Jarfly

DIY-Mother's Day Tea Cups

Well I'm a little late to the game (of course) but here's a last minute very easy Mother's Day project for those of you stragglers out there (like myself).

To be honest I made one of these for my Grandmother over a month ago for her birthday...but could not make it to her party (sad). I'm excited to give these to her tomorrow though, in addition to her real mother's day gift. Don't worry, I'm not that person who misses a bday and then gives the gift for Christmas. That is lame!

Here's what you'll need:

1. Succulents

2. Old tea cups (I thrifted mine)

3. Extra soil (maybe, I didn't need any)

 

Okay now listen closely because the next instructions are pretty complex. Are you ready?

Put the succulents (along with enough soil to ground them)...IN the tea cup.

That's it. Okay so I lied, pretty simple.

I've found that succulents are my favorite plant to keep in my house because they are loners. Meaning, they need almost no attention. I only water mine once (maybe twice) a month...making sure that they drain. Have fun! And most of all...have a wonderful mother's day all you Mamas out there.

Fields of Flowers

I've been taking pictures of my sister in law at various stages in her pregnancy. It's been wonderful practice for me as I prepare to be with her in birth to capture the first few minutes of her new daughter's life when she is born! What an honor right?

There is a lovely hill off the side of the street near my apartment, where many wild flowers grow. I thought it would be the perfect place to take some quick spring maternity photos before Brittany gives birth in a few weeks. What I didn't know was that the land was actually private property (it appeared abandoned) and we were asked to leave almost immediately by a rather irritable old man. He literally appeared out of nowhere! Can't say I blame him for being upset... despite this he did allow us to finish shooting as long as we kept it under 5 minutes. To say the least I was grateful to have gotten enough good shots in that short time. Props to Brittany too for keeping her composure and looking very natural despite the awkward circumstances.

As I continue to think about how I'd like to market myself as a photographer when the time is right, I'm drawn more and more towards working with mamas. I really enjoy shooting maternity photos and bringing out the natural beauty in a new (or seasoned) mother. I'm sure it's easy to feel uncomfortable and at odds with your body during pregnancy, so helping an expectant woman feel at ease and beautiful is something I really enjoy.

I just love the soft quality of these photos, a perfect setting for the coming of a little girl...in fields of flowers.

Of Dreams And Lace

Today I was inspired by the beautiful sunshine and sweet smell in the air. However deadlines and a to-do list threatened to tear me away from the simplicity of the day. Rather than work away feeling disappointed and guilty, I took a half hour to drape inspiration all over my bedroom window. I wanted the light to cascade out through the lace and fill my house with love and dreams.

 

 

It's amazing what a little bit of lace and some fresh air can do :) Enjoy the day. I'll be spending more time on my blog in the coming months...if feels like I've been away from home for far too long.

 

Giveaway! Win Jewelry! Support A Good Cause

KUZA Program is an organization I've been a part of for a few years now as a volunteer. I've even had the joy of traveling to Uganda two times since 2007. KUZA supplies promising Ugandan youth with higher education scholarships (high school and college). By doing this, those educated young people will go back into their communities and share their knowledge with others. We believe the nation of Uganda will slowly see a positive change (moving AWAY from poverty, etc) through the service of these future leaders.

That brings me to today's giveaway! By entering below, you will help spread the word about this amazing organization. The more ways you enter...the more likely you are to win $100 worth of KUZA accessories (handmade in Uganda, see below).

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

How simple right? Enter a contest...support world-wide education. If you would like more information about KUZA Program feel free to contact me or visit www.kuzaprogram.org. I hope you all will enter and share the contest with friends!

Good Luck!

I'm A Floral Fanatic This Month

I've been working on a special tutorial that involves flowers this week. I've had to start the project and stop again many times due to the busy times that spring break and Easter brought (I hope you all had a really awesome break and holiday!). 

While my apartment is a total diaster...and my back deck even worse...here's a couple images that survived the chaos. 

I picked up these lovely flowers at the Portland Flower Market with my Mom....thanks Mom for helping me wet my feet in the arena of flowers! 

What is your favorite springtime flower?

 

 

Blossoms and Blooms

It feels really good to be sitting down mid-morning for a quick post. I've had to make peace with the fact that I don't have time for the frequency of writing I'd enjoy normally...but I'm learning in life that quality is better quantity anyway. As I look out my window from where my computer sits I can see cherry blossoms blooming...making the parking lot below my window seem elegant. Funny what a few blooms can do...

 

The spring season has brought new opportunity for me as a photographer/writer in training. I'm excited to share that I've been added as a contributor over at Here Comes the Sun blog and will also be writing for Darling Magazine blog starting April 3rd. My posts will be photography, tutorial and general "life thoughts" driven...which will be so good for my creative juices. I'm very honored to have a chance to join the amazing community of bloggers and writers at both corners of the web. By the way, if you haven't picked up the print version of Darling Mag, you really must. There isn't a magazine with a more thought provoking and interesting message to women like it...in my opinion.

As always, I have a few big projects to complete before my spring break ends...so I'll need to leave it here. Thank you for the loyal few of you who keep coming back to JARFLY in the midst of this lean season of posts...I'm in flux, but I am still here! In fact, JARFLY will be recieving a make-over and a new brand launch in the coming months....including some editions to the etsy paper boutique that has remained empty for so long. Onward and upward...as they say.

 

Spring Portraits

I have been away from my blog for so long! School deadlines and life have just really gotten in the way of just about everything. I just re-surfaced for air this week and had some theraputic time with my camera. Taking portraits is my favorite past time. Here's a little peek at some fun I had last weekend with my friends (Debbie and Tela). It felt good to have some creative time apart from graphic design!

 

We had just a few short minutes to shoot Debbie in a bit of sunlight. It had been raining all day...I love the soft spring like colors of the greens in the background. I also shot these portraits on Fuji 400H professional film, known for it's beautiful pastels when over-exposed by 1-3 stops. It's in the mail right now and I'm excited to compare it side by side with the digital shots above and see the difference in richness of color (if there in fact is any). I also had fun putting this outfit together for Debbie, that vibrant shirt was actually my Mom's back in the day!

 

You may remember my friend Tela from another post just after the New Year. She is a shy beauty but when she's holding her mandolin she loosens up quite a bit. This picture was taken using window light coming from one north facing direction. So I had the challenge of bouncing the light back onto the side of her face not being hit with window light. This is done using a reflector, which Debbie graciously held for me. I'm still learning but I think I'm getting better and better at bouncing light. The wall in my office is just white (which is great for photos) but this time we hung some vintage fabric in the background, which I think gave the shot a little quirk. 

All in all, it felt good to be holding a camera again....and yet homework is looming over me like a ton of bricks so I better get to work! Later folks...

 

 

Lovely Pencils

I love getting things in the mail, especially when I forget I've ordered them. I've been working hard to gut my apartment and get a new workspace and office set up. The graphic design program I'm in requires a lot of work at home with pencils, ink pens, t-squares, etc. Having an organized art closet and clean work space has become necessary...otherwise I notice my stress level rise and my grades drop. It's a work in progress, as our house is currently completely torn apart.

That being said, I ordered some pretty pencils from Maoilisa in hopes of inspiring my goal of starting (and keeping) a weekly sketch book of ideas that pop up in my head. It's a simple thing I could do in the midst of the chaos of moving furniture and such.

Maolisa specializes in Washi paper handwrapped pencils. I've alwasy been drawn to Japanese botanical art, so these pencils were the perfect thing to add a little charm to my table top. I'm hoping they help spur on some good ideas in my sketchbook too!

Here's to the simple things! :)

 

Sounds Like Peace

I can still recall the sound of my mother's vaccuming deep into the wee hours of the night. This was her inevitable routine after we were put to bed, particularly if she was expecting guests the following day. Snuggling deep below the blankets of my bed, the rhythmic "wrrrr"of the machine sucking up cherrios and barbie shoes from our living room carpet would gently lullaby me to sleep. I grew to live for the moments when I could hear my parents move up and about the house while I lay in my bed. Their feet echoing througout the house taking part in the mystical world of adults that exsisted beyond childhood bedtimes left me feeling safe and secure. Sleep found in the midst of those sounds was always the sweetest.

I'm nearly 30 years old now, but when I hear a vaccum running from the apartment below me I immediately feel quiet and at peace. If only there were a vacuum ready to serenade me at a given moment these days...because life is simply not always peaceful, is it?

I will confess that I'm rarely still enough to tune into the simple sounds of the world around me. The noise of social networking, computers in general and a busy school schedule keeps me so wrapped up in my own chaotic world that I miss the wind moving in the curtains...or the sound faint music down the street.

This morning I asked my husband if we could turn a fan on, even though it's cold enough to leave frost on the trees on through afternoon lately. I think it's that humming sound that reminds me of my Mom vaccuming that helps me fall asleep, a strange assurance that everything is okay.

Who knew that a vaccum would sound like peace. Life is funny that way.