Thrift store Birdcage transformation

Remember this? I posted this little thrift store find I got a few weeks ago on Instagram. I had been wanting one, but the large ones are just way out of my budget. So, when I saw this little cutie, I thought I’d give it a try.  

A couple of months ago, I got some succulent leaves off my mother’s succulent plants. It was my first attempt to propagate. I will write another post on that soon. So, now that they are growing, I needed a place for them to grow into.  
Originally, I wanted to spray paint this rubbed oil bronze. It has been so hot out here and I was just  not up to being outside. So, I opted to use acrylic paints. This is what I used.  
At first, I used the lighter blue. It was way too light. Then I sparingly went over it with the darker blue. Lastly, I added a little copper. I just winged it. Emphasizing where it might naturally rust or oxidize. Not sure if I used that correctly.

Here is the final result! Shh! Don’t tell anyone I forgot to paint the bottom. Hehehe…

    
Here is where I decided to place it for now. I feel like there is something missing. Maybe a stack of books. I don’t know… What do you think? 

I used coconut liner to hold the soil. I can’t wait for them to grow!

 

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Crystal Lamp Makeover

I don’t know about you, but I love giving old things new life! It is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. Here is the story on these lamps. My mom has had these crystal lamps since I was young. I’m guessing 90’s. Early 90’s. They aren’t really old. Not old enough to call antique. Lol They were  old enough to call, what is that word again? Ugly. Gasp! Yes, I just called these lamps ugly. 

I had been looking for lamps on Craigslist with no luck. When my mom told me she was donating these lamps, I thought maybe I could give them a shot. She had burgundy lampshades on them. Yes, burgundy. So I took them home. Here is a before picture. Eek! I did a little research. Okay, a lot. It was hard finding redos on these lamps. There was one pin on my trusty ol’ friend Pinterest! Not much info, just a finished image. So I went from there. 

Below is a picture of when I pulled it apart. You want to start at the bottom. There is a bolt you can unscrew. I had to remove the felt cover first. Mine was old, but I still kept it. This lamps was in three pieces. Make sure to be very careful. It can easily chip. Take lots of pictures to remember where every part goes. You will have to remove the screws and wires above. It’s not hard, just make sure to take pictures. I also took a sharpie and labeled the wires. Not sure if it mattered, but when it comes to electrical stuff, it usually does.          

Remember how to make that knot if yours has one. It helps! When you undo the knot, straighten the wires and carefully pull the wire out. If your hardware and wiring is really old, you can replace with new ones from your local hardware store. 

   I put all my wiring in a ziplock. The image below are pieces I was going to paint. I decided to spray paint glossy white using Restoleum spray paint. 

Tip: Use plastic or cardboard as protection on the floor. I tired using newspaper for the first time and the pieces stuck everywhere on the paper! It was a mess! Thankfully you can’t really tell. Haha!

Here is the finished product! Originally I wanted burlap shades, but they were $30 each at Lowes. I found these shades for $11 on clearance. Score! I also cleaned the glass inside out with a wet rag. Then I went over it with alcohol. It helps to clean it up really good. What do you think? Post your comment and share your lamp makeover. 

Total cost:

Lamps FREE!

Restoleum White Spay paint $ 5.27

Lamp Shades $22 for both

Total with tax approx $30.00

 

Mandell & Luisa | Family Photo Session, Las Vegas Photographer

I recently had the opportunity to photograph this beautiful family. I am in love with this shoot! My client wanted something that captured her children and family in their element. She wanted light and soft colors. I am so glad to chose me to do the job! I am so thrilled with the way this turned out. Who said photography in the desert right after the dry winter can’t be beautiful? Wow! I think I almost ran out of breath for a minute there. Thanks for visiting! Stay tuned for more. Don’t forget to visit my Facebook page and “Like”. If you would like to see my portfolio, the link is above in the menu bar. Thanks!

Hello again

Hi guys! So I know I’ve been M.I.A. lately. No… I haven’t left my blog. I have just been so busy. Sometimes it just seems easier to post on Instagram or Facebook. However, I have been missing my blog. I guess for me personally it just seems more personal. Don’t you think? So, I would like know how you keep up with blogging each week. Any suggestion? I thought maybe I can post a reminder on my calendar each week… What do you think? As you may already know, I like to post different things here. Some of my personal favorites will be about my devotionals, my photography work, homeschool, my new love for gel nails, makeup and everything in between… Sounds girly doesn’t it? It seems so weird to say because I don’t think of myself as being girly. I think of myself more of having a creative side. There you go! Please leave a comment on how your keep up with your blog and a link. I would love to visit your blog!

~Leslie

The thorn on my side and what the Lord revealed to me

Have you been praying for deliverance out of a trail? Here is a little encouragement the Lord have me today…

“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” II Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭7-9‬

“Like Paul, we ask for help from the Lord. As far as our Father is concerned, however, the purpose of prayer is not that He might give help to us, but that He might give Himself to us.
The Father says, “You want Me to take away the pain, to solve the problem, to get you out of the situation -but that’s not what you need. You need Me. And the very problem you’re seeking to get away from, the very situation you desire to get out of is the very one that is causing you to talk to Me. You’ll be stronger when you’re weak because you’ll have no other choice than to draw strength from Me. You’ll have to reply on Me.” – Jon Courson’s Application Commentary New Testament

realTechniques Stippling Brush vs Sonia Kashuk Flat Top Multipurpose Brush

Hello again! It might seem like my blog is turning into a beauty blog, but I promise, it isn’t. It will be a little of everything. After all. I love makeup! Now, I don’t like wearing makeup every single day, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like it.

I recently decided to try a new stippling brush. I had been using the Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Flat Top Multipurpose Brush from Target for a while. Now, I love this brush, however wanted to try other ones out there. So, on my Ulta shopping trip a few weeks ago I spotted the new realTechniques Stippling Brush and considered getting it. However, as always I like to read my reviews first. I did a little review online and jumped the gun! I purchase mine here. I LOVE the realTechniques Brush! I love that my foundation goes on flawless. It’s quick! Personally, I don’t like using the foundation brush because I feel it leaves streaks. I don’t like that. If I am not using a stippling brush or beauty blender, I will use my finger! After all they are FREE! Just make sure when you use your hands, they are CLEAN! This is important so you don’t get bacteria on your face that can later cause breakouts. Okay, so here are my pros and cons.

Sonia Kashuk Flat Top Brush:

Pros – Bristles are very soft. I haven’t noticed any bristles fall off when washing.

Cons – Price is a bit on the high side for being sold at Target (around $15). One thing I noticed and didn’t like was that it soaks up too much of my liquid foundation. This isn’t good when you pay a lot of cash for good foundation. I still love this brush, but will use it for other purposes.

realTechniques Stippling Brush:

Pros – Blends liquid foundation very well! I haven’t noticed any bristles fall off when washing or cleansing my brush. Price is very affordable. I bought mine for under $10 on Amazon. Best part was it didn’t soak up my foundation, which meant a little goes a long way!!! That’s good enough for me!

So for me, the realTechniques Brush was the winner!

Beauty Blender vs Ulta Brand Beauty Sponge

A few weeks ago I decided to try the Ulta Brand Beauty Sponge for the first time. I had heard of the Beauty Blender, but wanted to try a cheaper (around $5) alternative. After trying the Ulta brand sponge, I wanted to buy the original beauty blender to see the difference. So these are my thoughts on it…

Ulta Beauty Sponge:
Pros: It’s only around $5 plus tax.
Cons: The Ulta brand sponge is tougher and more like rubber texture. This makes it harder to blend, but wasn’t a reason to make it not usable.

Beauty Blender:
Pros: Very soft. Easy to blend makeup and easy to get in those tight areas like under eyes and around nose.
Cons: Price $38.00

Note: I also bought the double pack with the cleaner. I have noticed though that my sponges did stain when I used it with my BB cream. I tried washing it twice. Not sure why… You can find this here.

Since I bought my Beauty Blender Sponge, I have used only that. I prefer the original Beauty Blender. If you don’t want to spend that much on makeup applicator, try the Ulta brand or one of the other drug store brand. You never know, you might just love it!

Christmas Session 2013

Hi everyone! Book your Christmas Session today and get 10 images on a cd of your favorite session photos! For a limited time only! Also, go check out my website at http://www.lesliemphotos.com to view my portfolio! Enjoy!

Just another day… November 2013

I know it’s been a few weeks since my last post. I have been so busy with my now 1 year old! I can’t believe how fast time went by this time around. I guess I was expecting it, but I just didn’t think it would come this quickly. My baby girl is now walking around and getting into everything! Oh… It just makes my heart melt. So, if you are wondering what has kept me away, this is why. I try to just sit there with them while I homeschool and just play with her.

So, I realized I have been focusing so much time on my business when it comes to photography. I remembered the first reason why I had bought my first DSLR. I decided to challenge myself a little more to just bring it out and capture more of my family moments. Yep, no more sitting in my camera bag. I decided to stop focusing so much on the perfect portrait images to edit and post. Rather, focus on capturing more of what is really important in life. Family.

This was today. I love seeing my older children at play with their baby sister. God has truly blessed me. There’s just no other way to put it. He is good!

Better Late Than Never!

Wow! I am so behind on my personal family photos! Yep! I said it! I love to capture those special moments with my children. They are truly my biggest blessings! I always say how I feel I don’t deserve how good God has been to me with these blessing! My children are God’s sand paper to my heart. No, it’s not the way it sounds… You see, as I walk each day with my Jesus, He shapes and molds me more and more each day to be more like Him. Through my children, He reveals the good, the bad and the ugly. Yes, the ugly… The ugly is worse than bad. He has showed me how much He loves me, how He is faithful to forgive. He shows me that as a mom and can only do so much on my own, but that through Him I can do so much more. It is because of Jesus that I am what I am today. Nothing more. That simple. I don’t know how I got here or when. I just now that day by day He is changing my life. It’s not always pretty, but I am thankful for the blessing and even the painful trails.

Here are some photos of my daughters 7th birthday. Next to her is her baby sister. My son is missing in this picture by the way. It was a girls only party. 😦 I am so thankful that Jesus chose me to be mommy to my 3 beautiful children. I don’t deserve. But He saw it fit to chose me to raise up these children. Thank you Jesus!

Btw, these were taken back in April! 😮 Yes… It took that long for me to share. Hehe…