As I'm settling in to type this post today I've got Pandora blasting on the birthday present J got for me back in November and the house is ROCKING!!

I'm currently listening to "The Chainsmokers" Station - in particular this new-to-me-song called Faded by Alan Walker. Currently crushing on "Don't Let Me Down" by The Chainsmokers  - it completely booms!!! (and I like boom). *wink*

So let's get to the question this week...

Q: Hello. I've been wanting to ask you about what camera you use? I think I saw Nikon mentioned somewhere but can't remember and don't know what kind. I just love your photos and hope to invest in a new camera soon to help improve on the quality of my photos. I have a Canon point and shoot and it's just not cutting it. Did you ever take photography classes or do you just have a natural ability for taking such pretty pictures? Sorry. Guess there's more than one question here. 
Thanks for answering. - Nikki C.

A: I am one lucky girl, as I was given a new camera for Christmas - the Nikon D750. Prior to that though, I'd been using the Nikon D70 for over 10 years. It was an awesome camera and my first DSLR. It took great photos and the only time it was ever in the shop for repairs was after my daughter, Clara, accidentally dropped it one Summer while we were on vacation. Yikes! 

I decided on going with a "full frame" camera this time - which is what the Nikon D750 is. 
It's a dreamy camera with beautiful resolution, video capability and wifi built in - making it so easy to send the photos I've taken with my DSLR straight to my iPhone for easy uploading to Instagram - or other social media outlets. 

And YES!! I did take a fantastic online photography class many years ago. The gal's name is Karen Russell and when I went to grab the link for you I was sad to hear the news that she has decided, after 10 years, to close up shop. *frown* But her class is where I REALLY learned some key things about photography...and when I got brave enough to switch to "manual" mode. *wink*

With that said, I do still take plenty of photos with my iPhone too! Just not as often for the blog. Over the last couple of years I'd been getting lazy and found myself just reaching for my phone instead of my DSLR - but my passion has been reignited with my new camera. 

If you are looking to upgrade or invest in a high quality camera, you do not have to spend a ton of money - and I would advise against it unless you are considering a career or serious hobby in photography. I was instructed in the beginning to pick a brand and stick with it. Nikon or Canon are the two most popular brands out there and you can't go wrong with either. Of course, I'm a very happy Nikon girl and would push you in that direction. *wink* With that said, great photography is really about learning composition, understanding lighting and PRACTICE!! If you can take a photography class, I would highly recommend it. 

I hope that helps!

RANDOM GIRL TALK
Do you all have a favorite iPhone case you'd recommend?
I recently upgraded to the iPhone 6s Plus and as much as I love the really "pretty" cases out there, I need something that offers serious protection. I ended up going with this OtterBox but I just feel like there's got to be cuter options out there!! And to be honest, I also ordered this Lumee case but it's not really all that cute and I don't take enough selfies to justify the cost - so I'm sending it back.

Thanks for being here my friends!!
And KEEP ASKING YOUR QUESTIONS!
Ask me anything, anytime, by emailing me, leaving a comment here on the blog or by asking your question as a comment on Instagram! (email: pnpflowersinc AT gmail DOT com)

 xoxo!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
For those of you who noticed, I have to apologize for missing our LTT last week.
I've been sick since the end of January and have had zero energy. Two doctor appointments and I'm finally starting to feel the "head cold cloud" lift. #sograteful Thanks for your prayers and positive thoughts - they most certainly helped!

Confession: I've only gotten through about 2 chapters in the owner's manual on my new camera...which means I'm barely using the perks this camera actually comes with.

ART PRINT | Write It On Your Heart

I shared this art print on my Instagram feed a couple of weeks ago.

The accompanying verbiage I posted said - 

"Whatever your dreams, hopes, or wishes...write them on your heart. Reference them often and do something everyday to inch your way closer."

I love that and I thought it ended up so cute I decided to

INSPIRE | When one idea SPARKLES other ideas

I had a customer reach out to me about using the design of the NEW Baby Love Collection invitation and altering it for her daughter's 2nd birthday celebration. She wanted to swap the "Baby Love" with "She Leaves a Little Sparkle Wherever She Goes". I loved her idea and I love how it turned out.

In fact, I decided to turn it into...

DID YOU KNOW | Once upon a time...

Once upon a time there was a girl who loved hand-lettering and doodling.
She used to win awards in elementary school for "best handwriting"
and she'll never forget that her 5th grade teacher chose HER to fill an entire chalkboard with assignments and practice sentences for the rest of the class because she was "such a good speller and had fantastic penmanship."

She has spent much of her life obsessing over the perfect pen and frequenting stationery stores to swoon over the selections of beautiful paper, pens and inks available.

She has doodled on any type of paper medium within reach during phone conversations and long waits; scrap paper, tissue paper, paper towels and even toilet tissue.

When she was a cheerleader she LOVED making the posters for game nights and her favorite part of Science Projects was creating the visual aspect of the experiment using a poster board.

She'll always remember overhearing her grandfather mention to her mother how talented and gifted she was after he saw one of the school project posters she was free-handing.

As a teen standing as a cashier in a grocery store, you could find her doodling and writing poems on the back of old receipts in between customers and when business was slow.

She even taught herself a little bit of calligraphy and a few years later, as a young adult, the president of the company she was working for at the time asked her to address, (in calligraphy), his personal Christmas Cards that season.

She has always loved lettering…even picking her children's names based on the way they looked when hand-written.

When she started her blog she picked the name based on what she loved most: Pen + Paper
and then tacked on "Flowers" to represent her 3 girls = Pen N' Paper Flowers

She has always been a deep-thinking, poem-writing, quote-hoarding, doodle-design making girl.


Her doodles are simple.
Her quotes are simple (most of the time) Ha!!
and the combination of the two leads to some simply fun design/art/stuff.



I hope you'll follow along as that girl continues to add art to her NEW Society6 Shoppe as well as to her Etsy Shoppe.

SOURCES
Rise and Shine Pretty Girl Art Print
Be True to You iPhone Skin

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I have a notebook full of poems and another notebook filled with doodles and hand-lettering I've collected through the years.
I'm hoping to share the doodles with you soon.
As for the poems…I think I'll keep those tucked away…they're pretty embarrassing since most of them were from middle school and high school.

LIFE | Ella Moments for 2013

I'm still enjoying time with my kids for the holiday break but wanted to pop in to say hello and share a quick video I put together the other day using the Flipagram App. I just went through my Instagram feed and picked my favorite photos of Ella from 2013 and then added Ella's favorite song and voila! I have a fun slideshow of my favorite "Ella Moments"...



Approaching a new year is always so emotional for me! I'm sure it is for all of us.
There's a lot of reflection we all do about the past year of our lives and of course we all do a lot of dreaming for the new year ahead too!

My heart has been really, REALLY heavy lately about simplifying.
I'm going to be very intentional with my time in the coming year…
and to avoid getting into any deep conversation about it for now…I'll leave it at that.

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Big changes and big decisions are standing right in front of me…
they are literally blocking my ability to move until I address them head on.
Change can be scary but ready or not…here I go...

EMPOWER | Flipagram App

Sharing the latest fun app I've downloaded...

I discovered Flipagram when my friend Aedriel shared it on Instagram last week.

I love the idea of being able to create a quick video using photos from my Camera Roll OR my Instagram feed with the option of adding music from my personal Music Library! Yes!!

When you are done you can share it via Email, Facebook, YouTube OR directly to Instagram.

I shared my first Flipagram video via Instagram last week...want to see it?

I simply picked some of my favorite daily "She Said" inspirational art I've been creating and posting on my Instagram Feed and put the images to music. That's it! It was SO easy!

I've got to work on the timing of the music but hey...I think it turned out pretty cute as my first Flipagram video.

Here's how to do it...

1. Pick the photos you want to use (from Instagram OR your Camera Roll/Photo Library)

2. Rearrange them in the order you want.

3. Add music from your Music Library (optional)

4. Adjust speed (or just pick the automatic 15 second option for loading to Instagram)

5. Add a title (optional)

6. Save to Camera Roll (which automatically saves to your Flipagram Account too)

7. Post to Instagram, Facebook or YouTube or email it to someone!

I look forward to creating more fun videos and sharing them on my Instagram feed.

I hope you'll try it out too!

Here's what I like about the app:

- having the option to use photos from either my camera roll OR Instagram.

- knowing my videos are stored on my Flipagram Account so I can access them ANY time.
- being able to include photos I've already edited.

- knowing I can create a video and SAVE it for POSTING LATER - it doesn't have to be RIGHT THEN!

- the "Instant Preview" feature allows me to see the video before posting to make quick changes.

Things I would change about the app:

- I'd love to be able to pick the start place of the song when adding music.

If you are into the creative photo apps as much as I am...
here are some of the other apps I've shared here:

Rhonna Designs

A Beautiful Mess

Leme Cam

Vintique

Hoping you are inspired to try them out!

Tag and follow me on Instagram using @pnpflowers & share your Flipagrams with me!
I'd LOVE to see them!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

Some people view photo apps as distractions or time-wasters.
I really look at them as tools that push my creativity.
I DO have to be mindful of my time using them...
I can easily get lost in the creative process! *wink*

EMPOWER | Rhonna Designs App

It's here...

the brand-new...

recently launched...

Rhonna Designs App

You know I like to keep you updated on new phone apps...related specifically to photo editing.
This new app is going to blow your doors off!! It did mine!!

It provides a really fun way to dress up your Instagram photos...
& create inspiration to share with the world.
This app is LOADED.
I'm not even kidding.
You won't believe all of the creative elements you'll have right

EMPOWER | A Beautiful Mess App

Among the projects and chaos of life...
I've also found time to dive into a FUN, brand new photo app!

 A Beautiful Mess App

The ABM app is currently available in the +iPhone Apps section of +iTunes  - (with hopes of an Android version in the future).

The app comes with fun doodles, a variety of backgrounds, playful borders, a handful of fonts and some cute phrases  to add to your photos prior to posting them on Instagram. (and other social media)

READ MORE ABOUT THE APP HERE.

I've been tapping into my inner poet lately -  the one I left behind shortly after high school.

Inspired by the SHE book by Kobi Yamada...

I've been writing my own "SHE" lunch box notes to include in my oldest daughter's lunches in the mornings.

I decided it was time to start writing them down for keeps...

and I've been sharing them on Instagram with hopes of inspiring and empowering others.

(By the way...I'd LOVE for you to FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM and keep up-to-date with what I've got going on behind the scenes. *wink*)

With that said...

When the ABM App launched - it seemed perfectly natural...

EMPOWER | Leme Camera Photo App

I'm sure you've noticed a pattern lately...

me posting square photos...

square photos with "burned edges"...

square, edge-burnt photos finished off with a fun polaroid frame-type look to them...

Well as much as I'd love to say I'm just an amazing photographer...

The truth is...

I've just found an amazing camera/phone app I'm in love with. (and slightly addicted to using).

I'm going to share my secret weapon with you today...

so you too can easily achieve the same results I've been posting.

Introducing...Leme Camera Photo App

Please Note: This is an actual CAMERA app designed to take photos...NOT a photo editing app.

Here's the scoop directly from Leme Camera:

"The heart of Leme Cam is the unique charm found in simple film photography. We urge you to have fun! Capture your style, emotion, and your creativity using our chic, unpredictable, yet delightfully retro “toy” cameras, cool lenses, and funky films. There are no rules. Shoot anything, shoot everything! You never know what amazing pics you’ll get!"

Learn how to go from "average"...

to artistic...

Open the Leme Cam phone app... 

(Download the FREE app right here)

SETTiNGS

I use the SAME EXACT CAMERA SETTINGS every time I take a picture using Leme Cam.

I've tried some of the other options and the polaroid-ish results I'm sharing with you today are my favorite.

These are MY personal preferences so feel free to adapt the steps to your own likes.

Do this one time and you'll be set every time you open the app.

Open the Leme Cam app and click on the "MY PHOTOS" button

Click the "SETTiNGS" button

Scroll down

 Turn on "BACKUP PHOTOS TO CAMERA ROLL"

Go BACK to main menu

Now here's the FUN part...

Click on CAMBAG

Important Note: See the "Random and "Manual" Dial at the top left of your Leme Cam?

I leave my dial on MANUAL.

  This allows me to take photos using the settings I've chosen. (and the settings I'm about to share with you).

Choosing "Random" will allow Leme Cam to pick and choose

 various frames, film and camera combinations every time you snap a photo.

Pick your CAMERA, LENS and FRAME from a variety of options.

Simply scroll up or down to view all of the options within each separate category...

Make the following selections: LEMELEME, MARGARTIA & WiDESCREEN and click FINISH

These are the settings I use EVERY TiME I use the Leme Cam app for taking photos...

TAKE YOUR PHOTO

YOU ARE DONE...

View your Leme Cam photos in your Camera Roll and post to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter

See the side-by-side difference?

I hope you love it as much as I do.

Have fun playing around with all of the options Leme Camera offers.

Perhaps you'll create your own signature "go-to" camera settings. 

THiNGS I LOVE ABOUT LEME CAMERA

• Square Photos (no cropping needed - ready to load to Instagram)

• Photo Resolution - (perfect for posting to my blog - without resizing)

• Simply tap on the screen to select your focal point

• Taking photos indoors using harsh lighting still produces cool results with Leme Camera.

With that said...my favorite photos are outdoorsy - the settings I've shared today have a "vintage-blue-ish" tint to them and make photos of nature and images captured outside look especially pretty.

KEEPiNG iT REAL

I pretty much use Leme Cam to compensate for the potential of underexposed photos.

I don't have to stress about lighting conditions...

I just point and shoot and the results are typically cool. *wink*

EMPOWER | Vintique Photo App

As a photographer...

who'd have thought I'd be addicted to using my iPhone for taking photos for just about everything...

Instead of reaching for my Nikon D70.

It's almost painful for me to have to whip out my DSLR anymore...

only because I know I have to take the photos...

upload the photos...

edit the photos...

and then save the photos.

Which is essentially what we are going to do today...
except the results are instant...
and can all be done with your phone...
using a super cool vintage photo app.

Here's my process for turning an ordinary phone-camera-photo...

into something "vintage" and "unique" using: ViNTiQUE

Ella decked in stripes and her Daddy's Shoes

Here's a photo of Ella I posted on Instagram last week...(and FB too, I think).

ORiGiNAL PHOTO

Big difference, right?

STEP ONE

SELECT THE ViNTiQUE PHOTO APP FROM YOUR PHONE

This is a .99 app available for download on your iPhone.

STEP TWO
SELECT YOUR PHOTO
With high resolution turned on...select the photo you want from your Camera Roll.
(you can also take photos straight from the ViNTiQUE app... I just prefer altering photos I've already taken)

I blurred out the number of photos I had because it was too embarrassing to post...*blushing*

Here's the photo I want to work with...

STEP THREE
ENLARGE YOUR PHOTO
Using the "+" button, click and hold until your photo fills the entire screen...creating a square.
(With this particular photo, enlarging it into a square would've cut off Ella's feet and head so I only enlarged it a tad)

Notice the slight adjustment between the two photos?
Enlarging the photo slightly eliminated some of the electrical switch above Ella's head and some of the foreground at her feet.
It still leaves me with a white border on both sides of the photo.
(which isn't what I typically like to do - but it works out...you'll see).

STEP FOUR
PRESS "USE" TO BEGIN THE FUN
Once you've got your photo enlarged and to your liking, it's time to begin editing.

STEP FIVE
CHOOSE A FILTER
Scroll through the "FX" (effects) and click the filter you prefer for your particular photo.
I selected "Mind Map" for this photo - the effect is applied to the entire square, blending my white edges.

STEP SIX

EDIT YOUR FILTER

Vintique offers a variety of ways to customize the filters and vignettes they offer

A list of textures related to the filter you chose are displayed at the bottom.
Click on each texture to turn it on or off and play around until you like the results.

I turned off the 4th button from the left  - which added more color to Ella's clothing.
I then scrolled all the way to the right and turned off the last texture - which lightened up the edges.



When you are satisfied, click the "Hide Edit" button to be taken back to your main menu.

STEP SEVEN

ADD A VIGNETTE

Select the "Vignette" button from the main menu and play around with the variety of effects.

I chose Vig9 which brightened the photo up even more so.

STEP EIGHT

SAVE YOUR PHOTO

When you've got your photo the way you want it, save it.

I prefer to save mine to my album just in case I want to access it again or repost it somewhere else.



ALL FINISHED!!

In today's tutorial, we only took advantage of the "FX" and "Vignette" features from the Vintique menu bar.

Here's a breakdown on all of the features and options available in the Vintique app:

32 vintage filters available...(with the option to turn adjustment steps on and off)

19 Vignette options (and the option to adjust the opacity as well)

49 Frame selections

Photo Editing Adjustments:

• Bright/Contrast/Saturation

• Vibrance

• Temperature/Tint

• Highlight/Shadow

• Exposure

• Gamma

• Hue

With a finished photo, you then have the ability to:

• Open in Instagram

• Save to Album

• Share on Facebook

• Share on Twitter

• Send as an Email

• Open in other apps

Vintique is a powerful photo editing app that is definitely worth the .99 investment. (my opinion). *wink*

I hope you learned something new today.

If you have any questions, let me know.

Or if you have some favorite photo apps you'd like to share...

leave a comment - I'm always looking for new things to try.

Hugs to you, my friends!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

Heading to the park today for a picnic with Ella.

I'll be "Unplugged for Love" for a good part of the day - looking forward to it.

DiSCOVER | Green Smoothies & Photo-A-Day

It's Summer...
and although I'm still up at 3:45 a.m. most days...
trying to slip in extra work hours before anyone wakes up...
I've still been able to sneak in some fun here and there with the kids.
(which is also the main reason for getting such an early start on my day).


I've also discovered a couple of new things I've chosen to implement into my daily schedule...
I thought you may be interested in them too...

THING ONE

Green Smoothies

I've got some lifestyle goals for myself...
one of which includes continuing to incorporate more vegetables into my daily diet.
This green smoothie recipe is one of the best I've found, (thank you Grandma Kirkland)
and allows me to start my day off right.

RECIPE AND INSTRUCTIONS (Makes 2 servings)

5 cups spinach (or kale) 

2 medium bananas (frozen)

2  1/2 cups water

1/4 lemon (frozen)

agave nectar (to your liking)

1/2 cup frozen pineapple/mango pieces

Combine everything using a heavy-duty blender.

TIPS:

Purchase the following items in bulk from Costco/Sam's and then freeze in Gallon Size Ziploc Bags

Spinach (yes, you can freeze spinach. I didn't know that either).

Bananas (peeled and cut in half)

Lemons (quarter the lemons and freeze - seeds & rind included)

Pop the cut lemons in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes and then shake the bag so the lemons don't stick/freeze together.

Pineapple/Mango Frozen Fruit - already bagged *wink*

THING TWO
Photo-A-Day Challenge

I have discovered "PHOTO-A-DAY" prompts created by Fat Mum Slim.
These are daily prompts to inspire you to photograph/document the everyday.
The list of prompts above is for the month of July.
(Today is July 16th so the prompt is "sign").

Taken straight from the Fat Mum Slim website

Here’s how to play:

1. Look at the list. What’s the prompt for the day? Let’s pretend it’s self portrait.

2. Take a photo of yourself, either in the mirror or some way else.

3. Upload your photo to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, your blog, Pinterest or where ever it is you want to share your photo. Use the hashtag #photoadayjuly so people can find your photos

4. Check out everyone else’s photos. Comment or like them!

For me...

PHOTO-A-DAY was just what I needed to push me to document the everyday...

which has led me to REALLY look at the little things around me...

and photograph things I may have previously thought to be insignificant...

which in reality are the little details of my life that tell my story.

It's also inspired me creatively.

I've been having so much fun using the amazing apps available for

truly taking my "iPhoneology" to an entirely new level.

Here are a few examples from my Instagram feed...

Photo Prompt: Building

Photo Prompt: Open


Photo Prompt: Chair


Photo Prompt: Fun


Photo Prompt: Best Part of Your Day


Photo Prompt: Busy


Photo Prompt: Self Portrait


Photo Prompt: Something Cute



Photo Prompt: Drink


Photo Prompt: Empty

I LOVE looking back through my photos...

remembering the little moments.

If you are inspired to join the Photo-A-Day challenge - jump right in.

And don't stress if you miss a day. (or two...or three - don't sweat it...it's supposed to be fun - not a arduous task). *wink*

Otherwise, if you are just looking to make photo-taking more fun...

check out the list below:  

My favorite iPhone apps: (most are available for Android phones too).

Leme Camera

Phonto FREE

LensLight

Pixfx

BubbleFrame

Pixlr-o-matic FREE

I'll be sharing a simple tutorial this week to take you through the steps of my process.

Another FABULOUS TiP:

From my computer, I absolutely LOVE using Pinstagram for viewing my Instagram photos.

Pinstagram makes it super easy to

• follow others

• comment on photos

• "LOVE" photos

• Pin photos to "Pinterest"  (super cool)

• Post to Facebook

• Post to Twitter

I hope I've helped to get your week off to a great start!

If you've been inspired to join PHOTO-A-DAY...I'd love to know.

Looking forward to a fun week ahead!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

I've been packing J's lunches in the morning...

and sending him off with a green smoothie too.

He wasn't excited at first...

But after tasting the smoothie - he's not complaining. *wink*

Besides, it makes me feel good knowing I'm pumping him up with good vitamins.