Life Verse Design

Custom Life Verse Design Work: Victory

2012-01-18T19:00:00.003-06:00

I created the above art for a friend of a friend & it has really touched my heart.

Not only is she a cancer survivor, but she also went on to finish a triathalon!

I love the verse my friend chose for her, found in Isaiah. Tis so true.

God gave her victory!

If you are interested in custom art, just contact me at lifeverse@gmail.com

Grace & Peace,
Julie

blogworthy: photobomb chen style

2012-01-13T15:04:00.006-06:00

This year my hubby & I have gotten a kick out of some "photo bomb" websites... not all are appropriate, but many are very funny. A photobomber is someone who jumps into your picture to essentially ruin it. They are especially funny {I think} in wedding photos.

OK, anyways, it is my goal this weekend to edit through the 1,000 + family photos on my hard drive & get them organized & order prints for the kids' albums. As I have been reliving our 2011 photos, I came across the above 3 which make me laugh. Maybe it's just because it's my own kiddos, or the fact that we've shown some photobombs to them which evidently inspired them, but in any case, I for one have gotten a good laugh today.

Enjoy the Chen style photobombs.

Grace & Peace,
Julie

Content in 2012

2012-01-12T09:27:00.004-06:00

Be Content.
My words for 2012

Too bad God is STILL working on me with this one. I sit and think when did this restless heart begin? I can see a few prominent factors for sure that keep leading me to this place where I want to get out of & am just thankful today that the new year has started fresh, that His mercy never changes, that He is ever so patient with me & that His grace abounds.

How fun God is that my year would also start out with a new Bible study, based on the book of Philippians. You know, the book of JOY & giving THANKS in all circumstances?! Once again I see God's humor in my life and am so grateful to have a God who meets me where I am at.

Other goals/hopes/dreams I have for this year include:

1. I am keeping a Gratitude journal every day, inspired by Ann Voskamp's Holy Experience blog:
http://www.aholyexperience.com/2011/12/a-year-of-graces-a-free-12-month-calendar-printable/
It has already been such a blessing to me, as I get the winter blues every year. This January, by doing the gratitude journal I am on the lookout specifically for what to give thanks for & take joy in & honestly I feel it has helped my heart.

2. I also want to workout at least 3 times a week. {I know, sad} But, hey you have to start somewhere & if my goal is too extreme I know I will just give up. Baby steps to feeling more healthy & energetic.

3. I want to separate work & family more. This has been my biggest struggle as a stay at home mommy who also works out of her house. I hope to have more defined hours & that my work is more hidden or seamless. And that when I am with the kids in the house, I am really truly present with them and not thinking about other things. {Which is partly why I like to take them out of the house: so that I am fully focused on them and having fun, but again... it is winter!}

4. I hope to do their AWANA with them & different devotions that meet their different needs. The days of reading kid's bible storybooks are over for my favorite little mister & he wants more meat. Though, honestly he does still fully engage in The Jesus Storybook Bible, but the other kid's bibles I use with them I notice him either checking out or reading his own bible. I am seeing more that my 3 kiddos are a different levels than ever before & I want to help meet their spiritual needs. This in a big way includes me doing their AWANA verses with them, and not just saying "go work on verses", but rather processing the meaning behind the Scripture. {Did you know I also worked at AWANA? My first job out of college with no design skills under my belt. Ha!}

5. I want to spend more time with real friends than internet friends. {sorry you all.} I see my need for real relationship & community are strong & I love my times with my girls.

6. I long to be content in where my business is PERIOD. Let me tell you, there is SO much more I want to do. Ideas, creativity, marketing, photography, licensing, etc... And I continually struggled with this in 2011 by both comparing myself to other artists as well as things in my own heart and ultimately lack of time. I am first and foremost a wife & mommy & my kids dearly need me. I want to be patient and content in the timing of things for my career. I long to trust God more and more with it, His will for Life Verse Design and that I can have confidence as I move forward I know it is His direction and blessing in my life. I of course do plan to grow my business this year and be wise with it; I just want my heart to be ok with where it is at and know I can do much more after pumpkin-poos begins full time schooling.

7. That said, another goal I have is to design a website of my own so Life Verse Design has its own home. {I can be sure that my friends who are going to help me are getting a chuckle out of this goal, as I have had sketches of my site since last February!} I keep designing new products and fun stuff rather than buckling down into the world of web design! I have so much to learn, and have loved ETSY but this past selling season, I saw many of ETSY's limitations.

8. My last goal includes being IN God's Word at least 5 x's a week. Again, I am thankful for my Bible study & the accountability it brings for me to keep this goal.

OK, that is it. Off to finish up a book I have been designing for Tyndale House Publishers. All you romantics out there may want to someday pick it up :)

OH, 2 more things... sorry so wordy today:

1. With it being day 12 of January, all I can say is the above goals are already hard to keep & old habits are hard to break, but God will give me direction.

2. Sunshine girl was looking at my art and said, "Mommy, you need more COLOR!" So, alas I have begun an entire new line which is in its baby stages. The "BE CONTENT" gives you a sneak peek. It has been tons of fun researching color palettes and ideas for new designs. And, it is all I can do to stop & really design a website. HA!

Grace and Peace,
Julie

Jesus Storybook Bible : Over half million sold!

2012-01-09T13:16:00.005-06:00

I just received news that the Jesus Storybook Bible has now sold over a half million copies & has been translated into 17 different languages!

I had the ultimate privilege of designing this book!

When my sunshine girl was merely 6 weeks old, I received a call from Zonderkidz asking if I would be the designer of the project & come to Michigan to brainstorm with the creative team & Sally Lloyd Jones herself! So, we took a little family trip to Michigan & I would nurse sunshine girl in between meetings. The creativity was flowing and it was my honor to work with an author so passionate about design & illustration, as well as an INCREDIBLE illustrator, Jago.

Reading through the manuscript raw, brainstorming the illustrations: the character's look & clothing, the details of the environment they were set in, the points of view, the emotions I wanted each and every piece to communicate, and story boarding each and every page was not only a labor of love, but it put in my artist's mind a rich image to recall as I now read through both that Bible to my children as well as my own Bible. I love how I will be sitting in a sermon at church & hear one of the stories & the image Jago, Sally, the Zonderkidz team & I created pops into my mind.

What a great book to teach your child (& yourself!) about God's deep, passionate, and endless love for them!

This post by Anne Voskamp concerning the Jesus Storybook Bible also brought tears to my eyes and gratitude to my heart when I happened upon it a couple months ago. wow.

I highly recommend you all to get this Bible for your family, your church, heck.... anyone you know! Available here.

To learn more about my {other life} as a book designer, you can gladly read this post.

Grace & Peace,
Julie

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T12:00:00.002-06:00

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

2011-12-17T20:24:00.008-06:00

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

2011-12-15T14:21:00.002-06:00

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!

2011-11-22T21:53:00.006-06:00

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

2011-11-18T13:16:00.009-06:00

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!

2011-11-07T21:03:00.013-06:00

{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!

2011-11-04T22:14:00.007-05:00

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}

2011-11-03T14:21:00.008-05:00

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!

2011-10-31T13:34:00.012-05:00

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

2011-10-30T21:01:00.003-05:00

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

2011-10-27T21:43:00.013-05:00

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

Behind the Scenes: Spiritual Armor : Ephesians 6

2011-10-24T16:20:00.015-05:00

Almost a year ago, a customer of mine requested that I create Ephesians 6, the chapter about spiritual warfare, for him in my Life Verse style. I wrote it on my "to do" list, thinking that would be a very unique piece to create. The problem remained, where on earth would I get authentic looking armor to create such a cool piece?

Fast forward to this past summer when I put out the call on Facebook ... I got lots of advice as to where to pick up some local armor and my best lead came from my Tyndale coworker's wife {whose hubby creates some awesome covers btw} ... I cannot believe I did not think of that. For, you see when we are creating fiction covers at Tyndale we sometimes need to rent costumes for those covers {I just did a photo shoot last Tuesday for a fiction book I am working on!}

So, my art director's advice was to go to a little shop in the burbs called Kult of Athena, where the owners of the shop were experts at armor {and any type of weapons you may be looking for in fact}. The shop rents out to both Disney and Hollywood! He also told me to be sure to take Sam & my favorite little mister, as they would LOVE the store {boy, was he right!}.

{art available here}

So, I packed up the camera gear and we took a family field trip back to medieval and roman times at Kult of Athena. To date this has been one of the most interesting photo shoots I have done {maybe besides my eagle shots which were just truly awe inspiring}.

After I briefly explained to the store owner how I wanted to visually illustrate the Ephesians 6 passage, he immediately knew exactly what I was looking for. He said for that New Testament era the high Roman guard armor would be authentic to what I need and what Paul would have been referring to in his passage.

My knight in shining armor {aka my hubbalicious} was more than willing to pose for this shoot. He graciously suited up in all the layers (a wool tunic & all) in about 90 degree heat to pose for me. As we previewed the images, he would state how it "needed to look tougher"... oh so fun to get a man's perspective!

I was really awestruck when viewing the pieces of armor in light of thinking about Paul's instructions on how we ought to daily suit up to fight the spiritual battle.

put on the full armor of God
{every piece to be fully covered}

the belt of truth
{which holds everything together in its proper place}

the breastplate of righteousness
{Jesus' righteousness covering our hearts}

your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
{walk your talk, go & share, be active}

take up the shield of faith
{which extinguishes the fiery arrows of attack}

the helmet of salvation
{protects our mind and thoughts}

the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God
{the only offensive piece with which to attack with:
the powerful word of God}

The piece that shocked me most was the shield. I guess I always just pictured a shield that you would carry around that covers your chest area, but they were saying at the shop that the shields were HUGE {as you can see from the proportions of my images} and were placed on the ground & then you were almost completely covered. So interesting to think of faith in light of that shield.

I hope I utilize my spiritual armor in a more powerful way in light of this passage.

Grace & Peace,
Julie

sisters {Downers Grove Photograhpy}

2011-10-21T11:25:00.013-05:00

Rock Star Sisters
{that is what I like to call this shot}

Taken in downtown Hinsdale way back in August, in between beautiful early evening light and a crazy downpour.

Meet Sam's cousin's family.

You know, one of those families you totally look up to in every possible way? Well, yes, they are the ones and I am so blessed to have them as family. They have 4 beautiful girls, and I believe they were all born between 18 and 21 months of one another. They are now teens and tweens and some of THE sweetest girls I know. As Sam would say, "Sharpen your samurai sword Mo!"

The Dad & Mom met at U of I and actually had their reception on campus!
{The first Chen family event I ever attended in fact!}

Love those girls catching some air!

And, here are the soft portraits of the girls.
I have SO MANY more good ones...
for another post someday.

Last but not least, my sisters art created just for them. If my girls grow up to be this close, I will be a very happy mama.

If you have a sweet shot of your girls, I would love to create a custom design just for you! Contact me at lifeverse@gmail.com

Grace & Peace,
Julie

Red Couch Shoot Take 1 {Downers Grove Photography}

2011-10-20T20:59:00.010-05:00

Last Saturday amidst the bright sun and fierce wind {on & off}, I had the extreme pleasure of photographing 8 families on my red couch. The above image is literally one of the first clicks of their session and their immediate playfulness and excitement made for a very fun shoot.

This idea I stole from one of my college friends who is also a wonderful photographer!

I think their dad said this is the real them.

I had to get in the bare feet somehow.

This is some of my custom Life Verse Design artwork,
created just for the beautiful sisters.

Here is the front side of the 5x7 Christmas card I just "whipped up" for them.

And, here is the backside of the Christmas card. I wanted to showcase the sisters as well as make it so that people can display it year round in a 5x7 frame if they would like.

All of my Christmas card designs come double sided including envelopes and they are GORGEOUS. One of my customers from last year said she had never received so many compliments and actually had to order more to send out at the last minute because people were talking!

More Christmas card designs coming soon! Even if I have not photographed your family, you can send me your high res images for me to work with as long as you have photographer permission/release and I would love to create your unique cards.

More red couch final photos coming soon too for all of you other 7 families waiting to see yours.

ok, I am off to edit more....

Grace & Peace,
Julie

Perfection. {Downers Grove Photography}

2011-10-13T21:37:00.015-05:00

Oh, how I debated the title of this blog entry. Titles have power, you know... I have learned that from my book design over the years. I toyed with "My weakness", "There's just too many", "Autumn Light", "Cantigny, I love you"... etc... etc...

Why you might wonder? Well, it is because one of my weaknesses as a photographer is that I take way too many photos and then I cannot bear to throw the cream of the crop away, therefore lengthening my editing time, but hey, families love it and how can I not share their magic with them?!

I then decided on the title "Perfection". It was the perfect autumn late afternoon light with the perfect family at the perfect location {yes, Cantigny, I DO love you... the park is where I also shot these and these!}

Meet Sara and her lovely family. I believe I have mentioned this before on this blog, but Sara is my first ever internet friend whom I met through finding her work on Etsy! I contacted her and quickly found out that she lives 2 towns over and has kids the same ages of my own. You will LOVE her work... fresh, modern, adorable personalized items for kids, heck, even for adults!

When she asked me to photograph her family, it was an easy decision, I mean, LOOK AT THEM!

At this point I believe my kids were running up and down the other side of the grove with the whoopie cushion as Emma and Jack cracked some real smiles.

Of course, I could not decide my favorite {every time I got to the next image, I thought, "This is the ONE!"} So, if you cannot decide on just one image to print as a fine art piece for your home, just combine them into one gorgeous design!

More decisions... color or classic black & white?!

And, here are some Sara inspired clean & contemporary 10x20 canvases or cafe mounts, personalizing the art for the children.

Enjoy!

OH! I still have 3 openings for my Red Couch Photo Session this Saturday:
you can choose from 10:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. or 2:30 p.m.
if you want some magical and memorable shots of your perfect family too!

Grace & Peace,
Julie

Behind the Scenes: Called to be Faithful

2011-10-11T21:56:00.009-05:00

"God has not called me to be successful.
He's called me to be faithful."
–Mother Teresa

God is right now, as gently as He can, beating this phrase over my head. This powerful statement by Mother Teresa has been written in the notes of my Bible for years. I obviously had heard a sermon in which the pastor used the quote and it hit me like lightening. I quickly wrote it down so I would not forget it. I think the quote is especially powerful because of who spoke it: a woman who in the world's eyes had no real "success" and yet, she gave her life to help minister to the needs of others, faithful till the end. The power of those words are fresh to me in a new way today.

You see, I am a perfectionist, a workaholic, and I really like doing things successfully... no matter what it is. Whether it is designing a book for Tyndale House Publishers, creating new art for DEMDACO, or potty training a child, I like to do it "right and good". And, in the midst of life, I continue to compare myself to more "successful" artists or moms or Christians, thus battling discouragement on a rotating basis. ugh!

Currently I am in an AWESOME Bible study. We are reading the book Sacred Parenting which is the reason this quote has become fresh in my life once again. It is not the typical "how-to-do-it" parenting book. Rather, he focuses in on how God uses parenting to shape us, refine us, grow us, and make us more holy. It has made me take a deeper look at my own spiritual life in light of raising my children. Through the readings, I keep thinking of the Scripture which says,

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!
You have been faithful with a few things;
I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and share your master’s happiness!’
–Matthew 25:21 NIV

{art available here}

I chose the image of the Queen Anne's Lace to represent all of the little things we have been given or entrusted with, which we are called to be faithful in. It is all the little things in life that when connected in their beauty create a life that is rich in "success". But, don't be fooled. This "success" may not at all look like what the world tells us is "success".

What are the little things God has called you to be faithful in? Your children? Your spouse? A friendship? Ministry? Work? Giving? Worship? Following a dream?

And, are you being faithful to those things for His glory, not your own? For you see, it is not all about us. It is all about Jesus. His kingdom, His will, His love, His glory.

May this art and quote bring to life once again freedom and perseverance to press on in whatever it is that He has called you to.

Grace & Peace,
Julie

My Kids on the red couch {Downers Grove Photography}

2011-10-06T17:47:00.009-05:00

Here are my kiddos on the red couch. They thought it was the funniest thing to load the couch into our Sienna. They asked if the van could be like that all the time. I took them on their "limo ride" around the parking lot & they were giddy.

For our photo session, I wanted to capture their personalities of course, as well as some of their favorite things they do on the red couch, which for my kids would be snuggle with their loved ones and read their favorite books!

Props are always fun to make a photo more unique and capture a memory you have of your children at that moment. Do not forget those things while you are taking photos: what is their favorite outfit? toy? book? hair style? jammies?

I still have openings for next week's red couch photo session! If you or a friend are looking for really unique photos, please contact me! {See details in the previous post}

Grace & Peace,
Julie

the red couch {Downers Grove Photography}

2011-10-03T23:09:00.012-05:00

A couple of weeks ago my beautiful friend & I did a little swap... I shoot your family if you shoot mine. {ahem, photograph I mean!} So we took my antique red couch out to a beautiful park, got a lot of funny looks by the people walking by, and had a GREAT time photographing each other.

I have officially decided this is the best way to photograph a family. It is natural in the sense that we all snuggle together on the couch and yet, totally unique in that you are out in nature.

Of course, I had to get some bare feet shots in.

And, the craziness begins...

Tip to other photographers: if you cannot get the kids to sit still for a split second, just allow them to fully be monkeys & hang them upside down. In that position they feel stuck and will actually stay put.

How we as parents truly feel...

And, the kids could not WAIT to do bunny ears to their parents. SO funny.

Well, I have some good news!
I am planning a RED COUCH photo session
Saturday, October 15
{hopefully we will still have some green grass}
at Fiftyninth and Main Park in Downers Grove

Sessions will include:
the most fun you've ever had at a photoshoot
minimum of 10 hi res digital images
with full permission to print as many as your heart desires
{5 color images & 5 black & white images}
1 FREE 8x10 print
{a $15 value}
all yours for $75
{just in time for Christmas cards and gifts!
oh, just you wait till you see my Christmas card designs this year!}

These are some images I took at the park today; with the red couch in place and you & your family smiling away, depending on the light, we will either get some color from the trees changing leaves or the glowy harvest color of the prairie grass to compliment the green grass & red couch.

Contact me if you are interested! Space is very limited. Pray for good weather, as I do not know when I can fit in a make up date!

Yippeee! I am so excited to be offering this.

Grace & Peace,
Julie

balloons {downers grove photography}

2011-09-30T21:57:00.012-05:00

Here are some photos I promised of my big 4 year old celebrating her birthday yesterday with the WRONG colored balloons...

She had asked for blue & orange. {I guess she is already an Illini fan} I remembered the blue, since that is by far her favorite color, but apparently the orange slipped my mind...

Just so you know, I took over 100 photos to get this handful of good ones. Gotta love digital + kid photos!

And, the ruffle pants?! Yes. Get used to seeing a lot of these babies. ADORABLE. My 6 year old has a matching pair...

She is holding her beloved chihuahua. The only thing she wanted for her birthday was 2 REAL chihuahuas...

In your dreams baby cakes! I am allergic to anything with fur...

Silly face! Crazy girl!

Here is big brother, whom she adores to give her smoochie kisses...

And bring out more silliness in her... YES, those specs you see in the photo ARE spit as she thinks spraying like an elephant is soooo funny.

Well, we are off to the indoor waterpark with the cousins and then the apple orchard on Sunday to continue the celebration!

Grace & Peace,
Julie

FOUR!!!!

2011-09-29T09:59:00.014-05:00

Today my little pumpkin-poos turns FOUR! Isn't it great that she "posed" for this image (above) when she was just days old, planning for mommy's blogging days?!

Here she is at her one year birthday. Our tradition is to go to the Morton Arboretum, since that is where I was the day I went into labor with her... trying to walk her out :) It was the most beautiful fall day! I compared my giant baby belly to the 500 lb pumpkin they had on display that year, and thus the nickname "pumpkin-poos" or "my little pumpkin" began!

Here she is at age 2. Oh, that smile and those fly away piggy tails! I LOVE that dress and can still hear that little giggle.

Here she is at age 3, in the magic chair! That dress is my all time favorite and I actually put it in her keepsake bin. THOSE SHOES... ugh! Stupid plastic shoes I actually let a 3 & 5 year old talk me into! (They literally wore them once as they were so uncomfortable!)

And, here she is at almost 4. This is another Michigan photo from one of her favorite places in the whole wide world: THE BEACH!

Oh, pumpkin-poos...I love you SOOOO much. You are my little shadow, following me everywhere. I love your smile, your silliness, and your nurturing heart. I love watching you play baby dollies and puppies and how you care for them. I think someday you will make a great mommy! I love how this year you have grown so much in your speech development, so that I can now get to know your heart and your thoughts more and more, now that you are better able to communicate. You fascinate me every day with the things you come up with. Even this morning, how you were mad at me for buying the wrong colored balloons (i forgot to get ORANGE) ... but, that you could tell me that is an awesome thing!

Without you, I would have never even dreamed of Life Verse Design. This entire business started because of my pregnancy with you. I have immortalized your chubby baby feet in adorable and timeless artwork, and today once again, I praise God for your life, for all He has taught me through you, and just how He created you.

{all art is available in the shop}

Grace & Peace,
Julie

To Celebrate Coaches

2011-09-28T09:12:00.007-05:00

{all art available here}

I grew up playing soccer and volleyball. The coaches I had throughout the years still hold a special place in my heart. The way they were able to encourage, challenge and motivate, while seeing both the big picture of the team as well as the individual strengths of each player is really inspiring to me.

This coach series art began with the baseball piece. I created it for my brother-in-law who is an AWESOME coach in so many ways. He lives in Orlando, so I have only been able to see him in action once {and that is where I took the baseball image: at one of his games}, but I hear stories of his passion and dedication. It has also been fun to hear how he is already coaching his boys...their 5 year old can switch hit already! YES, it is true.

Over the last couple years, I have had so many requests for other sports, so here is my collection thus far.

One fun and very affordable way to honor the coach in your life is to buy a 5x7 matted print (the matte fits an 8x10 frame). Have the entire team sign the matte, so that the coach will have a unique and memorable gift from his or her team!

Grace & Peace,
Julie

I {heart} autumn!

2011-09-23T12:20:00.008-05:00

As you can see, I am a tree hugger of sorts. A nature lover. A tree, branch, stick, leaf, pinecone collector. In my college dorm, under my bunk you would find a pile of branches, leaves, etc... to collage into my art at any given time. {I should show you some of those paintings, back in the day!} Was I made fun of? YES. Did I care? NO. I could see the beauty in each and every object.

Well, I am thrilled that autumn has beautifully arrived. I love the weather, the colors, the nature hunts with the kids, the leaf rubbings and collages. And, autumn has obviously also influenced my Life Verse Design art.

All prints are available here.

Grace & Peace,
Julie

seniors {Downers Grove Photography}

2011-09-21T20:46:00.010-05:00

Last spring at Lilacia Park in Lombard, Illinois I had a fun shoot with the beauty (above) who is now a college freshman! Wow. These senior pictures were a ton of fun and yes, I even have the older "kids" show me their bare feet sometimes!

Now, this stud I shot at Maple Grove Forest Preserve (near Gilbert's Park) in Downers Grove. He is my cousin's son and I remember photographing him when he was born! Now, he is at least a foot taller than me and is off to college to play ball.

Grace & Peace,
Julie

blogworthy: Happy Hair

2011-09-16T11:57:00.006-05:00

Last night was haircut night at the Chen's. In order to prepare for our family photo with the fabulous Kelly B. on Sunday, Daddy busted out the clippers and did the above artistry. My favorite little mister thought it was so funny, he asked to keep it.

So, this morning, off he went on a chilly morning with a HAPPY FACE buzzed into the side of his head. I warned him of the looks, the laughter and the comments & he still wanted to do it!

Here is the "normal" mohawk side. He started getting a mohawk when he was 4 years old and obsessed with the yellow Mustang cars we would see at the Friday Night Car Show. He asked for a "racing stripe" to go down the middle of his head.

I guess as parents we just think we (& he) should be able to have fun while they are kids. Though, yes, I will be making him cut it into a proper mohawk for our Sunday portraits.

I am amazed that my favorite little mister has enough confidence in who he is to "go against the flow" as the Christian lingo would say & go to school with this crazy hair. I hope this self assurance overflows into his strong faith in the future when he really WILL need to make hard choices to stand apart.

Grace & Peace,
Julie

p.s. I now am unfortunately committed to using proper grammar (in capitalization) in typing just in case my kids ever do read this blog!

behind the scenes: Aunt Jean's Farm

2011-09-15T09:19:00.014-05:00

This past July 2011, the kids and I went on a little "field trip" to Aunt Jean & Uncle Jack's in Wisconsin. They live on a farm, have 2 gorgeous dogs (keep reading), collect antique tractors, cars, and toys, and have lots of land in which we could run free.

While there, I was in photographer heaven. There were so many unique things around their property to shoot, and so I let the kids play with the dogs while I wandered.

Here is some of the resulting art from that day:

{art available here}

Let the good times roll! This art is inspired by our weekly Friday Night Car Show visits here in Downers Grove. My kids love to walk the loop. This is my aunt's car, which was a gift from my uncle. I think she said it was the first car style she ever owned. So sweet!

{art available here}

For months, I have wanted to add a Grandpa print to compliment my Grandma print, but could not think of just the right image (I did NOT want to use golf, baseball, fishing, or beer...), so as I was looking through my images, I thought this is perfect as all men love cars.

This is the "gas station" in which inside you will find a museum of old toys and goodies. It was like stepping back in time!

My favorite little mister LOVED the visit. From figuring out how some of the old gadgets worked, to petting dogs & sitting on tractors, what could be better?!

And, meet Cider. Aunt Jean's pride & joy. (well, one of them at least :)

{art available here}

The above art was the result of the doggie photoshoot. I wanted to give Aunt Jean something special as a thank you for letting us visit and run her dogs wild, and then I thought, heck, I should sell the art too! There are a LOT of dog lovers out there!

If you have a great photo of your own dog you would like me to create this art with, just contact me & I will help you out!

Here is sunshine girl with Nugget. I wanted to do more photos of him, but look at that tongue!!! This is after they played fetch for quite a while on a hot July day!

What could be better than sloppy doggy kisses?!

And, here is just a sampling of her marvelous gardens!

Grace & Peace,
Julie

remembering

2011-09-12T08:53:00.005-05:00

{art available here}

Yesterday, I spent some time praying for the survivors of 09.11.01 and remembering the many heroes of that day. The real life examples of the above mentioned verse.

I will never forget that day. I was just pulling into Tyndale House Publishers when I heard on the radio, "ANOTHER plane has hit the Towers!" and so, baffled I went in and told my boss who promptly got onto the internet to look up what I had mentioned (the radio people did not really understand at that time what was going on either.)

Within an hour, all of us were watching the events via tv satellite in the chapel in utter shock. We turned it off and one of the leaders of Tyndale got up to lead us in prayer. I remember helping the president of the company look up the following verse:

Then if my people who are called by my name
will humble themselves and pray and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways,
I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins
and restore their land.
—2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT

I also remember later that night the eerie "quietness" of the sky. At the time, we lived in an area in which it we regularly saw many planes flying into O'Hare, but they cancelled all flights for the rest of that day.

{Art available here}

September 11, 2011 also hit me in a deep way as both my father & brother are firemen and to see the NYC department sacrifice their lives for the sake of others, just as Jesus has done for us on the cross, was a very powerful and humbling experience. I KNOW both my father & brother would have been in those buildings if duty called them there.

Tyndale House, the publisher whom I design book covers for, released the book Let's Roll based on Lisa Beamer's biography of her life with Todd as well as the events of that day. At the time, she was pregnant with their 3rd child. I am sure all of you remember her strength, grace, and poise as she went to Washington D.C. and other events to represent the families of victims.

I often wonder what ever happened to her and her family and wish them much grace and peace on this day.

grace & peace,
Julie

2012 Calendar + GIVEAWAY! + Back to School

2011-09-05T21:14:00.010-05:00

{sunshine girl: 1st grade: showing off her kitty lunchbox, which she refuses to put in her backpack to ensure that people will see it & admire it... oh, the effects of first grade peer pressure... first day she wanted to come home & put a headband in her hair & wear a certain color the next day!}

{my favorite little mister: fresh mohawk to begin 3rd grade: this picture cracks me up, as he is yawning in the line to go into school, even though he's been up (like EVERY day) since oh, you know, 6:30 a.m. he is my early bird morning person, so to catch him yawning was funny}

{pumpkin-poos: 3 yr old preschool: soooo excited about school & anything to possibly do to be more like her brother & sister! the teachers make fun of the backpack i got for her, saying, "someday she will grow into it!"}

well, with the start of the school year that meant the start of me filling out my family calendar & it got me thinking how i have not shared my calendar with you all since it has officially hit stores! it is getting good response & i have a limited quantity here to sell, so if you are interested either contact me or purchase your signed copy here.

{this is the cover}

{and these are the sample pockets, though everything has flipped due to the publisher adding a second pocket at the last minute & thus flipping these front pockets to go the other way... just a disclaimer}

these calendars make great gifts, either to yourself or a friend, coworker, teacher, church leader, etc... a very affordable way to get a lot of my art up on your walls & with a touch of color!

they are very practical in that each month has 2 pockets at the bottom of the grid, in which you can store bills, invitations, coupons, etc... & each & every day, you will be encouraged with truth from Scripture!

i am also going to be giving away one calendar this week!

to enter, please go to my facebook page and:

to gain one entry: go to my facebook page, "like me", and leave a post on my wall telling me your favorite month of the year. (you will find the link to my facebook page in the left hand column of this blog...the big blue button)

to gain two entries: follow the above, then post this giveaway on your facebook or twitter or blog, and tell me that you have done so on my facebook wall

to gain three entries: go to my facebook page, leave a post, then if you purchase anything from my shop you will earn another entry & go add that to my facebook page

BONUS: if you purchase a calendar in the month of september, you will also receive a little surprise gift from me when your package arrives, as a little thank you gift for supporting my art.

*** a winner will be chosen on 9.10.11 {oh, fun!} & must live in the u.s.a.

grace & peace,
julie

celebrate & mom {grandma} DO NOT LOOK!

2011-09-04T15:31:00.014-05:00

2 weeks ago, my fabulous, hard-working, brilliant, cute, dedicated, awesome daddy-to-our-children & hubby graduated with his masters of nursing from Rush University of Chicago! he had taken a sabbatical from his teaching position to pursue his dream of clinically applying all of his anatomy & physiology knowledge.

it was a long, hard 21 months, but we made it! he was even nominated by his cohort to give the student speech at the ceremony & needless to say, it was up to sam fashion. :)

YES!

these images {taken at the warren dunes in michigan} basically sum up visually how we all feel inside now that he is done & i have my hubby back!

FREEDOM!

JOY!

{o.k., grandma: this is where you should stop viewing the images}

today, sam went SKYDIVING with a good friend to both celebrate his masters as well as help a friend conquer a fear.

since i did not go {mind you, i DID want to go with the kids in case we had to quickly go to a hospital} since they left at 5 a.m., we do not have photos of him skydiving, but here are some of pumkin-poos doing her version of sky-diving / chinese acrobatics!

he has been doing this with them since they could hold their head up strong. they love it. i am {almost} used to it.

{art available here}

and, to all of you nurses out there: i have GREAT respect and admiration for you. YOU are truly making a difference in so many lives, both patients & families. thank you for you acts of service and dedication to your field & further pursuing great health care for all in the world.

grace & peace,
julie

easy breezy {downers grove photography}

2011-08-29T14:15:00.013-05:00

{16x20 custom collage canvas or cafe mount...LOVE it
since i can get so many great photos on one piece of art!}

hi there, i am back & hope the first week of school went well for everyone! i have been doing lots of fun stuff, both with the family & with work projects. my hubby officially graduated with his masters degree in nursing from Rush University last week! the kids started school & i have been designing my 2013 calendar (i will show you soon!) as well as 3 books for tyndale house publishers! it's been a whirlwind of a month, but i wanted to show you another beautiful family i had the privilege of shooting.

i photographed them right after this shoot {insert smile here} & i did NOT know what to do with myself... i mean, they just stood there & SMILED. no bribing, no tears, no whoopie cushion. nada.

so, what did i do? i made them jump, jump, jump!

and, here are some more lovely portraits. don't you just love how all of the children look so unique from one another? i have loved studying their photos, their faces, their details. they are truly blessed!

grace & peace,
julie

behind the scenes: friendship {AND a GIVEAWAY!}

2011-08-15T21:37:00.015-05:00

{original photo: warren dunes, michigan}

i came across a lovely saying by poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge a while back and i knew immediately that i wanted to use it for one of my inspirational pieces.

it simply says,
"Friendship is a sheltering tree"

{tweaked photo: where i remove the people, beach "stuff",
add a beautiful & refreshing sky and
soften the focus a bit to make it more dreamy}

{final art: sepia version}

now, this saying struck my heart immediately, as i deeply cherish the friendships in my life. and, you know how they are all unique? well, i love that too. i've got the life long friends who have known me since childhood, whom i think of quite often and yet am terrible about keeping in touch. i've got the college friends who saw me grow and change so much into the woman i am now, and who also witnessed me falling in love with my hubby. i've got the mommy friends who i can meet at the park and ask each other for practical advice and just play with our kids. i've got the artist friends with whom we have an instant bond and connection based on our passion for creativity. i love all of the different connections i have experienced with my friends.

{final art: black & white version}

ok, now back to the dunes where we went about a month ago. have you been on the beach when it is so hot, your feet are literally burning in the sand?! well, since i am a midwesterner, i had not. but, that day it was so hot my sunshine girl was crying and i did not blame her. but, the really amazing thing was when you went under the shade of this tree, the sand was instantly cool to your feet.

life can be difficult. we all know that. but, thank God for good, solid friends who are that sheltering tree for us, providing for us refreshment and rest in our time of need (heck, anytime at all!) a true friend loves, protects, and shelters our hearts, providing life and nourishment to our souls.

again, i am so thankful to have those friends!

so, who is YOUR sheltering tree? and, would you like to show them your thanks by giving them this art?!

this week, i will be giving away to ONE lucky winner*
1 5x7 framed "friendship is a sheltering tree" piece AND
1 5x7 framed piece for you to keep for yourself!

to gain one entry: go to my facebook page, "like me", and leave a post on my wall telling me the name of your friend you would like to give the art to. (you will find the link to my facebook page in the left hand column of this blog...the big blue button)

to gain two entries: follow the above, then post this giveaway on your facebook or twitter, and tell me that you have on my facebook wall

to gain three entries: go to my facebook page, leave a post, then if you purchase anything from my shop you will earn another entry & go add that to my facebook page

BONUS FOR THE WEEK: you can enjoy FREE shipping on any purchase in my shop by entering the coupon code: 08FREESHIP

go spread the word and show a little love to your friends!

*offer good for domestic purchases and prizes only. i will choose a winner 08.20.11

grace & peace,
julie

irish blessings {Downers Grove Photography}

2011-08-11T13:27:00.015-05:00

last saturday i had the joy of meeting a new family & photographing them at Danada {in drizzly weather!} the dad is from ireland, so his accent was the coolest. the dog, farley, brought a new dimension to the family portrait & it was so fun {my first family with a doggie shoot!}. the above shot is the "nice family portrait" for the living room, once they had gathered & all looked at the camera, even farley! i love how the daughter took charge of the dog & leaned in to him.

then, mr. farley "had an itch" & the above captures the true family at heart! belly laughs from the parents, as the kids (& i) look in complete wonder as to what on earth this dog is doing?!

i love the above portrait. this little guy gave me a run for my money. if i thought shooting 7 kids, ages 6 & under was a challenge, well, this shoot gave me a whole new challenge. so, at this point in the shoot, he would not play with me or give me a real smile, and i thought it was so funny to pair him with a smiley face balloon {which, sad to say, his little sis was afraid of!}

oh & by the way, i unfortunately did NOT pull out my whoopie cushion. my big mistake & take away lesson: use the whoopie!

thanks to the help of his parents, i captured some really adorable smiles.
{plus, a bribe of a lollipop never hurts.}

and, here is the little sis! i could not get over her red curls and love of the camera. is she not a future irish dancer?!

if you enlarge this photo a lot, you can literally see the raindrops!

here is some art based on my life verse design irish blessing & irish family blessings, personalized just for them with their own family portrait.

and, here are some 10x20 designs i created for the kiddos!

grace & peace,
julie

i love michigan!

2011-08-08T22:02:00.003-05:00

a month ago we took a mini family vacation
to lake michigan & we had the best time:
blueberry picking
raspberry picking
cherry picking
(a chen vacation revolves around food most often)
the dunes
sun
sand
sweet breezes
3 very happy kids

here is a 10x20 canvas i created based on a handful of my favorite images, which i took at sunset in st. joseph, michigan near the lighthouse pier.

michigan was not only incredibly relaxing, but also inspiring & i have 2 new pieces up my sleeve.

...more coming soon!

grace & peace,
julie

i thank GOD for WHOOPIE CUSHIONS {Downers Grove Photography}

2011-08-02T19:40:00.010-05:00

QUESTION: what do you get when you take 7 kids, ages 6 and under and try to sit them next to each other, all look in one direction, and say "CHEESE"?

ANSWER: a really wild & crazy photo shoot!

the above design was created with some of those crazy, beautiful shots which i took last saturday at one of my new favorite locations in the neighborhood, Fishel Park in beautiful downtown Downers Grove!

the photos are a gift for the grandma's birthday, so since there were so many great shots, i decided to design a 16x20 custom contemporary canvas in which she can display the main shot (her & the grandkids) along with many adorable out-takes.

here is a 10x20 contemporary canvas i have come up with for little miss jenna's room.

ok, click on the image to zoom in real close & check out her curls & lashes. TO DIE FOR!

above is a nostalgic style 16x20 canvas i have come up, so that these beauties remain timeless throughout the ages.

here are 2 silly cousins. OH & i cannot forget to mention the whole purpose of the title of this post: knowing it may (ahem) be a difficult shoot, i went armed with lollipops, a barking dog, a rubber duckie, and best of all, the FANTASTIC giggle-getter: my son's whoopie cushion. oh my. 5 little boys could not get enough of it; even the little sweet girls had to hold it. so funny!

here is that other sweetie pie. just look at those brown eyes.

and, why does she look so happy above? well, because her prize (i mean bribe) was lollipops. not just one, but two, thank you very much.

i have never been so entertained at a shoot. this one really taught me a lot & i cannot thank the parents enough for their help and involvement as i stood dumbfounded wondering how to gain control. ha! the great thing is that i got some really beautiful shots, as well as some silly ones!

if you would like me to transform your photography into a work of art, as shown in the samples above, please contact me through my email or etsy shop. thanks!

grace & peace,
julie

Little Mister McB

2011-07-29T12:21:00.007-05:00

meet Little Mister McB.

who truly is a gift from above.
he is a miracle baby in every sense of the word,
and boy am i glad i get to know him!

my camera could not get enough of those
bright, blue eyes and that toothy smile.

his eyes are really that blue!

and, here's the happy family. Daddy McB is one of our dearest college friends & we love his wife as well. you cannot deny the adorable-ness of their offspring, eh?! they have done good.

we walked up to the park with the fantastic fountain for some fun water shots. and, of course, a little spray in the face!

enjoy! & if you are interested in me adding artistic text and meaningful messages to your own family photos, give me a holler!

grace & peace,
julie

blogworthy: slumber party

2011-07-27T22:23:00.006-05:00

a few weeks ago, this is what i found on "the nightly check"... you know, you tuck the kids, go downstairs, work or clean or relax, and go back up later to make sure they are o.k.

well, on this night i tucked the kids & came down to work back to back w/the hubby. it sounded like a construction zone above us, so i knew this was gonna be good.

all 3 kids share a room & the really amazing thing about it is that pumpkin-poos sleeps through everything while the 2 big kids go nuts. (see pumpkin-poo's hand in the very right side of the photo above?! so funny.)

here is a close up of sunshine girl. nice feet in the face (almost!)

here is a close up of my favorite little mister. see his dragonfly above the bed? we created 2 more shadow boxes of dead bugs he had cared for last week. so cool. think cicadas, beetles, and grasshoppers!

and, here is pumpkin-poos, totally passed out & content.

oh, the joys of kids!

grace & peace,
julie

my ballerina girl

2011-07-22T12:30:00.007-05:00

pumpkin-poos, my ballerina girl,
looking out our front porch window for doggies walking by

she grabs her pretend pup & shoots me her deep, dark eyes
{oh, how i love this shot!}

she sweetly adores her pup, dreaming of a real one someday

{art available here}
and, here is her big sis ballerina, all dressed up
& ready to wave her magic wand!

grace & peace,
julie

more anniversary love

2011-07-21T09:39:00.002-05:00

recently a customer asked me if i could personalize this print for her anniversary, so i decided to create one for me too! you too could get one now available for a small fee for the personalization. just contact me if you are interested!

i am also trying to edit the million of pics i have shot this summer! so much good stuff to show you. coming soon i hope! (unless i melt in this midwest heat :)

grace & peace,
julie

14 years & they lived happily ever after.

2011-07-19T21:53:00.003-05:00

{click on images so that you can view them larger}

today marks the day i blissfully married my best beloved! we were 23 & 21 at the time (yes, I am the older woman), he still in college & breaking all chinese traditions marrying me, oh-so-young & in love!

14 years later, sam, you remain my best beloved & my best friend in all the world. your love, gentleness, kindness & compassion amaze me daily as you totally display the fruit of the Spirit in our home.

i decided to create some artwork to commemorate the occasion. these pieces will give you a sneak peek into a whole new concept i have for my business: taking people's photographic memories & creating them into a work of art. a timeless treasure.

i have created it in 2 ways:
1. julie style (ie: antique & textured)

(ok, might i just add right here that our first major fight was while registering for the wedding: i wanted cream towels & he wanted bright white. i wanted a decorative shower curtain & he wanted a plain white shower liner! the fight went much deeper than that, but i seriously looked at him & thought who are you? i thought he liked what i liked. boy, was i wrong!)

the small box shows our names & wedding date, as well as my vows to him. (we each wrote our own personal vows). the dark green was our wedding color & the script text in the background on the green side is the vows once again.

{photo of us today by hopskip photography}

2. sam style (clean & contemporary)

(did i mention we are opposites?!) sam could design any of my book covers in 3 colors: black, white & red. minimalism at its best. so, this one's for you babe.

it reads yesterday & today you will always have my heart.

2 great concepts for either a memorable wedding gift or anniversary gift!

contact me if you are interested. oh, these would be 10x20 canvases.

grace & peace,
julie

Behind the Scenes: Wisdom

2011-07-18T14:32:00.008-05:00

PROVERBS 9:9-10
Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

in our home, we talk a lot about the difference between knowledge and wisdom. you can know you should do something (or not do it), but unless you follow through with the right choices, you are not living in wisdom. wisdom takes the knowledge you have been given and puts it into action.

i love how Proverbs 9:10 expresses that it is the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom (or what i like to think of as true wisdom for your eternal life). when we fear him and have a holy respect and reverence for His presence, we will more likely chose to act in a wise way and lead lives guided by wisdom, as opposed to simple selfish and temporary desires.

{book image from the scholastic books website}

now, i know the "owl thing" may be oh-so-last year, but i don't really care. it is the perfect image to go with wisdom. plus, currently in our home we are surrounded by owls. from my son's passion for reading the guardian of ga'hoole series in which he is being challenged with knowing real truth (as opposed to what others just tell you) & true bravery, courage, and loyalty to

pumpkin-poo's new bedding (from december when she moved in with big brother & big sister), owls are now a part of our life.

now that i knew i wanted to visually illustrate this verse for our home and my children, how on earth would i photograph an owl?!

i was also inspired by one of my favorite photographers and this gorgeous photograph, which i emailed her to ask how on earth she got such an awesome shot. she replied quickly, basically saying, "it's dead." (she shot it at a natural history museum!)

i knew exactly what nature center i would go to, so we took a family field trip to chicago & i was able to photograph the owl (above). (i do not know what type of owl it is off hand, but if you ask my son, he is sure to tell you.)

the art is available in my shop!

art prints, metallic cafe mounts, and canvases
are available in either sepia or black & white.

may you live in wisdom!

grace & peace,
julie

GIVEAWAY!

2011-07-13T08:43:00.004-05:00

my new friend, jill savage, was gracious enough to do a mini interview with me about choosing to be a stay at home mommy, being willing to live with "less", and work from home.

for all of you mommies out there, get in touch with her blog & her ministry Hearts at Home. i have attended 2 conferences now & read jill's book Real Moms Real Jesus (very practical & encouraging! you WILL relate big time!) she is one amazing woman & someone you will want to be "mentored" by!

she is also doing a giveaway, of any print of your choice from my shop!

hurry & enter the contest at her blog!

contest ends friday at noon!

OH & here's a little secret, between now & friday, i am also offering in my shop FREE shipping on any purchase! in the etsy checkout, just enter the coupon code JILLFREESHIP

thanks & i hope you win!

grace & peace,
julie

BIG NEWS! Partnership with Beechdale Frames

2011-07-12T21:26:00.004-05:00

hi there, i just wanted to officially announce to the world my partnership with Beechdale Frames, in which they are framing my 8x10 & 12x18 prints in gorgeous espresso frames for sale on a wholesale basis.

So, if you are a retailer looking for some inspirational art for your shop, please go take a peek at my new goodies!

They are carrying 30 of my designs, in both size options & i must say ... seeing my art in the 12x18 size makes me want to do them even larger (kind of like my 16x20 canvases!)

oh, how i love them.

i was also completely humbled and surprised when they sent me my very own catalog! wow. i hope God blesses their heart & their desire to get God's Word out into homes in new & beautiful ways.

they are currently (& i mean TODAY) at the International Christian Retail Show (otherwise known in the biz as ICRS) debuting my line & low & behold, they won an award for the look of the booth! another little surprise which is so fun & humbling. (oh & it has been so fun to have some of my fellow tyndale workers stop by & see my art!)

in the midst of all of this, i just keep thinking of a portion of my own life verse out of ephesians which ends with the fact that God is able to do above & beyond all we can ask or imagine. so true. He is so gracious to me. thanks be to my God & all glory to HIM!

grace & peace,
julie

first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes . . .

2011-07-05T22:39:00.007-05:00

just over a year ago now,
i had the joy of shooting my cousin's wedding {see the pics here}

a couple weeks ago i had the new joy of
shooting them expecting their first baby boy together!

what a beautiful mama!

a simple, quick spur of the moment shoot in my aunt's backyard.

i gave the little one this print, as it is true: every good & perfect gift does come from above.

lots more to share down the pipe. i have been having a great summer with the kids & taking lots of photos. i am also working on new art ideas as well as designing my own website. the balance of work & play has proven to be a struggle lately in my heart, but i am choosing play since they will only be little once & here in illinois, we only have so many days of sunshine!

ok, should be sleeping... just wanted to get these pics up before she pops & has the baby!

grace & peace,
julie

blogworthy: MY OWN HIPPO

2011-06-29T21:23:00.009-05:00

my hubby & i have started a new little phrase around the house, "now, that is blogworthy." i have realized so far these moments have dealt with crazy or cute things the kids have done & yesterday was no exception!

i had the joy & honor to meet a new artist friend & sister in Christ, sherri, yesterday as i welcomed her into my home to "talk shop" & fellowship & encourage one another & as we talked the kids were playing in the backyard.

now, i must say i periodically peeked out back & our yard is fenced in, just so you know i am not that terrible of a mom to neglect her playful children.

so, i walked sherri out & headed to the backyard & the above image is what caught my eye.

pumpkin-poos BEAMED with joy & exclaimed,
"i a hippo mommy!"

she LOVES hippos. and baboons. and doggies. and zebras. and daddy's dolphins. and grandma's kitties.

ok, i had to stop.

should i be mad? or swallow my own advice which i recently dished out to my hubby: kids need to be kids, let them PLAY! {note: my hubby does not even like a crumb on their face, much less their bodies covered in mud}

so, i had to choose to laugh, get the camera to document the hippo occasion for daddy & then hose them down all before lunch.

here is our swingset swamp.

oh & another funny thing about pumpkin-poos is that she loves water. even ice cold water hosing her mud off!

here is another swamp monster.

i also this week had an important talk with "the big kids" about including their little sister in their play & well, today they obviously took my advice & you should have seen her smile at ALL of their AMAZING attention, egging her on to put more mud over her body.

and, here is the other culprit.
{more on sunshine girl later}

after looking at the mud that covered them, it also later made me think about how Jesus' blood washes us clean, perfectly clean, of all of our dirty sin. wow. thanks be to God.

more coming... i've been super busy over here. lots of fun work & fun play!

grace & peace,
julie

behind the scenes: be like Christ -Philippians 2

2011-06-20T22:14:00.012-05:00

{PHOTO © SLAVOMIR ULICNY,
i assume it was taken in eastern europe}

Philippians 2:5

Your attitude should be
the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider
equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant . . .

we often have heard these words of the apostle paul in regards to Jesus Christ and His ultimate humility in servant hood, and this past sunday i ran across an article in the chicago tribune that has challenged me to the core and brought to life in modern context a couple who is truly being Jesus to others.

please follow the link, as long as it is live, watch the interview with jimi & be as humbled & challenged as i have been.

jimi & kate allen have graciously opened their lives to an alcoholic homeless man for the past 5 years. 5 years & going. they have reached out to him, though as the article states, it is not always smooth sailing. i am so impressed by their love and selflessness through their acts of compassion and love to fellow man, as they are truly doing life with tony.

you see, my family supports the poor through prayer & giving to compassion international and world relief, but bringing them into your home, even inviting them to sit at the head table of your wedding banquet is a whole other level! wow. i love how in jimi's interview he compares their wedding to the banquet in heaven in which Jesus will seat us at the head table, though we truly do not deserve to be there.

i love how there is such honesty in the article of trying times & that it has not been a magical overnight success, but rather selfless love & giving shown without any expectations in return. they are changing a life for eternity.

now, what on earth does this book cover have to do with helping the poor & being a humble servant?

i know jimi allen through my work at tyndale house publishers & chose him to photograph these darling girls for my cover design.

jimi allen is an amazing photographer & visionary all around. you can view more of his work here and here.

oh & you can see more of the photo journalist's work on this story here!

{little side note: i think it is SO FUN that jimi married his assistant, kate, as back when we did the cover shoot, they were not "together" at least that i knew of}

ok, back to the moral of my story: your attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus: humble, serving, looking out for others interests, sacrificial, loving . . . Lord, change my heart to be more like yours.

{art available here}

may this story challenge you & encourage you as it has me!

grace & peace,
julie

3 generations

2011-06-13T21:53:00.014-05:00

a few weeks ago on a soggy saturday morning, i had the joy of photographing some of my husband's childhood friends, now all grown up & parents themselves.

they chose the Downers Grove History Museum grounds which is a lovely location giving a variety of styles (beautiful landscaping, homey porch, and structured architecture of a barn).

i loved seeing the 3 generations interact, especially how those cute babies love their ama & agong!

here is the brother, his wife, and their little darling.

and here is the sister, her hubby (who are both architects so i wanted
them standing by the linear structure to frame them :),
and of course, their sweet boy.

cousins with arms around each other!
too cute.
{of course, this is before they poked each others eyes out}

i could not get enough of those deep brown eyes & chubby cheeks!

and, she was just like a little angel
in that soft flowing dress & bare feet!

i created a few family portraits in my life verse design style:
love the tender way this mommy is gazing at her baby boy!

lots of love & giggles were shared with this sweety.

thanks for another great shoot!

if anyone out there has a high res image they would like me to re-create in my life verse style with their favorite verse, saying, or poem, let me know by contacting me through my shop and i will get you some quotes of cost & sizes.

grace & peace,
julie

blue eyes & tons o' fun

2011-06-08T21:50:00.011-05:00

i did a fun little photoshoot last weekend of a family with ... get this ... BLUE eyes! {as a mommy to chinese lookin' babies, it is rare that i get the privilege to shoot blue eyes}

just adore with me these sweet sisters, whom my daughter immediately fell in love with too.

so, you will note a progression in these portraits which also reflects how i learn something new in each and every photoshoot i do.

my number one lesson in this session was:
get to know your client.

you see, i had spoken to them briefly {in fact, i went to college with them many years ago!} and based on work they had seen me do, i felt i had a good idea of how to capture them.

but, when mommy D. showed up with WHITE pants, i thought to myself, "uh-oh!"
as i had been thinking of making them hog pile on the ground, straddle rocks, etc.. etc...

little did i know how game she was to do anything i asked them to do & how totally fun & relaxed they were! the girls loosened up and danced and ran like wild, which was just what i wanted: to show energy, true personality, and magic.

one of my all time favorite family portrait shots happens to be the above shot, which daddy D. gets all the credit for. when he mentioned jumping like the old toyata commercials, i was totally game, as was the entire family! look at how high daddy D. can jump! {btw, to all you photographers out there: this is indeed one frame & i did not have to swap bodies or heads to get it... a true miracle}

oh, and i cannot forget to mention the beautiful wardrobe choice by mommy D. look at those colors! and how they all work together & yet are different!

and, lastly here are the sweet sisters again & what i have created in my life verse style out of their image.

priceless. timeless.

thanks for a GREAT shoot!

grace & peace,
julie

FREE shipping in JUNE!

2011-06-01T21:14:00.002-05:00

to officially celebrate the wonderful, long awaited arrival of summer, i am offering in my shop FREE shipping off any purchase for the entire month of june!

when checking out thru etsy, in the coupon code box, just write in JUNEFREESHIP

feel free to pass this coupon code along to all of your friends, use it as many times as you like, but it is for domestic shipping only. an especially great deal on canvases & cafe mounts!

if you want to order directly through me, just include it in your email.

i have lots to show you all. been quite busy with work & play. a few family photoshoots to edit, new stuff with life verse, and of course, playing outdoors with the kiddos. ahhh. love the sunshine.

grace & peace,
julie

naperville riverwalk wedding photos

2011-05-20T22:47:00.007-05:00

the day was perfect.
a happy couple, an intimate setting (with a crowd of onlookers that is),
warm sun, soft breeze, water, trees, a covered bridge,
playfulness, love, & beauty all around.

thanks for giving me the privilege of photographing your wedding!
loving shooting on the naperville riverwalk.
congrats!

grace & peace,
julie

NEW! Adoption themed prints

2011-05-20T10:43:00.012-05:00

{fine art prints available here}

it seems these days i am surrounded by friends who are adopting, i can think of at least 6 people in my life who are either in the process or have just brought a little one home. i cannot tell you how much i admire these families: they are literally changing lives for these children, giving them a hope and a future they most likely would not have ever had. they live out their faith and sacrifice for the sake of others.

i have had an adoption print for a few years which i created for DEMDACO, but when my friend brought home her little boy from the congo, she alluded to the fact that my artwork is a little "vanilla".

well, i agreed & took her up on a little photoshoot with herself, the proud mama of 2 beautiful boys, and her precious new baby!

{fine art prints available here}

i then created the above Scripture of Ephesians 1:4-6, as i have always loved the idea of being CHOSEN by God the Father, and as He adopts us into His heavenly kingdom, so my friends are choosing and adopting their children into their earthly homes.

{fine art prints available here}

and, the above passage found in james always makes me think of our old church, first baptist of downers grove. they are TRULY living out this Scripture: many of the women i know who are adopting or have adopted attend this church and the church runs an entire widows ministry in which they serve and encourage the widows of the church. it is truly amazing and incredibly admirable.

{fine art prints available here}

this is the original "vanilla" adoption print... and, in my defense, it is actually multi-cultural: can't you tell that is an asian hand with a mixed baby hand?! (my hubby & my daughter) ha!

if any of you are in the process of adopting and are doing fundraisers for your adoption, please contact me with your story and i would love to let you know what i am willing to offer. you can contact me through my shop.

grace & peace,
julie

2012 Seasons of Faith Calendar by Julie Chen

2011-05-15T20:55:00.006-05:00

i am so thrilled to announce my 2012 calendar has recently arrived at my doorstep! it is a very handy-dandy utilitarian calendar in that at the bottom of each month's design there are 2 pockets in which you can store cards, receipts, tickets, invitations... you name it... any type of reminder you need is at your fingertips.

the calendar is produced by avalanche publishing who is the sister company of lang!

here is a month by month sampler of art:

i will have these for sale in the shop later in the year, but for now KELLY McC YOU will be getting one on tuesday as a special thanks for giving me the idea to create such a product. (she so sweetly last year said, "i would decorate with more of your art, but am out of wall space! can't you make a calendar?!" or something like that :)

grace & peace,
julie

downers grove photography locations

2011-05-11T22:55:00.000-05:00

downers grove photography!

i wanted to be able to show my child & family photography clients some recent shots i have taken around town and in neighboring suburbs, so that they can chose what will fit their "look" the best... here goes! (get ready, there are LOTS of adorable chen kid photos in this post :)

DOWNTOWN HINSDALE

{must be shot on a sunday afternoon, when the shops are closed & the town is nice & quiet. has great brick textures, pathways, landscaping, and brightly colored doors, as well as close to the traintracks so that we can get an urban feel}

DOWNERS GROVE HISTORY MUSEUM

{to die for bluebells, though i do not know how much longer they will be in bloom; a great barn to create a grid for your pic, sweet bench, path, trees, and a big ole white porch}

FULLERSBURG FOREST PRESERVE IN OAK BROOK

{great stone textures and steps to frame a family; a lovely bridge; nature; paths; beautiful anytime of year!} {see more here}

OBRIEN PARK DOWNERS GROVE

{tons of green grass; a HUGE hill for great angle; a bridge; rows of trees; playgrounds}

GILBERTS PARK / MAPLE GROVE FOREST PRESERVE
DOWNERS GROVE

{especially stunning in the fall, but anytime of year...a lovely forest and another bridge; some stonework nearby}

THE MORTON ARBORETUM

{anything nature you can imagine: trees, flowers, lush grass... one of my favorite all time locations ... does cost extra though for a photography permit} {to see LOTS more of the morton arboretum shots, just click on my label on the left}

there you have it! thanks for sticking with me :)
enjoy choosing your favorite locations!

grace & peace,
julie

mommy guilt

2011-05-09T21:27:00.005-05:00

{my lovelies at the morton aroboretum}

i hope all of you mommies had a lovely mother's day! our day was great. earlier in the week pumpkin poos gave me a splendid paper crown & macaroni necklace (which i wore all day), my favorite little mister wrote me an acrostic poem and woke me up with origami flowers (which will never die) & my sunshine girl created a whole "MOM" book in kindergarten...

just what i needed from sunshine girl: a little dose of mommy guilt! if you cannot read the page, it says, "All day my mom works" & the drawing, well! it is EXACTLY what i look like!

ugh.

i know it's perception & i do my best to work when they are fully occupied, but evidently that is not going as well as i had hoped, as this is what she thinks of me?!

i also created this custom art for a friend, whose hubby did great arranging for the gift & kiddos kept the secret from mommy! it was such a fun shoot, full of bribery & piggy toes. the poem was given to my friend from her grandmother & i am now thinking i will need to create one of these images for my own home too!

grace & peace,
julie

some thoughts on mothering

2011-05-05T12:47:00.006-05:00

{an authentic robin's nest taken after our visit to the farm
at my hubby's cousin's house;
mama bird decided to nest on their front porch!}

with mother's day soon approaching, i have been thinking about how i have personally changed as a mommy of three wonderful blessings. mothering has grown me in ways i did even know were possible. you see, though i always wanted to have children, i am not the "kid type"... well, more like not the "baby type". pass me your baby & he or she will surely be crying within minutes. that said, sam & i waited a bit to start our family & wow.... how God has blown me away at the pure joy of mothering.

it is an awesome blessing & responsibility to nurture my little ones into adults who will someday spread their own wings and fly out into the world. who knew my heart could love so much? so endlessly. so selflessly. so unconditionally. i try to with my hubby of course, but really, in a marriage relationship there is give & take. a thank you. a smile. a gesture of love given back.

but, a newborn?! they sleep. they poop. they cry. a lot.
and yet, the instant i met my miracles, my heart fell fully in love with them forever. not based on what they did or who they would become, but simply because they were MINE. flesh of my flesh.

and, that gave me just a glimpse and realization of how our Heavenly Father loves us. definitely NOT because of what we have "done", but simply because we are His. He is all-out-fully in love with us. we are His.

as a mom, i have grown:
more compassionate, more selfless, more aware of our world and it's needs, more playful again (woohoo! an excuse to jump through a sprinkler or fingerpaint), more discerning towards others, more loving, more generous, more concerned for others well-being (like the other mommy who may be having one of those days & i can just smile & say, "i've been there too... my child too threw a fit in the library while trying not to leave, so i had to carry her football style out with everyone watching."), and i am sure i have grown in other ways also.

what has most changed in you since entering the journey of motherhood?

{here is the day i was forever changed,
the day my favorite little mister was born}

{here is the day my heart expanded even MORE,
how could i love ANOTHER child so much?!
well, that love came so strong & i love sunshine girl so much}

{and, here is the third surprise blessing in my life,
pumpkin poos, i could not imagine life without you;
your smile, your spirit, your kisses & hugs
and look at what a great photographer daddy became!}

happy early mother's day to all you mommies out there! and to the grandmas who are STILL mommies :)

grace & peace,
julie

craving grace & the power of design

2011-04-27T21:04:00.011-05:00

my latest book design {in print} came this week & i could not wait to crack this baby open for a good read!

if any of you are new to reading my blog, besides being a wife, mommy, and creative director of Life Verse Design, i am also proud to be a book designer for Tyndale House Publishers. i worked in-house for 7 years (see some of my portfolio here) & once the babies came along, i became a freelancer, working from home.

so, yes, i get the best of both worlds and i am forever grateful. i love books & i love Tyndale.

there are so many things about book design that i love. one of which is, i guess, the power of it. you see, i always judge a book by it's cover. how can a visual person like me not?! another thing i love is that no 2 jobs are alike (unless you are creating a series), but really ... there is no such thing as boredom in book design!

it has also been a privilege to work with authors whom i admire, and as a book designer, an author's encouragement can mean the world to you. to know that you (the visual person) truly connected with the author (the wordsmith) is a magical moment.

here are lisa's own words concerning my cover:

When I saw the design, I thought, "That's exactly what the story is." The imagery captured so well the abundance of God's grace pouring out, which was exactly what I was trying to get across in the book. At the time I was still in the middle of some edits, and had been frustrated because I couldn't seem to express a few key points in the right way. But seeing the cover gave me the motivation to keep going, and I didn't stop until the message matched the image. So thank you, more than you know, for being a very important part of the process. I'm so grateful.

wow. thank YOU lisa for your huge encouragement, both to me & to my entire Tyndale design team and all you other designers out there... there is power in your designs!

if you would like to see my other concepts which i had created for this title, go here.

if you would like to get to know lisa more, go here.

if you would like to PURCHASE THE BOOK, go here.

if you would like to "like" craving grace & lisa on facebook, go here.

oh, and one last fun tidbit: those are my sticky hands on the cover. i sat on a stool in a pretty little dress, holding the jar of honey as my art director literally POURED the rest of the honey over my hands and it trickled down the dress. one of the most interesting photoshoots i have been a part of & particularly funny as people in the office at Tyndale were walking by wondering what on earth we were doing. cover photo is shot by the magnificently talented stephen vosloo.

go buy a copy of this wonderful book and allow His grace to pour over you too :)

grace & peace,
julie

our easter celebration

2011-04-26T21:05:00.016-05:00

easter was especially meaningful to me this year. i don't know if it was a wonderful glimpse of spring at last & the new life that comes with it, time at the farm, or simply the Holy Spirit at work in my heart, but it will be an easter i treasure up for a long time.

i was so excited to be invited to farmer sandy's egg hunt with some other friends, in which the kids got to find TONS of hidden eggs (filled with candy of course), dye her farm fresh hard boiled eggs (speckled & all), and then, the grand finale: pet the baby lammies!!!!

here are the kiddos in the big "red" barn. pumpkin-poos had been talking about coming back here since december. literally. turns out she is deathly afraid of mama sheep & the bleating & their size..."too big mommy!" i had to be supermom & try to photograph the mama sheep with their babies while holding my own baby & working the camera. (oh, fun!) my friend dave saved the day & i was so glad she would actually go to him so i could get in the pen to get some great shots (see last post).

here is farmer sandy with her one-eared bunny, peter rabbit. (the bunny looked like he had stuck his paw in an electric socket! fuzziest bunny i have ever seen.) i am forever grateful to farmer sandy, not only for allowing me to come and photograph her beautiful sheep to create art such as this & this, but also for allowing me to bring my 3 little ducklings out to the farm and be able to experience farm life.

my kids are total nature lovers & so growing up in the burbs obviously has it's limitations. i still don't think they've even seen an all out starry sky. cannot wait for that.

while we were leaving the farm, my favorite little mister said under his breath, "it's just so peaceful here." (i would not be at all surprised if he grew up to live out in the country someday!)

in any case, look at those little lambs! and to think of Jesus as our sacrificial lamb who took away our sins was truly amazing.

now, onto easter day! ahh.... back at the arboretum. my beautiful family :)
both boys got a fresh cut that morning... sam had to do a buzz cuz he messed up on his own haircut!

and, does anyone wonder why i call her my sunshine girl?!

this pic of pumpkin poos just kills me everytime i look at it!

and, last but not least, i cannot resist this pic of pumpkin poos with "gampa-gampa" whom she has completely fallen in love with. is it that he is the owner of her 2 favorite kitties perhaps?! she had to hold his hand almost the entire afternoon.

well, there you have it. thanks for sticking through a long post. hope your easter was meaningful also.

grace & peace,
julie

the lamb of God

2011-04-23T21:27:00.003-05:00

Behold,
the Lamb of God
who takes away
the sin of the world

the kids & i got to go to farmer sandy's today to celebrate easter. this photo is of a one week old lamb. so innocent & pure & beautiful. it was amazing how the sheep & lammies responded to her voice (the voice of their shepherd who cares for them so tenderly)...they totally perked up & followed her voice wherever she went. she wisely used this incident as a teachable moment for my kids: that His sheep know His voice & follow Him, just as her sheep know her voice.

{more images to come on this later}

just wanted to say

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!

HE IS RISEN.
the veil is torn.
victory is His.

grace & peace,
julie

Gallery Wraps & Cafe Mounts NOW AVAILABLE!

2011-04-21T13:50:00.018-05:00

i am SO HAPPY to announce a few additions to my shop!
gallery wrap canvases and metallic cafe mounts are
now available here in the shop!

my church had asked for several canvases to decorate the building with,
and once i saw the beauty and quality, as well as the fact that
they are a finished work of art,
i knew i wanted to start selling them online.

here are a couple close ups so that you can begin to see
the craftsmanship of the professional printing.
the color is dead on & i love how the image wraps around the edges.

gallery wraps are available in 3 sizes: 8x10, 11x14, & 16x20

my other new goody is the metallic cafe mount!
these look gorgeous in any of my color schemes:
sepia, black & white, or contemporary color
i think i am especially partial to the black & white
& the shimmer it provides as well as the
contemporary feel of a cafe mount,
which is your print mounted to gatorfoam board
& ready to hang or display on an easel.

the metallic cafe mounts
are available in 2 sizes: 11x14 & 16x20

please see my shop for more details of printing techniques.

these are the other print sizes available.
fine art prints on matte paper.

(& of course, my 8x10 standard print size remains
with the BUY 3 GET THE 4th FREE SALE)

grace & peace,
julie

the kids: our love.

2011-04-19T14:11:00.012-05:00

on sunday, i took the kids out for a photo shoot to scope out some locations for my upcoming shoots & low & behold, the forest preserve was PACKED since it was earth day!

we had a great time meeting an owl, observing turtles & fish and creating lots of crafts as well as planting seeds to grow.

and, here are some pics of my 3 crazy kiddos!
it's been quite a while since i've shot, so it was so great to be out & about again.

my sunshine girl...looking WAY too old in this photo! ugh!

my favorite little mister,
who is less willing to be in front of the camera more & more.

and, pumpkin-poos, who insisted on wearing the binoculars all day
you know, to look through them the wrong way...so cute.

sunshine girl is my super-model, coming up with poses all day.

the magical bridge and sunshine girl.

my favorite little mister actually wanted this shot
because he had climbed to a cool landing.

and, at the end of our walk, pumpkin-poos wanted to hold her big brother's hand
(he is THE favorite person in the world for her!)

i am hoping to shoot some gorgeous magnolia trees soon, if the chicagoland weather ever cooperates that is!

grace & peace,
julie

cross WINNER!

2011-04-15T15:49:00.003-05:00

and the winner is....
CHRIS
who said
"They are ALL so beautiful, but if I had to choose just one,
it would most definitely be 1 Corinthians 13 LOVE ...
that would look lovely in my home :)"

thank you chris! email me & i will try to email you too.

be on the look out for these in local gift & Christian shops!

happy friday. it's dreary here, but april showers bring may flowers.

grace & peace,
julie

Cross: Celebration Giveaway!

2011-04-11T21:26:00.015-05:00

{1 Corinthians 13 LOVE}

an exciting package was delivered to my front door last friday:
my new DEMDACO line of crosses!

to celebrate, i will be doing my first ever blog giveaway.

{Psalm 139 FEARFULLY & WONDERFULLY MADE}

{Psalm 19 THE GLORY OF GOD}

the above 3 crosses are about 16 inches in height;
the art is printed on canvas, then adhered
to a dk brown/black wooden cross
with bronze nails

{Philippians 4 REJOICE ALWAYS}
{Psalm 23 THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD}

{THE SERENITY PRAYER}
{Proverbs 3 TRUST IN THE LORD}

the plaques are about 6x9 in dimension
and also have the artwork printed on canvas
then adhered to a wooden board with nails;
the wooden cross is on top of the canvas
and yet interacts with the scrolls on the art.

{here is a detail of the DEMDACO catalog}

these crosses should be in stores next month, so be on the look out!
to find a store near you, go to the DEMDACO store locator.

To win the cross of YOUR choice:

1. leave a comment here on the blog telling me which piece is your favorite.

2. for one extra entry: like me on facebook, then come back here & tell me you did :)

3. for one other extra entry, blog or facebook or twitter
about this lovely contest and my art,
then come back here & let me know you did

4. for two extra entries: buy anything from the shop

i will choose the winner on friday, april 15
so come on back then to see if you won!

***please note: giveaway is open to US residents only

grace & peace,
julie

more NEW art! (& this is all for now, though there are a million things in my head)

2011-04-06T14:01:00.014-05:00

{art available here}

one of my new favorite pieces,
partly due to the story behind it which i will share at a later date.

{art available here}

perfect for graduation gifts
or any new beginning

{art available here}

finding peace & freedom & balance
in what i am trying to make my simplicity lately

{art available here}

perfect gift for anyone going through
a loss of a loved one or any hard time

{art available here}

cheery art for any kitchen
as a morning reminder that each day IS a new beginning!

{art available here}

perfect gift for anyone being transformed
or for anyone choosing to be released from addictions

{art available here}

all art is available in 8x10 or 5x7 loose or framed formats.

my special is still going:
BUY 3 loose 8x10 PRINTS & GET THE 4th FREE!

in other news, i will be a vendor at the Downers Grove Newcomers Arts & Crafts Fair this Saturday, April 9 from 9-12 at First United Methodist Church 1032 Maple Ave 60515

grace & peace,
julie

behind the scenes: FOCUS

2011-04-04T20:52:00.005-05:00

focus.

i think i need to print a wall sized canvas of the above art so that it's truth is in my face every day.

FOCUS ON JESUS.

{maybe in smaller type it should say,
"AND NOT ON YOU, JULIE!"}

because, when it gets down to it, in my mind i know that is what life is all about.

or do i?

does my life show it, day to day? or am i rather focused on the little tasks & chores (which yes, as a mommy i cannot get away from nor should i) or my selfish struggles of late which i am deeply wrestling with and trying to give over to God.

trying, trying, trying.
working, working, working.
desiring, desiring, desiring.
me, me, me.

my focus so much of the time is on ME. what I want. what I have accomplished. what I dream of.

and then, there is Jesus. the God of the universe who SHOULD have been all about being focused on Himself, the worth & worship He so greatly deserved, but what does He do?

He humbles Himself by becoming a helpless little baby. Spends His entire life serving others, loving others, looking out for their well-being. He even goes so far as choosing death on a cross. He denies Himself so often, and in so many ways.

as a Christ follower, i am called to follow His example.

be humble & not think i deserve it all. be obedient to God the Father in what He has commanded me to do. be gracious & loving, even when it is not given back in return. give of myself freely & generously. worship with all of my heart.

i hope & pray God will grow this FOCUS in me more & more. that my eyes will truly be FIXED on Jesus. that He would increase in me. that i would more fully know & appreciate His love & grace as i draw near to Him.

grace & peace,
julie

easter gift ideas

2011-04-02T11:03:00.012-05:00

a customer recently contacted me with a customized product idea:

business size scriptures which she is going to use as gift tags to attach to easter cookies she is baking, then giving away so people will not only receive a yummy treat on easter, but also the good news of Jesus Christ!

i have a limited quantity of both the john 3:16 verse (above) & the 2 corinthians 5 verse (below)

contact me at lifeverse@gmail.com if you are interested in buying some & i will email you a price quote!

these business cards would be great for any church or ministry to hand out or attach to easter invitations, flowers, visitor information packs.

they would also be great throughout the year to carry in your wallet & use as a witnessing tool to leave with someone or to leave at a restaurant along with the tip, so that they will have a beautiful reminder of God's great love for them.

here are some other great easter decoration ideas,
available in 5x7, 8x10, 11x14 or 12x16:

{art available here}

grace & peace,
julie

Simple Elegance Line Continued

2011-03-29T20:57:00.005-05:00

{art available here}

here are the remaining images from my new simple elegance line.
in a few weeks, this magnolia will be in bloom again.
oh, i cannot wait to photograph it again!
love this piece.

{art available here}

"give yourself grace"
a recurring theme in my life over the past year
(or more...)

{art available here}

and, this is what i will be doing for the next few days
on spring break with the kids...
stopping to smell the roses

i hope you enjoy my new line. i had fun creating it. now, off to grandma's house for a few days.

grace & peace,
julie

NEW Simple Elegance Line

2011-03-28T21:33:00.009-05:00

{art available here}

i am pleased to announce my new line "simple elegance" which are composed of tender shots, quiet design, and classy typography. they are 8x10 in size but can be created larger & are meant to be meditative and simple statements of inspiration and beauty.

{art available here}

{example of art framed}

again, these look gorgeous as a collection, 4 going down a hall or 4 in a grid square in a living room. BUY 3 8X10 loose prints & GET the 4th FREE!

more coming tomorrow!

grace & peace,
julie

More NEW Contemporary Meditative Phrases

2011-03-25T22:28:00.020-05:00

{art available here}

Based on the Scripture from Psalm 28:7,
“The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.”

{art available here}

Based on the Scripture from Proverbs 3:5-6,
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.”

{art available here}

Based on the Scripture from Psalm 106:1,
“Praise the Lord.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His love endures forever.”

{art available here}

Based on the Scripture from Philippians 4:4,
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

{art available here}

Based on the Scripture from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18,
“Be joyful always;
pray continually;
give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

{art available here}

Based on the Scripture from Philippians 4:6-7,
“Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

{art available here}

Based on the Scripture from Deuteronomy 6:5,
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

{art available here}

Based on the Scripture from Revelation 21: 1, 3, 4,
“Then I saw a new Heaven . . .
God’s dwelling place is now among the people,
and He will dwell with them. they will be His people,
and God Himself will be with them and be their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain,
for the old order of things has passed away.”

{art available here}

Based on the Scripture from John 3:16,
“For God so loved the world that He gave
His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish but have eternal life.”

{art available here}

Based on the Scripture from Psalm 29:2,
“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.”

{art available here}

Based on the Scripture from Romans 15:13,
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace
as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

enjoy!
grace & peace,
julie

NEW! Contemporary Meditative Phrases

2011-03-23T15:54:00.013-05:00

{available here}
Based on the Scripture from John 15:5,
“I am the vine, you are the branches;
he who abides in me and I in him,
he bears much fruit,
for apart from me you can do nothing.”

{available here}
Based on the Scripture from 2 Corinthians 1:20,
“For no matter how many promises God has made,
they are “yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen”
is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

{available here}
based on the Scripture from 1 John 3:1a,
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God!
And that is what we are!”

{available here}
Based on the Scripture from Psalm 37:4,
“Delight yourself in the Lord and
He will give you the desires of your heart.”

{available here}
Based on the Scripture from Ephesians 2:8-9,
“For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith—and this is not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God—not by works,
so that no one can boast.”

{available here}
Based on the Scripture from Philippians 3:8-9a,
“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness
of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whose sake I have lost all things.
I consider them rubbish,
that I may gain Christ and be found in Him . . .”

{frame available here}

and, here is an example of how your beautiful new art could looked framed!
all art is available in the 8x10 or 5x7 print & frame size.
they look GREAT as a collection.
i am still having the BUY 3 8X10 PRINTS & GET THE 4TH FREE!

more coming tomorrow...

grace & peace,
julie