On November 11th, I'm teaming up with MammothBooth and Dose Market in Chicago for a Holiday Card Pop-Up shop! If you're in the area, come and join us!

WHEN Sunday, November 11, 2012 — 10am–4pm
WHERE River East Art Center, 435 E. Illinois St.
TRANSPORTATION Nearest El stop at Grand Red Line. Parking in the REAC garage for 6$
PRICE $10 admission at the door or $8 online at dosemarket.com/tickets

Thank you to The Kastner Family, Melissa, Gordan, The Edwards Family, and The Royle Family for being my adorable models!

If you are interested in ordering with your own photo, please email me at amandajane@kinfolkmag.com with the subject line, Holiday Postcards. Thanks you!

Click here to see more designs...

Jaquilyn and Travis Shumate—the talented duo behind Jaquilyn Shumate Photography! I love their work—especially the sweet moments they capture. They specialize in wedding and portrait photography, and are currently based in Tacoma Washington. You can see more of their beautiful work on their blog, and then if you want to see their sweet baby girl (trust me, you do!), I'd click over to their instagram feeds (@jaquilynshumate and @travisshumate). Such a cute family.

Thank you Jaquilyn and Travis for being a part of My Better Half!

JAQUILYN

1. Is a gluten-free Betty Crocker.

2. Grew up cloggin. Still breaks into dance from time to time.

3. Is a hopeless romantic. Tries to convince Travis that wild animals are in love.

TRAVIS

1. Is a big soccer fan and ardent supporter of Buenos Aires-based Boca Juniors.

2. Speaks in Spanish eighty percent of the time, even when others don't understand.

3. Grew up wanting to be a cowboy and still dreams of building a cabin with his bare hands.

THEIR STORY 
We met while Travis was going to school in Idaho and Jaquilyn in Utah. As a musician, Travis traveled throughout the area performing with his band. On one evening, Jaquilyn saw the frontman of a band, and her interest was peaked. Travis was equally awestruck by the girl with the big brown eyes. Numbers were exchanged, and after a few minutes on the phone, it was clear that we had to be together. The long-distance relationship was strengthened by a few short days together and countless hours on the phone. Several months later we were married, for the first time, we lived in the same state. We now reside in Tacoma, Washington with our daughter, Lucia, and work together as wedding and portrait photographers.

Thank you Jaquilyn and Travis for being a part of My Better Half!

Photographs by Jaquilyn Shumate Photography

PORTFOLIO UPDATE This past August, I was approached by T-Post Magazine to illustrate their Olympic issue. I of course said yes! T-Post is a subscription of t-shirts with pertinent and timely articles printed inside with a corresponding illustration (done by a different artist each month) on the front. 

The corresponding article for my illustrations can be read here. It's about underdogs in the olympics, specifically Eddie "The Eagle", Eric Moussambani and this years Wojdan Shaherkani and Sarah Attar.

The additional illustration options are also shown below and on my website.

Designed by Amanda Jane Jones for T-Post Magazine

Photographs by Knotan 

If you don't follow Hannah and Malcom on instagram (@anotherfeather + @fleetco), I highly suggest you do! I love following them—wishing I can someday join one of their mountain hikes or wear one of their beautiful creations. They are both makers, which I love. In their own words, "Malcom cooks inspired food for a living, and makes leather goods (for sale here) when he's not in the kitchen. Hannah is an artist & maker who sells her production line of jewelry through her company Another Feather."

Thank you Hannah and Malcom for being a part of My Better Half!

MALCOM
1. Has ridden his bicycle from California to the East Coast
2. Shoots Bow & Arrow
3. Secretly loves listening to rap & hiphop when Hannah isn't in the car

HANNAH
1. Made it through UK, Canadian and US customs with an axe in her bag (a christmas gift for Malcom from Sweden.
2. Dreams of living in a house boat for a short while.
3. Can't come home from a walk in the woods without some small treasure in hand.

THEIR STORY
After a feast, we got married on a small observation deck of an airport with our closest family present, then hopped on a plane and flew to Nepal to get lost in the Himalayas for two months (this is where we summited our first real mountain together at 18,209 ft elevation!). Currently we are living in the mountains of western North Carolina, and feel so blessed to be surrounded by so much beauty on a daily basis. We can usually be found working early & late hours in our studio, cooking meals together, riding our bicycles, escaping to the woods, and traveling whenever possible. We both have a hard time staying still, and have a habit of always dreaming of our next adventure. We are working on learning to truly enjoy and take time in the stillness and present together, whatever that might be.

Thank you Hannah and Malcom for being a part of My Better Half!

Photographs by Hannah and Malcom.

Bath, England! We loved our time in Bath. We stayed with Jeremy and Isha, we booked their lovely flat through airbnb and became instant friends. They were so sweet and their place was everything I ever dreamed a flat in Bath, England could be. 

We only spent one night in town, which was plenty of time to explore Bath. We visited the Roman Baths, The Jane Austen Centre (wouldn't recommend going through the museum portion...we did enjoy the tea room though.), The Circus, and then we ended our day at the Thermal Spa. After traveling so much, it was just what we needed. 

Photographs taken in May 2012.

Rachel is the creator of the beautiful blog, Elephantine. She and her better half Stefan live in Seattle where she relocated to study design. In 2009, she opened her jewelry shop and earlier this year she began her kitchen shop, Mignon. On top of all that, she has a dream of being a novelist, and she shares here wonderful shot stories here on her blog. Please visit elephantineblog.com for more!

Thank you Rachel and Stefan for being a part of My Better Half!

STEFAN
1. Is a cinephile.
2. Loves the wind and the rain.
3. Is a hunt-and-peck typist.

RACHEL
1. Is an only child.
2. Thought she invented the spork.
3. Is afraid of the deep sea.

THEIR STORY
We met in kindergarten, played footsie in the second grade, secretly dated in the fifth grade, then finally went on our first date our senior year of high school. (We went mini-golfing.) This year we'll be celebrating our first wedding anniversary and our tenth year together.

Thank you Rachel and Stefan for being a part of My Better Half!

These photos were from our day trip to Sperlonga, Italy. Wandering through the tiny walkways and staircases was my favorite part of Italy...well that and the delicious gelato.

Photographs taken in August 2012

Click below to see more!

Some people were confused when all of the sudden we ended up in South Africa after a summer in Europe, understandably so! To make a long story short, my parents were supposed to be moving there for a work assignment in July. We booked our tickets home from Geneva through Johannesburg back in March—unfortunately, circumstances changed and my parents ended up not being there when we were. That said, we had fun just us two and it made for a fantastic finale to our summer abroad. 

These photos were from a day spent in Pilanesburg Park. We rented a car and spent the entire day searching for wildlife. I felt like Meryl Streep in Out of Africa. I think the most magical moment would have to be from the image above, with the giraffes and zebras on parade. We were the only car on the road, and for thirty minutes we sat just 20 feet away from the line as they all slowly made their way to the water for a mid-afternoon drink. You're not allowed to get out of your car (only in designated areas and even then it says "exit at your own risk! carnivores in the area!"), so I may have rolled down my window, climbed up so I was partially on the car, partially in....and told myself I could slip back in quickly if I needed to. :)

We loved South Africa and can't wait to return someday. 

Photographs captured in August 2012.

Edited with VSCO Film.

A couple more photos after the jump!

What would we do without weekends?! Can't believe it's already Monday.

I twisted Cree's arm and we headed back to Detroit's Eastern Market saturday morning—He studied in the car, I drove. (Last year before graduation!) I made out like a bandit with all these succulents. I don't really have a green thumb, so keep your fingers crossed for me.