I have never considered myself to be a very crafty sort of person. Well, maybe in the tricky, wily sort of way, I sometimes do. But when it comes to the arts and crafts, no. In fact, I’ve always looked a little enviously at those scrap-booking, painting, knitting, make something out of nothing, kind of people. However, this past Christmas I was inspired to make a present for a dear friend of mine. I set out to Jo-Ann’s, unsure of how or if my ideas would materialize. I am glad to say it turned out to be a very satisfying experience. So much so, I took some pictures to show you.
This is a jar of fireflies, or lightning bugs, as I often call them. To make the actual flies, I doubled a sheet of white tissue paper and cut five small rectangles out. Then I twisted the center of each and wrapped brown wire around the middle, so as to create a mid-section. The tissue paper wings I trimmed into their final shape and hung them by clear string. At this point, I had painted a one-part mason jar lid and poked five holes in it to pull the string through the top so I could glue them in place. The lid was then an eye-sore of strings and glue. This I solved by taking the center piece of a two-part lid and hot-glueing it on top of the other. You know what the best part is? The fireflies light up in the dark because I painted their wings with glow-in-the-dark paint.
This is a bouquet of flowers. These are not just any flowers, though. These are paper flowers, which means they won’t ever wilt. Okay, okay. Maybe they aren’t as beautiful as the real deal, but they’re brown, or in brown’s same shady family. Sadly, brown flowers don’t actually exist and my friend has always wanted them to. So, I faked it using green floral wire, scrap-book paper cut into different sized hearts, and beads from an old necklace of mine that broke. (It didn’t really break, I had to cut it up because it was hopelessly tangled). For a vase, I used a smaller mason jar with a painted brown lid.
Here is a sampling of the music I have been listening to this month. Iron & Wine is a new favorite of mine. Yes, I know I am a little late in catching on to how great they are. Their music is warm and comforting, like candlelight and a soft blanket. Corinne Bailey Rae makes really beautiful music. The other night I discovered she has a new album out titled “The Sea.” I purchased it without hesitation and I am happy to report no feelings of regret. It’s just a lovely as her first. Enjoy!
Welcome to the first post of a new feature we will be doing at the end of every month. Nothing groundbreaking, just a little compilation of the tunes we’ve been enjoying lately. Here’s my playlist for January and I expect Carissa will post hers sometime soon.
This is an interesting blog post. I’ve been thinking about writing this post for a while now but I’ve put it off because, well let’s just be honest, I was afraid of what people would think of me. Boo. Carissa encouraged me to just keep it real and tell it like it is. So I think I will. This will be long and it has no pictures and if you didn’t want to read it, I would understand. But here goes….
I bought my first DSLR almost 7 months ago, back in July ‘09. I felt like I needed to have an upgrade from a point-and-shoot camera to go along with my graphic/interior design work and thought it would be a good time to purchase one before our big summer trip. I was beyond excited for the UPS guy to deliver my camera that Friday in July. Every time I heard a loud truck go by I’d peek out the window in hopes that it had arrived. Immediately upon using my new camera I realized that what I had was gold! Gold, I tell you!! I couldn’t believe how different it was from my little Casio p+s camera. Taking pictures just got a whole lot more fun and interesting! I really had no idea just how interesting the whole photography thing was as I pretty much remained clueless for about a month and a half while I tried to figure out how to use my camera. Or rather, tried to figure out how to make it do what I wanted. (It’s very easy to use a DSLR exactly like a p+s camera, but why would you want to?) I bought the Dummies version manual for my camera which was a really good tool for helping me to navigate through all those foreign camera terms like aperture and ISO and metering. Let’s just be honest here. I had absolutely no clue about any of those things before I got my camera. Not. A. Single. Clue. But I studied and I fiddled and I studied and I fiddled until little by little it started to make perfect sense to me. Most of this studying and learning occurred while I was on vacation out west in New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. I took in plenty of scenery on all the long drives but I must confess that I used my Google phone to the max, pouring over articles from Digital Photography School. Yes, I actually had reception at the Grand Canyon. And yes I sat on the big leather couch in the Grand Canyon Lodge overlooking the north rim reading about the difference between prime lenses and zoom lenses. What can I say? I was thriving on all of this new information, soaking it all up like a sponge and eager to know everything I could possibly cram into my brain.
One night while we were hooked up to one of those rare RV sites that had internet access, I discovered the in-depth world of photography blogs via my favorite website of the moment, again, Digital Photography School. It was as if someone was violently shaking me by the shoulders saying “Hellllooooooooo?!?!” Somehow in my crazy little brain I had a crazy little thought that began to grow exponentially with every new hit on every new blog I’d visit. Photography. Weddings. People. Beauty. Women. Young women. Women like me. With their own businesses. Over and over again. Laying in my little bed in the RV while I browsed the beautiful work of Jasmine Star and Stephanie Fay (both photographers I discovered ON that trip) I came to the realization that I was at a turning point not only with my interest in photography but with the direction of my entire life. I am so not being dramatic right now! It’s true! It was a total paradigm shift. I am sure my husband is still partially blinded by all of the lightbulbs that were going off in my head during that time. This is not even to mention the state of breathtaking awe we found ourselves in at the sight of God’s magnificent creation all around us. Bryce Canyon. If you haven’t been, let me warn you, you will probably cry at the sight of it. I did. Sure, the Grand Canyon IS truly grand and amazing and all that but Bryce Canyon is just so freakily incredible, it’s like God is in every spooky spire yelling “love me, fear me because I created this craziness and I am awesome”! (If you want to love God more, sometimes you just need to be reminded of His awesomeness.) Anyway, whether it was our amazement at being able to take a TWO week vacation or the fact that we were probably just high on the elevation, we were getting pretty excited about all the possibilities of this whole “photography thing”. By the time we’d settled into our one night stay in Sedona, AZ, I had already typed up an email to send Carissa (my one friend I knew who was interested in photography) saying “Hey, would you ever consider going into the photography business……..”.
I crossed my fingers, eagerly awaiting her reply to my email. Days and days passed and I soon discovered that Carissa doesn’t reply to email so I waited until she could hear my breathless speech of excitement in person. She warmed to the idea quicker than I expected and before I knew it, we were starting a business together. Say what now?!?! That’s how it went down. Just like that. Plans seemed to almost materialize out of thin air and everything began to click into place. We realized that we were a match made in heaven and we found we both inspired the other in ways we never imagined possible. We immediately set up our website and began telling everyone we knew about our new “business.” Pretty soon we were scheduling session after session and, five months later, found ourselves still busy right up until a few days before Christmas. We took some time off after that to rest but reconvened in the new year to talk about plans and ideas for expanding our business to wedding photography. I don’t quite know how I got from my inspirational vacation out west to having strategizing meetings with Carissa for marketing and booking weddings, but here we are.
A little more insight:
For me, the world of photography felt like reuniting with a long lost sibling. (Ok, that’s a bit dramatic.) I just felt that with my interest in design and creativity, photography was a completely natural avenue. It began to feel like something I could truly excel at and settle down with, even way beyond what I’ve done in the past with graphic and web design. I’m not saying that I am in favor of abandoning everything you know once you find a new passion but there was a very real sense for me that I had finally found an occupational direction for my life. After 25 years no less. As much as I appreciate all the graphic and web design work I’ve been given over the years, I have never once considered myself a graphic designer. In fact, I really only pursued graphic/web design because people wanted me to do some work for them. It started a cycle that I could never break or felt that I ought not break, because after all, I can’t very well turn down a job can I? I spent 1.5 years trying to start an interior design consulting business that kept getting waylaid month after month because I was doing work for others. It was extremely frustrating for me. Paid work is a lovely thing but you know something has to change when you can’t find the time to work on important things in your own life. Now I am learning that I simply cannot keep every plate spinning anymore. I cannot excel in any one area when I am dabbled in too many things at once. That’s why I told myself half-way through 2009 that I would no longer build websites, even if I got a job offer. In 2010 I am telling myself that I will not take on any new graphic design clients, even if it means, again, turning down business. Incredibly, it seems that something similar is happening for my piano teaching business. I’m perplexed that I have as few students as I did when I began my business 12 years ago yet I prayed that it would become clear to me if teaching was something I needed to lay down. No students, no provision, no teaching? It might be clearer than I’m willing to admit.
Needless to say, letting go of things I never thought I’d see the end of is both on-the-edge-of-my-seat exciting and jump-into-the-pitch-black-abyss freaky. Fortunately, there is an unmistakable sense that God is the one who came up with this crazy, hair-brained scheme before we ever did. Yes, it IS crazy. I never would have considered or even imagined doing this. But He knew all along and that makes this journey all the more legit. (Did you know that it was more cool to say the word legit than the word legitimate? I didn’t know that either.)
[Shoot, I think I just wrote a dang novel. Blessings to you if you made it this far.]
Some of the reasons why I love Brieanna Leigh and the fact that she is my partner in this business. Brie is really talented. She sews, she plays piano beautifully, she does graphic design, and decorates as well as, if not better than, anyone on any interior design show…not to mention the obvious fact that she knows what she’s doing with a camera. Brie is funny. She is hilarious, and makes me laugh in very unique ways – it’s side splitting and true fun. Brie is smart. She thinks through something, tries to see it from all angles, and makes a decision after a lot of research and thought. Brie is a ninja. She senses problems, finds the source of the problem, and attacks it with ninja-accuracy. I call her “ninj,” for short. Brie is a noise machine. She seems to always be making sound effects to accompany her actions, to emphasize a point, or simply to divert. This also goes for how she acts while around kitty-cats (which, if you didn’t know, Brie adores most any of them). Lastly, Brie is passionate. She finds something she loves, goes after it with all she has, giving it her all, then reaps all the benefits and rewards of working so hard. That’s why she is such a great photographer. I can’t think of anyone else I would rather work with and I am blessed to know her. If you ever have the opportunity, you should know her, too.
Hi there. We’ve been getting feedback both good and bad about our website and we want to say “thanks”. We know we will never be able to please everyone with our business practices, our website, and even our work but we want to do our best to learn from your thoughts and opinions. Some of the comments we have gotten have been about the blog style of website that we have going right now. Some wonder if it lacks a professionalism or takes away from the photography itself. These are valuable considerations and we are thinking them through.
About 6 months ago, we made the decision to settle down with a blog-driven website because we wanted to have the opportunity for our clients to get to know and interact with us on an on-going sometimes daily basis. Though it may seem unprofessional to share so much of our personal lives, we feel that it’s actually one of the best things we could ever do for our business. The truth is, our business will never grow if we neglect the biggest part of what actually makes our business unique: US! There are a number of other photographers in this area that take beautiful photos and I can tell you for a fact that these people are very talented at what they do. In fact, a simple Google search will turn up results that could overwhelm any prospective client with all the potential photographers to choose from. The only way we will stand out is to forget about trying to compete with others and focus instead on being genuine, relatable people who are willing to share their lives with others.We don’t want to be some mysterious enigma of a business with a slick website but make people wonder if we can be trusted with the most precious moments of their lives. We don’t have anything to hide. We have flaws and mixed motives and deal with a lot of the same things any number of our clients do. Why not lay it all out there for you to see? After all, this “business” is really about so much more than a job or an income or success. We want our focus to be on investing in people and serving people and caring about people and LOVING people. We want our clients to know that they actually matter to us and that we are excited to get to play an important part in their lives by capturing the moments that are special to them. If we can use our blog to make it easier for our clients to really know us and trust us and come to appreciate who we are not just for the photographs that we take, then our website will be doing it’s job.
That being said, we certainly don’t want to miss out on any opportunity to make our visitors’ web experience the best we can make it. While we’re certain that a blog site is the right choice for Grace Leigh Photography, I’m open to the idea of having a dedicated “Portfolio” site in addition to the main blog site. Ever since discovering ShowIt Sites this past summer, I’ve wondered if this was a service that we’d want to have for our business. I’m definitely still interested in the consideration and would welcome thoughts on whether or not it would be worthwhile to have this. Ultimately, our clients need to be able to visit our website and immediately be able to click on the information they want to get at, be it images or content. I think our site now does just that but a few more bells and whistles may not hurt. I’m all for having a finely crafted and sophisticated website with Flash and slideshows and music and the whole works. But my honest opinion is that all of those goodies will not get us any more clients than the next photographer trying to make it in this incredibly saturated industry. In fact, having a personal, open, honest blog won’t get us any more clients either if no one is visiting our site to begin with.
So that brings us to our next and probably biggest project so far. *take a deep breath* SEO, Marketing, and Advertising. Oh my soul. Having finally gotten to a place where we feel like our portfolio is a good representation of our work, and having nailed down a direction we’re almost positive we want to go in with our brand/design/style/etc., NOW is the time to throw all of our energy into marketing our business. No holds barred. Full out. All in. Buck wild. Ape kapowy. We are THERE and YOU are going to be along for the ride with us.
If you have any thoughts, please share them with us in the comments section below. You really aren’t going to offend us with your opinions. We will either be inspired to try something new or even more resolute that we’re making the right decisions. So, win-win.
I’d like to take a moment and share with you some of the photographers whose work I really really admire. These people don’t know it but they have been incredibly influential in the development of my photography over the past 6 months. Though I am confident that I am learning to master a style of my very own, I would not be where I am right now without the inspiration of these talented artists. I admire each one of these photographers for different reasons and I think they each have a unique artistry. Check ‘em out and let me know what you think.
I really wanted to do a true “Style” board for January, but it turned into a “Smorgasbord of Things I Can’t Live Without Right Now” board. Starting from the top left corner going clockwise:
1.) My new accordion organizer that Carissa gave me for Christmas. I do not know what I did before I had this ingenious little notepad that helps me keep my grocery lists and coupons sorted so that I’ll actually use them. I especially enjoy that it is PRETTY!!
2.) My day planner, another new addition to my routine that I’m finding I don’t want to live with out. It is like a 365 day journal of to-do lists and boy is it keeping me busy. Hopefully that is busy with my work, not writing lists.
3.) My Bath and Body Works Wallflower in Fresh Balsam. “Crisp, clean balsam fir blends delightfully with fresh eucalyptus and sweet pine layered with notes of bright apple, cedarwood and musk.” For me, it’s an emphasis on the CRISP and FRESH and makes my tiny office smell like an invigorating walk in the mountains of NC. Let’s just say, I’m not thinking about palm trees when I smell this.
4.) My Max 365 Perpetual Calendar has been giving my office a much needed graphic punch for a while now but I’m still enjoying the bold statement it’s making day in and day out. It even looks good when I forget to change the date every day (woops). Extra points to me for finding a thumbnail image with today’s actual date on it.
5.) These two gorgeous fabrics are just a couple of many that I’m currently drooling over at the moment. But one way or another, I have to have these two in particular. There really isn’t anything I can’t think of a reason to use fabric for, from curtains to aprons to potholders to quilts to bags or to artwork and this adorable “Bird Swing” fabric by Michael Miller is no exception. The combination of yellow and gray continues to enthrall me even after many months and I don’t see myself tiring of cute bird silhouettes any time soon. The graphic but subdued floral print “Lorenza” by Alexander Henry is just what I’ve been looking for and I can’t wait to pick it up as soon as I can and make curtains for my office.
6.) Is that what I think it is? No it’s not, but it’s oh so close. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Orla Kiely must be feeling mighty fine about herself. Either that, or she, like the rest of us, are balking at the many blatant rip-offs of her ubiquitous “Stem Print” design. As much as I shake my head in disbelief at how eerily similar this Tea Time mug from Pier 1 is to Kiely’s design, I must admit that I broke down and bought two of them on clearance. Orla, I promise it’s you I’m thinking of whenever I sip my Constant Comment.
7.) A cup of tea would not be quite perfect without a matching porcelain stirrer from CB2. You cannot go wrong with these $.99 utilitarian beauties. I have a dozen of them and they are without a doubt some of the most used items in my kitchen.
8.) Green tea. I have determined to drink more of the stuff this year and right now I am enjoying a new-to-me variety. Jasmine Tea has such a delightful flavor that I’m only now beginning to appreciate. Be careful not to over-steep it as it can be much too strong otherwise.
9.) To my surprise, Baggu Bags were having a sale last week of 50% off a set of 3 bags. I now own a total of 7 Baggus and that should be plenty to go plastic-free at my next grocery outing. Now I just need to remember to keep them with me so that I’ll actually use them! Pretty easy to do since the sets of 3 each came with their own zippered holding bag.
Well there you have it, my style board “Smorgasbord of Things I Can’t Live Without Right Now” board. I suppose I ought to still make a January Style board. Perhaps I can call this something else?
(Yes, I just decided that’s what I’ll do! At the beginning of every month I’ll post a style board and in the middle of the month I’ll post a “Can’t Live Without It”-type board. )
Each month Brie and I will be posting a style board we’ve made in Photoshop or on Polyvore.com. We’ll be sharing what has recently caught our eye, the things we have and the things we would like to have – basically, whatever we think is neat and would like to show you! So, I am a bit new to making Polyvore boards, and I will admit, my first creation makes that clear. But they’ll get spicier, I promise.
Here is a display of items I will use in decorating my room this year. Some of them I already have (or something comparable) and other things I will need to buy.
I’ve always been a collector. Stamps, rocks, keys, stickers, beads, old and foreign coins. Really, the list could go on, and on. However, I have managed to narrow down those collections over the years, and what I am left with I still love – antique skeleton keys and old glass buttons like the ones you see above. I want to display them somehow in a jar or in a shadow box, or maybe by some method I’ve yet to read in Real Simple magazine.
As of yesterday, I have a record player (twenty dollars at a yard sale). Yay! It isn’t as schnazzy as the phonograph, but it does the job of playing vinyls which is great. In fact, it is serenading me as I type.
Items that I have yet to obtain are: A platform bed; they always look so inviting, nice and low, just right to collapse onto at the end of a long day. Various shelves, to house my numerous books, and a comfy reading chair, to house me. Also, a pretty lighting fixture of some sort; isn’t that chandelier cool? Oh, and I don’t have that Vincent Van Gogh painting – shucks. I think I’d have to pull a museum heist for that one.
Can you tell I like brown? I do, I do. That, and a soft oatmeal color will most likely be two colors of choice.
I can still remember sitting on top of my house counting down the seconds until the year 2000. As the fireworks went off, I think I held my breath for a few seconds, not really sure what everyone was worried about; was the world supposed to come to an end when the new century began? Well, we all survived and here we are in 2010 - wow. I’m still having a hard time not writing a nine.
I’ve never been one to make resolutions for the new year, but as 2009 drew to a close, I found myself saying, “I’d like to do that next year” or “how’s about quitting that in 2010?” So, maybe in an attempt to not feel so bad about breaking a “resolution,” I have a several goals for this year. They are…
To finally getting around to planting a small garden. I really wanted to do this last year and never did. My backyard is sitting there, wanting someone to care for and make something of it, and I intend to do just that.
To decorate my room, even if it is simply painting the walls and buying some new sheets. I have many things I have gathered over the past few years that I put away in my closet, waiting to pull them out until I had the time and money to make things as picture perfect as I’d like. Well, no more waiting. The light yellow paint has to go.
To take better care of my feetsies. Yes, this is very silly, but I neglect them often. It is possible that is because I have always disliked the way they look, but this year I’m determined to make the most of my feet. That means buying better shoes that won’t always hurt when I wear them, not stopping at my ankles when putting on lotion, and maybe even pedicuring my nails every now and then.
To make the time to read more. I have lists of books I want to read and find plenty of enjoyment when I do read, so it needs to happen. Mr. Darcy would agree, I think.
To cook more! My almost year-long craving has been noodles. I say “Noodles sound good right now” almost three times a week. Stir-fry, anyone?
To memorize scripture on a weekly basis.
To brush my teeth twice a day. Yes, that’s right. I confessed it. For years I have only brushed and flossed at night before bed. Thankfully, I am not offered tic-tacs too often. As some would say, “It’s not a hint, just a mint.”
To wear a daily-moisturizer with SPF 15 or so in it.
To exercise more. There, I said it. I really hesitated putting that one down, because of how often it appears on lists like this one but remains un-executed. I like to do Pilates (thanks, Mari Winsor). I like to take bicycle rides. Whatever I do, I will attempt it twice a week, at least.
To reply to the e-mails I am sent within at least a week. If you have ever typed me an e-mail pertaining to something that is not an emergency, you’ve probably never heard back from me, and I’m sorry. I open it and think “oh yes, I will reply to this later, after I know for sure” or “when I know more details,” maybe, “once I’ve thought it over.” No, it doesn’t happen. But it will this year, and you can hold me to that.
There you have them – my somewhat light-hearted reso…goals for 2010. What are yours?
