Out of over 1000 images that were submitted to them, they picked TWO of mine! Yipee!!!! I am absolutely honored to be featured among so many amazing photographers.

I am not going to lie, this first shot is one of my all time favorites.

So, for all of you that think my answer of "I just painted it" isn't good enough....here is my explaination to the best of my explaining abilities.

The Dresser

I had been on the hunt for a low long dresser such as this for a long time now. I found a few on Craigslist that I liked but I didn't love. So, when I found this one at Salvation army for $75 I snatched it right up. I had to do some apologizing afterwards because my husband hates it when I buy furniture without his approval. Luckily, he really liked it when I got it home. $75 may seem like a lot for an old piece of junk but this dresser is a true gem. It is made so well and weighs like a hundred pounds because it is all solid wood. Plus, it was originally $100 and was marked 25% percent off.

Here is how I made it fabulous.

The top of the dresser had a few scratches in it so I sanded the top only. I used my little hand sander and started with medium sand paper and finished with fine. I then took all of the drawers out and removed the hardware. I was completely in love with these drawer pulls but not so in love with the dingy brass. They were actally two pieces when they came off. I took them apart and sprayed them with my favorite makeover tool: Rustoleum glossy white spray paint. While those were drying, I painted the dresser. I used a high gloss paint to give it that glamorous sheen. I was so excited to see that the wood grain was visable after the paint went on. It was a pleasant surprise. I used a paint brush on all of it except I rolled the top.

The Chair

When I brought home this chair (like 3 years ago), my husband gave me that look. You know the one that says why are you bringing home that ugly thing? I see the finished product before it is finished.

This one was kind of a pain in the rear. My friend Jesse stopped by while I was covered in paint and working on this. She may have heard some inappropriate words come out of my mouth. Seeing the finished product makes it all worth it.

I found some fabric and upholstery paint. It is from Hobby Lobby and you can find it by the tie die supplies. I bought black and used that to paint the brown upholstery. I used the Rustoleum glossy white for the chair and I then used a clear glossy acrylic spray paint to seal it just in case Keegan decided to chew on the arms. He already did that once so, this was the second round of painting. ;) There was lots of taping on this project. I had to tape when I painted the wood and I had to tape when I painted the fabric. I had to be careful to not pull up the tape too fast because it would take off the new paint.

The accessories

I found these little cuties at an estate sale. You guessed it, Rustoleum glossy white again.

I found a few milk glass pieces and the little Avon cameo box at the flea market at the Expo Square. No paint or refinishing needed. They just needed a new home.

I obviously need to borrow a steamer from someone to steam out the curtains. I ironed the panel on the other wall and found out the hard way that was not a good idea. I didn't believe the instructions on the tag. Just squint a little when you look at these photos to blur out the wrinkles and permanent iron marks. ;) Oh, and let me know if I can borrow your steamer.

Look! The wedding photographer has wedding photos up!

I found some simple little treasures at the flea market to hide all of my expensive jewels ($5 dollar earrings from forever 21).

I shoot with Canon so, that is the only thing that I really know anything about but I know that Nikon is a great brand as well. You usually just end up sticking with what you start out with. I highly recommend getting a DSLR camera if you are wanting great photos. They are quite a bit more expensive than a point and shoot but you will see a huge difference in your images. I know that there are a lot of great point and shoot cameras out there but I don't own one so, I have no expertise there.

I recommend going with a Canon Rebel to start out. I actually started with the 30D which is a bit of an upgrade from the Rebel but is well worth it. You could even go for a used camera body.

My favorite lenses to shoot with are fixed lenses. This means that they do not zoom in and out. You actually have to move your body or switch out your lens. They end up taking much more crisp and sharp images than a zoom. Plus, if you are wanting a good one zoom lenses can get pretty pricey. I would recommend starting with a 50mm 1.8 lens. The 1.8 is your aperture setting. This is what will give you that nice portrait type photo where the background is blurry and your subject is nice and sharp. Also, when your lens is 1.8 or lower it will work better in low lighting situations.

Like in this photo, the area around her eyes is in focus and detailed while the rest of the photo sort of fades into a blur. This was shot with a 1.8 aperture.

I edit with photoshop and lightroom. I know that those are probably a bit expensive for those who are not doing photography professionally. There are lots of online editing applications out there that are either free or quite affordable like picnik.com

As far as classes go. There is only one way to go if you want to have fun. A snap shop by Ashley Ann. But, you need to email her right away to get put on a list of some ort because she fills her classes up faster than you can even think about it and she only does them once a month.

I had the great honor of photographing her and her precious family last year.

I am sure that there are other less fun and creatively stimulating options out there but why bother? ;)

This prompted me to do an entire room from start to finish. So, this past weekend I kicked some major butt on my bedroom. (Or did it kick mine?) Anyhow, I got the major stuff done and out of the way and now I am working on the finishing touches.

I am going to do a grand reveal when it is all done but for now.......

Here is a little peek at my helper.

.......and the part that makes me cringe. I am so embarrassed to show you this photo.  It makes me feel completely naked. I cannot believe that I actually lived with it like this for so long. I guess I have been kind of busy.

So, onto the ugly.

Pay special attention to the old yellowed paint on the walls, the ugly wood trim, the brown heat vent on the wall, oh and don't forget the nasty dusty ceiling fan. Will someone please tell me what is going on with the curtain rods? The floors are going to stay nasty until this summer when we do them like the rest of the house. My entire house used to look just like this or worse. Maybe I should show you before and after photos of every room. That would certainly motivate me to finish everything up.

Stay tuned. It is already a whole new room and it is going to get so much better. Yay!

This weekend I will be working on a house project so, I will be sure to share that with you when it is complete.

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

You can email me your question at imagovitaphotography@gmail.com or leave it here in the comment section. Who knows, if you ask a question you just might WIN something!