{Chez DeJonge}

{Tackling Depth of Field-Day 7}

2011-01-23T11:56:00.004-06:00

Continuing on with Day 7:

f/1.6

f/3

f/5

f/8

f/20

Today I played around with my camera in Aperture Priority Mode (AV). Moving the aperture one stop smaller with each shot made the point of focus a little different. The first few pictures, with the aperture at its widest made the background not as noticeable, they eye was drawn to the subject. The smaller the aperture, the more was in focus.

So, if you want a blurry background, you would choose a large aperture, like f/1.6 or f/3
but if you want everything in focus, you would choose a small aperture, like f/20.

Day 4 of Better Photos Series

2011-01-02T20:51:00.007-06:00

Day 4 is about ISO, the measurement of how sensitive the camera is to light.

ISO= 100 shutter speed 1/0"6

ISO= 200 shutter speed 1/0"3
both shot in P creative zone

What I learned: the higher the ISO, the shorter the shutter speed
the lower the ISO, the longer the shutter speed and the harder to hold the
camera still that long, therefore-I need a tripod!

31 Days to a Better Photo

2011-01-02T19:35:00.017-06:00

As part of my new year's resolution, I've decided to spend the year learning to use my new camera. I've begged for this camera, now that I have it, I don't know what to do with it, go figure! So, I'm starting with Life with My 3 Barbarian's 31 Days to a Better Photo series. I'm posting my pics here so, I can see in diary form my improvement.

So far, I'm on Day 4, I spent the first 2 days reading my manual, which was a lot like reading a vcr manual-clear as mud. But, I know where to find the sections I need to reference and noticed a lot more buttons I didn't know how to use-it's going to be a long road!

Day 3 was about shutter speed, the amount of time the shutter is open.

shutter speed: 1/100 second

shutter speed: 1/30 second
Shot in TV Creative Zone

The longer the shutter speed, the brighter the picture because more light was allowed into the camera.

{Make some good Memories}

2009-09-04T11:56:00.004-05:00

We've MOVED! We had one of the best and worst closings ever, but we survived and we're finally beginning to settle in. We've been in the new house a few weeks, we've accomplished a lot, but still have tons to do! While the closing on our previous house was less than ideal (tears were shed, closing was delayed) the closing on our new home could not have been better. We are so grateful everything worked out, we hugged the seller and she said, "Make some good memories, I'm so glad you guys bought the house." We plan to do even better than that-Make some GREAT memories!
P.S. Sneak peaks still to come!

{Before Pics}

2009-05-18T18:41:00.002-05:00

Here's a few pics of the "soon to be ours" house. There's a lot we plan to do when it's ours. No. 1 is to scrape the popcorn ceilings.

I really have no clue how to arrange the furniture in here, other than the way the seller currently has it, any ideas are much appreciated...

Here's the Master Bedroom, it is actually bigger than this picture makes it out to be.

The Master bath, however, is not. This may be the tiniest master bath I've seen. There is a shower in the corner, but it's nearly impossible to get a pic including it.

Another bedroom...

The main bathroom...

And finally, the kitchen. That dropped lighting thing in there, will be one of the 2nd things to go.

That's about all there is to see. I hope you stay around to see the afters. It will be a slow process, but we're excited to make it our own. Stay tuned!

{Mon Petit Maison}

2009-05-08T21:13:00.011-05:00

Our little house is "on the market" and I can't help but feel a wee bit sappy. It's just seeming to feel real now that it's officially for sale. So, I've been going through some old pics and the new MLS pics...
Come on into our living room. As you can see, this place kind of lacks "a man's touch." I bought this house before we were married, thus most rooms stayed the same, I wasn't so into the bachelor pad furniture.

Our "dining room" is just a small nook, just big enough for a small table. What would you expect from 980 square foot?
And the kitchen built for one...

I say one because this kitchen was rarely used before we were married, dear husband is the cook in our family.

But, that didn't stop me from decorating:)

The secret to a happy marriage? Two separate bathrooms, His and Hers!

This is his-I know it's not very masculine. But, we had one agreement regarding decorating before we were married. Dear Husband gets one room to decorate, the rest are mine!

And Hers:

Remember the room Dear Husband gets to decorate? Here it is...

I have to say, I've snuck a little bit of my picks in here, but this room is far from being finished, so this room is usually not on the tour.

Our bedroom...I told you I was obsessed with all things French! I try to keep all my Paris paraphernalia contained in one room-here it is in all its glory!

That concludes the tour. It didn't take long! Thanks for reminiscing with me, if you'd like to see more detailed pictures, you can view the more in the photo album to the right.

{Hooked on: House Tours}

2009-04-22T18:04:00.037-05:00

Okay, maybe more like MLS tours ;) While driving around, I saw this:

Surrounded by houses like this:

I was intrigued by this 1950's home turned chateau. The house was for sale, so I went home and went searching online. It turns out it was renovated by R D Designs. Check out the before:

and after:

Can you believe the transformation? Here's where the house crashing comes in...this house is listed as a 3 bed, 2 bath and a manageable 2,411 square feet. Let's start as you walk into the spacious dining/living room

I love the vaulted ceilings in the living room, I can only imagine how much that opened up the space. And I adore the stacked stone fireplace, I'm not so into the "western" theme, but that's easily changed, oui?

Wouldn't you love to have these hand scraped pine floors throughout?

Let's move onto the kitchen. This is definitely the way to have it all-I like all the different color on the woodwork. I wouldn't be brave enough for all these colors, but maybe a few.

This kitchen has everything I'm in love with right now, the farmhouse sink, the bead board...

I'm definitely not the cook in our family, but I'd enjoy hanging out in here. Onto the Master bedroom:

I envy how the master suite is big enough to pull off the brown ceiling with the blue walls.

And who doesn't dream of a romantic fireplace in the bedroom?

Of course the bathroom is luxurious and modern.

With those sinks that I see us all hating in about 5 years, but they look good now

For those of you counting, that would be the 3rd television in the master suite. Here's the 2nd bathroom:

and the half bath, where did this come from? it wasn't in the listing...

Any ideas what this room is? An office?

And who wouldn't love spending time out here?

Did I mention the pool?

Definitely a major home makeover. I'm sure there are some ideas in there somewhere for my petite chateau!

To see what others are hooked on, visit Hooked on Houses

{Chateau Floor Plan}

2009-04-20T16:27:00.003-05:00

Wanna see the floor plan? Since I don't have pictures of the interior, I thought I'd share the floor plan I created on floorplanner.com

{Chateau DeJonge}

2009-04-17T17:11:00.006-05:00

We found it! We have to sell our house first, but it will be ours soon enough! Our future chateau has the same floor plan of the house we first fell in love with, minus the sun room. This house has a bigger yard (3/4 of an acre) and the same great neighborhood.

We're already picturing ourselves living here, how we want to decorate, and any changes we want to make to it.

Now we have to focus our attention on selling our current maison!

{Shwee daaaaa ba pa shwee da}

2009-04-17T14:43:00.011-05:00

I don't think I could give many designers free reign when it comes to my house. I've given it a lot of thought. I could never be on Trading Spaces. I would be the girl cries at how awful the reveal is. I think I'm just too particular when it comes to decorating.

Candice Olsen, however, could do anything she wanted. I've loved every one of her shows.

I love her modern/traditional style. It's a style I have a hard time putting together. Her rooms are so "put together," yet livable. So, Candice I completely trust you to redo any room you choose! Unfortunately, she only works in Canada...oh and her budgets are more than my entire house cost! Oh, well a girl can dream!

{Proud Aunt}

2009-04-14T21:46:00.006-05:00

Since we don't have kids of our own yet, besides our furbabies, I get to spend lots of time spoiling my new niece. She's perfect in every way, and absolutely adores her aunt ;)

Matt and I enjoy making photo postcards and invitations. We made them for our wedding, friend's showers, save the dates, and now a baby announcement for my dear niece. I come up with crazy ideas and Matt tames them down and puts my ideas "on paper." It's a fun way to be creative together!

{Working up the Courage: Rate My Space}

2009-04-12T16:42:00.008-05:00

It's going to take me a while longer to work up the courage to post on Rate My Space. I'm not quite ready to compete with all the talent out there. Until then, I'll just admire others, especially my new found love of JenniH-I love every room she has posted.

This is the kitchen from her new house, but her older kitchen is equally as cute:

I'll have to save all these rooms in my inspiration folder for our future house ;)

{House Itch: $$$}

2009-04-11T23:18:00.006-05:00

While drooling over the house we missed, we found this house in the same neighborhood. While the location and lot size are right, the price is NOT. While we're willing to work with a ho-hum floor plan, we just can't justify the expense of remodeling if the price isn't right. So, the search continues!

{Classic Girl at Heart}

2009-04-10T11:56:00.003-05:00

I just took the style quiz at Sproost-I like taking the various style quizes around the internet, but they are usually dead wrong. But, I think Sproost finally got close!

Your personal style is a mix of 3 specific styles:

60% Classic

20% Nantucket Style

20% Wine Country Style

Classic

What's old is new again! The beauty of Classic style is how well it takes all of the beautiful forms, colors and textures of the past and reinvents them in a way that feels both fresh and inspired.

The style itself is a mix of European influences and French, English and Italian antiques and replicas are often used together. Furniture is well proportioned and comfortable and the rooms give off an air of sophistication and grace. Oil paintings depicting still-life or nature scenes and emphasizing symmetry of pairs helps maintain the traditional nature of the room. Windows are often covered with opulent fabric shades and/or drapery.

Traditional rooms give off an air of history that seems to say "I was here long before you, and will remain long after you've gone." And yet, even with this level of sophistication, the rooms are soft and inviting.

Nantucket Style

Oh how you love the beach! Who doesn't, right? And so your dream home is either perched in your favorite beach town, or you've brought that favorite beach town into your house.

Your art and accessories speak directly to the activities that are found at the beach. Pieces of driftwood you found here, pictures or paintings of the amazing views there. Things that remind you of the coast - surf boards or fishing boats - are found throughout the house. The feeling of the seaside is both abstract and literal in the design of your space. The fabrics are natural, cottons and linens and are light in color and touch. Much of the furniture is wood or wood framed (the lighter the better, think driftwood!) and wicker, when done right, is a must.

And since your true inspiration is the sea, the colors and textures in your home are the same that you would find at your favorite beach: white, light beiges and grays of the sand and driftwood, a variety of blues for the ocean and sky, and greens and vibrant blues of the sea glass� but the key is white! Your space should feel light and airy and give off the mood one has when at the beach: laid back!

Your furniture is comfortable and the layout is cozy. The more it reminds you of actually sitting on the warm sand, the better! And what do you do at the beach? Hang out with family and friends - and your home is just an extension of this play place. And though the space is filled with large white furniture, it somehow manages to feel both durable and casual

Wine Country Style

Tuscan sun, here we come! The Wine Country style reflects the feelings evoked by the seaside regions of Europe such as the South of France, Spain, Italy and Greece. The style manages to be both refined and casual, such that you can mix beautiful antiques with more rustic wrought iron or wood and the result is both sophisticated and cozy.

Furniture is large and comfortable, colors are bright and cheery, and regardless of the color palette the spaces almost always feel warm. You can easily translate the style into the perfect family environment but you can just as easily emphasize the more formal pieces and make your room the perfect adult getaway.

{The House-Itch: Too Late}

2009-04-05T20:27:00.008-05:00

Everyone who knows us, knows how much Matt and I are dying to move. We have the HOUSE-ITCH! Well, this one popped up before we were serious, of course we looked at it. Of course, we fell in love. Of course, we missed the boat on this one-and now it's all we can think about.

It had everything we've been looking for: Nice sized living room and Kitchen, An amazing backyard (big with a pool), and even a cute little sun room in the back...
Of course, we've dreamed of a million uses for that little sun room...
Our king bed would fit in this bedroom and the lot is .5 arcre, so we could always add-on in the future. Oh, and did I mention this little nursery?So, this cute little house has had us kicking ourselves. So much we pictured doing to it, the baby we would have for that little nursery. But, now we know...we won't be waiting so long next time!