Merry Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas!
We wish you a Merry Christmas!
We wish you a Merry Christmas!
And a Happy New Year!

May you know the wonder of Christ's birth, the love of our Heavenly Father, the hope of eternal life, and the joy of the season!

Grace & Peace,
Julie

Chicago's Snowy Owl

We saw one of Chicago's Snowy Owls in the wild!!!!

Today we travelled into blustery Chicago in search of the famed snowy owls at Montrose Harbor. The Chicago Tribune had run a front page article, declaring their invasion of the lakeshore & since my favorite little mister is still OBSESSED with owls, we thought we would pray really hard that we would see some and go in for a viewing!

To see this owl take flight was truly awesome.


{my favorite little mister designed the above photo layout so that you could see an insert of the close up of the owl above his head}

We arrived at Montrose Harbor at about 12:45 and since it is a large widespread area, I immediately started looking for other photographers with HUGE equipment to try to get some shots of their own. Amazingly enough, we parked next to 3 photographers who were just leaving and they told us exactly where to find this juvenile male snowy owl.


After his brief flight from the building's roof he decided to land on this light pole. We stood nearby quietly and simply watched him preen himself, turn his head back and forth to look around and just chill out.


Apparently he got bored with our wonder and began to yawn.


This image shows how close my favorite little mister got to the owl, which he has named Silent.

All photography was done by my hubby today! You can see some of my owl art here.

Thank you God for such an awesome experience!

Grace & Peace,
Julie

Custom Life Verse Design Work: The Hackers

Welcome back! I have been quite busy filling Christmas orders, decorating the house, baking, and playing with the kids. It's been a while since I have shown you some more of my custom Life Verse Design work, so I thought I would start with this Christmas gift for my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. I have actually created this piece for his office, as he is a pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel and he was in need of a little warm decore. I chose this verse because it was he who started my hubby & son on their archery passion, so I thought the above verse was just perfect to commemorate their little quiver of 4.



Oh how I love how mixed kids are all so unique :) Here is the original shot.


Here is the entire family, out in the field behind their house on a beautiful autumn day.


This little guy just turned ONE & it is his feet & his mommy's hands that I photographed to create my 1 Samuel "Prayed for this Child" art.



Here is their princess. All I can say is that she is absolutely adorable.



This little guy is going to be another future artist!



I had so much fun photographing the big brother and was so amused at how he loved to strike a pose! Made my job easy.

If anyone has photography of their own that they would like me to create a custom piece of art with, just let me know! You can email me for pricing at lifeverse@gmail.com

Back to work!

Grace and peace,
Julie

Giveaway + FREE Shipping to Kick Start Your Holiday Shopping!

It's Giveaway Time!

Head on over to Money Saving Mom's blog sometime today for a chance to enter my $50 store credit giveaway 11.23.11! {Look under her "Freebies & Giveaway" tag}

In addition to a chance to win some of my art, I have also decided to kick off the holiday shopping season with a bang:

FREE SHIPPING on any order now thru November 30!

While checking out of my ETSY shop, just write FREESHIPNOV in the coupon code and the shipping costs are free!

Always feel free to email me your order direct if you want multiple quantities on items.

It's a great time to start your holiday shopping with meaningful items such as art, jewelry or calendars which are sure to touch your friends & family's hearts!

Grace & Peace,
Julie

Behind the Scenes: This is the Day

This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
—Psalm 118: 24 NIV

{art available here}

This art was actually inspired by my egg carton. On the inside of the lid, the Psalm is written so that every day when people all over the USA open their carton they can be reminded of God's truth. {How cool is that?}

I of course had visions of a rooster perched on a fence post with a majestic sky in the background for my photography. I went to a friend's "farm" who has a chicken coop & she totally laughed at me. I think her exact words were, "Good luck with THAT!" I could not even get a descent image of her crazy, active chickens at all.

Fast forward to the fall, when we took our annual family trip to Edwards Apple Orchard in Poplar Grove, IL. I have been coming her since I was a child, and now every year we celebrate pumpkin-poo's birthday there as it falls at that time of year. We were feeding the animals and low & behold, I got the shot!

Here is the black and white version of the art. I think it is so fun to have this in a kitchen! My kitchen actually has 2 cupboards in which the previous owner took out the glass and replaced it with chicken wire to display her antique rooster / chicken collection!

Oh, how fun it would be to see my art in Egg Harbor Cafe too!

OK, back to the story. Here is one of my new favorite family photos,
shot by my dad in the orchard.

Pumkin-Poos!

Sunshine Girl!
My Favorite Little Mister!
{who is getting a bit tired of Mommy's photo taking}

{Art available here}

And, last by not least, of course I had to shoot a bucket of apples. YUM.

I hope you are rejoicing on this day that our Lord has made!

Grace & Peace,
Julie

Christmas Card Designs!

{Elegance Front}

{Elegance Back}

{Filmstrip Front}

{Filmstrip Back}

{Stripes Front}

{Stripes Back}

{Simple Front}

{Simple Back}

{Vintage Front}

{Vintage Back}

I have been a busy little elf creating magical Christmas cards that are sure to WOW your friends and family. Each card is a flat 5x7 double sided full color piece of art. The printing is gorgeous & you have the choice of a coated finish, linen finish, or pearlized finish.

If you own the rights to your family photos {or get your photographer's written permission to use theirs}, I would love to create your card. The wording can change as long as it fits the space & turn around time is fast.

If you are interested in this custom design card pricing, email me at lifeverse@gmail.com

Grace & Peace,
Julie

5 WINNERS!

I am posting the winners a bit early (tonight) as I am off to my first arts & craft show at the crack of dawn, so I wanted to post the winners before I had to leave!

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

Cathy Van De Casteele
who loved "Faithful & Loving"

Leslie Kuch Armstrong
who loved "Prayer: to Know the Love of God"

Wendy Jenkins
who loved "Prayed for this Child"

Kristy Boyd
who loved "Abide"

Andrea Sirna Brunk
who loved "Rejoice Over You"

Congrats! I love the art you have chosen & look forward to telling you all the stories behind the scenes of each of those pieces {some I have already shared}.

Ladies, please contact me either via facebook or at my email address: lifeverse@gmail.com with your address so I can get those new art treasures out to you right away!

Thank you to everyone's sweet comments in sharing their favorite pieces of art. I love to hear what is touching your hearts.

PLEASE REMEMBER MY
FREE SHIPPING OFFER
ends 11.08.11 end of day
just enter "NESTER" in the coupon code while checking out

Thanks!
Grace & Peace & a little exhaustion tonight,
Julie

Red Couch Shoot Take 2 {Downers Grove Photography}

Theirs is a house built on love. A love for Jesus. A love for the world. A love for one another. Meet the McC's...a family I admire in so many ways. {If it were not for Mrs.McC, my calendar would not be in existence! Yes, she is the brilliance behind that idea!}


When I showed her the above photo, she said, "I am tired just looking at it..."

I hope I have fully captured the feel for the joy, connection, and craziness that abides in their home.

And, then there are these 2 sweet faces...

They make me smile.

Brothers. Classic. Timeless.
I still have to find the perfect brother quote to do this image
in my Life Verse Design style.

Enjoy!

P.s. Do not forget:
TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO ENTER MY NESTER GIVEAWAY!
See my previous blog post for details & head on over to my shop & then my facebook page to tell me what print you love the most.

Grace & Peace,
Julie

The Nesting Place Giveaway!

I would like to officially give a warm welcome to all of you Nesting Place readers! I am so excited to introduce you to my art and give you the chance to win some of it!

I create inspirational art for the home in several categories: Scripture, General Inspiration, Baby and Child, Family Roles, Occupational Keepsakes, and Personalized Art.

You are sure to find something unique and special for someone in your life!

My art is created in fine art prints as well as cafe mounts.

Gallery wrap canvases.

In addition to being licensed by DEMDACO, my work is also licensed by Avalanche Publishing, the sister company of LANG & I have a 2012 calendar available for daily encouragement next year!

You can also find beautiful note card and postcard sets in my stationery section.

And, lastly I have teamed up with jeweler Lori Patton to create a gorgeous line of photo lockets.

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY RULES!
5 blessed winners will each receive
one 8x10 fine art print of their choice!

TO ENTER:

1. Go "like" me on my facebook page.
2. On my facebook wall, please post which print is your absolute favorite.
3. For extra entries blog, twitter, or facebook about the giveaway & let me know you have on my facebook wall in an additional post.
4. For another extra entry buy something from my shop & let me know you did by posting it on my facebook page.

Please leave comments only on my Facebook page.

{Giveaway entries are open until midnight 11.03.11 & open to domestic shipping addresses only. Winners will be announced Saturday, 11.05.11.}

But WAIT, there's another BONUS!

From now through 11.08.11 I will also be offering
FREE SHIPPING
on ANY purchase in my shop*!

{*again, domestic shipping only}

just enter NESTER in the coupon code section of my ETSY checkout*
{*coupon must be redeemed at time of purchase}

Thanks...have fun... & good luck! OH & be sure to check out the other fabulous giveaways through the nester.com!

Grace & Peace,
Julie

sweet treats

My little pumpkin-poos is wishing you all some sweet treats tomorrow! Have fun & stay safe & warm!

Grace & Peace,
Julie

FALL 2011 Arts & Craft Show Schedule

It's that time of year! Here is my Fall Arts & Crafts show schedule:

Saturday, 11-5-11 from 9:30 to 3:30 :
Oswego High School
4250 State Route 71 Oswego, IL 60543
A brand new show for me, I have heard it's a good one!

Friday, 11-11-11 from 5-10 & Saturday, 11-12-11 from 9-4:
Frost & Friends
Cliffbreakers Riverside Resort
700 West Riverside Blvd
Rockford, IL 61103
This is the show in my home town, which I do with the fabulous Lisa Frost, another DEMDACO artist. If you want a fun girls night out and exciting shopping experience, this is the place for you!

Saturday, 11-26-11 from 9-4 & Sunday, 11-27-11 from 10-2:
Marmion Academy
1000 Butterfield Road
Aurora, IL 60502
A very nice arts and craft show Thanksgiving weekend. They sell Christmas trees nearby too!

Friday, 12-2-11 from 11-9; Saturday, 12-3-11 from 9-6; Sunday, 12-4-11 from 10-5:
31st Annual Lambs Farm Holiday Lights
Arlington Park Racecourse
2200 West Euclid Ave.
Arlington Heights, IL 60008
Another new show I have decided to do. Thousands attend! I am very excited and nervous at the same time... all I can say is inventory.

At the shows I will have a limited supply of my DEMDACO line: crosses and wall art plaques, all signed by me!

I will also have my signed 2012 wall calendars: a GREAT gift for Christmas.

Some lockets you can see IN PERSON so that you can see how gorgeous these really art. And, of course, I will have all of my prints, frames, and stationery products.

I hope to see some of you there! I love doing these shows, as it gives me the opportunity to meet my customers and hear the encouraging stories of how my art has touched lives.

Grace & Peace,
Julie