Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Christmas loot

A little late, but I still wanted to let you all know that Christmas was good for us this year.  I'm sure you were biting your fingernails in anticipation of this post, let's not delay any further!  We got a fantastic gift from Shaun's parents, in the form of this beauty:
We used to store our tools like this:
And this:
And this:
The cardboard box is my favorite.  There was always a lot of guessing, swearing, yelling up the stairs, and stomping around whenever we needed to find a tool.  Now, I can never say "Why don't we have any damn screwdrivers in the house!" again....sheesh. 
I also can find a screw, nail, or fastener without tearing apart a junk drawer or plastic bin.  Although they aren't arranged in any pretty order, they are all in one place now. 
We lined the drawers with this black rubber drawer liner from Menards.  It is really perfect for this application.  It should be, since we're lining drawers.  So...anyway.
I also got some sweet Canon accessories for my baby, including this amazing Speedlite flash:
I played around with it in a pitch-black bathroom at my folks house.  I hope this will make my house shots just a little bit better in places that we don't get much natural light.  The flash bounces off the ceiling, walls or anywhere you want to provide light without harsh shadows.  Sounds good to me!!
I also am the proud owner of a new tripod.  I'm imagining lots of self portraits without the camera in front of my face once I get a decent remote for the camera.  After all, who wouldn't want to see more of me on here??  Don't answer that.
Hope you got everything you asked for!

22 comments:

  1. Ooooh fun! Do you love the flash? We were thinking about one of those...

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  2. ooooooh, I have wanted a craftsman drawer set for years. We have nowhere to put one but if we ever buy another house it is on my list.

    I got a new upwards flash and a gorilla tripod and remote too :-) Love the new flash. Have yet to figure out how to use the new remote.

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  3. Our current tool setup looks like your old one... we have a series of plastic bins that sometimes reside on top of our dryer. We argue all the time about where to find a hammer.

    I want that Speedlite flash! It's on my birthday wish list (April).

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  4. Ah, love that flash! I have been wanting one for my Nikon for quite some time now. Sometimes there are just some shots that crave a flash, mainly for more convience, but the harsh light it leaves behind is horrid.

    I hope you enjoy your tripod. I got one of those for my BDay and love it! Comes in handy when you have 'jittery' hands lol.

    Hope you y'all enjoy the tool box [which im sure you will]. We have the same one, but be careful... they can get unorganized quickly. At least that seems to be the case at our house ha!

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  5. My best friend keeps insisting people LIKE to see the blogger from time to time, so bring on the tripod shots!

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  6. Stan has been drooling over one of those tool chests for a long time. Also, I gave him a tripod for Christmas, but so far I think I've used it more than he has... muahahaha.

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  7. Lucky you Sara, you did very well with your gifts. Have fun with the new camera gear and I wish you all the best for 2011! xx

    PS. Would love to see more of you on the blog ; )

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  8. I loved your toolkit even before I realized what it was!

    I was all "shiny! red! clean lines!"

    Enjoy the tripod !!

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  9. I am always yelling why can't I find one of our 15 hammers. Then I proceed to slam the door, bin, box I was looking in. For 2011, I want to organize our tools. We even have a chest, but things tend not to go back. Bah!

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  10. I love your 'before' tool storage. Mine is not so different. I asked my brothers for a toolbox, and they gave me a crappy bag that also does not hold everything. Now, the key will be for you to actually use that tool chest! Sigh... not every girl would love a tool chest! Awesome!

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  11. Holy crap. Thats amazing. When ever I get married, this will be on my registry.... is that weird?

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  12. YAY more Sara photos!

    Love the toolbox and the pictures of how you used to store your tools cracks me up. Ryan came with a few tool boxes in tow, but he still stores some tools like that. Ridiculous.

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  13. hahahaha all these screwdrivers. We need one of these, BAD. Great christmas loot!

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  14. I have a very similar Craftsman chest myself and LOVE it! I have found, though, that as soon as I got it, I filled it up and wanted another!

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  15. What awesome presents! I'm hoping to get a tripod next year and I love my speedlight (not speedlite because Nikon knows how to spell...LOL that's how the joke goes a least).

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  16. Great gifts! I still "store" my tools all over the house ... in the linen closet, in one of my dresser drawers ... you get the idea. The tool chest is tons better :)

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  17. Hey there,

    Found you through Tart House and now I've been looking back through some of your recent posts. I have to say, you're house is fabulous! I love all the work that you've done. Your 'woman cave' is gorgeous! Love the drapes for the patio doors and those amazing bookshelves!!! Amazing. =]

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  18. Would love to purchase a new tripod - do you like yours? Happy 2011 to you, too!

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  19. Whooo wheee! Nice loot. And very functional! I have to admit, my husband was sitting next to me and I scrolled through the photos of the tool cabinet really fast so he wouldn't see them and get jealous. ;)

    I did get some window blinds for Christmas though, which was pretty exciting!

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  20. Ha, love your collection of screw drivers! :) I just borrowed my dad's tripod and to be honest, I don't quite get it. It looks so simple but when I try to use it it seems so awkward! I know I'm missing something, and maybe I just need to work at it (and every other camera skill under the sun) a bit more.

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  21. Look at your gorgeous hair...like you just stepped out of a salon!

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  22. I'm so glad I stumbled upon your blog and this post. My house doesn't have a lot of natural light, never knew about the speedlight. I try to avoid a flash as much as possible. Also, NEED a tripod. I can count on one hand the number of family photos. Love the Craftsman tool cabinet/box. Your OLD way of organizing your tools doesn't hold a candle to how ours are organized. Looks like you made the "nice" list this year!

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Thanks so much for reading....your comments mean a lot to me!
Sara