Five Things I've Been Loving {A Cup of Tea with Me (and Pip!)} // Life

So I mentioned in this post that I had signed up for a blogging course with Pip from Meet Me At Mike's. Although I still haven't finished working my way through all of the lessons (life kinda kicked my arse there for a while with Mum in hospital), I have learnt quite a bit and really enjoyed getting to know the other students. And of course learning from one of the blogging masters herself, Pip.


So anyway, Pip has been ever so kind and hosted a lovely linky where myself and all the other Blog with Pip May students can share a little about what we are loving right now. As well as give you, our readers, a chance to find and check out some new blogs. Score! I can highly recommend Pip's course* if you're looking to learn a few things or take a bit of a refresher course on blogging!

So without further ado, grab yourself a cuppa and settle in to read the most earth-shattering post you'll read today. And when you find it, please let me know what it is so I can read it too. In the meantime, here are 5 things I have been loving lately...

1. Running.

Who knew that running would also give me a chance to practice my photography

I don't even know who I am anymore. If you had told me this time last year that not only would I be consistently running three times a week, but enjoying it, I would have smacked you upside the head! I have the awesome Kate and my fellow running buddies in the June Learn to Run program to thank for this. Some runs are hard work, but I was just saying to Dave today that even the sore legs later on give me a perverse sense of satisfaction. Sore legs mean that I have been working hard and pushing past my own silly brain that tells me "You're going to die!!!!".

2. Photography


Ok. If you've read my blog more than a few times you may have noticed that I am a bit of a photography nut. But I am making a renewed effort to shoot most of my images in manual mode and I am having so much fun experimenting. Pushing myself to work outside my comfort zone has renewed the fire in my belly, and I am maybe starting to think that hey, I'm not so bad afterall and could one day make a go of doing something that I love for a living.

3. Baby Talk


Zee has recently started to mimic the speech of those around her and it is ridiculously cute! Whenever something is really interesting Punky always says "oooooooo, woooooow", just like they do in Peppa Pig, and now Zee has started doing it too. She also says "oh, oh" whenever she drops something and "Row, row, row" when she wants you to hold her hands, rock her backwards and forwards and sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Trying desperately to catch some of it on video.

4. Experimenting with Photoshop and Illustrator

That chevron pattern was the very first thing I created in Illustrator. And the bottom picture was edited
using one of the Greater than Gatsby Photoshop actions

I've been doing an introductory graphic design course via Open Colleges and as part of it I need to learn some of the basics of creating in Illustrator. It's really fun. And as part of my renewed experimenting with my photography, I've also been learning a few basic editing skills in Photoshop. I've installed some gorgeous sample action sets from Greater than Gatsby* which have really made my images pop! As soon as my new iMac arrives I'll be purchasing a complete collection. Seriously though, check out their website, even just for the gorgeous photography throughout.

5.  Little Moments by Fat Mum Slim

Just some of the pictures I've created using the Little Moments App

I'm a bit of a photo app junkie. I have heaps of them on my iPhone. My most favourite is Vintique, but last Friday the amazing Fat Mum Slim released her very own app, Little Moments*,  and I have gone a little nuts for it. It's everything you want in a photo app; gorgeous filters, lovely fonts, pre-loaded text & quotes, as well as some super cute drawings and other fun stuff. It also has the Photo a Day prompts loaded in there and gives you a little reminder of the prompt for each day on your phone's lock screen (if you have notifications set up).

It's $1.99 in the Apple app store (it's not available on Android. Yet.) and it's worth every single cent. I've also coughed up the cash to unlock the extra packs and I am very happy that I did. I have a whole blog post on my favourite photo apps in the works, but until then, do yourself a favour and download Little Moments by Fat Mum Slim.

So that's what I'm loving right now. I'd love to know what you've been loving. Make sure you head over to Meet Me At Mike's and check out the blogs of my other Blog with Pip May alumni.

Do you have a favourite photo app? I'd love to know what it is!

*This post is in no way affiliated with Greater than Gatsy, Little Moments by Fat Mum Slim or Blog with Pip. I just loved all three products and wanted to tell you about them.

Comments

Kylie Purtell said…
Great job on the Chevron. Glad to hear that you're enjoying learning and excited that you are getting a new IMAC! I'm working on improving my illustrator skills this month too. Maybe we can help each other out?
I bought FMS Little Moments app too! Been fun playing with it. I really like VSCOCam too, it has so many great filters.
Kylie Purtell said…
I love the app AND I just got a new Canon SLR and can't wait to get my photography skills sharpened. They used to be okay some 10 years ago when I took all the images for my journo work. I have a course booked. Yay for running 3 times a week x
Kylie Purtell said…
What wonderful things to love, I can totally understand why you love them! Hope your mum is healing well lovely, you are so awesome in all that you are undertaking
Kylie Purtell said…
Oh this looks like so much fun! I wondered and wondered if I should do a Blog with Pip course (still wondering!) Love your images Kylie, they look awesome xx
Kylie Purtell said…
You really are a talented photographer. It does help when the subject is gorgeous though. That photo of Zee is to die for. I am waiting until I get a new iphone before I download little moments. Only six days away! Yaay!! The blog with Pip course sounds great. I might look into it :)
Kylie Purtell said…
I love the new Fat Mum Slim app but it's highlighted that my iPhone really needs to be replaced. It keeps crashing at every photo now. While I've been contemplating going to the Samsung or HTC side I believe the app is only for iPhone?
Kylie Purtell said…
Yep, at the moment it's only iPhone. I did notice when I looked at it on the app store that it is optimised for iPhone 5. I just got an iPhone 5S so I haven't had any probs, but I saw Fat Mum Slim say there was a known issue with early iPhones and the app crashing and that they were working on it. I have to say, I am loving my 5S so far.
Kylie Purtell said…
The pictures here are fantastic! You have some skills! I would love to do a course with Pip. One day.
Kylie Purtell said…
Running is such a cool thing to be loving! I get time out, fitness and a challenge.
Kylie Purtell said…
Well that's handy to know. I wonder where I can pick up a cheap unlocked iPhone 5s for?
Kylie Purtell said…
Yes my new fav app is also the Little Moments app! How good is it? I'm losing so much time on there!!
With that said I love a person who knows how to use and play around with a real manual operated camera so that's super cool you've been getting some practice in and from what I can see you're capturing some beaut moments.
Running? Really? How can you find the energy? Are you getting full night sleeps? I want to run but can't seem to find it in me yet. I'll get there xxx

Popular Posts