Sweet Nothings

Ever gotten so little sleep that you pour coffee into the cereal bowl? 

This was my morning. So maybe I'm not used to the whole school thing yet.

BUT. ARE WE LOVING THE NEW LOOK? There are still some details. But I'm on a sugar HIGH. Kal couldn't have been more dead-on if she'd been swimming around inside my head. I told her yesterday that she's a Magical Fairy Princess Of The Color Wheel. Today I'm revising it to International Monster Queen Of People Puzzles. Want some background as to how this whole design process has gone? Well, she sent me a simple email asking if I happened to have a few shots of something sweet. You'd think since that's my thing, I'd have some on hand. Well I do, but I had to do a Special session. And let me get on a tangent again about how much San Antonio SUCKS when it comes to swanky cupcakes. If you're wondering what business to open here (Tina) THIS IS IT. I will be your first customer, and between Sandee (who makes her husband bring back Sprinkles from business trips) and me, we will pay your overhead.

ANYway. I sent her some of these shots. Not the love of my life. Wished I had a macro lens, but whatever.

 

Digging the Choxies? That's right, I'm the one who buys them.

Then it got ugly at Target when I wandered down the candy aisle. This idea came to me about using candy names to identify my website photo categories. Let me overexplain...This shot was going to be "Maternity" section indicator. Get it "DOUBLE bubble"...you know any time you have to clarify a joke, it's not worth telling. But I was on a roll.

Ya'll. This was going to be my "Graduates" indicator. Get it? JUNIOR mints...har de har har.

And it just went on like that. "Bazooka" for the "flash" button. "Turtles" for HTML. I'm talking CORN people. Child of the Corn. But Kal talked me off the ledge like a PRO. She realized that what I really wanted was some color and some POP. So that's what she did. And that eliminated my need to have fourteen flashing, pop-up go-go dancers surrounding every image. She gave me bright, but made it monochromatic enough so that the photos still shine. Actually now they even sing.  

So, moral of the story: Sometimes you have to try your lame ideas to get to the good ones. And that brings me to Cathy's post which I loved about the book she's reading. You MUST read that quote about how fear kills artwork. I was just talking to Jason about this the other day. How photography (specifically portraits) is a unique artform. Because you rarely have the luxury of creating something in the confines of your safety zone. Usually you're with someone you've just met, who is a little nervous about you and the process. So, you have to be calm enough that it calms them. Which is easy when you're always doing the same old routine. The trick is to stay loose and push yourself through the tendency to want to be safe. The really good shots are usually not the safe ones. Of course I don't mean that literally, like you should dangle someone off a cliff. I mean that you should try the idea you've had floating in your head, even if it means you have to make someone lay in a field or jump off a bench. Take the risk. It might be lame, or it might rock. Either way you'll know. AnyHOOT. This is quite a lot for a morning that started out with coffee in a bowl. 

I do have one more thing about Cathy's site though. She has the best playlist. We listened to it all through dinner lastnight. And Jason (The Grand Master DJ Funky Fresh Music Buff) even said, "Wow, she's got taste". I'm telling you people. Check her.

Let's see...that's just not long enough, is it? Because I have to announce the WINNER of my candy game yesterday. How fun was that?! Drumroll please. Amy from Missouri who had the closest guess. Congratulations girl! Email me your address for the biggest sugar rush of your life. I'm sending all of this to you EXCEPT for the Smarties, which will go to Kal. Because I think she's secretly yearning for the REAL thing. ;0) 

By the way, the number was 11. It's my favorite. My mom started it when she noticed that every time she looked at the clock, it said 11:11. Then we, along with my sister started calling it our "heavenly hallmark". Without sounding too crazy superstitious, I think it's good luck whenever I see 11:11. Like a little reminder that I'm not alone. 

Tomorrow, some of my favorite maternity shots yet.

CIAO!

Comments

[Kal]

THAT IS JUST WRONG. PLAIN OLD WRONG seeing Smarties hacked up like there where it should say ROCKETS. Believe me - ROCKETS is a better name because after you eat a bag of those bad-boys - you MOVE LIKE ONE. You sure don't get smarter... I have been sent a BIG, BIG list of the goodies that you guys don't have down there and I'm off to create a sweet basket to send over.

AND oh my god. Someone told me you guys don't have All-Dressed Potatoe Chips. For real???

I am never going to the United States again. Ever. ;)

[Kal]

PS - this was a beautiful post. I LOVE those pics.

For the record - I settled on the one with the blue plate because it sort of lent itself seamlessly to the colour scheme and I didn't have to have a straightline border.Way, way, way cool. I also really liked the green icing cupcake because the colours were SO wicked together. Nice.

(LOVE the usage of the Life is Sweet on the photo. You're a natural.)

[kat]

whenever I see 11:11 I make a wish... this is something that came from my mum too :)

[misti]

Cupcakes. You are giving me a sugar craving. I was reading Adorn magazine last weekend at the book store and they listed this blog http://cupcakeblog.com/ which is all about cupcakes. Oh yeah...

[krystyn]

Laughing. I had a morning where I may have put coffee in the cereal bowl, had I made it to the kitchen. For some reason this post makes me crave a Swiss Cake Roll... or 11 of them... heehee.

[melody is slurping life]

What a fun, inspiring post. Just what I needed as I embark on my artsy-fartsy blog next week. Love the shots, but I'm glad she talked you down from the category high. I love the look and color of your new design.

[cathy]

Maile! I think you doubled my blog lookers today! hehe! And the Jason Mraz song...I can only find it on IMEEN, the website that has all the songs on my playlist...you can't download from them, it's just for blogs, etc. Isn't that weird that you can't find it on itunes?!

[melanie from whitebox]

LOVE the new blog header! We need to hire KAL too!

[Chasity]

ok did you sneak into my kitchen this a.m. and take that shot of the coffee!!!! LOL no, i didn't pour coffee into a bowl but i did fall asleep in the carpool line! but only for like 5 minutes....the drool woke me up. :)

[karenm]

OK, I know I should stick on team Canuck, obviously Rockets are a better name. But you folks have a target.. with a candy isle - I would trade all the Smarties in Canada and for a target.
Love, love the new look. I want to hire Kal as well - Karen

[karenm]

OK, I know I should stick on team Canuck, obviously Rockets are a better name. But you folks have a target.. with a candy isle - I would trade all the Smarties in Canada and for a target.
Love, love the new look. I want to hire Kal as well - Karen

[Anna]

Talk about yummy playlists--please please tell me the name of the song on your web site, is it an original for you? Or a recording?

I love it! And the new look, too.

[Alice]

Just wanted to add a little story about the 11:11 thing. The first time my boyfriend and I said "I love you" was at 11:11pm. I looked at the clock, noticed what time it was and told him to make a wish. He told me he wished that I felt the same way about him, and then he told me he loved me. I did,and we've been together for five years now!