Tree Beanie | Locally Made in Flagstaff, Arizona

On a snowy afternoon, I ventured down a winding highway to catch up with my friend, Tasia, at her family’s cabin. Past the city limits of Flagstaff, Arizona, nestled near the San Francisco Peaks, their property turns into a winter wonderland once the snow season hits. Ponderosa pine trees loom above their cabins, bunkhouse, yurt, and barn, all of which you can actually rent on airbnb. Definitely give them a look if you’re wanting to spend some time in Northern Arizona. I stayed there for one of my first weeks in Flagstaff, when I still wasn’t sure I would officially move to town, and their guest cabin is very cozy! 

As you can imagine, with that much space there is a lot to roam. We ran around with her dogs, Theo and Keli, I got to take a peek at their vintage fire truck, and she showed me the new beanies she had just knitted. Tasia is actually the owner and craftswoman behind Tree Beanie, hand knitted headwear that is locally made in Flagstaff. Since she had just finished so many new beanies, we wanted to take some photos to show them off. If you’re in the area, then you can shop Tree Beanie at Babbitt’s Backcountry. Even if you’re outside of Flag you can still shop Tree Beanie at their Instagram. They make a fun and cozy Christmas gift!

It’s really wonderful to know the person behind the company you are supporting, so here’s a little more about Tasia:

• Why did you choose the name Tree Beanie? My beanies were originally called, "Tasia Beanies", but I didn't like having my name in my brand. So, I tried to think of what I would want my brand to look like. My tree of life tattoo on my shoulder came to mind. It seemed perfect! The tree represents my love for nature. In fact, my mom says that even as a kid I was always happier in the woods. It seemed like a good representation of me.

• What made you start your company? Honestly, I figured out how to make a beanie and I didn't want to stop making them, but I also didn't want to collect a bunch of beanies. At the time, I was working for Babbitt's and the owner is a good friend. He agreed to let me sell them. They have been successful for three seasons so far!

• How do you choose your yarn, the colors, and what patterns you want to create? I just pick colors and yarn that excite me. I love just walking around the yarn aisles until something sticks out to me. My patterns are actually pretty simple. They are usually just a variation of two stitches. I love the puff stitch because it always creates a cozy piece! Recently, I started making ear warmers because a friend requested I make one. Then, my husband Joel suggested I sew a fleece lining into them. The ear warmer has been a big hit this season. Currently, I'm making myself a neck warmer that stretches over my ears and mouth. I will release a photo soon for anyone interested.

• What values help guide your career and company? I'm just doing something I love. It is such a humbling experience to have customers excited about what I make. I hope I can continue to do that! I am also a big supporter of buying handmade products. Handmade products are one-of-a-kind!!! Plus you are supporting a person and not a big corporation!

• What's an accomplishment you are most proud of with Tree Beanie? Right now I'm proud that they are selling and people like wearing what I made. A few months ago my husband and I were in Safeway and I saw someone wearing one of my beanies! It was so cool to see!

• Who are you outside of Tree Beanie? Well, I'm married to a tall, goofy red head! I'm a dog owner of two furry babies. I love rock climbing and spending time in the woods. I also like wearing cozy plaid, wool socks, and my cowgirl boots! Some of my favorite things include, candles, hot chocolate in a big mug, journaling, yarn, the sound of wind in the trees, big monsoon thunder storms, and the first snow of the year!

I also have my very own Tree Beanie hat and it has kept me warm while cross country skiing in Arizona, camping in the Utah winter, taking a chilly morning walk to a hot spring in Canada, and riding boats in Alaska! The striped colors on my beanie remind me of warm desert colors while I am far away from the landscape I grew up in. When the wind is blowing cold and harsh I never feel warm enough without a nice knit hat.  Once I slip one on over my head I instantly feel snug and toasty. Plus, they tame my frizzy curls, keeping them down on my shoulders rather than whipping around my face. Way less tangles involved with a beanie! I wear them on my walks down the windy beach and on any cold morning spent outside. You can see how much I love wearing it below…

The Magic of Being Alone: How to Enjoy Doing Stuff by Yourself

Have you ever gotten the notion to do something new and fun, like going to see a band you like, exploring a different trail, or getting lunch at a new spot in town and really want someone to share the experience with? You ask a couple people to come, but for whatever various reasons they can’t make it. You could wait for them to have the time to come, but really there are moments that if you waited for someone else to be ready to do something with you, you’d never be able to do it! And how lame is that?! Well, let me tell you from personal experience… To think that you would miss out on doing something fun just because you don’t have any company to join you is lame. Maybe you have tons of friends with open schedules who are always up to go see live music. Congrats. I don’t. So you can look at these cute photos I took of Camellia and then go out with one of your friends. For anyone else who can relate to my experiences keep reading for a little pep talk and some tips to help you get over the idea that you need company to enjoy an experience!

• Embrace the feeling of being alone:

  I think it’s important to accept that you are currently doing something alone and be okay with it. You probably won’t love the feeling, but you can at least banish the negative connotations by just embracing the experience. Stop telling yourself you’re lame for not being with friends or that you’re isolated. Instead, try to notice the positives about being by yourself in that moment. I can remember times where I thought if I wasn’t with people often, then I must be a curmudgeonly hermit who isolated herself from people because she didn’t like anyone and was incapable of getting along with others. When I shifted the way I saw being alone, I realized this was someone else’s voice left over in my head. I had taken on someone else’s insecurities as my own and here they were affecting my life (more on this later)! Instead, I could see being alone as an opportunity to do what I chose to do. I didn’t have to entertain anyone else’s interest. I was solely focused on me and that mindset was enough to let me embrace the feeling of being alone. So, kick the negative words out of your head and connect to what is beautiful about not being with friends and let yourself embrace the feeling!

• Start with something less intimidating to you:

  Shows are usually crowded, which I find intimidating. However, I’ve been hiking on my own for so long now that I’m 100% comfortable being alone on a trail. In order to build up my confidence to do other things alone, I focused on being by myself in places I already felt comfortable. Those moments sort of acted as a reminder that I would be fine by myself anywhere. Maybe you feel less intimidated by going to a coffee shop and reading a book or going to the movie theaters where you don’t have to talk to someone. Or maybe you do feel more confident when you have the opportunity to talk to someone, so you want to seek out places that are busier. The point is to create an experience where you will feel empowered. Which is another reason I stuck to hiking at first. Being outdoors really clears my mind and allows me to see that I can do whatever I want. It’s a huge confidence booster for me. I always feel encouraged to go after whatever I choose to go after when I get to be out in nature (I’ve written a little bit about this before, if you’re curious). So, find an opportunity that will help you feel empowered and let yourself believe you can do anything.

• Force yourself to do it:

  At a certain point you just have to force yourself to go out and do what you want to do, ALL BY YOURSELF, even if it sounds really terrifying! Afterwards, you’re probably going to realize it’s not even that scary and your confidence will have gone up that much more. I can think of a few times I skipped out on certain events because going alone seemed so uncomfortable. I knew I would be expected to talk to people and I was at a point where I just felt so awkward trying to connect with others. When I finally told myself I had to go I realized I had missed out on quite a bit and for no real reason. My fears were rather unfounded. Sure, there were moments I felt uncomfortable, but I can bet other people at the even felt the same way. You’re probably always going to have a little voice in your head telling you that you’re being weird. But guess what? I was reminded that I could actually connect to people, whether I think I’m awkward or not. Shocker. Getting these positive reminders about yourself and making realizations is one of the reasons going out alone is beneficial! Being by yourself you don’t have to hear anyone else’s opinion or thoughts about you. Yes, you do have to hear your own, but this is a great opportunity to practice ignoring that negative voice inside your head and reinforcing the positive voice instead. When you’re by yourself you get to focus on you, what you like about yourself, and what your interests are. Just force yourself to do it and get it over with! It gets easier with each time too.

If you’ve been debating on whether you want to go do something or not just because no one is interested in going, then just go! Remember to embrace the feeling of being alone and find the positive about not being with friends. Start out with something less intimidating to you to help build your confidence and remind yourself that you are totally okay going out by yourself. Then, just force yourself to go to the event or place alone that is scariest to you. You’re going to get the chance to reconnect with yourself and your interests and start to learn a little more about yourself that you might have been overlooking before. Do you have any other tips you’ve used when going out alone? Let me know! 

Married in the Warm Winter Sun

Jessi & Will: Arizona Wedding Film

This winter I drove down to Phoenix to shoot Jessi & Will's wedding. I can get a bit nervous shooting inside a church due to dim lighting, but this church had lots of windows to let all the warm winter sunshine through. It created some beautiful, soft lighting to show off all the love being spread around that day. Lots of smiles, laughter, hugs and cute kids. I love snapping shots of curious, sweet, and silly kids. Enjoy!

Nurturing Rains

Arcosanti in the Rain - Arizona Photography

As the rain was falling, my friends and I pulled into Arcosanti just in the nick of time. The sun was lowering, inching closer to the horizon, and tours were closing. Yet, by chance, we wound up meeting a guide who happily showed us around, filling us in on the special details of the experimental town. Arcosanti is a more sustainable alternative suggestion to urban sprawl, where the buildings are kept to a limited area so as to make the most use of the resources offered by the surrounding land. The trickling rain brought extra attention to colorful land, highlighting it's potential.

The evening had all of my favorite subjects wrapped up into one: lots of beautiful greenery, a gorgeous, shimmering sunset, unique architecture, and lovely friends. Also the opportunity for lots of candid shots! I hope these photos can bring you along for our rainy little tour.

Bonnie & Adam - Phoenix, Arizona Engagement Photos

Hello, there! I've taken quite the break from sharing my work on my blog. Over the summer I was working at a youth camp as tech director, but not in a wifi friendly place! Being a little behind seemed to keep me away even more as I've worked on a lot of video editing, but I'm very ready to share some more now.

This fall my friend, Bonnie, asked me to take her engagement photos. Bonnie, Adam, and I all drove up north planning to shoot in Flagstaff. Yet it seemed some trees off the side of the road were calling Bonnie's name, so we had to pull off the freeway, winding up along some hiking trails. I had a fun day getting a nice change in weather (I was freezing. I have no "chill" tolerance.) and being silly with my friend!