Crafty Corner with Ashley from A. Brewer Photography

Hello, Ashley. Thank you so much for letting me interview with you. First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself!

HI. Well, I'm pretty simple…I'm Ashley. I live in Madisonville and have been married to my husband, Brandon for almost 5 years. We have a two year old son, Lukas who is the light of our life. He is something else! I work part time at the courthouse, and also have my own Photography Business, a. Brewer Photography. It is my passion, and I love every minute of it!

I have lived in Madisonville my entire life. It has taken me 10 years to figure out what I want to be "when I grow up." After 10 years of college, pursuing about every degree that Madisonville Community College offered, realized that I knew what I wanted to be, all along...and that was a photographer!

I love to travel, particularly going to Florida. I lvoe palm-trees and the ocean. Something about it just makes me smile. My favorite place ever is Goofy Golf. Everyone knows me, knows that, and if you don't know me, well then now ya do!

Tell us about your path to photography! What made you decide to start "A. Brewer Photography" and how long have you been in business?

I have always loved taking pictures. I just never really pictured myself as a "photographer." It's just something that comes natural to me, and something that I love. Often times, I drive my husband nuts by making him pull over on the side of the road simply because, "That looks like a good spot to take a picture." I feel like I walk through life with my eyes operating as a camera lens, always looking for the perfect shot or location.

Finally, after the birth of my son in 2007, I decided, what the heck? What do I have to lose? Late one night I created a.Brewer Photography. It was on a whim and a dream, and two years later it is going fantastic! I remember waking up my husband around 1a.m on a summer night two years ago telling him I had just started a photography business. I think he thought I was crazy, but now today he often helps me when I need assistance.

Where do you find your inspiration? What are some of your favorite photography blogs/websites/books?

I find new inspiration every day. Whether it is a color in a chair, or a creative fabric, or the color of the sky. Inspiration is endless. If I find a random wall, that can be inspiration. Having a 2 year old son, being a wife, and having a job, (well two if you count the photography business,) I find it hard to really sit and read blogs, websites and books.

Describe your ideal photo shoot!

Oh, that's easy! I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to do a beach wedding! The beach is my favorite place, and photography is my passion, so how much better could it be to combine the two!! Hint hint…any brides considering a beach wedding, I'm your gal! J

If money grew on a tree in your backyard, what would you buy with it?

Oh that's easy! J My husband loves to work on cars, so I would build a garage apartment. In the bottom, he could have his 'man' space, and upstairs would be a studio for myself!

Do you have any advice for inspiring young photographers out there?

Keep learning, learning and learning! And don't give up! I have spent countless nights researching and studying the photography business. There is a lot more to it than what I originally thought! But if you love it, then have fun with it! As with anything in life, don't let something you love turn into something that becomes something that isn't fun anymore or something you dread doing.

Can we have the insider's scoop? What specials can we be on the look-out for?

Hmm…well, I work with Giggles & Grins Consignment Boutique to do portrait specials throughout the year. Our next one is May 21-22 2010 and the theme is entitled, "Fairy Tales & Fishing Poles." We plan on doing the portraits outside weather permitting. For these specials, there is only a $10 session fee, and prints are purchased at only $15 a unit.

If anyone wants to schedule, they can just email me at a brewerphotogrpahy@gmail.com or call me!

Also, I have a spring digital mini session special which involved a free mini session and approximately 30 images on a CD with permission to print. Get all of this for $50.00. One outfit, one location please. This goes on until the end of May!

Ashley, thanks so much! It has been a blast!

Thanks for having me!

For more information about Ashley, visit her blog, her website, or her facebook fan page.

Crafty Corner with Candice from Golden Frame Cakes!

Hello, Candice.  Thank you so much for letting me interview with you.  First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi!  I'm Candice--I'm almost 26, my current occupation is "student," and I live a very full life that includes my husband Anthony, our two dogs Snellie and Otis, my graduate classes, a still-unfinished thesis, running, cake decorating, crafting, and preparing for Anthony to leave for Marine Corps Officer Candidate School.  I have lived in Kentucky all of my life (for better or worse!), and we currently live in Bowling Green, which is more-or-less in-between both of our families, who we visit on opposite sides of the state.  I have big dreams, and I'm working really hard to finally
finish up with school so that we can officially start our "grown-up" lives together when Anthony leaves for the Marines.

Sounds like you are pretty busy!  What are your "big dreams?"  What do you want to do in your grown up life?

Definitely—but I don't know a graduate student who isn't busy!  As for my "big dreams," I want to be able to actually make a living doing what I love—of course, who doesn't, but unfortunately it seems very rare.  Right now my cake decorating and my Etsy shop are both for fun and for a little extra spending money here and there while I'm still in school, and a relaxing hobby for when I actually do have a free moment to take time for myself and do something I enjoy.  We also want to start a little family someday when we're good and ready—which is definitely not right now!—but it is on the radar, and I'd like to do even more to create a purposeful, handmade home when that time comes.

What made you decide to start "Golden Frame Cake Studio?"   How long has it been up and running?

I like to say it has been "unofficially" up and running since my little brother's sixteenth birthday—seven years ago!—when I first started taking an interest in cake decorating.  I used a box mix and icing from a can and a computer printout of his yearbook photo, and made him a driver's license cake.  I was so proud of it at the time, but I'm sure if I dug up those pictures again, I would be completely mortified! 

As for my Etsy shop, I started Golden Frame Cakes this past October, with my upcycled cake plates.  I'm a huge supporter of making old and discarded things new and useful again, and I read a magazine article where someone was finding new uses for different types of dishware—it was probably Martha—and I thought what a great idea it would be to do something similar by upcycling pretty, individual plates that had lost their mates into unique and functional cake stands.  It was kind of a natural extension from decorating cakes to making cake stands, and now I'm also dabbling in other small handmade house wares for the shop as well.

Where do you get your inspiration?  What are some of your favorite books, websites, blogs, or other etsy shops? 

Oh my, I get my inspiration from a lot of sources—but especially for cakes, my inspiration usually comes from who the cake is for.  Cakes are often the climax of the whole party—and not only say something about the event, but also who is being honored, and on that particular moment in their life.  It's so much fun and such an honor to have a small part in the creation of someone else's fond memories—and it is also really inspiring. 

As for my Etsy shop, I am most inspired by the Etsy community!  It is such a wealth of information and inspiration—from the blog, to the forums, to other shops… there are so many fantastic ideas, it's very supportive, and there are a lot of people who like to actively help others succeed, even though in large part we're all total strangers.  All the items and shops I have marked as Favorites are here:  http://www.etsy.com/people/goldenframecakes/favorites (and my birthday is coming up you know, May 11, just in case you were wondering… ha!)

 
 

Off Etsy, I can never get enough of: 

Martha

CakeSpy

Real Simple Magazine

Cake Wrecks

Hostess with the Mostess

Bakerella

 And as for books, I am digging: 

One-Yard Wonders by Patricia Hoskins and Rebecca Yaker

Gorgeous Cakes by Annie Bell

Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott

Martha Stewart's Wedding Cakes by Martha Stewart with Wendy Kromer

Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule 

What are your favorite items in your shop? 

My very favorite items are the cake stands that compel people to write in to tell me that their great-Aunt Bea or somebody had a set of dishes just like that—and share a story with me.  The nostalgia, and the warm memories that dishware can bring to people is amazing.  That has definitely been one of the most unexpected and rewarding aspects of running my little Etsy shop.

If money grew on a tree in your backyard, what would you buy with it? 

I'm pretty practical with money—I'd take care of a lot of things we have an need for first, like paying off our student loan debt (it would have to be a BIG tree, ha!), and putting a nice little pile of it away for a house, and then I'd get us a new vehicle.  After all that, if the poor little tree was actually still blooming, I'd get crazy with the fun stuff—craft and cake supplies, an electric scooter, a motorcycle for Anthony, a new laptop, a transatlantic cruise vacation, a personal chef… haha!

Do you have any advice for those who want to start their own etsy (or other crafty) shop?

Go for it!  The only thing holding you back is yourself.  It's not like I'm wildly successful and have all kinds of sales and features and am some kind of authority to be able to give this kind of advice, but I really believe that as with anything, you get out of it what you put into it—so if you make the time and find the energy and focus, if you're determined to read a lot and learn and constantly work on improving, then there's no reason that you can't be as successful as you want to be.

Thanks so much!

Candice, it really has been a pleasure to talk to you! Thank you so much! 

Thank you!  It really is an honor and has been loads of fun!

 

Crafty Corner

We are truly lucky to have so many talented members in our midst! I think it is wonderful that not everyone in the group has the same hobbies. We have quilters, scrap bookers, knitters, and bead workers, doll makers, photographers, cake decorators---lions, tigers and bears! Oh, my! The point is that everyone has their own little niche (or in some cases—several niches) where they shine. I feel it is only right to feature these brilliant ladies (and gents) in a monthly segment called “Crafty Corner.”

The inspiration for this idea came in several places: first from the gifted members themselves, and also from a picture on Kellie’s blog of her sewing area. We all have our little crafty area (or areas) so why not show and tell?

I’ll be posting my first interview later today. It is with Candice from Golden Frame Cakes! She is a renaissance woman who is talented in many fields. Check it out and check out her etsy shop!


P.S---If you know of anyone (yourself included) who would like to be featured in our Crafty Corner, send us an email!
Thanks!