A spring, lifestyle photo shoot with a good friend

I had the pleasure of hanging out with my good friend, Elyse last night. The sun was starting to set and I realized I hadn't taken photos of her dog since he was a tiny puppy! So, we decided to explore the outdoors. Her poor basement flooded a bit earlier this week due to the crazy Grand Rapids weather and the pond in her backyard came all the way up to her house. But, luckily the water had receded since then.

Elyse is probably one of the sweetest people I know. She has a heart for helping others and is extremely creatively talented in writing, design and home improvement and decoration. Check out her blog sometime. She has an extremely inspirational post up right now that you need to read! :)

If you like my photography, feel free to click here for more photos and info. :)

Thanks for reading!

Tennessee Trip

Been awhile since my last blog post! A lot has happened. Luke and I drove to Tennessee  with our friends Adam and Kris Bird. They are fantastic people and we had a great time together. And we all really enjoyed having a little mini-vacation from the working world!

Look for a video sometime in the next few weeks, Kris and I are editing video clips we took on our phones :)

Especially for me, this break was much needed. Sometimes it's hard for me to relax. My mind is always going in many directions all at once with all the different things I have to do/want to do. Sometimes driving a little ways a way from home or many miles and forcing myself to relax is the best de-stresser. I don't do it often, but every once in awhile it's nice.

Here are a couple photos I took from my trip and two portraits Adam took of Luke and I.

Photo by Adam Bird, Photographer

Photo by Adam Bird, Photographer

What sorts of things do you do to relax?

Crafting: Crochet Slouchy Hat

Awhile back I had found the best slouchy hat ever. It was white and crocheted with very soft wool. On one of the sides it had two rhinestones - right in the front. I wore it ALL the time! It was so pretty! Unfortunately, I lost this hat awhile back.

I think I have a photo of it still...

Ah, here it is. :)

One of my friends recently told me that I need to find another hat like this. Well, I decided to search for the perfect slouchy hat crochet pattern. I ended up going with this pattern. With some help from a experienced crocheter to learn how to read these directions better (and make sure I was starting my hat out correctly!) I was able to finish this hat in a couple days.

The pattern allows for this hat to be made even "slouchier" if you'd like. I think I may try that in the future. :)

Fellow crocheters, what's a favorite pattern of yours that you've stumbled across recently?

Crochet Mug Cozies

Learning to crochet has been one of the best things I've ever done. Crocheting keeps my hands busy, so I can sit still and watch a movie without getting up. It also helps me to relax by focusing most of my concentration onto one task. I absolutely love how freeing that feeling is. Seems a little weird, I know. ;)

Through some inspiration on pinterest, I crocheted my very first mug cozy. It can be used for coffee, tea, really about any hot beverage in a coffee mug or to-go container.

I sewed the letters on the piece of canvas with a needle and thread and then attached it to the cozy. I had to re-do the letters a couple of times. I never knew how hard it was to make letters with a needle and thread! I definitely need A LOT more practice!

Want a mug cozy? Want one as a gift to give someone? Email me.

Or if you want the pattern, you can e-mail me as well and I will e-mail it over. I made it up myself and it's fairly simple! Great for beginners like me!

What sorts of things have you seen on pinterest that you'd like to replicate or modify?

Thrifting: Spring Work Outfit for under $10

Had an urge to step into The Salvation Army on 28th street one morning and it ended up being a good idea. I found a black tweed dress for $4.99. To make matters even more exciting, the brand is Banana Republic. Such a great find! After finding the dress, I decided to take my chance and the shoe section. I usually don't find shoes that fit - since I'm a size 9 or 10. But, finding the dress was making me feel lucky. I've needed a pair of good winter, dress boots for awhile. The boots I've been wearing have holes in the soles! To my surprise, there was a perfect pair of black lace-up boots. 

I had hit a few dry spells when walking into some Goodwills lately, but it just goes to show you that patience can bring you great rewards!

What was one of your best thrifting finds?

Crochet Bows and Mustaches

This week has been a whirlwind in more than one way. It's been extremely icy and snowy here in Grand Rapids. Tuesday was the day of ice upon ice upon ice. Today, Friday, is the day of wind and snow. The school I bus aide for was cancelled, therefore, I was able to devote some time to blogging.

Besides the weather whirlwind, I've just been busy busy busy. I like busy. But, when I get to a certain point, I always have to make sure to schedule in time to relax. How weird does that sound? Scheduling relaxation time? But, if I don't do this, I will burn out. A way of relaxing for me as of lately has become crocheting. My mind and hands must focus on one task -which is quite freeing. With the world in so much of a multi-tasking mode - to devote all your effort and concentration to one thing, is a nice break.

Back to the main focus of this post: crocheting bows and mustaches. :)

This week, while on pinterest, I found some amazing free patterns for bows and mustaches. Thank you to Craftiness is not optional for the bow pattern and Walker Whimsy for the mustache pattern. While, I followed the tutorial to a tee for the bow, I did make some of my own alterations to the mustache pattern.

{ Bow }

 After I made the bow, I made a skinny headband by single crocheting a few rows and sewing the ends together. :)

If anyone wants a bow headband for themsevles, someone they know, or a smaller one for a baby or toddler - let me know! $5 each.

 { Mustache }

I made the mustache...for fun and as a challenge to see if I could actually shape one! So silly. ;) I think they are fun photo props for any kind of occasion. If anyone would like a mustache - let me know. Selling them for $2. Colors are: turquoise or pink. I really want to glue them to popsicle sticks or something too, so I can easily prop them up.

The February of New: photos, design, crochet

February 2013 has been a month to remember, and it's only the 13th.

Both business and personal life are beginning to blossom a bit more each day. Hard work does pay off - remember that. I have to tell myself that every day. It's easy to get discouraged what with my generation's craving for instant gratification. ;)

I'll break down the first two weeks of February into a few categories:

Photography

I have had almost 2 photo shoots each week for The People Picture Company. Not only is it adding to my portfolio, but I've had the privilege to catch up with some acquaintances and make new ones.

A sampling of what I've been up to

Assisting and marketing work is picking up at my studio assisting job too. I've been learning a lot and getting better at taking constructive criticism too. A new motto I've come up with is: constructive criticism is to help, not hurt.

The other day at a shoot, he gave me a pointer on how to set something up because I hadn't set it up in the safest way.

Instead of getting defensive, I said "Thanks for telling me that, I appreciate it and will remember that next time." :) 

Here's to a positive attitude and taking direction in a good way vs. a negative way!

Family

Just last weekend my Mom, Dad, Brother-in-law, sister-in-law, nieces and nephew came to visit. What a treat that was! I gave my mom her birthday present, a yellow and orange beaded necklace made by the talented custom designer Michelle at Myshell. What's funny is, my mom wore an outfit to match without evening knowing it!

please excuse the poor quality phone picture. ;)

 Also, I was honored to take my sister-in-law's family pictures and the kids seemed to have so much fun in the snow. Seeing how much they have each grown up is so cute and it makes me miss them already!

Design

Etsy sales have hit an all time high, which overall isn't very high. BUT I sold a card every day last week. Cards were mailed to California, Ohio, England and even Australia. The internet is such an amazing thing.

Most popular card

front

inside

Crochet

Wait, what? Crochet? When did this happen? Well, I JUST took my first crochet basics class this past Saturday. I've always wanted to, but never took initiative. I learned a single and a double stitch and am now about halfway done with a pea green scarf. Here's what it looked like at the very beginning.

Yay, small victories!

Funny thing, when I was crocheting, my friends cat decided to lay on me and she fell asleep with one paw gently place over the ball of yarn. So cute.

February really has been an all-around great month so far. Lots of creativity, lots of family, and lots of fun! I hope this month is serving to be a good one for you as well. Take care!