Silhouette

Have you ever found yourself admiring someone's cute shirt only to find out that they designed it themselves with their totally awesome cutting tool? Or thought of purchasing vinyl word art, only you don't love the sayings enough to purchase those pre-made kits? Well this may be your chance to stop all that wishing and envy. How? It's really quite simple.  Just head on over to House of Smiths to enter your name for a chance at winning a brand new Silhouette, the coolest digital cutting tool!

Also check out some of the super cute things this amazing little machine can produce over at the Silhouette Blog.

You could be the lucky winner of this super generous giveaway, so make sure you enter before Friday!

Counting My Blessings

Earlier this week I was so excited to receive snail mail!  Actually it was really mail for my daughter, but in the envelope was something that totally put a smile on my face and brightened my day and week.

It was a simple drawing, but the fact that a friend took the time to send me a message through a cute picture meant the world to me. Thanks Cheryl! I miss you and the kids more than you know!

I realize more than ever that I have the most thoughtful and caring friends and family. Don't get me wrong, It's not like I didn't know this before. I've always thought the world of my friends and family and have always appreciated them. However, with recent events and a lot of reflection, I have been reminded of how special they really are and how thankful I am to have them in my life. So today I'm counting my blessings.  Since I can't really document all my conversations, encounters and emotions, I will post a few material things that I appreciate because I can actually photograph them.

A Kuhn Rikon Frosting Decorating Pen. I have tried my hand at decorating cakes and cupcakes and I'm probably the world's worst cake decorator, but maybe I'll become one of the best with this handy tool. Okay that might be total wishful thinking, but one thing is for sure, and that is that I'm going to have fun trying.

A Wusthof Santoku knife and sharpener. My awesome friend had no idea that I have been wanting Wusthof knives for ages, but great minds think alike, right? Thanks Dendra for the decorating pen and knife, I LOVE them! You are always so thoughtful and generous!

Two pairs of brand new Danskos! Not sure if Danskos are a big deal anywhere else, but they sure are here! Being the lazy person that I am, I love the convenience of slip-on shoes and the best part is they can be worn with casual or work attire. Guess I should start looking for a job now! Thank you Frank and Tim for such a generous gift!

Again, these items are just a few examples. There are so many people out there that I am grateful for and not just because of the gifts they give. I won't lie, I love presents, but more than anything I would like to express my gratitude for the friendship, support and love. Quyana Cakneq!



New Life

It never ceases to amaze me when I see a newborn baby. The miracle of life is just so amazing and beautiful. Yesterday I had the privilege of photographing my friends' new born baby. She is the sweetest little girl and so calm in nature; a true blessing for their first child.

I will confess that I am not a great natural light photographer and I have older equipment, but I made the best of the low light, small space, rushed time, and I am pleased with the outcome. It's been a LONG time since I've shot a newborn. In fact, I can count on one hand how many times I've shot portraits in the last year. I'm not in business and I don't advertise nor do I want to, but I sure enjoy capturing some photos for friends on rare occasions. Congratulations Timothy and Franceska on your beautiful baby girl!

I love this photo of the proud Daddy holding his baby girl's feet.

Light In The Dark

While I wait to get copies of pictures from our cabin trip, I thought I'd share a few photos I adore from one of my favorite artists, Katie Sevigny. Most know that Alaska is pretty dark in the winter and it may not affect a lot of people, but the darkness sure does affect me. I need light and color, other than brown, white and gray to function at a somewhat normal level.  Since I'm stuck here and there's no sunny vacation planned in my near future and I can't do much about the light other than run up my electric bill by turning on all the switches in my house, I focus on finding color to brighten up my days.   Katie's work is certain to do the job.

This piece is called Modern Poppies. I bought it for a friend for Christmas. I'm totally going to buy this print for myself next.

This one is called Seahorse and I bought it for my 10 year old daughter along with another tree print for Christmas. She too is a Katie Sevigny fan.

The following are prints that I love and I plan on owning a couple of them someday.

Swing Tree

Sun

Raven Sun

Sunbathing

Katie Sevigny is based out of Anchorage and has a wonderful studio downtown on 4th Avenue. You can check out her website here and if you're in the Anchorage area, you can find her work at 608 W 4th Ave, Ste 101, Anchorage.

With Katie's art, I have found light in the dark and I hope her work brings as much cheer to you too!