Sculptor Allison Street

April 29, 2013April 30, 2013 sofijaburtonArt and Faith, Christian sculptor, Sculptor, talented sculptor, woman sculptureLeave a comment

Allison Street Sculptor — Photo by Renee Street/Domus Aurea Photography

I would like to introduce you my friend, Allison Street. Not only is she a busy mom of 5, who educates her children at home, she is also a talented sculptor. What I love about her art is that she uses her classical training to wrestle with difficult modern issues such as Aids, or the war in Afghanistan. Some of her work displays heart break, yet there is always tenderness and hope. Allison, as she states on her blog, seeks to achieve a balance between the communication of truth, personal expression and the celebration of beauty.

14_streett_beside_the_still_waters_2007 — Beside the Still Waters

18_streett_wartime_pieta_2009_3 — Wartime Pieta, a Sudanese mother holding her dead child.

04_streett_be_warmed_be_filled_2011_3 — Be Warmed be Filled, an Afghan mother and her child, displaced as the result of war.

crossroads-saul-on-the-road-to-damascus-detail — Crossroads, Saul on the Road to Damascus

Allison’s sculptures are made of bronze, are 18 to 31 inches tall, and weigh about 20 lbs. Her skill, combined with her subject matter makes her a powerful contributor to the Christian art world. I hope to own the Afghan woman sculpture one day….

-Sofija

You can find her recent interview with Wold Magazine here.

All photos of the sculptures taken by Allison Street. Image of the artist taken by Domus Aurea Photography. For pricing contact the artist here.

friday-grams

April 27, 2013 sofijaburtonLeave a comment

Friends,

every once in a while I like to do a post with recent Instagrams I took. A peek into our photo album if you will.

First is a typical New Mexico gate or door. I took it while taking a walk when I was waiting for my kids to be done with piano lessons. This was right before I was accosted by some neighborhood dogs (this is in the mountains of New Mexico).

Another snapshot from my walk.

Our back yard.

Tasha today chilling on the couch while watching a show.

I hope you had a good week. Mine was up and down. The hubby was gone, the weather cold and windy, the hormones whacked out, who knows? But today was a great day, hubby is back, the weather is great, and I took the girls shopping! Grateful to love the one God who gives us new start every day.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sofija

Spring is Here!

April 24, 2013April 29, 2013 sofijaburtonfashion, styleLeave a comment

Friends,

I was cruising through winter just fine. I had my boots, skinny jeans, and enough tops to make some decent outfits. But then it got warmer right around April, and guess what, I go into my closet and cannot find anything to wear. Nada! Nothing that says spring anyway. Does this ever happen to you?

So after searching my favorite internet stores here are my top 5 picks. They can be mixed and matched and would be great for Mother’s Day, or any special occasion.

What do you think? Too preppy? I’m really liking the white pants. My husband thinks I have completely lost my mind being that we have six children who would love to leave hand prints on them…

How about you, what are you wearing this spring?

-Sofija

Ella’s Birthday

April 22, 2013 sofijaburton2 Comments

Last week we celebrated Ella’s 7th Birthday. It was a very simple deal. We took her out for pancakes in the morning, made her favorite lunch, and subjected ourselves to Burger King for dinner, upon her request. Her neighbor friends came over for cake eating and present opening. As our family grew larger we decided that our children limit their bigger parties (with decorations, formal invitations, party favors, etc) to every other year. It is more manageable for us that way. However, even a low key, no planning ahead kind of Birthday looks like a big party, just because of the size of our family.

How about you, how do you do Birthdays? Is it a big deal, or do you keep it low key?

-Sofija

Leuie Summer 2013

April 19, 2013April 19, 2013 sofijaburtonBabiekins magazine, Chelsea Millunchick, chidlren's photography, children's fashion, Leuie, quality materials, vancouver british columbiaLeave a comment

I found this company through Babiekins magazine, a fantastic resource for stylish parenting. Leuie is a company from Vancouver, British Columbia, featuring beautiful European made clothing. What caught my attention was their photography done by the talented Chelsea Millunchick. Enjoy!

Aren’t these beautiful? I love how the children are captured so naturally. And the setting is so serene. We don’t live anywhere near grass, so this is quite appealing to me. I also appreciate the flowing dresses and quality materials this company uses.

Have a fun filled weekend, friends. See you back here next week.

-Sofija

All pictures by Chelsea Millunchick.

City of Rocks

April 17, 2013May 27, 2015 sofijaburtonCity of Rocks, Gila Wilderness, NM state parks, outdoors, things to do near Silver CityLeave a comment

My two oldest camped here last weekend. Our friends took them but it was organized by our local American Heritage Girls and Cub Scouts groups. City of Rocks State Park can be found in southern New Mexico near Silver City in the Gila Wilderness. Take a look.

Apparently the rocks where formed by a volcanic eruption a long time ago. This is a great place to visit for all ages. The girls had a lot of fun jumping from rock to rock.

My 11 year old daughter is the designated photographer for her troop. This girl can shoot some pictures!! She used her I pod touch.

Have a lovely day,

Sofija

Let’s Party!

April 15, 2013April 15, 2013 sofijaburtonangelina ballerina cake, birthday cakes, lego cake., mario brother cakeLeave a comment

Friends,

How was your weekend? Chances are, you celebrated a birthday, or you have some coming up pretty soon. We celebrated three birthdays last weekend! For us the is the middle of a birthday marathon. So if you like us are in need of some inspiration here are some great cakes I found on Pinterest. My friend made a really creative beach themed cake much like the one below.

So let’s get baking!

Which one is your favorite?

-Sofija

Lego cake found via Betty Crocker.

Find out how to make the beach themed cake here.

Pirate ship tutorial can be found at Kate’s Creative Space.

Dr. Seuss cake via catchmyparty.

Mario Brothers found via Rose Bakes.

A Dreamy Home-school/Kid’s Play/Office Room

April 12, 2013 sofijaburtonhomeschooling, offic roomLeave a comment

Friends,

We use our formal living room as a library/home-school room/play room. I’m always thinking about how I could improve it, adding desk space for example. Here is a great example of a cohesive looking work and play room that would also work well for home-schooling.

I like how bright and colorful it is. Lot’s of storage cubbies, and lots of desk space. And how about the clothing line to hang art and projects? This room invites creativity and hard work.

How about you, do you have a designated home-school room? Or a craft room? I personally am thrilled about the trend of giving up the formal living and turning it into a room to create.

Have a lovely day,

Sofija

All pictures found via Design Mom. You can find the entire house tour of this lovely home here.

One Photo 6 Different Ways

April 10, 2013 sofijaburtonCamera Bag, Photo Editor, photo editors, photography, PicMonkeyLeave a comment

Do you like playing around with photo editors and filters? The photo above featuring me, the husband, and our youngest is pretty close to its original. I imagine Emily, who took and edited the picture, doctored it up a bit. She might have enhanced some colors like the reds and the browns. She is also really good at adding textures, which I know nothing about. While she uses a professional editor there are also cheap and easy ways to edit your pictures. Below are six different versions of the same picture.

First is the picture in sepia tones.

Next is one of my favorites, good old black and white. i-nWrNHJL-L To get the dreamy look I added brightness to the photo using the online and free PicMonkey photo editor. i-Vj42pBG-L

Next i softened the photo and added a black border also using PicMonkey.

For a vintage look I applied a filter called 1974 using the Camera Bag photo editor.

Lastly I added multiple filters again using Camera Bag. Here I combined the filters Helga, 1974, and Instant.

Which version is your favorite? Do you have a go to photo editor?

Have a great day taking pictures!

-Sofija

P.S. Who noticed that I actually used two different pictures?

Katrina Tang Photo Shoot for Start-rite

April 8, 2013 sofijaburtonbritish shoe, Katrina Tang Photography, kid's fashion, Start-riteLeave a comment

I have featured Katrina Tang before. She is an Estonian children’s photographer, who does incredible work. Here she did a photo shoot for a British shoe company called Start-rite. They couldn’t have picked a better location, how can you go wrong with an old British mansion? Take a look.

I like the bold shoe colors, especially the red and yellow. But I like the production and art direction by Katrina and Smudgettika even more. How about the girl on the bridge hiding behind the balloons? Or using props like the tricycle and old suitcase in the first photo? I like photo shoots that capture children playing naturally.

I wish I had sources for the lovely outfits…

Have a great day!

Sofija

Teach Where You Live

Where homeschooling, style, and life intersect, here and around the world

Author: sofijaburton

Sculptor Allison Street

friday-grams

Spring is Here!

Ella’s Birthday

Leuie Summer 2013

City of Rocks

Let’s Party!

A Dreamy Home-school/Kid’s Play/Office Room

One Photo 6 Different Ways

Katrina Tang Photo Shoot for Start-rite