This Bearded Dragon will Make Your Day

I thought I would brighten your day today with the most adorable little creature I have ever seen (besides my cats Pixie and Dexter, of course).  The other day, William and I were at the pet store looking at fish and supplies and I stumbled upon this little guy. He kept coming up to the glass and smiling like a fool at me.  Now some people may interpret this as a threatening look, but I think the opposite.  I see it as sweet and utterly adorable.  He just looks like the happiest little guy on the planet.

Who would have ever thought I would think a reptile was so cute? Or that I would even think I might want to buy him?  Even I was surprised!  Honestly, I have way too many animals now to take care of (William included).

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Pin It

Have cat, will mustache

Last month, you may or may not recall my mustached pumpkins where Dexter tagged along for the step by step activities of making those pumpkins.  Well…i couldn’t resist not having him pose with one of the mustaches.  This little guy has put up with annoying mom and dad antics since he was a kitten, from standing on his legs to dance to having to wear a necktie.  So, having to endure a mustache was only painful for a few moments…

…he had it off in 2 seconds flat after the photo.  No one puts Dexter in a corner! Well, unless there’s a food bowl in the corner.

And because I think this video is the cutest thing ever, here’s him from last year attacking Vlad the vampire.  This year when we got Vlad out to play, he was scared out of his mind, cause he remembered  this ghastly creature from his kittenhood. After a few days, though, we found him on the couch cuddling up next to his old pal Vlad.  I guess Vlad is no match for adult Dexter after all.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Pin It

Dexter, the Coolest Cat EVER!

one-cool-cat

I have to admit something. I take a LOT of cat photos and videos, especially of this little guy, Dexter. I can’t help it, he’s just the cutest thing in my life at the moment (#2 next to William, my #1 of course) and he’s always ready for a fun photo opp too! I mean, instant subject, right? Since he was a kitten, William and I have been pretty silly with him. He has to be adaptable to our whims…if we want him to dance, he dances. If he needs a feverish patdown, he gets it (he actually loves this). If we want him to wear a pair of shoes, he wears a pair of shoes. And he also gets put into a lot of boxes and hampers. He really doesn’t mind. That’s what happened when we shot the video below of us inundating him with punched paper (from a pinback button project we did).

He really is a cool cat and puts up with a lot. I love this about him. He really is the coolest cat EVER, except for the fact that he doesn’t like a belly petting and he tries to scratch you if you do it. More cute pics below 🙂

b615bed2dada11e19f3f22000a1c00f7_7 774b23c2d79c11e18b3e1231380f90e0_7 b299c0aea30911e180c9123138016265_7 847be63ae1d311e19c2922000a1e87be_7 fee875feaa2a11e19894123138140d8c_7

I don’t mind if you call me a nutty cat lady, cause that’s exactly what I am!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Pin It

My new photography spot

dexter-goes-to-the-light-not-by-choice

I was about to take a photo for another post in my newly designated photo spot (yes, the one Dexter is sitting in), but I on an impromptu whim decided to tell you about how this has become my new go-to spot for my late night photography.  I so don’t like posting my clutter and mess, but I am trying to be as open and authentic as possible and I frankly didn’t feel like staging a photo! I guess this is a whim, after all.

Full disclosure: I totally spent like 5 minutes trying to get this cat to hold still for this pose.  He kept going to the food bowl, so I told him I would reward him if he was a good boy and posed for me. LOL. So much for a whim, huh?

I recently read a blog post highly promoting and dissing anything but natural lighting for photos.  I agree that natural light looks better for photography. I would choose it anyday over shooting at night; however, I simply don’t get my blogging started till after 8 and the light is already gone by then.  So I work with what I’ve got.

Our new house came with amazing ceiling spotlights and I have been using it a lot for my craft photography. I’m so tired and lazy when it comes to photographing my stuff that I go to it instead of setting up lights or my photo light box (though it does come in handy!).  It’s nice to have a go-to spot where I don’t have to do a lot of prepwork. You may have seen this spot in use in a few of my recent posts: The Magic of Shrinky Dinks and my cute little suitcase.

I must really like this light!  This was the first photo I took when we got the keys to the house.  It’s Frankie, William’s surrogate brother and coolest, most awesome dog I’ve ever met.

Frankie

I am looking forward to capturing more photos in natural light though!  Almost all the rooms of my house are painted. The den is painted a warm orange and has beautiful light shining through in the evenings!  Our yard is currently under construction (it’s all tilled up and needing to be seeded), so eventually I’ll have the nice outdoor space to use as well.

Yay for more photography backdrops and options! Do you have a special spot you like to do your photography at?

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Pin It

Glittery Toenails and more weekend fun!

Wanted to share with you my sparkle nails I got fo the holidays! It is basically a red basecoat with holiday sparkly colors over top. I think it looks fun and super festive. I am happy with it. Hope it lasts till Christmas!

Here’s some other fun updates from my weekend activities…

– Had lots of turkey and pumpkin pie (my fave) over this weekend. Both William and myself made the pie (me the crust, him the filling). It turned out soooo delicious! I even made homeade whipping cream for the top!

sofie-1

– Got to see William’s niece Sofie above.  She didn’t want me to take her picture at first, but then she loosened up and let me.  I have to get my kid pics in when I can!  In the photo above, the lighting on her face was reflected from a yellow book.  Cool, huh?

– Dexter is up to his usual tricks. This weekend he started meowing deeper and he is looking much bigger. I can’t believe we’ve only had him 2 months!

Got this cool vintage #5 from a local Thrift store.  I went thrifting with William a while yesterday. This is all I came home with. It’s for the best, though.  Better to come home with too little than too much. I have no place to store it!

– As you can tell, I’ve been playing around with my blog look and truncating my posts.  I want it to be easier to search through for content and to be fresher looking. That’s why I opted for white.  I have a lot of work to make it look nicer still yet to come, so stay tuned.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Meet Dexter!

little-terror

I got a little carried away with all my Halloween posts, that I totally forgot to formally introduce you to my new Kitten Dexter. He’s super stinkin’ cute and really feisty! Almost a little too feisty. He likes to claw up my pant leg and eat from my food bowl! Bad kitty! Definitely a handful this one is!

He really likes Pixie! So much, in fact, that he pounces her at any given moment. She’s actually reacted surprisingly well to it and because of his annoying attacks, she’s become a lot less skiddish around us. Hmm, maybe a kitten was all she needed all along! I sometimes catch her chasing him and them snuggling up to one another, so I think it is a love/hate thing! If they were married, I don’t think it would end after 72 days…just sayin’! Haha!

DSC_0493

Dexter hopes you had a Happy Halloween!

I wanted to share with you some cute photos. He’s so darn cute at this Kitten stage that I can’t help but take pictures of him every day! I’m such a mom. They grow up so fast, I tell ya!!

Dexter in Bowl

perfect little guy

Magic Cat

And as you probably can tell, in addition to my cute cat photos, I also love the color red. I think he sees red everytime he plays, so it seems only appropriate!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa