Magnolia by Elena {Pretty Light} (discovered via Brancoprata on Pinterest). Be sure to check out Elena's photo print shop (she's selling prints of this gorgeous photograph) and her blog too.
4 Lovely Comments | Email Article | found in Color Inspiration Daily, Photography / Styling Print Article | Share This | 
| by Ez Monday, April 4, 2011 
Today we learned that my family's dog Tasha, passed away. My daughter and I feel so fortunate that just yesterday evening we happened to travel out to see my folks, and were able to see her and tell her how much she was loved. Her health had been failing rapidly over the past few weeks and she was no longer able to stand, walk or eat. She was suffering, and I prayed the thing you never want to...that the end would come quickly so that her pain would finally cease. I held her head in my arms and told her that her job here was done...that we would be okay when she was ready to go. She gently wagged her tail and I knew she understood.
You could argue that all dogs are good dogs, but Tasha truly was the best dog anyone could ask for. She gave all of herself to our family and asked for nothing in return. She was the most loyal and cuddly of friends (with only a small penchant for killing chickens—she was a dog after all). We will miss her golden smile and her full-body wags. Our hearts are heavy with sadness today for the loss of our furry friend, but she has left a paw print on our hearts that will never fade. We are so grateful for this little beam of sunshine and the many years we had with her. We will miss you sweet Tasha! xo Ez + Miss K
Sunday, April 3, 2011 
We've made it to the end of another week lovelies. Hooray! I hope you have a weekend of fun ahead of you. It looks like our weather will be going from nearly freezing to the almost 90's, so I'm bracing myself for (and kind of looking forward to) the rapid change. I hope to see you all again next week. xo Ez
And before I go, here are a few of my etsy finds and faves for this week:
11 Lovely Comments | Email Article | found in Art, Fashion + Style, Home Decor Print Article | Share This | | by Ez Friday, April 1, 2011 
Hello friends! It's Friday so I'm back today to post in my newish section here on Creature Comforts that spotlights my long-term blog sponsors (many of the ones who you see at the right). This blog would truly not be possible without their support, so this is my little way of saying thanks for making my dream of blogging an ongoing reality. They are awesome!
I'm super excited to get to share Paint the Moon with you all today. At Paint the Moon you will find some of the most gorgeous Photoshop actions and textures available for use with Photoshop and Photoshop Elements...all created in house by photographer & Photoshop action designer extraordinaire, Annie Manning.
When I first took on the challenge of teaching myself to use Photoshop, I thought that I'd probably never get anywhere with it, but after discovering Photoshop actions, I began to learned in leaps and bounds. Through the process of manipulating and working with actions I was finally able to see how so many parts of the otherwise complicated Photoshop program functioned. Major light bulb moments ensued.
But of course the true purpose for Photoshop actions and textures is not as a learning aid (even though they have worked brilliantly as such for me), but to add character and emphasise the most beautiful elements of your photographs with merely the click of a button. Everything found at Paint the Moon is priced fairly, and you can even try out a few actions before diving in if you'd like (free actions here). Once you get started with actions and textures, you're not going to want to stop. It is just so amazing to watch an image of yours be instantly transformed before your eyes!
For fun, I ran one of my unedited photos that I took yesterday through the free "Sea Delight" action offered by Annie (and then placed the results in one of her free "before and after" frame sets). I just love the way it turned out! Skip on over and check out everything Paint the Moon has to offer right here.
*Please note, that while ad placement (in the right-hand column) was purchased by my featured sponsors, the Sponsor Spotlight segment is not a paid portion.
7 Lovely Comments | Email Article | found in Photography / Styling, Web / Tech Help Print Article | Share This | | by Ez Friday, April 1, 2011 
Photography by me.
I was trying to think of some clever April Fool's Day joke to play on you all this morning...but I've never been able to come up with anything brilliant for this day, and today was no different. But all my futile plotting did lead me to remember something from my childhood that brought a smile to my face...
When we were kids, my little sister and I used to wake up early every April 1st, and hurriedly set all the clocks back by one hour. We did this year after year (for yeears), always giggling softly to ourselves...glancing furtively out of the corner of our eyes to see if/when our Mom would discover our "cleverness." Bless my Mom for always letting it play out until we were nearly bursting with anticipatory excitement, when she'd then act out (very convincingly) her total shock and amazement that we'd pulled the wool over her eyes again (wink). This also reminds me of a non-related event (when I was around age 6) when I decided that the surfaces in our home (as well as our beloved houseplants), needed a bit of shine, and proceeded to use a stick of butter to polish them all to a luxurious luster. My Mom really was surprised that time! Clearly I was an incredibly bright child (sputtering laughter). Did you guys used to play pranks for April Fool's Day growing up? Do you still? Do tell. xo Ez
11 Lovely Comments | Email Article | found in About Me / My Shops Print Article | Share This | | by Ez Friday, April 1, 2011 
