little h creative : three parts

this space, my business, is little h creative. i am kathryn hager, owner and creative entrpeneuer that has a vision for this space. i get ask all the time exactly what i do and often i have clients that only know about one part of this three part business. 

1. first, i screen print. i have been printing shirts for about 7 years now. i have learned so much and continue to get excited about designing and printing shirts. i print all of my own retail clothing for my booth space at The Alley Cat Vintage Mercantile and for my online store. i have also started printing custom orders again. which means if you have a fundraiser or event you would like shirts for i can design and print the shirts for you. contact me for more information and to get a quote. (minimum order of 25 shirts) 
2. second, i am a graphic designer. i have been doing this for about 2 years. i have a bachelors in business marketing and i think that is what sparked my interest in design and graphics. once i started printing more for myself i needed a better way to market myself and design my own shirts. learning adobe illustrator has changed my life and now i feel the options are endless. i love designing my own merchandise, logos and branding, and being able to help others has been such a blessing. design services include designing wedding invitations/stationary, logo & branding for creative individuals, businesses and events, and t-shirt designs. 
3. third, i am a photographer. i shot for hobby for about 3 years and have been professional for over a year. i attended a Joy Prouty // Wildflower Photography workshop in March 15' and that really developed my mind for capturing moments. i love shooting natural moments through lifestyle and simple sessions. i enjoy people so getting to know you and capturing those moments is such a joy.

first day of autumn : we have eggs

it may not feel like autumn in north texas but just knowing that cooler temps are near makes me happy. our chickens are also quite happy. we were out doing our daily chores and i noticed more eggs than usual. annie started gathering and pretty soon she had a shirt full of little brown eggs. the cooler mornings means we are going to be eating a lot more eggs! these little hens bring so much joy to our family. we are overjoyed that we have been able to keep them alive AND they are giving us something in return. 

thank you chickadees. 

empty bowls : october 13th

This past weekend was great! annie turned 4 and we had our final bowl-a-thon for Empty Bowls. Empty Bowls is a fundraiser for our Wichita Falls Area Food Bank. In short, the artist in Wichita Falls throw 1,000 bowls to hand out as part of your ticket into the event. The event is held on October 13th this year at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art at MSU from 11AM to 1:30PM. 

Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the area United Supermarkets, Market Street, or at the Food Bank in Wichita Falls. I am helping with the event this year and I strongly encourage you, if you haven't been, to consider attending. All proceeds benefit the hunger in our community. 

Lunch is included with your ticket. around 20 restaurants from Wichita Falls will be donating and serving a variety of delicious soups. 

We held 3 bowl-a-thons this year and had such a great time, the talent is amazing. There is so much  more work that goes on besides these three days.  The help we receive from the ceramics department at MSU is huge and we are forever grateful! 

Everyone really welcomed little Annie in on this past Saturday's bowl -a- thon and it made my heart warm to see how excited she got about something being made by hand. 

r o u t i n e

let's talk about routine and schedule and what gets me through the day.

things i can't live without:

• planner - i picked up an hour to hour calendar at Target a few months ago and it has changed the way the i look at my day. i was writing a mile long list on each day and hoping to accomplish all of it (rarely) which left me frustrated and overwhelmed.  now - i break my task up within the hour and i have a much better idea of what i can accomplish  hour to hour and day by day. don't get me wrong, i still get overwhelmed but it's MUCH better and i get way more done. 
• coffee - i know this is an obvious. it's not just the caffeine that gets me going but the act of making it, hearing it brew, and holding a warm cup is just what i need to get my day started.
• snacks - for me and the kids. when they are getting frustrated about me working i know its snack time and i try to take a time out to feed them and myself. 
• flavored water - hah, can you tell i'm a beverage girl. i can't drink water all day so i have to change it up with crystal light, lime water, tea, la croix and the list goes on. 
• iphone - another obvious but it's amazing how much work i can get down with my phone and laptop. i can read emails (with edits) and take action while working in adobe illustrator. 

those are the top essentials that i could think of and here is my week in a glance: 

1. Monday - I have my two kids and a niece all day. It's usually pretty chill since our weekends are busy. 
2. Tuesday - Annie and Jane go to school and this is the day i power work. i schedule clients for consultations, meetings with groups i volunteer with and currently i try to be in the garage screen printing and prepping screens to print. I then pick kids up from school, come home, get dinner prepped, kids in bed, and then off to work again designing, editing, and emailing. 
3. Wednesday - Annie is at school and Jane is home with me. its great for us to hang out and right now she actually likes to play by herself a lot which is great for me and getting work done. i do not print with Jane outside so my work is mostly done on the computer. we pick annie up from school and usually grocery shop and then go home. 
4. Thursday - the day goes about the same as Tuesday. Power work, try to get a bike ride in, and then get the kids. the biggest goal is to do things that i can't do when the girls are home or with me. 
5. Friday- i've always been the type that thinks Fridays are meant for relaxing. that isn't the case currently but since i have both kids at home i try really hard to take it easier. 
6. Saturday- again, we try to take it easy but i occasionally have sessions booked. 
7. Sunday- we go to Mass and relax. 

Well thats the basics! It's not perfect and i work a lot but i truly believe all will pay off. i know and have learned from my parents that you have to work hard to get somewhere. thanks for reading and please let me know if you have questions! 

// working from home //

i've decided to start sharing some of my experience and pieces of my day and business. i went self employed around 5 months ago and though i have a lot to learn i've also learned of few things. i'll start by saying the two main reasons i wanted to work from home and be self employed is to 1) to make my creative outlet a reality - in the past i had to work in an office all day dreaming and thinking about the things i could create the moments that needed to be captured. it was tearing my mind up and i finally couldn't take it anymore. 2) my kids : i wanted to be home more, to watch them, talk with them and learn from them. 

there is so much that goes into working from home. there is probably no way i could cover this topic accurately but i hope by sharing a piece of my story i can inspire and encourage you in some small way to live your dream. i read and did research by other self-employed / working from home individuals before i (we) really made this decision and it helped but it really couldn't prepare me for the excitement and challenges i face. the biggest thing i have to keep on my mind and focus on is a ROUTINE. routine is not just a must for the kids but also myself. i struggle and am working on mastering this routine. because my work is so unpredictable on what exactly i will be working on i have to narrow my "routine" to having basic STRUCTURE in my day. at least two or three days out of the week i totally fail at keeping structure around the house or in my schedule. 

i have to think about whether or not i brushed my teeth. when did i bathe last. have i spoken to someone besides the kids and hubs in the last 24 hours. when did i last workout. eat. drink. and sleep. 

this is my life. i love this life and am so blessed by the work that fills my day. i will be talking more about my exact "routine" and what exactly i do. i plan to start sharing about new products and what we have to look forward to ask the holidays fast approach. 

i'd love to hear what works for you and if you have any questions for me, about me, please... do ask. 

july 4th celebration : charlie, texas

home of the free - because of the brave. for as long as i can remember i have spent my independence day in charlie, texas. the very place i grew up. my nana and gramps help run the charlie community center and have made a point to keep our small town celebration alive. i grew up excited and anxious to decorate by bicycle for the parade with red white and blue streamers, balloons and flags duct taped to my bike. 

the passed few years i have carried on the tradition of helping. i help serve hamburgers and hot dogs to all the visitors who come out to celebrate.  because everyone in my family helps put it on in some way we never had any pictures to take away from something so much time and effort went into. my gramps ask me to capture the event this year and an honor it was. 

i was reminded how much fun it is. the kids dancing and running wild. hay rides and blue barrel train cars being pulled behind a lawn mower keep things alive and at dark we have a nice firework show. 

we had a high chance for a storm this year which left the crowd a little thin and the weather just perfect. i look up to my gramps and nana for so many reasons. their love for this small community  is so grand and i hope it is never forgotten. 

vacation : jamaica beach, tx

ryan and i have been wanting to take the kids to the beach for awhile. we waited until jane got a little bigger and we are hooked. neither of us had been to the beach in a long time. we chose Galveston/Jamaica Beach mostly for the distance and time it takes to get there. from our house it  was about 8 hours (a little over with kids) i feel like we heard a lot more bad than good about galveston but we went for it. we booked a vrbo (vacation rental by owner) house. we chose the cheapest we could find and it was amazing. maybe not the nicest place in the area but it fit our needs perfectly. 

it had plenty of space for 7 kids and 4 adults. i could sit on the deck, watch the guys fish in the ocean and drink my coffee in peace in the morning. it was amazing. 

the beach was walking distance which made it great with the kids. we never had to load up in the car to go anywhere. we went out in the morning from about 9-12ish. the water was great, a local told us the water wasn't as clear as usual but we didn't notice. the guys got to walk out a little further than we were swimming to fish and pretty good luck! ryan hasn't ever really fished so being his first time and actually catching stuff was a bonus. 

we ate out one night which was crazy. a packed restaurant with a party our size, sunburned tired kids (and adults) made us realize cooking at the house was much more peaceful. i ate fresh fish every day and it was glorious. we will definitely be going back. 

may moments : under the tree

may proved to be memory making. the rain came and livened up all our trees, especially this one in our side yard. crazy to think it was near death last year and we almost had it cut down. thank goodness we waited to see if it would come back to life. let me tell you. it has. it is huge! the perfect tree to lay under and dream about the future. these kids are eager to be my side kicks. they both have such great personalities. jane has gotten really into dancing. we turned the music on while we lay under the tree and i got quite the show. 

these girls may not agree on sharing everything but they are becoming the best of friends. it makes this mama's heart want to burst and multiply! may, you were good to us. i pray for all those who lost something in the flood. crazy to think we were in a drought last summer and now i hope to have plans of road trips, lake visits and lots of sunscreen. 

*jane's shirt was created and printed by me and is available at the alley cat attic. 9th and Indiana, downtown wichita falls, tx. third floor. 

april moments : part 2

i love the spring. the days are long and being able to spend so much time outside is great. april has brought a great amount of rain! something we aren't used to so i couldn't tell the girls no when they went straight for the puddles. these girls of mine are such troopers. i did some spring mini sessions and they are always up for letting me take them around to find the best spot. each of the girls are wearing little h creative shirts designed and printed by me. 

the beginning of april was a bit challenging but i'm happy to announce that after 6 weeks we are finally in a groove. the girls are playing better at home and i feel semi caught up on my work. i am so happy i made the decision to be self employed. it's work but it brings me so much joy. 

april moments

i try hard to document my family during the year. that way at the end of the year i can design a book that starts in January and ends in December. i want this book to show the girls their growth and experiences. i've been doing this for 4 years now and annie loves to look at our old books and laugh at how little she used to be. explaining to her that she used to be a baby too is a hard concept for her to grasp. 

so here are some of our moments in april. these girls sure know how to makes this mama smile. and really, whats better than a trampoline on a cloudy day with cousins. nothing.

i will encourage you to take pictures and save them! even if they are just on your phone, put them on your computer or get them printed. these littles are going to love the memories captured. 

spring session : annie + jane

spring is so great in so many ways. i am experiencing spring in a whole new light this year. becoming self employed full time and home with the girls is so amazing. i won't lie if i say it isn't a struggle as well. it's my nature to pile as much in a day as humanly possible. 

one of my favorite things about living in the country in the spring is the wheat fields. i feel like there is a beauty i can not express into words or pictures. yesterday around 6 o'clock i looked up and noticed how beautiful the clouds were. i quickly fed the kids, bathed them, dressed them and headed out the door get some pictures of the kids while the peach blossoms were still in bloom. jane had been a bit cranky all day (getting tubes in april and i can't wait) and annie is usually always up for anything. 

without going into every little detail i will say it was a struggle to get the girls to look at me or of even listen to me. they wanted to run, play, and ignore me. frustration overcame me and we left the peach blossoms and were going to head home.  

on the way home i crossed this field and saw the clouds again and was reminded how beautiful life is. so i let the kids out and let them run through the grass - free and unposed. jane was having a blast one second and pissed another - one of my favorite photos is of her staring at me mad. it explains what the poor kid has been going through. she is getting tubes in a couple weeks and i hope she finally gets relief. 

oh girls, mama loves you to the moon and back. 

monday moments

our house usually goes from loud to quiet in 2 seconds flat. ryan made me this pallet couch about a year ago. i bought a crib mattress and put some throw pillows on it and it is the girls number one place to hang. jane is able to crawl up and read a book all by herself. annie uses it as a trampoline (which i don't encourage) and i pretty sure jane can't wait until she can do it. (hopefully not sooner than later)

when we bought our house a year and half ago the main thing that drew me in was the natural light. we have two huge windows on both sides of the house. i love how our house lights up during the day. there are days i think we need drapes or curtains but can't bring myself to do it because i'm scared i'll lose some of this beautiful light.

so for now i'll just deal with my bare windows and soak up this light and these two spunky kids.

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 this texas weather can't decide what it wants to do -  yesterday i was out spray painting doilies and today i'm bundled up and freezing. so happy Monday to ya and i hope this post brought a little light to your day.  

2014 photo album

every year i try to organize our pictures into an annual photo album. i've tried 4 different companies, never really happy with the process or the product. this year since i've gotten started with miller's lab i decided to order through them and what a great choice it was. they have a number of different album options including the signature albums and layflat albums which i offer with a few of my photography packages. they are also available for purchase on top of any photography package.

i chose this hard back album because it allowed be to have up to 140 pages. the pages are good quality matte paper. not the super thick pages which is offered with the other albums. i picked the blue art cloth and chose to have our name of the book foil pressed on top of the book. this was a great option for only $7.

i like it when the sun comes out.

something i struggle with is finding balance between this wonderful space, my part time job, and home. i went part time at my "real" job to focus on my passion for creating things. finding out that people want me to create for them is such a relief.

my days have felt heavy and the winter months don't help. i don't get out to run or walk like i used to, all my plants have dried up for the winter, and our backyard is full of tumble weeds.

i try to enjoy all the season's that God has blessed us with but winter is the most difficult . last week, the sun came out and i instantly felt renewed. my heart started beating a little different and an instant smile was on my face.

i can tell the girls felt it to. i went outside and i was on a mission to get my back yard looking a little better. i started throwing tumble weeds over the fence and annie, without being told, picked up the broom and dust pan and went to town. jane did her part by bossing us around and helping us get our hands dirty.

dirty hands does this family good.

i sure love jane's pot belly.

annie's smile is contagious.

we've got sun in our weekend forecast and i can't wait to get out there and soak it up.