Photography 101

Danica got her first camera today. It is actually my first digital camera. My dad bought it for me during an After Thanksgiving Sale at Best Buy many years ago. 2005 to be exact. At the time, the 7.2 megapixels came out at the stores and my dad paid $500 for it. I felt bad about the price and almost didn't want to ask him to buy it for me, but I thought, "Hey, I'll ask anyway." So I did, and to my surprise he said, "Yes." I couldn't believe it! I love him more for that! I recently found the camera while organizing my closet, I also found the charger for it. After a couple of hours of being charged, I pressed the power button and it turned on. Yippee!! It actually still works. Don't you just love finding something old and finding a use for it? So today, I pass it on to my dear daughter. I hope she enjoys taking pictures as much as I do. 

Looking Good

I'm talking about my labs... haha... they're finally looking good. I went to Kaiser earlier to get my blood drawn. Just got the results not too long ago and so happy to finally see my liver enzymes close to normal. If you have been following my blog, then you already know that I've been having issues with my liver. At first, the doctors thought it was Graft-vs-Host, but later on found out that my high levels of Iron (due to multiple transfusions) may be causing it. So I've been having a unit of blood removed every month since August. And now it's confirmed that my elevated liver enzymes are due to elevated Iron in my blood. Glad that problem is finally getting fixed.

Here are some pictures I took of Danica at Kaiser, after I got my blood drawn.

When we got home, we ate lunch and walked Mr. Miyagi. And now it's official... every time we walk the dog, we have to stop and pick some flowers. 

She loves to smell the flowers.

She loves to kiss them.

She loves to play peek-a-boo with me, but only with one hand because she's holding the flowers with the other hand.

Home Sweet Home

I got bored yesterday, so I decided to play with my camera. Just for fun, I turned the dial to the Manual mode of my DSLR and started taking pictures. My little model, aka my daughter, was too tired and didn't want to smile for the camera... so I took pictures of some home decor instead. When I reviewed what I've taken photos of, I suddenly had the urge to go to HomeGoods or even Michaels for more items for the home. Too bad, we have such a small space and I also have to be careful with what I buy, because I have a baby at home who is super curious and just wants to touch everything.

I love this birdcage that I used as a card holder at my wedding. Inside is a Ralph Lauren porcelain container that I got at HomeGoods for $3. It was on clearance because it was missing the lid. I'm not sure what it's for, but I'm using it as a vase. The flowers are from Ikea. I just love how soft the colors are and it's so Shabby Chic. 

Here's a collage that I put together. 

The flowers are made from paper and I got them at HomeGoods. I love that store! The painting above is of my dog, Mr. Miyagi. It is made with acrylic paint by my good friend, Bey. She is awesome, I love her work. 

Today

She discovered the knobs on the dishwasher machine... uh-oh! Here's a reflection from the dishwasher:

I love this face that she makes when my camera flash goes off: 

She's crying because she left her balloon in the house and she wants me to open the door:

Playing peek-a-boo with me:

My Girl Loves Balloons

I'm double posting today. Hehe! I've noticed that all kids love balloons. I haven't met a kid who doesn't. Danica goes crazy when she sees them. Raul bought her 2 balloons at the Ontario Mills mall yesterday. The first one was one of those dogs with legs (so they're not really floating, because the legs are kind of weighing it down... do you know what I'm talking about?). But she didn't really like it, so we spent another $4 on a Hello Kitty balloon. From the second she got it, she never let it go. This morning, she was holding her balloon with one hand and with the other, she was playing and reading her books. She's too funny. I love her so much!

I love taking pictures of every detail, including her curly hair, cute dress and oh those mary jane shoes.

Sometimes, I like to use Photoshop and turn pictures into black and white.

I also like taking pictures of her asleep.

Easter Photos

Hello, everyone! Just wanted to share some photos from Easter (I know I'm super late, but better late than never!). Anyway, Danica got this blue dress as a gift on her birthday. I believe the brand is "Faded Glory" ...but  I'm not too sure (I'll double check tomorrow). And my blue dress was from Marshalls. It came with the skinny belt, too. Not bad for $19.99. I just love the blue with the pink flowers, plus it matches Danica's dress... and I love that! So, here are some photos taken by my sister. If you're in the Los Angeles area and would like your photos taken, please check out her portfolio: http://vivientutaanphotography.com She takes ahhhhhhmazing photos (and I'm not just saying that because she's my sister!). I really do love her work and I know that you will, too =)

Matching dresses:

With Daddy:

Holding on to her Easter eggs:

Hope you love the pictures! Have a good night =)

Cheese and Spinach Ravioli

This is a semi-homemade recipe. I got the cheese and ravioli from Costco, cooked as directed. It takes three minutes to cook the ravioli (my kind of recipe... quick and simple). For the rest of the recipe, here we go... saute garlic, add chicken breast (brown it), add 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup chicken broth, add the cooked ravioli, add baby spinach, transfer to a plate and grate asiago cheese on top. Very simple, right? And it's delish! I love cooking :)

And how cute are these cousins?

Danica and I drove to Pomona today because I had a dental appointment in Walnut. My car wouldn't start this morning so Raul had to jump start it for me. We have two Acuras. The thing is, with Acuras, I noticed that if you don't drive the car within 4-5 days, the battery just drains out. It has happened with my TSX and Raul's TL. And because I'm a stay-at-home mom, I don't get to drive the car much. Anyway, so we finally left the house at 8:30 am and while on the freeway, Danica vomited... a lot! I didn't pull over because I was already running late and plus she just fell asleep after she threw up. The car smelled so bad! It was 9:45 am when I drop her off at my Mom's house. I got to my dentist at exactly 10 am. I hate being late. I'm the kind of person who either gets there early or right on time. So I had my cavity filled, then I stopped by TJ Maxx. OMG! I love that store! I mean, who doesn't??? I bought a pair of nude, Calvin Klein peep toe pumps and yet another ornate frame. Can't get enough of those! After my TJ Maxx trip, I went back to my Mom's and had lunch with my sisters. My mom had a bowl of lemons and oranges, so I decided to have the kids play with them. Haha... don't tell my mom! Oh wait, she'll see the pictures. Oh well, at least they made cute photo props. I love how they turned out. Well, that's all for today. Hope you try my recipe and enjoy the photos. 

I'm Gonna Say It Again

I love my new lens! Aaaah... I'm so glad I bought it. Seriously, I've been snapping a lot (LOL. As in taking pictures)! There are a few things that I want to share with you guys. First, how cute is this white photo frame? I bought it at HomeGoods for $4.99. The baby is priceless ;)

Second, I framed some of my favorite scrapbook papers. What an easy way to add color to the wall, don't you think? I bought them online, 3-4 years ago and don't remember what brand it is.

Next thing is, did you notice what Danica is wearing? Well guess what??? I made it! And here's a tutorial - Make sure your scrap fabric is double the length of the onesie, sew a straight stitch along the middle (do not backstitch), grab the bottom thread (from the bobbin) and pull it. The fabric will start to ruffle. Then just sew your ruffled strip to the onesie. And for the headband, make a thin strip of fabric, make folds, and sew onto an elastic headband. How simple, right? So fun to make, too.

Here's one more project I made using a tutorial by Amanda of kevinandamanda.com:

If you didn't follow my instructions above, you can also check out Amanda's tutorial. She has pictures and step-by-step instructions on how to make the ruffles. Anyway, here is my camera strap slipcover. I love it. It is super cute.

I also have a new recipe, but I think I'll save that post for tomorrow. Enjoy these photos for now:

Got a New Lens

Woohoo! I finally got a new lens for my camera. The one I got is AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX Lens. I think it's great. I'm not a photographer or anything, but just loves to take photographs of my daughter and my paper creations. Speaking of which, I have been so inspired to make cards lately. I will share them with you either tomorrow or next Monday, I promise. Back to the lens, I bought it online because it has great reviews and a lot of people recommended it. I really like it, I think it takes clear photos even if the subject is two feet away. The only thing is it's a fixed lens (so I think that's what it is called), meaning you can't zoom in or out. You'd have to move yourself, which I don't mind at all. Plus, most of the time, Danica wants to come close to me, so it is actually the perfect lens for us... for now. Well, I love it! Let me know what you think.

Bokeh

The best gift that my husband has given to me is my Nikon D5000. I love it because it takes great pictures, even though I don't really know how to use a DSLR. I did take a Photography class in college and learned a bit, but that was such a loooooong time ago and I don't remember most of the stuff. Basically, since I don't know much about changing the settings or putting my camera on Manual mode, I just use Automatic and change the Aperture setting. I love the Bokeh effect that you get when you put the Aperture on the lowest possible setting. I plan to take Photo class again... one day...

I love Bokeh: