waves and sand

dear lake michigan, 

they tell us you're not the ocean, but we're convinced otherwise.

happy friday, loves!

i'll be back monday with lots of big fish stories and pictures to match.

i can't wait to sit and catch up on what you all have been up to this week!

xoxo

so this is permanence

 today i thought i would share with you guys the inspiration//meaning//sources behind my tattoos.

(although i'll spare you the swirl on my lower back. i was 18. end of story. haha)

after that first one i never saw myself getting another...but like most who get work done, i've found an unbelievable form of catharsis...therapy...and healing in getting tattooed.

each one i get is like a little memento or snippet from life and i can't wait to see what kind of stories 90 year old katie is going to have to show to tell!

i have a growing collection of art on my arms...almost all of my tattoos are existing paintings or illustrations. 

and i'm lucky enough to have matt, who is one of the most talented realism tattoo artists in the world, and can handle any project i throw at him.

1. mucha summer

alphonse mucha is one of my favorite artists. his summer print gal was my first big tattoo, done by chad wells, several years ago. she is beautiful and reminds me of peace and warmth and a strength i never knew i had.

source

2. mucha peonies

my talented friend joshua lee did these mucha peonies on the inside of my arm to keep my summer girl company. i wasn't sure if the light colors would translate on the skin, but josh did an amazing job...the flowers are fully saturated in muted pinks and yellows.

source

3. vintage children's book illustration

this illustration is from an old children's book called the new tall tales part 1: reading for independence.

i would lay in bed at night when i was tiny and look at the pictures and dream up what the stories could be about. every time i see it on my arm it reminds me of pure happiness.

this is the first tattoo that matt did on me. it's so realistic and the one strangers come up and touch the most. it's so soft it looks like paint on my skin.

4. audubon cardinals

cardinals have a lot of symbolism in my life...they're the ohio state bird and my grandma and grandpa stratton's favorite. they come to visit my grandma on a regular basis now that my grandpa has passed away. matt is working on this piece on my lower arm in honor of them. 

source

5. little max silhouette

matt gave me this tattoo for mother's day last year. my mom used to draw me and my sister's silhouettes when we were little and i call max my "little shadow". it's the perfect tribute to my guy.

all of these are still works in progress...i'll take details shots to share as they get finished. but i'll warn you, this gal gets antsy for new work (hello, legs)....hence why i have 5 unfinished pieces. haha.

oh dear.

happy thursday, friends!

i would love to hear the meaning behind your favorite tattoos!

p.s. wood grain frames from kitschy digitals.

picture taking

i love taking pictures.

i suppose that's where it begins and ends for me with photography.

i have a passion for capturing things around me to remember for later.
more times then not while i'm awake i see my world cropped in a picture. i see composition everywhere i look....but ask me about the iso used on a photo or my aperture and shutter speed and you'll get a bit of a blank stare.
most of the things i enjoy doing, i do by instinct. whether it's painting or decorating or taking pictures. i usually go with my gut and enjoy the fumbling around...the growing pains of learning or teaching myself something new. i'm slowly taking in the technical ins and outs of photography...and forcing an interest in it. but i think i'll always love just grabbing my camera and going for it...no lighting checks or bells or whistles.
that said, i get a lot of questions about the pictures i take and how i take them. (a big thank you to all of you who have taken the time to write me about this!).
i'm going to try my very best to break it down...but apologize in advance to those of you who know your stuff! my verbiage might sound a little bit like armature hour.

i shoot with a canon 60D.
i got her 4 months ago and it was instant love. she is a dream, that camera! i know there's nicer out there...but i've never had anything more than a cheap little point and shoot before her.
i have 2 lenses right now: a 18-135mm and a 50mm.
both are wonderful but i've been sticking with the 50mm these days. it lets in so much light and allows for some pretty beautiful depth.

every now and again i'll venture onto manual mode when i'm feeling adventurous...but mostly i stick with the p mode...and scoot things around from there. i like being able to snap a photo at a moments notice...and so far, i can't seem to do it as seamlessly in manual. someday! i generally just mess around with my aperture and shutter...i like to let as much light in without washing things out too much...and love keeping the aperture around 2-1.4 for  the detail shots with a nice blur.

editing

i edit all of my photos with photoshop cs3.
i used to use a lot of actions and filters on my old photos (while using a point and shoot)...but the 60D produces such beautiful photos i can't bare to cover them up with a lot of layers.
these days i just tweak the curves and colors here and there...keep things a bit more natural.

today i thought i would share with you how i edit 90% of my pictures.

this is a photo straight out of my camera.
it's a little dark for me...i like to make my photos bright and airy.
so the first step is to adjust the curves.

curves can be found under "image//adjustments".
for those of you who don't have a photo editing program you can use some online! picnik is my favorite! you can edit the curves of your photos under the advanced section (although i think you have to pay for the premium membership)
once the curves window is open, pull the line up from the middle until you get a nice and soft brightness...nothing too harsh. then grab down at the bottom of the line and pull it up...this will make a more even bow in the line and make a subtle contrast in brightness.
my input usually ends up around 50 and the output between 90-100.
(and i still have no idea what that means...haha)

here's the photo with the curves adjusted!

it's much brighter but the colors are still a little lifeless to me.

from here i like to add a pop of color. 

most of you have noticed that, for me, it's red. i love making the reds in my pictures stand out a bit more.

i do that by using selective color. 

you can find selective color in photoshop under "image//adjustments"

this option lets you isolate colors in your photos and adjust them without affecting any of the others.
and it is by far my most favorite thing to tweak in my photos.

 getting started, i usually adjust my neutrals first.

by taking away some of the black it lets me lighten the darker "neutral" tones in the photos just a bit without washing out the lighter tones.

from there i add a bit more yellow and less magenta to the greens...
and to get a pronounced red, i add a bit more black...some yellow to keep it bright and take away lots of cyan to make it glow.

the end result is bright and cheerful...and the pops of color set it off!

it's such a quick and easy fix for a dull photo..and the clarity from the original isn't muddied much by layers of effects.

here's a quick peak at the before...

and the after...

hooray!
i hope this helped answer some of your questions.

when we get back from our trip i will add a "camera bag" tab under my header and keep you guys updated on what i'm using and what works and doesn't work for me.
in the meantime, go out and take lots of pictures and play around. document your life! and appreciate your unique way of seeing the world...regardless of whether you know what you're doing or not!
xoxo

sweet and salty

 my guy loves pretzels...well, pretzels and mallard ducks...but that's a whole other story.

i've never seen him meet a pretzel he didn't like!

we just recently discovered the wonder of ice cream on a pretzel cone and haven't looked back.

it's the best mix of sweet and salty and we're completely in love.

a new summer favorite!

you can buy little packs from our local ice cream shop if you're in the dayton area. 

and i did a little digging online and found this site that sells them.

delicious! 

what are your new favorites this summer?

sweet sue

 

bing crosby- sweet sue, just you

 

Saturday we celebrated my beautiful mama's 60th birthday.

friends and family...husband and daughters and grandbabies got together to love and dote on one of the most spectacular ladies ever known to be.

it was a wonderful party.

we showered her with lots of love, some "old age" teasing, and a tower of glazed donuts.

all of these summer birthdays around here have kept a steady stream of sweets and cake in my life!

but you'll hear no complaints from this gal.

happy birthday, my girl.

you are loved and loved and loved some more.
and i tell you, i feel absolutely spoiled for having such a mother and friend. 

 hoping all of your weekends were good ones!
have a lovely monday, dears!

a boat beneath a sunny sky

we're packing up and headed north for a week of fishing in michigan. 

i've never really been fishing before...so an entire week of it has me a bit nervous. 

but i'm anxious to see what kind of fisherman gal i turn out to be! who knows...maybe i'll be a decent one. and at the very least, max and i can sit on the boat and give names and back stories to the grubs. 

i was going to take the week off of blogging, but i decided to stock pile a few odds and ends to share with you while i'm away...some camera and photo editing information, a closer look at my tattoos, and some of my summer favorite people and places and eats.

happy weekend, friends...and happy last week of july! 

wish me luck. i'm off to go make some cut off jean shorts. ack!

xoxo

light breezes seems to whisper

it's taken me years of listening to myself to realize that i need a little solitude every now and again.
time with myself...my thoughts..the silence around me.
most times i find it in small ways...like in the morning when the boys are still asleep or while alone in the car on my way to and from places.
and sometimes i find it in deliberatly special ways.
sometimes i like to wine and dine myself.
get out the fancy glasses, pile up some strawberries on a cake plate, splurge on a new $1 crossword puzzle book and frosted animal crackers, find a place to stake my claim for an hour, and sit and just be.

i found myself in what seemed like my own little secret garden last night..fresh after an evening thunderstorm. i took pictures and watched the sun set and toasted to the brilliance that life can be...to my max who seems like worlds away...to the simple goodness of sipping through a paper straw or wringing out a rain-soaked hem.
and then i sat. and i listened.

eddie veder- dream a little dream

i hope you all can go stake a claim on an hour for yourself this week.

pull out all the stops for yourself...and don't forget the animal crackers.

<3

picture in a frame

a few weeks ago, matt and i did a little photo shoot, with paints and canvas and cherries, with my beautifully talented friend and photographer, jenny haas.

i'm over the moon excited with how they turned out! she captured the two of us perfectly...they are such a gift to have. i surprised matt with a few of my favorites printed and framed for his birthday.

hop over to jenny's blog to see more!

and make sure to spy on some of the photos in her portfolio. her winter wedding shoot is still one my most favorites ever. 

swoon.

happy happy wednesday, loves!

i'm off to finish up some work then take myself out on a katie date this afternoon. i'm leaving my phone and wallet at home....just a dollar in my pocket and a basket packed from home. it sounds like an adventure.

xoxo