Oh, how I love little girls in tutus…and with butterfly wings even more!

Two little girls wearing the same tutu 13 years apart…our oldest, Alyssa, back in 1996 for her first dance recital…and a dear little person last week for a costume. I’m embracing these precious memories this week.

Had some fun adding texture and a few embellishments to both images.

supplies and techniques here

supplies and techniques here

Scanning tip…I scanned Alyssa’s 1996 4×6 film image at 600 dpi so I could create an 8×8 piece at 300 dpi. I cropped in a square format as shown.

Happy weekend!

Michelle

Beautiful autumn days were a rarity this year, so yesterday’s sun was a treat! We took advantage of the blue skies and headed down to see Alyssa at the U of M – Twin Cities.

She’s only been home once so far this year and won’t be home again until Thanksgiving. Being a CA (community/resident hall advisor) has been awesome for her, but requires her to be there on most weekends.

We also had an opportunity to spend some time with a special guy in her life, Erik, and to experience Annie’s Parlor’s hot fudge/coffee malts. I must say it’s a wonderful way to get my RDA of caffeine!

Here are some more shots from the day using my Canon 50mm/1.8 lens. So lightweight and compact…perfect for days like this! I also enjoyed shooting into the afternoon sun, causing streaks of sun flare and softer images. You should try it!

The autumn colors were fading, however, we found some foliage still in its glory.

For me, not much tops time with our oldest on a college campus in the fall! Love you Lys!

Our family loves tennis…actually it’s how Kris and I started dating…playing tennis at 7 am when I was 18 and he was 20. Sweet.

Alyssa played on the tennis team in high school; the rest of us just play for fun (including Rachel and Jake).

We also love badminton and have the net set up at our cabin all summer long. Most evenings we play for a bit as the sun says good night, a breeze flowing across the lake. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Minnesota may be known for its 10,000 lakes (more like 14,000), but to me, its the sunsets on those lakes that make me so love it here. We’re spending the summer at our lake cabin and get to enjoy a new masterpiece each evening. The other night I was blessed to witness this (photos SOOC)… [singlepic id=76 w=400 h= float=] [singlepic id=79 w=600 h= float=]

Mom and Jackie…sisters…18 years apart.

Both diagnosed with breast cancer in the last two years.

Both beautiful. Both strong. Both loved. More on my mom’s journey here

Happy Monday, everyone…a hot and sticky day here today after a rainy Sunday. Just got back from taking Philip to a 3-day karate camp. He’ll have a blast, and it’s great that it’s on a lake with a great swimming beach so they can cool off. Have fun, Philip! Motion blur through van window. Camera specs: Canon40D, Tamron 28-75/2.8, Focal length 63mm, 1/8 second, f32, ISO 100, 11:00 am CT