Social Action + Marriage

Are you getting married in 2012 or know someone who is?  Please consider these amazing photographers, Paper Antler, to shoot your wedding.  Then run out & tell all your friends about the Fifty Nifty!  Paper Antler, 2 hip & wonderfully talented wedding photographers who also happen to be husband & wife, are soon setting out to embark on shooting 50 weddings in 50 states.  From these weddings they hope to donate $50,000 to She Dances, an anti-trafficking non-profit organization.  Each wedding they shoot, they will donate $1,000 so the more weddings they book in 2012, the more money will be donated to this awesome cause.  They need your help- they still have some dates open in 2012 around these glorious United States.  Help me to spread the word!  Jonny & Michelle shot our wedding in October & did such an amazing job!  Learn more about this project of theirs or follow their year-long journey here!

Photo by Paper Antler



You're invited!!!



Owl & Howl

I came across an adorable free printable 2012 owl calendar that you can make for your home or office or as an adorable Christmas gift.  It is from My Owl Barn & there is absolutely no catch.  You get to design your own mini-calendar that's sure to be a hit.  The best part, it's easy as 1, 2, 3!  Hoo knew?


Step 1:  Click here.
Step 2:  Choose 12 whimsical designs, 1 for each month, & download.
Step 3:  Print & assemble. . .then enjoy!



My Owl Barn's pre-selected calendar 

  

My Nature

I love to be outside & especially when I have my camera in hand.  I was overly inspired the other brisk day here in Kansas so I grabbed Cali, my pup, my Canon with the larger lens, my stocking cap & some winter-like cheer.  I walked slowly & aimlessly, aimless only in the sense of oncoming cars & people, as I was captivated by just about everything.  It was one of those magical photo shoots- as they are not all this way!  My heart pounded as my fingers started to freeze.  I was in a race against the falling temperatures & the setting sun.  My dog was getting irritated at her very short leash, necessary so I could hold the camera (sort of) steady, long enough to get the shot. 

I was getting the feeling my neighbors thought I needed to be carefully observed with such a long lens- I did look a tad suspicious aiming the lens at stranger's windows.  This didn't stop me. . .it rarely does.  I remember one winter back in Milwaukee when I had stopped in my truck to snap a shot of a glorious, picturesque, winterized street & the owner of a house nearby followed me to my own house in his car where he sat, parking me in & waiting for me to emerge.  I was a little freaked so I stalled my exit- feeling less vulnerable on the inside my Land Rover.  Finally, I stepped out as the snow fell.  He proceeded to ask me what I was doing.  Me, I thought?  How about what are you doing, sir?  I live here, I informed the bloke.  He said he saw me taking pictures of his house & wondered if I was casing the joint. HA! Me?!  Casing him? I assured him I was not- that I was a photographer, simply taking pictures of 'his' street that was so beautifully blessed by nature. 

I returned home with a bushel full of photographs & a quieted spirit.  These are the results of that day:

A Heart Full of Art

If you have been wondering what I have been up to lately, other than consuming mass quantities of turkey & all the fixings, I have been trying to promote my artistic gifting by embarking on many creative endeavours.  My husband, Josh, & I have been upcycling (re-purposing) furniture that we've been finding on our town's inhabitant's curbs.  Josh does the more 'manly' parts of the process- sanding, fixing & rebuilding.  I get to do the more artistic side of things- chose paint colors, paint, find decorative nobs/pulls/handles & plan out all the design elements.  We are quite the match!  This has been a favorite pastime of ours- up next, we attempt to make a side table made out of an old tree stump.  Josh suggested we name this 'business' of ours, so on a drive home from Kansas City we brainstormed & came up with name, Last Evening Lark.  What do you think?  I love it! 


I have been so inspired lately & have been trying to channel that energy into something marketable (or at the very least helpful/inspiring).  So, when my sister-in-law, Marta, asked me to do a photo shoot of her adorable, growing family, I knew this was a chance to be creative & get my artistic hands dirty, once again.  We loaded up their van with the family, a camera & much cheer.  We went to an adorable tree farm as a backdrop for the shoot.  One small problem, it had finally gotten cold in Kansas & we were freezing!  That didn't stop us; on we went & at one point sweet little Adelaide wanted to take off her coat & run through rows of tiny, future Christmas trees.  It was the perfect opportunity for me to snap away, trying to get the ideal photograph.  She is so photogenic & beautiful, it wasn't too hard for me to succeed!  Here are a few of the results from that magical, frigid day.

Last Evening Lark (my new stage name) photo shoot, with my dear husband's family!



Photographs by: Last Evening Lark



Photographs by: Last Evening Lark

I have also been finding all sorts of fun online.  A cute shop I found out in CA, with an online catalog, is this whimsical shoppe, Henry Road.  It is a good one to make a Christmas wish list from!  You might know of this already but you can subscribe to magazines online for free! Check out the addicting site, Issuu.  You can view magazines such as this amazing copy of Anthology which happens to feature a favorite Swedish textile designer, mother & artist of mine, Lotta Jansdotter!!!  <---- Be sure to check her out...she is a.m.a.z.i.n.g.  In the online mag, she visits the lovely city of Stockholm & of course, shares neat finds along the way.  Here is an example of the gorgeous online magazine. 

From online Anthology Magazine issue #5
Photograph by: Giao Trac

I Shall Give Thanks: A Little Wedding Sampler



The day was perfect, the setting amazing.  Our wedding, that October 8th, 2011, took place amongst the rows of goldenrod cornfields in quaint Oakland, Iowa.  The sun outlined the surrounding farms that found their homes nestled between fields of crops & dancing wildflowers.  Birds came to this vast, open country to sing a cheerful tune, just as I had arrived in a similar fashion.  I would marry my one true love- Joshua.  As friends & family started to arrive our excitement multiplied.  How wonderfully blessed we felt as 3p.m. approached.  Here are a few of our wedding photos by these lovely gems, to wet your palates.  Keep watching for the rest.  And be sure to read Paper Antler's blog, featuring their photographs of our special day.  Happy Saturday!







I love wildflowers.









Sweet Adelaide, my niece.









10.08.11