Maternity Photo Shoot

I had so much fun with my friend Sandy on a warm but windy Sunday afternoon.

I was so excited that she asked me to do her maternity photos. Since she is also an artist and art teacher I knew we had to come up with some fun and unique artsy shots. So between the two of us I think we were able to capture some pretty great images.

I love this playful filmstrip of her trying to blow a big bubble.

And this is what we needed the bubble for

 I love maternity photos because expectant mothers just have a joy in their eyes and a glow about them.

 "You alone created my inner being. You knitted me together inside my mother's womb."  Psalm 139:13

Congratulations Sandy!
I can't wait to meet baby Kaitlyn. :-D

Newborn & New Sisters

These two beautiful little girls are very dear to my heart. I truly enjoyed taking pictures of them and look forward to photographing them many more times as they grow.

This is one of my favorite pictures from our little photo shoot:

 She is only a month old but so very animated in her facial expressions and the noises she makes as if she is already trying to carry on a conversation with whoever will listen, adorable!

Family Photo Shoot for Jodi & Chris

What a precious family. Love how their older daughter is running wild with the puppies in the background on this one.

I love these "Generations Shots".... especially the one with the grandparents stealing a little kiss in in the background, so sweet.

Christmas Projects Revealed - Part 3

Photo Transfer Artworks

I had a great time experimenting and creating some new photo transfer artworks on wood and incorporating architectural and metal embellishments.

Here is an example of one of the finished pieces:

If you would like to see some basic steps on how I did these photo transfer artworks I have posted the project on my tutorials.

Christmas Projects Revealed - Part 2

Sewing Project!

One of my best friends commissioned me to do a custom bedding set for her precious daughter who is getting a whole room makeover! I was thrilled to get to do this project and had such fun, especially when we got to go do some serious warehouse fabric shopping!

The complete set included: 1 bedskirt, 1 duvet cover, 1 pillow sham, 5 throw pillows of various shapes and sizes, and one throw blanket, whew!

I love the fabrics on this set and can't wait to see how it all looks in her new big girl room.

Side note: I mimicked the look of a twin bed by putting my living room ottomans together so I could "make the bed" and take a photo.

Christmas Projects Revealed - Part 1

Since all the presents have now been opened I can reveal some of the Christmas Projects I worked on this year.

The first I'll share with you all is a "themed gift" that I really enjoyed putting together for my husband's cousin. Since she loves books and we are both on Pinterest I used ideas from her Pinterest boards to create an all hand made book themed gift.

First I experimented with an old book, I tried a few different things before deciding to take it apart.
I rolled the inside pages tightly and secured with a strong rubber band and then wrapped it with a piece of vintage ribbon and embellished with paper flowers and a jeweled centerpiece. It didn't look complete, so I went out to the garage and grabbed my (ok, my husbands ;->) Dremmel tool. I found a tip with a tapered point and went to work carving the word "Read" into the tightly rolled pages.

With the book cover I lined the inside with a beautiful fabric and made her a stationery set with cards, envelopes and a pen. simply secured with elastic.

The next item in the collection was a glass ornament. I cut tiny strips of paper from an old dictionary that had the definitions for terms like: library, textbook, poetry, reader, writer, etc. I curled the strips and put them inside and finished it off with a simple bow.
With the same dictionary pages I cut out a small section about reading and decoupaged it to the back side of a square glass charm and added a turquoise camio to the front.

Next it was time to create a whimsical paper weight from a smooth rock. I painted a cute little owl and finished it off with a clear acrylic top coat.
Finally, I added in a ribbon bookmark to the gift set. It was very simply embellished with a pearl bead on one end and a tiny picture frame on the other.

So there you have it, a book themed gift set inspired by the collection of vast and  wonderful ideas on Pinterest. I hope the recipient enjoys it!

And maybe you will be inspired to create your own themed gift for someone special in your life....hmmm, any occasions coming up soon?

....yes, maybe for Valentines Day

Hand Crafted Anniversary Gifts

My husband and I celebrated another wonderful anniversary during the Christmas Break.

One thing we promised to do this year was to make our gifts instead of purchasing something and I'm so glad we did.

Here are the gifts

one cut and carved and sanded by him

the other measured and folded and stitched by her

a wooden bread tray....

to use when she cooks and serves her family meals with love

a leather Bible cover....

 to protect God's word as he studies and prays and leads his family with love