Drew Wright {OKC Portrait Photographer}

Ok...so I am catching up the blog on all my fall/winter sessions in no particular order!

I loved getting to know Miss Drew.  What a strong, beautiful, smart, independent woman she is!  I can't wait to see what she does with her life after law school (that's right...law school.).  She is going places people -& God is definitely going to bless her for her courage, character & faith in Him! :)

Here are various shots I took from Drew's gorgeous "modeling" shoot:

 

Coming Soon: The Etsy Store

Hey friends!!!  Well, as my followers know, just the other day I shared that one of my New Year's resolutions was to open an Etsy store.  My store will be complete with stationary, invitations, party supplies & more - because you know, this girl LOVES to party!  Well, today was the hard part...naming my new business.  I had the intention of just being Heather Carpenter Design.  But then, the name was taken.  I didn't want to get mixed up with someone else & I didn't want a confusing name that's ALMOST my name.  Been there, done that, lost clients to other individuals with the same name...will not go back.  It's my real full name or it's something cute & easy that people remember. :)

Well, after a few hours of brainstorming....I'm excited to unveil the first draft of my Etsy store banner:

The hello darling paperie is planned to launch by Spring 2013!  YAY!!!  I AM SO, SO EXCITED!!!   If you have used me for invitations & party signage in the past - it's still good ol' Heather Carpenter Design buried underneath that shiny, new name & look!  Thank you all for your support, love & encouragement with all my artistic endeavors.  xoxo. :)
 


Colorfully yours,

Just Do It.

YAY!  I love setting goals for the New Year!  Last year, I started small so I didn't get discouraged.  I had three: Be a doer.  Lifestyle change. Be my own boss.

Evaluating the results:

Be a doer:  I'm happy to say I did more exciting, once-in-a-lifetime things in one year than I've done in the past ten years!  Wow - it was so exhilarating & all these amazing "dates" brought me and Jason to be even closer than before!

Lifestyle change:  3 dress sizes down, a flat tummy & I can see daylight between my thighs again!  Hallelujuah!  I'm still working on toning up & cutting out some of the junk food but I can't complain or deny how happy I am for sticking to it.

Be my own boss:  YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!  I honestly thought this wouldn't happen for several more years but then on December 1st, 2012 - my dreams came true!  I am ecstatic to be doing photography and design full-time & I can't wait to see everything that will come down the pipes in 2013! :)

"If you have never failed - you've never truly lived."

This year's 2013 goals are:

More of Him, less of me:  This is always one of my goals I keep in the back of my mind but this year I'm putting it out in black & white, at the top of the list to keep myself accountable!  Pray more, don't try to plan out my own life, give the glory to God & take time to be still.

Consistency & Discipline:  This applies to work-outs, going to church & small group, blogging,  quality of work/turn-around times, Bible studies, dating my spouse, etc.  I'm pretty good at these things but I yearn for more consistency & initiative.  No one's forcing me to do anything - it's all on me.

Etsy Shop: I've been wanting to expand my design side of my business.  I do lots of custom Christmas cards, party labels, framable decor, personalized stationary, birth announcements, address labels, packaging, notepads, business cards, etc., but it's per request only.  I would LOOOOVE to start my Etsy shop this year.  It will be a lot of work but I am excited!  I may be just calling it "heather carpenter designs" or I may come up with a new name altogether.  Either way - I'm up for this challenge!

Blogging: I know I already talked about this previously (see: consistency & discipline) but I really need to be better at blogging this year.  It helps relieve stress, it allows me to be a disciple for God, it helps me to inspire others to follow their dreams, it personalizes the face of my business, encourages me to think & be intentional about my speech, and last, it opens doors for new friendships and networking.  Lots of positives there.

Do things that scare me:  I want to be braver in 2013.  A lot of people have amazing ideas but less than half of them every follow through with those great ideas because they are afraid of the "what if's".  What if I fail, what if I succeed, what if I get too busy, what if I lose money, etc.  For some people, it's fear, for other people, it's sheer laziness and procrastination.  This year - all that worrying is going out the window (with the exception of the few outrageous ideas I have that my husband must talk me down from the ledge for).  God is in control - win or lose, success or failure, acceptance or rejection - I.will.try.

Be a doer:  I like what this goal made of me last year, so I will continually year-after-year add this to remind myself to be bold, don't procrastinate, & don't always think about how much it's going to cost you.  Memories are forever & we are never guaranteed a tomorrow.  Spend as much time doing things that you love with those you love most.  No regrets.


....that's my list of goals - what are yours?  Challenge yourself this year.  Go out on a limb.  That thing you've always wanted to try?  TRY it.  That passion you always wanted to turn into a job?  DO it!  That place you've always wanted to go to?  GO!



Colorfully Yours,

 

The Life & Love of a Free Spirit

Ever since I was a little girl, my family & friends always described me as "the flower child" or "the free spirit".  To this day, I still don't color between the lines, squeeze my toothpaste from the bottom of the tube, believe in bed times, or want to be a grown-up.  I'll be the first to admit that free-spirited individuals rarely ever do the logical thing.  Nearly every decision we make is based upon intuition or feelings.  I used to get a lot of flack for this, but the older I get, the more kudos I receive for staying true to my inner child & following my dreams.  This is my life - messy, emotional, artistic, nomadic, adventurous -- & I wouldn't change it for a million.

Sometimes, though, the funniest things happen to us, freebirds.  Sometimes, we fall deeply, madly & hopelessly in love with the most rational, logical, black-&-white, type-A human being on the planet.  People who base opinions and decisions on facts & evidence. They love science & math & law - OH MY! (<--had to.) People who fold their underwear, have a preference on the under/over of the toilet paper roll & make lists of lists they should make. BLECH. (Sorry, I shouldn't have said "blech".)

Only God knows how these things happen, because humans just can't plan or make these things up!  In my mind, spending my life with someone like this would be a catastrophe.  But it happened...& now I see that there is something so solid, so immovable, so complimentary about the love that polar opposites can have for one another.  We completely and unmistakably balance each other out.  His strengths & my weaknesses seem to perfectly align, and where we both fail - God takes over.

I teach Jason how to live, love & express oneself (basically how to party), and he teaches me loyalty, stability, responsibility & so much more.  Now, I find that he's rubbing off on me & my over-the-top weirdness is definitely rubbing off on him.  I love how our personalities continue to grow & evolve over the years.

How thankful I am that we are all fearfully & wonderfully made by God; that our lives are not our own, & that He created humans uniquely for fellowship.  We are all living, breathing, working organs in the body of Christ and it becomes so much more evident each day that we all serve such an unrivaled purpose.

Here's to the right-brained, the left-brained & yes, even the pea-brained (God loves you too!). ;)

       
 Colorfully Yours,

2012: It's been a good run...

I stole a kiss in Times Square on our trip.

I've always loved New Year's Eve.  The glitz, the kiss, the resolutions, the champagne, the friends, the exciting last 10 seconds of the countdown, the confetti, the noisemakers...it's such a fun & glamorous night.  I always used to wish I had one of those unforgettable moments where I'm standing in the middle of a crowded dance floor (wearing a gorgeous Valentino gown, of course) & the man of my dreams swoops in at midnight to kiss me.  A little silly, right?  Eh, what can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic.

However, I think God knew how important and magical that midnight kiss was to me.  I didn't have that mind-blowing, room-spinning, firework crackling moment I dreamed of but...the only boy I've ever kissed on New Year's Eve is Jason Carpenter.  It is one of those beautiful moments in my life that just belongs to us.  He truly is my prince charming.

One of my favorite quotes is: "Don't spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things only hoped for. "

Now, I kiss those same familiar lips at midnight year after year & I wouldn't change it for the world.  I may be rocking sky-high stilettos and an awesome mini,  I may be in sweats & a tee shirt or (one day) I may have a baby in one arm and a kid wrapped around each leg & spit-up running down my backside.  Either way, those kisses will be just as thrilling & precious to me because I know that I got through that year with my best friend & I look forward to ninety-nine more with him. If I must climb high mountains, if I must chase new dreams, if I must conquer old demons, then I don't want the mystery man - I want ol' faithful by my side.  Here's to many more adventures, my love. :)

 

Farewell 2012 & Cheers to 2013.  Trust God.  Dream BIG.  Enjoy the blessings you are given. Live every day intentionally like it's your last & you'll live a life with no regrets.

Colorfully Yours,

Count Your Blessings...

Well, it's been a whirlwind of a week so I am just now having time to stop & settle in for a little blog time.  On this dreary day, I'm going to talk about what's GOOD in my life.  Jason & I are both in great health this year, God has led us to an amazing church that we are pretty confident about joining soon, our relationship with God & each other are deepening daily, our businesses are growing, we've consistently made time for dates each week, our Maggie-Moo continues to provide the utmost in entertainment, I have the best sisters & friends a girl could ask for, we have a strong roof over our heads with AC in the summer & heat in the winter, our vegetable garden is flourishing, the weather is phenom, we have amazingly supportive parents, both my website & blog are finally up...I could go on & on.

God is blessing Jason & I with so many amazing opportunities lately, which I will list in just a moment.  Things I've always wanted to cross off my bucket list for years!  I try to stay positive and count my blessings on this blog.  Trust me my complaints, worries & woes about my life could easily outweigh the blessings--if I allowed them to get in the way of my happiness.  Don't stand in your own way!  That's no fun!

Also, don't ever let anyone else steal your joy.  There will always be people who are competitive in your life who will try to belittle or make you feel bad about the blessings you've received- don't worry about them. Give the praise to God and pray that those individuals recognize the many blessings in their own lives, instead of comparing themselves to others.  Because that way of living/thinking is a lose-lose every time.

First, things first...we are going to NEW YORK CITY for Thanksgiving.  Amazing sightseeing, scrumptious meals & the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are all in our future.  We are SO excited to be spending Thanksgiving with two of my dear life-long friends!!!!  It will be a blast - I hope spending Thanksgiving with these family friends becomes a tradition one day like we always hoped for as kids!

Secondly, speaking of things that make us proud to be an American - Jason & I went to the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics.  I loved seeing the Fab 5 from the USA Women's Gymnastics team in action!  My heart was doing backflips!  I seriously will never let go of that little junior olympian inside me!  Go for the GOLD! :)

Third, Carrie Underwood concert is in TWO WEEKS!!!!  Can.not.wait. to see this beautiful, talented woman in person!  She is such an amazing role model to me!  Jason & I are totally stoked about seeing her LIVE!

Last, OKC Thunder pre-season has started!!!!!!!  We share season tickets with two other couples so we go to our first game of the season next week!  Woohoo!!!!!!  Can't wait to Thunder Up all season long!!!! :)

I'm so in love with my sweet husband and none of this would seem nearly as fun to me without him by my side. God is so good to us....always!  He always provides in the bad times, and He continues to keep us humbled & full of gratitude through the good.  These times in our life are fun & bring us closer and closer but the real reward is seeing how far God has brought us in the last 6 years.  That is one of those amazing blessings that you can never put a price on. 

Enjoy life to the FULLEST while you can as it can be here today & gone tomorrow!


Colorfully Yours,

WOO-HOO! New website is finally here!

I'm SOOO excited to finally unveil my new Heather Carpenter Photography | Design website to you all!  It's been quite the journey getting this up & running, dating all the way back to August 2011 when I first purchased the base files.  So yes, I am happy it's out there.


Some things you should know (before you go!)...

1) The website & the mobile site will look completely different.  The website itself is bright and colorful & has lots of cool features, while the mobile one is going to be very basic, as any mobile blog or site would be now.  This is for your convenience so you don't have to zoom in and try ever-so-gingerly to only hit one button on the menu. You know what I'm talking about! :)

2) The website isn't 100% compatible with smaller screens, such as the iPad or Kindle Fire...yet.  In fact, it may look a little janky right now if you try!  However, I've got my hosting team working on this issue right now & should we get it resolved- I will make an announcement for you!

3) On laptops, it may fit perfectly if you have a newer model/wider screen or it may fill up your entire screen.  The answer?  Zoom out a couple notches.  Mac users, just hit Command (⌘) + (-) button at the top of your keyboard.  For PC users, I have no idea what you guys use - is it Ctrl + (-) button perhaps?  Sorry it's been a while! ;)



Here's a sneak peek!  Go to the site for more! Enjoy! :)

 Colorfully Yours,