Tuesday, April 28, 2015

R&J's Wedding

Here are just a few of the many photos I took of R&J's wedding.<3

p.s. Thank you all so much for your sweet comments on my last post. Your kind words really made my day!

Friday, April 24, 2015

A Beautifully Horrible Week

I could pretend that my bones don't ache. That my heart isn't exhaustively trying to mend its broken pieces. That I'm not worn out and tired from long hard days. 
But those, my friends, would all be rather big lies. 
We had a funeral for a close member of our church. So many tears were shed. My heart goes out for the left behind loved ones who are still holding so much pain and sadness on their shoulders. As my dad preached during the funeral, I could feel the fresh grief lingering in the air. Its thickness made my eyes water and overflow. 
Afterwards we served dinner to everyone who attended the funeral and babysat the kiddos at the church. Then we had youth group after that. We ended up staying there for a total of ten hours. Overall it was a very exhausting day. Though it was really nice to get to hang out with my friends at church while we discussed what we'll be singing for our youth choir and such.
But as you may know, there is also the word "beautifully" in the post title. Despite the stress and sadness of this week, the beauty of it still remains, as it always does.
 I got the chance to photograph my first official wedding. They had it on the bride's mother's wraparound porch. It was a small wedding, with only the bride and groom's families present. It was the sort of intimate wedding I'd love to have one day.
 Even though it was put together at the last minute it was one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever attended. I loved every second of photographing their sweet wedding. Perhaps I'll post some of the photos I took soon.
I've also gotten two custom blog design orders! I've finished one and am currently working on a blog right now. I've forgotten how much I love coding and graphic designing. I'm so glad I've gotten the chance to do it some more. I'll share the final blog design of each blog when I'm finished with them.

p.s. I had a few pre-written posts I was going to publish on here, but I felt like I needed to just voice out on how this week has been. Yes, it has been a hard week but hope and beauty can still be found in it. And it's not even over yet. :) Thanks for reading and listening. <3

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight.
-Proverbs 3:5-6 

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Holocaust Remembrance Day

{ update: here are a few photos I took yesterday. I tried to represent the sadness, the solemness, but most importantly the hope that all unitedly surrounded those dark sad days }

Forgive but never forget.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Tomorrow will be a new day. The sun will come up slowly, as it always does. And the world will wake up all at once, cold and crisp. 
-Adelaide (Down By The Willows) 
It is time to let go, darling, and let your soul fly.
I think perhaps my favorite quality of Earth is the diversity. No matter where I wander or where I end up, I am sure to discover something unique.
-Rachelle (Beloved Bluebird)
Live your life with eyes wide open.
Youth is like sand
It's slipping through my fingers so fast
I can do nothing but watch.
-Jordy (Hidden)
Springtime

i. it tastes like 
honeysuckle dew drops
scarlet raspberries 
pink lemonade

ii. it smells like
freshly mown grass
greek oregano
soil ready for growth
warm sticky honey
lemon verbena 

iii. it feels like
wet pavement on rainy afternoons
soft dainty petals
moist earth under bare feet

iv. it looks like
butterfly wings
cotton candy skies
blue waters
flow-y skirts
oceans of wildflowers

v. it sounds like
children giggling
a bird's song
the rustle of emerald leaves

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Easter

Today was the day that a man rose from the dead. He rose from a death he didn't deserve. A death he never deserved. He was whipped, taunted, and humiliated. He was nailed to a wooden cross like a criminal
even though he had done no wrong.
And it was all for us. all for us.
He could have said no. I won't do it. It's not fair. He could have sent angels to come to his rescue at any time. But he didn't. He let the people
whip him
taunt him
humiliate him
and kill him.
and it was all for us. all for us.
Just so we could be free from the heavy chains sin binds us in. Just so we could be could be forgiven and loved by a Savior whose love and mercy is forever endless.
And he
my friends,
is alive.
He has risen.
And he will return.
to rescue us
to save us.
to carry us home.
A man called Jesus

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Big Spring Sale On Blog Designs

So I have a little announcement to make. I'm having a spring blog design sale over at my shop! Everything is 50% off, even the custom designs. The premade designs are now 7.50 USD, and the custom ones are $15 USD. I've been making and perfecting these blog designs this week and would love to see them to good use. The sale is only happening this month (April 2015). So without further adieu let me introduce these flower designs that have blossomed this season. :)

 Freesia
The Freesia Design now comes in the choice of three colors. You can either get the pink, blue or purple version. I added a watercolor look to it that I painted myself to make it colorful yet keep the simplicity of the design. I wanted to make a design that had more selections for those who may not be a big fan of a certain color.

Acacia
I created the Acacia Design when I was itching for springtime this winter. I normally don't use yellow is blog designs since they can seem to be to bright or too light. However when making a spring-y design you simply have to add a sunshine yellow. I tried to get just the right amount of yellow throughout the design without it being to harsh on the eyes.

Magnolia
 The Magnolia Design is a elegant yet girly design. I have a lot of designs where the headers have a lot happening on them so I wanted to make this one a little more professional and simple.

Forget Me Not
The Forget Me Not Design has a very natural spring-y feel to it. I love the blueness of the flower and wanted to incorporate it into the design without it being to loud and bright. I also made the header graphic with watercolor backgrounds and created a digital paper graphic to go along with it.

English Garden
For those who want a blog design specifically made for them the English Garden Design is the way to go. You get a fully customized design. You get to pick the colors you want, the style you want, etc. Let me help you create the blog design of your dreams.

The Process
First things first. You need to plant your seed so that it will soon flourish into something amazing. That means you need to head on over to my "Order" page and fill out the form. It may seem like a small step, but it's the most important one of all.

Next I need to get to know you and your style better. The best way to do this is to create a Moodboard. It's pretty much where you pin stuff on Pinterest for inspiration. Then I can then understand your vision for your blog. We need to water and give your seed lots of sunshine so it will grow into a design that expresses who you are.

The third and final step, is for me to start designing your blog! I will create it with codes and graphics and make it something that you'll love! Your design will blossom into a blog you can be proud of.

With the English Garden Design you can have a...
Pin it button over images
Customized header
Customized favicon
An assortment of codes to design your blog's layout
A customized sidebar bio/image
A grab-it button
Customized post footer
Customized comment layout
Customized fonts
Optional features like: a slideshow, borders around different elements, customized columns,  widgets that shows your recent pins on Pinterest, customized search widget,  block quotes for book blogs, and even a customized "share this post" with icons on post footer.
If you order now, I'll make and install custom social media buttons for free!

The possibilities are truly endless. 

By the way, if you are buying you have to fill out some info (like where you live, etc) because the system I'm using is also used for people who want to sell items and ship them and that sort of thing. Since these are virtual goodies, I won't use or publicize any of the the information that you fill out.  I just wanted to clear up. :)

Thanks! Hope to hear from you soon. <3