Stacey Bode Photography

Happy Father’s Day to all the daddios out there. I got pretty lucky, getting this guy as my dad.

…you just have to throw your hands up, and look at photos of animals on top of other animals.

I blinked, and it was over. Soon, we shall be reunited…

I have a hot date with a hot beach.

I’m kind of crazed right now, going through old stuff and trying to turn garbage into gems. Be careful if you’re at my place. If you sit down, there might be a throw pillow made out of an old clock. Ok, maybe not that bad, but I do have pillows made from old sweaters. My most recent magical transformation was a cheap, gross CD tower. I had plenty of strange ideas for this thing before deciding on ribbon. This will go on the desk in my photo packaging room so that I can make a box fancier in an instant. Hooray!

What happens when 6 ladies get together to celebrate the fact that one of them is getting married in a week? This…..

It’s going to be a great, great wedding, and we’re all a LITTLE excited for Lara and Zach. YEAH!!!

I’m just a LITTLE bit obsessed with packaging, you guys. I wanted some fresh adornments for 2013, and to house the cool new flash drives I’ll be using instead of DVDs to give my clients their photos. Weeeee! I feel so techno-savvy.

Cassette tape thank-you cards. Ok, not very techno savvy, but adorably nostalgic, I hope.

I was worried that presenting people with flash drives wouldn’t be special enough, but celebratory gift wrap helps. Plus, I’ll include other items that show off a photo or two.

Billy Balls! Or Craspedia, if you want to be fancy about it.

I was also in desperate need of some new business cards and postcards. Yay! Now I just have to remember to PUT THEM IN MY PURSE!  : )

Love really should be photographed. Truth.

Ok 2013, spring time, Atlanta……let’s do this!

I thought I’d start archiving a bit of my DIY madness, since both DIY and madness seem to be fraught with popularity these days. My latest project was making a pin board to hang jewelry on in my closet. I have lots of jewelry. Mostly very inexpensive, costume stuff. Despite the quantity and sentimental value of some items, I rarely wear any of it. If it’s within arm’s reach when I’m getting ready, I might throw something on out of sheer female obligation. Because nothing looks more ladylike than a t-shirt of Frank Zappa on a toilet with a rhinestone bracelet. Anyway, I wanted to make something to put just a few grabbable pieces on.

Here’s a boring photo of some of the supplies. I forgot to take a before photo before I started. Oops. I also need to stop taking blog photos with Instagram. This is a photography blog, right? So, the other things I used were a cheap picture frame from Ikea (about 2 bucks), scissors, and a vintage pillow case from a thrift store (50 cents!). I could have gotten a large piece of cork and cut it to the frame, but it was less expensive to buy a set of 4 small square corks. I cut them to fit the frame opening, and hot glued them together. Nobody’s gonna see that part!

Since I missed capturing a few steps, this is after I cut the cork pieces, hot glued them together to fit the frame, cut the fabric to fit, stretched it around the cork, and put the frame backing on. The fabric stuck out about a half inch, so I tamed it with some electrical tape. It’s pretty lightweight, so I’m just using foam mounting squares to hang it. I had removed the plexiglass front from the frame since you just want the fabric-covered cork hangin’ out the front.

This project didn’t reach completion without a fight. During my first attempt, I noticed the swatch of fabric I’d cut had some stains on it. While inspecting those stains, I realized there was a new stain…..a streak of fresh blood. That’s when I noticed that I had sliced one of my fingers on the metal frame tabs. It was one of those cuts that was so clean and deep, you don’t even realize it happened. I was on a mountain in a cabin, wishing I had some 2-0 Prolene and a needle holder (science dork!). Instead, I wrapped a bandage around my finger tighter than a belt on Thanksgiving, and cut a cleaner fabric swatch. Daggummit.

I’m really happy with how this turned out. I’m not super into jewelry, but I’m super into crafting. Soon, I’m going to make a larger version to use as an inspiration pin board in my office. Hopefully, I can manage that without losing a limb!

Happy, um, late Valentine’s Day, everybody! I just got back from a swell cabin trip to the North GA mountains in Blue Ridge. I recommend this to people who want to be lazy OR not lazy. You can sit around doing nothing, or go for a walk and be reminded that you are indeed on a mountain. Whew! I have to laugh at the fact that part of our “doing nothing” on our Valentine’s getaway involved viewing some of the least romantic movies I can imagine. We watched Tim Burton’s first “Batman” movie, “Lethal Weapon 4″ (dear god, why did we watch this??), and “Boyz n the Hood”. I also have a question. I haven’t had cable or satellite TV for a few years now, so I only see that stuff on vacation. So…..since when does IFC only play crappy Hollywood blockbusters? Sad. Sorry, on to happier and weirder things.

Wade made this awesome mix “tape” for the drive, complete with magical illustrations. Also, you can see from my nail polish that I am a girl.

We rented a pet-friendly cabin so that Fletch could come along. Yay! Here, he’s all like, “thank goodness it’s vacay time!”.

I am totally crafty. I made this box for Wade, and filled it with hearts. Each one says something that I think is great about him. Gross, right?

My poor boyfriend. This is my idea of romantic sentiment.

Saw an idea like this on Pinterest. Filled it with places to go, goofy things to do, etc. No more, “I dunno….what do you want to do?”.

Valentine jigsaw puzzle! Guys, we’re old.

We have a very complicated method of choosing a cabin. Despite how these photos look, we are not sloppy drunkards. Just sloppy.

Wade was like this for 2 days. Don’t worry, I put a blanket over him at night.

Meet our new friend, “Just Burt”. As in, “don’t be scared…..it’s Just Burt”.

Fletch refused to do the Romeo & Juliet speech with me. It’s ok buddy, I don’t know it either.

Why I may be the worst girlfriend ever. My idea of a sexy Valentine’s Day outfit: yoga pants, a pom-pom hat, and a Critters t-shirt. Fellas, try not to get too excited.

Now for the most important part of our trip…..FOOD! Almost everything I made had dorky hearts on/in it. Mmmm….hearts!

This was the view from the upstairs balcony. Not too shabby. If y’all are looking for good cabin rentals, check out Above the Rest Cabins. They’re great!

I hope you all had fun celebrating, or shaking an angry fist at Valentine’s Day. Whatever your thing is.

Who’s ready for a post about 5 years in the making? I AM! It might be more to the point if the only content of this post was the phrase, “my dad is the best!”. That would pretty much sum it up, but naturally I think a few photos are in order to support my point. My dad has been almost single-handedly renovating my attic space for the past few years. He’s not in the construction, electrical, or plumbing business, so I DO NOT know how he does this stuff!! Originally, this space was just support beams and insulation. You couldn’t even walk up there (without risking your foot going through the downstairs ceiling). My dad saw the potential of using the area as living space, and man was he right. Of course, I often thought I was right when it came to making decisions about design and such. We had a fewwww disagreements about things. My dad ending conversations with, “well, that sure is different” became one of my favorite things. The remodeling is finished, and it’s amazing, amazing, amazing! I think the truly greatest part though is seeing how proud my dad is of his accomplishment. You should be, dad. Super, duper proud. I don’t know how to thank you for all your hard work. I have so much love and respect for you.

Ok, now I’m gonna walk you through some of the highlights. Here’s the bane of my dad’s existence. Plumbing work. If I had a dollar for every time he uttered, “man, I wouldn’t ever want to be a plumber”, I’d have many dollars.

Jeez, it looks like I was raising chickens up there.

Attics are weird. You have to work around some craziness. My dad added really cool details to make it all look awesome.

The wood on all the windows was rotting out, so they had to be replaced. One of the windows was converted into a doorway and an outdoor balcony. I know, right!

Wow, I can barely tell what this is! Entrance to the bathroom, I think.

And now…………drum roll……….TAH DAH!!!!!!! Mind blown.

Oh, bathroom. I love you so. I’m gonna write poems about my love for this bathroom.

I have a giant camellia tree outside. Naturally, it’s confused and blooming right now. Confusion looks pretty nice on my counter top.

When I was little, I briefly lived in Hawaii. I had gotten this big coloring book, and I’m really glad I still have it. These happy, watery, Hawaiian pictures above the tub make me smile.

I try to refurbish as much stuff as possible. I had an old brass chandelier that had been in the dining room when I bought the house. That little puppy just needed some white paint! The french doors between the bathroom and bedroom are from a Longhorn Steakhouse. I know it would be a more interesting story if I had stolen them, but I did not. Dad thought I was wacko for wanting the “push/pull” handles. Love them!

Sweet, sweet closet. I have to ramble on a bit about some of the decorating details, since I sort of obsessed over them. My mom’s friend Nancy had given me this great old test tube rack a long time ago. Science + function = YES!

I took these “after” photos the other day, and my dad has since fixed these shelves so that they hold more stuff without tipping/sagging. He never stops working!

The large photo is from my grandma and grandpa Reif’s wedding. It’s the same grandma who I got the metal, 50s TV trays from (that the pictures are on). The other photo is of my mom and dad from when they were dating. The squirrel pics were a thrift store find. I’m a sucker for odd woodland creatures, especially two of a kind.

Black and white is kinda my thing. Comfy beds is also my thing.

For those of you playing the Ikea version of “Where’s Waldo?”, it should be pretty easy in this photo. Look, when a giant rug is gray, white, and 20 dollars, I’m GONNA buy it. Twice.

The tin owl wall hanging was a flea market score. Got the brass ram bookends at Antiques & Beyond here in Atlanta. Also, I like how Tina Fey ended up next to Motley Crue.

Had fun working on this project to turn my little pin buttons into something displayable.

I love a creepy detail from Etsy. Not sure how I sleep at night with these kid surgeons in my window.

The cool storage cubes were given to me by my swell-a fella. I hope to add lots more art to the walls over time. I’m going to pace myself because I only want to add things that bring me joy and have meaning.

Most importantly, here’s the person who made all of this happen. DAD! Look what you did!!!

I feel so lucky. Not just about the room. About my family, my friends, my life. All of it. Every bit.