Building a design portfolio

As I launch into this interior design business, I realize that if I am going to go beyond friends and family, I am going to need to put together a professional-looking portfolio.  I am finding that this is hard to do in retrospect because the perfect "Before" shots may not exist, and I am not sure that my photography skill level is up to the best looking "After" shots (understatement).

I thought I would start by putting something together about my own kitchen first, since I have oodles of photos. None are styled the way I would like, but beggars and can't be choosers, and I am way too lazy to do that now. There is nothing like looking at your space on a photograph to really force you to take a step back.  For example, in the first photo my Breville espresso machine would be way better than that fugly toaster oven.  The chair and table are distracting in the corner.  The thermostat on the window sill needs to go and the whole counter, window - everything could be styled better.  I do like the splash of red/orange though.  Otherwise the kitchen is pretty bland in a photo.

It is also difficult to match up the angles of the before and after shots, but hopefully you can tell it is the same space.  It looks so wildly different to me, it's not even like looking at the same house!

And then there's the drawings.  Do I add the drawings?  Are they part of the portfolio?  Do I add the final one or all the layouts I played with to get here?  I tell you, I pretty much did a masters degree in this SketchUp program by the time I was done this...

And I didn't do an inspiration board for myself, but I guess I should put one together in the style I would present to a client...

Anyway, thanks for reading.  I am excited to be moving forward on this. I have to say, Sarah Richardson's post on Facebook this morning was exactly what I needed to hear, and really got my butt in gear.  I even have found a photographer to do some of my other projects, hopefully they will end up way more profesh!  And the more I realize I have already done, the more I realize that the only thing holding me back is a lack of confidence, not a lack of ability.  And that just seems silly, now, doesn't it?

Back in it with Waterlogue

So, my Blogger dashboard tells me that I last posted December 9.  That's a while ago.  I won't go into too much about why, where I was, or what I was thinking - there are some great posts that sum it up so well by Grace Bonney, Jen Flores, and Janice.  Suffice it to say that it became a lot of work, a big time investment, and I was just not that into the new 'direction/professionalization' of blogging for myself.  I like to just throw stuff up that I think is pretty.  I include photos of my kids.  I don't really fit in a niche, and, having tried, I don't really want to.  I was all set to "take this thing to the next level" with a new Word Press site, fancy hosting, plug-ins, SEO, bla bla bla... and then I just stopped.  Stopped writing, stopped reading blogs, stopped spending all my waking hours looking at the computer.  I have read a LOT of books in the mean time!

But I kind of miss it.  I say 'kind of' because I don't really miss all the techie stuff, much as I liked it. And I certainly don't miss looking at my numbers, that stresses me out.  And I don't miss all the emails asking me to review things, blog about things, let other people write on my blog, etc.

I miss having a place to post stuff I like in a more thoughtful way than pinning it on Pinterest (which I still love).  When I post things here, I am forced to ask myself why I like it, and what about it speaks to me.  And here I can post about design, products, apps, crafts, colours, fashion, environment, music, you name it - it's my freakin blog!

So if you are with me, awesome, I love you, and I am grateful for your company.  If you are no longer feelin the love, that's cool, carry on, I'll be around if you change your mind.

But now, on to the main event, the reason I opened up this posting thing again: Waterlogue.

I know it's cheating, but hey, so is Instagram.  I know I am not actually a fabulous watercolour painter artist-extraordinaire, but I get to imagine how awesome I would be if I had the skills.  Just like with Instagram, I get to feel like a real photographer, capturing magical moments in time with just the right je-ne-sais-quoi. (On that topic, you must watch this hilarious video: http://youtu.be/5i9wUa8ofvE)

You will see from my heading at the top I have a huge love of watercolour.  Watercolours happen to be very "hot" right now - the loose impressionistic aesthetic is similar to the current rage for hand-written fonts over structured typefaces.  The artistic, the individual, the one-of-a-kind is refreshing in a world of cookie-cutter everything.

The irony of this is that you are no doubt going to see Waterlogue used EVERYWHERE now - your Instagram feed is about to go all David Milne.

This is my son at a recent Toronto Symphony Orchestra student concert (field trip).  I am just so blown away by the treatment of this app, the fidelity to real watercolour techniques and effects.  The photo above looks like it could be an illustration in a kids book.

So there you go: Waterlogue.  Best $2.99 I have spent in a while! :)

Thanks for reading. xo

Happy Father's Day... (better late than never?)

It's the thought that counts, right?  So, although I am a week behind in posting this, my thought is that I unknowingly married the best dad in the world - fun, funny, kind, loving, generous, present, and grateful.  I could not have mail ordered a better role model for my two boys.  If they grow up anything like their father, they are going to be simply amazing people (and I would put any amount of money on that one!).

The above photos are by the lovely and (obviously) talented Maegan Guerette, who did family portraits as a fundraiser for Cameron's nursery school.  Have I mentioned how much I love his nursery school?  I really do.  I am thinking of having another kid just so I can send them to this nursery school.  (Joke.)

We spent Father's Day camping for the first time since the boys were born, and I think we waited just the right amount of time, to be honest.  It was fun for everyone, everyone got sleep, and even though it poured rain during the night and we woke up, um, damp, I am calling it a Big Win.  I am so looking forward to doing more and would like to give a shout out to our co-camping support family the Haurilaks (check out Michelle's amazing blog).

So to all the dad's out there, including my awesomely creative and UNIQUE Dad and my wise and generous father-in-law, know that you are loved, and that your impact on our lives cannot be measured or understated.  Happy Belated Father's Day. xo

Dining room photo wall done!

As I am sure you recall, one of the projects on my list back in September (can you even believe it's October??) was the dining room wall.  As much as I loved having the colourful chaos of the kids' artwork, I really wanted something cleaner and more relaxing to look at.

While home in New Brunswick, I took a few photos out my bedroom window looking down the river, and had an idea for a small series.  I ended up taking a photo every day of the same view, at different times of day and in different weather.  Out of a ton of photos, I eventually chose the following six:

Weston & Burtynsky on Ill Seen, Ill Said

Things are sort of crazy busy around here lately, leaving not a lot of blogging time or fabulous post-writing.  However, Jane at Ill Seen, Ill Said is on fire, and I want to send you over to see her brilliant post comparing Prof Richard Weston's silk scarves made with extreme close-ups of minerals and crystals and Edward Burtynsky's massive industrial landscapes.  I love love love Burtynsky's photographs, and Jane's comparison has made me see them in an entirely new light.

2a. Weston Scarves Turquoise Agate Print Silk Scarf from Liberty of London
2b. Mines #17 - Lornex Open Pit Copper Mine. Highland Valley, British Columbia 1985 by Edward Burtynsky

3a. Weston Scarves Abalone Shell Print Silk Scarf from Liberty of London
3b. Oil Spill #4, Oil Skimming Boat, Near Ground Zero, Gulf of Mexico, June 24, 2010 by Edward Burtynsky

See the rest of her amazing juxtapositions on Ill Seen, Ill Said.

"Wanderer" photographic prints from Valerie Rubinaccio

Do you guys get emails from Uncovet?  (This is totally unsponsored but if you sign up for emails via my link I think I get some kind of credit...)  Anyway, they have some cool stuff on there, including these "Wanderer" prints from Valerie Rubinaccio.  I went over to explore her etsy page and she also makes some beautiful jewellery.  These prints have to be my favourite though.  The combination of the pleasing shapes with the light in the photos is really beautiful.  It makes me want to break out the photoshop!

What You Really Love

Inspired by Ez, I made this from one of our hiking photos for my husband, who I am sure is desperately missing the mountains as he sits in his office today...

(The quote is by Rumi - that part is a bit hard to see!)
(Also, if anyone wants to print it out,  I am happy to send the file.) xo

Jennifer Squires Photography

I had to search my own blog to make sure I hadn't already posted about Jennifer Squires because I first bookmarked her page last summer and I guess had never gotten around to writing about her.  Her images are tranquil, quiet, and serene.  They no doubt appeal to me because these moments are few and far between in my own life!

Jennifer and her husband run a photography business out of London, Ontario, and most of her images are taken using natural light around Southern Ontario.  In fact, this absolutely insane dedicated professional often gets up at the ungodly hour of 3 am to get to her site and set up in time to capture the first light of the day.  Her blog is a wealth of information on early morning photography using long exposures and the detailed techniques of her craft.  She also has lovely monthly desktop calendars for download, so I suggest to stop by for a peek.

They are so quiet and soothing - they would set a lovely mood in a minimally-designed home if blown up several feet high and put behind the couch or dining room table, don't you think?

All photos courtesy of jennifersquires.ca

Berndnaut Smilde - Cloud Maker

I have heard the expression "you make your own sunshine" before, but never actually seen someone create their own weather phenomenon - of any kind.  That is until I came across Berndnaut Smilde, who uses water spray bottles, smoke machines, and humidity control to create actual clouds in empty spaces.  The clouds float around long enough to be photographed, then disappear, and the resulting photographs are striking.  Smilde's photograph Nimbus D'Aspremont (below) will be involved in the show Red Sky at Night at the Mercer Union in Toronto from mid-June to the end of July - I hope to catch it before I leave for Alberta!

Found on Booooooom.

In My Garden: It's Peony Time

One of my favourite flowers in my garden are my peonies.  I am not sure when I crossed over to the peony side - I used to think of them as "Old Lady" flowers.  I guess maybe it coincides with when I became an old lady?  Regardless, I now love them and their showy petal power.

My peonies are much smaller in number this summer - when the tree fell it missed Cam but made a direct hit on my peony plants (a trade I am happy to make).  The rain this weekend had them all face-planting on the ground so I decided to harvest them for indoor admiration.

 They are such a photogenic flower, don't you think?

And the Winner is...

The winner of the Intertwyned photography give-away is...

Congrats to Cathy - and a big THANK YOU to Jamie for such a lovely prize, and to everyone who entered.  It is heartening to know you all are out there reading. :)  Stay tuned as I have another fabulous giveaway coming soon...

Cathy - send me your mailing info and photo preference and I will pass it on to Jamie.  You can email or DM me @lisamackay.  And start thinking about where it's going to go Lucky Girl! :)