Tag Archives: family

Oct 12 2013

Our trip to the Alpaca Farm {And the Life Verse Design Proverbs 3 Giveaway Winner!}

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A couple weeks ago, when Pumpkin-Poos turned 6, we visited an alpaca farm with my parents. It is located near Beloit, Wisconsin and is such a fun little farm to visit!2013-10-11_0002

There were 2 precious alpaca babies. The farmer picked one up so Pumpkin-Poos could pet him. They are literally like live stuffed-animals. The softest fur you will ever pet! The kids also enjoyed running up and down the fence line & watching the alpacas follow them. Oh, and another funny thing is how they only have a set of bottom teeth. The kiddos thought that was pretty silly also!

 

OK, now for the Proverbs 3 Giveaway Winner:

Amy, YOU won!

Grace & Peace,

Julie

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Oct 05 2013

A Date with my Sunshine Girl

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Today I had a date with my Sunshine Girl. I pulled her out of school EARLY {she thought that in itself was the BEST… missing part of writing!} to take her to my alma mater for a women’s soccer game. My cousin’s daughter plays goalie for Akron and since I am a passionate soccer mom, I knew Sunshine would be thrilled to watch the “big girls”. We also enjoyed the company of my large family, especially “Aunt K” who spoiled her rotten with an all-you-wish-for-candy-extravaganza!

 

We then drove through campus {which has changed SO much… I am OLD} & I took her all through the art building where I practically lived for 4 years. Oh, the memories came flooding back. Especially of my art buddies Andrea & Jon. Oh, the smell of the paint & clay. I wanted to bust into the dark room, but figured that may make someone very upset. So, instead we meandered through the studio spaces looking at paintings and drawings. We both wanted to dig our fingers into the clay & sculpt away. It’s also interesting how much has changed in the building: technology of course. It was in my JUNIOR year of college that I did ONE project on the computer. Everything else was done by hand. NEVER in a million years did I imagine being a designer or digital photographer. {I have a BFA in illustration & focused on multi-media collage & watercolor mediums.} All of my design and computer skills were learned on the job, but my foundation for composition, color, & creativity was laid in high school & college.

 

We then grabbed a quick bite to eat & the entire way home she spoke in awe of my cousin {to her: “Aunt K”}

{Aunt K: does she look like me at all in this photo?!}

 

OK, off to bed, but one more thing, the winner of the Psalm 34 fine art print is ERIKA!

 

Grace & Peace,

Julie

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Oct 01 2013

My Kids {Downers Grove Family Photography}

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Oh, how I love my kiddos. We spent a grand hour scouting locations for some fun photography & it’s all the better when they are actually excited for mama to take their photo AGAIN. {Well, at least 2 of the 3 were into it this time!} They picked the spots & poses & I shot away. How did you spend your lovely autumn afternoon?

 

Grace & Peace,

Julie

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Sep 28 2013

Pumpkin-Poos Turns 6 {and a Life Verse Design Psalm 118 giveaway winner!}

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Oh, my sweet little Pumpkin-Poos. You will turn 6 on Sunday. SIX.

I cannot believe how fast these years have gone, but some things remain: you are totally a mama’s girl & love being with me. You still wake up every morning around 5 a.m. & come down, crawl into our bed & snuggle your daddy {cuz you know I will not snuggle you then!} You still slip your hand into mine every time we are on a walk & I am counting my lucky stars that you still walk hand-in-hand with me, knowing someday that will cease & you’ll be off scootering with your big brother & sister. You are full of joy, singing throughout the day. You are my free spirit & wild one. You LOVE puppies & now have about 35 stuffed dogs in your collection. You are sensitive. You eat like a Chen. You are full of creativity. You tell me countless stories of your imaginary grandma day after day. Your life has taught me so much about trusting God, His plans, His ways, and His faithfulness. I am SO thankful for YOU!

YOU will always be my little Pumpkin-Poos.

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You may recognize this cute little one from these baby images of her & her Daddy Bear. My pregnancy with her was what motivated me to create Scripture art for the home.

It’s amazing what God does when you do not expect it.

OH & the winner of the Psalm 118 This Is the Day art is:

Stephanie Vander Wal

Email me your address at lifeverse@gmail.com

OK, off to celebrate for the weekend with Grandma & Grandpa!

Grace & Peace,

Julie

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Sep 18 2013

{Downers Grove Photography} Our Trip to Lancaster County

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{this post is a re-post from this past summer, but now that I have a brand new beautiful blog in which you can actually see the images, I wanted to show them again}

 

This may be one of my favorite photography posts ever! Oh, how we love this family. This past summer, our road trip brought us to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania {Bird in Hand, in fact} to see our Amish friends in person.2013-09-17_0002

We went to church with them {3.5 hours of singing, preaching, devotional, prayer, testimonies, & do it all over again; sweet little toddlers passed out on their mama’s laps all around us, large families coming together into real community}. After church, I drove “B” & their 5 kiddos in our minivan to their home while “A” drove Sam & our 3 kiddos in the horse & buggy!
{btw: can you imagine a family of SEVEN fitting into that buggy?! well, they do!}2013-09-17_0003

We came at a good time:  the mama cat just had kittens about 3 weeks ago! The bulldog mama had puppies about 6 weeks ago {i think}.My kids were in animal HEAVEN at their home: my favorite little mister caught bugs & toads all day {the boys said, “they had never seen anyone go crazy for bugs before” … my poor city boy} & the girls chased kitties & puppies for about 5 hours straight! {I am allergic to both, so the fact that they were free to play with animals in the barn was the best part of vacation for pumpkin-poos. It was a hot day & of course, no air conditioning in the barn, so they would periodically emerge red-faced & sweaty, with big smiles on their faces.}

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I was THRILLED to do their family portraits!!! 
{maybe their first, in fact?!}

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I did all of my typical poses.

 I think it is safe to say we all had a great time.2013-09-17_0006

Many people have asked me how on earth did I {a midwest girl} attain an Amish friend?! Well, that Amish friend of ours started as a business partner of Life Verse Design. He is a framer and contacted me to see if I would partner with him to frame my art & sell it to Christian bookstores, gift shops & furniture shops. I love the above photos of the frame shop, Beechdale Frames, as it shows the heart of the business: family. It is run by the Millers and is definitely a family affair! They work hard together & play together. The showroom is filled with my art and the reason we went was that they had an open house to meet the artist and allow buyers into their showroom.

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At the open house, they offered free lunch & fresh lemonade! Their oldest son {who is all of 14} manned the grill all by himself!!!! He is also able to create a frame & plaque from start to finish all by himself!!!! What a mature & responsible young man. And so humble also. If you are ever in Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania during the summer & meander down Beechdale Road, you will come upon the sweetest bunch of kids selling THE BEST fresh squeezed lemonade you have ever sipped. Trust me, you’ll go back for more.

Meet Mr. Miller! He has a heart of gold: wanting to encourage others with the beauty of art, the truth of the Word of God, and always keep family first. Our work is currently featured in the Christianbook.com catalog that arrived in the mailbox the other day! {Funny God story: I normally flip through the first few pages to see what’s “hot” in the book industry since I design books for Tyndale House Publishers, but this day I kept flipping & ta-da! I got to see my artwork! What a blessing to see my little nephew’s feet featured in a catalog}

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 The other fun little surprise I got while at the Beechdale Frames open house was that I got to meet author Ira Wagler who drove a half hour just to see me! Turns out Mr. Miller is friends with Ira! Ira wrote his memoir “Growing Up Amish” a few years back and Tyndale published it!  My best friend at Tyndale designed the book and he claims she has “sold him many copies” {as he knows people pick up books often due to their covers… music to a designer’s ears!}

I JUST finished the memoir the other night & I highly recommend it. If you love auto biographies as I do, you will love to get a glimpse into Ira’s world as he grows up Amish & struggles with the desire for freedom in the “outside” world, yet constantly feels pulls back to the safe & secure world he knows. It is a story of identity struggle, yearning for freedom, and finding the truth that alone can set our hearts free.2013-09-17_0009

I created this custom Life Verse Design art for our friends & I am happy to report it brought tears to the parent’s eyes. YES! My job is done. It is the highest compliment {I think} when my art makes someone cry.

I love immortalizing not only an image, but a moment & feeling in time to create a memory forever. Though their kids will grow {& grow quickly!}, I hope their closeness, bond & direction in life will remain the same, as shown in this image.

If you have an image of your family that you would like created into a lasting memory, contact me & I would be honored to create it for you.You can find more information here.

FREE SHIPPING in the shop ends tomorrow night, so if you are interested in any custom design work, or any other inspirational art, order now!

Grace & Peace,

Julie

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