New Camera Lens Photo Dump

I gave in and purchased the 51.8mm lens on my wish list for my Cannon T3i camera. It is quite possibly one of the best purchases I've made - no buyer's remorse here! :)  Here is a photo dump of the first pictures I took experimenting with my new lens.  I don't claim to be a photographer (even though I secretly would like to learn to be great at it) but I like the clarity, quality and the range of depth of field in these photos.  

Just so you know, I didn't edit any of these photos besides re-sizing them.

This is the very first picture I took... creative, huh?!

"Axe" makes an excellent subject.... for about 30 seconds.  Regardless, she is darn cute!

Meet our bull.  He doesn't really have an "official" name but I do know that he doesn't like me one bit.  Adam says it's because he knows I'm a girl.  Whatever...

This is "70." She is a sweetheart and has the best eyelashes ever.

Taking pictures is so tiring when you're a puppy that it was only appropriate to stop and take a drink out of the hydrant.  Apparently all of the cool dogs do this.  I think it's an evil trick to get me soaking wet while still maintaining her cuteness.

There you have it... my camera lens experimentation.  The lens definitely challenged me to look at things a little differently because there is no zoom on this particular lens so I quickly learned to re-position myself to get the shots. I love this lens and totally recommend one.  You can find one for about $100 on Amazon. 

Cheers to Thursday! 

Oh hey, don't forget about the giveaway going on here for a Starbucks gift card and other fall goodies! :) 

My Home Office Reveal

FINALLY I am showing off my home office! I've been hinting at it on Instagram and Facebook so it's about time that I give you the goods. This project has only been in the works for 2 years.  Mostly because I couldn't decide on the color to paint my cabinets until I learned to "Be Brave."

Before I show you the current state, I need to share the "before" picture with you.  It will add a little more shock value so hopefully you wont walk away from this post and say, "hmmph, I expected more..." :)

Yep, that is what we started with, an old Iowa farmhouse basement.  Thanks to my sweet husband for saying "Honey, you need a space for yourself and all of your creative work." Which probably really meant, if I fix up the basement she'll keep all of her crafty stuff out of the dining room. :)  Regardless, I am thankful that he had the basement painted for me and had a friend build custom cabinets as my Christmas present. 

Here you go... the after!

My new decorating motto is "Be Brave" I picked this up from ABChao, a blogger whose Design Camp I attended in Minneapolis.  For this project, being Brave meant painting my cabinets a blue/green color  (Slow Green by Sherwin Williams - SW6456) instead of painting them white or staining them which would have probably been the logical thing to do. :)

There are a few quirks that I wish we could fix like actually putting sheet rock on the walls but we have a small leak on days when we get a really  heavy rain.  I would also love to have the floor leveled but that would take a lot of money which means I would have to starting doing a lot more e-design work. (Feel free to ask, I would love to help you out!)

Regardless of the quirks that still exist, I have fallen in love my stone, farmhouse basement space, that still leaks every once-in-awhile. At least it didn't have dirt floors...

Featured on Tuesdays at Ten June!  Thanks Michelle!

Fall Giveaway!

Happy Monday!  Does it feel like fall yet?!  Crazy how quickly fall came around and to be honest, I'm all ready missing the longer summer days of sitting on our front porch having a few drinks with my husband.

However, there is some good news!  The sweet Laura Beth, author of the blog Mrs. Laura Beth, invited me to be part of a fall giveaway she is hosting along with 9 other bloggers - woot!! This girls is super sweet and I'm so happy that I've gotten to know her through her blog, twitter, and instagram.

Here is what's up for grabs:

Blogger Tee

$50 Starbucks Gift Card

Fall Warmer Scents

Get entered now!! And please let me know if you are new here - I would love to stop over and say hi!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

High Five For Friday

One. We have survived one month of being married! :)  I love being a wife, it's a pretty cool thing.
Two. It finally rained her x2! A little late for the crops in western Iowa but better late than never, right?
Three. I got new glasses last week.  So far I am loving them and that surprises me.
Four. As a sweet treat I made my Grandma Ele's Monster Cookie recipe.  They are divine.
Five. I updated my e-design page to make it easier to understand plus I added a new design offering - A virtual room consultation.  I'm excited to kick off that service.

I hope you all have had a good week and some fun plans for the weekend ahead!!  Thanks for being followers!

If you are new the Design Your Dwelling, please let me know.  I would love to have you stick around for awhile and return the favor.