Family Portraits : The Beaty Family : Harpersville, AL

What's better than an old country road on a late fall afternoon you ask? Shooting a family portrait session on an old country road on a late fall afternoon, that's what!!

We met up with Renee and her family the Sunday after Thanksgiving for a sun drenched laid back family session, and that's exactly what we got. Other than her kids being perfect, the weather was beautiful and we only had to move over for one car passing by! I'd say that's pretty much a perfect recipe for some amazing images.

Enjoy this precious family and the love that shows through in their portraits!

From your girls at Spark & Arrow, 
Kamin and Sarah

DIY: Fleece Star Advent Calendar

So much of what we do this time of year revolves around making life look good. We can take a beautiful family photo for you to send out to family & friends and we can spruce up your home in time for holiday guests to arrive. (We may be sipping on hot cocoa & humming Mariah Carey tunes in between.) While all these things are wonderful & bring joy to your lives and ours, the best part of this season is remembering the beautiful story of our Savior's birth.

The days preceding Christmas used to be marked off with chalk on Christian's doors starting on December 1st. The first printed advent calendar came along in the early 1900's by German born Gerhard Lang. He remembered his mother attaching candy to a piece of cardboard and using them to count down the days to Christmas. His excitement and appreciation for this memory inspired him to share it with others when he later opened his own print shop.

We partnered with the talented stylist/crafter/baker/jill-of-all-trades Malinda Kay Nichols who created her own special advent calendar perfect for counting down days in your own home or wrapping it up and gifting to others to start their own tradition. Either way, this is a fun yet simple DIY that will add meaning & even more joy to your Christmas season!

Fleece Star Advent Calendar

Supplies:

Approximately 1 yard of fleece or felt

Needle and thread

A small amount of batting

Small paint brush

Fabric Glue

Glitter

Ornaments hooks 

Paper with daily readings

Twine or string to tie readings up

1. Cut out 24 stars, front and back, for a total of 48 stars. We used 8 large stars, 9 medium stars, and 7 small stars for ours.

2. Cut out small rectangles to use as the pocket for each day’s reading and stitch onto the “back” of each star.

3. Hand sew or machine stitch the front to the back, leaving a small opening to stuff the batting, and then completely sew the star shut.

4. Using a small paint brush, paint a number on the front side of each star. A stencil comes in handy for this.

5. Sprinkle glitter over the glue and knock off the excess.

6. Push an ornament hook through the top of each star for hanging.

7. Roll each piece of paper and securing with the string; tuck into the pocket on the back of each star

If you're fortunate enough to have a talented friend who does calligraphy, like Amy Stone, have them write your daily verses for an extra dab of creativity. We love Amy's beautiful penmanship and we featured her work here!

Thank you Malinda & Amy for collaborating with us on this special project! We hope this season is filled with blessings for you & yours!

Spark & Arrow

(Produced & Styled - Malinda Kay Nichols / Calligraphy - Amy Stone / Photography - Spark & Arrow)

Meet our Friends & Vendors : Amy Stone, Birmingham Stylist and Calligrapher

Wow. Thanksgiving sort of came out of nowhere didn't it? 

How is it December already? 

We are hitting the ground running this month!

One of our favorite parts about living in Birmingham is the amazing vendors and friends we have met over the years. We love to talk about our friends (because they're amazing) and today is no exception! 

Meet Amy Stone... (isn't she adorable?!)

Amy is a stylist and calligrapher. And her work is just as stunning as she is! Please do yourself a favor and visit her website here.

From inspirational quotes to lovely watercolor prints and personalized wedding paper, she does it all. We sat down with Amy a few weeks ago after photographing her work and doing head shots to talk shop!

Enjoy this little interview and be sure to show Amy some love and take a peek at her .com! 

Amy, how long have you been lettering?

"I've been doing lettering work for a couple of years now. I started doodling in a notebook and then started researching and reading about calligraphy. It's so beautiful! I love real paper and writing letters to people, so calligraphy was a natural progression for me."

How did you get started? 

"It all started at the medieval fair in 6th grade... I'm joking...kind of. We had a medieval fair at school in 6th grade, and everyone had their own booth...there was butcher, a cobbler, etc. Mine was the calligraphy booth, ironically! 

No but really, I started doing calligraphy work a couple of years ago for fun--I love learning and exploring all kinds of creative outlets. I took a class (online, actually) and just fell in love with the work. I just recently started doing styling and calligraphy freelance work full time. It so rewarding and inspiring."

What inspires you? 

"You know, everything, really -- I truly believe inspiration is everywhere, the bottom of my cup of coffee, the climbing rose vine outside my apartment, literature, the way dirt smells after it has rained. But I think people are what inspire me most. I love learning from other people, watching other creative people work. Being a creative is a lifelong learning and growing process. Oh, and Gilmore Girls. I always have GG on while I'm working. "

What are you favorite things to write? 

"Fun fact, my least favorite thing to write is my name...I don't know why, it just never looks quite right. But my favorite things? I really love to write quotes--I am a fiction nerd. Or anything Amy Poehler has ever said. That woman is a genius."

Tell us some things about yourself that you want people to know! 

"I'm an organic calligrapher and stylist. My next creative endeavor is ceramics (wish me well on that one). I love red wine, good books...I'm the oldest of 4 girls and just recently married my husband Todd, the most patient and best man in the world (I may be biased). I love and believe in dreaming big! 

My favorite thing about my work is the people that are behind it and inspire it--and I love doing custom work and prints! :) "

"I feel there is nothing more inspiring than to love people." -Vincent van Gogh

We love Amy and know you will too!

Until next time,

Your girls at Spark & Arrow

Christmas Sparks- Your Best Friend

It's time for our Christmas Sparks and we figured since we're a best friend team why not start with our gift picks for your best friend! We've rummaged through a few of our favorite shops & hand picked items from jewelry to gadgets! We love the metallic gold power card from Madewell for all those long phone conversations and how about those upcycled horn earrings from Accompany an artisan made, fair trade & philanthropic company. 

Check back soon for more of our Christmas Sparks!

Be Merry! 

Spark & Arrow

1. Banjo Bracelet 2. Power Card 3. Baby Heart Intarsia Gloves 4. Arrow Trinket Tray

5. Allure Earrings 6. Woven Texture Weekender Bag 7. Glass Cloche Jewelry Storage

8. Faux Fur Earmuffs 9. Prisma Gold Frame 10. Eduardo Garza Crystal Box

Gather & Give Thanks

We love the smell of cornbread dressing baking in the oven & the small bits of leaves that blow in the front door as family members walk through. Thanksgiving is a time to come together, break bread & make memories. It's pulling out those old handwritten recipes and maybe a few new ones and sprawling in front of the TV to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. For us it's throwing the football around the front yard & getting outside to enjoy the warm fall sunlight.

The fall color this year has been beautiful which inspired us to bring Thanksgiving outside with our most recent tablescape. We partnered with two of our favorites, West Elm Birmingham & Empress Stationery to create a casual yet elegant table that is sure to welcome & inspire guests!

We asked Jessica at Empress Stationery to create a custom invite and gave her free reign. She came up with this fabulous design which was even more than we could have dreamed of, gold foil & all!

A navy tablecloth & napkins anchored our table and provided a bold canvas for us to work. Navy contrasts beautifully with the hues of fall and is so on trend right now. Jessica also designed a full paper package to compliment her invite including small menu cards at each place setting & tented place cards.

Also included were these adorable banners placed in West Elm's gold metallic dip bowls filled with almonds for guests to snack on. 

We love repurposing dishes and mixing in new with heirloom pieces. Brown transferware mixed with West Elm's linen textured salad plate gave us a fresh twist on a traditional setting. Gold silverware, the gold bowls & blue cut glass tumblers added a touch of elegance.

Other elements included small pumpkins repurposed from our fall porches (because you're going to throw them out after Thanksgiving anyway), pinecones & colorful branches collected from nearby trees & mercury glass votive and tealight holders from West Elm.

Two black & white striped wingback chairs capped off the ends of the table. The perfect place (after you fight over them with your siblings) to sit back, belly full & relax. West Elm has some amazing textiles available right now & we love mixing their patterns and textures with a few of our own. They feature wool products from the Faribault Woolen Mill Company out of Minnesota. Beautiful tones & a soft texture made us fall in love with this plaid pillow the moment we saw it in the store.

Another one of our West Elm favorites is this ombre throw. Available in 5 colors and with a great price tag these would make great gifts for the upcoming holiday season.

You can't have a gorgeous tablescape without a stunning centerpiece. And we can't do many projects without incorporating a DIY. During a nature walk this summer we spotted a lichen covered tree branch and had the idea of making a candle holder from it. The texture is fun & unexpected.

A chainsaw & hole saw later we had our favorite addition to this tablescape. Aside from the cost of taper candles it was 100% free and fun to make!

After guests enjoy a delicious meal and the sun slowly creeps behind the trees, warm them up with a hot cocoa bar! Using vintage thrift store pieces including milk glass mugs, a gold trinket tray for marshmallows & gold plated serving spoons, this is a simple yet thoughtful gesture for those chilly fall evenings. 

A few leaves are still hanging to the trees and will probably drop after this week is gone. We will put away our fall decor & the sights and smells of Christmas will appear. But for now, take in the last of this season. Be thankful for the things you have and expectant for those you don't. Enjoy the time spent with friends and family. We hope we have inspired you!

Huge thanks to Empress Stationery for this gorgeous custom paper package! Check out their site for more examples of their work including fun Christmas card designs!

(Produced/Styled/Photographed by Spark & Arrow Creative)

Fall DIY: Oak Leaf Hydrangeas

One morning, we were sitting at our dining room table, enjoying our daily cup of coffee and staring outside the window at the beautiful fall color. The vibrant leaves of our Oak Leaf Hydrangea caught our eye. The colors were beautiful! Bright red, orange, burgundy, yellow & green all bathing in the morning light. That's when the idea for this DIY came to be!

Oak Leaf Hydrangeas boast blooms of white during the summer months but are also known for their colorful leaves during the fall. We grabbed our clippers & snipped a few limbs from our large bush and started playing with some fun & easy decor ideas with these lovely leaves! These are perfect for a quick spruce up before Thanksgiving guests arrive.

Now we know, here in the south we prize our precious hydrangea blooms. Don't fret! Here's some info before giving yours a haircut.

1. Oak Leaf Hydrangeas can be pruned during the fall without affecting new growth the following year. In fact, you can prune them early spring and still have beautiful blooms the following summer.

2. When pruning, follow the branch all the way to it's secondary stem & cut where they meet. This makes for a prettier prune & new re-growth.

3. Only trim back 1/3 of your growth unless your plant is severely overgrown. Oak Leaf Hydrangeas tend to droop & cover walkways so a good prune is usually beneficial. For our purposes we only needed a few pretty stems. We will go back later & give ours its proper pruning.

Here's a few easy DIY ideas using Oak Leaf Hydrangea leaves!

We love making our guests feel special and a great way to do this is by adding a special touch to a place setting. For our first idea we cut the small inner leaves of a stem off, tucked them into a neatly folded napkin and topped it off with a small white pumpkin. Simple yet so easy!

The large leaves make a perfect table runner when layered on top of one another. Start on the edges and layer the leaves working towards the center of the table. Hold them in place with a few strategically placed pumpkins. Small votives or vases would also be a pretty addition!

We had this white washed wreath stored away in our craft closet. We pulled it out and added a few leaves to one side making a colorful guest greeter for our front entry! The best part is that this beauty cost us nothing but a few minutes of our time.

Need a pretty centerpiece arrangement but don't want to spend the money on flowers? Try this simple arrangement of fall stems. Clip from your yard & get creative! Pretty arrangements don't always have to be symmetrical. We added in a few natural curly stems for extra interest.

Lastly, everyone has an old basket laying around. Grab yours and fill it with your leftover hydrangea branches & Nandina berries (which are also perfect to decorate with this time of year). You can place this basket on your stairs or front porch to add a fresh touch to your fall decor!

We love finding new ways to spruce up our homes! The beautiful colors this time of year reminds us of the beauty that comes from change. Embrace it, celebrate it & take the time to enjoy every second of every season in your own life!

Fall blessings!

Spark & Arrow

(Produced/Styled/Photographed by Spark & Arrow Creative)

Meet our Friends & Vendors : Empress Stationery

Hello, hello!

This has been a busy week for us here at Spark & Arrow! Did you hear we just went full time? That's right now we (Kamin & Sarah) are all yours all the time. And we have some pretty big things on the books and coming soon so get excited!

But more about that later, we want to introduce you to Jessica at Empress Stationery. Lovely, no?

Friends, if you haven't visited her site go...right now, go! EmpressStationery.com. She is incredibly talented and you are just in time for Christmas Cards. We hung out with Jess and talked business and fun and oh my, we can't wait to show off her studio!

We also had a little fun with a mini interview!

Jessica answered these questions for us...

When did you start Empress Stationery?

I started Empress Stationery when I made my first invitation for a friend in 2008. I was working in advertising for a publishing company, and while my job was great, I was searching for a creative outlet. I found it! All at once, I fell in love with social paper and everything that goes with it. Soon, I found myself with more clients, and worked every night after work to grow this little business into something I could do the rest of my life. It is a labor of love and I wouldn't have it any other way!

What inspires you the most?

I find inspiration in everything, really. That's a hard question. I have several blogs I follow, and magazines that I read. But the real inspiration comes from the people I surround myself with. My fellow creative peers, my family, my friends. Also, for some reason, every time I walk out of Anthropologie, I feel like I'm ready to conquer the world. And I hardly ever buy anything. I think I soak in the "pretties" in that store and I feel like a brand new girl. Yes, shopping is honestly inspiring for me, haha!

Who is your favorite fellow Birmingham Vendor?

My favorite fellow Birmingham vendor is Brittany Lott with Elle Affairs. Brittany was the first local wedding planner to reach out to me and ask me to be part of a joint photo shoot with other local wedding vendors. After working as an Art Director in publishing for so long, I was missing the photo shoot aspect of work, and the team work as well. This way, I had a chance to design for the camera again, and that's always so great because of the creative freedom that comes with it. Brittany trusts me to design what I think will photograph best! From that point, we have built a wonderful working relationship, and she is truly so talented. Check her out at www.elleaffairs.com.

What song is on repeat in your office right now?  

Music in my studio...a must! I still have the same iPod from college (it has survived 8 years!), and besides a very cracked screen, it is still rockin' and rollin'! I don't have a  particular song per say, but my Van Morrison mix is a constant for me. So it has ol' Van of course, but it also has Tom Petty, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood, the Stones, and the rest of the greats. Also, we are currently in Christmas card land, so Bing Crosby is hanging around the office these days!

Jessica and her sister do amazing work at Empress Stationery, and we are so excited for some future projects with them and can't wait to see what Jessica designs next!

She is currently working on Christmas card designs and there are always Weddings in the mix. You  can find more of her work on EmpressStationery.com and in her Etsy Store. But here are a few of our very favorites from her stock!  

Thank you Empress Stationery & stay fabulous!

Love,

Your girls at Spark & Arrow!