Bead Class 101 | Tammy Mayfield Photography

    I'm a very crafty person & when it comes to stores like Michael's & Hobby Lobby I go absolutely nuts with all the displays & holiday decor plus the many craft ideas!  The possibilities to me are just ENDLESS & I find myself getting so absorbed into so many project ideas that I want to try them all!  Currently, I am into at least a handful of projects & they are just sitting on my desk waiting for me to tackle or even finish...

    Well, one of those projects on my list of things to try is Beading/Jewelry making.  While I was out running errands one afternoon I came upon this a cute little store by accident, really, in our nearby town called the 'Beading Boutique'.  I missed my turn trying to enter the Office Depot parking lot & had to turn around in an old plaza.  That's where I spotted this tiny little place located right on the end of a strip mall among many other small stores such as restaurants, a pottery place & clothing shops.  From the outside window I saw these long strings of multi-colored beads & crystals & decided to check it out.  The woman inside greeted me at once when I entered her Boutique & right away started telling me about the many different products she carries & classes she offers throughout the week & weekends.  With her warm welcome & attentiveness I decided to sign my daughter & I up & take a beginner class. 

    So, Saturday came & we claimed it as a 'Girls Day Out'... We were given a basket & a list of items to gather within her store so we could get started on our first project--a simple tennis bracelet.  I chose a string of multi-colored beads of the beautiful Swarovski crystals & my daughter chose her favorite color, blue...  We had the best instructor who was SO nice and very patient, especially when it came to my daughter stringing all those tiny connector beads.  She is just like her Momma & wants to learn/know as much as she can at just 10 yrs old.  As the day went on more women joined in the class & it became a nice day of casual talk & lunch, too!  Something we both didn't even expect to be a part of, but we were made so welcome by these women~

    As the day came to an end, my daughter & I finished our pieces.  We both put them on & showed them off to every one in the class {which we were told was customary in her Boutique} & everyone in the room insisted that the bracelets were definitely going to be next on their 'to-do' list of pieces to try.  We both cannot WAIT to go to our next class & try the next item on our list!  Here is a photo of my piece as I was working on it during class~

Macro Lense | Tammy Mayfield Photography

      My children & I decided we wanted to go for a walk on this beautiful day & we came across some interesting things outside.  I grabbed my new Macro lense & took it with us, giving it a whirl on our afternoon adventure...I was sure we'd find something interesting to try it out on, & that we did.   :-)   I've heard great things about the Macro & couldn't wait to try it out on something small & detailed.  
      
      Our first find was this crazy, fuzzy looking caterpillar munching on a leaf. After snapping my shutter button the bokeh effect was just amazing that came through in the background!  Would you believe its from the leaves on the very tree the caterpillar called home with a white house in the background??  

      Not far from the caterpillar was a cute little colorful moth just sitting there on a leaf watching us.  He let us come really close to take his picture & once we took a few he finally grew bored with us &  flew off to another branch on the hedge line far from our viewing position.  

       Finally, as the Sun began to set we noticed two trees with an abandoned web attached to each of the trunks.  The kids thought it would be perfect for Halloween & Fall, so for them I took this photo. After playing a little with the light from the setting sun I found a perfect capture.  A little 'tweaking' in Lightroom helped to bring out the colors of Autumn almost perfectly...  

       Today, the kids & I  had so much fun just spending quality family time together walking & talking about many things as well as finding some interesting things to look at outside, kinda like a scavenger hunt!  Something I think we are going to plan on doing more of--its a big world out there & we are ready for more exploring! 

                                                        
                                                                   And by the way, I LOVE my new Macro!!