Photography is an art. I have worked very hard to learn as much as I can about taking better pictures. This skill is not just for bloggers but for anyone who enjoys the view!

Photography is a great creative outlet. |Designers Sweet Spot|www.designerssweetspot.com

Photography: My View

When I started this blog I knew nothing about photography. I have learned a huge amount by taking thousands of photos, practice does make perfect! I share my tips and tricks here on the blog so that you don’t have to take 30K photos to figure it out. (But you can if you want to!)

Pretty as a Picture

My favorite photos are taken outside in the garden or landscapes. During our travels, we often stop for me to take pictures of the journey. I share them here on the blog, as well as in my ebooks on Photography:

The 30 Day Photo Challenge

Learning Through the Lens

Techniques Tips and Tricks

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All Posts in: Photography

How to Fix Your Blog When It’s Dying a Slow Death

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If your blog is dead and dying this post is for you! We have all felt like our blogs are stagnant at one time or another, here’s how to fix it! HOW TO FIX YOUR BLOG WHEN IT’S DYING A SLOW DEATH A year ago, I was about ready to give up on blogging forever. I was making no money and had steadily decreasing page views. I was working all the time and getting no where. Today, page views are up, the income is starting to roll in and I am feeling more in control of my future. What changed? Me! I decided to become educated about why my 8 year old dinosaur blog was dying a slow death. HOW TO FIX YOUR BLOG The Genius Bloggers Tool Kit has been one of my best resources on learning to blog. THIS TOOL HAS CHANGED MY BLOGGING LIFE. Make no mistake, I already knew how to blog when I purchased it. What I didn’t know, what that what I had learned when I started blogging was no longer valid. Our blogging business is a fast changing world. Eight years ago when I began blogging, it was easy to learn. You wrote a post about your family or maybe making some crafts, took photos and pressed publish. Readers would flock to your posts, you had great traffic and everything was great. Today’s Blogging World Today, blogging is competitive. Being a blogger is overwhelming. Building your email list, having the right keywords, SEO, Pinterest graphics and social media, even the readers have changed. Readers…
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Blogging as a Business

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Blogging as a business is tough. There have been lots of changes in the blog world the last few years. This is a post that I never expected to write. Blogging as a business is a tough job. There is so much competition today, millions of users write blogs. It wasn’t always like this. My Blog Business Story I began writing seven years ago as kind of a personal journal. We were going through a lot of financial and personal struggles. and blogging was a way to focus on the beautiful side of life and worry less about the hard things. Three years ago, I decided to get serious as a blogger and make blogging my primary business. This was never my intention as I originally began writing just for fun. When I decided to become a business, I stretched myself to learn a little more each day. I learned Blogger, Word Press, new social media platforms, photography, Adobe Lightroom, PicMonkey, Picassa, Photoshop and other related computer programs. I learned to stage my money shots, link up to blog parties, find and work with brand sponsors. My Blog Business Updates Last summer I spent weeks re-writing my old content. I updated dozens of photos, added affiliate links and SEO to my old posts, along with new custom graphics for Pinterest on a total of more than 200 posts. I also redirected hundreds of blog pages to make my blog more efficient and run smoother. To make my site more appealing, I hired designers to install a new theme, and redesign…
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Balloon Rally

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I have been taking it easy lately. It feels good to spend time out doors, and catch up on things behind the scenes. My son and I took a side trip to see the Balloon Rally going on in the Monroe, WI. It’s a lovely small town in the southern part of our state. We ate hamburgers and ice cream from the food vendors, and listened to live jazz and blues music while we watched the balloons. A perfect summer’s evening in my book. I have always wanted to see the Balloon Festival in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I had no idea such a thing existed here in Wisconsin. I happened to see an ad for this event that they haven’t had in almost 5 years. What are the odds? We arrived at the fair grounds just in time to see the balloons filling up and taking off into the horizon. They are of course absolutely huge!  So graceful and beautiful! We were fortunate enough to be right below the flight path…. You would be surprised how loud they are as they release the hot air into the balloon. It seemed like we were so close we could have touched the basket! Have you ever read Around the World in 80 Days? Seeing the balloons makes me want to read it again, such a great book! As the balloons disappeared behind us, we would turn around and there would be another one up in the air ready to take off. There were 6-8 balloons total. They all took off at…
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Red Roses and Old Letters

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I have been reminiscing this week. We have had weddings, graduations and parties, which are fun but emotionally draining. I have taken some time off from my regular creative projects to work on things that I have let slide for a long time. One of the projects is a book I am working on. I am not ready to disclose the project just yet, but here’s a clue. It is a real process and a real struggle. The distractions are everywhere. I have kids that come and go in and out, a hubby who works from home, my Mother lives here, even the cat wants attention. I want time to stroll in the park and think about what I am working on. Focus is elusive when you are working from a chaotic home. There doesn’t seem to be enough time to write. There are things weighing me down and I am not sure at all how things will come out. I have given myself a due date, but I might miss it. I fear would rather go to one of the free concerts in the park and hear the classical music for inspiration. I am a romantic at heart you know. I am getting ready to send out my next newsletter, if you haven’t signed up yet, be sure to do that so you can receive special offers and free items that no one else will get. By the way, our rose bushes are blooming. I couldn’t resist taking pictures of them. They are so captivating! I almost cut them…
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The Secret of the Garden

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  I have been meaning to visit the local botanical garden for the last several weeks. We usually go there once a year in the middle of the summer. For some reason,  I kept putting it off. I was too busy. It would take too much time. It cost too much. I didn’t have time. There would be nothing worthwhile seeing this early in the season. I had seen it all before. I wouldn’t get anything out of it. It would be a waste of time. I needed to stay home and get things done. The blog world needed me. The other day those little voices in my head finally got the better of me. Mom and I dropped everything and made our way to the garden. She had never been there before even though she lived in our area for more than 40 years. We took off and left dishes in the sink. We left wet laundry in the washer. We left no cooked food or directions for making lunch (I know! GASP!). What we saw, shocked me. I was completely amazed at how beautiful the garden was in the spring. Picture perfect. This wooden bridge melted me. Monet’s famous garden in Giverney, France can’t be more beautiful than this. Silly me, why did I think it would not be beautiful?? The pathways were lush and green. The garden was full of birds and wildlife. The trees were still in bloom. Even though they were beginning to loose their petals, they were amazing and beautiful. The fallen petals reminded…
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Sew Fire Learn to Sew Printables

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  Good hello my friends! I am excited for my Live FB segment today! That’s 10:00am CST on Mondays and Wednesdays. Be sure to check it out!  Fridays I am posting a video tutorial for a simple project you can make with your newly learned sewing skills. If you aren’t sure why you should learn to sew, read this post. Actually, this week Friday, I will have a no sew project to give you a few more days to practice if you are new to sewing! You are going to love it, so be sure to stop by! I thought you might appreciate an insight into what goes on behind the camera. I know I love to see how other people do things. I am new to video, I have done a few of them in the past (see my YouTube channel) but I have so much to learn. I recently attended a class on video production, so I feel I have new skills to help me along! For now, this is my Facebook Live recording process. It’s rather funny actually, and if you see me smiling smugly at the camera it’s because I am cracking up inside over this pathetic set up! Hopefully, it won’t come crashing down when I am on camera! The lighting isn’t great but with a few lamps I can improve things a bit. In this photo you will see my cell phone attached to a selfie stick. Yup, that’s what it is. The selfie stick is connected to an old tennis ball holder with…
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Why Vacation Makes Me Loose My Mind

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I have been avoiding the computer lately. This is unlike me, and I am not quite sure of the root of the problem. It seems that since we got back from our recent Florida east coast vacation, writing has been difficult. It seems like the longer we are away, the harder it is to get back to reality.   While we were at the beach, our daily routine was simple. Early morning walks on the beach were followed by leisurely breakfast and excursions to see the local sights. Shopping was a splendid past time, and I don’t normally do a lot of it, so it was a welcome way to spend the mornings. Many of our lunches were eaten on the road, another welcome break from my everyday routine. We love exploring little Mom And Pop type family restraunts along the coast line. Our favorite place was closed the day we were there, I missed eating along the water with the lovely view of the yachts. We stayed with our son who is in college. He and his roommates have rented a sweet little house by the beach. I am envious. I could get used to a place like this. I love the hot orange shade in his bathroom. Not really beachy, but it made me feel warm and sunny the entire time we were visiting. The kitchen was just as nice. Even though we didn’t cook a lot, it was nice to use good quality appliances and beautiful granite counter tops for a little while. I am envious. After…
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Ye Old Car Show

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  It’s a hot day in the summer, and there is nothing better than a visit to the local antique Car Show. My teenagers had no interest in going, I can’t understand it. They would rather tinker with their own cars, than see the old ones. They don’t know what they are missing. There is nothing like the look of chrome on an old car. There just isn’t. These cars tell a story, that’s what makes them so fascinating. My Daddy had an old Ford truck like this. His was old, rusty and without an engine. He had me help him haul it to the storage facility one time, when I was 12 years old. I did not appreciate being dragged away from my sewing to help haul some junky old truck. Dad didn’t have a legal towing bar, so he towed it with an old chain and a very unwilling teen sitting behind the wheel. My job was to steer and hit the brakes to keep the old truck from slamming into the back of the car as he pulled us along. I practically pushed that pedal through the floor, I was hitting it so hard. I cried in terror the entire time. I have never forgotten it. Trucks still scare me for some reason. Don’t ask me why.   My Granny had an old Plymouth Fury in the 1960’s. She had it for 20 years. It had red leather interior with white leather seats, and a gorgeous chrome dashboard. Her car had the coolest push buttons inside, I…
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Copper Falls State Park

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  I have been off the grid this week. We have returned from our travels to the great Northern Territory of Wisconsin. We enjoy camping and this year we decided to explore one of the parks in our home state. We have lived here most of our life, but have yet to see all there is to see in our home state. Copper Falls State Park is one of several parks in the northern area. It has 5 star ratings across the board on Trip Advisor, Yelp and just about every other site I looked at. The park has many amenities like hiking, swimming and boating, and the ones they don’t have are available near by. We chose to hike into our tent site which was a mere 250 yards from the parking area. The park provides a small wagon for hauling your equipment to your site which made it very easy. We have never used a hike -in site, and would do it again. It was a lovely spot, with very tall maple and ash trees. Sleeping under the canopy was great, we were protected from the majority of wind and rain. There were a few Mosquitos, so bring your repellent just in case. Temperatures can be very cool at night here, it was in the mid-forties the few nights we were there, so bring lots of blankets. During the day we explored the parks hiking trails. They were well marked and we appreciated how well groomed they were. As we neared the end of the 2.5 mile trail…
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Blue Glass Bottles

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  Hello friends! I took some time today to pull out my new collection of blue glass bottles. I found them on our recent vacation. I discovered them stashed away in a box of other stuff I was unpacking. I recall that these bottles just had to come home with me, they reminded me so much of the deep blue sea. I love them even more on this chippy window ledge. I don’t ever want to paint it. I found them among rows and rows of decorative stuff at the Old Time Pottery Store. Have you ever been there? It’s fantastic! Next time, I am bringing an entire suitcase along to carry the haul home. Perhaps I will need a trailer too. I just loved the little star fish ornaments that came with the bottles. Aren’t they darling? The twine that holds them on just makes it so beach like. I grabbed these yellow roses from the $3.99 flower bin at Aldi’s over the weekend. I couldn’t wait to add them to the blue bottles. I think I am addicted to this blue shade. Or perhaps the yellow. Or both. Hummmm….. We all need a little color in our lives, don’t you think? Have a lovely day!