DSLR vs POINT AND SHOOT CAMERAS

I hope you're having a great week!  I've been shopping for a new camera because my Canon Power Shoot quit working.

Source: amazon.com via Joy on Pinterest

It's been a real good little point and shoot camera that had 8 megapixels, 4X optical zoom and an optical image stabilizer.  I liked how compact and light and easy it was to transport, but one thing that drove me crazy was trying to take inside shots for this blog.  I know you're always told to turn your flash off for inside shots, but when I did that there was no low light setting.  This made it very difficult to take photos in a home that doesn't have a lot of natural light coming in.

The debate for me is between a point and shoot or a DSLR camera.   I've done some reading on the subject and also asking a few people's opinions.

Here's some info that I've gathered  on a few cameras .  The first one is the Nikon Coolpix L810 point and shoot camera.

Source: amazon.com via Joy on Pinterest

It's an upgrade from what I had in a point and shoot camera.  It has a 26 X optical zoom, 3 inch LCD screen, 50 MB memory, video recorder and  ISO sensitivity, but still doesn't have a built in low light setting.   I was also shown the Nikon Coolpix 510, it's a cross between a point and shoot camera and a DSLR.

Source: amazon.com via Joy on Pinterest

It has high-speed continuous shooting capability, built in GPS, full HD (1080p) movies with stereo sound (still and movies with up to a 42 X zoom)! It also has the 3 inch vari-angle  LCD  movable screen.  Another big plus about this camera is that it comes with image stabilization, and high-resolution imagery even in LOW light!  It has manual setting on it, so if I want to learn how to take shots in manual settings that's certainly an option. One final thing that impresses me about this camera is that I don't have to change lenses.

I love reading Dear Lillie's blog and I'm always impressed with the photos she takes.  I read her post on what camera she uses before I went shopping.   She uses a Nikon D700 but started out using the Nikon D3000.  She has great things to say about both of these cameras.  So while shopping I also checked out the Nikon D3100 - a newer version of the D3000.  It's also a compact camera with 14.2 megapixels, built in stabilization, split second shutter speed, 3 inch monitor, active D-lighting, and built in movie feature along with a few other things.  I also looked at the camera she is currently uses, the  Nikon D700.  This is a full frame camera with a lot of features including ability to interchange lens and manual settings.

Source: amazon.com via Joy on Pinterest

I'm not being compensated in anyway to write a review on these cameras, but tried to the best of my ability to share what I've learned.   I think I'm leaning toward the Nikon Coolpix 510, because it's a cross between a point and shoot camera and a DSLR.  I'm not real interested in having to change lens or work with the camera settings in detail. With the SLR camera you not only have to purchase the camera but extra lenses as well.

Do you have a camera that you love and would recommend to me.  I'd love to hear from you!
Have a great weekend!

A SUMMER WEDDING

I've been gone again and I'm sure you think I've forgotten about all of you.  It's been such a crazy busy summer here at the Parsonage. My husband received a phone call recently to come and preach in the church where he had his first charge/job.  So in just a small amount of time we had our bags packed and were on our way for a 1700 mile trip to Minnesota.  It was exciting for us to reunite with  friends from the church and family who live nearby.  The timing of the trip was wonderful, as it was my father-in-laws 80th birthday and my mom and step-dad's 27th anniversary.  We very rarely get to attend such events because of the great distance we have to travel.  It was such a joy to be able to attend the parties.

I had plans to take many photos to share, but while we were there my camera died.  I was disappointed to only get a few photos.  Now I'm on the hunt for a new camera.  Do any of you have a good suggestion for a camera? 

I do however have some very exciting news to share with you.   Our son got engaged on August 7th.  He and his fiance will be getting married sometime next summer.

 Of course I have to share a few photos of the happy couple.

This will give me another wedding to share on Wedding Wednesday .  Yay!

BATHROOM MAKEOVER & PAINTING PLASTIC WALLS

Back in April of 2010, when I first started this blog. I shared my bathroom makeover for under $500. I actually think it was done for quite a bit less, but we did the makeover shortly before I started this blog. I didn't write down the exact amounts we spent on finishing the room.

Rita from Harbour Breeze Home recently asked me a question regarding this makeover.  She is planning a bathroom makeover also.  As you can see in the photo below, her bathroom is same floor plan as ours.  Even the retro light fixture is the same fixture we had before our makeover.

Source: harbourbreezehome.com via Joy on Pinterest

 While looking back at the post I realized I hadn't shown you somethings I did in this room.

 
See the area directly above the shower stall. It used to be a solid wall of beige plastic with a seam about 18 inches from the ceiling.   I came up with a thrifty fast solution to get rid of the wall of beige plastic.

PAINT

Here's what  I did ~

First I scrubbed the wall very well. I then  ruffed the surface a bit using sandpaper.  The next thing to do was add a coat of primer.  After the primer was completely dry, I just painted it with latex paint.  My husband then added crown molding that he made using salvaged lumber.

We use the shower in this bathroom and I wondered how it would hold up.  It's been on the wall for four years and still looks like the day I painted it.

At the time of the remodel we also added a curved curtain rod.  It's a little trick you can do to add more space to a small shower area.  My thrifty finds ~ 99 cent Goodwill rings and a 50 cent garage sale shower curtain help hide the remainder of the ugly beige shower surround. 

Have a great day!

GOODWILL HUNTING - A LAMP MAKEOVER

We recently were on a camping vacation, enjoying sunsets on the beach in Cannon Beach Oregon.

 We've been doing a few updates in our tent trailer to make it a little more our style and to feel more like home. The lighting in the trailer can be a bit poor and we thought it would be helpful to add a small lamp.   We decided to stop at Goodwill and see what we could find.  My husband and I wanted something that would go well with the interior of the trailer.  It has blue's and brown's in the decor, as you can see in the background of the photos.

Here's what we found for $1.99 and $3.99.

Our original intentions were to remove the electrical parts of the lamp and place them in the lantern.  That would be cheaper than buying a new lamp kit.

Which my husband did.....
                                     ... but sometimes things don't work out like you envisioned.  When we placed it in the lantern and added the lamp shade, it lacked color and was very bland!  Soooo.... my husband reinstalled the electrical fixture back into the original lamp.  After all that, it was time to move onto the fun part of the project.

Decorating the new lamp shade.

We collected our supplies which consisted of sand dollars, starfish, shells and rope.

I began by gluing the rope to the shade, adding clothes pins to hold it in place until the glue had set. I then added the sand dollars and starfish.  We decided not to add the shells because it looked a little busy with to many items on the shade.

Here's the finish lamp. 

 (Sorry about the poor photos - remember the lighting is poor in a tent trailer.)

We can now enjoy better lighting while camping in our tent trailer.

Our home away from home.

SUMMER TRENDS

Hi everyone, I'm happy to be back after a very restful week of vacation.   Vacation and summer go together like hand and glove.  I recently read that a few of the trends for 2012 summer are - bright colors and beachcomber decor.  Today I thought I'd share a few of these trends that I observed while on vacation last week.

Brightly colored adirondack chairs.

Along with brightly colored umbrellas,

and boards.

The beach decor has been described as 

elegant, coastal, vintage, vibrant, and nautical.

Here's a window display that would be described as nautical/coastal.

You can purchase coastal themed items like this apron or even lighting,

or a beach sign.

Even this wedding cake that we saw in the bakery had the nautical / beach theme.

Have you seen any of these trends this summer?