Happy Friday!

Are we there yet???

I CANNOT wait to see my boys --yes, I am declaring that they are MY BOYS!  June 2nd can't get here sooner! 

That woman shes got eyes that shine like a pair of stolen

polished dimes.

le sigh

Isn't love grand?

Spring

My favorite part about Spring and Summer is all of the cute dresses I get to wear!  I love retro dresses like this one.  Ooh la la!

Just one more...

I don't know what the history is behind this grain elevator but I fell in love with it the moment I saw it.  This one is in El Reno, Oklahoma.

Windsor Wedding II

Made it home before noon today and all I had to do was unpack, shower, and relax.  I could get use to this.  :p  Unfortunately it's back to work tomorrow.  Didn't accomplish as much as I wanted too today with pictures --my arm is really bothering me.  It seems like my book injury is improving but holding the beast of a camera for over six hours yesterday did me in.  Dang limb!  :p

So here are some of my favorite edits from today...I'm totally diggin' this set!

What a couple of dolls --ready for flower girl duty!

This was a sweet moment...

I was trembling with emotion --and I was just the one taking pictures!

Windsor Wedding

As you can tell from the picture above, these crazy kids took the big plunge into wedded bliss!  What an emotional and exciting day.  I’m not gonna lie, I cried several times.  ::looks around the room whistling::  What can I say, I’m a sucker for weddings!  Some of you are wondering how I ended up in El Reno, Oklahoma to shoot a wedding.  I know you are.  Well, the bride and groom are both from Oklahoma but reside in Houston and I met the bride, Laura, online about 8 years ago.  But we just met in the flesh for the very first time just a couple of days ago.  How exciting is that!?  We have shared so much of our lives with one another online that seeing her in person was like seeing an old friend.  I know some of the struggles that she has faced and to see her so happy with her now husband really inspired me.  Congratulations, Laura & LB!  Here are just a few more pictures from today.  More to come!

Tatum in her mommy's wedding dress.

The beautiful bride.

Mom offers some marital advice...

I love this picture...it's so Laura.  Just taking the edge off of a semi-stressful day!

Daddy's little girls.

I am headed back to Dallas in the morning.  I’ll be happy to get back home and relax the rest of Monday.  I might go get a massage.  I think I earned it after standing on my feet for six hours while holding a massive camera.  I just need a few days to breathe before my next adventure…March Make-n-Take Madness at The Crafty Scrapper!  

Thanks for reading.  Xoxo –Ms. Ruin

Native America

I'm spending a couple of days in Oklahoma --mainly to shoot my friend's wedding which is in a few hours.  I'm a little bit more nervous than usual because this is her big day and I don't want to screw it up.  I think there is an expectation as I am the photographer coming to small town Oklahoma from the big city of Dallas, Texas.  Yeah.  ::exhale::  I just hope I can deliver the vision that they have of their big day! 

The town they are getting married in is El Reno.  I had the opportunity to visit yesterday and meet Laura at the church.  I found a bunch of cool stuff I'd like to shoot.  If time allows --as in-- if I can get out the door in a timely manner, lol, then I will stop and shoot some of those cool urban decay type things.

In the meantime I will leave you with these photos I snapped yesterday while in El Reno.  Have a blessed Sunday!

I love this pumpjack in the middle of a field covered in wildflowers!

Under the Big Top

I love American/Vintage/Circus type stuff so I was excited to find these little gems at my local Michael's. I had to limit myself on my purhcases but this is a snapshot of some of the cool stuff I bought.  I write a lot of thank you cards for the most random things.  So I can never haven too many notecards!  And the stamps...well, I'm a stamp freak!  But circus themed stamps --yes, please!  I also bought some cool notebooks (I also go through those pretty quickly), some lunch sacks and some props for a photo booth I'm hosting at our annual Community Care Network Auction.

Intention.  Such a funny little word.  A woman like me who is always busy has a lot of intentions but I just don't have the time to accomplish them.  So I am working on a stock pile of photos that I want to re-edit or revisit.  Here are two of those pictures from my trip to Boston in 2010 and my trip to Maine in 2011.

Waiting for the "T" --that's what they call their rapid transit.

Boston, MA

Cape Elizabeth Lights – West Tower.

Cape Elizabeth, ME.

Dear Jesus,

I don't normally share these types of things on my craft blog, but this little boy is weighing heavily on my brain.  This is Anthony, my five year old nephew.  He is the most hyper little boy ever!  He has so much life in him and so much love to give.  And although so many of us love and adore him, there is a crucial someone in his life that has been absent for more than half of his life --his father.  His father has made poor decisions and I think the shame he carries has kept him from even attempting to be a father to little Anthony.  But if only he knew what we all know about this little boy...that he loves his dad unconditionally.  I write this with so much heartache and anger too.  I am heartbroken that this little boy walked into the Cathedral, ran to the altar and fell to his knees in prayer....that he was asking Jesus to bring his father back.  And I am angered, that his father has chosen to be a deadbeat --letting his pride get in the way of knowing the truest love he will EVER know.  What a shame.  What a shame.  :*****(

I prayed too on this day...prayed for so many things, but mostly for this little boy that has captivated my heart and soul.  I hope that he always know that we love him a million times over. 

My favorite little lovies!

I has really special company on Thursday and Friday when my brother and his family visited and he also brought my sister's son so that meant I had all of my favorite little lovies under one roof.  I am beyond blessed.  So I have 2 nephews and one niece --and in my opinion, they are the bees knees.  Here are a few of my favorite snapshots from the short time I spent with them this week.

This is Anthony, he is five years old and has energy that cannot be matched.

Anthony watching Power Rangers.  Just look at those cheeks!

This is Vanessa --she came into my life when she was six years old.  She is now 20 and starting her junior year in college.  I'm so very proud of her.  ::big smile::

Here they are --all three of them!  Joseph is on the far right, he is Vanessa's little brother.  He is wicked smart and keeps me on my toes!  I took this picture at the Sky Lobby in the Chase Building in Downtown Dallas.

A view of Dallas and beyond from the Sky Lobby - 40 stories high!

I was so excited that all three kids wanted to have arts and crafts time with Tia.  Tia is Spanish for Aunt.  They loved making cards with me!

Vanessa was very proud of her cards and kept saying "this is so cool!"

Retro Sign Love

I love all things vintage/retro --especially signs!  Look at this little gem that I photographed in Downtown Dallas.  Photo by Sonia Hernandez Doneghue for Through These Eyes Visual Art. 

Artsy Fartsy Swap

Our most recent swap at Artsy Fartsy was an Artist Trading Card with the theme "Self Portrait".  I didn't want to give someone a project with a picture of myself on it - who would want that?  lol.  So I decided to think a little outside the box.  So here is my rendition of "Self Portrait".

The paper is by Graphic 45 from the Steampunk Debutante line.  I made the flower using Maya Road trim and then adhered a clock pendant to the center.  Pretty cool, huh?  I hope whomever gets this beauty will love it. 

Don't forget that you can follow me and all of my work on Facebook.  There's always networking and creative talk with old and new crafty friends at Ms. Ruin's Playthings!  Click on the image below to "LIKE" my page. 

Virtual Yard Sale: Bundles

VIRTUAL YARD SALE MADNESS!

Did you survive the flower garden?  Nothing a little Claritin can't handle!  Now that you've browsed through the flowers, lets have a look at all of the wonderful bundles that are also on sale in my Etsy Shop.  I tried my very best to make pairings with the large variety of scrapbook paper and embellishments.  All listings are only $.99!  Yes, NINETY-NINE CENTS!  The bulk of the sale will be spent on shipping and handling which ranges from $20 to $30...but I promise you are getting a lot of product that is brand new or gently used.  For full details on each bundle, just click on the image to view the listing.  Thanks for browsing and shopping! 

Icing on the Cake Bundle:

May Flowers Bundle:

OMG Bundle:

Our Happy Family Bundle:

 Regal Garden Bundle:

Wonderment Bundle:

Creative Memories Digital Scrapbooking Bundle:

Virtual Yard Sale: Flower Garden

We are having a Virtual Yard Sale at Ms. Ruin's Playthings.  Lets take a look at all of the beautiful flowers that are in bloom in my Etsy Shop.  Click on each image for listing details.

I'm working on it...

Madness Aftermath

Another late night at Casa de Ruin but I have had so much fun packaging up my prints to send them out to my customers.  A BIG THANK YOU to the followers of Through These Eyes...at the end of my three day sale I sold over ONE HUNDRED prints.  I am BEYOND FLATTERED to know that my visual art will be hanging in over 100 places.  Words cannot explain.  If you missed out on this sale, stay tuned...I'm sure I'll go a little mad yet again.  :)

More Design Team Projects & Special Offer

I FINALLY finished the last of my design team projects for The Crafty Scrapper on Friday night.  Yep, I'm that girl that is home on Friday night...scrapbooking.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  But some people would be surprised by that.  lol.  Anyway...this first project is a 12x12 layout about my dog, Yeller Trouser.  She is quite the character!  This is BRAND NEW paper by October Afternoon from the 9to5 line.  The background paper is called "Girl Friday".

I LOVE this paper because as you know by now, I love old typewriters.  I cut all of these little keys out with scissors and the name of this paper is "Meeting Minutes" --how appropriate.  :) 

Okay - here's one more look at my little lovey...isn't she friggin' adorable?!?!  Wow, I need to lay off the energy drinks.  lol

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Everyone is going nuts over this Maya Road coin purse.  It's growing on me.  HA!  No, really, I recognize that it's beautiful but it's also very NOT ME.  However I think this will be a wonderful Mother's Day gift.  First of all, the coin purse is made of canvas (I cannot wait to make one for myself with embossed black birds!) so already it's awesomeness.  Lots of Maya Road and hardware by Tim Holtz.

My thought with this was to make a "Garden for Mother" --so on the inside I made this accordian style pull out with a bunch of my own garden/nature photography.  Genius, I know!  If you would like to make this same coin purse but don't have garden/nature shots, I will gift them to you in 2.5 x 2.5 (perfect size for the purse)...just shoot me an e-mail at msruintx@gmail.com and I will send them to you!