Catch your breath. Don't pass out! Yes, we are talking about jewelry designs from AGD. :) I've had too many of you to count - email and ask me when I'd be releasing some new designs again (clothing and jewelry). I know it's been forever. Truth is...I've battled this question myself. I'm sure many of you have noticed that I stripped my website down to just the items made by me - the items that got me to where I am - the items that started it all. The boutique clothing designs and my jewelry designs. There are a few items still on the site that were made by friends and vendors but they are only a couple of jewelry pieces. I've battled with where AGD is going at this point and I still don't know for sure. What I do know is this. I love photography and I enjoy beading jewelry. Those are my passions. Photography heads that pack. I enjoy the design process of my boutique outfits but I detest sewing. My sewing employee and friend, Karen, lives 977 miles away now. She isn't down the street from me to where we could do midnight runs to one anothers mailboxes with new orders like we used to. I miss that. However, I don't miss the sewing. Kenidi is also getting older (almost 7 now) and growing out of the frilly, ruffly, designs that she used to model so well. I don't want to use another child over my own for my designs. I just won't. I'm weird that way. The sewing also took a back burner to personal issues in my life over the past year. Medical/health issues to do with my heart, the personal junk, our move from Indiana to Florida back in the fall, and just the overall fact that my photography business has moved up to my #1 priority when it comes to my hobbies/passions within my business goals. So for now...I guess you could say that the boutique clothing designs will be a thing of the past. I've been there, done that, got a thousand t-shirts. I'm proud of the accomplishments I reached via the AGD clothing designs and am humbled and blessed by my loyal clients which have also become some of my dearest friends over the past 6 years. Should I decide to re-ignite the line one day, you guys will be the first to know. I promise.
With that said, you are probably wondering where that leaves my jewelry line. For now, I plan to keep my website up and feature my jewelry designs as I get new ones listed as well as continue to sell my older creations too. Like with my boutique clothing line, I have tons of loyal clients that have stayed by my side and enjoyed the jewelry pieces I've created thru the years. You guys are in luck. I plan to begin designing all new never seen before designs in the coming months. The beach is a great place to drag a chair to with some bead supplies. I'd love nothing more then to sit by the seaside and let its beauty inspire my new creations. I can't promise how often I'll list new items here on the blog and website but whenever I do finish a new piece, I'll introduce it here as I've always done in the past. In the meantime, I will continue to forge forward in regard to my photography career. Like with my AGD designs, I know my photography journey has a purpose within my life and I'm eager to see where it leads me.
Before I get started on introducing new jewelry designs though, I wanted to highlight some of the most popular pieces in my collection. One of them being the winged cross and winged guitar pearl strand necklaces. Here are some older images of them...
I've had an over abundance of these being ordered again all of a sudden and thought I'd showcase them here for those who might not have seen them before. They are big, bold, chunky pieces that are designed for my statement making clients. They definitely aren't for the shy. When I wear these, I can't get 10 feet without being stopped and asked where I got it. It's truly one of my favorite AGD designs EVAH! As you all know, I get into funky and out of the box looks and these take the cake. I have 3 winged crosses left and 2 winged guitars left. To order one before they are all gone, clickHERE.
Thanks again for all of your support over the past 6 years. Each of my clients/customers from around the world mean so very much to me. Thank you for helping to breathe life back into me at a time when my world seemed to be crumbling all of those years ago. AGD was started and created out of a need to focus on something positive - something other than all of the negative to do with Kenidi after she was born and we discovered she had health problems. Your support carried me thru many difficult moments all those years ago and I'll never be able to thank you enough for that. You guys were the light in those dark moments. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
LIGHTHOUSE BEACH - SANIBEL ISLAND BEACH PHOTOGRAPHER
Last week I hit Sanibel Island and Captiva for some shelling as well as for some "shooting" time that was just for me. More often than not I hear professional photographers talk about how you should take certain days and just make them "your" days to shoot whatever you want. They explain how these "whatever" days really keep you inspired and your creativity flowing. I love to go shoot by myself and for myself. I enjoy taking my time and photographing things as many times as I want at as many different angles and such as I want. I don't have to hurry as you would in the middle of a scheduled session. I can take my time and see things at my own pace. On this day, the clouds/sky were incredible. The top image above is just proof of what a beautiful day it was. I teach my students in my photography classes that you should never take an image with the horizon line dead center in the middle of the photograph. You should always either pick the sky, the ocean, or the sand as your subject. One of them needs to be your main focus. Therefore, the horizon line should always end up in the bottom third of the photograph or in the upper third of it. In this case, can you tell what I chose my subject to be? Scroll up there and look. What is your answer? If you chose the sky/clouds, you are correct. When you look at that image, I want your eyes to focus on the sky. I want you to see the beauty in the clouds so I place my focus point on that area. I even went a bit more drastic and placed the sand in less than a 1/3 of the image so that the sky is basically screaming at you. You didn't know you were gonna' get a little photography lesson here today, did ya? LOL!
Notice how the shot above has the horizon line in the upper 1/3 of that image? Yeap, now I'm trying to direct your eyes to the beach and the sand. I want you to focus in on the fact that all of those people are sitting on top of a pile of sand that is infested with nothing but shells. They are combing that mound looking for all kinds of different type shells. This particular spot is called blind pass. It is the area where Sanibel Island and Captiva Island split. It's a gorgeous spot. I love it there. There are always tons of "shellers" there. Great fun.
There are really cool rocks on the corner of this beach. They make for great texture in an image...
I have a thing for photographing signs. Some of you might have picked up on that before. Signage always has great color. Love me some signs...
And I'm still confused by this one...
Here is one I just had to grab because of the angle within it. Angles can do so much for a photograph. Love the shadows from the nautical ropes here...
I managed to get some great shots of the Sanibel lighthouse that day too. It really popped on top of that blue sky. This lighthouse is one of the most unattractive lighthouses I've ever seen but I still love it. I am obsessed with its rustic, old, vintagey feel.
I love wondering about the nights it lead and directed those at sea. I envision this powerful beacon that is the epitome' of all things "sea" related. It was first lit with a kerosene lantern on August 20th, 1884 and the rumor is that the light is still operational. The lighthouse itself is 98 feet tall and totally brown in color. It took them three months to build the structure itself. It sits on the southern most tip of Sanibel Island. The beach it rests on is poignantly named "Lighthouse beach."
Although the building itself is not open to the public, many visit the site and photograph it on a daily basis. The beach surrounding the lighthouse is gorgeous and well worth any day spent there.
As you can tell, I had a great time exploring the lighthouse grounds as well as lighthouse beach there in Sanibel. This whole moving experience has been great fun for me because I enjoy learning the history about all of these areas. Even though we vacationed here for more than 10 years before moving here full time, I never knew any of the main details surrounding the islands. It is a treat to research this stuff and then be able to photograph it as well.
I'm signing off for now in order to tend to two sick children I have tucked under my wings here at home today. Yeap, Kenidi is home now too. We are bundled up in my bed watching cartoons under the down comforter as the sultry Florida rains pound the seaside outdoors. I used to detest when it rained in Indiana. However, now that we live here and see such little rain, I have found that I enjoy a good downpour to help cool off the humidity. Storms here are so much more powerful as they roll in off the ocean - way different than Hoosier land. We are enjoying those pelting's on the clay rooftop today. It's a welcoming sound as we nurture our way thru this sick spell. Hope you all have a fabulous weekend. Talk soon...Angie
I'd love to kiss whomever invented the "flip flop." The fact that I get to wear flip flops year round now is just fabulous. It was an 83 degree beach day here in sunny Florida today. I slipped on my old, trusty, so cheap it should be criminal, rubber, flip flops and headed down the street to the beach. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and after four straight hours in untouched Florida sun, my face and body are paying for it. I seriously look like I fell asleep under a sun lamp or something. Yes, I'm that over done. Very crispy. Totally lobster like and that is a rare occurrence for me. Normally I just tan. Today was a different story. No pain no gain I guess, right? I know dermatologists across America are cringing with disgust right now. LOL!
Anywho, I took about 16 magazines with me to the beach today. Kenidi always devours my magazines that I get before I get to. I finally took the time to flip thru each one today while sugaring the sand between my toes. The pages were a bit crinkled and disheveled due to my little KG having them first but I managed. The people around me on the beach probably thought I was nuts because of the huge stack I was reading thru. Here was my "read" pile as I began finishing them. Some of my favs...(mainly photography magazines)...
I always get asked what kind of tanning lotion I use. As many of you know, a fellow blog reader turned my girlfriends and I on to "afro-sheen" while we were all down here about two summers ago. It is a running joke amongst all of us now because we all F-R-I-E-D ourselves with it when we tried it. Normally though, I use this...
I use it along with a mixture of Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil as well. I use the solar dust (above) and then I put the tanning oil over the top of it. Yes, another concoction of mine. I know. However, it works for me. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the solar dust because if you look closely you will see that it has specks of gold shimmery crystals in it. When you apply it to your skin it leaves the flecks of shimmer on your skin and I swear that the little shimmers are what attracts the sun so much. It also looks pretty on your tan brown skin. Did I mention that I love it? Like really love it? ;) Again, dermatologists...just pretend like you aren't reading any of this. Hide your eyes. HA HA!
All in all, it was a beautiful day. Gorgeous was more like it. I spent four uninterrupted hours by the sea - destressing - catching up on my reading - attempting to whittle down my inbox and return some emails as well as made much needed phone calls that were on my to-do list. I enjoyed the sounds of the seagulls, the lapping of the waves, and the sand crystalizing on my toes. I took today to go to the beach because they are calling for rain over the next two days here. I had to get my weekly fix in. In the meantime, I'm preparing for a house guest from Indy next week. That's right...one of my dear friends and my sewing employee, Karen, is coming in to stay with us from Tuesday thru Saturday. You guys have heard me talk about Karen here on the blog before I believe. I'm so very excited. I can't wait to show her around town and soak up some more rays together on the beach. Good times!
For now, I'm off to hunker down and get ready for the Orange County housewives reunion show. Oh yeah...bring out the claws and let the cat fights begin. Until the next post, have a great night. XOXO, Angie
Hi friends. Long time no blog, eh? Sorry about that. You can always tell when my new photography classes start up because I get M.I.A over here on the blog. I apologize. I definitely haven't forgotten about you. I'm just devoting my spare time to my newest students and hoping to provide the best instruction to them possible.
With that said, thought I'd jump in and say hello really quickly. I spent the morning on the beach. Shelling over on Sanibel Island as well as over in Captiva. I took my camera along so I'll be sure to post photos later this week. It's a beautiful 75 degree day here today. I'm vegging out by the pool now with my Mom while waiting for Kenidi and Brennen to get off their bus in a few minutes. It was nice to take today for a relaxation day as my heart and my sanity needed it in a bad way. That heart of mine loves to pump out of my chest when I'm stressed out. Therefore, the smell of sunscreen and suntan oil is a sure fire fix for that when I go to the beach. If even for that moment only, it makes everything in life all better. Ya know?
On another fun note, I got to meet some wonderful new friends this weekend. I hooked up with the Naples Photography club here in Florida and have begun attending events, classes, and workshops with them. They are a great group of people and I had a ball shooting with them this weekend. It's awesome to have others that share your same passion whom you can get out and shoot this incredibly beautiful environment with. I loved it. I was a bit nervous going into at first. I felt like the new kid on the block. Because I was. However, they were all extremely welcoming and made me feel right at home. I can't wait until our next outing together. It's great to have something to focus on and look forward to that is just for me. And me only. Rarely do we Moms or women get that in life. We are always so busy with kids and husbands and daily day to day life that we forget who we are and what we love. Photography has helped me remember who I am. And I am so thankful for that.
Oh yes...and this little girl up above and below...??? She was my beautiful subject during a candid photo session at a local park here the other day. I'm not one that typically cares for any kind of fencing or background clutter in images but her cuteness helped me forget that we were on a playground instead of at a location where I would have rather been. These are just a couple of sneak peek shots from our session. And her hair...oh the hair...
It goes without saying that she was an absolute doll!
For now, I'm headed out to take Brennen to football practice. I'm looking forward to hanging out on the bleachers in the sunshine this evening. It's a great night for football. :) PS...Thanks for your patience last Friday when someone hacked into my AGD blog and AGD website. Thankfully my web gals (Amy & Crystal) got the problem fixed within an hour or so of me discovering it. And actually I didn't discover it, my dear sweet facebook friend and blog reader, Amy Dana did. Thanks again Amy. I appreciate the heads up girl. And for Amy & Crystal...huge kudo's to you two for being such ROCKSTARS in the web design field. You girls are my life savers. I don't know what I would do without you. Thanks again for all of your hard work - on a whim - and on the fly like that - regarding the hacking. You two are no match for those crazies. Soooooo appreciate you both.
His stance couldn't look anymore like a 16 year old here than it does.
His aggravated look on his face because of my cameras presence couldn't scream teenager anymore than it does. His style couldn't be anymore handsome than it is. Quite a good lookin' kid if you ask me. I know you didn't but I'm just sayin'...!
When he wears his under armour sunglasses he reminds me of the movie TOP GUN. GQ'ish and stealth like. Which character is he..."Goose" of course. Cocky and good lookin'! The hair is almost an exact resemblance.
I love that I convinced him many many years ago that real men wear pink. To this day, he'll throw on a pink polo and not even think twice about it. Oh yes...one day he is going to make that wife of his a very lucky girl.
In 10 days he will be 11 years old. It feels like just yesterday that the doctor looked at me and said..."He's breech. We'll need to do a C-section." That was my first clue that nothing about Brennen would ever be of the norm. He is a special kid. One who is madly in love with the idea of protecting his baby sister. (except when she comes into his room and dumps all of his cars) I'm so blessed and thankful for his caring and loving spirit. He has an overflowing heart filled with compassion which is just out of this world.
I love how he shares my same love of music. We share Itunes songs back and forth all of the time. He loves everything from Christian music to hip hop - just like his Mama. Yes, this child knows a good tune when he hears it. He makes me smile when he cranks the computer in his room and listens to my playlist on this here ol' blog. I hear him belting out tunes and think..."yeap, that's my boy."
In 10 days, he will be eleven. In 3 months, he will graduate from being a 5th grader in elementary school to a big 6th grader in junior high. I basically have three months before our world gets turned upside down. Let's face it...middle school was the starting point for all of us. The start of the distance which ensues between parents and their children. It makes me cringe at the thought. I want him to be 2 all over again. I want the chili bowl haircut back. I want the blues clues videos back that he would dance to, and the sound of his little voice when he would say "Close the gate Papa, close the gate!" (old joke amongst him and my Dad) Geez...one minute he still looks so very small, playing like a child would when I gaze out at him...
and the next minute he stands so very big, straight, and tall - looking like he is 10 going on 25.
I'm clinging to each day - hour by hour.
Yes, he is growing up right before my eyes. They always do. Today I'm feeling it a little more than the usual. Because of that, I came here to journal those feelings and embrace them. Embrace the growth and the power of life. I love this boy. Love him to the sun and back ten gazillion times over.
