Get to Know a Mama: Mandy from A Sorta Fairytale!

What is your name and birthday? My name is Mandy and my Birthday is May 11.

Where are you located? Seattle, WA

Where can we find you (on the web): A Sorta Fairytale, twitter & FB. AND Mandy Chiappini Photography - website | blog.

What are the names and ages of your children? Bennett Roy is 16 months.

Any blogging tips to share? Be yourself and have fun with it!! Also, be open to meeting people in your area. The blog world is such an amazing community. You'll find some pretty great friends.:)

Are there certain things you wont write about on your blog? I try to avoid the anything political on my blog. I have extremely passionate views, and as much as I love to talk about them, I want my blog to remain a place free of controversy. And of course, I probably won't be writing about anything super personal about my hubby. Ya know, out of respect for him! :)

What do you think of Vlogging? It's awkward, but it can be really fun!

Can we get a couple links to a few of your FAVORITE blog posts you've done? Nourishment, Trust and Prayer, Just Us

Questions from your very lovely readers:

Photography questions:

What inspired you to be a photographer? Not one specific thing. I've ALWAYS loved photography, I think it's amazing that we can capture important moments and milestones with the click of a button. I love being able to do that for others.

How do you get your photography clients? Do they find you on your blog, word of mouth or look you up? Word of mouth is HUGE! I get a lot of my through client referrals. And also lately people have found me through google search, which is pretty cool!

Do you ever get nervous when you are first meeting new clients? Absolutely! I'm always a little nervous. What if they don't like me or think I'm weird?? Ha ha.

How do your indoor pics come out so great? Is it your camera? How do you get your photos so bright and crisp? Do you use some type of flash or is it in the settings you use or is it how you edit them? First and foremost I never use a flash. Unless it's at night. I am 100% a natural light photography. The trick is to find the light and make sure there's lots of it! :) I am always sure to put the focus right in between the eyes. Often times if I need to, I'll sharpen in photoshop in my post-processing.

Was it difficult to start a business? Do you plan on growing your business and expanding over the years? I started my business very slowly. I took a lot of time to learn and perfect my technique and find my style. I established a solid portfolio before I started asking for money. I definitely plan on growing it! I have just opened up my business to weddings, and I'm super excited!

Do you use any actions on your photos? If so, what kind do you use?  Absolutely I use actions. They are SUCH a time saver. 98% of the time I use actions from Florabella Collection.

 

What would you say your "style" of photography is? ...or editing? My style is most definitely clean. Some have called it "elegant"... I kinda like that description.

What is your dream lens? I don't know if this is my dream lens, but next on my list is the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8

Do you ever take cell phone pictures? Or just crappy camera pictures? I do not take cell phone pictures, but mainly because I really can't use the camera on my phone, ha ha. And yes I use my point and shoot all of the time when I don't want the extra bulk of my SLR.

Family questions:

Any plans for more babies in the future? If so, how many do you want to have? Absolutely we'll have more babies!! :) I think I'd like to have 3, but we'll see how it goes :)

Where do you see yourself and your family in 5 years? 10? Hmm... I see myself with 1-2 more kids and hopefully in a home with a nice yard for them to run around in! I also see my photography business blossoming, and thriving. (hopefully!!)

If you had a girl what would name her or what girl names do u like? Oh man, I haven't thought about girls names in a while. As far as names- I like Ainsley, Kendall, Elizabeth, Delilah, Hadley, Blair... I like a lot. But I don't think we'll use any of those names. Ha ha.

Do you dress your husband? Seriously. He's so well dressed and i feel like you have to have some sort of input. My husband will wear his bathing suit trunks as shorts on hot days. I do not dress my Husband.. ha ha. He has pretty good fashion sense all on his own :)

What's your go to recipe when you want to impress guests or make your hubby feel special?! I'm not much of a cook. My idea of a good meal would be BBQ'n hamburgers... that's my go-to! Ha ha.

 

You questions:

Where is your favorite place to shop for clothes? (besiiiiides target) Hmm... I think probably H&M. I wish there was one closer to me!

If you could have $5000 to spend on just you, what would you buy? I would buy a few lenses that I really want, and I'd buy an iPad and some clothes.

What movie do u watch when you want to feel better? I'm a nerd, and I'd probably put on The Lord of the Rings.

If you were a salad, what kind of dressing would you have? Vinegrette.

What is your fave kind of ice cream? Mint chocolate chip! Yum.

If u could have a super power what would it be? And why? I'd love to be able to teleport. I hate traffic so much, and I don't like long airplane rides. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to just snap your finger and go wherever you want??

What is your fave alcoholic beverage? I don't drink alcohol at all. No joke :)

If u were a tree what kind of tree would u be? Haven't thought much about this. A cherry blossom tree? Ha ha, I have no idea.

How did you get to be so beautiful? Awe... I know this question is from my hubby. Thanks honey!

 

Bennett:

Will you make me a baby? Oh oh, too direct? ;) How about...what's Bennett's favorite food these days? LOL. His favorite food right now are PB&J's!

When are you going to put Bennett Roy in a box and ship him to me? I'll ship him to you, but you have to let me have him back! ;-)

Blogging:

What is your favorite thing about blogging? Was there a moment when you realized you were hooked? My favorite thing about blogging is the community feeling. And the support that can be found there. I was hooked when Bennett was born. I realized it was a perfect 'baby book' for Bennett.

When did you notice that your blog was really growing? Umm.... Probably about 6 months ago was when I really noticed it. But I'm trying to kind of just "be" and not think so much about growing my blog.

What is your current favorite small talk mommy story? You know, the fun little story you are sharing with everyone these days... That's a good question. I like to tell people about how I wasn't paying attention one day when Bennett was 10 months old and he escaped the apartment. Yah I felt like a bad Mom, but now I realize that it could happen to anyone. I just still can't believe that only 10 months old, my child figured out how to open the door and leave the apartment. It boggles my mind.

And a couple more questions... what every mom wants to know: ;)

Do you have a censored curse word you like to use in front of baby? Well, I pretty much always censor myself, even when I'm not in front of the baby.

Where is your favorite place in your home to get away from it all (like the baby meltdowns or to take a break)? I get away to my bedroom for sure.

What is your favorite parent related word (example: naptime)? Yep, naptime is a great word. LOVE it.

What is you least favorite parent related word (example: poopy)? Boogers. Ha ha.

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Thanks Mandy for being so awesome and answering all those questions! You are amazing. Don't forget to visit her at A Sorta Fairytale.
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If you'd like to see my past Get to Know a Mama interviews... click here!

♡ Chelsey

Bloggy playdate... Fun!

Well... another VERY fun blog gathering... this time it was a playdate. :D My mom, grandma, ruari and I headed up to Washington to celebrate my cousins graduation from high school. SO... of course I had to plan a playdate with some of my favorite fellow bloggers in Washington. We wandered to a fabulous play place that's perfect for little toddlers that like to escape and do naughty things.... ;D SO much fun... except for the part where Ruari fell off a step and landed on her face... :( She now has a blue bruise on her cheek. Poor babe.

Please enjoy this photo barf... photo explosion... mass of photos...

{Photo taken by, Fiona from Letters to Littles}

{"You killed my dog?" I thin that's what Harper is saying. ;D}

I had SO much fun. I'm really growing very attached to these lovely blogging ladies. Here they are: Fiona from Letters to Littles, Mandy from Harper's Happenings, Andrea from Peanut Butter Handprints, and Amanda from Raising Reese. Those girls are awesome you guys. Check them out if you haven't seen them before. :D

By the way... All you PNW's.... get yourself ready..... A bloggy gathering to be remembered is being planned as you read this! Come back Wednesday for more info. :D

AND: I would LOVE it if you guys could vote for my blog! I'm about to fall of the first page. :( Just click the button below... then click the owl on the left. Thank you so much! :D

♡ Chelsey

Get to Know a Mama: Mandy from Harper's Happenings

Who are you?

What is your name and age? Mandy, 29 (for the first of many times).
Where are you located? Western Washington state.
Where can we find you (on the web): www.harpershappenings.com and www.kidletblog.com!
What is the name and age of your child? Harper, 2 (on Halloween).

Why did you start a blog? I started blogging to keep the family up to date on Harper. But now it's so much more and very...therapeutic.
Any blogging tips to share? Blog for you. Not for anyone else.
What do you think of Vlogging? Vlogging is cool, but I fail at it. The one time I tried, this happened. So I leave the vlogging to Harper now (see below).







Any advice for a new mom? Don't be so hard on yourself.

Would you like to have another baby sometime in the future? Yes! But not for a while.

Is there anything you could live your whole life not having to deal with? Oh, lots of things. Judgey moms, people who aren't aware of where their blinkers are located, people who stand to close to you in lines (if I can feel you breathing, you need to back up. Now.). I could make a list, but seriously, we'd be here all day.

Any hobbies that you just LOVE and want to share? Well, I'm obsessed with thrifting, but most of my readers know that. But seriously, I wish I could make it my job. My day dream is to own a tiny shop full of things I've found at Goodwill. I love picking through all the junk to find the special pieces, it's like drugs. No really, I have a problem.

List a couple things on your mommy wish list...This will sound ridiculous (maybe), but someday I want to have a fancy washer and dryer. With a real laundry room to put them in. We have a small stackable pair right now and omg, I would just kill for a shiny pair that is so huge it can wash and dry 67 towels at a time or whatever. I suppose this is more of a "family" wish, but I do a lot of laundry, so I dream of it.

Can we get a couple links to a few of your FAVORITE blog posts you've done?
When a bug tried to kill me: http://www.harpershappenings.com/2010/07/08/in-which-i-almost-died/, My road rage problem: http://www.harpershappenings.com/2010/06/30/issues-i-haz-them/,
My insomnia: http://www.harpershappenings.com/2010/10/08/is-this-what-greenday-was-talking-about/,
and my breastfeeding/formula post: http://www.harpershappenings.com/2010/04/05/lets-just-feed-them-shall-we/

Questions from Mandy's readers:

Is there anything you don't like to write about? I don't usually get too personal - I mean sure I'm writing about my family and myself and what is going on in our lives, but I don't touch too much on really personal issues. There are times when I wish I could pour my heart out, but I really don't think my blog is the place for it, nor do I think my readers would want to hear about it. Of course if something were to come along in my life that I wanted to share, I would because I know my readers are the best (hi friends!) and would be supportive.

If you could move any where in the world, where would you go? If I were to move somewhere, it would probably be NYC. I went this past summer and completely fell in love. I wish I had lived there before I got married and had a baby, just for fun, but I would still totally consider moving there if it weren't SO expensive! I can't imagine how much it would cost our family just to live there.

If you could choose a career in anything, what would it be? Something with animals, for sure.

Do you plan to return to work? When? In what career? Maybe someday. But I'm going to stay a SAHM for as long as we can make it work (for the record, it's not always easy!).

What's your favorite color? Yellow.

Is there something you are afraid of? Just about everything. No, seriously.

I am curious when her and Scot plan on having baby number two? Could you imagine? Two baby Harper's!? Ha. Probably in the next year or two, but definitely not anytime soon. Next year is my 30th birthday, BlogHer '11 and we are going to Mexico for our 5 year anniversary - none of which I want to be pregnant for. So next fall at the EARLIEST. Even then - who knows? We are having a blast with Harper right now.

What kind of camera do you have? Olympus Pen. It completely and totally rocks my face off.

Any particular tricks on picnik? I don't love Picnik as much as I used to. I use Lightroom 3 and basically want to marry it.

What tips do you have for a beginning photgrapher? Especially one like me, who only has a basic, point-n-shoot, digital camera. My advice would be to never take advice from moi. I'm like, below a beginning photographer. I really just take pictures for hobby and I have no idea what I'm doing.

What kind of activities does Mandy plan for Harper on a regular basis? Or is playtime not structured? We have our daily schedule, but nothing is set in stone. We love to color, play kitchen and she is starting to help me make lunch and stuff. We go to the local parks as she is getting more and more into playing on the toys, and we have a few friends with kiddos we get together with for playdates.

Where does Mandy shop for Harper's clothes? They are always adorable! Remember my love for thrifting? Yeah. There is a local consignment shop that I get the majority of her clothes at. And Target is a big one, too. I love clothes but hate spending a lot of money. Consignment is great because they grow out of things so quickly, and many times the clothes have never been worn!

Where do you get the gorgeous hair clips for Harper? (the round-ish ones, I think she's wearing one in the little film from the fair. "a moo! a moo!" too cute!) That one in particular is from my friend Emily's Etsy shop, Uff Da Designs! link - http://www.etsy.com/shop/uffdadesigns) Sometimes I make hairclips for Harper when I'm bored, so many others you see are probably ones that I made when I was drinking wine, after the kiddo was in bed.

And, what every mom wants to know: ;)

Do you have a censored curse word you like to use? The F word is my favorite. I never use it around Harper (obviously), but it's good for all occasions, isn't it?
Where is your favorite place in your home to get away from it all? It's more like a time. After Harper has gone to bed, I like to just sit on the couch and do whatever I want. Blog, watch reality television, drink tea, craft, whatever. It's so relaxing and quiet.
What is your favorite parent related word? Mommy is the best thing I think I've ever heard.
What is you least favorite parent related word? Potty kinda bugs. But I'd better get used to it.

-Chelsey

Would ya could ya? Vote for me?