by Amy | Nov 14, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
A couple weeks ago I met the Rockwells. This is them. Sarah and I emailed and texted back and forth in the days leading up to the session…and I’m so glad she didn’t color me crazy when I asked her to bring a variety of onsies and an assortment of their favorite baby clothing along with them. I love the clothes line. I love these photos. I love this couple.
It was such a treat to spend time with them. There is something simply magical about a couple filled with joy about their upcoming arrival. This little one is so blessed to be entering into a family that is so anxious to love her with all their might. While these two didn’t go on and on about how excited they are to be becoming first time parents, they glow with an enthusiasm that makes my heart go pitter-patter. I think you’ll see what I mean.
Once we were all done with the clothesline maternity photos, this might have happened. Baby-clothes confetti seemed like a good idea at the time…
Rockwells, congratulations on this amazing milestone! I am so very happy to have met you and spent an afternoon {a chilly afternoon} getting to know you. I simply cannot wait to meet your little one in December!
PS–Thanks you guys for speaking to me in public later in the evening when you ran into me looking like this…I appreciate you acknowledging me, and not thinking I’m completely crazy.
by Amy | Oct 30, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
Meet the Rogers family. {No relation to this Rogers family.} As you can see, they recently welcomed a new addition into the fold. Her name is Aurora and she precious! I know you can’t tell right now, but she’s a red-headed gem. I just love that red hair! It makes me think about another soon-to-be ginger baby I am chomping at the bit to meet. {Read this if you have no idea what I’m talking about.}
The Rogers clan also has two gorgeous dogs. When they asked if the pups could come, I was over the moon with excitement. You know I love dogs. I’m glad they came. It’s nice to have portraits of the whole family–two-legged and four-legged members included.
After a walk around the neighborhood we took that bundled up baby inside for her very own session. Since she was about a month old at the time, I’ll call it a not-quite-newborn session. She stayed wide awake the whole time, which is fine by me because this one has lovely deep blue eyes that will just make you melt.
Aurora was so well behaved for a wide-awake baby having her first portraits taken. She was pretty curious about the bright lights and that click, click, click sound. And there was no fussing…until we forced her to sit in a bucket. She held out for a few shots, and I’m grateful for that. Because she looks pretty darn cute!
Eventually she’d had enough and insisted on being taken out. Mom tried to console her, but to no avail. The fussing did, however, lead to this precious candid shot of Mommy trying to convince Aurora that buckets are fun, wonderful places to sit.
She was so much happier when we just let her be.
And when she was completely worn out and fed up with all this portrait stuff she was delighted to be held and fussed over my her mommy and daddy. I love these natural, real-life shots that give us a peek inside the love this family has for their precious baby girl.
Thanks for letting me hang out with your awesome family! Happy travels and best wishes as you move away from Minot to a warmer {less Practically Canadian} location!
xo
Amy
by Amy | Oct 27, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
Everybody, meet Sam. He is my second-to-last senior of the season. He’s smart, and witty and was polite {and game} enough to oblige me as I had him trek from one corner of his family’s gorgeous property to the other. Those are qualities I always treasure in a senior client. I’m being very honest when I tell you that this guy is a true gem and I had an absolute blast taking these very country, outdoor senior portraits.
When Sam’s mom told me he was a big time reader, I was so excited to pull my stack-of-books stool out of hiding and into the open air. Not to mention that I really dig the jewel tones of the books next to those orange pants! Seriously, how cool are those jeans?! You might recognize the books {and a few other props} from a photo I posted to instagram {you should follow me @theartoflivingproject}. I know quite a few of you were curious when I showed you a trunk filled with oversized books, suitcases and chalkboards.
Sam comes from a big family. {One of his sisters married into the Rogers clan I showed you a couple months ago. If you like these photos, you should go check out that one too! See it here.} While we were taking his senior portraits, siblings were popping in and out of the house, an adorable dog was trotting through the yard and delightful smells were wafting out of the kitchen window. While that might be distracting to some photographers, I’m so happy Sam decided to have his portraits taken at his family’s property–it was a blast to be around such a busy, fun household. I love seeing people in their element, and at home, in this beautiful yard, he was very much at home.
Now. Let’s talk suits. You know I love suits at senior sessions…but this one just took the cake for me.
Okay, so I guess technically it’s not a suit. But, it sure is classy. Very European. These photos remind me of Ireland for some reason. Whatever it is, I love this suit and these photos are magical.
As you can tell, I had a great time with Sam! Thanks for hanging out and fighting the wind with me {did I mention we almost got blown over a few times?} I hope you love your photos, I know I do!
Remember to go over to the Art of Living Facebook page to vote B&W or Color in Sam’s photo contest. If at least 40 people chime in, he’ll win an 8×10 of the winner. And, if you like what you see here, I’d love it if you liked the page and shared it with friends so more people can start mastering the art of living.
xo
Amy
by Amy | Oct 8, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Art
The latest Community Canvas is complete! A few weeks ago I took a “downtown” themed community canvas to Minot’s end of summer block party in downtown Minot. I’d been asked to bring it to the street festival for kids to paint on as they strolled between games and activities.
As, you can imagine, I was a little nervous when I arrived and discovered that my fellow children’s activity vendors included face painting, a bouncy house and games that gave away real prizes. After I set up and several parent’s asked it I painted faces {to which I had to say “no”} I figured the canvas would be a giant dud.
However, to my pleasant surprise, as soon as I started filling in a few spaces on my own, droves of kids started showing up, wanting to paint as well. It was a steady stream of kids for two hours straight! Sometimes there were more kids wanting to paint than brushes! The community canvas turned out to be a big hit. Crazy, I know. I had so much fun. Even the tiniest artists worked hard to stay in the lines and use the right color. Only one {who I’ll call an abstract artist} went totally rogue as you can see by the yellow streak in the red door.
I guess, it just goes to show that kids are attracted to creativity. Their little hands want to create and be creative. As grown ups, I think we should try our best to let them do that as much as they can.
So here is how the canvas progressed. Start to finish. First the outlined painting that I showed you earlier.
This is what I brought home from the block party.
When I bring it home I basically just retrace the black outlines. In this case I added a few other details as well, like bricks, window glare and cloud color.
As of now, this painting still doesn’t have a home. So, if you are in the Minot area and know of a business or nonprofit that would like to have a Minot-inspired art piece…created by the children of Minot–get in touch. I’d be happy to let you have it. It doesn’t exactly match my personal decor in my home.
I feel so super blessed by the opportunities the Minot art community has given me lately. At the end of this month I’ll be doing another Community Canvas, but this time it’s actually a “Classroom Canvas”! I’ll be drawing up an owl themed canvas for a first grade classroom to paint. It’s going to be fun times a million.
Amy
by Amy | Oct 2, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
Today I have a very special family session to show you. It’s especially special because it’s my actual family. While I was home to Elkhart last month, I did some fall family photos for my family. The reason I love doing sessions for my own family is two fold. Firstly, I love taking photos. Secondly, it forces them to spend more time with me.
And I love spending time with the fam.
Since I’ve disclosed to you that this is my own flesh and blood, it’s safe to assume that I might be a little bias…but I’ll tell you anyway–I think these portraits are the bomb. I think these kids are geniuses. I think this family is the cat’s meow. The only thing I don’t love about this is the fact that they live in God’s country {northern Indiana} and I live in Practically Canada {which is also lovely…but not quite as amazing as the Michiana area.} So enjoy the photos. Perhaps you can glean a little inspiration for you own family portrait session.
Now, I’m going to take a moment to point out something that this family totally nailed: Clothing choice. Sometimes that can be the trickiest part of photo day. I get asked all the time: What should we wear? Well, when it comes to fall family photos, you can take a lesson from the Bredenkamp clan. Solid colors are always a winner. It’s also a good idea to put everyone in jeans for cohesiveness, then mix up the shirts. The orange and green lend some color and look amazing with the fall backgrounds. The kiddos in gray and white are perfectly neutral.
I also advise folks to steer clear of trendy clothes. That way when you look back at your portraits, you’ll remember the amazing day, the lovely weather and the family. If you go too trendy, you’ll likely be distracted by your atrocious clothing, hit yourself in the forehead and ask yourself, “What was I thinking?” {Also, that sets you up to be made fun of by future generations.} Now, enough clothes talk. Let’s get back to the session.
If you are wondering where this lovely setting is, let me tell you. It’s Cobus Creek, one of Elkhart County’s newest parks. While it’s been around for a few years now, there are still lots of folks who haven’t heard of it. Let’s just say I came out looking pretty cool when I introduced them to this awesome location.
Okay, that’s one fam session down. I shot two others while I was home. Be on the lookout for those. You’ll especially want to see the one with a goofy Boston Terrier wearing a hat. She looked so embarrassed. I’m telling you, it’s worth a look and a laugh, so stay tuned!
by Amy | Sep 24, 2014 | Blog, Devotional, The Art of Faith
{click image for source}
I’ve been thinking about fruit. Maybe because the weather has taken taken on those cool, fall overtones and I’m craving apples and all things made from apples {cider, pie, turn overs, crisp…} But as I think about fruit it’s hard for me not to also think of Scripture. It’s all over the place. Discussions of fruit trees, parables about fruit, fruit of the Spirit. Fruit, fruit, fruit.
And I, for one, think this is the perfect time to take a moment to think about fruit. The year is winding down, fall is settling in and winter is right on its heels. It’s a good time to assess. We tend to think that the best time for assessment is around the New Year, but I disagree. That time of year is too busy and chaotic for me to get very self reflective. Maybe a little–between food comas and dashing from gathering to gathering. Maybe I can find a few minutes in there…but more often than not, when I get a moment to myself around the holidays I’d rather just sink into the couch and listen to some Bing Crosby.
The Bible gives us a very good measure for self assessment. Look at the fruit.
Over and over the Bible talks about good fruit, bearing fruit and the fruit produced. That’s the measure. To the dismay of many, faith is not completely invisible. We see it through the fruit our faith produces. Tangible evidence of what you believe, where your heart is, what matters most. Fruit in our lives can look like a variety of things. The Bible tells us that the fruit of our belief can be shown through works or deeds, by glorifying the Lord, by bearing witness to the world, and by possessing the qualities listed in the fruit of the spirit.
Colossians tells us that a life worthy and pleasing to the Lord, means a life that bears fruit through good works–and grows in the knowledge of God. {Verse here.}
Jesus says a good tree will bear good fruit and a bad tree will bear bad fruit…a tree is recognized by it’s fruit. {Verse here.} This seems like a no brainer…and I guess, it is. That’s probably why there are so many references to it in Scripture. It’s easy to understand and easy to imagine.
The trees that would be considered “good” would be those healthy, and heavy laden with good, juicy fruit. The kind of tree you’d take an apple from and eat it on the spot because it looks so good.
Jesus says that in order to bear good fruit {and lots of it} we must remain in Him and Him in us. We won’t bear the fruit He desires for us when we are separated from Him. He tells us God is glorified when we produce good fruit and prove ourselves to be His disciples. {Verses here.}
Like most things in life, the whole fruit bearing thing takes choice and effort. A choice and effort that can be hard to make in the midst of busy lives and Facebook and TV and meetings and work. A choice, like most important choices we make, that may require sacrifice and intentionality.
Tomorrow I’ll be finishing up this little discussion on fruit, by taking a moment to discuss bad apples. Take time today to think about the fruit you are bearing and pray that God will show you how you can bear even more.
by Amy | Jan 2, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Adventure, The Art of Faith, The Art of Gathering, The Art of Living, The Art of Projects, The Art of the Kitchen, The Art of the Moment, the house
Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe we have entered another year. If your life is anything like mine…it’s felt like a whirlwind ever since Thanksgiving. Yikes. But now the festivities are behind us and it’s time to learn from the past year and step into a fresh, new season.
The year goes by so fast that I often feel like it passed in a blur. {Any one second that?} I have to remind myself that a year is a long time. A lot can happen. One life can do a lot in one year. I really believe that and I hope you do too. For me 2013 could have been a very hard, negative year…but I think we chose how we spend our time and resources and energy. We can let negative circumstances weigh us down…or allow them to give us a chance to brush up on our hurdling skills. I may have banged my shins on hurdles a few times in the past 365, but I can confidently say that I cleared them all.
And if you don’t believe a lot can get done in a year…let’s look back at the biggest moments of a year with Amy Allender. (more…)
by Amy | Oct 30, 2013 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Projects
If you’ve ever visited me here in Practically Canada, or talked with me about this place, or read my blog for a while, you know I like it here. Despite the cold and the remote location, I like it here. Despite the small town living and the limited Saturday-night options, I like it here. I really, really do. I like it because the people are hard core during the winter. They walk boldly into -20 temps without flinching. In the spring when it hits 35 it’s officially sweat shirt weather. I like the people because they have cute accents and they use the phrase, “Oh, for cute,” when they like something. I like the people because they are nice and they have quirky traditions. For one, they refer to wedding receptions as “wedding dances.” For two, often at these dances, the whole crowd does the hokey pokey. I mean everybody. Not just the kids. Cutely, adorably bizarre. Generally the natives are nice and genuinely care for one another. Someone once told me that the cold weather keeps out the riff raff.
Which leads me to the point of tonight’s post. North Dakota, Practically Canada and their traditions. Since tomorrow is Halloween, I thought I’d share a spooky tradition I just learned about. Boo-bagging.
Ever heard of it? The super-cute example above from Simple Girl give you a pretty clear idea of what a Boo Bag is. You can follow the link to get her free printable!!
It’s sweet and simple really. You pack up a bag with Halloween themed goodies. As extravagant, as Martha, or a lazy and store bought as you want. Some people make fancy bags, other people just store bought bags, or just paper lunch sacks.
Once you’ve got your goods, it basically turns into a game of ding-dong-ditch. Go to a door, ring the bell and hide or get away before the recipient opens the door and finds the bag. Cute, right? Speaking of cute, you can also be inspired by this Boo version from I Heart Nap Time. She shows you how to make this bag and how to make candy corn trail mix.
Some folks include a poem that asks those who have been “Boo’d” to Boo someone else. But I’m not a fan of pressuring people into things, so I’d just as soon leave that out. Gifts are more fun if they have no strings attached.
I love this tradition so much, I want to spread it to the world. If I had known about this I would have done it years ago. How about you? Have you heard of Boo Bagging before? I’m sure there are other places that do this, I just haven’t lived there yet. And since I have no plans for 10/31 I think I’ll drop some off tomorrow night. {Mine will be of the lazy, store bought variety.}
Amy
