...rest in peace 2011...

Well this year has been interesting to say the least. I'm usually up for even years, but not odd years. I'm not superstitious but I much rather enjoy the even numbered years. I graduated in high school in 1994, college in 1998, should have graduated in college again in 2000 (but I needed to step out of that degree) and the last degree was supposed to finish up in 2008, I was a month too late. Either way, I'm excited for the new year! New things to come, new outlooks on life, and this year is an even year!!

I've had my iPad for over a year now, and enjoyed using it as my source of jumping on the internet or playing games on the plane while I traveled more than 300 days the previous year (I quit that job in May of this past year, so not nearly as many days traveled this year). I finally saw to it to download both the Kindle an the Nook app this year. I've downloaded a ton of free books and even bought one book a few months back. I recently learned of being able to "check out" ebooks from your library for free through the kindle app! So. Excited.

Whatever you do tonight, be safe, enjoy and remember, we get a do over every day, but tonight, we get to start a whole new year! It's like walking into the classroom the first day and the teacher tells everyone "You all have an A+ average right now!" Such a great feeling to know you can drop all of your worries and see to it that God helps you start a better and more fresh year!

Bring on 2012!!!!

...etsy shop...

Well I haven't put anything up yet, but I'm in the process of searching through all of my photos to find the really good ones, then I'm playing around with them.  Once they've been corrected and overlaid with texture, I'll be posting photos that you can buy, hand signed (some numbered) by me! :) 

Here's a peek at my very first photo in a floating frame.  But Shhhh  this is my Aunt Judy's Christmas present this year!! 

***AMK Photography***

     So I've dabbled in photography off and on for, well forever. I really enjoy it. I enjoy the happy faces, and even watching the few minutes of meltdowns when the kids aren't doing exactly what the parents want. Over the past five years, I've taken pictures here and there for a little cash. I don't charge a lot, especially for what you receive, and if I had my choice, I'd do it a lot more often than what I'm doing it now! Over time, I'm surely getting better. This past weekend, I decided to photograph my friend Frances' kids out at her grandfather's house. He has the perfect house up on a big hill, with lots of trees that shade and a wonderful yard of soft grass that as an adult kid, Icould run around in for hours!!

     The day was beautiful and the kids were full of energy! Although I think Frances was expecting that I, as a photographer, would want a calm and collected photo shoot, I was well prepared for what I KNEW was going to be a great shoot with lots of energy, a few meltdowns and a lot of happy accidents. Many of these pictures will become Christmas presents, but I wanted to share just a few with you. I don't quite have the camera equipement for the super quick shots, so some of the photos aren't perfect, but I considered them imperfectly perfect photos! I really was able to capture their sweet sweet personalities!

Take a look!

Let me know if you'd like to do a photoshoot!  I'd love to meet your children, small and grown, and capture some memories for you!

...Tote Bag...

To This....

So my awesome sister Angela bought me a brand new Janome sewing machine for my birthday!!  Props to the sister!  Well tonight I officially started my first project without the help of anyone (minus some awesome directions over the phone about straps...)

First up, if you know me, right now, although I don't wear it often, because I don't own a lot, I'm in LOVE with grey and yellow together!  So this weekend while I was hanging out with the boyfriend and his son, we bought the material.  I said "we" because my sweet sweet boyfriend bought the material.  Can I just say how much I love that boy!!??  His son and him together in a fabric store are a hoot, let me know and I'll rent them out to you!  They had all the girls entertained as Stephen picked out good fabrics and Austin would come back with even better ones. Mind you Stephen was seriously picking out stuff...he's a picky man. Austin was just being a jokester and making us bought laugh.  It was defintiely a fun time at the fabric store. 

Anyway.... I decided to do my own pattern.  I have a tote that I decorated for Vacation Bible School this year, so I took those measurements and I'm going to wing it!  Yep, first big girl project and I am WINGING IT!  Go me!! 

So it went from this...  

To This....

It's nothing fancy...and I may still add some trimwork to the top, but I completed it in just under 3 hours. Not too bad for my first, no pattern, make up the "ruffle" as I go kind of bag!!!