Sunday, January 1, 2012

Wishes can come true

Welcoming in the first day of 2012 finds me excited and reflective. 
I am so grateful for all I have~and so excited to start another year.
 Dream it, Wish it, Do it is a saying around this house~
encouraging one's self to dare to wish and then accomplish!
 Discovering blogland has unleashed the creative forces inside me
in a deeper way than ever I have ever experienced. 
On New Years Eve I happily spent my time drawing and painting.
Mr. Maison Decor was preparing to tame the lions 
down at the police station on the midnight shift.
So as he went off to bed early for his prework nap, 
and I spent most of the evening creating.
I will be sharing this project later this week~
it is something that stretched my creative tendons.
 So grateful and excited to have the Canon DSRL camera~and look what I learned already. Trying to move away from Auto focus into custom settings I discovered "Creative Autofocus".  The main reason I did not like auto is that you cannot eliminate the flash, and since my house tends to be dark, it was popping off all the time, creating an image like you see above. This is our remote control.  Hubs snapped this pic with Autofocus.  It is nice and clear~but look how it looks on Creative AutoFocus.
This picture was taken ten minutes later. Same interior lighting, but now I could control it by selecting that the flash be off, I was able to brighten the picture taking setting and make the background blur. You can make the background sharper or blurrier with Creative Auto. You can lighten every pic or darken every pic until you change the settings again. It is so much better!! 
I was amazed at how much better this picture was. Another wish I want to fulfill this year is to learn how to take better pictures by truly understanding the camera and what it is capable of doing. I will be sharing what I learn here and there along the way~so if you are on the learning curve of DSLRs I am hoping you will find this helpful.
The winter is a good time for reading and learning and being creative.
It has yet to snow in Boston, with the exception of one freak storm early on.
I find once there is snow cover, it makes me feel like
 cooking stews and soups and reading by the fireplace and painting and sewing.  
I also read so many great books on design in 2011 and I will be sharing these with you too.  My latest read was Patina Style, which was a Christmas gift, and it really resonated with me. Last Christmas I got Barbara Streisand's book, My Passion for Design, and it was a tremendous book, one of the best I have ever read! Reading design books is one of my favorite past times, always tons of inspiration in the pages from so many different perspectives.
My best wishes for the coming year to all
 of my blog readers, followers and friends.  
A special wish goes out to Nita who had a difficult year 
and I know better things await her in 2012. 
Wish it, Dream it, Do it!

29 comments:

  1. The pictures are great. I have never used auto or creative auto focus. Maybe I should try creative auto. I use manual mostly. You have a nicer tripod than me. I think I will look into getting a better one this year.

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  2. Happy New Year Amy! You are off to a wonderful start. Looking forward to your posts in 2012.
    Hugs,
    Penny

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  3. Kim, I found my tripod at Costco. It is by Sunpak and it is very good~I think it was only $25 or $30. It can raise your camera up very high, and has adjustable legs in three sections.

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  4. Happy New Year Amy! I look forward to sharing your journey through 2012! Great animal print outfit! Enjoy the new camera too.

    Wanda

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  5. Happy New Years Amy I am so glad your wishes came true. Love you jammies!

    All the best in 2012!

    I hope you will enter my Giveaway From Serena & Lily!

    xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

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  6. Amy you in your leopard pjs taking pictures is a hoot..you are one stylish photographer. I enjoyed this post so much for so many reasons not the least of which is how much I like you! I love how genuine you are..Love your passion for learning and evolving and growing....it is so inspiring.
    Thank you for your blog, your friendship and for continuing to inspire and beautify the world through your many projects and how you so openly share them.
    Maybe you can teach ME how to use my camera, I loved the second and much improved upon picture...wow what a difference!!
    Cheers to an amazing new year and wishing you lifes best!

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  7. You are so cute! I hope to be learning with you when the day comes for a new camera. Love your new pictures already. Happy New Year Amy.

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  8. I'm loving all your good photography! I can really tell a difference. I love that book, Patina Style too. I bought it soon after it was released and it is one of my favorites. Glad to know that you're enjoying it too.

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  9. love yer blog, yer energy, and yer eye for beauty. keep creating lovely and sharing it here!

    best to you in 2012.

    michele

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  10. Lovin' the jammies girlie!
    Too cute!
    I am so excited for you and your new camera! I wanted one but went with a sink... I totally needed it!
    I bought Brooke's book last March when it was released and it resonates with me as well! It's as if she was speaking to me...her style is right on!
    Happy New year my friend! I am looking forward to this new year and what it brings
    Blessings and hugs
    Donna

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  11. Amy,
    You are looking so cute in your animal prints with your tripod and new camera. Girl, it won't be long until your shooting photos for those decorating mags that you love so much!

    Your passion is clearly shining through.

    hugs
    Sissie

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  12. Nice post Amy... i'm feeling hopeful and excited about 2012 too. Your house is looking fantastic, and i'd love to get my hands on some of those books on your little round table. Looks like a really cool sketch you have going there too... i'm intrigued. I love ALL the pillows on your sofa right now. They are a perfect combination... Happy 2012 to you too my friend, wonder what we'll stir this year?! I started with the evil upstairs closet!

    Cindy

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  13. Hi Amy,
    Happy New Year x
    Loving the etched mirror on your mantle and your pj's! It is really amazing how much different the picture looks,wow can you imagine in a few more days you will be a pro!
    I bought the Barbara Streisand book after reading your review and i love it too.
    Now i need a tripod too :)
    xxx

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  14. Happy New Year Amy! Love your pj's! Have fun with that new camera!~Hugs, Patti

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  15. Looking forward to another year of your wonderful blog! Happy new year. M.

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  16. I was debating getting that Barbara Streisand book myself, Amy! My mother said its the best one she's gotten. I'm with you ~ winter to me is the best time to curl up with a book and throw. If a nap should creep its way in there, I'm fine with that, too! : )

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  17. You look adorable in your jammies!! :) Happy New Year my friend!! xoxoxo Rachel

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  18. Happy New Year! One of these days I will have a nice camera, but that's not going to happen for a while.

    I know it's amazing how different pictures turn out when you change the settings! I thought those were two different remotes!

    BTW, I'm hosting my first linky party on my blog Small Moments. I'd love it if you stopped by and linked up something from your beautiful blog!!! I love your blog and your ideas!

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  19. Happy New Year to you. I too have learned so much from blogland and so glad I found so many wonderful blogs such as yours for inspiration.

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  20. Hi Amy,
    what a beautiful post. I wish you and yours a wonderful new year, full of luck, love and inspirations.
    Best greetings, Johanna

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  21. A 2012 resolution of mine is learning how to use my Nikon - so I'll be following you as we go along together!

    I believe that winter is God's gift to us in many ways, mostly because it forces us to slow down & become introspective. I use it to focus on my plans & my style for the coming year!

    Sarah

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  22. Happy New Year Amy! I too got a new Cannon DSLR camera for Christmas and I have been playing around with mine. So much to learn but am excited that you will be sharing what you learn along the way with us. I can use all the help I can get!!! Enjoy your day....Gail

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  23. It is amazing how much better photos look without the flash, isn't it! Can't wait to see more photos. Happy New Year, Amy!

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  24. That photo difference is amazing! I absolutely love that wood? piece over your mantel behind your mirror! FABULOUS!

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  25. Happy New Year Amy ! I can't wait to see your posts on design books, I love them too.
    Your drawing looks beautiful, I hope you'll share it when it's finished.
    I don't know if you're aware of this site :
    http://www.digital-photography-school.com/
    It's a community of photographers and they have lots of tips and tutorials for DSLR's. Click on Photography Tips And Tutorials and you will find many many pages on a variety of subjects.

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  26. I'm a bit behind in my blog reading, but I had to leave you a comment. Love your jammies! Happy New Year! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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