by Amy | Oct 2, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
Today I have a very special family session to show you. It’s especially special because it’s my actual family. While I was home to Elkhart last month, I did some fall family photos for my family. The reason I love doing sessions for my own family is two fold. Firstly, I love taking photos. Secondly, it forces them to spend more time with me.
And I love spending time with the fam.
Since I’ve disclosed to you that this is my own flesh and blood, it’s safe to assume that I might be a little bias…but I’ll tell you anyway–I think these portraits are the bomb. I think these kids are geniuses. I think this family is the cat’s meow. The only thing I don’t love about this is the fact that they live in God’s country {northern Indiana} and I live in Practically Canada {which is also lovely…but not quite as amazing as the Michiana area.} So enjoy the photos. Perhaps you can glean a little inspiration for you own family portrait session.
Now, I’m going to take a moment to point out something that this family totally nailed: Clothing choice. Sometimes that can be the trickiest part of photo day. I get asked all the time: What should we wear? Well, when it comes to fall family photos, you can take a lesson from the Bredenkamp clan. Solid colors are always a winner. It’s also a good idea to put everyone in jeans for cohesiveness, then mix up the shirts. The orange and green lend some color and look amazing with the fall backgrounds. The kiddos in gray and white are perfectly neutral.
I also advise folks to steer clear of trendy clothes. That way when you look back at your portraits, you’ll remember the amazing day, the lovely weather and the family. If you go too trendy, you’ll likely be distracted by your atrocious clothing, hit yourself in the forehead and ask yourself, “What was I thinking?” {Also, that sets you up to be made fun of by future generations.} Now, enough clothes talk. Let’s get back to the session.
If you are wondering where this lovely setting is, let me tell you. It’s Cobus Creek, one of Elkhart County’s newest parks. While it’s been around for a few years now, there are still lots of folks who haven’t heard of it. Let’s just say I came out looking pretty cool when I introduced them to this awesome location.
Okay, that’s one fam session down. I shot two others while I was home. Be on the lookout for those. You’ll especially want to see the one with a goofy Boston Terrier wearing a hat. She looked so embarrassed. I’m telling you, it’s worth a look and a laugh, so stay tuned!
by Amy | Oct 1, 2014 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Gathering, The Art of Projects
I love Halloween. That’s no secret at all. One of my all time greatest dreams is to go to or host an epic Halloween party, just like the one in Hocus Pocus. Skeleton-clad musicians included.
Even though I’ve never been to a party that great–yet–I’ve still had my fair share of awesome costumes. Mostly because I have an awesome costume partner. And, although most of our costumes were thrown together in the last minute, we still pulled them off. It’s been a few years since we were costume clad for Halloween…one year I was hospitalized, the next Derek was working, and the years after that we had moved to Minot where our house was too small to host a party and none of our friends did either.
But. But, but, but…that doesn’t mean that our most amazing {and infamous} costume has been forgotten. Quite the opposite. I do my fair share of Pinning, but 90% of the time when I’m notified that one of my Pins has been repinned…I see this.
Me, Derek, Spartan Cheerleader costumes.
Yes, it’s amazing, I know.
So I thought today, being October 1st–I’d revisit this costume. The one that gets me so much buzz.
A friend recently told me that she found it on the top search results on Pinterest. Last year a friend saw it featured on a blog…and today I was contacted by the associate editor of Huffington Post Weddings. She wanted to run it in a feature about couple’s costumes. You can read it here. It’s called “18 Awesome Halloween Costumes for Couples Who Don’t Suck.” So, I guess it’s official. If you think we suck, you’re wrong. The Huffington Post says otherwise.
Crazy, I know.
The craziest part is that we literally threw that costume together the day of Halloween for a party we’d just found out about. We walked into the thrift store with a few basic ideas, and when we laid eyes on those atrocious, red, men’s pants, we knew we’d struck gold. The white bands are cut up white T-shirts destined for the rag bin. I cut the letters out of felt, and the whole ensemble is hot glued together. Who know, way back then in Enid, OK we’d be making costume history?
We even quickly memorized one of the Spartan cheers, just in case. But that never got performed in public, since the party turned out to be pretty lame. {Especially for the types who don’t consume adult beverages…us.}
After all the moves, we still have the sweaters somewhere. Just last year, I made Derek get rid of the pants. He wore them curling. I told him we could afford a pair that is new, and not bright red, or part of a gag. I only hope they have found their way into the heart of another cheerleader…
If you are looking for costume inspiration this month, check out my Killer Costumes board on Pinterest, or the HuffPost article there are some seriously clever things in there {uhhh Butter and Paula Dean?!}
Happy Haunting.
by Amy | Sep 30, 2014 | Blog, God's Character, The Art of Faith
{Image Via}
The Bible shows us the very nature of God. You can look at it pretty much verse by verse and critically think about what just that one tiny piece of Scripture says about the nature of God. When we do this, we find all kinds of answers; because God is not simple. He is complicated and righteous. He is everything and the Creator of everything.
I think, though, at the root of the nature of God lies His desire to be relational with His creation. From the very beginning when He walked in the Garden with Adam and Eve, to Jesus’ life on earth to clear the connection between man and Creator, to the well written ending of mortal existence…a second coming of Christ that will forever allow God and man to live together again. Even the complicated sacrifice system of the Old Testament was a way for people to maintain a relationship with God.
He desires us and pursues us. Even when we don’t desire Him and don’t pursue Him. He speaks to us before we have committed to listening. He tries to get our attention. God wants to be relational.
God does this in all kinds of ways. I’ve seen it happen to others. It’s happened to me. I’ve sat down to coffee and listened to others relay a story of how it has happened to them. He uses people, or circumstances, or disaster, and all kinds of other things. God is not silent. He longs for you. He is jealous for you. He is jealous of all the other things in your life that come first, and He will continue to pursue you until the end. He wants to be relational with you. Really.
And, like a lot of things in life, it comes down to a choice. Will you listen? Will I listen? Are we willing to pay attention?
The youth group is studying the book of Amos right now. As I’ve read it and reread it–trying to get a handle on the text in order to field questions as they crop up–one thing really stood out to me. And that is the communication God laid out before the Israelites.
In Amos, God speaks to His people, and He doesn’t have nice things to say. They are being judged for their ugly, evil ways. For oppressing the poor, greed, worshiping idols, and the like. Sometimes, it’s easy to think that we can continue living however we like, conforming to the ways of a fallen world. But that’s a dangerous way to live. Amos proves it. The Israelites were God’s chosen people, but even they could not escape judgement that held them accountable for their deeds.
But judgement didn’t come out of nowhere. Through the prophet Amos, God lists the ways He tried to get their attention, to stop things before they got out of hand. Famine, drought, drought on one town and rain on another, diseased harvests, bugs, plagues, war, and prophets speaking His words were all ways He tried to get their attention. Opportunities to turn to Him for help, to recognize their need for His grace. Yet, they didn’t listen. It’s so easy for me to be in awe of their deaf ears…but in my own life this happens too!
Now, He says, judgement will come. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. He beckons them to “Seek me and live.” {Reference} He urges them to turn away from pagan gods and return to Him. He calls them to life, back to a relationship with the Living God. He lists their transgressions, they can easily see what needs to be done to remove His wrath. In Revelation, He tells us that He rebukes and disciplines those whom He loves. {Reference} Much like a parent disciplines a child, not from hatred, but lovingly. Discipline is not a bad thing.
For me, this kind of slap-in-the-face insolence would be enough to send me packing. To break ties and forget about giving any more second chances. Not so with God. He will never stop pursuing us. Ever. That’s pretty incredible. No one is too far gone, no one is beyond the offer of hope. At the end of the book, after listing their awful deeds and sinful heart issues, God tells His people that He will restore them. He will continue to offer them life, love and a relationship with the Most High. Again, from Revelation He says: {image via}
God wants a relationship.
So my questions for you tonight are this: Has He been trying to get your attention lately? And, what will you do about it? Will you listen, or will His call fall on deaf ears?
by Amy | Sep 29, 2014 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Art, The Art of Design, The Art of Projects
You know how something just keep getting shoved to the end of your to-do list? If not, props to you. Maybe we can chat sometime and you can tell me how to quit doing that.
But I digress.
Something that has been pushed to the end of the line over and over again, is getting my shop up and running. I’ve had the photos in a folder on my desktop for months. I’ve had the products to be sold sitting in the cloffice since June. But every time I thought about reviving my Etsy shop and updating my PayPal account, I felt like gagging…then I’d simply walk away from the computer, or take a stroll through Pinterest instead.
But after my weeks in South Dakota and Indiana, I came back revived and refocused. Ready tackle, promote and grow the blog and business. {The amazing feedback from the Bridesmaid Thank You Cards, also gave me a pretty good push.} I can now proudly say that:
The Amy Allender: The Art of Living Etsy shop is now open for business!
So, now, you can shop products I’ve created in my home “sweat shop” or designed. You can access the shop from my navigation bar here at the website, or by visiting my Etsy shop. Soon I’ll be adding more invitation designs as digital downloads, and new items as the holiday season approaches, so be on the look out for those.
And now that the PayPal account has been revived as well, I’m hoping to add a “pay online” feature for photo clients…so no more check writing at the time of your session. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’ll let you know when that goes live.
In the mean time, enjoy the shop. Favorite the shop. Share with your friends. Buy some gifts. You know, that kind of thing. I love you all. Thank you so much for encouraging me and being so amazing. If you have an Etsy shop, let me know by leaving a comment {I think I got that bug fixed too}. I’d love to check you out. Here are some items to get you started:
[shop_featured_listings]
by Amy | Sep 26, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Art
Remember in August when I told you about that awful, just awful auto-correct? Also, before we move further, look how cute my cat is. She’s precious.
You know, the one that said, “I have a Canadian all dressed up with no place to go.” If you missed it, read that post here.
After complete silence for nearly a month, I realized that the street festival that I was originally asked to take my Community Canvas {read here if you don’t know what that is} to sort of got moved to Saturday, September 27th. I say it sort of got moved because it’s technically not the exact same event. That was the Festival on Main…which never happened. Now it’s part of the Fall Block Party. Pretty much the same thing, only it’s held on 1st Street instead of Main. {For those of you local to Practically Canada, go here for details.}
So, anyway, after weeks of hearing nothing back…and discovering that it kind of had been rescheduled, I decided to reach out to the victim of my sloppy texting and ask if I could bring the canvas down. Mostly, because it’s huge and in my dining room, and I have no desire to finish it by myself.
To my pleasant surprise, she was happy to hear from me and said they were thinking of getting in touch and asking me to come with the canvas.
Phew!
What a relief. I triple read my reply and told her I’d be there.
Next week I’ll show you the {hopefully} finish product…barring another sudden rain storm that cancels us again. But tonight I just wanted to tell you the conclusion of the text tale. And, to peer pressure you in to coming to see me tomorrow downtown. I’ll be setting up around 11am and planning to stay until it’s finished, probably around 1:30pm. If you are in the area, whether we have met or not, I’d love for you to come paint with me. It’s as easy as filling in the lines, just like a coloring book.
If nothing else, you can say you saw the well dressed Canadian in person.
Amy
PS–For one more laugh I’ve decided to add in the photo of the conversation we had last month….
by Amy | Sep 25, 2014 | Blog, Devotional, The Art of Faith
Yesterday we talked about bearing good spiritual fruit. Today I’m talking about bad apples. Originally this had all been one long post about the good and the bad, but I decided it was best to split it up. If you are hating the discussion of fruit, don’t worry, it’ll be over after this post.
{Image via…click over for another awesome devo on bearing good fruit.}
Just as the Bible tells us how to produce good fruit, and encourages us to do so…it also warns of bad fruit and those who produce it.
Think back to the orchard we visited yesterday. A good tree will produce good fruit. Big, juicy, ripe apples will hang from the branches of a good tree. So many, you’ll have to pick and share with your neighbors just to keep them from going to waste. Walk a little further down the orchard path and chances are, you’ll pass a bad tree eventually.
You’ll know it when you see it. A sick tree, infested with worms and eaten by moths and diseased with some kind of bark fungus will not bear apples worth eating. In that case it’s easy to see that the fruit is bad. You’ll walk right on by, never even thinking of picking one of it’s pieces to eat.
Here is the warning Jesus issues in Matthew 7:15-20.
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.
Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Jesus tells us that spiritually unsound individuals may look innocent and good, but we can always tell who they really are by the fruit they bear. He goes far enough to say that a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. No more than a thorn bush can produce grapes. Jesus has assured us that the truth of a person’s character is in the fruit, that proof will never lie.
Let’s think about one more situation. {This is from my mind…not directly from Scripture.} Down the orchard a bit, there may be a seemingly healthy tree with no fruit on it at all. While it looks healthy–if it bears nothing, there is cause to think something is wrong. I wouldn’t consider a fruitless tree to be “good.” “Okay,” maybe…but not “good.”
We are called to bear good fruit. To do so, we need to be good trees, not just “okay.”
I think the hardest part isn’t avoiding being a bearer of bad fruit. That’s pretty basic for lots of church-goers. The hardest part is making sure we are bearing fruit at all. That we aren’t the healthy-looking tree, growing and doing just fine in the orchard…but turning out empty branches every time harvest rolls around.
To make an obvious statement, good people aren’t going to go around with baskets of luscious Granny Smiths, and bad people aren’t going to go around with a basket labeled “Poison Berries.” Until folks start doing that–we’ll have to look closer at the produce of their lives through deeds, actions and words.
Take a moment and assess this evening. What’s your fruit? Is it good? Is it bad? It is nonexistent? Ask a friend, find an accountability partner to help you. Think about what you can change to bear more good fruit. Maybe you need to weed out some negativity in your heart, or make an effort to speak positively. Think about your gifts, the things you excel at, and how you can use them to make more fruit. Think about the people you are surrounded by. Are they bearing fruit? Is it wormy or juicy?
I firmly believe that we have all been created with the capacity to do great things. To ripple in incredible ways. To have an awesome impact of the world around us. Now go. Self examine and start bearing.
by Amy | Sep 24, 2014 | Blog, Devotional, The Art of Faith
{click image for source}
I’ve been thinking about fruit. Maybe because the weather has taken taken on those cool, fall overtones and I’m craving apples and all things made from apples {cider, pie, turn overs, crisp…} But as I think about fruit it’s hard for me not to also think of Scripture. It’s all over the place. Discussions of fruit trees, parables about fruit, fruit of the Spirit. Fruit, fruit, fruit.
And I, for one, think this is the perfect time to take a moment to think about fruit. The year is winding down, fall is settling in and winter is right on its heels. It’s a good time to assess. We tend to think that the best time for assessment is around the New Year, but I disagree. That time of year is too busy and chaotic for me to get very self reflective. Maybe a little–between food comas and dashing from gathering to gathering. Maybe I can find a few minutes in there…but more often than not, when I get a moment to myself around the holidays I’d rather just sink into the couch and listen to some Bing Crosby.
The Bible gives us a very good measure for self assessment. Look at the fruit.
Over and over the Bible talks about good fruit, bearing fruit and the fruit produced. That’s the measure. To the dismay of many, faith is not completely invisible. We see it through the fruit our faith produces. Tangible evidence of what you believe, where your heart is, what matters most. Fruit in our lives can look like a variety of things. The Bible tells us that the fruit of our belief can be shown through works or deeds, by glorifying the Lord, by bearing witness to the world, and by possessing the qualities listed in the fruit of the spirit.
Colossians tells us that a life worthy and pleasing to the Lord, means a life that bears fruit through good works–and grows in the knowledge of God. {Verse here.}
Jesus says a good tree will bear good fruit and a bad tree will bear bad fruit…a tree is recognized by it’s fruit. {Verse here.} This seems like a no brainer…and I guess, it is. That’s probably why there are so many references to it in Scripture. It’s easy to understand and easy to imagine.
The trees that would be considered “good” would be those healthy, and heavy laden with good, juicy fruit. The kind of tree you’d take an apple from and eat it on the spot because it looks so good.
Jesus says that in order to bear good fruit {and lots of it} we must remain in Him and Him in us. We won’t bear the fruit He desires for us when we are separated from Him. He tells us God is glorified when we produce good fruit and prove ourselves to be His disciples. {Verses here.}
Like most things in life, the whole fruit bearing thing takes choice and effort. A choice and effort that can be hard to make in the midst of busy lives and Facebook and TV and meetings and work. A choice, like most important choices we make, that may require sacrifice and intentionality.
Tomorrow I’ll be finishing up this little discussion on fruit, by taking a moment to discuss bad apples. Take time today to think about the fruit you are bearing and pray that God will show you how you can bear even more.
by Amy | Sep 24, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Gathering
Here’s a few facts about me.
1. I’m cheap.
2. I’m pretty lame.
3. I’m a homebody.
4. I hate being cold.
When you put that all together it adds up to equal a girl who doesn’t mind spending her weekends at home, under an electric blanket. And–if you’ve been around, or know me, or have ever looked at my Christmas list, you probably know that my stay-at-home activity of choice is board games.
I’m actually getting pretty hard to buy for, since the collection Derek and I have amassed is pretty darn impressive. It’s grown quite a bit since I created that awesome board game storage from an old book case. Have I mentioned that that is one of my top pinned projects on Pinterest? {I guess it goes to show that I’m not alone in seeking to show off my gaming goods instead of shove them in the back of a closet.}
While I was in Rapid City I came across a board game store. Not quite as awesome as the one I told you about in Portsmouth, but still pretty darn good. They have demo games and a board game meet up every Sunday. So, while I was there we popped in to try a game I’d been eying and ended up trying out a few others as well. And now, I’ll tell you about them. Three games I’ve never played before and that are totally appropriate to buy for the home-body board-gamer on your list. An ideal thing to stock up on as the chilly weather settles in.
First of all–Carcassonne.
We actually picked this one up in Portsmouth on our Maine vacation. But I haven’t given it a proper write up yet, so I’ll do it now.
It’s a strategy game. The winner is the person with the most points at the end of the game. You get said points by building cities, roads, and monasteries and by owning pastures. Okay, granted that makes it sound kind of awful. Stick with me.
My favorite part about the game is that you build the board as you play. So you’ll never have the same set up twice. On your turn you draw a tile–with a little piece of landscape on it– and place it anywhere you like, so long as it joins one already in play. Then you can set one of your “followers” {aka game pieces} on top of it to claim part of a city, field, road, etc.
There’s lots of opportunities to totally ruin the plans of your opponents and requires some creative thinking. You only need two people to play, but can have up to five total. Like other games of this nature, there are expansion packs to buy…so you can add on nearly as many players as you fancy. A game takes about 45 minutes. If you like Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride, you’ll love this one.
Number two: Ca$h and Gun$
This is a party game, best with 6 people, but playable with only 4.
In this game each player is a crook in on a heist. Eight rounds are played. At the end of every round loot from a heist is split between the cons left standing.
At the beginning of the game each player is given 8 “bullet” cards and a foam gun. Three are shots and five are blanks. On each round every player places one of their bullets face down on the table and on the count of three aims his gun at a fellow player. After everyone seeings who is aiming at who, players have a chance to dodge the bullet by knocking over their game piece. If you dodge you are safe. If you choose not to dodge, you are taking a gamble on whether the proverbial bullet is real or a blank.
Next players turn in the bullets they placed on the table and the loot is split between players left standing or unwounded. The winner is the player with the most money at the end of the game.
It’s fun and fast paces and only takes about 30 minutes. It’s good for groups and groups that don’t know each other too well. If you like Wits and Wagers, Clue, or Apples to Apples–you’ll like this one too.
Lastly, let me tell you about Make ‘n’ Break. I really love this one.
It’s a very simple concept. On your turn roll the dice to determine how much time you’ll be given. Then start the timer. While the timer runs you attempt to build as many structures as you can to match designs laid out for you on cards using colorful Jenga-ish blocks. When the time is up you get points for the number of cards you completed.
See how much fun this family is having? {via the Make ‘n’ Break site.}
It’s a quick one, played in four rounds and is perfect for 2-4 players. Since it’s all about building and knocking down you’ll need to play it on a hard surface and shouldn’t try this one during quiet hours. It’s good for all ages. If you are into Jenga and Legos, you’ll like this one.
Happy playing!
