It’s Time for an Adventure.

In case you’ve already forgotten, this past week included Valentine’s Day. Austin and I decided last year that we would make gifts for each other instead of buying chocolates or flowers or weird teddy bears, not that those are never welcome… So for this Valentine’s Day and many ahead, crafts it is.

Here is a photo of Austin’s gift to me. It’s a picture of us over the location we had our very first date. And a sweet note. Only used Pinterest a little bit! Isn’t he creative?!

So, as I thought and thought about what to make for him, I remembered that he likes practical gifts. Something he doesn’t already have or an item he can actually use. As I was looking through different websites and blogs, I decided to make him a clock. And that’s what I did. He’s a busy guy and doesn’t have a clock on his wall. Inspired by the clock made on this blog, I took a trip to Hobby Lobby and customized the craft in my own way. Below are some photos and how-to’s if this is a craft you would like to try. It’s fairly simple! However, if you just absolutely love it and desire to purchase a custom clock for yourself or for a gift, contact me or check out my Etsy Site!

Covering Your Canvas Frame:

1. Cut out fabric large enough to cover canvas and have some excess.
2. Spray Craft Bond onto front and back sides of canvas frame. Press fabric down onto glue.
3. Fold corners up and over (like wrapping a gift) and glue down with Craft Bond or a stronger glue (I used Wood Glue).
4. Glue down all four sides and corners and cut excess fabric.
5. Flip over, and your canvas board is covered!

Making the Clock Tick:

1. Find knife or sharp object to cut through canvas.
2. Measure out where the center is.
3. Make a slight, round cut in center.
4. Press clock base through center.
5. Cut fabric around screw so it’s not covered.
6. Follow instructions on Clock making kit to place bolts and washers. (You could also use old clock parts).
7. You have yourself a working clock!

If you like the simple look of that, then leave it! You can use any fabric and any size clock hands. Customize to what you love! I went a little further on the design and glued on items for the numbers. That can be anything. Buttons, Numbers (Drawn on or 3D), photos, coins, jewelry pieces, cutouts of bookpages, etc! Austin and I love maps, as you can see from his craft to me. We literally could sit for hours and read maps. It’s really strange, I know. But that’s what I decided to use. I cut out small portions of maps from an awesome vintage atlas I picked up at an antique store. These are places of significance. Locations we have both lived, places we’ve been, places we would love to go. It made the clock that much more special and meaningful.

Mapping the Hours:

1. Find and cut out special places and unique color combinations of maps.
2. Glue them (I used Elmer’s glue) to cardstock for a background color.
3. Glue them to the clock in correct hour placing (I used Wood Glue).
4. You have made a beatiful, unique clock that no one else has! And now you know the time!

I had a lot of fun making this clock. It was an easy craft that was personal and meaningful. And Austin loved it! Hope this craft tutorial helped you out! If you would like for me to make a custom “you” clock, check out my Etsy site.

Pin It

The Future Ingmires.

One of my best friends is engaged! This is such an exciting time of life for Mac and Jess. These two are so great for each other. It has been a lot of fun watching their interaction and relationship continue to grow. It is an absolute blessing to see your friends happy and in love. Mac and Jess certainly are that. I am so looking forward to seeing how God unfolds His plans for their life together!

This past weekend I took some engagement photos for them. Here are some of my favorites from the shoot. If you are interested in scheduling a photo shoot, please contact me at julie.n.browning@gmail.com.

Enjoy the photos! Such a great looking couple!

Wedding Designs.

Planning a wedding? Or just love weddings? Me too. Some of the most important ways of branding your wedding as a very “you” event are through the stationary items. Stationary meaning paper. Invitations, RSVP Cards, Save-the-Dates, Programs, etc. These display the details of the big day. Not just the time and date, but the colors, the theme, the inspiration. Personally, this is the part of the planning I totally love. I find myself on wedding and design blogs many times during the week to explore what’s out there in terms of paper designs. And currently, I have been lucky enough to have a few different friends ask me to design their wedding stationary. I will be posting photos of that work at a later date.

There is just something about organizing details into letters and images that brings me joy. I love this stuff, in case you didn’t catch that already.

My dear friends John and Jodie had their wedding this past fall. Check out some of my designs below from their special, autumn day. All custom made. Some of the inspirations and ideas came from Jodie’s avid pinning on pinterest.com

If you like what you see and are interested in custom designs for your wedding or other events, please Contact Me! I would love to talk with you further about your putting your personality into a unique, “you” design.

He asked. She said yes.

My most recent photo shoot was a secret spy-like mission presented to me by a friend from college, Scott. He was planning a proposal for his girlfriend, Karen, and wanted documentation of the special moment. So on December 31st, the fateful proposal day, myself and my dear friend Ele traveled over to Bloomington, IL to witness and capture this couple’s new beginning. Scott and Karen are absolutely adorable together, so this photo shoot was just about as easy as they come. Sometimes for a photo you have to tell people, “Act and look like you love each other.” Not in this case. It was very evident that these two are so in love and excited for what is yet to unfold for their life together.

All photos taken and edited by Julie Noel Design + Photography.

Interested in a scheduling a photo shoot? Contact Me!

Cookie Cutter Ornaments

For the past few years, my close friends and I have had a “Friend Christmas” in which we do a gift exchange. The first couple times we drew names and wrote out long lists of gifts we would want and had money limits and all the like. However, as we have “grown up,” it has been a little more difficult to purchase several items on a wish list. So, our solution was to try a more inexpensive gift. We decided to do an ornament exchange. We still draw names. But this time, we give an ornament or two based on our selected friend’s personality, favorite colors, etc. It makes life a lot easier, and honestly, it makes for more meaningful gifts.

This year, I selected my dear friend Haley. She is a simple girl who likes unique, pretty, simple things. I wanted to attempt to make her ornament this year. But I needed an idea of what to create. So, like most crafters, I went to Pinterest (pinterest.com). There, I saw a photo of some ornaments made from cookie cutters and pictures. Easy enough I thought. However, there were no instructions with the photo. It became a trial and error session to figure out how this might work. For all of you who might want a last minute Christmas craft, here are the ingredients and instructions you will need:

metal cookie cutters. spray adhesive. ribbon. scissors. pictures or christmas paper.

1. Select cookie cutter and background to use.
2. Loop in about a 10 inch ribbon piece at the top of the cookie cutter.
3. Cut out a portion of the paper/photo to fit the size of the cutter.
4. Spray front side of the paper/photo with the adhesive.
5. Press the cookie cutter (with ribbon already slipped in at the top) firmly onto the sprayed paper/photo.
6. Spray a little more adhesive around the inside border of the cookie cutter and continue pressing down. The more adhesive spray, the better. It actually gives the paper/photo a distressed, vintage look.
7. Let it dry for about 20 seconds.
8. Cut the excess paper around the outside border of the cookie cutter.
9. Tie a knot at the top of your ribbon piece.
10. You have yourself a lovely, personal, unique, antique looking ornament!

Pin It

Creativity is.

With the encouragement of friends and family, I have decided to venture into the blog world and begin sharing with others my attempts and successes at creativity. I realize that I am a few years behind in this process. My last try at a blog was on Xanga my Freshman year of high school, where I expressed my awkward emotions, CD albums of choice, and the coolest picture of myself I could find. Glad to see that social networking has progressed since then.

I have always enjoyed making things. Not quite sure when to trace that back to, but I can remember at a young age, I thrived and came alive when assigned projects with no artistic boundaries. From that, things like shoebox dioramas of the Solar System or Polaroid photo frames made out of popsicle sticks happened. My mind began to reel at the possibilities and directions creativity could take me.

Creativity is a trait. An inherent characteristic that comes from The Creator himself. It is a living gift. If not used or shown, it will sit and slowly perish. Creativity is an honest response and alignment to the inventiveness of God. It is an act of worship and interaction with the Father. Creativity is a verb.

Creativity is.

In my own little corner of the world, I respond to God’s artistry in this direct and hands-on way. I like to capture moments. Making them visually unforgettable. I like to organize dreams and thoughts. Making them simply understandable. Through art, I do my best to express the Inherent creativity in myself and others. I do photos, designs, and crafts. For all seasons and all reasons.