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. 

legacy session : schalk

i had the pleasure of spending a weekend with this beautiful family. i worked for john schalk, president of schalk oil company in wichita falls. i also worked for his dad thomas schalk before he passed away in 2012. family and the importance of family is at the center of my life and every legacy. everyone has a legacy to be left. the important part is capturing this time for the generations to come. 

spending the time at their lake cabin was a huge blessing. john's parents, tom and betty, bought this lake house many many years ago for $15,000 and that included the house, dock, and a boat. can you believe that. he has great memories of this place and now he is getting to share them with his wife, daughter and friends. 

tom spent every day at schalk oil company. he worked 8-5 just like everyone else. he was the sweetest man and i miss him dearly. he loved his granddaughter with his whole heart. he would be so proud of the lady she is becoming. she is beautiful she like her mom and this session is for the entire family but also just for her and the legacy she is going to be left. 

tom was also a fan of cowboy hats and when we were at the cabin john mentioned this. perfect opportunity to get everyone to try one on. these are some of my favorite pictures from the session. 

i encourage you to consider a legacy session at some point. don't let all the wonderful memories you have of your grandparents, parents, and children go uncaptured. let the memories come to life so the generations to come can look and remember. 

introducing : legacy session

i posted a little sneak peak about this on my instagram and Facebook about a month ago and now i want to share something that i am very passionate about. 

F A M I L Y -  Forget Abut Me I Love You. 

here is a some information about this beautiful session i am now offering. 

please contact me for more information & booking. email : kathryn@littlehcreative.com

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. 

setting goals

little h creative online store is up and ready. my original goal was sometime in 2015 and then once  i started getting things together i changed the goal date to the end of june. being self employed is teaching me a lot about goals, scheduling, and time. i rarely procrastinate and i'm impulsive. which means, i tend to want to work all. the. time. juggling between retail space, graphic design, and photography isn't always easy but it's the only way i function. i like the multi-trade business. i equally enjoy all of it. 

i'm going to try and take july and august to focus on  some other parts of little h creative that i haven't been able to put my time on. i've got a fun session coming up in july. i'm excited about it and can't wait to share more. stayed tuned my friends! 

i'll leave you with some images from our little styled shoot and invite you to take a look around our shop. shop away! we are stocked and ready. 

little h creative kids

we had a little  photo shoot at the house last week to get our kids clothes and some adult shirts in our online store. we have a booth space at the alley cat in downtown wichita falls. (900 Indiana Wichita Falls, Texas 76301) if you are ever in the area check this little gem out. it's actually huge. great for thrifters, those who like antiques, handmade items, and a great source for getting items for any DIY project on your list. 

now that my store space is up and running great i have heard the demand to have my shirts and onesies online! i am proud to announce little h creative store will be stocked this week! i will be making an announcement via social media and my website! stay tuned!  

a huge thank you to everyone who came out and helped and brought your kids because this wouldn't have been possible without you. another huge thank you to misty humpert with two joyful butterflies for suppling us with cute headbands, bows, and those colorful feather leggings. adorable! 

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. 

taking that step

i am leaving my very secure wonderful job to be self employed and spend more time with my kids. it feels like this has been a long time coming - almost like a dream. when i decided to really launch little h creative with a website in january and putting myself out there i wasn't sure what would come of it. i have been so blessed with clients, inspiration, and support. it doesn't take me much to get inspired and have the desire to start creating things.

i had been on the virge, stressing about finances and pondering whether or not it was the right choice for our family. one day last week i went to visit a long time favorite shop (one I've always had a booth at on a very small scale and as little h prints) the alley cat. i was needing to talk to Julie, owner, about moving and enlarging my booth (because 922 indie where i currently had the bulk of my stuff was closing). i was taken to the third floor and i felt like i could almost cry. i saw a huge space with wood floors, tiffany blue walls, and endless possibilities.

right then i knew i had a passion inside me that needed to be used. i had to take the chance. the next day i told my boss and i took the first step of doing something i love.

two of many passions of mine is creating things and old stuff. i love making things with my hands and seeing the results. i easily get frustrated when i can't figure out how to make something. (usually because it requires some power tool i don't know how to use. thank goodness i have a very handy husband) i thrive and get extra excited when i walk into a thrift or "junk" store as some call them. my heart goes out to downtown properties that are not given the chance to grow and be renewed.

the space is to be called the alley cat attic. a space full of handmade and vintage items with a open concept boutique feel. not all the details are worked out yet but i am excited to move towards screen printing textiles; fabric, pillows, tote bags, tea towels, and more.

this will also be a space were i can meet clients for consultations and appointments. having a little space to call mine is so wonderful.  right now the bulk of my time is spent creating and designing items for the store.  a tentative open date is mid to end march.

these pictures really don't have much to do with this post except that all of this change will result in more time with these people who make this passion inside me so great.

so please stayed tuned. i am going to do my best to keep you updated! follow me on instagram (social icon is at the top of the page will take you to my instagram) i post regularly there.

WELCOME!!!!

welcome! this little place has been a space in the back of my mind for a long time. i've worked on the side for years, gaining knowledge and loving the ins and outs of design and photography. 2015 is a year full of chance, excitement, and unknown. i went part time at work to give myself the chance to work in a field i feel passionate about. so i want to say

please take a look around. i am anxious and excited for the future. i've always been a dreamer and a doer. i've been morath screen printing since 2009 and little h prints for the past few years. this space is  a new brand and a fresh start. i chose little h creative because it sums up what i love and what i do.   a huge thanks goes out to Hershel Self  for all his help in making this website possible. i would like to mention this site has a web view and a mobile view. if you are looking on your phone please take the time to look on a computer to get the full site. also, please subscribe to the email list to get exciting news, updates, and freebies right to your inbox. feel free to browse the shop, new items will be coming soon. that's all for now- again, welcome and i'll leave you with this which sums this beautiful and exciting time in our lives.