Project 365 - Day 1: Learning

In the spirit of fun and professional growth, I decided to start a 365 project. That means that I going to take one picture everyday this year and post each one to the blog. I want each photo to do two things; 1) tell a story from my life and 2) challenge me to improve my photography skills. Not to mention, it forces me to take my camera everywhere, capturing moments which I could have missed.

Join me in the journey!

DAY 1

My soon to be 4-year-old has recently become
fascinated with writing!

Holiday Bazaar

Don't ask me how, but I did it. After a lot of time and hard work, I am ready for this weekend's holiday bazaar!

This isn't just a shameless plug for my forthcoming gig, it is an invitation for everyone to come out and peruse the handcrafted works and wares of more than 70 artisans from across the Rogue Valley and surrounding areas.

Though you may spend a bit more than you would for a similar item in a retail store, there is something to be said about buying locally. You many have more of an impact than you think!

For the occasion, I put together a little collage of a few of the things I have been doing in preparation throughout the past few months. The last photo features a new addition to my greeting card line. I am excited to be debuting two new greeting cards featuring scripture and hope to be adding more soon!

Start your holiday shopping in Medford at the First Church of the Nazarene on Friday, November 2 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, November 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $1.00 (Under 16 are free)

My Secret Obsession

I covet it.

I hide it; in my pocket, a coffee can, under my mattress, in the toilet bowl tank. I hide it because I want it to be mine, all mine.

I relish in the stillness of it.

I think, breathe, relax and if I am being perfectly honest, most times I fall asleep.

It's almost better than - dare I say - coffee? (A close second nonetheless)

What could be possibly be so fantastic you ask?

Quiet.

(Those of you with young children are vigorously nodding your heads in agreement.)

Quiet times, when all I hear are my own thoughts, the gentle humming of the air conditioner, the clock ticking and the occasional creaking of an aging house.

Often times, I feel called to sit in this quietness. Maybe it's after a long day, or sometimes just because there doesn't seem to be much "me" time anymore.

I am drawn to this quiet time. So much so that as I immersed myself in it tonight, the words for this post poured into my head and I had to pry myself off of the couch to get my thoughts down before I forgot them fell asleep.

It doesn't always last long, but I will take what I can get!

The Big 3-0

For those of you who don't know, I just turned 30. It came, it went and now I am 30 years and one day old.

With age comes wisdom (allegedly) and more candles on the birthday cake. Always thinking like a photographer, I just had to take this opportunity to try something new and create a blog post at the same time!

Working with different kinds of lighting can be fun and candles are no exception, the more the better.

Using a tripod and a shutter release, I set my camera to f/14, 1/60 sec, ISO 3200 at 53 mm - and this is what I got...

So, the next time a birthday comes around in your family, give this technique a shot (pun intended)! 

DIY - Memory Jar

Do you remember those dioramas that you made from an old shoebox in elementary school? What if you could save memories for your children (or even yourself) in the same manner?

Trade out the shoebox for a glass jar, fill it with things collected from a vacation - and maybe even some pictures - and what you get is a 3D memory jar.

I can't claim this idea to be my own, although it is really a good one! Actually, I ran across this in the August issue of Parents magazine.

The timing of this find couldn't have been more perfect because our family had just spent the 4th of July camping, and as a part of our trip, we had my son do a nature-themed scavenger hunt. What started out as an idea just to keep him occupied and interested in a hike, turned out to be a great opportunity to create memories and also bring home some of what he found.

My son has a bit of the photographer gene, so as a part of his scavenger hunt, we asked him to take pictures of two of the items on his list. With those pics uploaded, I jumped over to PicMonkey (seriously the best free photo editing website!) and created a collage, adding words and a couple of graphics to the photos he took. (I thought it would be cute to put a © symbol and his name on the photos as well, because he did take them!) 

All you need is a clear glass jar, the magazine suggested using a pickle jar, but I only had a mason jar on hand, so that's what I used.

A few items is all you really need. I think less is more with something like this. Adding photos is a really nice touch. Especially if you have a lot of photos in mind, creating a collage is a nice way to incorporate all of them.

Lastly, I wanted to have more than one way to view the items, so I removed the lid, leaving the rim that goes with the mason jar. I cut a circle slightly larger than the mouth of the jar out of a plain ziplock baggie. With the plastic in place on top of the jar, I was able to still screw on the rim, creating a "sunroof" of sorts.

This was so much fun to create and I know that my son will enjoy collecting more memory jars for years to come!

Country Christmas Holiday Bazaar

The countdown is on - there are only three more months until the holiday bazaar season kicks off! I am thrilled to announce that I will be a vendor at the Country Christmas Holiday Bazaar at Medford First Church of the Nazarene! (http://www.medfordfirstnaz.org/)

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done, but it is so exciting to look forward to being a part of such a popular event in the Rogue Valley.

In addition to handmade greeting cards and photo coasters, I will also be debuting numerous framed prints in various sizes!  Plus, there will be several cards, coasters and prints that are not listed in my Etsy shop.

This is a great bazaar, full to the brim with local, strictly handmade items - so mark your calendars: Friday & Saturday, November 2nd and 3rd. 

I hope to see you there!

Walking on Water

Knees in, sit back, arms straight, relax...just let the boat pull you.

This is the mantra I repeat to myself as I am bobbing up and down in the water behind our boat, skis strapped to my feet and tow rope in hand. As the water moves around me, I often struggle to keep my balance. Once I feel ready, I yell to the driver to start dragging me and then finally, when I have summoned up the gumption, I yell "hit it!" The driver, in this case, my husband, mashes the throttle forward, with me precariously following.

Sometimes I get up, sometimes I crash.

That's me! Not the greatest form, but I stayed up! I was
also skiing away from the sun, creating a
horrible shadow, but it masks the horrible face
I make when I am concentrating :)

If you were to ask my son about water skiing, he would say one of two things. 1) My mommy crashes when she skis; or 2) My daddy can walk on water! The latter of which prompts a discussion about Jesus and how he was able to walk on water by himself and that daddy needs some help. (Also, that mommy doesn't always crash!)

Don't we all need a little help sometimes?!

What I have gathered about my numerous attempts at mastering the art of waterskiing is that it takes a whole lot of trust in the person driving the boat in order to stay up. About the time you start to take matters into your own hands is when you crash. You have to let the boat pull you, it's as simple as that.

I started thinking about the similarities between waterskiing and our daily walk with God as Christians. This world is a crazy place, filled with many worldly things that can easily lead us down the wrong path, it's the water swirling around us, trying to keep us off balance. If God is driving force in our lives, we have to be able to give up our burdens and allow him to hit the throttle, and just pull us behind him. We have to allow him to carry those burdens and guide our lives.

Knees in, sit back, arms straight, relax...trust in God, and he will take care of you.


"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28