5-Minute Painted Jars

May 18, 2012

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This project seriously takes less than 5 minutes (not counting drying/curing time) and adds an instant color pop to any room. I’m using mine to organize art supplies, but they also make really great vases or display glass.

You’ll need jars in the shapes and sizes of your choosing and glass paint. I used Pebeo turquoise glass paint and found it at a local art supply store. You should be able to find glass paint in most craft stores.

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Pour paint (approximately 3 teaspoons worth, depending on your jar size) into the side of the jar. Pouring it into the side will keep it from pooling at the bottom of the jar. Using a sponge brush, cover the inside of the jar in paint. Use even strokes in a circular pattern around and around the jar until it is covered to your liking.

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That’s it! Now just let it dry and cure according to your package directions. The paint I used dries for 24 hours and then gets baked in the oven to completely seal it and make it waterproof and dishwasher safe.

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I really like how these jars look textured up close in the right light, but solidly-colored from afar. It’s like a hidden little treat only for those paying close attention to the details.

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Creativity Hijacking

May 17, 2012

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At what point was your creativity hijacked?

As a child you expressed your creativity without a second thought. It wasn’t something that needed to be found or discovered, it was just who you were. You dreamt. You created. Again and again. Over and over.

And then it stopped. Perhaps you had an art teacher that belittled your work. Perhaps your sibling was already the “artistic one” and so there wasn’t room for your creativity. Perhaps you decided that pursuing your creativity wasn’t practical (maybe you were even told this by others).

None of these were actually correct, but they became a self-fulfilling prophecy. The longer you went without creating, the stronger your convictions that you had no artistic talent. You immediately squashed any creative inklings, any artistic dreams.

Perhaps you can recall the exact moment. Perhaps it was gradual. Perhaps you’ve never taken the time to examine how and why your creativity was hijacked. But it changed your entire life. Up until this point, that is.

Because you can choose. You can choose to let one, small, wrong idea permanently rob you of your creativity. Or you can choose to remember when the hijacking happened, hold the moment in your heart, and set it free – recognizing that it has no power over you any longer.

You are free to express yourself artistically. You are free to try new things and fail. You are free to try new things and soar. You are free to be the intuitively creative person you were always meant to be.
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Handmade Business Insights with Angela & Evan Photography

May 16, 2012

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I’ve got a real treat for you today. A few weeks back I had some photographs taken (the awesome ones you now see on the site!) and it was such a great experience I just had to share it with you. I was lucky enough to work with the talented duo behind Angela & Evan Photography. I – like a lot of people – am not comfortable having my picture taken, so I was really nervous before the shoot. Evan was great, though, and completely put me at ease. I ended up having a blast during the photo shoot and now have oodles of fantastic pictures. Since Angela and Evan rocked my photo world, I thought it would be fun to get some photography tips and insights from them . So let’s get to it.

Could you tell us a bit about your journey into photography and starting your own photography business?

It is a slightly different story for both of us. For me (Evan) photography has always been an interest. I took classes in high school and decided to continue pursuing it in college. There was no photography program so I just took the few classes that were available, then ultimately ended up leaving school without any kind of degree. After a few years of “finding myself” I enrolled at the Art Institute.

Angela lived in Indiana originally and had not yet discovered her interest in photography, in fact had never even picked up more than a point and shoot in her life. She originally decided to come to Seattle to study interior design at the Art Institute. However, when touring the school the photography program unexpectedly caught her eye and she decided to enroll in that program instead.

We met the first week of school and the rest is history.

We both graduated with photography degrees with an emphasis in fashion. After graduation, I worked for a wedding studio doing retouching for about a year & Angela had already been assisting other wedding photographers and shooting a lot on her own. I tagged along on a few weddings with her and our business was born.

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For someone looking to upgrade from a point and shoot to an SLR, what camera and lens do you recommend starting with?

When it comes to starting out, any inexpensive SLR would probably do the trick…. that being said, if it were me, I’d probably pick a canon or nikon. Both companies make great gear at good prices in the consumer SLR range. As far as lenses go, I would probably look into a 50mm first, then branch out in each direction. The 50mm is probably the closest to what the human eye sees. A lot of people might tell you to get a zoom lens to start, but I personally prefer fixed lenses.

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In my opinion, the fantastic natural light you use is one of the things that really sets your photographs apart from others. What tips do you have for beginners in finding and using natural light?

Finding good light depends on the type of day we are shooting. It takes a ton of practice to discover what types of light provides the effect we’re looking for. I feel like this is something that we will always be working on improving. On overcast days the light is fairly diffused eliminating harsh shadows. On sunnier days we move to the shade to create this same effect. In the direct sunlight it is important to work with the sun by shooting into it and having our subject’s back to the sunlight. This allows the light to frame the subject and keep away strange shadow patterns from their faces. Direct sunlight can also be a fun time to play with lens flare which can really make a picture unique. In general when it comes to light our main focus is to keep our subject’s clear from distracting shadows and highlights.

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What are the best and most challenging aspects of running your own photography business?

Because we are both creative people, working through the business side of things has been a real challenge. Angela has mostly taken over this aspect of our business and has become amazing at it. There is so much more to our business than just taking great photos and burning them to a disk. We are constantly trying to improve both our products and consistently maintain a high level of customer service. Between advertising, post production, blogging, shooting, and emails, there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes. I think what’s made us successful is our commitment to all aspects of the business, not just the shooting part. I don’t think we could get through each year if we didn’t really enjoy it. It’s awesome that we do it together and that it’s always been such a big part of our relationship. Angela always says we’d never see each other if we weren’t shooting together…which is partly true. It’s easy to let the business completely take over your life, but we make sure to schedule much needed personal time, especially with our son Eli who is 16 months old. Eli has the best baby photos ever too…that’s a huge plus to having photographer parents!

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Thank you so much, Angela and Evan! Aren’t all these photographs gorgeous? I just love that Angela unexpectedly enrolled in the photography program and is now a full time photographer. The path to finding our passions is so unpredictable.

Even if you don’t have any upcoming nuptials, I highly recommend scheduling a personal photo shoot. Having professional photos of yourself delivers a major self-esteem boost, and who wouldn’t want that? For more photography eye candy and information, head on over to Angela & Evan’s website.

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City Chicks

May 11, 2012

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Since we’ve had the chickens for more than six months now, I figured it was time for a little update. If you’re thinking of getting a backyard flock of your own, I absolutely recommend it and I hope my experience with keeping city chickens helps.

The Coop and Run
Kale designed and built the coop and run and we’re particularly happy that we made the run tall enough to stand up in. It’s not absolutely necessary, but it does make cleaning, feeding and watering so much easier. And if for some reason we need to catch a particular chicken, I’d rather not have to crawl around while doing it. We also decided to cover the run, since it rains so much here. This keeps it from becoming a complete mud pit and the chickens prefer staying out of the rain. You can see here the way the coop looked before we added the roof to the run and the yellow trim.

The Flock
We made the decision to get grown chickens in an effort to skip the extra supplies and indoor space needed to raise chicks (though I really want to do that someday). Through the magic of craigslist we first acquired Penelope, Suzy, Rose and Agnes. Agnes doesn’t like to be picked up, but the other three are remarkably friendly. A few weeks later we got Harriet and Scarlet (from a different craigslist source). It took several painful (for us to witness) weeks for these two to completely get initiated to the flock. Suzy and Rose were extremely bossy and would basically chase them away, pecking at them if they came near the food, water or flock. Finally the magic of a pecking order worked itself out and everyone lives happily together now. I don’t think Harriet or Scarlet will ever be as friendly as the others, though. Harriet in particular is extremely skittish and will not come anywhere near people.

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Baylor
Baylor’s a pretty relaxed, happy dude, but I wasn’t sure if any deep-rooted birding behavior would shine through with these new ladies. So to play it safe, we kept him on his leash to first introduce him to the chickens. He was so excited and really wanted to lick them, which obviously freaked the chickens out at first. Still on his leash, we gave him a bone to distract him from the chicken excitement. Then the ladies just free-ranged around the yard while he gnawed away. Once he was done with his bone it was like chickens had always been there. He just moseyed around the yard not caring about them and they not caring about him. They like him so much now that they’ve even made him an honorary member of the flock.

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Maintenance
The chickens are surprisingly low-maintenance. They get food everyday (we give them “crumble” and some scraps) and fresh water every couple of days. We also make sure they have access to oyster shells (a good calcium supplement) and grit (pebbles to help digest their food). We have a pretty small yard, so we don’t let them out of the run all-day everyday, but we do try to give them some yard access most afternoons. For the inside of the coop, we use wood shavings and practice a “deep bedding” method. This means that we put down fresh shavings and then every week just add more fresh shavings on top of the initial layer. After about six to eight weeks of that, we completely clean out the coop, which just entails sweeping out all of the shavings and putting down a fresh layer. Pretty simple for funny animals that also give you eggs!

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Eggs
Since we got all different breeds of chickens, we also get different colors and sizes of eggs. Certain breeds are better layers than others, but so far all of our hens are laying really well. We were only getting about one or two eggs a day in the winter (even with a light), but now with the increased daylight hours the production has really picked up. At this time we’re getting three to five eggs each day and this level of production should continue throughout the summer and a bit into autumn.

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I couldn’t be happier with our backyard flock. Each hen has her own unique personality and it’s really entertaining (and relaxing) to watch them clucking around the yard. Plus, fresh eggs are unbelievably superior to standard grocery store eggs. You just can’t beat the vibrant, tastiness of a fresh egg.

Thinking of getting a flock? What questions do you have? Already have chickens? What’s your favorite breed or best chicken story?

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