I really need to post pics of this family to my LKP Design page; here is one of my favorite photos from the shoot.

Spell it out

You can find "alphabet letters in nature" photography at most craft shows and even in stores like Hobby Lobby. A couple years ago I shot some letters for a family member.

Last summer, some good friends of ours moved into their first house. What a perfect time to spell out their name- I had been putting it off, because honestly, who has three Gs in their last name?

But once I set out to find the letters while I was out and about, it didn't take very long. Here is a screenshot of the letters while I was playing with the order on my computer.


I ordered the matte at Hobby Lobby (you have to special order for anything with more than four windows/letters) as the rest of the housewarming gift; and the couple had it framed themselves.

What I became accustomed to

So Ben has been on break from classes for the last three weeks. The timing is great for me because of course the last few weeks have been filled with holidays- Christmas, New Year's, my birthday - and lots of other deadlines at work, in my freelance work, and with other birthdays and celebrations. During the last few weeks I've been really spoiled, as I have been coming home to meals just about every night, and Ben has been packing me lunches too.


Here is one of the amazing meals he fixed me. I don't have a description of the food- he would be way more detailed in the ingredients than I could write right now- but I think the picture says enough.

Okay I just have to sneak this in

Totally worth it

Most of the time I do not get to see a client receive the final project. Typically photography clients receive a disc in the mail. Brochures, postcards, etc. for design clients are generally delivered via the mail as well.

In this instance, however, I was able to see the Bride's initial reaction to one of my projects. (No, this is not staged! Love it!) I'll post what she's looking at next time.

Invitation- THEIR tree

After the seeing the Cherry Blossom invitation and discussing the inspiring Winnie-the-Pooh illustrations, we just had to have a tree in the library book invitations. I knew exactly where it would go. BUT I couldn't draw just any old tree.

The bride and groom visited the wedding weekend location, and the Maid of Honor and I joined them. They were tackling the logistics of the ceremony and reception, and I took photos and contemplated the design aspects.

The path the bridal party changed- so the the bride and groom would be meeting the pastor (the bride's uncle) in front of this little grove of trees:

Prairie Creek Inn, Refurbished Barn, Walton, NE

They're heeeere!

A different appreciation

These photos were taken back in May 2009. Ben's cousin was about to get married, and her bridal party bouquets were all peonies from her parents' and in-laws' backyards and from the Midland campus. I can't remember the last time I purchased cards (well except for gifts and yes, my wedding thank yous) and so I visited Grandma's backyard for some inspiration to make the bride and groom's card.





I ended up taking, I believe, the light pink image, and manipulating it in Photoshop. Closely cropped, monotone (grayscale image printed in one ink) dark pink on vellum, and overlaying the handwritten message on paper beneath--it was not the most obvious rendition of a peony, but I was very pleased.

That's what happens sometimes. Until now, I hadn't shared these images with anyone; they were simply used as inspiration and one was manipulated enough to represent what I wanted to keep of the original.

Now I can look at them with different memories- reminders of the pride Grandma had walking around her garden, and the anticipation and joy she felt as the peony bushes grew and bloomed.

What?

I thought maybe I should do a slew of everyday items for a photo series- "items around the house."

What? You don't have teeth sitting around?

Surreal

These are blossoms right by our driveway...lovely!

Blossoms

After our coffee and cake, I hitched a ride with R to the Conservatory. She was teaching lessons, and I wanted to grab some copies of the brochure I designed for the OCM Institute (coming up this summer).

I will have to post pictures of the brochure later. In the meantime, you can see the uploaded files on the OCM website. Also, you can view last year's brochure in the album "Passion, Dedication, Excellence" on my LKP Design Facebook page.

I had a short little jaunt back to the car afterward, and it was a windy but nice day out. (Glad I had my "purse camera" with me!)

Part of a Walk Through Fremont show with Rachel, Fall 2007-
read the Tribune article!

In college I met so many other people that inspired and/or encouraged me as well, whether through writing, music or photography. I scrapbooked with friends, helped with design for recitals, worked on the school newspaper. My roommates and friends still encourage me. And marrying into Ben's side of the family exposed me to very creative and ambitious people as well.

So it's interesting how one thing- like Cousin Jane giving my aunt a handmade wedding dress- can bring back so many memories and make this girl so nostalgic. Thank you to my 2.5 readers (I'm pretty sure my readership has gone up) and to those who have inspired or encouraged me over the years. Until I sat down and really wrote about it (and yes, I could write more!), I hadn't really realized the extent of my support network up to this point.

My mother-in-law helping with our new place;
she also covered our dining chairs and sewed a matching table runner

Got that from Papa's Side

And of course I received encouragement from my dad's side too. Aunt Ree spoiled us kids and every summer we went shopping for whatever we were interested in the time. This meant day-trips to Omaha, to visit stores like Michael's, Hobby Lobby and Mangelsen's**. And did I mention I got her addicted to scrapbooking? That was a win-win move! Plus, Laree bought me all of my first cameras.

A scrap night at Archiver's with Ree and Annie, Spring 2007

Grandma took us to work on ceramics. I learned the process of cleaning and finishing greenware; knowing the difference in texture, fragility and abilities before the pieces were fired; and the most fun part was painting, staining and/or glazing. Grandma always had fabric scraps to give me for projects and knew the right way to do anything around the house.

I also remember drawing pictures of items in Grandma's Avon book. I loved drawing the Cherry-flavored chapstick, red lipstick (like all the red shades that filled Grandma's lipstick drawer in the bathroom) and jewelry. I would painstakingly get every detail perfect, along with prices listed next to the pictures- then run through the kitchen to the front door. Grandma would answer the door so I could sit down in the living room to "sell" her items from the book.

**Hobby Lobby and Mangelsen's offered fun for the boys too: less "girly" crafts or projects, and FREE popcorn!

Before and after

Before: 4.25x5.5 postcard for a specific event




After: this new 5.5x8.5 is for designed with room to print information for each individual party.

Ta-Da!

I was thrilled to get the Christmas tree up. I thoroughly enjoyed the process as I watched a movie and took my time. Amber and I went to a class a year ago; the "teacher" was a florist who also was paid to decorate trees for businesses and in people's homes. She had quite a few good tips, but mainly it was all about the lights--you have to make sure your lights go all the way to the middle or inside of the tree.

I took several pictures of the tree, utilizing my tripod and playing with the exposure settings. My playtime was not quite as adventurous as Andrew's, but this was my favorite shot, as it shows the glow from the integrated lights quite accurately.

800 ISO f5.0 1/4