Forgotten Film

Mike found a roll of film he had developed and scanned yesterday... over 30 gorgeous photos of several of our photo adventures. Seriously... they're beautiful! They were shot on our Holga using 200 speed Color Negative film so they definitely have their quirks. Here are a couple and then you can click HERE to see some more! If you don't follow Mike's blog I think you should! He's so passionate about photography so hopefully you'll be inspired!





Don't the double exposure on the last one make it look so ghostly?!

CLICK HERE to view more on this blog! You can also see others at HIS FLICKR!

PS; I just realized the Sunday Spotlight never posted yesterday! Whoops! Guess it'll be moved to this Sunday! Silly Blogger!

MIXTAPE MONDAY: guilty pleasures.

I'll be the first to admit that the next couple of mixtapes these upcoming few weeks may not be everyone's cup o' tea. I'll also admit that the subject matter is far from something normally shared on this little ol' blog, too. What I mean by that is that below you will find some of the most memorable Top 40 songs to date... all things that I am reluctantly admitting to loving. Some of them are as recent as the past couple of years, and some as old as the very early 80s! These are songs that I also find to be a great workout mix. I'm not sure why, but they hype me up and put me in such a good mood. Yea... even that jerk Kanye. I'm sure there are a ton that I'm forgetting. Would you believe me if I told you I had a running list in my "Little Book of Ideas" of guilty pleasure songs?! I need to find that page!

I think this is a good playlist for wanting to just put some pep in your step. Work in an office and need some jazzy hands while typing? Plug in your headphones and play this little diddy. It always makes me want to get stuff done! So what if it's embarrassing!



Now... time for you to confess! What are some of your all-time favorite guilty pleasure songs?! (Really! I want to know! I probably love them, too!)

Removing Wallpaper with Wagner: Welcome to the 106th Metamorphosis Monday!

Meet my new best friend, Wagner. He's a little finicky but for the most part he and I are getting along okay.



He tends to drool a little and runs out of water sooner than he is supposed to...but that's okay. He gives me an excuse to take a little break every half hour. With Wagner, I can pull off strips of wallpaper this size...




And sometimes, this size. Pretty cool, huh? Sure beats the heck out of the micro-strips I was able to peel off before Wagner came into my life.



The Nitty-Gritty: (You can skip this part if wallpaper removal isn't in your future.)

After trying M-1, DIF gel and regular DIF...and fabric softener today, I found the fabric softener worked the best out of all those. But it was still going painfully slow and very messy. So here was my thinking: Since I have at least two bathrooms I'll be removing paper from in the future, I might as well go ahead and invest in a steamer.

Lowe's had two sizes of steamers and I went with the bigger one because the handle has a little button that will lock the trigger button down so you don't have to hold it down. It's kind of like when you buy gas, you can lock the little thingy down so you don't have to keep pressing the lever the whole time while you're gassing up your car. That saves a little strain on the hand.

Wagner isn't perfect, though...he drips just like you guys with steamers warned me about. Mostly he just drips right when you first begin using him after he's been sitting a minute. Apparently, the water in the hose cools down while you're scraping, so when you press to steam some more, some hot water runs out before the steam does. So I found it's best to start at the top, that way when the hot water drips out, it just runs down the wall loosening up the paper, instead of dripping straight onto the floor.

Also, I found Wagner runs out of water after about 20-30 minutes...not 45 like the little directions say. If you buy one of these, be forewarned that the steam makes the paint/wall pretty soft so it's even easier to gouge the wall if you press too hard. I am not looking forward to repairing all my gouges and nicks. Does anyone have any great suggestions on the best product for that? I was thinking about using one of those light weight spackles.


One Thing Marked Off the "To Do" List:
I did manage to mark one thing off the "To Do" list on my sidebar today. I swapped out the old baseball door knob that went with my son's baseball-themed bedroom. It was beginning to deteriorate after 18-20 years. When my son was here for Christmas, he reached for the knob to open the door and was totally grossed out. Apparently, rubber (or whatever it was made of) starts to leak oil or ooze after 20 years. Gross, indeed.




I went with a normal brass knob. I would have considered going with a different color knob, but since all the knobs in the house are polished brass, I just went with a standard old knob...nothing fancy. Yay...one thing done...a gazillion to go. ;)




The hardwood flooring guys are coming back tomorrow and Tuesday to add the final polyurethane coatings to the flooring. Once that dries, I'll be moving the furniture into the room. The cable guy comes out on Thursday to move the connection for the High-Speed Internet to that room. In the meantime, I'm still searching for the perfect rug and light fixture. I have some ideas on the rug but just haven't found one I really love, yet. I wish I could give you guys one huge, awesome reveal...but my rooms tend to evolve as I find the pieces I really love. But it will get there, right? ;)


A Small Change for BNOTP:

I made a little change on the blog last night under the header, Tabletop♦NapkinFolds♦PartyIdeas. I separated out all the holiday tablescapes by their specific holiday.

In other words, the holiday tablescapes are no longer all in one big group, they are now separated out according to the holiday like you see in this screen shot below. (Please Note: This is just a picture so these links aren't active. To view the tablescapes, click on the subject header at the top of the blog and you'll find the live links there.)




Hopefully this will make it easier to find what you need if you're seeking some ideas or a little inspiration for an upcoming holiday tablesetting. I'm hoping to add links for "holiday decorating" real soon. Most of those will be Halloween or Christmas oriented, I think. I'm trying to make all the the old posts/content more accessible so when you want to refer back to something, you'll be able to find it with ease. :)



Thank you for all the suggestions you've been making to help with this wallpaper nightmare. But most of all, thanks for all of your encouragement! :) You guys are awesome! I can't wait to see the "Before and Afters" linked for this Met Monday!


ADDITION: I found an even better way for removing impossible wallpaper. I posted about it HERE. It even beats Wagner! It's what the professionals use and it works!



I'm linking this post to Sarah's Organize It Party. Thanks, Sarah for hosting!



Metamorphosis Monday:
If you are participating in Metamorphosis Monday: Please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top, into the "url" box for the picture linky. You'll also need to put your e-mail address in, but don't worry, it will not be visible to anyone.

If you'd like to include the MM button in your post, just copy and paste the Met Monday button to your computer or grab the html code from underneath the MM logo under the "Join a Blog Party" header at the top of this blog.

Please include a link in your MM post back to the host blog, Between Naps on the Porch. Why is this important? When you include a link back to BNOTP, it ensures your regular readers/visitors will find the other awesome "Before and Afters" linked for this Metamorphosis Monday. If everyone links back, this maximizes the visits for all participants.

Please DO NOT type in all caps...it spreads the links waaaay out. Thanks! :-)

Let's try something fun today! Please visit the person who linked before you and after you...that way everyone will get some visits. Hope you'll visit more, of course. :-)




Little Reminder: Thank-you for linking back to this post so the regular visitors to your blog will find all your fellow Blogger's posts linked here for this Met Monday. If you find your link has been deleted, it is because your post didn't mention you were participating in Metamorphosis Monday and didn't include a link back to the other participants and/or was not a "Before and After" subject/project.

Tattoo Inks & Supplies

there have been many improvements to a website that i have been working on lately. i know that i have given the link and asked for suggestions and comments...but if you all could check it out one more time and tell me what you think, that would be excellent!

any suggestions are welcome! is it easy to use? could you find a product if you were interested in purchasing?

http://www.tattooinksandsupplies.com

Don't Go Chasin' Waterfalls

With yesterday's adventure I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to give a shout out to my girls of TLC in the title. I'm sorry, it was just too good to be true. (Luv ~n~ miss u, Left Eye!) After a very exhausting night at work Friday (and a few yelling matches), Mike and I were determined to sleep in. Of course we were woken to a yummy breakfast way too early so we ate and passed out again for a few hours. We finally got up, went through some rolls of film we had developed and then we decided to get on with the day. It was a late start, but better late than never, right?! We had plans to try and find this ominous waterfall my stepdad had told us about but it was proven futile. Instead we opted for a much more convenient water show on the Natchez Trace Parkway. This little waterfall (or falls, I should say) was quite the spectacle for several out-of-state visitors. It was a hike and a half down, and even more so up. The lighting wasn't all that great for outfit photos, and to be honest, I wasn't really feeling them anyway. So we have 2 measly photos of my outfit and then about a billion for the adventure. Instax, too, but as usual they will come at a later date!

Yesterday we also booked our hotel for our roadtrip in March with Susannah and Chris. We will be in Wilmington Thursday March 3rd until Monday March 7th so if you have any suggestions on things to do or see or places to stop on the way (Think I-40 to Knoxville, Asheville, Charlotte and then the coast!) then we'd love to hear them! It's going to be such a fun trip with such fun people. I'm already getting giddy!

Today we're spending the day doing errands and such with my parents in Franklin. Hopefully that'll be nice! Monday is the day we wrap up everything with the move! We're done with the house luckily but we still have to go finish everything off at the office. Off I go! xo

Dress: Forever 21
Belt: Forever 21
Tights: Target
Flats: Target
Cardigan: Target

A Few Nikon SLR Photos...

Mike and I played around with our Nikon F60 SLR yesterday (and there are a few from a previous adventure) so I thought I'd share some of them with you today. I'm only going to post a couple and then I'll link you over to Mike's blog where he shares the rest! (I don't want to steal his thunder!)

We were using 200 speed film with a Nikkor 80mm-200mm f/2.8 lens on a Nikon F60 body.

These first few were the only ones shot by me. Mike is a camera hog ;P Kidding!






And these are a few from Mike:








You can see more of the set at his blog by CLICKING HERE!

Today we're going to go adventure again and take even more photos! And instead of sporting a heavy-body SLR, I'm going with a $1.99 disposable camera! I can't wait!

Starting the year off right!

Well, hey there all you sweet things!  We are just checking in to let you know what we've been up to the last few weeks!

As some of you may know, Amber just finished pulling off the design and coordination monster that was the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce's 100th Anniversary Celebration. This event hosted 1,000 people and honored some of Bangor's most influential and community-minded citizens.  Sutherland Weston Marketing created impressive videos that honored each award recipient and helped to showcase the best of Bangor.   Dozens of sponsors joined forces with the amazing events committee, including Karen Cole, Tanya Pereira, and Lynne Churchill to create a total makeover for The Bangor Auditorium.  To say it was a hit would be, in my humble opinion, an understatement.

Amber worked with the committee and together they created a design using the color palette of Navy and Gold.  White tablecloths were draped with beautiful sheer navy and gold overlays.  Gold votive holders adorned each table, along with a cake dome holding cupcakes for each of the table's guests.  Solid milk chocolate made in the shape of champagne bottles and wrapped in gold made a fun and delicious favor.  Tim Shields, owner and lead lighting designer for Ambience Lighting spent two days hanging what must have been 100 paper lanterns over the floor of the auditorium.  Jeff's Catering made serving 1,000 people a hot meal look like a piece of cake.  The hospitality students from Husson University busted their humps setting up tables, placing china and flatware, helping to serve guests, and then managing the enormous task of CLEANUP.

We hope to have pictures for you all soon.  Let me just say, though, that the only thing that could top this year's unbelievable Chamber event is next year's unbelievable Chamber event!  We look forward to serving our community, and fellow small business owners, in future.

sweetest thing has also been hard at work making appearances to promote Real Maine Wedding's $100,000 free wedding!  The magazine, in conjunction with the Harraseekett Inn in Freeport and the Maine Wedding Association, along with lots of lovely sponsors (like us!), is giving away a wedding to one lucky couple.  In order to qualify, you must submit a two-minute video to the site where it will be posted and voted on by the public.  Popular vote will be considered by a panel and the submissions will be narrowed down to 3 semi-finalists, with the winner announced at the Freeport Wedding Show in April.  The earlier you post your video, the more votes you'll get, so don't wait!  And for those of you not getting married, be sure to vote for your favorite!

Because of this awesome contest, you may have seen our work on display at the Real Maine Wedding's booth at the Portland, Bangor, or Augusta bridal shows.  We have been meeting so many wonderfully adorable brides and have started fielding quite a few inquiries for the 2011 wedding season.  Things are definitely heating up and we are thrilled to be so busy!

Until next time,
Kathryn & Amber

Hey look!  That's us at the Bangor Bridal Show!

House Lust

The War of the Wallpaper continues and at the suggestion of many readers, I'm giving fabric softener a try. If this doesn't work, I'm heading over to either Lowes or The Home Depot tomorrow to purchase a wallpaper steamer. I will not surrender...victory will be mine! Hear that, wallpaper!!!

See that baseball wallpaper behind the fabric softener. That's in my son's bathroom and it's adorable paper...but I guess I'll be tackling it sometime down the road, too. It went well with his baseball themed bedroom. If you'd like to see this bathroom, let me know and I'll share it with you sometime. This will be another bittersweet remodel.




As promised, I opened the sealed door this morning and...




Here's how the flooring looks so far with just one coat of poly. The color isn't quite golden enough, so we'll work on that when the flooring crew comes back on Monday, but I'm definitely liking hardwood flooring in this room...soon to become my office/study/playroom/retreat.




I'm having trouble visualizing what I want in this room besides the Pottery Barn Bedford office furniture. I envision a seating area with a lamp and table for those times when I want to sit down, relax and read a bit. This room is going to be more than office. I want it feel a little like a retreat, a fun place. I think I'm going to have to slow down and quit trying to "complete" this room in my head and let it evolve like all the other rooms in my home have done...know what I mean? I'll get the office furniture moved in and "live" in here a little while...then I'll know the direction to go from there.



On a fun note, Julia at Hooked on Houses just celebrated her Blog's 3 year birthday! Whoo Hoo! I love visiting Hooked on Houses and Julia is one of the nicest, Bloggers you would ever want to meet! In her post about how she first became inspired to start her blog, she talks about getting her inspiration from the book, House Lust: America's Obsession With Our Homes.

I've been meaning to order this book for some time and I finally did. Julia was right...it's a great read! I don't want to do anything (including remove evil wallpaper) but read this book! It delves into why we not only love our own homes but why we love seeing the homes of others. It also gets into the issue of how the grass is always greener on the other side...the "if onlys" we think about regarding our own houses.



If you haven't visited Hooked on Houses, be sure to check it out! Julia always has something fun going on...it's a must read for me every day. See you on Sunday evening for Metamorphosis Monday! Can't wait to see what you've been working on in your homes!

Giveaway Winner Announced!

I'm so excited to announce the winner of the January Giveaway here at LCH! The winner will be receiving a Diana Mini 35mm Camera as a prize! I'm overwhelmed by the positive response from the giveaway and how many lovely people I've met because of it! I knew that giveaways like this would be something totally awesome to offer up to y'all because you seriously rock my world! You make blogging so fun so I'm excited I have a way to give back!

and the winner is....

Gracie Blue!

(I love that your name is Gracie Blue and your email Gracie Green! :P)

Congratulations Gracie! I'll be emailing you shortly!

Thanks to everyone who played along! Stay tuned for the February giveaway which will go up on Tuesday, February 1st! If you liked this giveaway then I'm sure you'll like the next one!