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Baby Rabies

pregnancy & parenting

  • Start Here
    • About Baby Rabies
    • Baby Registry Top Picks
    • Favorite Pregnancy Apps
  • The Book
  • Pregnancy
    • Birth Stories
    • Perinatal Mood Disorders
  • Parenthood
    • Babies
    • Toddlers
    • School Age Kids
    • Parenting LOLZ
  • Photography
    • Photography

      6 Stunning Photos You Would Never Guess Were…

      February 11, 2019

      Photography

      Simple Tips For Editing Snow Photos On Your…

      December 13, 2018

      Photography

      I Wrote A Photography eBook And This Is…

      December 6, 2018

      Photography

      Creative Lighting Ideas To Help You Take Great…

      November 27, 2018

      Photography

      Learn How To Take And Edit Photos On…

      November 19, 2018

  • Reviews
    • Reviews

      The Answer To Last Minute Holiday Gifting For…

      December 19, 2018

      Reviews

      I Was Never A Barbie Girl Until Now

      October 1, 2018

      Reviews

      Finally! Jeans For My Jean-Averse Kids!

      August 22, 2018

      Reviews

      If Your Kid Loves Dump Trucks & Garbage…

      August 13, 2018

      Reviews

      Nobody Tell My Kids ABC Mouse Is Part…

      September 4, 2017

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How I Edited This Pic On My Phone
BabiesPhotography

How I Edited This Pic On My Phone

by Jill March 17, 2017
written by Jill

I’ve been doing a bit of this lately over on Instagram now that they’ve introduced “albums.” I take a fully edited pic and break down the steps and apps I used to get from straight out of (phone) camera to the final image.

I thought I’d do one here today, showing you how I documented Wallace’s newest milestone- the airplane baby phase, since quite a few people asked how I got this shot.

To start, I had to rest the phone on my boobs, and set the timer. It took a few test shots to figure out proper placement…

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

And I had to switch from the 3-second timer to the 10-second timer because I needed more time to get Wallace’s attention.

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

Once I got a shot I was happy with (after about 4 tries), I took it into a new app I just downloaded called TouchRetouch (also available in Google Play) because I wanted to get rid of that ugly vent.

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

I selected “Object Removal” in the bottom left corner, then I used the brush, painted over the vent, and pressed “go.”

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

Voila! Bye bye, vent.

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

Next, I opened A Color Story app (also in Google Play), and used my very favorite tool- curves, to pull up the shadows a bit and brighten up his face.

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

I decided to turn this black and white, so I went into the B&W set of filters, and chose Audrey. This is my go-to B&W filter for this app because it brightens the skin tone up, and gives a good amount of contrast and clarity. I kept this at full strength.

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

So then I took it over to Instagram. Now, technically, IG only has a few true B&W filters, but if your image is already B&W to begin with, all the filters play into that.

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

I liked what Ludwig had going on here, but took it down to about half strength.

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

And that’s how I took this picture from eh, pretty cool…

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

To OMG best picture of a 2.5 month old!

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

Mobile Phone Edit Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

Like I mentioned, I’ve shared a few other photo editing tutorials on my @BabyRabies Instagram account. You can find them with the #BabyRabiesPicturePlay hashtag. Here are a couple! Be sure to click through to see all the steps.

Time for another picture play! This time with only #acolorstory app. This pic I took of the @magnolia silos today wasn’t bad, but I gave it a pop and some sun flare for extra sparkle. ? I started with the Deep filter “true” not quite at 100. ? Then I went to the Curves tool and pulled the shadows up brightened by pulling the top dot down and left and the bottom dot straight up just a bit. ? Added a little warmth with the white balance tool. ? Went to the flares effects, and chose #7. ? Moved the flare up to the top right corner (where there was already a natural bright spot) and decreased the effect a bit. ? That’s it! #babyrabiespictureplay

A post shared by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Mar 8, 2017 at 9:18pm PST

I didn’t have time to share one of my fav mobile photo editing tricks in my FB live #babyrabiesplaygroup today so I’m sharing here now. ? How to remove blemishes? Wallace is always scratching his face (no matter how much I cut his nails) in his unending quest to suck his thumb. ??Snapseed is a free app that has a “healing tool” Once you select it the tool, zoom in a bit on the area you want to heal. This takes some practice. Sometimes it will just heal a big streak instead of zooming in. Reverse it and try again. ??Heal blemishes by simply tapping on them. A red dot will appear, and then it will clone out that spot. Sometimes it will put something weird in its place like a nostril hole. Don’t fret. Reverse. Try again. Maybe zoom in a bit more and retry. (This also works for healing your own zits. Take my word for it.) ??Now that everything is healed, I’ll take you through the rest of my edits. First, I open in A Color Story app. ?? I go to tools, then curves. Then I pull the middle of the curve up just a bit to brighten the skin. ?? My go-to filter here is “Everyday” under Essentials. Note that I’m not using it at 100. ?? Once I take it to IG, I like to use the Clarendon filter but scaled wayyyy back, to maybe 20ish. I just like the little bit of cool and blue it adds. ???????????? I loved talking about mobile phone photography and editing today! If you missed it, the episode will stay up on my FB pg- Facebook.com/babyrabiesblog Catch me tomorrow over on @bebeaulait! I’m doing an IG takeover for them. #babyrabiespictureplay

A post shared by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Feb 28, 2017 at 11:07am PST

March 17, 2017 0 comment
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More Letters From My Fetus
Pregnancy

More Letters From My Fetus

by Jill July 19, 2016
written by Jill

More fun with @LettersFromMyFetus on Instagram! 

By the way, we find out tomorrow if the fetus is a boy or a girl. Eek!

@LettersFromMyFetus on Instagram | BabyRabies.com@LettersFromMyFetus on Instagram | BabyRabies.com

Check out the first round of Letters From My Fetus here.

@LettersFromMyFetus on Instagram | BabyRabies.com@LettersFromMyFetus on Instagram | BabyRabies.com@LettersFromMyFetus on Instagram | BabyRabies.com@LettersFromMyFetus on Instagram | BabyRabies.com

July 19, 2016 0 comment
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Letters From My Fetus
Pregnancy

Letters From My Fetus

by Jill June 6, 2016
written by Jill

Just because this is my 4th pregnancy doesn’t mean I’m, like, handling it like a champ- like a pro birther/ master breeder. You may think since I’m having ANOTHER baby that I really enjoy this whole process. I…. um… don’t.

So I’ve channeled all my negative energy into a new Instagram- @LettersFromMyFetus, and it’s been a lovely way to whine so far.

I started it the day I figured things out, and got a positive test. I really couldn’t understand how this happened, and still mostly can’t. Except, obviously, I KNOW. I mean…

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And then there are all the opinions and conflicting feelings the fetus has about what I eat…

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Except it is very confident in it’s love for one special meal…

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Not only did I have some strong food aversions for a while, but I also had aversions to all the smells and all the people in my life. And an aversion to getting out of bed.

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ALLLLLLLLLLL. THE. SMELLS.

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All of them.

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So if you’re into pregnancy whines and fetus humor, this is the account for you! (And I mean, who’s not? Don’t answer that.) @LettersFromMyFetus #LettersFromMyFetus

June 6, 2016 1 comment
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A Few Things – As Seen On My Instagram
ParenthoodPhotographyReviews

A Few Things – As Seen On My Instagram

by Jill February 8, 2016
written by Jill

If I ever got around to blogging all the stuff I say I’m going to blog about, I’d be way better at blogging.

AsSeenOnIG

So much gets a quick picture up over on my Instagram – @BabyRabies- and then is forgotten about because it’s hard to blog and potty train a toddler AND keep a toddler from lighting chicken nuggets on fire in the microwave AND aim for publicly acceptable hygiene at the same time… but Instagram really just requires a free hand… actually just a free finger.

So here are some things I’ve shared on IG recently that I keep meaning to elaborate on and share here. (Some of you may not follow me over there. I get it. I’m prolific and post a ton of pictures of my adorable dog. So you do you.)

My latest Adventure In Adulting has been 3 consecutive weeks of meal planning and shopping by Sunday for the next week. #passionplanner

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Jan 31, 2016 at 9:51am PST

I know, I know. I have a horrible history with planners. But this, I think, is possibly the first time I’ve used one for AN ENTIRE MONTH. It’s the Passion Planner, and so far I’m mostly proud that I’ve successfully planned 4 weeks of meals in a row. I cook 4-5 nights a week. WHAT AM I?

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Jan 21, 2016 at 5:56pm PST

I’m working on a grand reveal of my studio/office space upstairs, but who knows how long that will take. So for now, I’ll share this quote that I had my friend Alex of Type A Calligraphy write out in her signature calligraphy. I purchased the digital file from her (she is SOOOOO talented!), and cut the quote from gold vinyl using my Silhouette Cameo (really DO plan on doing a post all about that machine soon).

The quote was actually originally intended to go in Leyna’s room, and I got that done last weekend. Again, using the same method (but mirrored to go on the back of the glass this time). So now we have matching quotes in our rooms. Like little lady bosses that we are. (Full reveal of Leyna’s room coming very soon, too!)

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Feb 6, 2016 at 11:02am PST

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Feb 4, 2016 at 10:31am PST

Leyna is SUPER into Playdoh lately, so that’s been… fun. She’s especially into NOT mixing the colors. Also a party! My favorite part is opening each and every little container. A barrel of monkeys!

So because it was all too much fun to handle, I tried to tone it down by getting this egg container. So far so good. We have to split one full size Playdoh container into 3 balls, but it works, and she puts it back, and nothing touches, and there is only one lid to open.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Feb 8, 2016 at 9:33am PST

Some people called me genius for this, so I guess that’s another word for lazy, and I like it. Lowell likes PB&J but he just licks it off the bread when I make a sandwich for him. Now he gets one spoon of peanut butter and one spoon of jelly. Served on a paper plate. I think this could be a thing. I could open a fancy hipster Brooklyn restaurant and just serve spoons of sandwich fillings without bread. Probably will have to use compostable plates though… or no plates. Just dangle the spoons from the ceiling.

Happy mail day!! That is @arlothemastiff nose print! @auburnjewelry does it again! (And its silver, not pink. Just so shiny it's reflecting my phone case.) ???

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Feb 4, 2016 at 1:30pm PST

You may recognize the style of this adorable key chain charm. It’s by Auburn Jewelry, and I’ve worked with her quite a bit in the past. After I got Arlo, she offered to make a custom pet inspired piece for me. I sent her a picture of his face, up close, and she created this- that’s his nose print!

A video posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Feb 5, 2016 at 5:28pm PST

Press play on this if you want to hear Lowell’s adorable little voice and watch Arlo embrace his gentle-giant side.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Jan 20, 2016 at 9:38am PST

Finally, my friend Alli Worthington’s book Breaking Busy came out at the end of January, and I’m really enjoying it. It’s a Christian book with passages from the Bible tied in, and a bit different than what I typically read, but I’m finding it very insightful and I think a lot of you would enjoy it’s message.

While we’re on the subject of Instagram, I have to tell you all that I am head over heels in love with a new photo editing app- A Color Story. This is NOT sponsored, they have no idea who I am, I’m sure. I just. THIS is what I’ve been wanting forever. And, IMO, it’s totally worth the extra $8ish (I think?) to buy all the filter packs. I use it on everything now and never want to go back. Finally! An app that lets me edit my mobile pictures like I do in Lightroom- clean, bright, and colorful.

February 8, 2016 10 comments
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How Arlo Found Us
ParenthoodPets

How Arlo Found Us

by Jill December 15, 2015
written by Jill

I didn’t want another dog for a long, long time after we put our English mastiff Bruno down the day after Lowell was born.

That was 2.5 years ago.

I said, let’s wait until Callie, our chocolate lab, passes.

She’s still alive and well (and nearly 13 years old).

I have enjoyed the lack of grown-man sized poops in our back yard and not having to worry about slipping on a puddle of slimy drool on our floor.

More pics of Arlo in this post!

The baseboards in this new home have no idea what’s coming (nor does the ceiling or the walls or the kitchen cabinets). I haven’t even stocked up on Magic Erasers yet. The kids are going to have to learn what a “slobber towel” is and how to get one quickly before they are slimed.

Mastiffs are messy and enormous and they poop very big poops.

And we missed having one in our family, like the crazy people we are.

A brief history of Bruno, our last English mastiff:

bruno3

We got him when he was 4 months old. A woman bought him from a pet-store, not realizing he would grow to outweigh her husband. We paid her a small re-homing fee, and he went to us instead of a shelter. A month later he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and we gave him 2 injections of insulin a day, and checked his blood sugar levels with a human glucose monitor multiple times a day for the rest of his life.

bruno1

When he was diagnosed, the vet told us we’d be lucky to get 5-6 years from him. He lived 10 years, which is an average life expectancy for a healthy mastiff.

He was a ton of work, and we never regretted any of it, even at the end when I was 9 months pregnant and he began having multiple seizures a day. Was I happy about it? Of course not, but I’ll never take that time back.

We grew to adore the breed. Truly, he was such a special dog. We had him long before we had kids. He was basically blind from cataracts by the time we brought our first baby home. He was never anything but loving toward all our children.

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Kendall, 3 days old, and Bruno, 5 years old

Scott left me at the hospital with a 1 day old newborn to take Bruno to be put down. He’d had a seizure while in the backyard for a potty break. My mom couldn’t lift him to bring him in from the hot July sun.

I knew from the minute Scott came back, trying to hold his broken heart together for his wife and new son, that we would have another mastiff someday. What a shame that Lowell never got to know Bruno.

I thought we’d rescue one. For a few months I’ve been checking out local rescue groups. The thing about massive breeds, though, is some people in this world think they should be made into intimidating, fearful dogs.

It worried me to bring in a mastiff more than a few months old who may have been treated to fear humans or expect harm from them. You’re looking at a potentially 200+ lb dog with social issues, and while these can be worked through, we are not at a place to put our young children in that position.

Mastiff puppies never came up on any rescue sites.

So I began researching reputable breeders in the area. The kind that devote their lives to this breed, and aren’t producing puppies to be as giant as possible, but breeding for that gentle disposition that we fell in love with in Bruno.

After a bit of a hunt, and some wait lists, I found that one was adopting out a 12 month old mastiff, and I thought this might be the best compromise -an older dog, house trained, who needed a good home.

She wouldn’t sell him to me. Her concerns were that he wasn’t raised around children up to that point, and that would be okay if we had older kids, but knowing we had a 2.5 year old she didn’t think it would be a good fit.

Plus, there was a man coming to see about him the next day.

I respected her so much for that.

She followed up to let me know that she did have a litter of puppies ready to go that weekend, though. And yes, she had 2 brindle males, just like what we were looking for.

Well hell, I knew right then we were going to get a puppy.

We drove 2 hours out into the country, and we fell in love with her dogs and her. Her heart was the size of Texas, and you could tell she devotes her life not just to her mastiffs, but to animals in general. She had several cats and other dogs she’d rescued on the acres of land they lived on. It was like a happy animal farm.

Unlike the last time, when we knew Bruno came from a puppy mill and we never got to see his parents, this felt so right. Arlo came from a house of love. His parents were happy. Here’s his daddy, Hugo. (I couldn’t get a good pic of his mom. She was a runner.)

A photo posted by Arlo The English Mastiff (@arlothemastiff) on Dec 15, 2015 at 10:22am PST

The Arlo we have now wasn’t our first choice. We went there thinking we’d get his larger brother with lighter brindle coloring. Scott loved the size of him at first glance and didn’t even really consider the other brindle male.

That is until the 2nd brindle attached himself to Kendall, following him around the puppy box. He walked right up to me and put his face in my hands while all the other puppies ran the other direction with the larger brindle male.

That one was the bossy pants ring-leader. This one? He was independent and sweet.

IMG_6699

The breeder encouraged us to give him a better look. She felt he’d be a great fit for a family with a toddler. I love how she gently encouraged us to make the right choice, all the while letting us think it was our idea.

And yes, this was a family choice. A couple people asked if he was going to be a surprise Christmas gift for the kids. I respect that this is something some families do, and I don’t think less of them for it.

For us, though, we really wanted the kids to grasp that this dog is a lifetime commitment from everyone in our family.

He’s a pet, not a present. He’s not something we can donate to someone else in 6 months. He’s ours if he gets broken, he’s ours if he gets boring.

Kendall is very proud of the fact that our Arlo chose HIM. We didn’t find Arlo, Arlo found us.

Also, Arlo has an Instagram account now – @ArloTheMastiff– because I can’t stop taking pictures of his sweet face.

A photo posted by Arlo The English Mastiff (@arlothemastiff) on Dec 15, 2015 at 10:51am PST

Press play!

A video posted by Arlo The English Mastiff (@arlothemastiff) on Dec 15, 2015 at 10:37am PST

December 15, 2015 15 comments
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Things I Actually Say, Now On Instagram
ParenthoodVideos

Things I Actually Say, Now On Instagram

by Jill June 24, 2015
written by Jill

Parents say the craziest stuff, right?

Like, “If you don’t kill the wolves for your sister, I’m going to put you in timeout,” when Minecraft goes awry and you have no idea how to fix it and make the 4 year old stop crying but the 7 year old does and refuses.

A video posted by Jill from @BabyRabies (@thingsiactuallysay) on Jun 24, 2015 at 9:01am PDT

 

Or, “Are you peeing on the table?!” when the toddler is, yup, definitely standing on the table with his diaper ripped off, just peeing away because you dared take your eyes off him for 5 minutes while you put his laundry away upstairs.

A video posted by Jill from @BabyRabies (@thingsiactuallysay) on Jun 22, 2015 at 7:52am PDT

And, “Daddy’s on his way home, so try not to look like you’ve been playing games all day,” because, well, it’s summer, and I’m still working and these kids are home and sometimes I just don’t even make them get dressed or do anything, especially if I’m working on a deadline.

(Not that my husband will give a flip about what I let them do while he’s gone, but if he knows they’ve been playing video games all day, there will be no video games that night, and I’m just being a nice mom and warning them… and also sometimes I just don’t want to hear the whining about no video games at night.)

A video posted by Jill from @BabyRabies (@thingsiactuallysay) on Jun 20, 2015 at 9:23am PDT

So the @ThingsIActuallySay Instagram account is up and running, with a few more short videos of some strange #ThingsIActuallySay. I hope you make your own videos and use the #ThingsIActuallySay hashtag! Follow along, find some new funny peeps to follow, and let’s all laugh with each other!

ThingsIActuallySay

June 24, 2015 3 comments
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Instagram Picture Play In Snapseed
Photography

Instagram Picture Play In Snapseed

by Jill April 3, 2015
written by Jill

I get questions from time to time about how I edit my photos, both my DSLR ones (more coming soon!) AND the ones I post in Instagram that I edit on my phone.

Thought I’d take a few minutes today to walk you through the latter.

To start, I do 90% of my photo editing in Snapseed. It’s a free photo editing app, and I love it for how simple it is, but also for how much you can do with it.

Occasionally, I’ll use Edit.lab to add some fun light effects, and I dabble with VSCO, but I mostly keep it pretty simple and clean, and rarely apply the built in IG filters.

The image I’ll start with is one I snapped yesterday (with the native camera on my iPhone 5) of Lowell on the floor next to his sister who was going through her Easter candy from her preschool egg hunt. I loved the story it told, how you could see Leyna in the shot, and the open egg on the floor. I also loved how he’s naturally framed within the table.

IMG_2392

I took it into Snapseed and opened the “Tune Image” controls (icon of a yellow wrench). From there I started by increasing the brightness by about 30. I always start with focusing on my main subject when I work these controls. The goal is to get the subject exposed properly first. I’ll show you how I fix the rest of the picture in a bit.

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Then I increased the shadows by about 20 to lighten the picture up even more. This also tends to flatten the image, so use it sparingly.

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I bumped up the Ambiance a bit. I like to say the Ambiance gives an extra pop of color and clarity and contrast all in one. I doubt that’s the technical description, but it’s what I keep in mind when I use it. Because of this, I rarely ever use it beyond about +30 because it makes my pictures really unnatural looking.

In the future, I’ll try to show a picture play of using it to decrease the ambiance, which lends to softer, darker, more moody look.

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I love playing with the white balance. It can greatly affect the mood of an image, and really helps skin tones. Always keep a close eye on skin. I never want my human subjects to look blue or like they have a sunburn or jaundice. Upping it just by about 10 here gives the image a cheerful, sunbathed feel.

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I’m a fan of adding some contrast to pictures. Again, this is one of those you have to use sparingly or it will make your subject look scary. I gave it just enough contrast juice to bring out the pinks and blues and those gold shoes. Do you see? Also liking the definition in his face against that white island here and how it’s darkened that table frame.

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Once I’ve made it through most of the Tune Image controls (I rarely adjust the saturation, and it wasn’t appropriate in this case), I move to the “Details” control. The icon looks like a blue razor blade. I use the sharpening control to sharpen the picture just a touch.

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Now for my favorite part of Snapseed- the “Center Focus” control. It’s between “Grunge” and “Tilt Shift” and has bokeh spots for it’s icon. For this picture, I placed the focus dot over my subject and increased the size of the circle to cover his body (it was hard to screen shoot this while I was doing it, I moved that circle over to the right and up some more).

I took the blur all the way down to zero because I wanted the details of Leyna’s legs and the table to be crisp. Then I increased the inner brightness on Lowell just about +20, and decreased the outer brightness by about -70. That gave me this nice vignette that makes my subject pop even more, and enhances that natural frame effect of the table.

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What I LOVE about this feature is you can move it anywhere, so you don’t get a true vignette all the time. Notice that the top of this picture isn’t nearly as dark as the bottom. It doesn’t look like a circle of shadow all the way around him. That’s because the center focus ring I created reached up to the top of the picture more. I love putting CF circles over subjects to the left or right of images, and darkening the other half of the image, too.

And you can also use it for the opposite effect, increasing brightness outside the circle, decreasing inside. I’ll show that another time.

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Finally, I wanted to bring a little light and contrast back to Leyna’s foot that and leg that was darkened with the Center Focus. For this, I clicked on the “Selective Adjust” controls. They are the 2nd set of controls, a blue circle icon with a small b in the center.

First, click that + in a circle at the bottom, then tap on the picture where you want to place the selective adjustments. I tapped near her shoe. Then pinch or zoom to decrease or increase the area that will be affected. There’s this great red light that shows you what you’ve selected. I decreased it even more than what you see here and moved it over to where it was really just affecting her shoe and her leg.

Then I bumped the brightness and the contrast up just enough (I think about +10 each) to bring that part of the picture out and away from the darkness of the rest of the edge.

IMG_2417

Finally, I cropped it, using the “Crop” control- it’s icon is a purple crop square. I brought it in just enough to really frame the bottom and left side with the table.

Since Instagram only allows you to upload images in a 1:1 format (or a square), I used Instasize app to create a white border around it, then sent it to Instagram from there. I did this because cropping this image to a square would lose that natural frame of the table and/or cut out Leyna’s legs and the egg, which are telling the story.

And this is what I wind up with on Instagram…

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Apr 3, 2015 at 9:34am PDT

I hope this was easy to understand! Please feel free to leave questions or your own tips for editing in Snapseed in the comments.

ALSO!! If you’re already on Instagram, you should totally head over to THIS picture and enter to win 2 $500 Amex cards! One for you, one for a friend. So super easy to enter, and I adore the 9 other bloggers involved. If you’re considering trying out Instagram, you should totally sign up and enter.

Snapseed-For-Instagram

April 3, 2015 7 comments
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I Try To Stop Time When You Sleep. It’s Filling Up My Camera Roll.
BabiesParenthoodToddlers

I Try To Stop Time When You Sleep. It’s Filling Up My Camera Roll.

by Jill March 2, 2015
written by Jill

Last week we returned from 8 days away from the kids. It was refreshing and relaxing, but I think all we really needed was 7 days. We spent the last 24 hours anxious to get home.

Like, please, take me away from this enchanting land of wine and conversations at dinner that do not involve the phrase “please don’t lick the salt shaker” back to the pack of wolverines that expect us to feed them 10 times a day. 7 days was bliss. 8 days was torture.

Because parenthood does things like that to your brain.

And then, as I feared, I returned to find my baby had disappeared, replaced by a toddler with longer hair and more words.

I’ve spent the last few days rocking him to sleep for naps, and filling my camera roll full of grainy pictures taken by balancing an iPhone on my forehead.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Feb 27, 2015 at 8:55am PST

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Feb 28, 2015 at 10:06am PST

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So that’s normal and healthy, right?

Then I made the sweetest video just for my Facebook page yesterday, and cried. WHY U GROW SO FAST?
(But seriously, the video. Holy sweet ball of cute. It’s here if you want to see it.)

March 2, 2015 0 comment
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Big Impact, Little Cost: Display life’s little moments on a clipboard wall
Crafty!Photography

Big Impact, Little Cost: Display life’s little moments on a clipboard wall

by Jill February 3, 2015
written by Jill

This home has considerably more wall space than our last one, which is equal parts exciting and overwhelming.

On one hand, I can’t wait to fill them with thoughtfully curated collections of personal photos and art. On the other hand, that takes a lot of time and money.

This project, though, took very little time and money. And I LOVE it.

Low cost, big impact way to display life's little moments- DIY clipboard gallery wall! | BabyRabies.com

We have this long, narrow hallway that connects our garage with the main part of the home. Our guest bath is also at the end of it, so it’s one I didn’t want to ignore for long since it’s heavily traveled.

Low cost, big impact way to display life's little moments- DIY clipboard gallery wall! | BabyRabies.com

But, being that it’s a long hallway with no furniture in it, and that I have wild children, it’s also place where a lot of running and playing takes place. I didn’t want to put anything up that would easily be destroyed by a rogue toy sword or football.

My approach to our home design is always a “Kids live here” mindset first.

Low cost, big impact way to display life's little moments- DIY clipboard gallery wall! | BabyRabies.com

I was inspired to do this by a pin I saw floating around from Better Homes & Gardens, but didn’t realize how inexpensive it could be to pull off in a grand scale until I searched around on Amazon for a few minutes.

Low cost, big impact way to display life's little moments- DIY clipboard gallery wall! | BabyRabies.com

 

I found a pack of 24 standard size clipboards for $36. They aren’t super sturdy, but I think their low profile and light weight is actually perfect for this project.

I also picked up 24 Command Picture Hanging Strips. You guys. These are SO MUCH EASIER than nails. Not to mention, a big nope to 24 holes is my wall.

Low cost, big impact way to display life's little moments- DIY clipboard gallery wall! | BabyRabies.com

And the pictures are all imported from my Instagram, and printed by Artifact Uprising. I ordered the Square Prints Set, which is 25 5×5″ prints for $22.

Low cost, big impact way to display life's little moments- DIY clipboard gallery wall! | BabyRabies.com

I think in a larger space, the 5×5″ prints would look too small, but this hall is so narrow that I think they’re just right. Anything larger would be overpowering.

Not to mention, more expensive to replace, and I do hope to replace them often, refreshing with updated pics of our everyday life, and filing these away in an acid-free photo box.

The walls are far from complete, but slowly we’re feathering this new nest of ours. I love that this project made a big impact for a relatively small price.

February 3, 2015 3 comments
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17 Times This Toddler Has Lived It Up #LoLoYOLO
Babies

17 Times This Toddler Has Lived It Up #LoLoYOLO

by Jill December 10, 2014
written by Jill

I’m channeling my  click bait curating talents today for a post that is guaranteed to make you smile. If #13 doesn’t make your cheeks hurt from happiness, you’re not human!!!111

Lowell, or LoLo as we all call him, is our jolly little 16 month old with a huge personality and mega expressive faces.

Here are 17 times LoLo has lived it up. #LoLoYOLO

1. That time he ate some beans.

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2. When he wore skinny jeans…

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And then danced with the broom.

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3.  That time he needed an afternoon jolt.

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4. When he wheeled through the grocery store like a badass with his sister.

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5. That time he tried to rescue the kitty from under the door.

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6. When he looked like the little old man from Up.

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7. That time he questioned his sister’s emotions.

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8. That time he climbed onto his brother for some good ol’ fashioned snuggle time.

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9. Another time he ate some beans.

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10. The day he became a “little bother” and found his sister’s stamps.

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11. That time he wore a neck floatie and DNGAF what people thought of it.

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No f*cks given.

A video posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on May 5, 2014 at 5:32pm PDT

12. When he judged me for eating BBQ with a fork.

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13. That time he took his first selfie.

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14. That time he showed his disapproval after I returned home from my first overnight business trip.

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15. That time he wanted to reorganize the media cabinet.

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16. That time he got in trouble for climbing on the media cabinet and DNGAF.

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17. Every time he gives me this face and gets everything he wants.

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Listen, it’s not that he’s my favorite child. It’s just that he’s my most well-documented one. And the upside to having a toddler is… well, having a toddler. So I’ll be over here living it up with him in between tantrums about broken bananas and dramatic head-floor smashing over who-the-hell knows what. #LoLoYOLO

You can find a lot more Lowell and #LoLoYOLO on my Instagram account- @BabyRabies. He’s always doing something to make us smile around here.

December 10, 2014 11 comments
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