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on my shelf

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I'm a bit of an information junkie. I love to learn and I also really love books. Especially if they're pretty.

When I was younger and all through college and before kids I was a big fiction reader. Usually mysteries or crime stories, but once kids came along my reading time seemed to go away. I found other ways to fill my time and usually didn't need a book to put me to sleep at night - the kids tired me out enough!

These days my shelves have business books, home books and pretty books. I don't get to read everyday so I need something that can sit on the shelf for a while and I can easily pick up where I left off. Are you a reader? What kind of books do you like to read? Any great suggestions to pass along?

xo, c

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ordinary everyday | bedrooms

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Each of the three kids have all used each of the three bedrooms upstairs at one point or another since we've moved in. Now they are all pretty settled and the big has a finished room, the girlie's room is under construction and the little's room is still in decision mode...we need to make a plan there.

For this week's prompt of "bedrooms" I decided to go in and capture little tidbits of their rooms that tell me something about who they are right now. Only three years separate the oldest from the youngest, but their rooms each tell such a different story. Read on (and click on the photos in the strip to see larger) to see what I chose to document about their bedrooms.

the big

For my big kid...what did I want to make sure that I didn't forget? His room is (nearly...waiting on one last thing) the finished bedroom in the house, designed to his idea of a Seahawks bedroom. He seems to love it, spends a lot of time there...which I think is important. I love that he has a space in our home that feels like his that he can escape to when he needs. If you want to see more about his room, click on this post on the carrie owens photography blog. (an updated post with sources and some new art will be coming to this blog soon).

the girlie

Her room is mid-redesign, but her story is still here. I love that (just like in the other two kiddo's rooms) there are always a few water bottles that need to be taken back down to the kitchen sink. I love that her crown from her Halloween costume is still on her dresser. I love that there are currently thumbtack holes next to little notecards with her quotes and sayings that scatter the walls. Those will be patched up soon, painted over and her notecards will be attached to bulletin boards, but for now, I love that she expresses herself through these little notes.

the little

What I love about his room is his personality is starting to emerge and you're starting to see the things that are important to him. He's recently started writing a book, so it's front and center on his dresser with his pencil and sharpener. I love that his collections are starting to shape themselves and that he still has stuffed animals on display. I love that he can clean the center of his room like nobodies business...but can't quite sort out the perimeter yet. Which really means that he needs a better storage system. And might need to get rid of a thing or two.

what is the benefit in documenting this?

For me, I love looking back on photographs of my own childhood and seeing the things that I cherished enough to give them a prominent place in my bedroom. I want my kids to have that same opportunity. I also love that if I took a look back at a photo of their bedrooms from 3 years ago - they would look and feel completely different and tell such a different story. If you want to read my post about documenting your everyday | bedrooms from the series I wrote about documenting your everyday life, click on the button below.

documenting your everyday | bedrooms

xo, c

our summer bucket list

Now that summer is in full swing, we needed to get our summer bucket list up and going so that we could get out there and make some memories and start crossing stuff off that list (I'm a big fan of crossing stuff off of lists).

In setting our goals and plans we've realized that our summers are tight - there's swim practices, football practices, our annual trip to lake powell not to mention all of the things that summer should mean for kids. But there are lots of fun things that we want to do, also.

What am I most excited about? I'm actually excited about all of it...but mostly: drive-in movies. They're so much fun with the kids and since we started going last year, it's one of the things that they are most looking forward to also. What are you looking forward to this summer?

Have you created a summer bucket list or something like it? I'd love to hear what's on your agenda and what you hope to get done this summer! Looking for ideas on how to photograph this warm and sunny season? Check out my post all about photo tips + ideas for summer today.

get out there and enjoy your summer!

xo, c

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photo tips + ideas for summer

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It's here...no school, no homework, lots of sun, vacations and staycations. Shorts and sandals, otter pops and bbqs, sun bleached hair and lots of sunscreen.

SUMMER

Aside from fall and winter and spring, summer is pretty much my favorite season. I'm kidding...kind of. I do love summer, but the heat here in Utah is less than desirable for me. It's my daughter's favorite season, she's an early summer baby and she loves the outdoors and anything water related (might be why she's such a dedicated swimmer). Over the years I've gotten a little used to the sun, I try to embrace it, but as a blonde who often forgets the sunscreen, I'm not quite in love with it yet. But for me, the best part of summer is getting to spend more time with the kids relaxing, exploring and making memories together.

We're working on our summer bucket list (we put one together for Spring Break and we were able to cross everything off of our list!) that I'll be posting about soon but for now I want to talk a little bit about summer photo tips and ideas.

SUMMER photo tips

  • Always remember that the best camera you have is the one that you have with you. If there's a shot to get, take it. Don't wait to run inside the house to get the big camera, grab your phone or your kid's phone or whatever you can find and get that shot!

  • When getting your shot look at where the sun is falling - are you getting big shadows on your subject's faces? Is there a better position that you could get into to eliminate those? Be sure to move around when you're shooting.

  • Don't forget the little items that are essential to summer...sunscreen, water guns, flip flops, etc. Get environmental shots as well as closeup shots and images of the overall scene. Varying your perspective will get you some great images.

  • One of my biggest tips (and one that I'm working on) is to get in the images! Take selfies with your kids, ask a friend or your spouse (or a stranger!!) to snap a photo. You need to be present in your images. Make this a priority, your children and future generations will thank you.

summer photo ideas

If you're thinking about getting a summer bucketlist together, these photo ideas are a great jumping off point.

  • kids sleeping in

  • summer attire

  • ice cream/popscicles

  • road trips

  • sunglasses selfies

  • sunsets/sunrises

  • picnics

  • trips to the park

  • bbqs

  • trips to the pool/beach

  • bubbles

  • sidewalk chalk

  • parades

  • vacations

  • gardening

  • bike rides

  • water balloon fights

  • kids in the sprinkler

  • hikes

  • summer foods

  • summer drinks

  • fireworks

  • the farmer's market

  • arts + crafts

  • indoor quiet time

  • movies

  • campouts

  • s'mores

I'd love to see some of your favorite summer images. Leave a comment with a link to some of your favorite summertime shots that just scream summer. Next week I'll post my summer bucketlist and talk a bit about how we plan on tackling that list.

xo, c

good spot | the front room

Once upon a time there was a glass base lamp that I loved at IKEA. I owned that lamp for maybe a month and then...boys. Kids were playing ball or throwing pillows and crash, that lamp died. I was so sad, but knew that I had kind of been pushing my luck anyway. So it was replaced with a similar lamp that wasn't quite as pretty but was more sensible for the space.

And then, while at Target with my mom recently we spotted the most beautiful glass base lamp. Perfect for between the two chairs in my front room that were my grandmother's that I just can't seem to replace. Giving the room just the right amount of light and a little bit of sparkle from the glass. I'm in love again.

No playing ball in the house, please.

Do you have a favorite little spot in your house that makes you happy when you walk by? Take a moment this week to look closely at the spaces in your home that make you smile. Grab your camera or your phone and snap a photo. Tastes change, kids break lamps, and time moves quickly. While taking photos of the people that we love is important, it's also so important to document our environment. I love looking back on images from my childhood to see the items in the background and I imagine that your children and you will, too.

xo, c

welcome

Hi there - thank you so much for stopping by! I've been looking to create this blog for some time and I'm happy that I've finally got it up and going...hopefully there won't be too many bumps in the road. Over the years I've blogged for many different reasons, most recently for my photography business which I love doing and will continue to do at Carrie Owens Photography. I had been incorporating more posts there about my other interests and just general life and I thought it might be a good idea to create an online home for just those things. So if you are interested in sneak peeks or other photography related tidbits, head over to the Carrie Owens Photography blog to see what I've been up to.

“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.”
— Joseph Chilton Pearce

I hope that you stick around and find posts and information of value here. If there is something that you'd like to learn more about, be sure to let me know. If you are wanting to know more about the topics that I'll be writing about, check out the topics here.

Wanting to connect with me on social media? Do you love instagram as much as I do?  Check out my about me tab above for how to connect with me on the various social media platforms.

xo, c

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