Thursday's Tip {don't be afraid}

talking photography today...

it's a pretty good topic in my book.

First things, first.......

Don't be afraid.

Don't be afraid of what people think of you while you are on one of your photog rampants

one. 

they most likely will never see you again..

and two.
WHO CARES! they are your memories.. and you won't get them back

sometimes my husband cares..
sometimes he's like just eat your dang food and stop snapping pictures of it.. (in his head of course)
sometimes people look around and wonder.. what could she possibly be taking pictures of?? 

umm hello?!
it's something really important to me.. ok, maybe not SO important

but its a key ingredient that leads into something bigger
something that not everyone cares about,
but something I appreciate.

well ladies and gentlemen.. i am a detailed person.

i like taking picures of the small things. i like telling a story.

i like telling OUR story.

i could spend hours going back through our personal blog

just to reminisce.
because quite frankly, if I haven't revisited that section of our life in a year or so..

it's been almost completely forgotten.

the little things that is..

See, its all those detailed shots that keeps

you and me interested(most of the time) in what i have to say.. 

so friends, my Photography Tip to you...

Don't be afraid..

to set a self-timer
to explore new places
to get creative with your shots
to eat cold food, haha just kidding.. well kinda
to walk a few steps behind everyone to capture your crowd
to ask hubby or whoever, to take a picture of YOU with your surroundings
to photograph people who make you smile or laugh.. even if you don't know them

to get in funny little positions to get just the right angle, just the right face, or just the right detail.

to want to capture your story.

you have a story, and you can tell it with pictures.

each picture tells a story to me.. it may mean nothing to you. but it does to me...

Don't forget to follow Pillow Thought on Google Friend Connect or Blog Lovin.. i'm thinking my post don't reach to all of you on Facebook? If you would, let me know how you follow Pillow Thought or your favorite blogs?

Wednesday's Fun Find {for a momma}

our Rainy Day Entertainment...

This aquadoodle mat has been quite the hit with Lexi.. we bought it for her for Christmas

we have lost the pen since.. so a paint brush works just fine!
it's one of her common request..
and best of all for me,

It's MESS free.. minus the fact lex likes to dump out the water... but it is, just water

they also make a travel size.... thinkin' that might be a road trip must have!

another take on, hand print art

You can grab one at Target or buy them here

what are your rainy day go-tos?

Oh, and another question for those who have ever left a comment on this blog.. when I reply back to you in the blog.. does it send you an e-mail notification letting you know I responded??

Tuesday's Look {to top it off..}

GAP has become one of my favorite places to shop for a basic cap sleeved top! It's quite possibly the biggest staple you should have in your closet.. so my suggestion for you is to start hittin' up the GAP for your basic tops!  Now, I realize these models don't portray the cutest outfits.. and in my opinion come off a little tom boy'ish.. but just use your imagination to what outfits you can put these babies with! I'll give my 4 cents before each photo to give you a little start...


my only question to myself right now is, why in the heck did i not buy one of these in every color yesterday??

via

a girl cannot have enough white tops! I honestly could wear white every day! it is a staple that goes with ANYTHING!

via

 Drop the navy belt that comes with it and swap it out with a brown leather one!

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i love a blue jean top with white bottoms..

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ditch the jeans.. pull this top off with some colored skinnies.. white is always a safe bet! Check out the other colors they have in this top.. I bought the navy blue/white stripes yesterday.. and of course.. It will be going with.. none other than, white skinnies.. I think i'm slightly obsessed.

via

Monday mornin' thought {Rainy Day Entertainment}

well I put our personal blog back private this morning..
hope yall were able to check it out and get a little better idea of who we are.. 

Saturday was one of those days...
where you watch the rain tap on the window all day
where you don't get out of your pjs.. until you have to be somewhere
where you bum it on the couch with a nice little blanket
where you get all caught up on the entire season of Giuliana & Bill
where you watch your dog walk around with mac n' cheese on his back.. that lexi threw on him
where your husband locks himself upstairs in the "office" to do homework a good majority of the day
where you watch A Turtle's Tale and let your baby girl take her nap with you instead of in her crib, loved it
where you get creative and entertain yourself with the small things, called lexi



Sunday was also one of those days,
where you go to church then spend the rest of your day just being lazy..
where you take a nap and wake up to raindrops still pouring outside your window..

sundays are always special.. its like a day with a solid plan for you to be "stuck to each other"
very thankful for the people in my life to be stuck to!


I also wanted to share a little story that stuck with me from yesterday..

"Dear Friend,
I just had to send you a note to tell you how much I love you and care about you. I saw you yesterday as you were walking with your friends. I waited all day hoping you would want to talk with me also. It hurt me, but I still love you because you are my friend.

I saw you fall asleep last night, and I longed to touch your brow. So I spilled moon light on your pillow and your face. Again I waited, wanting to rush down so that we could talk. I have so many gifts for you, but you awakened late the next day and rushed off to school. My tears were in the rain. Today you looked sad, so alone. It makes my heart ache because I understand. My friends let me down and hurt me so many times too. But, I love you. Oh, if you would only listen to me. I really love you. I try to tell you in the blue sky, and in the green grass. I whisper in the leaves on the trees, and breathe it in the color of the flowers. I shout it to you in the mountain streams and give the birds love songs to sing, clothe you in warm sunshine and perfume the air with nature sense. My love for you is deeper than the oceans and bigger than the biggest want or need in your heart.

If you only knew how much I want to help you. I want you to meet my father. He wants to help you to. My father is that way, you know. Just call me, ask me, talk with me. Please, please don't forget me. I have so much to share with you. But, I won't hassle you any further. You are free to call me, it's up to you. I'll wait because I love you.

Your brother, Jesus"

just a nice little reminder for me, and for you :)

Thursday's Tip {cutest pillows ever}

so i have been wanting some really cute pillows, with pretty little designs for a long time now.
It's near impossible to find anything I really love in stores, let alone in the color I need!

last month, i finally decided on a chevron and a geometric pattern pillow.. and I am in love!

If you have been looking to add a little something special to your rooms.. I would head straight on over to ElemenOPillows ASAP to order some of the trendiest pillow cases around!

Best part about this shop:

they have almost any design you can dream of and in any color you would ever need! 

oh, and did I mention Nate Berkus totally agrees with me on how great they are??

ElemenOPillows were featured on his show on May 9th.. watch it here

if you want these pretty little orange ladies go buy them here

Tuesday's Look {Navy Blue & Brown Leather}

Navy blue is my favorite color right now and it looks prettiest when paired with something in brown leather. Try to stick with blue & white in your clothes and use brown leather to top it off in your accents.. like a bag, shoes, jewelry, etc..

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a sneak into our real life

todays monday recap is going to be a little different,

i'm going to share with you..
our real life..
our personal blog

b/c i'm not brave.. I like to keep our personal life private to stay away from creepers..

so i'm only keeping it public for one week and by next Monday i'll plug it back private.

so you are welcome to browse through the past 6 years of the life of lindsey and tyson

don't forget to say hello :)

www.lindseyandtyson.blogspot.com - links NOW private, sorry if you are just seeing this

Fridays Film {stuff people say to a photographer}

This video makes me laugh...
it's for real stuff that photographers hear
none of them really bug me but its funny that someone pulled together some of the most common things a photographer will get asked.

Funniest thing I've been asked as a photographer: (by a mom) can you tweak my daughters belly a little more she has started exercising and has lost a bit of weight and she likes what she looks like now as opposed to then.... 

ummm okk.... wow!, wish i could see results like that in two weeks :) 
I seriously don't mind tweeking and fixing up photos but i think there is a line to draw.. especially didn't see that coming out of a mouth of a mom...

Hope you have a Happy Friday!

Thursday's Tip {a dying mishap}

So, I know this probably won't ever happen to you...  atleast, lets hope not
But, just a little FYI incase it does..

These little tips will save you time & money in the future

Last week I was dying cheescloth for photo props..
I used this kind and ran it through with my wash. (dye was red)
After the cycle was done.. I ran another cycle with the same load (that was dyed red) again with detergent.

Well the next day.. not even thinking about the previous washing day..
I ran a load of my favorite whites and creams.

and to my dismay, every single one of my whites were this mauve ugly pink!!
i literally felt sick... because i had two favorite cream items that i knew would never be cream again..
Luckily it could have been much worse because all of them were white, all solids and none of them had prints but one.


I ran my new mauve pink load back through the wash with bleach added in through the top dispenser..  It didn't budge at all in color! strike 1.

So, I asked people for advice on how to get my whites back white and I tried a couple of different things people recommended...

Rit Dye Color Remover

Didn't work at all! If anything it turned it more of a purple tone.

Oxi Clean,

was another recommendation. I left some of my favorite items in the sink soaking in that stuff for from 3pm-9am - (18 hours) and NOTHING not even a fade!

BTW, In between trying different solutions - I had to run the clothes I was trying to fix back through the wash with detergent - so the product wasn't left set in before I tried something new.
TALK ABOUT A WASTE OF TIME & DETERGENT!!

LASTLY, i tried Clorox Bleach
straight out of the bottle.. I put 2-3 items at a time in a big pot that I had and I poured straight clorox bleach into the pot... letting the clothes soak in there anywhere from 6-10 minutes depending on the item.. there were some items that were more stubborn like my white skinny jeans & my cream lace top.. I left them in for longer up to 30 minutes. I was a bit nervous leaving them in bleach for a long period of time.. because I have had it destroy fabric before but 30 minutes didn't harm it.

Clorox Bleach cons:
It is a long process, you use a lot of bleach, and its messy.
For 8-10 items of clothing I used a big bottle and a half.

one other piece of advice:
I used metal tongs to rotate and swish the clothes around.. The bleach ended up making the metal rust and would leave rust spots on the clothes it touched. So I had to switch to plastic tongs. I also used kitchen gloves when messing with the bleach.

Tuesday's Look {neutrals}

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Obsessed with white skinnies these days. Obsessed i tell ya!
I could wear them everyday if I had more than one pair in my wardrobe! They honestly match everything... so if you don't already have a pair go put it on your MUST-HAVE list!!
They are STAPLES for summer!!!

Monday's Recap {Mother's Day}

Tyson woke up and asked if i wanted him to fix breakfast..
umm of course i wouldn't turn that down!
He also had a sweet little card along with a nice little h&m gift card!
This years Mothers Day definitely felt more official than last year for some reason.

Friday's Film {hair style to try for mothers day!}

Here's a cute little video on how to get cute beachy waves for your hair..
If you don't try it today, or tomorrow,  make sure you try it on Mother's Day!!
Hope you all have a good one!! Hopefully my husband doesn't bring home another pair of thrifted mom jeans! :)

Packing for Trips, {Tips & Tricks}

i WROTE this post LAST FALL (hence the wardrobe chosen) for HowDoesShe
but i figured I would re-post it here in case you missed it.

Ok, I realize packing for the holidays or anytime is just one of the dreadful things about traveling!
I am always afraid of leaving something behind that I need!

I'm a list maker!! It saves me and my brain from stressing!!
I just have the list on my fridge and i can check it off and add on as I go!

So the first thing I do is list all the important things that I think I could possibly forget! I actually never pack until the day before I leave because most of the items I am taking are everyday things I use.. It also allows me to get all the laundry clean before I start the process as well!!

Ok so we will start with me & how I pack... I do bathroom items last.. clothes first.
For this last trip (5 days) I grabbed the essentials... It was warmer weather so I didn't really need bulky winter clothing.

I always struggle with dressing Lex, I am much more indecisive on what to put on her than myself. I don't have set outfits I always use so I like to plan out the outfits in advance when I travel so I know I have all the pieces I need.. plus it saves time when I get there!! Last time we went on a mini weekend trip and I didn't do this.. I got there missing a boot and not enough pieces to make outfits!

First, I make sure she has all of her clean clothes in her closet
(it makes it way more easy to go through and find things!)

Second, I grab my cell phone and take quick pictures of the pieces for the outfits.. This is the most important part along with making a list! I love the idea of having all the outfits on my cell phone because I know I will always have it on me & its super easy to whip it out and use!

We were gone 5 days so I made sure to have 5 outfits..
With girls its a little bit more complicated b/c I have to have bows to match everything.. maybe that's just me?! (I am a very matchy matchy kinda person)

Also, don't forget to grab pj's and and church clothes(if applicable)..

I only grabbed 3 sets of pjs b/c i knew my mom had 2 sets at her house that she had bought.

For example, I did not bring a blow dryer on this trip because I knew my mom had one I could use so it saved lbs on my bag at the airport.. which left me with more room to shop or bring home items while I was there!! Most airlines have a 50lb bag limit. I used 40 lbs for me & lex on this trip.

Don't forget diapers, wipes, jackets, toys, good, bottles, sippy cups, etc... It changes for who you are traveling with so this is just ideas to get you started!!

Hope these tips were helpful during your travels!! Let me know if you have any clever packing tips in the comment section.. you can also check out the comment section over at HowDoesShe.. a lot of people had good ideas there too!!

Tuesday's Look {obsessed with purses}

Purses are easily one of my weakness's...
because quite frankly they gotta match the outfit! 

I went through and pulled some of the cutest handbags i'd love to get my hands on!

Forever 21

I am sucker for cream, white, and brown purses 

they are staples and my go-to colors!

Macys

Fossil


and here's my "a girl can dream" purse..
sorry just can't spend $500 on you, especially with how fast my taste is changing

Harrods

Diaper Bag: ShopRuche

I never did use a diaper bag.. i always carry "bigger than life" size purses.

But the one above, looks disguiseably not like a diaper bag :)