Beautiful from a couple weeks back. 

Laura asked me to share what is bright, bold and beautiful to me.  Since I started blogging this has been defined and redefined as I see so many bright, bold, and beautiful things out there!

Lately, though, here are what they mean to me:

Bright: Neons!

I am loving everything neon right now.

 image via coastal living

via Trends for the Current and Clever

Bold: Fashion Statements

I am SO not fashionable, so every fashion blog I read inspires me to think outside the box and not be so worried about what other people think about what I'm wearing.

via Leather & Lace

via The Daybook

Beautiful: Life
My daughter has taught me that every simple thing in life is beautiful, even with messy hair and dirty hands.

I hope you enjoyed my idea of bright, bold, and beautiful! 

I would love to hear what is bright, bold, and beautiful to you right now too!

Bright, Bold and Beautiful

Go check out my guest post on Bright, Bold, and Beautiful blog today to see what BB&B means to me!

image via The Daybook

Scraps n Strings Blog Swap

Hello to A Few of My Favorite Things readers! This is Ruth and Sammy from Scraps N' Strings and we are so excited to be doing our blog swap with Jessica!  She has so many great ideas!! We figure we had better introduce ourselves a bit before we start.

I'm Ruth and I am a stay at home mommy of 2 (3 and 1) and a part-time photographer, you can see my work here. I enjoy making "stuff" and taking pictures of them! I especially love to sew and like to break out the Modge Podge. I love anything that is quick and simple! After I got married, I started crafting with my sister-in-law Sammy as a way to make our homes cute without spending a lot of money.

My name is Sammy and I have 2 darling little boys, 2 1/2 and 1 year. I'm a stay at home mom and I like to spend my zero amount of free time trying to be crafty and beautifying my home. One of the first things my husband said to me when we bought our home was, "You want to put crafts up, don't you?" So that's what I've done. And now we've decided to share some of our ideas with you! We've got a little bit of everything on our blog, from baby and home tutorials to recipes!
So on to the tutorial...

I've been seeing elastic thread all over the place lately and I really wanted to find a project to try it out.  After much debate I decided that I wanted to make myself a scarf. I love scarves. I have about a billion of them, and I could have a billion more and still be wanting. This one is really fun and can be worn loose in the summer or can be wrapped tighter in the winter. I love it!

To make this scarf, I started with some plain white knit fabric

And cut a strip 14 inches wide. It was probably about 5 ft long, though I didn't measure, you can make it as long or as short as you want.

I used the Dritz brand elastic thread. I was about $1.50 a spool and can be found with the elastic at Joann's.

Hand thread the bobbin with the elastic thread and use plain thread on the top of your sewing machine. I used a straight stitch at a 2 1/2 length and set the tension on my machine to the highest setting possible. Starting at the bottom of my scarf, I started sewing an S shape through the length of the scarf.

And sewed clear from one end of the scarf to the other.

Next I folded it in half hotdog way, right sides together, and sewed along the edge.

And flipped the scarf right side out.

Next I took the two ends and sewed them together.

And that's it. Super easy and way fun. I love this plain but just think of all of the different fabric options and colors and patterns you could do!

So come come check out our blog for lots of other fun ideas, including the tutorials shown below. Just click on the pic! And thanks for having us over!

Guest Post on Scraps n Strings

Hey! Go check out my guest over here today!

I am sharing a super easy and resourceful project to make with one of these:

Blog Swap: Morgan from Meet Virginia

Hey Guys!

I'm Morgan!!!
From:


Jess asked me to share a few of my favorite things so here we go!!

A Few Of My Favorite Things:

{In no particular order ;)}

~I LOVE to be creative in any shape or form! I started Meet Virginia as an outlet for being creative and to share ideas with everyone in the blogosphere!

{Plate Mural}

~I have recently become addicted to Fresca! Its so refreshing and I think the perfect summer time drink!

~I love treating my dogs like they are humans ;).

{Love love love love love my boys!}

~I love fashion! I graduated from a Fashion Merchandising program in the fall and loved every minute of it!!

{Funky-O Scarf Tutorial HERE}

I also do a weekly posting called: Weekend Wear. It's fun, and full of great tips on current trends, and how to dress for your body type!
{Weekend Wear #3}

~My favorite color is most def YELLOW! Its so bright and cheery!

~I am obsessed with The Rocket Summer! Bryce truly is amazing!
~I am a TV fanatic! Some of my favorite shows are: Survivor, The Big Bang Theory, Project Runway, Design Star, The Hills (it's the hubs and I's guilty pleasure!), and so on and so on!

~I love to crochet its so relaxing to me!

{Crocheted Bib Necklace}

~I love a good gossip magazine!

~My favorite holidays are: Halloween, and the Fourth of July!!

~I love having a tan but don't always have time to lay out! So I found this awesome self tanner you guys have go to try, it's from Victoria Secret and looks so so natural plus its cheap! I almost had my hubby convinced to try it!

~I Love thrift shopping! Taking old things and revamping them is my favorite, and also saves money another one of my favorite things!!

{New Plaques with Personality!}

~I Love blogging and getting to meet new friends like Jess!! Isn't she the best!

Well I think that's it in a random nutshell. Want to learn more about me hope on over I'd love to have ya!!

Thank you Jess for letting swap with you today girl! I had such a blast posting for you guys and can't wait to get to know you better! If you have any questions about anything or just for fun please let me know I am more than happy to help! Hope you all have a great day!! Thanks again! Love, love.