simple thoughts

Noonday giveaway & The Pearl Event!

2012-03-09T06:37:00.002-05:00

it's hard to believe it's finally here!!

we're packing up & heading to Nashville

for the event that has been prayed about for months & months!!

i can hardly wait to be there & meet these women

hug my precious dear friend sibi

& see some encouraging new sweet faces!

for all of you that have sent encouraging emails & facebook messages

thank you thank you!

to know you're behind us & praying for us is so encouraging

& such an honor.

i'm humbled by the outpouring of love by so many of you!

~~~

in other exciting news

i have a $50 gift certificate for one of you

from the Noonday Collection!!

one of my current favorites

is the zoe necklace

created by our exclusive artisan group in uganda.

here's little zoe

who the necklace is name after.

she is now malaria free

after receiving medical care

thanks to noonday purchases!!

zoe's mama & daddy are jalia and daniel.

after jessica ( our founder) spent the day with them, this is what she journaled :

Jalia & Daniel.

They believe in miracles.

They believe in healing & deliverance.

They are God fearing.

They love the name of Jesus more than their own name.

Their lives are dedicated to serving others.

They understand others because they’ve been there.

They’ve been so poor they had to sell their only bible to buy food.

They know what it’s like to be content: to be in want & to have plenty

They, like Paul, are content.

They set their minds on things above.

one night when we were visiting with Jalia,

she asked us if we would pray that her children aren't orphaned.

can you imagine?

jalia & daniel are receiving a sustainable income

thankfully due to purchases made through noonday.

& their children are NOT orphaned!!!

so....

leave a comment & tell me which piece of jewelry

you would love to purchase if you were to win

maybe tell me which story touches your heart.

~~~~

"I will see You as You are
Love You with unsinning heart
And see how much You paid to bring me home
Not till then, Lord, shall I know
Not till then, how much I owe
Everything I am before Your throne"

matt redman

cake & sushi

2012-03-08T07:18:00.004-05:00

friday we celebrated madison turning 17!

being a lover of all things pink & feminine

& somewhat over the top,

i knew she'd love this ombre delicious birthday cake!

( thank you my sweet things~~ it was perfect!!)

after dan's mom passed away, we were cleaning out their attic

& stumbled upon a large, empty Tiffany's box.

how i wish i knew what she had , that size , from Tiffany & co.!

i warned madi that i had not splurged but had a "little" something in there, not from tiffanys.

plus it looked so pretty beside the cake :)

we usually cook something big at home or head out to eat

depending on what the girls choose.

since dan & i were leaving bright and early on our road trip

we decided to go out.

savannah had eaten at Park Tavern ( in midtown beside piedmont park) & loved it,
so we decided to head intown for a fun outdoor meal.
huge storm clouds were looming
& a tornado warning made it for quite an exciting drive & evening!

the above images are so funny.

madi is shorter than her sisters but they had on flats

& she had on crazy high wedges, so she looks so tall!

while the next pic was taken with her standing on the down side of a hill, barefoot with emi not barefoot,

it's a little closer to reality.

the bookends

for my local friends, Park Tavern is going through a little renovation

so i'd call before making reservations

but the ambiance is very fun & looks over Piedmont Park

we ate sushi,

& i took photos in the empty bathroom

because i'm easily impressed by faucets

& i'm basically a wierdo

happy birthday sweet girl

we sure do love you!

"When I stand before Your throne
Dressed in glory not my own
What a joy I'll sing of on that day
No more tears or broken dreams
Forgotten is the minor key
Everything as it was meant to be"

matt redman

13.1!!!!

2012-03-06T09:33:00.003-05:00

we headed out early saturday morning for our 24 hour quickie trip to seaside

for the Vera Bradley Seaside Half Marathon.

( if you're a runner, this is a great half marathon to run.

loads of ladies groups, great gifts, cute tshirts & the runners

all recieve vera totes. i share more about it here & here too)

it had poured all night here in atlanta and we'd had tornado watches too.

the bad weather was with us for the entire drive

& the entire day saturday.

poured!!

while a rainy day at the beach is better than no day at the beach

i hated to lose an entire day of beach bliss to yuck weather.

we checked in to our adorable little place for the night, which as similar to last year

was less than 50 yards from the starting line!

when you stay in a seaside rental, you get a load of goodies

not the least of which is a bottle of wine & a seaside cooler tote.

we headed over to packet pick up

did a little shopping

( jumping over puddles & dodging the storms)

before heading to The Red Bar.

also known as "my favorite place to eat"

i carb loaded on a huge bowl of pasta

& the most ginormous shrimp i've ever seen.

true story.

we received cute texts while we were gone

with updates such as the following from my sister in law

(caroline living large getting a mani-pedi)

a group of friends of mine were in town for the race & we hung out with them for a little while before

heading back for what would be

terrible night of sleep #2.

sigh.

since we usually sleep with some white noise & we didn't have that option

i felt like i heard every tiny little sound. even my stomach growling woke me up.

it sounded like the rain continued long into the night.

i laid there & worried ( no surprise there)

how on earth i'd run in the rain with wet shoes.

but we woke up sunday morning to a glorious day

not a cloud in the sky.

despite a crummy night of sleep i woke fired up

excited & feeling great!

ate a quick breakfast & was out the door to meet up with my friends.

our group prayed before we took off

i'm telling you what

at the risk of sounding corny, i could tell the lord was giving me energy.

i haven't felt that good running in ages.

it was so encouraging to me to feel so good

because i felt ill prepared going in to it.

three of my good friends & i ran together the entire way.

big big difference than running solo.

hearing things like

"lets get this train rolling" when i wanted to stop & walk

& "i'm over it, let's just finish" during mile 12

funny jokes from two of my best girlfriends

gave me encouragement to finish

( & finish at the exact same time as last year!)

thank you jeff, kathy & linda!

ya'll are the best!!!!

moments after crossing the finish line,

sweet holly came up & introduced herself!

as did lisa!

( i snagged your photo from twitter, hope that was okay!)

not only is that humbling to meet someone for the first time mere moments after running

(without my lipgloss no less)

but it truly is so awesome to meet a sweet blog reader.

i feel like i should hug them & apologize for the posts where i ramble

& thank them profusely!!

are they cute or what?!

i think holly is in conneticut

& lisa in texas.

too fun!

one of my sweet local friends was there too

& checked that 13.1 off her bucket list!!

way to go heather!!

( yes i finally showered & applied lipgloss )

dan & i only had about an hour or two before we needed to hit the road.

we walked across the street & checked out our rental house

that we'll be back for in july with the girls.

which is a 60 second walk from one of my favorite little photo locations!

we sat there & listened to the waves

& talked about how we'd love to move there one day.

i have the sweetest hubby

who on a regular basis lays his life down for others

& usually the others are me

and the girls.

driving down for a quick trip to seaside isn't cheap

the half marathon wasn't cheap

nor were my shoes

the food

the accommodations

or the goodies he bought me while we were there.

he spent the weekend asking me where i wanted to eat

what i wanted to do

& how he could help me.

no lie...

i pray each of my girls marries a man just like him.

thank you sweet man

for everything you did to get me to seaside

& for cheering me along

just as you do every day.

i love you.

on the edge of seventeen

2012-03-02T06:49:00.000-05:00

happy birthday birdie!!!

17 is such an awesome age!

i pray this coming year is full of dreams coming true

& wonderful memories being made.

daddy & i are SO proud of YOU

& the beautiful young woman you are becoming.

here's a little recap of this past year!

you had so many firsts & so many biggies!

~~~

license.VWconvertible.JVFC captain

sophmore.DECA.

sarah.cameron.katherine.megan.haley.

broken nose.surgery.the gym.

first job.checking account.first paycheck.

shoes.shoes.shoes.

4.0

1stplace in 1st DECA competition.

4th place in state, heading to nationals.

d-group.

juicy.vogue.chanel.adele.dior.

accomplished huge personal goal.

helper.baker.sister.daughter.friend.

deepy loved.

~~~

Happy Birthday Little Bird

i love you

my goodness

2012-03-01T07:07:00.004-05:00

i hope you can hear that in surround sound with all the southern drawl i can muster up.

emphasis on the "my" of course.

i absolutely loved everyone's feedback & encouragement
from the previous post!
ya'll are awesome!!!

it's so hard to be clear in texts or comments & emails.

it's hard to hear the voice behind what is said.

blog posts are certainly no different.

i was not at all angry with the question that was posed.

i thought she honestly ( & she did indeed come on back by & tell me the same) was curious how we balance raising teenagers who go to public school ( one of the largest in the state) & watch things like the bachelor ( gag me), gossip girl & the kardashians (on occasion)

but also love jesus.

it can be done. it really can.

since i primarily write about our life

it's not unusual to get questions about how we handle different situations

& i will gladly answer what i can.

in fact, if you'd like to ask any questions you can send them

& i'll try to incorporate them into a few blog posts.

it's a brave move to put yourself out there & share beliefs and convictions.

& also not get anybody too fired up.

i can count the times on one hand (& still have a finger of two left over) that someone has left me a rude comment.

i'm not sure how i've danced below the radar but thankfully i have.

anyway...that's enough of that for now. but i LOVED all the feedback. seriously!

for months i've thought about our schedule between march 2 & march 10th

& how things would all fall in to place.

dan & i are heading to my favorite place at o'dark thirty saturday morning.

last year was super blustery & cold but with the mild winter we've had, i'm hoping it will be gorgeous

for the Seaside half marathon.

this will definitely be my half marathon swan song.

i love running

but i've decided i do not love running for 2+ hours.

plus, i am convinced that my thighs & calves are completely jacked up now

due to all the distance running.

it happened last year too. i was certain that all that training i would drop a jean size & therefore treat myself to some post race designer flats.

well, i didn't. i'll be darned if those last few weeks i got bigger.

what the heck.

so the other day i'm standing there in my little ugg wannabe slippers & i tell one of the girls ( whose name shall not be mentioned) that i thought my calves were bigger

to which she replied "yeah, they do look weird".

fantastic

madison turns 17 tomorrow!!

she whipped up these dr. seuss inspired cupcakes a few days ago,

i thought you'd enjoy~

ps. i bought the designer flats this year anyway.
so take that.
signed, owner of ginormous calves.
~~~

And we will worship, worship
Forever in Your presence we will sing
We will worship, worship You
And endless hallelujah to the King

matt redman

teenagers, the kardashians & how i do what i do

2012-02-27T16:22:00.003-05:00

a couple posts ago i received the following comment...

Anonymous said...

"I love your blog. I love your family because of your blog. You seem to have raised unbelievable girls. I am so impressed....ALL THE TIME. And I am faithfully trying to raise my own Christian children.
What I dont understand is how one of your kids said they would want to live with the Kardashians???
And it's not so much that they named a pop culture family...but how? Do you let them watch that show? I am actually very curious. It seems so hard these days to raise decent kids. And you really seem to be doing it. But do you all have People magazines around the house...OK Magazine and all that junk? Do you let your kids watch TMZ and such shows? I am so confused. I do not let my kids watch that junk. I will NOT let them watch shows such as Glee. How can I teach them one thing, but then let them watch that type of smut? The same goes for the Kardashians to me. So do your kids just kind of "know" about that family from the media...and love them because they have 3 girls and are similiar to you all? (Cuz that is where the similarities would end!!! They are as far from a Christian family as I can tell....or at least they act like it!)
So can you let me know how you monitor magazines, tv shows, books, pop culture with your kids?
Thanks for being so open and honest on your blog. It helps me get through my weeks and helps me be a better person. I have never written to you before. This comment from Em about the Kardashians (and your comment about it) just really really stummped me!!"

i've spent some time over the last few days thinking about an answer for her

& let me also say, thanks for asking. i'll try to humbly explain my decisions.

let me first say something~~~

i hope i never ever ever

give anyone reason to believe that i think i'm a rockstar

awesome mom.

i'm a type A , first born female

raising 4 females

& only by the grace of god are we where we are today.

it's not me alone...i can assure you.

i fuss, over react and often times my attention is on this computer

more than on them.

yes it's true.

secondly, there's a super tiny, fine, arbitrary line

in my writing that i try not to cross.

i share basically everything but our social security numbers

but i will not share my girls faults or failures

bad attitudes or mistakes here on my blog.

(unless completely approved by one of them, but even then that's rare)

we'll keep that private.

i will however, share their accomplishments & their daily victories here.

while i'm as real as i can be,

i'm well aware that sharing "the good" may sometimes give you the perception

that things are always smooth sailing.

& honestly, most days they are,

but not always.

we live in a culture where as parents we can easily be eaten alive by

guilt

my desire

is to encourage you in your relationships with your children

not make anyone feel guilty.

honestly, we do that enough to ourselves don't we?

we don't have a zillion rules around here.

i have high expectations, but not hard & fast rules.

& dan and i taper expectations per each girl.

my girls however know where i stand

on premarital sex

underage drinking

and a few other biggies.

i am in no way, wishy washy.

ok...back to the kardashians.

sorta.

yes, i allow my teenager to watch some of the kardashian show.

yes i think that one sister has a horrible mouth & is horrid to her mom.

i have no idea what TMZ is.

no i do not purchase OK or People but yes i read People
(while in the check out line at Publix)

along with a vast array of different publications.

i feel it is very important to be culturally relevant

especially while raising teenagers

( & my hubby is a highschool assistant principal-he totally needs to be in the loop!)

& yes, as my girls get older,

part of my parenting philosophy

is that i prepare them for the stage my savannah currently is in...

as parents, we are ultimately preparing them to leave the nest.

( sadly)

so, that means that at certain times

for certain issues

as i see fit for each child

i begin to give them more & more space

more & more grace

more & more chances to make their own decisions

while still guiding them

this also instills in them that i trust them...

my deep thinking is pretty much currently on overload

as i prepare for the pearl event

but i will gladly answer a few of the questions that i often times receive in some upcoming

posts.

i'll try to distinguish in the title so for those of you who think , "what a joke"

that way, you can easily pass on by. smile.

may i also ask, & ask this kindly.
blogging is not for the faint of heart.
it's a brave move for the bloggers that expose themselves
& their personal beliefs.
so having said that, may i please ask that if you have something snarky to say
please choose to not too.
while this is indeed a public blog,
i pour my heart & soul & large amount of time and prayer goes into
every single post.
i've never left an anonymous, rude or ugly comment to anyone.
i'm just humbly asking for the same.
thank you

~~~

i'll close with one of the verses i've prayed over my girls since savannah was first born

ephesians 3.14-19

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

My launch party for Noonday & 1,000 images

2012-02-25T10:39:00.006-05:00

i had no idea what to expect for my first noonday party.

i wondered will my friends come?

will they like the jewelry?

will the stories of the artisans resonate with them?

will they notice my dirty windows?

you know...all those nervous thoughts.

i had two shows that day, with one in the morning

& then one later that evening to try to accommodate all schedules.

my savannah drove in from athens with some of her sweet friends.

for them to make the road trip, on a school night, meant the world to me.

we met up for a quick piece of pizza before the evening party.

my family was so sweet & encouraging

offering to help in any way possible.

my girls often times wearing my jewelry pieces to school.

i even found a note that little bit left on her desk...

a reminder to take her precious teacher one of the look books.

i tried to purchase as many pieces as i could

to give my friends a nice selection to see in person

& play dress up with.

i love decorating so styling for the event was super fun for me.

i took several of my frames , lined the inside with burlap

& then had dan secure various door knobs & such.

i also had several pieces that i don't use in my everyday decor

but i still love & enjoyed pulling them out & using for display.

since the stories behind the pieces are what i truly love about noonday,

i printed several of the artists pictures & had them, along with their personal stories,

beside the pieces.

i also added a few images of jessica, the founder

& her newly adopted son Jack from Rwanda too.

i mentioned earlier that i'm hoping to pick a piece from noonday

each week & share the story behind it.

wearing a piece of jewelry that was handmade, fair trade,

by someone tyring to make a better life for themselves,

in another part of the world

that you & i may never be able to visit

is being an advocate for them.

being a voice for the oppressed is not only biblical

but is walking out the gospel.

today i want to introduce you to Andinet

"the necklace shown below is handmade by artisans in Ethiopia using recycled metal beads and melted-down war weapons.
This necklace is truly a statement piece.
Genuine silver embellishments are made by a local silversmith. Each of these spectacular beads is a unique piece of artwork. Loop-tie closure.
This piece is handmade in Ethiopia using recycled nickel, copper, and bronze melted down from previous war weapons.
Most of the artisans who created the pieces are HIV positive and receive healthcare and literacy training in addition to job training.
Not only are they are learning a skill, but they are learning that their life matters. "

both the parties were great fun for me
( sorry i don't have actual pictures from the events).

i also want to thank so many of you who have sent

countless emails & words of encouragement.

notes & facebook images of the pieces that you've purchased!

please know that YOU are being a voice for them

for the andinets & jalia's & corals

the faces that represent so so so many...

when you purchase, wear, pray for, give to them.

not that in any way is noonday the only way to do that...

it's just one of so many ways to love others & share the hope of the gospel.

at the risk of sounding cliche or corny

or whatever you might call it

i consider it quite an honor to wear a handcrafted item

by andinet, jalia or coral...
any & all of them,
quite an honor!

{{ps--i am having a load of issues with blogger. for some reason word verification is showing up for ya'll despite the fact that i have it set so anyone, even anonymous can comment. ugh.
also, hearing that my email subscribers are not receiving emails when i post.
i have no idea what's going on....}}

matthew 25.34-40

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

~~~

"The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice
All the earth rejoice"

chris tomlin

birthdays, salons, sorority events & such

2012-02-23T07:31:00.002-05:00

between valentines day & the first week of april

we celebrate three of the girls birthdays

valentines day

my birthday

& our anniversary...

and this year, throw in a Pearl Event & a half marathon too!

savannah came in town the weekend prior to her birthday.

we grilled steaks & enjoyed just hanging out with her.

no offense to her friends, but since no one else was in town

we got her all to ourselves.

which included shopping for cowboy boots.

surprisingly we didn't get kicked out.

a quick run through anthropologie & free people.

& shopping for trevor the perfect bow tie.

nothing says preppy southern frat boy like a seersucker bowtie!

seriously.

valentines week was pretty busy with a photo session & the launch party

( which i can't wait to share with ya'll too)

caroline & i whipped up what will be the last valentines day box we'll make in our home.

sniff.

we sat around & played table topics, the family version.

great game by the way!

to the above question,

madi chose the royal family

caroline chose justin beiber's family

& em chose the kardashians. shocker.

hello to completely defining each of my girls in a nutshell!

dan totally surpirsed me with a gift card for a day at the spa

at key lime pie!!

THE coolest spa/salon here in atlanta

( in my opinion)

& currently featured in the latest issue of where women create.
i'm planning on saving that as a post race treat!
( & by the looks of the above photo, i might need to splurge on a manicure too)

saturday was mom/daughter day at smk's sorority.

the event was watching the Gym Dogs perform!

i love driving to athens & especially love driving down milledge & seeing

all the sorority and fraternity homes.

this one isn't savannah's but it's one of my faves & i was sitting at a red light... so there.

the pearl event is officially sold out!

if you have a minute, i highly encourage you to read

sibi's latest beautiful post.

wow...that's just all i can say is wow.

her heart to love on & encourage women

is like none other.

& since i'm all over the place today

i thought i'd go wild & share unrelated screen captures.

during Passion 2012

christy nockels was sporting THE coolest tunic.

ever.

i tweeted about "the" tunic

which incidentally made it on to the live twitter feed.

(bottom right. thank you very much)

followed up with a tweet from big mama

who is the knower of all things fashionable & cool

& she said...."looks like free people to me".

why didn't i think of that.

of course.

so...hopefully coming soon i'll score one of these beauties

(sadly i'm not the tiny size of christy so i might look more like a tent wearer, however...)

don't you love it!

& finally....

the winners of the Make Something Beautiful Ecourse

are

gina

& debby!!

congratulations!

i'll send your names to teresa & then i'll let ya'll email her via the link on her site!

~~~~

"And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore"

matt redman

{cat & joie, a mother daughter session}

2012-02-22T07:38:00.001-05:00

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

2012-02-20T08:36:00.003-05:00

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}

2012-02-18T11:44:00.000-05:00

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

2012-02-17T07:53:00.002-05:00

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}

2012-02-16T07:09:00.004-05:00

introducing sweet audrey claire

in all her seven days of deliciousness!!

enjoy~~