Thursday, December 2, 2010

Tips for gettin yo creative on!

More accurately titled: "how Laura gets her creative on!"

Step 1: Get Inspired!
or get yourself inspired--achieved in any number of ways.
Step 1a-forget about everything else you planned to do.

Step 2: Turn on the music!
The latest thing that has you boppin and snappin should be at least moderately loud.  
(currently Rascal Flatts (yeah...i know) or Greg Laswell)

Step 3: Clean up the floor  
(for reasons beyond me, I love creating while sitting on the floor)


Step 4: Gather supplies.
Get more than you think you need because your direction might change mid-creating.
For this project I grabbed my "favorite fabrics" bag, buttons, and jar of lace/ribbon. Oh and pin cushion.

Step 5: CREATE!

 

In the end I've got more fabric decorative "things" that I need to find a use for. But these, I think, look really cute with my twine balls and make great decorative elements. If only I had enough room to display all the funky things I make...oh well! Its more about the process anyways.

Step 5: 
Blog about your enjoyable creating experience.

Step 6:  
Eat dinner, laugh and talk with your family and wonderful boyfriend, and then go celebrate 13 months with afore mentioned gentleman with a cup of gourmet coffee and perhaps some cheesecake.


Monday, November 29, 2010

Insights Magazine Goes Digital! ...a month ago...

I can't believe I havn't shared this yet! Insights Magazine has gone Digital! Each new monthly issue will be available for online viewing on our website. The November issue is probably my favorite so far, and the upcoming December issue warms my heart with Christmas cheer, so stay tuned for its launch!


The topic of this issue was a challenge to portray: sexual abuse and suffering. I needed to find images that conveyed the brokenness of these issues but weren't overly graphic or too depressing.

This cover photo has probably stolen the top spot in the lists of portraits I've taken, and is probably one of my favorite overall. It definitely stands out in my stack of magazines!

While I don't take all of the photos in the magazine (we use some stock, when they fit the article so perfectly, or its an image I just cant possibly capture with my timeline and resources), here are a few others from this issue:
 
This photo was taken with my good friend Jasmine (you may recognize her from her engagement/wedding shoots) in a back alley in downtown Abbotsford. I brought a bucket of ashes from my fireplace at home and she obligingly rubbed it all over her arms. While I originally intended to create a shot of hands covered in ashes (symbolic of dealing with suffering/carrying burdens), this image ended up stealing the show. It accomplished conveying the feeling and mood of the article much more effectively than other closer-cropped images, even though the ashes are not immediately recognizable.

 
For this article about bullying in the church, we took a more humourous approach to lighten the seriousness of the issue.

Insights went Digital! ...like a month ago.

I can't believe I forgot to share this! Insights Magazine went digital last month for the first time! From now on, every issue will be available for viewing on our website (http://www.insightforliving.ca/digital-magazine). The November issue is my favorite so far (as usual) and the upcoming December issue warms my heart.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Illustration aspiration

Yeah, i just wanted the title to rhyme. Here is an illustration I've been working on for the next issue of the magazine (yes, sneak peak!). I wanted to share the entire illustration, since I had so much fun working on it, and it had to be compromised a bit to include the article.

i LOVE illustration. Its one of my less-used and developed passions, and I think thats why I enjoy it so much. I love how I can put so much time into an illustration and not get sick of it!

So here it is!

Illustration:

adaptation:
 

application:

Friday, November 12, 2010

Staff Christmas Card!

A few weeks ago I had a whirlwind morning photographing all my wonderful co-workers for this year's christmas card. I have to confess, I didn't have tons of experience with portraits prior to this, and it was a bit of a crash course! Everyone had fun with our christmas decorations and the final result is festive and fun! I plan to feature some of these portraits in a later post, but for now, here is the finished product!

(have I ever mentioned that I LOVE my job? Getting to do photography and design, the whole project from start to finish? And getting paid for it? Doesn't get any better!)

Sunday, November 7, 2010

This one goes out to my Mom

I've been wanting to keep up with my blog somewhat regularly, but after pouring all that energy into a purse blitz I havn't known what to move on to next! So today, I decided to throw one out to someone very, very special to me: my mom. As you'll tell from these pictures, she can take more than a little credit for my creativity and design eye.

One of the things my mom is amazing at is floral design. It also happens to be a passion of hers, and over the past few years I've gotten used to seeing absolutely stunning arrangements just hangin out in the living room, family room, and kitchen. So today I decided to photograph a few of them (with her sweet new "vases" from the dutch floral shop in whistler) and share them with you all. Inspiring and absolutely stunning! ...She may consider taking orders. lol!!


Sunday, October 31, 2010

Highlight of My Weekend!

This weekend I saw the tail end of the sunrise. And I had my camera with me. I spent the rest of the day in awe of God's creation, and it still hasn't worn off!



Monday, October 25, 2010

And this is where the money's at.

or not, depending on the budget...lol! Creativity struck again, and this time I went for something bigger! I am into creating sewing projects "sans-pattern" (so usually purses, book covers, or pillow cases) but havn't put my foot to the sewing machine pedal for a while now.

I'm not sure what inspired me this time, exactly, but I had this adorable fabric from a bag I made my Mom ages ago, and I decided to make use of it. I searched purses and found one I liked that looked make-able, and jumped right in. Figuratively of course. I am super happy with the result, and now only have to find the right occasions to use it. Or the right recipient to gift it to. We'll see!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Card Making Delight!

Another creative project from last week! I decided to make myself a few cards to be ready on the go, for last minute birthdays, engagements, or whatever else...(there seems to be a lot these days!) so I put these together. I have a grand collection of four cards. But I love them! I plan to keep adding to it as I work through my endless box of scrapbooking supplies. I hope they're inspiring!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Keep it Creative!!

So, I've kinda un-officially challenged myself to use my free time to be creative. I was inspired by something I saw online today, and I decided to give it a try, with my own personal flair.

The Result!  



So far, the best use I've found for them (which I'm really excited about) is this:

On my scarf! Now I just need it to snow...

Monday, October 4, 2010

J & J: engagement to wedding!

Jasmine and Jordan got engaged over a year ago on the celebration of their two year anniversary. The wedding went down this summer, and since starting this lovely blog I've been meaning to share these engagement photos!
 







 














And then The Wedding
I wasn't officially taking pictures, but I took joy in snapping a few at the brides house and then at the celebration.


 
 
 
 




Oh, and we decorated the "love bus." I did the window paint :D


  























Congrats to two of my favorite people!! 



Friday, October 1, 2010

8 months: highlights!

Roughly 8 months ago, my dream job showed up. I was, at the time, frantically spread too thin across a part time job with a long commute, and too many clients and not enough know-how to deal with them all. I would dream of that full-time job with regular hours...I had no idea how quickly it was going to come my way! I now spend my days creating and designing all manner of print and web pieces for a wonderful bible teaching ministry! One of my favorite parts of the job (and probably the most challenging) has been the photography. I had a little bit of training throughout my design diploma, but it was really a supporting skill, not a major one. Taking photos for the magazine each month has caused my skills to grow in leaps and bounds! Its been a wild ride: successes and failures, but most noticeably growth. So. Here are some of my favorites from the last 8 months: some published, some not. 


"Training for Life"
 
 
 
 

"Captain Bible and the Fight for Truth"
 

 
 



 

"Good, Better, Best - the Pursuit of Excellence"



 "Ladies and Gentlemen, This is a BIBLE!"
 

Completely just for fun.
 

Father's/Influence


 

From Bread to Toast

 Thanks to all my wonderful models!!