Carrie Ayn Photography » Personal

2011 | A Year in Review

Carrie Ayn Photography — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:23:16 +0000

Happy New Year! While 2011 was a great year, I can’t help but get excited for this year. A new year is a fresh start for some, making resolutions and keeping them for others, and maybe a little bit of both for me. A friend of mine posted a note on Facebook the other day, and she stirred something in me. Your life is what you make it. Choose to be positive; choose to be happy; if changes need to happen, make them….it is all up to you.

If you told me last January 1^stthe things that I would do and accomplish in 2011, I wouldn’t have believed you. Last year brought more highs than lows, and since I choose not to focus on the lows, I’ll share some of my highs with you.

Traveled to Maui for my first destination wedding and returned to Billings, MT, for several sessions
My clients are the best. That may not seem like a high, but it is.
Bought a new car, and I love it
Even though I have been a photographer for several years, I finally feel like I am one
Finished five quilts…mine is next!
Surrounded myself with a great core group of friends who encourage and inspire me daily
Took over 35,000 shots; maybe that is the reason my shutter broke…
Participated in a wonderful event: National Child Abuse Prevention Month and I look forward to doing it again this year.

After six years, I still can’t believe I am able to do what I love. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. ~Carrie

365 Project {Week 10 & Week 11}

Carrie Ayn Photography — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 22:02:46 +0000

These last two weeks have been positively crazy! It is been such that if I don’t write it down, it simply is not done. To give you an example, a few nights ago I was sitting at my computer, staring at the screen, racking my brain, trying to remember what it was that I needed to do. It was bad….and kinda funny at the same time. Thank goodness, I am a list girl….now if I could only remember to take them home with me after work.

I am tired of running a week behind, so this weekly post includes the last two weeks. =) Yay!

64/365 I got a new car! Well, new to me and I love it! 65/365 Umm…I don’t think this is right. Thankfully, it is getting fixed this week. =) 66/365 Meet Lounge Lizard, I mean Alpine. One of my crazy cats, you’ll meet his sister soon. 67/365 I have a slight obsession with dandelions. I love them. I stitched this last week. I don’t know what I am going to do with it yet, but when I do, I’ll show you. 68/365 After I finished at the ATM, I saw a few of these guys. Because I am a dork and carry my camera almost everywhere, I grabbed it and snapped a few pics. I am pretty sure people thought I was crazy. 69/365 Back in October, I took a quilting class. My teacher was amazing! I am so glad I took her class. I just wish I had more time to quilt. 70/365 A friend of mine surprised me with flowers at work. Always a good way to finish the week!

71/365 A family/high school senior/college senior session I had today. I had a great time with them and they introduced me to a couple new locations! Thanks Nancy! 72/365 My first bulb of the year popped up! Actually, this is the first time one popped up since I planted them. Needless to say, I was pretty excited. It stayed for a couple days…until the lame rain pounded it. =( 73/365 This pretty much sums up the weather around here this week. Come on Sun…I am so ready for you! I have a ton of sundresses calling out my name! 74/365 Growing up, I always remember seeing violets in my Grandma’s living room. This beauty will reside at work. Since I spend so much time there, I can enjoy it more. 75/365 This was waiting for me when I got to work Wednesday. One of my little kindergarteners made this for me. This is just one reason why I love my job! How cute is that?! 76/365 Happy St. Patty’s Day! I love St. Patrick’s Day. I think every Irish girl does…if they don’t, they should! 77/365 Yummy dinner. Most Friday nights we go over to our friends house for good food, drinks, and a lot of pool playing. This past Friday was my turn to cook. I made turkey/cheese pocket things, my mom’s famous rice, and salad (I didn’t make the salad-I just wanted to let you know that we did had some kind of veggie…lol.). It was delicious!

365 Project {Week 9}

Carrie Ayn Photography — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 05:13:08 +0000

Magazines, blogs, ads, music, changing seasons….I find inspiration everywhere! Especially when it involves a killer color pallet. This week I focused (pun intended) on some of the tools I use when I am inspired. I’ll have you know, I have complete ADD when I am inspired. It’s bad. I’ll jump for one project to the next. It drives me nuts that I do that, but at the same time I don’t want to lose an idea when I completing another! At the moment, I am working on five different sewing projects! Enough babbling Carrie, on to week 9….

57/365 Hot air balloons are always colorful and paired with a bright blue sky. One of these days I’ll get to a show and take some pictures, blow them up, put them on canvas, and hang them somewhere in my house. Jut for the color. 58/365 I am SOOO loving this! Yes, this is one of the five projects I am working on and I can’t wait to finish it. =) 59/365 I used to be a mad scrapper (aka scrapbooker). I would spend hours, and I mean HOURS, working on pages. I wish I had the time to devote to it now; I am so many years behind. 60/365 When I did scrapbook, not a page when by without using these fab-o markers. Totally recommend them! They are double-ended, a fine tip and bullet tip. 61/365 A color wheel I should probably use but don’t. I will say, after taking pictures of it, I am intrigued. 62/365 There is nothing better than a fresh box of crayons. No lie. 63/365 If I had to pick just one coloring utensil, it would have to be my Prismacolor pencils. They are the best coloring pencils I have ever used, hands down.

Not doing a theme for next week, I can tell already it is going to be a random kind of week. =)