I'm Making Portraits!

A couple months ago I was given the opportunity to shoot some Senior Portraits! This is Cate.

And a couple weeks ago, her mother called me back to have portraits made of Cate and her sister Megan!

Oh, how I enjoyed doing this!  I really hope I get to do it again.  I want to photograph children, families, siblings, seniors, babies (eek!)!  From the session to the editing, I LOVE doing this!!!

Seeing in Monochrome

It's funny how I am influenced by my husband without even being aware of it.  A couple weeks ago he painted a giant mural for a client who runs the Traditional Martial Arts Institute in Pantego, Texas.  As the mural progressed, he'd send me images to look at.  It is a monochromatic mural, filled with meaningful symbolism for his client.  I finally got to see it in person yesterday.  I think it is one of his best.

It was during the time he was working on this mural that I decided to rework some photos I'd taken in Puerto Rico this past Summer and have them framed for our home.  I originally processed them in color, but this is what I ended up with.  At the time, neither of us saw the connection.

Arches

Portal

Music Man

Right now, I'm in the middle of creating a series of photos of objects I've been collecting for years while out walking.  It's kind of strange how they they turned out monochromatic, too.

Nest

Duo

Trio

Stars

I didn't see this correlation until about an hour ago, when I uploaded the images of that mural.  What about you?  Are you influenced by the people around you?  How so? 

Heirloom Re-Do

This was my dad's dresser when I was too little to see the top of it.  It's from the sixties, really solid, made of pecan.  I have been craving color for a while now (every piece of furniture in our bedroom is some sort of wood), so my husband and I decided to give my favorite heirloom a little color.  

Sorry about the crappy iPhone pic, but this is what the dresser looked like BEFORE.

The first thing I did was give the whole thing a sanding. Especially the top, where the finish was flaking off. Then I painted the entire thing in two coats of latex paint. I chose an old Martha Stewart color that Sherwin Williams used to carry.   It looked really minty and gross when I finished and I didn't think I was going to like it.  Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of this part of the process.  Believe me, it was pretty ugly.

After the paint was completely dry, my husband removed some of the paint to let the finished wood underneath show through.  He did this by using lacquer thinner.  This stuff is very smelly, so we did it outside and he wore gloves for the whole process.

I like how he just went over the parts that might have naturally been worn off with time.

After the distressing was finished, he painted on a thin layer of oil based glaze in burn sienna on sections of the dresser.  (Don't cover the whole thing, because it may dry before you are able to rub it off.  Just do section by section.)

Then he quickly wiped over the layer of glaze with a clean rag, leaving some in the cracks and crevices of the dresser.  This dresser was perfect for this process, because as you can see - LOTS of crevices.  He went through a LOT of rags.

This is what it looks like after most of the glaze is removed.  He repeated the painting and the wiping until all of the dresser was antiqued.

See the difference the glaze makes in the color?  The drawers have been warmed up quite a bit, so I really love the color now.

When the glazing was finished, a layer of lacquer (in satin) was sprayed on to protect the finish.  Make sure to do this BEFORE you put the hardware back on.

Here it is in it's happy little home!

I say "we" gave this dresser a face lift, but it was really my husband, Scott, who performed his magic.  He does this kind of thing for a living, you know.

Now, what can we paint next?!

One for One

I’m so excited right now, because I am about to see the first copies of Keep Dreaming, a book for children that was written by my husband’s friend, Jake Brittain, illustrated by my husband, Scott Dykema, and designed my me. Jake and Scott have decided on a One for One business model for the book.  What that means is that for every book sold, one book will be given to a child in need. They have decided that their first donations will go to The Boys and Girls Club. Isn’t that cool?


This One for One idea came from one of Scott’s friends from Martin High School in Arlington, TX, Blake Mycoskie – the founder of Toms shoes (or chief shoe giver - as he calls himself). As you probably already know, for every pair of Toms you buy, a pair of shoes will be given to a child in need. LOVE this! And apparently, so do a lot of other people! Business is booming for Toms.

Another wonderful company with this same business model is Warby Parker. They offer beautifully made, vintage inspired frames with top of the line lenses (the lenses you pay extra for at the stores) and a 30 day return policy for one price - $95. They’ll even send you 5 pairs of glasses to try on before you decide which frame is right for you! Great deal, right? But the clincher for me is that for every pair you buy, they’ll give a pair to someone who needs glasses but can’t afford them. I’ve already picked out the five I want to try, but due to high demand (eh-hem), I may have to wait a few weeks to get them in my hot little hands. Want to know how I know this? I emailed them to ask how long it would take along with several other questions. The next day I had an email in my inbox from a real person answering every question I had. I just LOVE that!

One more recent discovery that is along these same lines is a website just I found called Collect.Give. The amazing photographers who sell their work on this site have pledged to donate 100% of their profits to the charitable organization of their choice. Very cool!

So stay tuned to see how the new book turns out. Since this is the first book I’ve ever designed, I’m both excited and nervous at the same time. I’m just hoping that the design of the book will show off Jake’s important message and Scott’s gorgeous illustrations. Fingers crossed!

Here's a little preview of the cover:
 

Go here to see the website where you can buy the book, learn more about Jake and Scott, and see what events they have planned.

Fresh Items in My Shop

Just a quick note to let you know I have a few fresh cards in my Etsy Shop. I really love how they turned out. I just don't see how I could ever use anything but Crane & Company cards. There's nothing better!

I Like Me a Good Muscle Car Sometimes

Okay, so I have a thing for muscle cars. Maybe because I drove one in high school: A Poniac LaMans GT Custom S - uh, when it would start. It wasn't suped up or anything, it was just a V8 with rear wheel drive, fat tires and a lovely rumble once I got it out on the open road.

I'd forgotten about that big green machine until I saw Quentin Tarantino's Grind House movie, "Death Proof", a fine revenge film with a scary dude, lots of super cool cars and Zoe Bell (my hero) doing some awesome stunts on the hood of a Dodge Challenger (see some of that here). Once I saw that I had to see some of the car chase movies of the seventies that Mr. Tarantino mentions in the interviews on the DVD.

So last night my sweet husband brought home Vanishing Point. Made in 1971, the whole film is almost entirely made up of car chases! If you want a peek into the sevenies male psyche and see some beautiful landscape in the process, check it out. Oh, and that Dodge Challenger is super cool too.

Poniac Lamans GT Custom S Card

Ford Mustang Mach One Card

Super Nova Card

Dodge Challenger Card

Since I'm too chicken to strap myself onto the hood of a speeding car like Zoe, I decided to make some new cards instead. These are all available in my Etsy shop as single cards and a complete set of four cards. Keep an eye out for new muscle car cards. There are SO many more I'd like to make. Have you ever seen a Superbird?

A New Card is Born

I've posted a new Holiday card today on Etsy! I've had this drawing in my sketchbook for almost a month and I've finally gotten around to bringing it to life. I have a few more ornaments in there. Perhaps I'll do a series....