Heavens to Betsy: fall

Showing posts with label fall. Show all posts

Nov 4, 2020

Fall Fashion & Better Life Bags

DETAILS //

I really love shopping small and supporting businesses that are making a difference. While it's not always completely feasible when shopping for clothes and accessories, I like to support these types of businesses when possible.

That's why I've been wanting to feature my Better Life Bag in a blog post since I got it in June. When I took it with me while apple picking a few weeks ago, I figured there was no better spot than in the orchard to shoot some photos of this great bag!

If you're not familiar with Better Life Bags, they're a Detroit-based company that employs women with barriers to employment and gives them an opportunity to earn a fair wage and make a living for their families. They are making an impact on these women and their families and furthering God's kingdom in the process. What's not to love?

The cool thing about Better Life Bags is that as the customer, you design your bag. They have an interactive website where you can change leather colors and fabric patterns on the bag design of your choice, and each bag is made to order. While these bags are a bit on the pricey side, I think they're totally worth it simply because of the heart behind the company. It was definitely worth saving up for it!

I love my Linda from Better Life Bags. It's the perfect size for a day out or even if I'm headed to meet a photography client...I can fit my essentials along with my camera and a notebook easily in my bag, and I love that it has both shoulder straps and a cross body!

Truth be told, I'm a total purse girl, so it's not hard to find a bag that I love. But there's just something so satisfying knowing that I gave my money to a quality company that is doing good work and using it well. If you haven't checked out some of Better Life Bags' products, I highly recommend you do so here!

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF BETTER LIFE BAGS? DO YOU OWN ONE? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ETHICAL FASHION COMPANY?

Oct 27, 2020

Apple Picking

Like almost everyone else on the planet, I. Love. Fall. Like, a lot. The weather, the wardrobe, the activities...it's just such a glorious season.

When I was in college, I was introduced to the wonderfulness that is apple picking. My mom pointed out that she got the same amount of apples (if not more) for much less than we spent and we had to pick our own, but here's the thing: there's just something so deliciously satisfying about picking your own apple right from the tree. That, and getting over 10lbs of apples for $16 really isn't that bad.

Anyway, AJ had never been apple picking, and so last week, I looked up some local orchards, picked one, and then drug him along with me as I relished one of my favorite fall activities. (He didn't mind the apple picking part so much as the me taking tons of pictures of him part.) All in all, though, it was really fun, and a special little fall afternoon date!

We decided that our favorite apples are Cameos, we love Apple Cider donuts (duh), and Apple Cider slushies maybe give Coke ones a run for their money.

DO YOU LOVE APPLE PICKING? WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE FALL TRADITIONS?

Oct 20, 2020

Saturday Adventures and Abandoned Barns

Last week was a busy one with the launch of our new photography website (see it here) and preparing for our pastor to come back to church after 19 weeks at home since his accident (read about that here). It was one of those weeks where I had every intention of blogging and then late nights happened and life got in the way and my best friend had a baby and I maybe also had a sinus infection and the blogging ambitions just didn't fly.

But then this weekend came. Sure, it was busy, but it was so, so good. Between snuggling Jen's new little one (who I'm beyond smitten with) and celebrating my cousin and his wife's daughter on the way, and then cheering on our pastor as he took the stage for three services (attended by over 7,900 people!) on Sunday, my heart was full to bursting by the time Sunday night rolled around.

It was one of those weekends where the goodness of God was just felt so thoroughly. From the cutest baby yawns and squeals to the cheers through happy tears on Sunday, God was present at every turn and He never ceases to amaze and impress.

On Saturday, as AJ and I drove down country roads on our way to Matt & Chelsea's baby shower, I noticed this great old abandoned barn along the side of the road. I took note of it, as I often do when I see places that I'd love to do a shoot at someday, and one the way home, I made AJ pull over and snap a few photos of me. Because it's not every day that you have your camera with you and you're wearing a new dress and a floppy hat. (Oh, and you're with a willing husband who hasn't yet grown tired of you making him take photos of you for your blog).

DETAILS //

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE FALL ACCESSORIES RIGHT NOW?

Oct 12, 2020

Get Outdoors this Fall!

Like just about every other blogger out there, fall is by far my favorite season. Hands down. Between the glorious weather and all of the fall activities, it's the easy winner. Apple picking, pumpkin carving, warm drinks, and bonfires are all on my list every fall, and I love being able to bundle up in a warm scarf, a vest, and some boots and enjoy all of it!

I've always loved spending time outdoors in the fall, and lately, have been loving cheering on our favorite football team this year! When I was growing up, my parents would often put us in the car and take off on an adventure. They called it "new japippin" and we literally just drove off to some location that we didn't know. They always insisted that we were exploring some place new, but in hindsight, I'm pretty sure they knew where we were headed! As an adult who's now married, AJ and I love taking adventures of our own. Whether it's heading out with a picnic or to a bonfire or just to find somewhere new to explore, or out on a photo-taking trip, we love to just get out and go!

We've found that prepping for a day out is really important, and we've fallen in love with our Stanley Brand gear for keeping our food and drinks while we're on the go! We love throwing some chili into our Stanley Adventure Stainless Steel Vacuum 3QT Crock, putting some hot chocolate in our Classic Vacuum 2QT Growler, and popping our Adventure Stacking Steel Tumblers into our bag for an easy on-the-go meal that will stay hot and be great for tailgating or trailgating!

Stanley products are awesome for taking with you on any adventure. They're built for life and perfect for tailgating at the game or taking on your next fall hike, and are big enough to share whatever you pack with friends. We wouldn't consider anyone else for our outdoor gear.

WHAT OUTDOOR ADVENTURES DO YOU HAVE PLANNED FOR FALL?

Nov 7, 2020

Arm Knitting 101

i've been knitting since i was in high school. between playing field hockey and softball, i was on the bowling team (yes, the bowling team...it's a sport). one year, my friends and i decided that we'd learn how to knit so we could knit between frames (stop laughing). over the past ten years, i've knit tons of scarves and hats, but recently have just been struggling to find the time. i'm the girl with 100 half-finished scarves laying around, including one i started making for aj when we first started dating...nearly three years ago.

enter arm knitting...the perfect answer to the heart that craves instant gratification. it's incredibly quick (you can knit an entire scarf in an hour!) and you literally have to finish every scarf you start, because, well, you're using your arms as needles. i knit two this week, and after posting photos on instagram and being asked for a tutorial, i whipped one up for you!

this was my second arm-knit scarf, and it's probably the best scarf i've ever knit...with needles or otherwise. to knit a similar cowl, you'll need three skeins of a bulky yarn (i used loops & threads cozy wool yarn, which i picked up at michael's). you could use all of the same color, or like me, three different colors. each skein should be at least 90 yards.

this cowl, which wraps twice, measures 10 stitches across and about 57-60in long. the ends are sewn together using the mattress stitch.

if you want the full details on how to make your own arm-knit cowl, check out this video tutorial (be warned: my puppy barks about 3/4 of the way through)! if you're interested in me making one for you, i'd love to do that! they are $30 (+shipping) each and you can talk to me about a custom order by emailing me at [email protected]!

Handknitting Tutorial from Betsy Gettis on Vimeo.
video not working? check out the hand knitting tutorial on vimeo!

Oct 1, 2020

Fall Goals

i cannot even begin to believe that it is october. where did september go? wasn't it just summer? it's been unseasonably warm here (like, we're still having 80-degree weeks) and i just said to a coworker that i'm so ready for cute fall outfits!

but first, fall goals! i started doing seasonal goals this summer and i really liked how it felt...it made me feel like my goals were manageable and i was actually able to accomplish some things! some of these goals are repeats from summer...things i want to continue working on, but others are brand new!

by "community", i mean goals that i have for spending time with or doing things with or for other people…

take at least one more weekend trip to boston
schedule intentional time with friends
send a lot of snail mail!
plan some fun community-oriented things for the peony project

be an encourager

spend a lot of time with family