Point of View and Thrift Store Link Party

Welcome to this month's Point of View reveal! The theme for October is "Thrift Store". Here are the "thrift store" ideas the members of Point of View came up with this month...

Gwen from Gwenny Penny (Click HERE to read more about my Argyle Halloween Wreath)
Leanne from Organize and Decorate Everything

Amy from Ameroonie Designs
Jonie from Just Between Friends

Kara from Happy Go Lucky (Our guest this month... thanks for joining us, Kara!)

As always, you can check out each of the projects by visiting each of the blogs listed above.

My project this month has been a long time coming. Last Halloween I saw this awesome wreath by katieshandmades (unfortunately, it looks like her Etsy shop is gone). I knew I had to make one for this year, and I'm thrilled with how mine turned out...

Click HERE to read more about my wreath.

Now it's your turn. Do you have a thrift store project that you would like to share? We would like to invite you to join the Point of View "Thrift Store" Link Party! It doesn't have to be a new project... If you have a project in your archives, link it up! We want to see what you've created. You can link up to the Point of View link party on any member's blog and your link will show up in the party on all of our blogs! Add the Point of View button to your post so that others can join the party. And remember, by linking up you have the chance to be featured by one of the members of Point of View next week!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.gwennypenny.com" title="Gwenny Penny - Point of View"><img src="http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/ae14/gwennypennyblog/SummerPoVButtonB-1.jpg" alt="Gwenny Penny - Point of View" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Argyle Halloween Wreath

I've been waiting an entire year to make this wreath. Last year, after seeing this awesome wreath by katieshandmades (unfortunately, it looks like her Etsy shop is gone), I knew I had to make one for myself. I normally wouldn't tackle a project that involves tediously wrapping yarn around an entire wreath form, but it was worth it...

And how does this wreath fit this month's Point of View theme? Well, the theme is "Thrift Store", and by some stroke of luck I walked into Goodwill a couple weeks ago and found a brand new green foam floral wreath form. I always get jealous when I hear about other bloggers finding great fabric and craft supplies at their local thrift shop because I have never been lucky enough to find that kind of stuff around here. I guess I can't complain anymore :) Add some white and orange felt, gray and black yarn, a little math, and a lot of wrapping, and you get an awesome argyle wreath!

I took about ten pictures of this wreath, then realized that it looks exactly the same from every angle, so I'll spare you having to look at the same picture over and over :) Oh, and I didn't follow a tutorial for my wreath, but if you're looking for one, I just found this tutorial from Craft Addiction.

Now it's your turn... Check out this month's Point of View collage and link up your past or present thrift store projects at the Point of View Link Party! We want to see what you've been up to!

On a side note, we are anxiously awaiting news about Hurricane Sandy (aka "Frankenstorm") possibly heading our way. After dealing with Hurricane Irene 14 months ago, I'm really hopeful that this storm weakens significantly before it gets here. Wish us luck!

eBook Giveaway Winners: The Key to Natural Posing

Thanks to everyone who entered last week's The Key to Natural Posing eBook giveaway.

The three winners are:

Congratulations Christine, Nati, and Michele! (Christine, please send me an email... I don't have any way to contact you.) Thanks again to Katie for the giveaway! Remember, all of Katie's photography books are on sale right now! Just enter "PHOTOBERFEST" at checkout to get 30% off. Click HERE to purchase.

Giveaway and Review: The Key to Natural Posing eBook (CLOSED)

This giveaway is now CLOSED.

About a year and a half ago I was introduced to Katie Evans' first photography book The Key to Taking Pictures Like a Professional Photographer (you can read my review of that book HERE). It changed my life. Seriously. The book has had an unbelievable impact on how I capture life's important (and not so important) moments. I now feel very confident in my photography skills, and I have Katie and her book (and lots of practice) to thank for that. So when Katie contacted me a couple months ago and asked if I would review her newest photography eBook, The Key to Natural Posing, I didn't hesitate to say yes.

The Key to Natural Posing is a great guide. Katie includes tons of sample shots and the information she shares is so thorough and detailed. The book is 99 pages of valuable information on a wide range of subjects... photographing newborns, babies and toddlers, kids, high school seniors, couples, families, and large groups. My favorite chapter is the newborns. Oh how I wish I had this book when I had newborns to take pictures of! Katie has fantastic, easy ideas for getting those perfect, super-sweet photos. She also includes great tips on getting kids to open up in front of the camera. As Katie says in the book "... posing is not necessarily about telling your subject exactly how to stand and how far to tilt your head to the right. Natural posing is about knowing how to interact with and what to say to your subject(s) in order to get them in the right frame of mind so that they essentially pose themselves."

Katie has hit another home run with her latest book, and I can't wait to use some of her tips when I'm trying to get great Christmas card photos of my girls this year. Want a sneak peek of the eBook? Here are a few sample pages...

Make sure you visit Katie's blog and Facebook page for even more photography info, tips, and ideas.

Now, would you like the chance to win a free copy of Katie's eBook The Key to Natural Posing? Well, guess what? Katie has graciously agreed to give away not one, not two, but three copies! That means three of you will win a copy of the eBook. Woohoo! Here's the lowdown on entering...

This giveaway is now CLOSED.

One entry per person: Leave one comment on this post telling me your favorite person/people to take pictures of. It's that easy!

Please note:

• Odds of winning are based on number of entries.
• You must be a 18 years or older to be eligible to win this prize.
• Leave an email address in your comment if your email is not attached to your Blogger profile.
• This giveaway will be open until Friday, October 19th at 10:00pm (EST).
• Winners will be chosen using a random number generator.
• Winners will be announced on Monday, October 22nd.

One more awesome thing to share... All of Katie's photography books are on sale right now! Just enter "PHOTOBERFEST" at checkout to get 30% off. Click HERE to purchase.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was given this eBook for free, but my opinions about this book and my rave review are all my own. Seriously... Katie's books are fantastic!

Good luck everyone!

Hello Kitty House Pouch

When I shared my Halloween Haunted House Pillow a couple weeks ago, I mentioned that my two and a half year old roped me into sewing a little house zipper pouch for her...

Just like my pillow, the pouch is inspired by these adorable little house pouches by A.casa.do.Guaxinim. As some of you know, my girls are Hello Kitty crazy, so this gave me a cute way to use some of my Hello Kitty fabric. My youngest tends to get the short end of the stick when it comes to my projects, so it was fun to sit down with her and let her choose the fabrics and the characters from the Hello Kitty fabric...

My youngest is also a big fan of cows. (Not the first time I've used this cow on a project :)

And a little apple tree completes the front...

The interior is lined with a yellow dragonfly print. I forgot to take a picture of the back, but it's a bubblegum pink with giant white polka dots.

My youngest loves it. It's pretty big (about 5.5" x 8"), so she fills it up with all kinds of stuff and totes it around. Happy girl, happy mama :)

I have a really neat giveaway for you on Monday. Enjoy the weekend!

Point of View Feature and Theme for October

Thanks to everyone who linked up their "Orange" projects at the Point of View Link Party last Friday. This month I am featuring this beautiful fall table runner from Anjeanette at by Anjeanette...

I love the colors. Anjeanette used charm squares to create her leaves and handstitched the stems. Make sure you check out Anjeanette's post for a tutorial on creating these beautiful leaves.

Next month's theme is "Thrift Store". Keep an eye out for the Point of View collage reveal and link party on October 26th.

On a side note, a few of you have asked how I'm feeling about the major step back I took from my blog in June. I have no regrets, but I do miss everyone :)