a visual journal update.

Recent pages from my visual journal:

Some photos from our travels.

Catch up.

My addiction to throw pillows.

My love for food.

And desserts.

Abe Lincoln.

It  rained all week.

Papercut

texture.

It's a new year.

black & white

construction paper triangles.

cotton candy.

Check out more photos from this recent session HERE and check out Valentine Mini Sessions !

in the classroom: elements & principles of design book project

      This is a project I did at the beginning of the year with my Art Intro students. It helped them gain confidence with different mediums and helped them grasp the elements of art & principles of design that would guide their art making process for the rest of the year!
       Each student chose one symbol, letter, or object and created a cut out stencil using card stock.  We then created accordion fold books with watercolor paper, with each square being 2"x3".  Using their stencil & different mediums they illustrated the elements of art on one side ( line, shape, color(showing 2 color schemes), form, texture, space) and then the principles of design ( pattern, emphasis, proportion, movement, balance, unity, & variety) on the reverse. They really came up with some creative ideas! I've tried everything possible to help students understand these and so far, this is the most exciting!

wedding photography.

You can check out photos from this wedding on my photo blog HERE ! I had the wonderful experience of photographing alongside Katey Penton Photography!

map lampshade.

I love globes, maps, and really anything travel related. I am always looking for ways to incorporate these items into decor for our home.  I bought this lamp a few months ago and thought the shade needed something more interesting! My grandmother gave me lots of maps a few years ago from her and my grandfather's travels and I have been collecting them whenever I can at thrift shops and garage sales! I picked maps with similar colors and patterns and chose to rip them up and collage onto the shade with mod podge rather than cut and fit one piece. 

Because I used a white shade, wherever the maps overlapped created a darker patch once the lamp was turned on. SO to fix this issue I painted the inside with black paint. Problem solved! Instead of displaying this lamp in our home I actually used the finished product for a gift exchange game we do every year with my family.  My sister ended up going home with this one!

winter travels.

After Christmas, Shane and I drove down to St. Simons, GA and spent a few days meeting up with his parents and sister! We traveled to Cumberland Island for a day, and explored Savannah. After leaving there, we hopped back into the car and drove 10+ hours to Washington, DC! However, only after being in DC a few hours, I quickly started coming down with the flu! We somehow still managed to explore the city,  the Smithsonian,wait in line at DC cupcakes,and ring in the New Year while we were there!