Inspiration: Morning Coffee

Great, good morning! 

Enjoy your coffee, your space, and your day!

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-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

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See what Pins have me excited

Kiss My Assassin Blog Tour: The Wasted Series Design + Photography

One thing that has always made me love Author C. Elizabeth Vescio is that, apart from writing a series I genuinely love, she is wonderful at design. So when marketing needs to get done, she never fails with coming up with aesthetically pleasing, badass book-related art. From character photography to Uncontrollably Wasted teaser pictures with quotes from Book 2, she brings her characters and books alive in a way that excite and entertain her readers. #brilliant

So for today's stop on the Kiss My Assassin Blog Tour I wanted to show you some of my personal favorite graphics made for the series as well as link you to other places on the web where you can browse Wasted art!



Want to easily reppin some Wasted art? Check out the Pinterest Board "The Wasted Series: Art + Web!"

Want to let your eyes hump some great graphics made for Uncontrollably Wasted? Here's the promo album from the Facebook Page! As always, the newest info. and art can be found over at the Facebook Page here as well as the Wasted Tumblr here.

Want to see some of your favorite characters? Author C. Elizabeth Vescio has a page just for that! You can see character photography + their info. and fun facts here!

Don't forget to look through the Wasted Series website here! It's sexy and fun! #duh

The site's blog is also pretty ballin' so don't forget to visit it too!

As always, let me try to gently push you into becoming a part of Author C. Elizabeth Vescio's street team called THE VASSASSINS! Why? Well to support this author and her series AND to get cool insider info. and other fun things! Sign up here! It's free and easy and sexy.

Now for links to the newly released UNCONTROLLABLY WASTED!

Nook
Kindle
Paperback
Goodreads
The Wasted Site

Jack of all trades and stereotypical black sheep, C. Elizabeth has been writing somewhat dark and morbid since that teen angst hit in the early 90's- probably because her dad was a mortician. After pursuing a degree in English, she changed gears to photography and design in 2006... although she kept penning stories for fun while reading the works of Edgar Allen Poe, Oscar Wilde and Hemingway (whom she adores even though he was a huge douche canoe). In 2009, her life shifted considerably and she found herself writing Elegantly Wasted- helping her sort out a bunch of stupid feelings and other lame stuff.

Want more of C. Elizabeth Vescio?
GoodReads - FB - Twitter - Tumblr

Pinspiration: Two Pinterest Accounts to Follow

Today, I want to mini spotlight two Pinterest accounts that you should definitely be following.

A few days ago I saw four pictures back to back that made me stop and do the whole "oooo" and "awww" thing. Now, if you follow MY account, you know I go through repinning bursts quite often. However, these four repins caught my eye and so I checked out the rest of their boards!

Pretty, unique, creative, and fun. That's what they both are.

Three pictures (the left two and the bottom right one) were repinned from The Paris Apartment.
One picture (top right) was repinned from Shelby Owens.

Go check out both accounts for all of your repinning pleasures!

The above pictures can be found on my Lovely Photos board and linked back to their original owners that way.

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

1,000 Reasons Why I Love You

I love Pinterest. A fact that was never in question.

I also love my Followers.

So, I feel like my Pinterest followers are probably the most badass people in the world.

This post is just my way of saying THANKS to all of you beautiful, repinning Pinteresters. I'm nearing 1,000 Followers (I may have rounded JUST a smidge) and felt like I should do a fun/thanks post!

Bellow is a collage of some of my FAV pins that can be found within my boards. I hope you enjoy!

I also wanted to give a shout out to C. Elizabeth Vescio and her Wasted Series and, of course, their boards. She made me a contributor and, although I've slacked on adding to them, I do love them dearly.

Here's a collage of my favorite pins from Clothing Styles: The Fairholms, Clothing Styles: Osiris, and Elegance Inc! The rest of her boards can be found here.

Stay classy, kids.

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Interview: Edward Fieder Photography

Edward Fieder is photographer and, over here at Almost There, we love his work. I'm happy to call him a friend and even happier to talk photography with him!

We hope you enjoy this week's interview!

Tell us a little about yourself. (Your degree, hometown, cool facts, etc.)

Well, my name is Edward Fieder and I'm a photographer! I'm 26 years old and graduated from Troy University with a degree in Design, Technology, and Innovations with a contract in photography and I'm currently living in, and from Montgomery, AL. Some cool facts about me...are...I'm a type one diabetic, I love the movie Scott Pilgrim, and play soccer...thats cool right?

Is your passion photography?
Yes, without a doubt my passion is photography...though I'd like to start playing with video too. Out of everything I learned about design in college its not really "my thing." Sure, I know and can do design work, but I'd much rather be holding a camera in front of my face.

When did you realize that photography was for you?

Honestly, I figured photography was something I wanted to do while in college. I used to think having the title of "photographer" was earned and I still kind of do. I didn't really think I earned the title until about my third photography class at Troy and when I started working with the schools photography department. I then got some awards for it and I knew this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

What is a career goal that you are currently working towards?
My current career goal is to really just make photography my full time job. I would much rather it be with a company that could use what I have to offer because I really want to be a part of a team instead of freelance my entire life. Freelancing is great and all but in college I learned how to work with others and I really miss that aspect of working on projects. The only thing that keeps me company with projects now are Pandora, and Netflix playing in the background as I edit images.

What's the most expensive camera you've ever had?
Most expensive camera I've ever had is my current camera...Nikons D4. The camera is a BEAST and I love it!

Give us the deets: What's in your camera bag?

Whats in my camera bag...here we go. Nikon D4 Body, Nikon 28-300 f/3.5-5.6, Nikon 50mm f/1.4, Nikon 14-24 f/2.8, Nikon Fisheye 10.5 f/2.8, 2 Nikon SB-600 Flash's, and a Nikon SB-800 Flash.

This is just whats in my backpack and is camera gear...Im not even going to get into cords, chargers, memory cards, or studio lights and diffusers I own.

We LOVE your 365 Project. What inspired you to do one?
Thats a good question. I saw people do it before and an old room mate told me about the projects. It seemed like it would be a lot of fun to do and try out so we decided we would try and tackle it together....and we failed...MISERABLY! It was strong there for awhile but as the year progressed it got really stale. During the summer was the worst because we went off and did our own thing and there were just too many distractions for a college kid during the summer to really wanna concentrate on producing quality work every...day...I managed to make it to September but school work became too much and I just couldn't keep up. If you're in college, and you want to do this, it's going to be hard...fair warning.

We definitely have a few favorites from 365 so far, what are some of YOUR favorites?

Oh boy...some of my favorites...lemme see...I love January 1, January 14, Jan 20, March 5, April 11, April 12, April 24, and May 3.

There would be more...but after a few weeks of looking at my work I tend to start ripping it apart and looking at things I need to change or would've done differently.

Aside from 365, what's your favorite picture that you've ever taken?

For some reason I feel that the picture of the Troy quad that looks like a hurricane is about to hit it is my favorite. Its one of my first images that I was noticed for and people were trying to find out who took it. It was made into a poster for the girls basketball team and I've sold quite a bit of prints from it. Even more importantly I look at that image and think of all the amazing times I had and things I learned from the University in those 3 short years. It's more of an emotional image to me more than anything.

Do you have a favorite photographer that you follow?

I have 2 photographers that I follow. They are Zack Arias, and Trey Ratcliff. I look at a lot of photographers work...but those are the 2 I really keep up with.

While taking the pictures is a big part of being photographer, people forget that editing is a big part too. How long does it usually take to edit a picture and what do you use?

This is a question I can't really answer. It depends on the image really. April 11 picture took me a around an hour and a half to complete but April 12 picture took me 5 minutes. Some images I only have to throw in some contrast and color adjustments and others I have to remove things, dodge and burn, make selections then make adjustments to those selections, then mask some things and remix them with other images, there's a ton of things I can do to an image and ultimately it depends on what I'm trying to make.

Are you planning on working any future projects you'd like to tell us about?
I'm actually in the process of getting funds to start a photo book about diabetes. Well, its not really about diabetes, but its a photo book showing diabetics doing whatever it is they do. See, back in the day when I was diagnosed I FUHREAKED out. I cried and was scared and all that stuff. I thought a bunch of terrible things that weren't true and I NEVER WANT A KID TO FEEL THE WAY I DID EVERRRRRR AGAINNNN. So, I want to make this book with a bunch of pictures of awesome diabetics doing awesome things with a general awesomeness so when kids are diagnosed with diabetes they can look at this book and hopefully it'll show them that they are just like everyone else and it will kind of keep them at ease. Does that make sense?

What advice would you give to aspiring photographers out there?

Do not give up! There are going to be good days and bad days. Days you think you suck and days you think you're doing ok. You will over think your images and rip them a part. You will compare your photography to others and you'll want to give up some days and do something else. If you really want to do this...YOU CAN NEVER give up.

Link us up! What sites and social media accounts should we be following if we want more of your awesome photography?

Well there's...Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and of course...my website.

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

DIY: I Spy Book

You know me. I love Pinterest. WHY DO I LOVE PINTEREST?! Because, I find awesome posts like this one!

I love DIY projects, especially creative ones. I also love I Spy books. So, when I found this post about making your own for your kids, I just couldn't help myself! I had to make one too.

Eventually, I'm going to make a little book of my own I Spy pages but for right now I wanted to show at least one. I also think it's a fun, inexpensive way to have fun with the kiddies! Plus, I had fun putting it together.

Below is my desktop craft explosion page! See if you can find the objects in the top part of the picture!

Enjoy!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Advice: Creatively De-stress

I tend to over stress when I really just need to relax. I can't always help it. I'm always trying to find new ways to conquer stress--a way to relax while also staying creative.

I'm happy to say I've found that in clay.




Honestly, I used to hate any activity that was clay-related. I'm not the most patient person in the world but one day I bought me some SuperSculpey and jumped right in. Now when I want to unwind but still work with my hands, I bust out the clay.

This newfound technique has become an under-the-table passion. Not only does it help me de-stress but it also helps me focus and work on being more patient.




So, what's the point of this post?

Easy! Find an a creative activity that helps you de-stress and go for gold! Make it a separate affair from your work and hobbies. Get something that puts NO PRESSURE on you. It doesn't have to be a beautiful outcome--it's the journey that matters.

You never know! One day it may become more than a way for you to de-stress! (I may be working on a little clay project for Almost There! But only as long as it helps me de-stress!)

My fish A, snail B, and tiger C makes me oh-so happy!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Project 365: Day 65

It's stupid how pumped I am about this little box I made with recycled cardboard. It's only the beginnings of a set of presents for #hollicon and I just can't wait!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Project 365: Days 59 - 64

#hollicon is almost here. I'm writing a book. I just moved to Florida. I'm DIYing my caboose off.

Are these okay to use as excuses for why I fell behind on 365 again?

Here is a catch up post!

So, if you follow my Instagram, you've already seen most of these pictures. Also, if you're a nerdface for Sims 3 then I suggest you follow me! I've been geeking out to the newest expansion! Today's picture actually comes from in-game play. I MAY have made a blog called Almost There in my sim's game. It's fine, right?

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Home Details: Office

Not many people know, but I've moved into a new house. I could fill up a book with my complaints about the process of moving however, this time around wasn't too bad. Everything I own fits into a 14 foot Uhaul. This new change in my life has inspired me to create a photo home series called Home Details. I want to chronicle the beginnings and works in progresses in this new home.

Right now I'm in the middle of setting up my office. It's fun and also a pain because of all of the random, non-matching things I have. It'll be a few days before I get everything in its proper place but I went ahead and put some time in making one part of the room comfy, fun, and useable so the office doesn't totally look like an explosion.

Below is what I can see from my desk chair.

It may not look like a lot but, for now, it's enough to make me happy. (Plus, I've gotten some compliments already!)

The picture at the beginning of this post shows a close up of the wall decorations I felt worked best with the randomness of the items I have in the office.

Because I don't have a true color scheme to the room, I wanted one piece of art that tied all of the dominant colors together. I was inspired by Ashley Goldberg's piece (here) to make a "messy" painting.  

From there I decided that I wanted something to balance out the visual weight of the painting. Luckily, I held on to this old mirror from a little shop back in the day.

Since I'm such a fan of triangles I wanted to top off these two pieces with something unique. That's when I ran across this plate! I instantly fell in love and drew my own version of it onto a manilla folder (I didn't like the white of printer paper) and put it in a $3 Dollar General frame.

I used the same orange paint to outline the crusts as I used in the painting. I carried his orange over to make a stripe down the mini cork board that was first in the middle panel. I wanted two more pieces to complete the panel and I wanted them to be unique. That's when I found my mini piñata (a very fun late night DIY!) and a little clay coffee cup I made for fun. Since the piñata already had orange in it, this worked out well!

I'll add more to this wall in the future, but for right now I'm just tickled about it. It's random chic, I say!

Now, to the rest of the little details that make this portion of the office warm and fun!

I hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned for more Home Details!

All wall decor was placed on the wall using Command Strips. They are awesome.

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Project 365: Day 58

My lion of a cat, Milo. 

Happy Day 58!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Project 365: Day 55, 56, 57

Here's Saturday through Monday's 365!

Yay for busy weekends and catching up!

Enjoy!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Project 365: Day 54

Road trips make every passenger sleepy, I'm sure. Should I have taken this panorama pictures (so excited that my phone has the option!) while I was driving of my sleep passenger? Probably not. But am I glad I did? Yes! I went really slow if that helps!

Does your phone have panorama picture capability?

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Project 365: Day 52

Don't mind me! Just working on #hollicon! Day 53 will be up this afternoon!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Project 365: Days 40 - 51

Even though you didn't see them posted, I still kept doing Project 365! However, I was super busy so I decided to use my Instagram to help capture 12 moments that made me happy.

Follow me here on Instagram! My username is SocialSpaz!

I hope your 365 is going great! Link up in the comments!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Project 365: Day 39

Day 39 isn't a fantastic picture but it sure makes me happy! It's a tease for a DIY project that I spent all day on! Will reveal soon!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Project 365: Day 38

I took a trip to Lowes today to get some items I need for a really awesome home DIY I'll be doing this week! On the way out I saw my favorite plants!

Oh, how I love succulents! 

Happy Day 38!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)