Capturing

Besides my love of creating little hand and foot impressions in clay....I have been enjoying learning a new form of capturing. Photography. I, like everyone has taken pictures throughout my life, but it hasn't been until recently that I am actually learning a thing or two about photography. I had the opportunity to travel to France and Italy this spring. I was able to use my camera every day. Because I was using it everyday I was able to really figure that darn camera out. Now, by no means am I an expert or even super good, but I have learned to really love capturing a moment in time visually, even if that moment is just for me. I used to make fun of people who took pictures with nobody in them. Why on earth would someone want to do that?!? Silly me. Once I started to really look at life around me, with all its beauty, I really discovered the joy of capturing just about everything. I have found I am really drawn to textures. While in Europe, with all the beautiful architecture, old doors, windows, walls, moss, streets, lampposts, locks, landscapes, statues, and even old hooks sticking out of buildings, I found endless opportunity to practice my very novice photography skills. I am yearning to go back and get lost over there for a really really really long time. Until then I will continue on capturing the beauty around me wherever I am. Watch out, I may just need to capture the beauty of you. :)

Mid Summer Sale!!!

Summer here in Utah is in full bloom but will be winding down soon. School starts in a little over 3 weeks! Why not get some impressions made to remember Summer 2011. I am offering a first time ever buy one get one 1/2 off sale. Two day sale only. July 29th and 30th. Give me a call and let roll out lots of clay!!! 801-489-8248 If you are thinking about making some impressions as gifts for Christmas this year, this is the time to do it. Give me a call and let roll out lots of clay!!! http://www.tinytouches.com/http___www.tinytouches.com/Welcome.html

Transitioning my blog....

Well, I am back to blogger. I kinda like it better. Blogger seems a bit easier to work with and gives me a better framework to work in.......SO.......I just copied and pasted a bunch of my blogs back over here and that is why there are a bunch of posts today.  I think I am going to get in something comfy, kick up my feet and stay awhile. :)

Four cute boys

One of the best parts of my job is adding to a family’s collections of hand and foot impressions. Last week, while I was in California, I had the opportunity to make cute little imprints of a darling baby boy….making this number 5 for one of my moms. When I first started this business I didn’t really think of this aspect of my connection with people. I get to see many of my customers year after year as their families grow. I love it. I love that they love and cherish these little forever memories of their little ones. This picture really captures what happens when the older siblings watch the new family member being initiated into the family tradition of impressions. These DARLING little boys were captivated at the process and how their little brother was taking it. The baby wasn’t super excited at the process, as you can see, but it was so cute to hear the brothers tell him that he would be okay. It just seems so wonderful to be able to capture not only the moment of the baby in the actual clay but also the moment of the brothers and their fascination of what was happening. I love my job!!!! :)

So, how is your collection? Is it growing? You do your part and I will do mine. ;}

Hands

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Paris. It was so much more than I could have ever imagined. The energy, the beauty, the people, the art, the food, the wine, and well….. the everything, is calling me back. I feel a bit like my eyes were opened to all the world has to offer and I want to experience it all, again and again. While in Montmartre, a very artistic corner of Paris, I had the opportunity to purchase some art. There were so many artists and beautiful pieces to choose from it was almost impossible to decide which piece to take home. I did finally make a decision and had to pick two pieces, as just one would not be enough. Even though the artwork I was able to get my hands on is so amazing, I found art in the way the artist wrapped his work. This picture was taken as the artist carefully wrapped his piece of art. I loved seeing his hands. There is something special about an artists hands and I think this picture says it all. Hands and the stories they tell…….

You are great!!!

“ There is no need of any competition with anybody. You are yourself, and as you are, you are perfectly good. Accept yourself.  Osho

I came across this quote the other day and just loved it. I think of all the little babies that come in and out of my studio and how beautiful and precious they are, just as they are at that moment. They are perfectly good. I wonder what point in life we start worrying and comparing ourselves with others? It is sad that that happens. Many times something that happened in our childhood or teenage years can stay with us and form our opinion of ourselves into adulthood. I used to be so worried that I would not be able to carry on a conversation with someone. I was SO painfully shy. How was I going to think of enough words to say in a conversation. I would listen to my mom go on and on and on, lol, (love you mom) while talking with someone on the phone and I would think I would never be able to do that.  I think it is strange that even as a young child I was comparing myself to my mom and other adults. I used to be scared to death to call and order pizza over the phone. Oh the terror!!!!! I used to make my sister go up and get the ketchup for me at a restaurant. I was so scared. I look back on those situations in my life and think how silly that was of me. But that was and still can be a part of me. Scared and shy. I think that is still a part of me at times, but thankfully I am not paralyzed by my shyness anymore. Now, don’t get me wrong, sometimes I wish my sister was around to go get me the ketchup, that would make life easier. :)  But, I did have to work through the fear of those experiences. You will be glad to know that, thankfully, I can go get my own ketchup, even though I prefer mustard now) ;)
How often do we compare ourselves with others? Do we even know we are doing it? I like that as I have grown into the 41 year old I am today, I feel pretty good about myself. That does not mean I don’t have days when I think….what the hell is wrong with me…..but it is good to like the skin I am in, warts and all.
It is good to get a reminder, from the quote above, that reminds me “I am good enough, smart enough and doggone it people like me”. (That is for all you Stuart Smalley fans.) We do have all that we need inside of us. It is up to us to make ourselves the best we can be by just doing and being. So carry on being the best version of yourself. If today was a terrible day know that tomorrow it is a fresh new day full of potential. 

Grandpa

This Grandpa understood……….This summer at the Freedom Festival baby contest I had a booth set up displaying all my little ceramic hand and foot impressions and I was busy creating impressions right on the spot. It is such a fun place to be and sooooo many cute babies and toddlers. Throughout the day a certain grandpa kept coming by my booth and admiring at all my hand and footprint samples. He asked me all the questions about prices, styles, how long it took, etc. He even brought over his wife and daughter (with the grandbaby) and showed them how cute and fun the little impressions were.  He REALLY wanted to make a little impression of his granddaughter. His wife and daughter liked the impressions but were too busy to stop and really listen to what he was trying to say. He stopped by my booth 4 times through out the day and said he was working on getting the “ladies” to make some time to have some impressions make of the little baby. Well, it never happened. On his way out of the event he stopped by for a fifth time and said he was going to keep trying. I felt so bad for him as I could tell he really understood the specialness of little hands and feet. He must have been told no………which makes me sad for many reasons, but that is a whole other story.

Compare and Contrast

No matter how old we get, we love to measure, compare, contrast and size up our hands to others. My son found some handprints in the hills of Sundance, Utah on a beautiful trail on an old little house.The first thing he did was place his hand inside one of the hands in the cement imprint. He is 14 now and still instinctively placed his hands in the handprints. I often wonder why we do that…..but we do. We have all done it. It is just one of those things we like to do. Our hands are amazing. The history and stories that lie within each one of our hands is pretty amazing too. We use our hands to speak, to hug, to touch, feel, love, explain and sadly even to hurt (hopefully not any of us though). :)  I love that I can help capture the stories that lie within the lines of our hands. I love capturing every type of hand. Everything from the newness of a baby’s hand to the roughness of a man’s hand, the beautiful wrinkles of a grandmothers hand to the softness of a young mother’s hand. Everyone of us is so different and one way that is shown is through our hands. I hope to capture as many hands and as many stories I can by doing what I do.