simple thoughts from Paige Knudsen Photography

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welcome, ya’ll come on in

my name is paige & i'm so glad you're here

"simple thoughts" is my online, personal journal. within these pages i share, not only my business portfolio, but glimpses into the daily life of my family.
i consider myself blessed beyond measure to share life with dan and our four girls, savannah, madison, emily & caroline.
my life is not perfect, yet i humbly open the pages of my story & invite you to c'mon in and stay a while.

i love caffeine free diet coke, monograms, anthropologie, running, golden retrievers and above all else, Jesus.

photography is my passion. it's my attempt to capture the simple moments of life that can easily be passed over. after receiving requests and encouragement from friends and family, i launched my own business, paige knudsen photography, in the fall of 2011. i'm a natural light photographer serving the atlanta area.

recently another passion found it's way into my heart. Noonday Collection . noonday offers accessories handmade by vulnerable groups of people around the world. our aim is to style you while creating a pathway out of poverty for artisans and their families through dignified sustainable income. having been widowed at the age of 30, i feel a kindred connection with many of these women. you can be a voice for the oppressed too!

last day of school & a couple of couples

5.22.13

well it’s officially summer around here as my air conditioner is already working it’s full time job of cooling our poorly insulated older home with no shade trees & my car thermometer thingie actually read 91 yesterday. goodness.

i just dropped little one & a carload of her precious girlfriends off for their last day as 6th graders. madison is trying to make plans for this evening to kick off her “senior summer” . miss social- butterfly emi will officially be a highschool junior come 11:30 today. i’m not even going to discuss the fact that i am old enough to have a first born renting a house. a HOUSE for cyring out loud as she rolls out her junior year…in college?

caroline & her buddies met up this morning at chicfila for a last morning breakfast run & photo. cute cute girls!

i’m tyring to create a more efficient ( for my website) workflow as far as adding images to my portfolio and blogging them during the season in which they were actually photographed. i’ve shot several engaged couples recently & am wanting to share a few from back in the fall! ( figured i needed to clarify that as the girls are sporting boots & the leaves are falling in the same post i’m talking about 91 degrees in atlanta!)
james & shannon 100 james & shannon 156

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let’s play dress up, a summer ecourse with jeanne oliver

5.21.13

morning friends!

i’m super excited to share with you the launch of jeanne oliver’s summer ecourse series, The Creatively Made Home Summer Series. this series will consist of several short courses you will be able to view ( from the comfort of your favorite comfy chair or your screened in back porch while sipping lemonade) throughout the summer. each course is only $10! this is going to be a fabulous series including:

*Take your photography to the next level

*Learn beauty and fashion tips that will help you dress for your age and body type

*Decorate your home for summer and create your own DYI projects

*Learn how to make jewelry and incorporate vintage treasures into those pieces

*The basics of beekeeping

jeanne has designed a network that serves a creative community that has been designed to inspire, encourage and connect you with other artists. this network is free to join. once you are a member you can connect with other members, chat, join in the forums, join free art courses and even purchase classes. this network is amazing. she’s put together courses on home decorating, launching your own small business and art. her famous “journey to letting go, creating beauty from ashes” art course is high on my list to take this summer once life settles down.

jeanne invited me to create a series on summer fashion and i’m so excited, flattered, & honestly a little nervous. i’m NOT a cute 22 year old fashion blogger. i don’t even watch Project Runway. what i am is a regular woman with an average budget who loves all things related to fashion & style. we’ll chat about “must have’s” for your wardrobe, how to look effortless & classic, and throw in a few summer beauty tips along the way. we’ll also cover all ages! my portion of the series will launch june 24th.

yesterday i invited a few of my girlfriends over for a little photoshoot & video making afternoon. we had so much fun trying on jewelry, encouraging each other to take a step out of our fashion comfort zone & playing dress up. i can’t wait to share with you! c’mon over , i’d love for you to join me too!

for all of jeanne’s courses, click here

for the summer series list, click here

to join my fashion ecourse, click here

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May 21, 2013 - 7:42 am

tara - you just made my summer.
sign me up.
I’ve always loved fashion…but turning 40 this summer has stumped me a little.
my friends roll their eyes at me bc they say I just need to keep doing what I’m doing, but this has been a legitimate thought process I’ve had for a few months.

questions have come up in me like…
Can I still wear shorts?
At what point does it look like I’m trying too hard?
Are there rules?
Should I care?

very much looking forward to anything you have to say about all this.

May 21, 2013 - 8:28 am

Kerri - good morning paige! I totally agree with tara and have the same concerns! I turned 40 last year and I feel like there are rules I should be following for fashion as far as my age is concerned. I love wearing skirts in the summer, but having two little ones sometimes requires wearing shorts. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say!

May 21, 2013 - 12:19 pm

jodi - YAY! I am there; just signed up and can’t wait. I am in a fashion slump and really need a boost. I am also like Tara, above, I am 42 and not sure what is appropriate for me, but yet I don’t want to look fuddy duddy or like i am trying to be 16!

So glad you are doing this Paige…:)

Take care!
Jodi

May 21, 2013 - 12:46 pm

Barbara - This sounds great, will you have a variety of sizes as well I’m in the double digits

May 21, 2013 - 2:49 pm

Peggy - I am taking this “class”!! woo hoo!! yippee!! cause you are just the cutest thing around! I had to laugh because at 48 I am a train wreck! I never have been what you would call a fashion maven any way. Okay so I might not be a train wreck but I really do need help… especially when it comes to accessories! Lets just say I am the product of a house filled with testosterone! yes 3 teenage boys and my dear sweet hubby! (its kinda nice because most folks don’t realize i’m so close to 50…. so how does a late 40′s who is still young at heart dress that is modest, not fru fru, frumpy or hoochie?) Oh yes and isn’t a size 8 (or even a 12)

May 21, 2013 - 9:13 pm

Cathy Walters - Hi Paige! I just wanted to “introduce” myself. I’m teaching the Art of Seeing in a few weeks (ack!) and just wanted to say hey. I’m so excited to take your course…I am IN LOVE with your bracelet style. I keep looking at them. love love love!

May 21, 2013 - 10:10 pm

peach - i love that you’re barefoot in this picture!!

cute summer necklaces

5.17.13

well ya’ll snatched up those samples in a flash! thank you….it helps me keep a nice inventory selection for my shows. honestly i’ d keep it all….

i wanted to show ya’ll a few of my recent faves. the necklace on the left is the bethe rope. i’ve mentioned it before. you can double it or triple it up. great worn alone & great layering piece too. made in ethiopia from melted down artillery. love that! i’m pretty sure it’s still in our top 3 sellers.

on the right is one of my new fave pieces, the dangling shells necklace. featured recently in Lucky magazine… i think it’ll look great with your basic tshirt or even paired with a button down oxford shirt. mix a little fun with a little classic. super cute.

i was playing around with one of our big sellers this spring, the la jolla, a fun colorful pop of color on its own, but look how fun it is paired with the minted and the zoe.

while each of these pieces are great stand-alone, they really come to life all added together. i love layering my jewelry, but i usually only add/layer one thing at a time. for example, if i were wearing two or three of these necklaces together, i might pass on bracelets and wear only smaller earrings. or if i stack a wrist full of beaded or leather braclets i won’t also pair a big necklace simultaneously. i love big & bold jewelry but not all of it all at once.

also shown here is the super duper cute esperanza’s makeup bag. this makes the cutest birthday gift for all ages, graduation gift ( add a little starbucks giftcard inside) and a fun teachers gift too. these are made by our exclusive to noonday sewing group that was formed last year in rwanda. our Noonday customers put a group of women through sewing school in Rwanda and this is part of their first collection. thanks to their new skills and work opportunity, these women are able to create a more stabilized income for themselves and their families. win. win.

i also ordered the layered leaves necklace. fun statement piece!

ok friends, that’s all for today~ hope ya’ll have a great weekend!!

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May 19, 2013 - 2:59 pm

tara - love all this layering…..
beautiful pieces!!!

Hope y’all are having a great weekend together….

May 20, 2013 - 11:38 pm

Lemonade Makin' Mama - Would buy them ALL if I could girl. I need to try layering like this more. So cute.

noonday sample sale

5.16.13

morning friends!

in an effort to keep a great selection of samples for my trunk shows, i’m listing a handful of my personal samples for sale. most all of these items are still available via Noonday ( so if my sample sells you can still purchase at full price) . these are all in great “like-new” condition. i would keep every single piece we sell however i must occasionally use some restraint.

please note because these have been samples each sale is final. i can not have any type of let me know if you don’t like it/exchange/warranty. i hope you understand. payment is due upon receipt please.

i’m selling each sample at 40% off retail. i’ll send you a paypal invoice and will add $6 shipping so please include your email in the comments so i can contact you.

also, i am including the description link so please refer to that for all your product details. thank you!

1. cascading falls regular $148, sample sale $88 (SOLD)

( HUGE personal favorite. looks fabulous even with just a white tshirt & jeans. show stopper & fun statement piece)

2. violet necklace regular $28, sample $17 (SOLD)

this is a crowd favorite. looks great layered ( especially if you already have the minted) i have it displayed here with our ever popular, HUGE seller, the bethe rope. the bethe sample is NOT for sale i just wanted you to see how great it looks layered with one of our metals pieces. the bethe rope is made from upcylced bullets and artillery in ethiopia. what was meant for evil, now bringing an avenue of hope for others.

3. violet horn bracelet regular $30, sample $18 (SOLD)

fun piece made of wine colored paper beads & pieces of carved horn

4. embroidered belt ( sold out & discontinued on our site) regular $70, sample $42 (SOLD)

size large, length 47inches

5. striated gourd bangle regular $24, sample $15

6. dainty everyday necklace regular $30, sample $18 (SOLD)

7. urban knot necklace SOLD

8. gold beaded strand earrings sample $15 (SOLD)

9. looped drop earrings regular $26, sample $16 (SOLD)

for any friends local to the Atlanta area if you’d like to partner with me & be a voice for these artisans please let me know. we can work together & have a fun show at your home!

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May 16, 2013 - 10:39 am

Haley Bollinger - I’d love to buy the violet necklace if available! Thanks

May 16, 2013 - 10:40 am

Regina - HI! I’ll take three of them…the cascading falls necklace, the dainty everyday necklace, and the gold beaded strand earrings. Please let me know how much I owe ya.

May 16, 2013 - 11:58 am

Yesenia - I came to late. Love the cascading fall necklace. Next time. Beautiful pieces.

May 16, 2013 - 3:45 pm

Yolanda McLean - I would like the looped drop earrings, if they are still available. Thank you!

May 16, 2013 - 8:19 pm

Kerri - Hi Paige! I saw the violet horn bracelet today while I was at school and it looks like it is still available! I will buy it if it is! I am so tired right now, and I know you will understand! I just spent 3 and 1/2 hours at Ava and Caroline’s dance rehearsal tonight!

the delicate dance

5.14.13

courtney’s blog is a continual source of encouragement. heck. courtney is a continual source of encouragement. there are a handful of us that contribute to her blog series.

i was thinking today about courtney’s question to me, “what is God teaching me right now as a mom”?

I’m sure every mama with multiple children at multiple ages senses the tension of walking a delicate balance. the delicate balance between the joys and heartaches of our children, while often times on polar ends of the spectrum and often times simultaneously. the art of being able to smoothly transition from joys and accomplishments of one while another is struggling with heartache or disappointment.