lightnest is growing

So exciting things are happening with Lightnest! I have been telling you about Tyler, my friend who is working with me. She has been a valuable resource. It is so refreshing to see the things I make through someone else's eyes, and to teach her how to do the things that I do. She has taught me so much too. She has a vibrant, creative personality, and she is really good at helping me think beyond the things that I am usually concerned with. I am very interested in the details and mechanics of how the patterns and bags are made, but by being so detail-oriented, I can sometimes lose sight of the big picture. It is so helpful to have someone else to help with this. Tyler is talking with several brick-and-mortar shops about carrying our bags, she has been sewing and posting bags on etsy, has been collecting ideas for packaging and branding, and has brought in some great clients. She is awesome.


Lately I have been thinking through some ideas for new bag styles, and new ways to do the handles. I have some ideas that are different and fresh for the shop. I am looking forward to sharing those, and when I release the new style(s), I'll have a sale in my shop... market totes and city totes will be $10 off for two days. Stay tuned for that.


All of this work and effort to grow my business has gotten me thinking about how far I have come from where I started, and it has all been a gift from God. I have parents and a husband that have given me tools as presents, things that I could use to grow and develop as a person. I didn't go to school to learn how to sew, or design patterns, or take pictures, though I frequently wish that I had. (Instead I have a bachelor's degree in theology and Bible.) I just really love sewing. And designing. And photography. So my work is something I love doing. And all the time I have spent sitting at the computer, reading about sewing and staring at pictures, and wondering how things are made or done, has not really been a waste of time. I absorb all that stuff and it comes back out in the form of something I have made. It is such a satisfying process that I love so much. I guess when you are doing something you love as work, it doesn't seem like you are working all the time or that it is this huge burden to get work done. My work has been such a blessing in my life. I really didn't start doing all of this until after my daughter was born... before she was here, I was in school. Reading and studying was what I loved to do (and running). It's crazy that I don't do a ton of either of those things anymore. It is a goal of mine to be a lifelong learner, and begin studying and reading again at some point, but right now, I just love making things and learning about photography. I love the process of refining my vision for my images and the things that I sew. I love making my own clothes and repurposing things that would otherwise be unwanted, giving them a new life. Because that is exactly what God is doing in my life, every day. He gives me new life and purpose, and he is constantly creating beauty in my life out of brokenness. I love that I get to be like God and do what he does on a smaller scale.


I photographed a beautiful bride for her bridal portraits last week. Bonne and Kyle are getting married on June 25th in Marietta, and their wedding is going to be totally gorgeous. The setting is a historic home with landscaped grounds. I am so honored that they chose me to photograph this major event in their lives. And then there are two more weddings coming up-- Kristen is getting married the last week of August, and Amanda Kay and Austin are getting married September 4th. I love weddings. My hope is to shoot weddings exclusively one day. In keeping with that hope, I have slowly begun buying the pieces for my very own medium format film camera :)  Actually I only have the lens. And I bought the FIND guide (but I bought mine majorly on sale. Ask me how if you are interested in buying it. Best money I ever spent, seriously.) It is a dream, and it will mean reinvesting almost all of the money that I make this summer, but I am beyond excited and I can't wait to show you guys the pictures that it will take.


Oh, and my little two year old sweetheart is the most adorable person on the face of the earth. She gives kisses and hugs. She tells me what to do (hilarious). She is a picky eater but I love her. For everything that I love about being able to do the work that I do, the best part is that she is with me the whole time. The other day she said to me, 'I love seeing you all day. And Jesus.' Perfect, and so exactly true.


xoxo
paige