by Amy | Jul 9, 2013 | Blog, The Art of Faith, The Art of the Moment
This is Kate and Jacob. Aren’t they precious? They are getting married in October and I am so very excited for them!! Kate and I have gotten to know each other over the past year through our women’s Bible study at church. This is what marriage is about people…two people, committed to loving each other and glorifying God through their union. It’s awesome.
Now, I must say, this was one of the most adventurous sessions I’ve ever shot. We started our session in a local park. But that didn’t last long because the mosquitoes chased us away. They were so bad I couldn’t even stand still to take a single shot. They were flocking to my fingers, my legs, my hair. They looked like clouds of gnats…so gross!
So we ditched that idea and headed to a sandy bank by the river. I laid out some plastic and a quilt for the happy couple to sit on. When I was finished laying out the quilt I about pooped my pants when I saw a special visitor right next to us…
YIKES! It’s a GIANT snapping turtle! So scary. {I’m a whip, okay?}
So again, we took just a few and left. But first we picked up a couple cans of bug spray.
We smelled bad, but at least we didn’t get any more bites. Okay, now to the real stuff.
Jacob is a golfer and soon, they will be taking up golf together. In fact, the couple is so enthused, that Jacob actually hid Kate’s engagement ring in a set of clubs he bought for her birthday. Adorable.
As I alluded to earlier, one of my favorite things about this couple is their deeply rooted faith. I can tell you from experience, a couple who lives in the Word will grow to have a strong marriage. When their wedding was 150 days away Kate and Jacob began reading one Psalm each day together. On the day of their session they chose to do their daily study in front of the camera.
You can see more from this adorable session tomorrow on the Facebook page!
Amy
by Amy | Jul 6, 2013 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Adventure, The Art of Projects
I was incredibly and pleasantly surprised recently when I attended Minot’s second annual Vintage Fair. When I heard it advertised I was excited, but I never expected it to be such a wonderful and inspiring event. When I drove up to the rustic family farm on which it was held I felt like I stepped out of my Chevy Equinox and into an issue of Country Living Magazine. Seriously, all, it was that wonderful.
Furniture, antiques and vintage inspired artisan goods littered the open air market. Booths of venders lined up with goods repurposed from nostalgic wares. I’ll call it a junker’s/upcycler’s/collecter’s/thrifter’s paradise. Cast aside cupboards, doors and windows waited anxiously to be snatched up by an inspired fair goer. Things forgotten were seen in a new light under lots and lots of creative eyes.
Minot’s very own Darling Stewardess brought everything-but-the-kitchen-sink from their downtown shop and set up in this adorably rustic church. Lots of venders were local to Minot, but a good number flocked in from all over the state. The only requirement is that you sell vintage or vintage inspired items. Seriously, can you imagine a better place to spend and afternoon? One of my favorite venders sold North Dakota inspired greeting cards with sayings like, “Uffda,” “Oh you betcha,” and “Oh for cute.” They really say those things up here.
I walked away with just a few items…but a lot of inspiration. My new goal is to participate next year with my very own booth. I walked away from Minot’s Vintage fair knowing, just knowing that I’ve got to get in with this crowd. If you didn’t go this year, you’ve gotta check it out next year. And if you aren’t lucky enough to spent your summers in Practically Canada…at least find a flea market or swap meet to hit up this season.
Amy
by Amy | Jul 2, 2013 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
I’m so glad I was invited to capture a homecoming. Photographing this magical event was my honor and privilege.
There is really no way to describe what it’s like to see husbands and wives; kids and parents reunited after months of separation.
So happy Fourth everybody. I truly pray that God continues to bless America.
by Amy | Jun 28, 2013 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
The first time I met Lauren and Ricky I knew we’d get along. They are avid DIY-ers who love a good yard sale, auction or thrifting expedition. We chatted at length about their knack for picking {yep, like “American Pickers”} and all the treasured they have rehabbed. These are my kind of people. They are expecting their first child and I cannot wait to see photos of their adorable DIY nursery. From what I’ve heard, it’s just exploding with cuteness!
Just over a week ago this fun, photogenic couple invited me to capture the excitement of the upcoming arrival with a maternity session in the open air of Minot, ND. Did I mention that this is a super fun couple?
by Amy | Jun 28, 2013 | Blog, Devotional, The Art of Faith, The Art of Living
When I was in elementary school we had a weird school counselor. Things about her are a little blurry. So for all I know she really wasn’t that weird. But at the time she seemed like an odd duck. I don’t remember much about her, not even her name. There are four instances I remember clear as day. She’d come into my first grade classroom on occasion and here’s what stands out to me.
She had some video about a girl and some magical horses that she made us watch. The horses were white and locked up somewhere and only her confidence and self esteem could unlock them. I hated it and thought it was super lame.
One day as an ice breaker she asked us to go around the room and name our favorite show. Every single member of my class said “Full House.” Every. Single. One. {In fairness it was 1993.}
Whenever she left the room she had us wave goodbye by wiggling our index finger at her. Like it was quieter than a regular wave or something. Again, I–the first grade critic–thought it was lame.
The last thing I remember about her is the “Glass Half Full” lesson. It was probably on one of the days she was showing a segment of that magic horse movie, because I clearly remember that she had a half glass of water sitting on top of the VCR on the TV cart.
She pointed to the glass and asked how we would describe the glass. She called on a few people. I was one of them. Now, I was a bright, if cynical, seven year old…so naturally I answered that the glass was half empty. The others said the same thing. She was pulling teeth trying to get someone to answer that the glass could be “half full” instead. It was awkward to watch…
“Now, can anyone think of another way to describe the glass? Anyone?”
Eventually some genius did come up with the idea that it could also be seen as half full. And on went a lesson on positivity and magic horses. After the answer was discovered I just remember thinking that we should have just called it “half a glass of water.” None of this full or empty business. That was lame.
Anyway, as my experiences with the school counselor allude to the fact that I can be a “glass half empty” type of person. I don’t tend to think of myself as a pessimist exactly. As the years have gone on I’m become pretty savvy at seeing the sunny side. Tonight, though I want to tell you about a glass in my life that is half empty.
The first night after Derek left, I sat on the bed and counted out some change. One coin for each day that he’d be gone. Give or take a couple. I just had to see the days in some tangible form, silly as that sounds. I scooped them all up and put them in my prettiest glass…an opalescent depression glass my mom bought for me at an antique shop. At the time this mandatory separation thing seemed really ugly, so I wanted to house it in something beautiful to remind me that even the darkest situations can turn into blessings if we continually praise God in all situations.
Anyway, each night before bed I take a coin out and put it back in my change jar. That first night was so hard. The glass was full, but boy did it seem “half empty.” Even the first week, I could barely see a drop in the level. One by one. Logically, I knew eventually the glass would have to empty down to the very last penny. But it seemed like every night it was as full as the day before.
Then. Finally I started to see a difference.
Now, that glass is more than half empty. But my glass has never felt more full. This deployment is more than halfway over and God has used this time to bless me tremendously and allow my heart to grow in ways I didn’t even know possible. Not only am I not miserable, I’m joyful.
Just proof from a cynical kid that “half full” isn’t always the best.
Amy
by Amy | Jun 27, 2013 | Blog, The Art of Projects, the house
So, I’ bet you are just dying to know how the patio is shaping up. Let me tell you. It’s great. I’m totally in love with it and cannot wait to have it done. But I’ll tell you this: There’s a reason last time I did this, it wasn’t alone. Patios are super heavy. Everything about them is hard and heavy. Digging, raking, carrying, dropping, loading, unloading, setting…On the upside, I’m getting a killer tan and my back and arms are looking fab.
Here’s the progress I’ve made. For starters, I stripped out the area and spray painted a boarder on the ground. Then I leveled the dirt…approximately. Next was my first trip to Menard’s for this project for sand and edgers. The sand was so heavy I had to bring it home in two trips.
I brought all the edgers home in one trip and sloppily set them around the boarder.
Next things got a little harder. {Like lifting all that wasn’t hard enough.} I set and leveled each edger. Once they were in place it was time to pour all that sand inside. You have to have some sand in there to lock your stones in place and give them a little cushion. Then I made a ghetto contraption to help me level out the sand {it’s that thing with the green board nailed to it.} It’s best to add a little red neck {literally, you should see my sun burn} to all your projects.
Then, it was time to bricks. Aren’t these gorgeous? They’re salvaged from a flood home in Minot. Which I think is pretty darn cool. Here’s the catch. I’m picking them up from said flood home and bringing them home myself. Doesn’t sound crazy yet, right? Just wait. You see, my car is a small SUV so it can only stand to carry a few hundred at a time. So I’ll be making several trips. On top of that, the bricks are just in a big pile, so I have to pick through and get the good ones…which is also a battle against mosquitoes. Oh yes, and my yard looks like this:
Park in the driveway, walk up those steps, then to the patio. It really blows. The upside is that once the bricks are up there they set in pretty easily. As I said, it’s just a whole lot of strenuous, manual labor. Oh well. I’ll just have to show you my arms later.
Oh yeah, and I’ll mention this too…I’m hoping the whole thing can be laid by next Wednesday so I can start adding furniture and finishes! That is, if I can haul all those bricks home. I just may have to bribe one of the high school boys from youth group to help me…we’ll see.
Amy
by Amy | Jun 26, 2013 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
Let’s all say hello to a doubly adorable session! Ava and Aiden are twins that I recently had the pleasure of photographing. I’ve never shot two babies at once, so this was quite a treat. It was adorable how the crying stopped when they were moved closer together so they were touching. Probably because they spent nine cozy months together already. Just amazing.
As you can see, Miss Ava was wide eyed through most of the session…while her brother was sound asleep! Love those curious eyes.
I was lucky enough to also have the opportunity to capture Ava and Aiden’s first family photos. Both of their grandmothers were in town, so of course we got a few with babies and grammy. What a precious, growing family! Look for their full session on the facebook page next week.
Amy
by Amy | Jun 25, 2013 | Blog, The Art of Projects, the house
A few weeks ago I told you that I was going to try my hand at building some window boxes. I showed you a round up of good tutorials and inspiration. Now I’ve gone and done it…and I’m super please with how they turned out. Here’s an updated photo of the house. Getting cuter by the day!!
So…Let’s make a window box, shall we?
First of all, take a look at the finished product. I made two different versions. One with support brackets for my ultra big front window. The other without. The smaller version is only 23″ wide, so it really didn’t need extra support.
These were very easy to put together once I had the plan all laid out. {And trust me, I’m no carpenter.} They took about 30 minutes each {not including dry time}. I spent a total of $18 on supplies…which included the paint, screws and nails. Oh, and that was for all three boxes that I made. Pretty thrifty!
Here’s your shopping list:
Cedar fence posts
Wood glue
Primer
Exterior paint
1.5″ exterior grade nails
3″ decking screws
Here’s your tool list:
Circular or Table Saw
Drill
Drill bits
Hammer
Level
Here’s what you do:
1. First, you’ll need to know how big your boxes need to be. Measure the width of your window. Then you can do the math {I know, I hate math too…but it’s just a little bit.} You’ll need three pieces as wide as your window, and two scraps for the ends. Measure it out of your fence posts and make your cuts.
2. This is what your box will look like. Here are the pieces all laid out. You’ll be placing your long side pieces on top of the bottom piece. The edges attach flush to the bottom board and the edge pieces.
3. Run a bead of wood glue along the long edges of the bottom board and the end pieces {as shown here.}
4. Put your box together. If you have a vice or something you can use that to clamp everything in place. If you are cheap and ghetto like me you can use anything lying around the garage to hold it in place and put a little pressure on it. Now just wait a while for your glue to set.
Once your glue is giving a bit of hole flip the whole operation upside down. Pound in some nails along the bottom edges. This is what really holds it together, so don’t be stingy. Every 4″ or so is a good bet. Then add nails to the end pieces too.
While your box is flipped use your thickest drill bit to punch some drainage holes in the bottom. Every 6″ at least. You don’t want rotten roots.
Good job. If you are building a small box, stop here and skip down to the mounting instructions. If yours is pretty long, you’ll need some brackets.
1. I used the scrap ends of my fence posts and some scrap deck rails for these. But you can use any long skinny piece.
2. Measure your longer piece first. You’ll want the end of your fence post to attach down far enough that the top of your box will be flush with the top of your bracket. I laid the bracket pieces on the floor and the box across the top of them. I got the tops flush. Then I just drew a line and cut them.
3. Attach the fence ends to your long piece with two screws. You’ll need to pre-drill.
{For my box I made three of these.} Prime and paint everything.
Now for the part that was most intimidating to me…Mounting.
I made this special graphic for us. Let me dissect it.
First you’ll need to find some solid studs to drill into. There is a stud running down each side of a window. Usually one in the middle too.
Decide where the to of your box needs to be. For windows that open out {like this one} keep it 6-8″ below the window panes. For windows that open up you can mount the box right under the window trim. Measure down and mark the spot. Take one of your brackets and pre-drill a hole through near the top {about an inch or two down}. Then put a decking screw in to hold it in place. Repeat that on all three, using a level to make sure they are, well, level.
Now, drill a hole through the bottom of your bracket. Use your level to make sure they are straight. Put another decking screw in there.
Go get your box and place it across the brackets. Center it. Pre-drill and run a screw through the box into the bracket. The screws are long enough that they will run all the way into the house. Just press hard and it’ll go through your siding. If you have a brick house…you’ll need to ask someone else what to do, because I have no idea.
For the short boxes just screw the box into the house using 3″ screws. Make sure it’s level!
Once they are mounted, go ahead and fill and plant away. So cute!
Good work!
xo Amy
