Belly, Bugs, Bautista!

Hi Peeps!  I'm still taking a bunch of pictures & here are some of my favorites lately...Ava playing in the fountain at night time...check out that belly sticking out!

 Kyra started Pre-School last week...she's doing great & fitting right in.
We are so proud of you Kyra girl!  =)

I loved these birds just hanging out...reminds me of music sheets...

I love taking pictures of bugs with the macro lens...this is a cool & very tiny, very green bug!  I think it's an aphid or something...not easy to get in focus...any slight movement of the camera causes it to blur.

With all the recent rain, I've had a few opportunities to capture some fun shots...I thought these rain drops looked amazing on this fuzzy looking plant!

Ava set up her Matchbox cars on the TV tray...I loved how they looked all lined up!

My new Sakura & Pilot pens arrived from Jetpens.com.  I am totally loving how the Sakura Glaze & Souffle pens write & FEEL!  They are embossing pens & don't require any special powder or heating tools...sweeeeeet!  Can you see how they give a raised appearance in the picture below?

Here's a recent Etsy order that shipped to the east coast...hope you love your new wallet Rachel!

Visited the CHA SuperShow in Anaheim this past weekend with Kyra...parking was a challenge but we managed our way inside.  Don't you just love this cool looking building?!  I stuck my camera out the car window for this quick shot!

enjoyed some of the make & takes...

got my "Collage Unleashed" book autographed (and doodled) by Mixed Media artist Traci Bautista.  I am taking her online workshop, "Creative SOUL" right now and am really enjoying it.  We get our lessons once a week & then have a live chat once a week as well.  Her style is fun, playful, free & quick...pretty dope if you ask me! 

Here is a shot of me, Kyra & Traci...Kyra insisted on being in the middle!

It was so cool meeting you Traci!  Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us & make us feel so special. 

Here are some freshly planted flowers...which is why they are so dirty!  I'm lovin these colors though...

Here is another little green bug making his way on the new flowers...

At the park for a little fun while big sister is at school...

 then off to the library...but first we have a little snack on the steps.  =)

This sculpture in front of the library is pretty amazing...I just had to capture it...

What are you taking pictures of these days???  What inspires you or catches your eye? 

Link Love & Texture Hunt!

I love taking pictures and last year I took on Project 365 & ended up with a TON of amazing pictures at the end of the year.  I got more familiar with my camera & tried a lot of new techniques, angles & actions.  One of my new favorite photography blogs is MCP Actions.  Another great resource for FREE actions is here on Pioneer Woman Photography.  My girlfriend Kristin is an amazing photographer & I am her biggest fan...you can soak up all her inspiration pics here on her blog.  Add them to your reader & learn how to add the wow factor to your pictures!  =)

You can join Project 365 with me right here & share your pictures with the group!

Today's "nature walk" with the girls today was more of a texture & inspiration hunt.  Check out the glass patio table...

  This is the community BBQ...waaaay up close!  I am practicing using my macro lens...love it!

This is me looking up at the gazebo...I really love how it turned out in black & white...all those lines & angles...very spiderweb-ish!

I love to take pictures of bugs too...especially with my macro lens.  It's somewhat difficult to zoom in close enough, but not too much as to make everything just blurry.  Any slight movement in this mode will cause the picture to come out blurry...this was the best one I got. 

 A cool looking mossy tree...

Typically, I do some quick & dirty editing in Picasa (free from Google) & then spice them up in Photoshop with some of my favorite actions...it's easy, fun & highly addictive if you're in to it!  Now bust out your camera & start shooting!

Project Lyme Art Quilt

Well, my Christmas orders have been sewn up & sent off to their new owners...here is a just a glimpse of some of the goodies I whipped up.

Reversible scrappy headbands, zippered Hula Girl bags & more!

Wrapped with love using Victoriously Recycled bags & strips of fabric...all handmade...because you're worth it!!

One of my New Years Resolutions for 2010 is to make a series of Lyme Art Quilts.  I hope to help spread awareness & support the Lyme Disease Bills.  My dad was infected with Lyme disease 2 years ago while on a fishing trip to Mammoth, CA. Like most people with Lyme, his Dr. dismissed his concerns (my dad told the Dr. he was bit several times & thought he had West Nile or something), didn't test him for Lyme, and was later misdiagnosed with ALS. My dad had a PICC line put in & was receiving IV Rocephin, until his insurance company pulled his meds, despite seeing marked improvement with the antibiotics.

The more I researched Lyme, the more I found! I started joining the yahoo groups and was blown away at the number of people who had the same sad story as my dad.  I watched the IDSA hearings & participated in the twitter "lymewatch." The next day my dad told me that his antibiotics were cut by his insurance! I was burning with passion to get involved and make a positive change. Then I started reaching out to other Lymies on Facebook. I watched "Under Our Skin"...bonus footage and all. I am compelled to DO something!

me & my dad, Easter 2009

The suffering that a Lyme patient goes through is incredibly painful & consuming.  I see how my dad struggles to rise from a chair & walk just a few feet.  He can no longer work, help around the house or care for his beloved dog, Bo.  Lyme disease has totally rocked our world.  He now has Life Alert, so he can get the help he needs when he falls & is alone.  He had a stair lift installed, so he can make it upstairs to his room safely.  He winces in pain with each step he takes.  He spends hundreds & thousands of dollars on supplements, medications & treatments intended to improve his health.

This has compelled me to start Project Lyme Art Quilt, a series of collaged pictures that are sewn & quilted together from Lyme patients around the world. 

Please include your contact information, in case I have any questions about your photos.

***You can UPLOAD YOUR PICTURES HERE:  http://www.flickr.com/groups/1330619@N23/

***Add me on Facebook & post your pics to my wall...pics will be added to the Lyme Art Quilt album.

***Mail me your pictures & small Lyme-related objects which can be sewn onto the quilt as well. (Think the size of a pill bottle—not the size of a wheelchair or walker!) 

Items can be sent to:

Nani Luculescu
P.O. Box 2404
Cypress, CA 90630

My intention is to create impact pieces that will bring more attention & awareness to Lyme disease. I've found some common themes among the Lyme stories I hear about & want to bring them out into the open...this is a partial list & work-in-progress. Some of the themes I am planning are:

1. Faces of Lyme - I'll use the faces of real Lyme sufferers & stitch them all together
2. Cost of Lyme - pics of medicine, syringes, supplements, etc.
3. Lyme Dreams - prayers, dreams, hopes for a life after Lyme
4. Awareness & Prevention
5. Misdiagnosis
6. Poor testing
7. IDSA conflict
and so many more!!!!

If you'd like to make a donation to help with the cost of making the Lyme Art Quilt series, you can do so here.  Thanks so much...every little bit helps!

Please check out my writeup on the CALDA website blog: "Touched By Lyme".