{cat & joie, a mother daughter session}

weeks before Christmas, i received a call from a good family friend of ours

& long time friend of dan's.

she wanted me to photograph two of her daughter in laws & their babies

as a gift to each of her sons for Christmas.  a secret surprise photo session.

her sons are two young men that hold a special place in dan's heart.

they too have grown up to be Godly men

who also have the calling to be teachers

& coaches.

 

the youngest, will, was one of dan's best players back when he coached basketball.

rumor has it that will was quite the handful when he was a little guy.

he's since grown up to be a handsome, new daddy

who married his high school sweetheart

& is now currently coaching and teaching too.

his own team now in the state playoffs.

{Good Luck Hebron!}

this was a precious photo session for me.

enjoy Cat & their little Joie~

Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name

always be ready to share your story

no way. 

i'm not a public speaker.

everyone has already heard my story.

what if no one comes.

what if only four people come & out of the four people, three of them don't know who i am & so they get up and leave when i start to share.

what if i use poor grammar

or god forbid, start to cry.

what if the one person that stays to listen to me share decides she likes me better behind my blog than in real life.

these were my immediate thoughts months ago when sibi called & asked me to join her for The Pearl Event.

no way.

thank you moses for the "i can't do it Lord, inspiration" right?

days later i was out running. trying to train for the half marathon i signed up for months ago.

that same half in which i am significantly behind.

& i felt the Lord reminding me

that i should always be ready to tell my story

to tell where my hope is from

to tell the good things the Lord has done for me

{Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to 

give the reason for the hope that you have. 1 peter 3.15}

i called sibi, in tears ( me not her )

& said

of course i'll do it.

even if only one person wants to hear what i share

that i'll share what the Lord has done for me

with her.
i'll share what the Lord can & will do in her too.
that He loves her & is carrying her in His hand,
no matter the current chapter she's in
within her own story.

that my soul magnifies Him

& He has done great things for me.

it's easy for us to think that our story is insignificant

or that we can't effectively communicate our story.

that we should keep private things private.

that people will think, heaven forbid, that we're weird

or obnoxious.

but i want to encourage you 

that first of all...those are all lies.

those are lies that will hit you right where you're most vulnerable.

& if you listen to them, believe them

then he wins. 

the enemy wins.

the one who wants to kill your dreams

steal your hope

destroy your relationships with others & relationship with Him.

so whether it's with your neighbor

or your children.

whether it's with a sunday school class

or through your blog & your tweets....

share your story.

the one He is writing in you.

if one person is listening, or thousands

boldly proclaim the hope you have!

incidentally, turns out more than four ladies will be there in two weeks
( truth be told, it's almost sold out)

& if only one person came to hear me share

i will give reason for my hope...
while completely out of my comfort zone
hopefully not with poor grammar

i will share the reason for my hope!
& if you're coming,
i can't wait to hear your own story!!!!

"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, 

words may be given me so that I will 

fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel"

ephesians 6.19

Make Something Beautiful {art e-course giveaway}

i would love to introduce you to one of my favortie etsy artists,

teresa sheeley.

teresa creates beautiful watercolors 

&

fun creations for your home too.

.

teresa & her daughter kayla are hosting

an online, 5 week artist workshop 

&

teresa would like to give away 2 seats in her e-course

to you!!

just leave me a comment & i'll draw a winner later this week 

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

Making Something Beautiful is all about living your art dream.  If you ever had ideas or dreams of going off to art school and living the artsy life ~{ MSB} will give you that feel.   Our goal is to make this experience for you to be just like stepping into art school for the first time.  Even if you are an experienced artist this course will be fun and informational for you too, as well as the opportunity to give you inspiration plus let you give back some helpful advice to the class.  

This course will focus on what you would find if you were going to art school.  Introduction to various tools of the trade; drawing, painting, color, technique and even art history.  Learning about tools, different paints, technique and color are such important aspects to any medium you are drawn to.  It's good to know why things work the way they do and even where they originated from.  Having these skills will only enhance where you are in your life of art.

You will receive weekly videos of instruction and assignments.  We will offer all kinds of support through the Facebook page, Flickr sights and our one on one help.  We will strive to create a very artsy aesthetically pleasing community.

ALL THIS INSTRUCTION WILL LEAD YOU UP TO A FINAL PROJECT TO BE PLACED IN OUR ART SALON TO SELL.

ART SALON:  Popularity of the art salon was originated in France beginning in the 1700's.  The salons would exhibit pieces of art from floor to ceiling usually in someones home.  Many famous artists got there start participating in an art salon.  Cezanne, Picasso, and Matisse just to name a few were very present during the art salon era.  Probably one of the most famous salons were in the home of Gertrude Stein in the early 1900's.  

COURSE OFFERINGS:

This is a FIVE - WEEK course.

Week 1:  Important drawing techniques and instruction.  Learning tools for drawing.  Introduction to different papers and how this all blends together to give you the best techniques. Learning about light source.

Week 2:  Nudes, figure drawing and complex shapes.  Grid drawing and thinking BIG!!  {Week 2 also will be your first critique week}.  **Critique is an option; if you would prefer not to join in this, no worries. More on critiqueing later.

Week 3:  Still life - painting - intro to color, materials, oils & acrylics. Painting using just 3 colors.

Week 4:  Plein Air painting - Watercolor & gouache introduction and more. Mixed media. {Critique week}

Week 5:  ART SALON - The art salon will be a website set up for virtual touring of your work.  We will be encouraging you throughout the course to think of a final project that you would like to put in the show. You have the opportunity to sell your work; plus make the money back that you put into the course.  This is a great way for you to invite your family, friends and strangers to view  your work. 

madison,carol and company & john wind love

i recently shot some images for Carol & Company's latest John Wind ad.

i wanted the images to be crisp and brightly contrasted

(is that even correct photography terminology?)

  i love the look madi chose for that session & fell in line with 

what i had envisioned too.

madison's eyes are the brightest of blues.

i remember when she was a baby wondering if they would darken.

but if anything, the darker her blond hair has turned, the brighter her eyes appear.

she inherited her great grandmother's beautiful blue eyes.

my photographer friend lisa stated that she had amazing limbal rings

& to "google it".  you learn something new everyday! thanks lisa ;)

thank you sweet madi for being my model!

Carol and Company is currently running a 1 week special on the cuff bracelet

& the crystal stud earrings too!

"You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger
Your name is great, and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find"

matt redman

{audrey ~ newborn session}

 

introducing sweet audrey claire

in all her seven days of deliciousness!!

enjoy~~