Lace Wraps

I really love the way this lace turned out!  Some of the colors were surprising, but for the most part, I get exactly what I wanted.  I did all of this with Rit Dye and you can check out yesterday's post for details on that process.  I had added some vinegar to the mix since the lace is a poly blend.  I think that is why some of the colors were unexpected.  But overall, I am so happy with the results!  I love DIY projects like this!

Dying Fabrics

So, I had a lot of fun dying fabric!  It was fairly easy and straight forward, but definitely still lots of work.  I don't want to claim to have perfected the method, or that I could have done this on my own.  I found a blog with instructions and followed them.  If you are interested in reading for yourself, you can go to: https://juliannaarendashphotography.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/how-to-dye-cheesecloth-for-newborn-wraps/

I didn't really change anything about the instructions on that blog, because they worked well for me.  

I found that empty ice cream containers are a nice size to use and are convenient because they have a handle.  

I did everything outside on my deck on some strangely warm winter days.  

This isn't everything I made, but it is from the first day I worked on this project.  :)

Picking Fabrics

So I wanted to spend some time focusing on some of the DIY projects that I have done for my photography business.  Photography can be a difficult business to make money in due to all the competition, so many photographers try to find ways to cut expenses.  For me, it is a mixture of wanting to save money and loving the process of making things.  So when I decided to make my own newborn wraps, the first step was picking the right fabrics.  I knew I wanted cheesecloth because it is a classic that is in high demand, but I also didn't want to just do what everyone else is doing.  I started by buying higher grade cheesecloth than what is commonly available.  I also bought lace and two different types of knit fabrics.  I know this looks like I must have spent a fortune on fabrics, but the knit fabrics were on sale for $1/yd.  Tomorrow I will share about my process from making these white fabrics into a beautiful array of colors!  :)

Table Decorations

So I realize that this doesn't fall in line with my photography business, but this is an example of the DIY projects I like to do.  I decided that I wanted table settings that were simple, elegant, and all matching.  So I made my own!  I spent a lot of time coming up with the design and pulling inspiration from Pinterest.  Once I had all the materials, it actually didn't take that long to make everything.  It helped that I had a deadline of when I wanted it finished.  I tend to procrastinate, but having a deadline usually means that I will complete the project.  Haha  :)  

Meet the Maker

I thought it would be fun to spend a few weeks showing you all some "behind the scenes" of me and my work.  There are a variety of ways that you could have landed here, at this blog, reading this.  Maybe you know me or my family personally from school or church over the years, maybe you found another blog of mine (probably Tarcil's) and followed the rabbit hole here, maybe you are a former client of my photography business, maybe you are looking for a photographer, or maybe you seriously can't even remember because it's 3 am and your eyes are bloodshot from surfing the web instead of sleeping.  It doesn't matter what brought you here, but if you are interested in knowing more about me, then I encourage you to stay a little longer and keep reading.  :)

My name is Rachel Wilhelm, and I am an animal lover, Jesus follower, and artist that focuses on photography.  My family consists of a pretty kitty named Penny who is about 9 years old, a famous hamster named Tarcil who is almost 3 years old, a crazy pup named Beren who is almost 1 year old, and my loving husband named Joe.  I generally try to avoid being too sappy in my blog posts, but I can't hide how much I love and adore Joseph, and how blessed I am to be able to live life alongside him!  Being friends since we were 11 has been awesome!  He really is pretty amazing and incredible!  I am not a very ambitious person, so I don't think I would have my own photography business if it wasn't for him pushing me and supporting me so much!

Here is probably my favorite picture of us from our wedding day.  :)

This is the most recent picture I have of us together.

Here are my favorite pictures of each of our pets: Tarcil, Penny, and Beren!

My business has evolved a lot since I first officially started it in 2013.  I now focus exclusively on photographing newborns.  I do plenty of other work too in order to indulge my other passions, hobbies, and desires to create beautiful work.  This work includes photographing animals such as my pets, zoo animals, and wildlife, and then blogging my favorites of these.  I love knitting and crocheting so I generally make lots of my own props to be used with newborns.  In general, I love working with my hands to make things so I do as many DIY projects as I can!

This is a selfie from a craft fair I was in a couple years ago, right after I chopped off my hair for the first time.  I always wanted to donate it, but was too scared for many years.  So glad I did it!  I have donated twice now!

I have written 3 eBooks about Tarcil that are available on Amazon for about $3 each.  You should be on the lookout for another soon!  :)

In the following weeks, I will show you a lot of random stuff with a focus on the variety of the props I have for my newborn photography (which includes a lot of DIY stuff I made) as well as my in-home studio space.  I hope you come back here for more of my meet the maker series!  :)

afO's Romeo and Juliet

I was SO impressed with afO's production of "Romeo and Juliet"!  I honestly was surprised they were going to do this when I first heard about it, but they did a WONDERFUL job!  The actors and actresses were so talented and did a great job!  The cast was mostly teenagers, but they handled the material SO well!  I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to photograph this play as it was done in the round, but I quickly decided that I just had to use a wide angle lens and go with it.  At first I was afraid the pictures wouldn't turn out well, but I love the results!  Looking through the pictures feels like you are being thrown into the midst of the action because everyone is so close you could almost reach out and touch them!  I truly enjoyed this performance so much, and I hope that you all will make it a prioity to see afO's next production which is "A Wrinkle in Time".  You can find more information by going to: https://allforonefw.org/

Here is the whole wonderful cast!  :)