Photoshop Tutorial

Having had a baby, Ricky and I now take an average of 100-200 pictures a week. Of course we don't have to save all of them thanks to the beauty of digital photography. As I was browsing through our picture cache online for a great shot for our announcement I thought I'd Google to see if there was a good photoshop tutorial on how to optimize the perfect picture. Sure enough, I came across this site on Photo Retouching and here are the results:
Before


After

7 Year Anniversary

Next month is our 7 year anniversary, although we've been together almost 9 years now! I thought it would be fitting to post these pictures now because in the next week or two our family is going to be a threesome! Ricky and I had our first wedding celebration in Las Vegas with just the two of us. After scoring a suite at the Luxor we checked out the yellow pages to find the perfect little chapel. We chose the all in one package that included the limo drive to downtown to the courthouse, and the drive-thru ceremony afterwards. I wouldn't change it for the world!



Our "official" cerimony, 2 months later, was with our close family on the beach in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. Ricky's father officiated and my Moms and Sister in Law put together my bouquet. Perfection!

William Thomas Sutton

We have a new nefew! Ricky's twin sister Cristi, her husband Kevin, and big brothers Patrick and Jack welcomed little brother WILLIAM THOMAS SUTTON to the family July 23rd! Congrats, we can't wait to meet the little guy!

Happy Birthday Sydney!

Our good friends Stefan and Summer welcomed a baby girl, SYDNEY JAMES REST, into the world July 26th at 11:10 PM. She weighed 7.2 lbs and was 21 inches long. Congratulations to the happy family, we look forward to many camping trips and family vacays in the future! (I LOVE LOVE LOVE her name!)

Ocean Beach Randomness

Ricky and I recently attended the 30th annual Ocean Beach Chili Cookoff and Streetfair a couple of weekends ago. It is one of the biggest occasions for our community because they shut down the entire business district from Sunset Cliffs Blvd to Abbott ave on Newport for live music, great food, and street vendors. These pictres are of a community block painting you could buy into for $5 a square. I have noticed numerous murals all around town before but never knew where they came from.

On our walk home, I snapped a picture of a new additon to our neighbors yard. This plywood cutout stands about 10+ feet tall and his message changes every week or so. This one says "Will work for Peace".

Octopus Baby Bedding

I finished my crib bedding a couple of weeks ago and have yet to post pictures to show off all my handiwork! I picked up a pattern for the bumper and bed skirt, and made a quilt and bed sheet from my own design.

Judahs Big Day

Today is Judah's 6th Birthday that makes him the big 42 in human years. He has brought us so much joy and affection the time he has been with us that I really can't imagine what life would have been like without him. We took a special hike down by the cliffs for his birthday treat this morning, check out the pictures HERE.
The pictures above are from the breeder we picked him up from in Hemet 6years ago.

Judah

Tutus

A couple of my family members are having girls so I decided to make little baby tutus. They are adorable for pictures and just plain girlie fun. I found a ton of tutorials online if you'd like to make one of your own. The first one I made on the left I used twice the amount of tulle by doubling up the layers as I tied it around the waistband it turned out super cute and HUGE. I'll probably cut it down in length so it won't swallow the baby. The one to the right is single layered and a little less full. You can see how I alternated the colors from the shot in the center. I had Judah try one on as a collar but he wasn't in the mood to pose for a photo, bummer.

Meet the Golden Girls

I haven't introduced our chickens yet! Meet from left to right; Dorthy, Rose, and Blanch. It's actually pretty surprising that I haven't posted any pictures of them yet since they are such a big part of our life, and by big I mean loud. When we started our gardens last year Ricky and I decided that we needed some chickens roaming around as well. After doing alot of research on the topic we drove out to a farm store in El Cajon and picked out 3 different breeds based on there temperament, egg production, size, and availability. You can read more about there life here on Farm Coburn on our blog Follow the Sun.

Third Trimester

I've made it to the last leg of the race, the 3rd trimester! Only 12 or so weeks to go! Jeez that seems kind of long now that I think about it, but I'm sure that it will fly by like the rest.

Week in Review

Sorry it has been so long since the last post, we've had a fairly busy week with lots of work and friends. Ricky's buddy Steve aka "Conejo" stopped by for a week after a surf trip in Fiji. Conejo always has great stories to tell of his travels and living in Costa for the past 10+years. So much so that a movie script is in the works based loosely based on his life! I always love when we have guests in town to because that means we get to visit all our favorite restaurants... Southbeach, Hodads, Shades, Lighthouse Icecream, Thai Time. Lots of good eating for sure!

Ricky and I also started our Baby Classes a couple of weeks ago. We are attending a Birthing From Within class that is located at the Best Start Birth Center in Hillcrest. It is 4 weeks long and each class is 3 hours. After researching and comparing the options out there I thought that this format would work best for us. Personaly I like that it opens the door for us to discuss what we may be thinking about birth and becoming parents but may not say to each other without the prompting of a class exercise or discussion. We have attended two classes and I feel more confident about the whole birthing thing already.

I also attended a baby expo that was going on downtown on Sunday to score some free loot. It was well worth my time and I enjoyed going to see all the newest baby gear. I learned alot about using cloth baby diapers and got to see all the different brands and styles available which was pretty interesting. I am not sold completly on them yet, but may buy one or two styles to use at home and interchange with the disposables.

Our friends Sean and Stefanie also welcomed there baby Ford Michael Leonard into the world last Tuesday June 9th at 8:59PM! Congratulations to the new family we are so excited for you!

Baby Daddy

My little brother Wes is going to be a daddy! I just found out a couple of days ago that Wes and his wife Dana are expecting there first baby in February 2010. How exciting for the whole family, our little ones will be around 5 months apart.

Wes just finished building their house from the ground up in Edmond, OK about a year ago so they have plenty of room for a baby to call home. He lives close to my Mom and Dad and I'm sure that they will love having a grandbaby so close to spoil and do things with. I only wish that everyone would realize that beach living is where it's at and move to California to be closer to us!
CONGRATULATIONS Wes & Dana!!!

Time for a Trim

So it's almost been 9 years since I've had my dreads, which means time for a little trim. I've "cut" them before, and by cut I mean "twisted them off" at a weak point so it basically was a natural haircut. It had been getting really heavy when I had it pulled back or piled on top of my head and was bringing my look down. I'd been thinking about it for a couple of weeks and after browsing through our old photos I decided to do the deed. This was the first real cut I've ever attempted and I am really happy with the results.

All in all I took about 5-6 inches off and it felt lighter immediately. In the picture to the left I have the top half pulled back so that's why some pieces look a little shorter. Ah, so much better.

Family Photos

My Mom recently forwarded me some pictures of her older sister Paulette who passed away at a young age. It got me into looking at some other photos I had lying around so I thought i'd share.

This picture is of my Grandma Stansberry (my Mom's Mom) at around 20 years old, holding my Aunt Paulette in 1948. My Aunt Linda thinks her and I have a resemblance.


I LOVE this picture! Aunt Paulette is the one on the Left with her Cousin Karen.


My Mom, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Paul, Unknown, and Uncle Marty.


My Mom in High School.


Me and Dad chillin at the lake.


Grandpa and I doing a little fishing, I love my fishing pose! And finally one of Me and my Radio Flyer wagon. I would love to find one of these for next year when we drag the family down to the beach.

Keeping up my "shape", even if the current shape is Round

WOW, June 1st already! It is hard to believe I'm already 7 months into this pregnancy with only 3 more to go. It is so crazy and amazing to watch the body that you've lived in your whole life change to create another human being. I often forget how obvious it is to other people when I'm out until I catch my reflection in a window and can't believe that the person looking back is actually me. I have been exercising daily, as was my routine before baby, but cut out the running and stick with fast paced walking and hills to keep in shape. I used to run all the way to the end of the cliffs and back, but now my route must pass by the public restrooms for the inevitable pit stop. Stretching everyday as well as squats, push ups, and sideways crunches keep me feeling good and will help my body bounce back after labor. Map my Run.com is one of my favorite ways to keep track of how far my routes are and provides lots of cool information on elevation, carbon offset, gas saved, and other fun facts.

Etsy makes it Easy

I've been doing a lot of searching the web for fabrics lately to find the perfect prints for the baby bedding. There are so many fabric sites to look through but the absolute BEST place to search for fabrics is ETSY.com. Etsy is an online marketplace that supports all things handmade and vintage. There are numerous ways to search for what you are looking for and just browse the thousands of unique listings. Be warned though, it is very easy to get sucked in!

The Baby Cage

I picked up the crib on Saturday morning up in Carlsbad. It is everything I hoped it would be. Margarita and her 4 year old daughter Selena were super nice and helped me to load it into the back of my car. It barely fit! The thing is freakin HUGE! It came with all the parts in perfect condition and includes crib, mattress, toddler rail, and base boards for the full bed conversion. All in all it would be around $1000+ if we purchased it brand new. I came home and set it up myself in under an hour. Pretty easy to assemble and it looks great in the corner of our bedroom until he is a little older and we'll move him into the other bedroom.

Now I am working on finding some really cool fabrics to make the bedding for it. I want it to coordinate with the colors on my bedspread which is orange and white. As with everything I'm purchasing for him I don't want it to be to kiddy or cartoonish, ie Winnie the Pooh. I like the idea of using a color theme of turquoise, lime green, white, orange, and brown. Kind of a tropical feel. Here are some fabrics I like.

Baby Crib Bargain

Sorry I haven't had a post in awhile, it's been pretty busy around here the last week or so. Some exciting news though...I'm going to pick up my crib tomorrow! I have been obsessively checking craigslist postings for white convertible cribs with a tall backboard for the past month or so. To make it even trickier I wanted it to include a nice mattress and be in practically new condition, all for an unbelievable price. Oddly enough my patience paid off. Here is the post:

BABY CRIB SPECIAL PRICE 2DAY ONLY!!!! - $150 (La Costa, Carlsbad)

BEAUTIFUL, WHITE Sorelle "Maxine" crib for sale. SPECIAL OFFER!!!!! MUST SELL BEFORE WEEKEND!!!! Includes brand NEW Mattress, Toddler rail, and Conversion kit. This BEAUTIFUL crib Converts to a FULL size bed. First 150.00 takes it!!!! IN PERFECT CONDITION!!! MUST SEE!!! Sacrifice at 150.00 Paid $800 NEW!! Please Call 000-000-000 I WILL DELIVER!!!!!!

First I did my research and looked up the brand online here, and sure enough it was everything I wanted. I called, thinking it would be snapped up already, but talked with a really nice and super talkative single mom. I got the cribs back story from beginning to current day as well as her relationship status and her plans for the weekend! WHOA TMI :) I pick it up tomorrow morning in Carlsbad, a little bit of a drive, but whatever it's a terrific deal. Can't wait to start posting pics and searching for the perfect bedding!

Time to give my jeans a break

Man, I am really feeling the effects of the extra weight I'm lugging around. You wouldn't think an extra 15lbs would make much of a difference but jeez! So of course I made the BIGGEST mistake you could possibly make when pregnant, I measured myself! Weight is one thing, of course I expected to put on the pounds, but for some reason actually seeing the numbers on the measuring tape made my eyes pop out of my head! So word to the wise, NEVER MEASURE YOURSELF WHEN PREGNANT! So in order to set
things right I am planning on purchasing a pair of lululemon yoga pants. All my friends swear by them and they are supposed to make your butt look amazing, I'm sold.

(Unrelated picture...Super cute alligator puppet and monkey I picked up at a garage sale for $2!)

Derby Day Onsie

Another cute little gown to add to my collection. I had heard at a baby shower that these were great to have on hand because you don't have to fumble with buttons or pants and they are easy on/off.

It's Obvious

I'm officially "obvious", at least I've passed THIS stage. You know the one when a woman looks a little heavy in the middle but people are afraid to say anything because she could or couldn't be expecting. So at least once a day now people are starting to ask when I'm due.

May Gray go away

May Gray has descended upon coastal cities in California, boo. If you've never visited during that time, your not missing out. My Dad actually says that the coldest he's ever been in June was the week he visited us one year. May Gray/June Gloom is a marine layer that covers the entire coast for a few months in Spring and makes the whole day colder. It's really not that bad until your BBQ/beach day/other outside event, is brought down by all the fog. Sometimes it breaks during midday for a few hours but mostly its just gloomy. This is a picture of Torrey Pines during June Gloom. Bummer.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about it.

"June Gloom (also May Gray) is a California term for a weather pattern that results in overcast skies with mild temperatures during the late spring and early summer. The condition is prevalent in many parts of the world where marine stratus or stratocumulus clouds are common, particularly off the western coasts of continents—especially off Peru, Namibia, Western Australia, and California. Such cloud systems are persistent year-round off the coast, yet in certain seasons they blow ashore and create the gloomy "May Gray" effect on land. The June Gloom phenomenon has also been known to occur during the early fall in California.

Early mornings during this period are typically foggy, with an occasional drizzle. The fog turns to low clouds by late morning and early afternoon. Finally, by late afternoon, solar heating is sufficient to evaporate the clouds. Often the overcast will be evaporated ("burned off") quickly inland, but will linger along the immediate coast.

In California, the number of days from May to June that are gloomy vary from year to year. Cooler ocean temperatures, associated with La Niña, usually foretell a more gray period.

June Gloom has been reported by some Californians to bring on symptoms consistent with seasonal affective disorder. It is often cited as a time of depression."

Spoiled Rotten

Our dog spoiled, no way! THIS is what he does all day when we aren't home.

Mental Roller Coaster Ride

The past couple of days I've felt kinda blah. A little mental and a little physical. I think it's just my crazy pregnancy hormones playing tricks on me but I felt a little off. Not wanting to get out of bed, being lethargic all day, headaches, and being overly sensitive to little things that normally wouldn't effect me. Fortunately, I have an understanding husband and great friends to make me feel better (and feed me awesome food) when I need it most! Thanks Guys!

This is a little bitty pair of Chuck Taylors I picked up at a garage sale for like a dollar, they make me smile every time I see them. So naturally they have been sitting on our kitchen table for the past week!

Lil Vampire

Ha Ha, how funny are these pacifiers!!!
Check out there other silly selections at Billy Bob Pacifiers.

Where I've Worked

Yesterday I was browsing through some old photos and came across some shots we took of our old stores in Dallas, TX. Over the past 9 years we have opened 4 of our own stores and helped numerous others start theirs. Here are a couple of pics of the stores past...

This is a picture from the back of our first store in Deep Ellum looking towards the entrance. The Deep Ellum Store was open from for October 2000-January 2007. It is also where Ricky and I met and started "dating". It was our most profitable store and also the coolest in my opionion. We had to close down because the neighborhood went into a decline and people were afraid to come to the area. When we first opened we would be open until 1:00+ on Friday and Saturday nights and were pumping with business nonstop. Over the years the media got ahold of some unfortunate circumstances and less and less people visited the neighborhood. Business closed down left and right and we were one of the very last retail spots to oporate. LOTS and LOTS of awesome memories, Ricky even had an apartment behind the store for the first couple of years.



After noticing the decline in the Deep Ellum neighborhood we decided to open a second location at a new shopping center called Mockingbird Station about 3 miles away. Here we did the entire finish out to the spot which was a MAJOR undertaking. Installing a window front, bathrooms, AC unit, pretty much everything as it was a blank box to begin with. This location was open for about 3 years and we sold it when we decided to move back to San Diego in 2007.







Factory Vintage was our warehouse/store located next door to the Deep Ellum location. For the first year we just used the space to ship and pack orders and oporated our Particle Reconstruction line. But after we closed the doors to the Deep Ellum Store next door, we expanded and let people shop the warehouse and extremly low "bulk" prices. This was by far a biggest location at 10,000+ sq feet. It had an room for a few offices, a large particle workroom, a darkroom, screenprinting room, skateboarding half-pipe ramp, and tons and tons of racks and bins. There were even a few classic cars on display throughout the warehouse, a Jag and a Mercedes. We were oporating three locations at once in Dallas at one point and had a payroll fluxuating at about 20+people and interns.






These days we are running one location in Bay Park that houses Dust Factory Wholesale, Factory Vintage Retail, and Particle Reconstruction Clothing. It makes it much easier on us to have it all in one place. Check us out if you are ever in the area.