First, I'm so sorry if my side bar is looking a little funky or if you notice other technical glitches. We're in the process of moving my blog over to WordPress and it's a bit more involved because my website was on the URL my blog is moving to. A lot of my graphics and sponsor buttons were stored there, so just hang in there and we'll get it all sorted out soon.
This January, I had the pleasure of attending Blissdom, my very first blog conference. The best part was meeting and hanging out with bloggers I knew well and getting to know those I had only "seen" in passing. One night at dinner, I ended up sitting next to Dee Kasberger, the artist and designer of Red Letter Words. I had seen her work all over the place and so many of her pieces struck a chord with me. Just a simple phrase printed on a canvas, "She knew that she was created in His image." Such a powerful statement.
As we chatted at dinner, I knew I wanted to work with her on a custom project. I wanted a canvas with "my" verse on it. I was able to pick the color scheme and paraphrase of the Matthew 17:20 verse that inspired my business name and tag line. Here's what came in the mail a few months ago...
I get the chills reading it. It took me so long to share it, because I had to wait until it was hung in the perfect place. I've had it on a wall in our home office, but it wasn't perfect there. It's now found a proper home on the newly clad wall in my office/craft room.
I hung it next to the framed covers and insert pages of my two first magazine features. I had extra copies, so I cut each of them apart to frame. It was a dream of mine for almost ten years to be featured in a magazine, so this was a big deal for me.
You might think I spent a fortune on custom framing (well, unless you read the post title), but I only spent $4.50. I have a mat cutter, so that might be "cheating" a little. I got it for Christmas a couple of years ago. The mat board cost $3.50 and the frames were $1.00 at an auction. I used gold leaf to transform the plain wood frames and make them match. I like that the sizes and styles are a little different, though.
I made a glitter letter banner for myself and hung it over Dee's art. I can't wait to show you the rest of the office, but it's not quite ready. Until then, here's a peek at the French armoire my parents hauled up from Florida for me.
I also got my new camera bag in the mail today. This is proof that giveaways drum up business. I saw a giveaway on Funky Junk Donna's blog and salivated over Jeanne Oliver's Ellison Camera Bag. So, I waited until more were available and bought one for myself. It's bigger, cushier and even prettier than I expected.
I spent a lot of money on my camera and lenses and I need a chic way to protect them when I carry them around with me. This is perfect.
Speaking of cameras, I've had a lot of requests to share what kind of gear and processing I use on my pictures, so I'll be sharing that soon. I'm headed to Lucketts again tomorrow to drop off some new furniture, get some art on the wall, pick up some new pieces in need of my help and do a little shopping. I'm going to let Mini Mustard Seed tag along as well, so it should be a fun day.
