Pluck a Thistle

Picture Perfect

Thanksgiving is done and the holiday season has officially begun!

Inspiration comes in many forms this year.  A delightful blog post by Cathy of Pear Tree Greetings gives the top tips when taking your holiday photo this year.

Clothing:

Light Colors

Left photo by: Ashlee Raubach; Right photo by: Ashlee Raubach

When the whole family is wearing light colors, it focuses attention on the darker colors in the photo, such as facial features, hair color, or the beautiful scenery in the background. We like a mix of light colors, which looks more natural than everyone wearing the same color.

Dark Colors

 Photo by: NikkiJamesPhotography.com

The dark colors this family is wearing make them stand out against the lighter sky and field. The dark blue color solidly grounds them and gives them the appearance of a tight unit, which is a nice subliminal message for a family photo.

Bright & Casual

Photo by: thearthurclan.com 

The playful poses of the kids match the playful colors in this photo, and help the kids stand out against the gorgeous fall colors in the background. Letting the kids wear something they’re comfortable in can also make the photo shoot go a little more smoothly.

Backgrounds:

Stark

Left photo by: Ashlee Raubach; Top right photo by: thearthurclan.com; Bottom right photo by: Ashlee Raubach 

A background without a lot of color, such as a snowy landscape, monochromatic field, or an urban setting, will keep the focus on you and your family. Even subtle colors will pop, like they’re hand-painted onto the photo (as in the winter scene at left) while dressing everyone in bright colors (like the other two photos) can make a completely different statement.

Colorful

Photo by: Laci Davis Photography
A brightly colored background can give your photo a ton of attitude, but it might call for simple, black and white clothes so the family members stand out. In this example, we notice Mom, Dad, and son first and then realize, with a smile, that their daughter blends right in with the fun surroundings!

Matching

Image: Tis the Season to Sketch Horizontal Christmas Cards
If you love the color of a certain Christmas card, have one or more people in the family wear something in that color, even something as small as a hair bow. That way, it looks like the photo and the card were meant for each other.

Creating Contrast for black & white photos

Image: Fresh Poinsettia Vertical Photo Christmas Cards and Gingham Photo Greeting Cards.

If you plan to make your photo black and white, creating contrast between light and dark colors will make it more interesting. Light colors, whether clothing, faces or background objects, will stand out the most. To draw attention to the faces in your photo, wear clothing that’s darker than your skin tone. Keep white clothes to a minimum, and avoid dressing everyone in mid-range colors which all turn to gray.

Now that you know you are ready for the 
perfect picture this holiday!

Blog Information Source: Pear Salad a blog by Pear Tree Greetings

Everyone Can Help Someone

  “We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”

    ― Ronald Reagan

A Pie to Try

As the menu for this Thanksgiving continues to grow, homemade pie has now been added to the list.

I have NEVER made a pie before but this recipe from allrecipes.com has rave reviews.

No pie is complete without a personal touch.  Thankfully Style Me Pretty and Pinterest stepped up with the perfect pin.

 

Not sure which design I like best, but this inspiration is surely making my mouth water with ideas!

In One Hour

Wikipedia is the go to for quick information about ANYTHING.  

And now they are asking for help.  They want me and you and everyone who has helped make it the #5 site in the world to donate.

"If everyone reading this gave $5, our fundraiser would be done within an hour. Please help us forget fundraising and get back to Wikipedia."

So take a minute and give, because you use wikipedia, because you found and extra $5 in your pants, because it is that time of year or because you know it is the right thing to do.

 

The Grand Tourista

Travel is on my mind and I do not often travel light.

The Grand Tourista by Jason Wu for St Regis Hotels & Resorts.  This extremely limited-edition travel tote is a perfect blend of worldly travel and St. Regis sophistication.  Debuting today on Moda Operandi until November 22nd, you can reserve this exclusive bag!

 

After that you can find it on the St. Regis online boutique.

Private Pinning

To my delight Friday morning, Pinterest sent me a note that started my day off right!

SECRET BOARDS!!!

I have personally been emailing anything I didn't want the world to follow on my boards and this was JUST what I wanted and needed.

Here is the best part of the note:

Today, we’re excited to continue this tradition with a new feature we hope will make Pinterest even better—secret boards. Secret boards give you a place for things you’re not quite ready to share yet, like a surprise party, special gift ideas, or even planning for a new baby. We’re testing out the feature by giving everyone 3 secret boards. You’ll find them at the bottom of your profile. We can’t wait to hear what you think!

On behalf of our team here at Pinterest, thanks so much for pinning, inviting your friends, and sending us ideas for how we can improve. Most of all, thanks for sharing your inspirations. With your help, we’ll make Pinterest a little better every day.

—Ben & the Pinterest Team

 Mine are set and going, even though you will never seem them!  

Here are just a few of my public boards.

KMDoyle on Pinterest

UO in MontCo

Moment of History

    “ We live in a moment of history where change is 

so speeded up that we begin to see the present 

only when it is already disappearing. ”

    ― R. D. Laing

Mosaic Moments

Getting photos from off your iphone and onto your walls is about to get even easier.

Presenting Mosaic.

20 images.
20 dollars (plus tax and shipping).
 4 days.

Simple.  Gorgeous.

 

 

Celebrate all of your life moments.

 Hey Mosaic