a handmade christmas

Lot's of handmade projects going on this year... handmade gifts... handmade tags... handmade goodies... handmade by me... handmade by others... you get the idea.

I love how my gift tags turned out this year. Simple shipping tags stamped with a green poinsettia and a bit of red sparkle in the middle. Those shipping tags are probably one of the best things I've ever purchased. I ordered them in bulk from Uline about 4 years ago. And when I say bulk, I mean 1,000. Yes. One thousand tags. Crazy, I know, but seriously... best purchase ever. I use them for everything.

I busted out the chalkboard paint for a few gifts this year too. This stuff is addictive... I wanted to paint everything in chalkboard paint. My sister had to put restrictions on me... and I think Lance hid the rest.

I also wanted to order a few handmade gifts this year too... and you can never go wrong in Elise's shop. Or you can just peruse Etsy for all kinds of handmade goodness.

I even pulled out a few of my jewelry designs from a few years ago... hmmm, thinking I should re-open my Etsy shop eventually... maybe in 2012?? Anyhow... I promise to show more pictures after the holidays, but I don't want to spoil anyone's Christmas present. What about you? Are you doing any handmade gifts or decorations this year?

thankful thursday {link up}

{Link up your own Thankful Thursday post below}

This Thursday I am thankful for...

1) Wrapped (and shipped) presents. The presents are wrapped... the bows are tied... the gift tags are signed. This makes me so happy. And... if all goes as planned, everything will be shipped out to it's various locations today! Keeping my fingers crossed that the post office line isn't too terribly dreadful.

2) Our community group. I love this group. They encourage me, challenge me, and make me laugh. This past Tuesday we volunteered our time for a clean up at the Scarlet Hope house. I'm so grateful for these friends.

3) Encouragement. A thoughtful text... a kind phone call... a sweet gift in the mail... a perfect quote... I swear, it's like all of these things happened simultaneously all by different girlfriends... none of them even remotely aware how much their simple act of kindness encouraged me at just the right moment.

What are you thankful for this week? Grab the Thankful Thursday button from the right sidebar and link up your own post below. Be sure to visit the other Thankful Thursday participants and share the love!

he & she... lately

he is so ready for class to be over for the semester.

she is so ready for Christmas to be here.

he takes out the trash and picks up the mail.

she washes the dishes and folds their laundry.

they both hate cleaning out the litter box.

he is finally done with all of his reading for the semester.

she is finally reading the last book in the Twilight saga.

he has a closet the size of a shoe box.

she has a closet for all of her shoes.

they love their new neighborhood.

he spends most of his time working at the church.

she spends most of her time working in the upstairs office.

he has been building relationships with our neighbors.

she has been taking photos with our neighbors.

they have been learning how to counsel and love others.

he has recently started bow hunting as a hobby.

she has been turning her photography hobby into a business.

he set up their beautiful Christmas tree.

she has been wrapping presents like a mad woman.

they are hopeful this holiday season.

a help-portrait weekend...

I can't even begin to describe how awesome this weekend was. I spent all day Saturday volunteering for an event called HELP-PORTRAIT. This is an incredible event that happens annually all over the world.

So, you may be asking, what is HELP-PORTRAIT?? Basically, it's an annual event where photographers and volunteers all over the world donate their time and talent to provide portraits to those in need. Some of these people have never had their photo made... some are new mothers that might have never had a portrait with their newborn... some are married couples that have never had a formal photo of the two of them... the list goes on. I knew this event would touch my heart, but I had no idea...

We had photographers everywhere. No, really, everywhere. But it was so cool to see all of these incredibly talented people work together.

We had three photo stations set up, all complete with their own editing and printing tables.

It was so fabulous to get to know so many wonderful people through this event. Many of us started this adventure as complete strangers, but left on Saturday feeling more like family.

I'm pretty sure no one worked as hard as Melissa... our hair stylist for the day. She.was.amazing. Not only did she make people look beautiful for their photos... but most importantly, she made them feel loved and valued.

And this is Connie. She's the one responsible for making this happen in Louisville this year. Her dedication and hard work made all of this a reality. And... fun fact... she's my next door neighbor!

And while all of the photographers and volunteers were amazing... it's the people and stories that walked through those doors that really made this event spectacular.

We had young and old... This little cutie pie made all of us smile.

This couple was one of my favorites. They patiently waited for hours. This was one of the first photos they have had made together in years.

To see the smiles that spread across faces as they saw their images come alive on the cameras and computer screens was simply contagious.

I saw several people take their photograph out of their envelope over and over again, just simply to look at it. I can't explain how much this moved me.

Some were moved to tears after seeing their pictures. We heard so many stories about families that have never owned a photo of them all together. Trust me, there were tears all around.

We printed 2 photos for each person that came through. One was for them to take with them and the other was for them to write on... several people wrote simple words of thanks and others wrote beautiful stories of where they came from and where they are today. These stories touched my heart in so many ways.

This was our Louisville group of volunteers... such an amazing group of people!

This event seemed simple enough... but sometimes we don't realize how much we can bless others with the gifts God has given us.

You can learn more about HELP-PORTRAIT here...

villacampa family {louisville family photographer}

While I am out volunteering for this year's HELP-PORTRAIT, I thought I would leave you guys with a few photos of one of my recent family sessions...

Meet the Villacampa family. I love this family. Nick was Lance's roommate in college and then Robyn and I shared a room together one summer in Panama City Beach, Florida... trust me, there are plenty of stories to go around... But then you throw in those two adorable girlies! Here are a few of my favorites from our time together...

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Which one is your favorite??

thankful thursday {link up}

{Link up your own Thankful Thursday post below}

This Thursday I am thankful for...

1) Caroling. On Tuesday night our community group went Christmas caroling in our neighborhood. I am realizing that the holidays can be a very lonely time for some people, and it's amazing how something as simple as a song can touch a stranger's heart. There was one woman that came out of her house to sing with us... and as we finished the song, she looked at me with tears in her eyes, and gave me a hug. Me. A stranger. The woman started crying and thanked us through her tears... I'll never know what exactly was going on in her life... but for that moment we were able to share the love of Christ with her through a simple song.

2) Christmas lights. Specifically Christmas lights outside. When Lance and I came home from caroling, we decided we were already freezing and dressed for the outdoors... we might as well go ahead and put some Christmas lights up. I can't even tell you the last time we put outdoor lights up. I mean... we didn't go all crazy or anything... just a few lights on the front porch columns... but none-the-less this is exciting stuff.

3) HELP Portrait. This is what I will be doing this Saturday. HELP-Portrait is a worldwide event where tons of photographers volunteer their time and provide beautiful portraits to those in need... people that may have never had their photo made before. It's an incredible event that will be happening literally all over the world. My words don't do this project justice... go here and watch the video... amazing... promise.

What are you thankful for this week? Grab the Thankful Thursday button from the right sidebar and link up your own post below. Be sure to visit the other Thankful Thursday participants and share some love!

confession: i am a wrapping paper snob.

It's true. I am a total wrapping paper snob. What can I say? I have high standards for my wrapping paper. But not to worry... Hobby Lobby has come through once again...

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Hobby Lobby, hands down, has the best wrapping paper selection available. I love that they have tons of patterned papers. I typically purchase the non-Christmas-ey prints, such as polka dots or damask, that way I can use the paper year round for birthdays and such.

And HobLob don't mess around... let me tell ya. Each roll of wrapping paper includes 100 square feet of paper. That is a lot of wrapping. I always have plenty left over to use through out the year.

A couple of years ago I used this green and white patterned paper and it was by far one of my favorite prints. For Christmas I mixed it with some red polka dot paper, which resulted in a festive red and green combo. For birthdays I still use the green and white paper... it looks adorable tied up with pink ribbon:)

Last year I wanted to use the red polka dot paper again, so I bought this fun ho ho ho kraft paper to throw in the mix. I used raffia as ribbon for a simple homespun look, I love how it turned out.

Okay, okay... so why do I really love the Hobby Lobby paper? Truth be told, it's not just the beautiful patterns and festive options... It's the grid lines.

This paper has GRID LINES on the inside. Brilliant. Maybe I'm the only one that appreciates a good straight line? Or maybe I'm just scissor-challenged? Because, let's be honest... without those grid lines, my wrapping job looks more like Edward Scissor Hands got a hold of my Christmas presents. I also love how durable this paper is... It is thick. I feel like other wrapping papers tear if you simply look at it wrong. Not this stuff.

This year, I'm pulling out the red polka dot paper... once again (I told you this stuff lasts forever). And some red paisley printed paper that I've had even longer than the polka dots. Then I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and picked out a fun red and white Christmas word print paper to throw in the mix. I'm thinking raffia and tiffany blue ribbon might be fun... or maybe a sage green? My goal is to get rid of the paisley paper this year.

Happy wrapping!!

top 10 :: things i love about christmas

This list could easily stretch beyond the standard top 10, but for the sake of self-control, I'll limit myself.

Here are the top 10 things I love about Christmas...

1) The sparkle of Christmas lights.

That magical twinkle gets me every time.

2) Wrapping presents.

Call me crazy... but I love wrapping presents. And I'm talking boxes, wrapping paper and ribbon... none of that gift bag crap. I think it has something to do with my obsession for paper and scissors.

3) Hot chocolate.

With marshmallows. Or a Starbucks salted caramel mocha will do... or a caramel apple spice... hmmm... or eggnog.

4) Watching Christmas movies.

Really, any Christmas movie will do... but Home Alone, Christmas Vacation and Elf are my top picks.

5) Visiting family.

I realize that for some, Christmas can be a very lonely time... I am grateful that Lance and I are able to spend Christmas with those that we love. But I also want to share that love with those that might not have family and friends nearby.

6) Traditions.

Old and new. There are certain traditions I cherish from my own childhood and then there are new traditions I'm looking forward to starting with my own family one day.

7) Christmas caroling.

Which I will be doing tonight, thankyouverymuch. I love to see the faces of neighbors as they stand in their doors and listen.

8) Making Texas Trash.

Don't know what that is? Then you're missing out. It's basically a homemade, glorified batch of chex mix. We make a ginormous batch to divi up and give to friends and neighbors.

9) Giving gifts.

I love giving gifts... everything about it. Wrapping them all pretty (see #2)... mailing them to far away friends... seeing the joy on the face of the recipient... all of it.

10) The birth of Christ.

Recently I have been thinking a lot about the True Gift... the reason why we celebrate Christmas to begin with. And while my top 10 list could extend forever, all of these things mean nothing without the birth of Christ.

What do you love about Christmas?

Linking this up to Oh Amanda's Top Ten Tuesday... which I noticed she has a Christmas themed list this week too... with some really great links.

weekend festivities...

This weekend was a whirlwind... but a good one...

Friday was a crazy day at the office... but nothing a little Starbucks caramel apple spice can't fix.

Friday night I finally flew home to Louisville. After 10 days away, to say I was excited about seeing my husband and sleeping in my own bed would be a major understatement.

This was my view of the city as I flew into Louisville... right over the waterfront by the Ohio River... I always love the sparkle of city lights.

I spent Saturday morning at a women's gift exchange at our church... this thing is a serious event... 200 women scrambling to get first dibs on gifts is a sight to see, let me tell ya. Oh, what's that? You like my scarf? Oh, why thank you... me too... My mother-in-law brought it back from South Africa for me... it has this lacey-vintage-feel to it... and I'm in love, just in case you can't tell.

On Sunday afternoon I did some major photo editing... trying to get all caught up before my next wedding on New Year's Eve. I'm getting close...

And then... on Sunday evening... by far the highlight of the weekend... WE GOT OUR TREE!!! My amazing husband agreed to go in the pouring rain so we could finally get our tree up and decorated. He's the best.

And in other news... this is my 500th post. I.have.posted.500.bleepin'.times.on.this.blog. Five hundred times in two years. This either means a) I am an awesome dedicated blogger... or b) I need to get out more. I'm going to go with a)...

How was your weekend?

oh, yes we did...

That's right... we did it again.

We walked through those mall doors on a mission. We headed straight through the main entry... right down the escalator... and directly in line to see Santa (...and then maybe over to Forever 21). But I must say, this year's Santa was much better than last year's Santa. He was jolly and greeted us with a good ol' Santa belly laugh. I'm really loving this new little tradition I have with my favorite work girls.... definitely a perfect photo for day 1 of the December Daily.