an evening in the sunflowers & leigh ann herrin design

 

good morning friends!

 today i want to introduce you to new jewelry designer,

Leigh Ann Herrin.

i'm super excited to introduce ya'll!

leigh ann & i first met when emi & her son, carter were in kindergarten together.

carter was diagnosed with ewings sarcoma & battled that horrific disease for almost two years.

he passed away when they were in the second grade.

those sweet children rallied around carter & saw bravery as they had never before witnessed.

carter's legacy lives on through the research fund his family developed.

when i spoke with leigh ann regarding photographing her line

i envisioned shooting her jewelry in a sunflower field.

at the time, not even thinking that the sunflower itself symbolizes priceless memories for her.

some of her favorite memories are of her boys, candler and carter spending time in their own

family's sunflowers in savannah, georgia.

speaking of bravery,  i have watched leigh ann as she has lived through unspeakable grief

& now is finally in the happiest place she's been in years.

which brings me to her jewelry~

Inspired by the colors and textures of natural beads and educated in interior design, 

Leigh Ann Herrin brings a unique perspective to jewelry making.

 In keeping with current fashion trends, Leigh Ann’s approach is to use muted colors, leather and metals, combined with other natural effects to create affordable, 

one-of-a-kind bracelets, necklaces and earrings. 

(price range $50-$150)

please feel free to contact Leigh Ann via her facebook page 

or email

 laherrindesign@gmail.com

~leigh ann & her son candler~

i wish you all the success in the world sweet friend!

thank you for allowing me to peek into your creative world

& share it and you with my friends!

 ~~~~

 the winner of Courtney Walsh's latest release, Sweethaven Homecoming

is Kerri!

kerri, please email courtney & let her know you've won~ i'm sure you'll enjoy!

(link is on top left corner of her blog linked above)

helping them find their way & a fall sneak peek from John Wind

 

i think one of the most challenging aspects of parenting

is helping our children find their way through the maze of  opportunities

both afforded in academics and in extra curricular activities.

finding their 'thing' if you will

& yet not overcrowding their schedule.

if anything, i've always leaned a little more towards

the 'let's not overdo it' end of the continuum.

especially when they were younger.

in fact i vividly remember the days when the girl's schedule & obligations

ended by 5

dinner before 6

& baths and books read by 7

& lights out by 8.

i remember seeing families with older children and wondering

how on earth dinner schedules had gotten so wonky

& maybe just maybe

even criticizing ( in my mind. quietly) choices that seemed

to make their children appear over scheduled.

yeah. i learned quickly the reality of life with multiple children

in various sports and activities.

 sports are so much more intense & competitive now than when i was growing up.

little girls are shuffled into gymnastics and ballet at age 3.

if they have talent or natural abilities

placed on , or encouraged to join,a competition squad or company by age 10 with classes 5 days per week.

travel ball. tennis. they're all like that.

our community is a very competitive one regarding sports.

to play recreation soccer or take dance just to take a dance class is almost 

unheard of.

dan & i

desire for our girls to find something they love

& if it's something in which they excel

well that's icing on the cake!

trying to balance their 'thing' with rigorous academics

is a whole new ballgame.

so fastforward to caroline.

she danced when she was 3 for a season.

she also took a tumble class.

nothing crazy just a little something to do.

& honestly, being the 4th of 4

i didn't go overboard with her schedule.

she began to dance again last september.

she is a natural in dance.

 she is a natural with tumbling.

she loves both. intensely loves both

she also has a very rigorous school schedule with every academic

being an advanced class.

throw in the middle school program at our church

which we value very highly

she is packed out.

i wish her homework schedule was lighter.

i love when little ones especially can come home & just play

after being in class for seven  hours.

however,  we're also seeing the benefits of hard work & rigorous academics

as savannah attends a college whose admissions alone was competitive

she has academic scholarships & is in the honor program.

anyways

not trying to stir up everyone's views on education & extra curriculars

just journaling my thoughts on decision making.

i know it's completely different for each child.

not knowing whether this 'thing' is something that they will love for years.

something that besides the obvious benefits of the particular sport,

an opportunity where they learn leadership, commitment, how to work well with others.

 just to name a few.

or 

is it something that will overwhelm them with expectations.etc.

sports, academics, homeschool/private/public

all aspects of parenting where we can easily judge others 

who may be doing things differently.

i don't have a clean cut template for this one.

i don't think there is such a thing.

over here, we're just trying to do the next best thing

for each of our girls, individually

& taking it one year at a time. 

all the while, planning for the future
yet

enjoying and making the most of the
today.

 

madison danced for 11 years.

dance has been a sweet connection for them

 

madison is modeling several pieces of John Wind

& featuring a piece from the new equestrian line

soon to be released from John Wind. 

another fabulous piece of modern vintage glam!

follow John Wind Maximal Art on facebook

& twitter

be sure to check their retail website in the coming weeks

as they receive a fashion makeover!

 

 (image from john wind)