{tiny} bird eggs

Today I have something specail to share.  My mom was watering her flowers the other day and found these tiny little bird eggs nestled inside one of the hanging baskets on her front porch.  They were too perfect and so we decided I needed to take a picture or two.  It was very difficult to get my camera lens past the multitude of flowers consuming the hanging basket, but I managed and now have these happy photos shining with the beauty of nature.  My mother takes great care in grooming her many flower pots and baskets (I think it's sweet that little birdies seem to also love them right now ; ) and am hoping to remember to capture a bit if their cheerful radiance the next time Ryan and I visit.  Have the best week.  <3 Carrie

{on holiday} 4th of july

(Photos and Photoshop Actions by me.  If you click on the images you can view them larger in Flickr.)

This weekend I'm leaving you with some cheerful 4th of July photos. We had spent a super fun evening at Ryan's cousin's house.....eating the best food, enjoying the company of family, watching endless fireworks go off all around us and even lighting some of our own. Of course my favorites were the sparklers! And even though I didn't get to light any of my own I had the best time photographing them. Wishing you a very lovely weekend.  <3 Carrie

P.S. I learned to capture light drawings with my camera from taking Kara's Summer of Love class a couple summers ago. She is re-teaching it this summer (or you can just buy the PDF), and I highly recommend taking her class if you haven't yet.....I think it helps make your summer photos all the more special.

{simply} amazing | the layout

Our little adventure strolling down the Elwha with my Dad for Father's Day was so much fun I decided to create a 12x12 layout using the Instagrams I took while there.  (You can see all the photos I took from that day HERE.)   It's my first scrapbook layout since moving to Seattle, as well as my first one using hexagon photos!

For this layout I used lots of sewing with hanging thread, popped-up the photos to give more depth, layered thickers with a bit of paper for texture, and used spray paint splatter in the background to help the photos stand out.  I also created the custom hexagon borders in Photoshop for matting the photos.  All in all this was a fun and easy layout that brings back the best memories.....which I now have hanging in my craft room : )

Today I also have my first video tutorial to share with you on how to create an octagon shaped photo using Photoshop.  (I used CS5, but the commands are the same for Elements.)  As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments.  Enjoy!  <3 Carrie

Turning Photos Into Octagons from Carrie Elias on Vimeo.

P.S. I did use hexagon's in my layout, so if you decided to create hexagons instead of octagons, just change the number of sides to 6 instead of 8 after selecting your polygon tool.

{you} can find me here too

Thank you all so much for your kind words about my grandmas passing.  The last week and a half has been tough, and your kind wishes are a blessing.  Above is a photo I took (with my phone) of my sister and her husband kayaking a week ago Monday.  We had just found out that our grandma passed away that morning.  To help us find a little peace some of my family and I escaped to spend the afternoon at Lake Crescent.  I'll post more pics from this lovely place soon.

However, this week I thought I'd start by sharing the different ways you can see what I'm up to and keep in touch.  I've received a few questions about finding me through other social media and hope this will help.....

• Instagram - this wonderful smartphone app is now available for both i-phone and android!  My username is carrieelias, and I post photos mostly of my adventures on the weekends, but also here and there throughout the week.  Eventually most of these photos end up on my blog, but you can see them right away on Instagram.  (The pic above is also an instagram.)

 

• Twitter - my username is carrieelias, and I mostly tweet when I have blog posts to share, but also link a lot of my Instagram photos and occasional randomness when something exciting happens.

 

• Email - my email is carrieelias@yahoo.com, and I love to hear from my blog friends.

 

• Bloglovin - this is my favorite way to keep track of all my favorite blogs.  It's easy and fun.  Anyone can sign up for an account, and if you want to add my blog to your feed just search for "Blume and Grow" and click follow.

 

• Flickr -  my username is carrie elias, and this is one of the easiest ways to view a past photo from my blog, as well as look at my design and photography portfolio.

Right now I'm not on Pintrest or Facebook, but will let you know when that changes.  If you have any other questions, feel free to ask with a comment.  <3 Carrie

{watching} the thunderstorm

I just wanted to pop in with a quick update since it's been two weeks since my last post. My grandma passed away from cancer in her sleep Sunday night, and everyone's sad and busy preparing for her memorial. I am in the process of making a book with all these great photos of her from the 50's and such. It has been very therapeutic.

The photos above are from this morning. Today I woke up to loud thunder, crazy warm weather, and hug raindrops on and off. Our puppy Ponyo likes to look outside the window while he listens to the loud booms (even though the back door is open for him to go outside if he wants). It's very cute. I plan on being back to my regular blogging schedule either Monday or Tuesday of next week, and I have lots to share. Sending love to you this weekend.  <3 Carrie

{guest post} with my creative brightside

Hey friends it's me, Stephanie from My Creative Brightside!! So happy to be over here at Blume and Grow doing a fun guest post on a nice ice cold summer treat. Ice cube creations seem to be all the rage now a days and I thought it would be fun to make up some of my own. These are great to add to any drink, not just the ones I have made.

 

Plain and Simple Directions:

• Brew your desired tea as directed.
• Freeze ingredients such as chamomile flowers, mint leaves and pure lime juice into ice cube trays.
• Drop them in and let the party begin.

 

A big thanks to Stephanie for this guest post! These refreshing treats look amazing!!! I officially now inspired to make some of my own :D

And if you are interested is seeing a DIY on how I created my Summer Wishes Mini cover, hop on over to her blog today. Happy Tuesday!  <3 Carrie