Find the Hints of Spring, win a $100 gift card!

According to the tiny calendar stuck on my computer, it's spring now.

It doesn't look like it, feel like it, or smell like it, but we have to try to believe it's true anyway. Compared to the past couple of winters, this one has been rather... normal, which is great! But it's time to end. The Lifewall crew has been getting more and more unsettled about it too -- this cold, snowy chaos HAS to end.

To make things feel like they're going a little faster, we're celebrating! With a search contest! We're calling it...

It starts Monday (3/25), and it's gonna be fun. Your task is to search yourlifewall.com each day next week and find the daily "hint" of spring. I could be anything related to spring - a bug, a plant, a flower, rain, anything! When you find it, click it, and you can enter your name for a chance to win a $100 Lifewall gift card - good for aaaanything we can do! It will go on for just 5 days (Monday - Friday), so you could have 5 CHANCES to enter the drawing. The more you enter, the better your odds of winning! 

The first hint appears Monday at 8am! Good luck & stay warm! 

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Behind the Camera: Samantha Nelson!

A while back, we launched our "Behind the Camera" feature with Melissa Stynski out of Colorado. It was a success! We enjoyed getting to know her, and I think everyone got a good glimpse into the life & passion of photographer who really loves what she does. Next up, we have one of our own! Her name is Samantha Nelson, and she's actually a member of the Lifewall crew, graphically designing things and doing some photography for us. 

Some super quick backstory on Sam: Originally from Dodge Center, MN, now a student at SMSU, recently married to Mr. Luke Nelson, and has quite the voice (keep reading below). Aside from that, she has a camera and loves to use it. Here's some of what she had to say: 

Behind the Camera w/ Samantha Nelson

How long have you been into photography (both professionally and personally)?
Growing up I always had a disposable camera and loves taking photos! I started really getting serious about 4 years ago taking portraits, family and engagement photos and eventually made my way to weddings and other shoots.

Why did you first get into photography? Could you tell us what led you into it?
To graduate high school I had to pick an area of study and do this huge project on it.  I picked photography, bought a nice camera and studies different areas coving photography.  After people began to see my work they were asking if I charged for shoots.  It didn’t take long after that to realize that I need to start something with this! 

What are you favorite subjects to photograph (people, nature, etc.)?
Definitely people! I love capturing their personalities and taking people to unique areas to capture a photo.  My top three are seniors, wedding’s and family photos!

If you had to choose your all-time favorite photograph (not necessarily taken by you), what would it be? 
Oh jeez I can honestly say I don’t know cause there are SO many great shots out there!! 

Canon or Nikon? 
Canon all the way!!!!

Aside from photographing, what do you love doing? 
I love to sing and be apart of the worship team at Victory Christian church.  I am also starting to record music for our band Victory Sound and that is so sweet! 

Favorite breakfast food. Name it. 
Beagles and cream cheese (but I love all breakfast)

If you had to pick a song to be the theme of your life, what would it be?
Can’t think of one off the top of my head but a song that talks about being busy, multi talking and living a crazy life! haha

Name your favorite kitchen utensil or appliance.
My kitchen aid—you can do anything in that!!

Out of all the Avengers (superheros), which would be? (Options: Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, or Hawkeye)
Probably Captain America.

Is there anything else you'd like to say?
I eagerly look forward to working with you by capturing memorable photos you will absolutely love!!

As a student/photographer/graphic designer/wife/worship leader, Samantha's living a busy life, and we're glad to be a part of it. Check out some of her work below & see her Facebook page for more of it.

That's her! Like I said, her Facebook page has lots more info and pictures for you to see for yourself. Have a splendid Monday (if that's possible)! 

- Alex

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There's a Wild Mustang Running Through SMSU.

It's muscular, majestic, and lacking an upper body.

And it belongs on the newest wall mural up in Founders Hall at Southwest Minnesota State University, co-designed, printed & installed by Lifewall (that's us)! It's over 25 feet long and over 6 feet tall, making it the second largest mural we've done (the number one spot belongs to Acapulco Mexican Restaurant at 40 feet long, 9 feet tall). 

What's even more exciting is that we did it early in the morning on day 2 of the home show in Marshall. We eat, breath, and sweat this stuff, really. 

Here are some progressive shots from the event:

The wall was perfect for this project - painted, smooth, clean. Applying the wall mural was rather therapeutic because it went up so well. 

This is before we double cut the seams, so you can see where the panels piece together. They became virtually unnoticeable once we cut them. 

Getting the text to match up perfect was probably the most difficult part of installing the mural. It wasn't  THAT difficult, but if we had to pick something, that'd be it. Nevertheless, we got it perfect and it looks great. 

Overall, the project was so incredibly smooth. All the panels (six total) were up in just around an hour, which left us some time for trimming & double cutting the edges. Of course, it's printed on StickIt, our peel & stick wall material, so we're confident it'll deliver. We've used it for all of our big wall projects thus far. Also, we put our liquid laminate on the material for some added durability & UV resistance. Just like always, it dried clear, and you can't notice it's even on there.

If you're remotely near SMSU and want to check it out, stop by Founders Hall. I'm sure nobody will mind. In fact, maybe invite a bunch of your friends, form yourselves into a gigantic crowd, and sort of mush yourselves through the building.

I say 'maybe' because 'maybe' that's not a good idea. Regardless, if you're ever nearby, check it out.

- Alex

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Home Show Recap

This weekend, we made ourselves at home in the Market Street Mall in Marshall.

Quite literally.

Lots of people stopped by to hang out in our "home" to talk wall murals, brainstorm wall art ideas for their own home, and (of course), sign up to win their own 8'x8' StickIt mural... which we just announced on our Facebook page! The winner is...

TARA BRANDL! 

Congrats to her! We're excited to see what she puts up! (We sort of already have an idea).

Aside from all that excited, a more detailed recap of the home show: We had over 130 people sign up to win the mural, a few dozen newsletter signups, and lots of great leads. Our stuff was practically all over the mall too (thanks to Marshall Radio for helping us out), covering just about every entrance to the mall. And they featured pretty much all of our main offerings: canvas prints, StickIt prints, wall murals, and custom cutouts.

Of course, this week is filled with cleanup, followup, and more busy-ness, so we have plenty of coffee and motivation in the office. Thanks to everyone who saw us at the show! Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more specials, events, etc. coming up!

Alex

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It's Friday.

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Recent Project: Ralco Nutrition

A while back, Ralco Nutrition renovated the old school building in Balaton, MN, making way for the new location of their technology campus. Thanks to them, we played a part in it! Inside the building, there are several sheetrock walls sort of popping out of the wall. One is right in the main entryway, and that's the one we tackled. Jamie, a graphic designer at Ralco, and we printed it on StickIt, our repositionable wall mural material. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

So, if you're ever in Balaton, stop by Ralco's Technology Campus, and if you're ever in Ralco's Technology Campus, look at this wall. 

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Behind the Camera: Life Photography by Melissa!

One of the most rewarding parts of this job is seeing some amazing photography come from a wide range of individuals - both professional and amateur. What makes the photography so amazing isn't the work itself -- it's the passion/spunk/love that pours out of it. That said, we're starting a new Behind the Camera blog segment, dedicated to showing off some of our favorite photographers. Kicking us off is Melissa Stynski of Life Photography by Melissa in Colorado Sprints, CO -- an awesome photographer who has a habit of posting the most adorable photos on her Facebook page all. the. time. How adorable? Imagine a couple of guys scrolling through her page while girl-squealing. That's how cute.

Some of the LifeWall crew have known Melissa for quite some time (she & her family used to live up in MN), and she's been an awesome source of support for us since we got started. We've even partnered with her to offer her clients a 10% discount on all printing. But the best part about her is that she obviously LOVES what she does. Just ask her clients (they're from pretty much all over). And if you still don't believe it, please take just a quick look at her website, Facebook page, or blog.

To give you a better idea of who Melissa is, what led her to do what she loves, and a bit more, we asked her a few quick questions.

Behind the Camera w/ Melissa Stynski 

How long have you been into photography (both professionally and personally)?
I have been doing photography since I had kids just over 5 years ago. When my oldest daughter was born I found such a passion in capturing each moment. Some may say it became almost an obsession as before my first daughter was even a year old I had well over 10,000 photos on my computer just of her. After my second daughter was born, just 15 months later, I continued to my passion and a few years after she was born I turned my "hobby" into a career. In 2010 Life Photography by Melissa was born. I can honestly tell you, I never dreamed that I would turn my hobby into my career, but it has been such an amazing journey so far!

What are you favorite subjects to photograph (people, nature, etc.)?
My favorite to photography is children! Hands down. I love that most of them never look at the camera, but you can still capture there innocence through a simple look. I also love nature. Living so close to the mountains, I love to take photos of the mountains, the aspens when they change colors and animals.

If you had to choose your all-time favorite photograph (not necessarily taken by you), what would it be?
A photographer that really inspires me is a friend of mine from northern Minnesota. She takes a lot of nature photos and always has a story to tell behind each one. I do have a photo of my own that has made it to my wall and on my business cards - It was a total "mistake" photo but turned out perfect in every way. A simple photo of my kids, after take about 100, there was a C130 air force plane that flew right over our house. Living in a city with 5 military bases, we have a lot of military plans that fly over....anyway, one of them looked right at me and the other looks straight up! Hands down, my favorite photo and I think it captures what kind of photographer I am. 

Canon or Nikon?
Nikon - I was a Sony user for years and upgraded about a year ago and I must say - I will never go back :)

Aside from photographing, what do you love doing?
I love being a wife and mom! My entire life, that is all I wanted to be....so my kids and husband come first before my business for sure! I also enjoy spending time with my friends and family.

Favorite breakfast food. Name it.
Eggs

If you had to pick a song to be the theme of your life, what would it be?
I would have to say, no matter the day, Chris Tomlin always has a song for me!

Name your favorite kitchen utensil or appliance.

Tom just bought me a Ninja for Christmas - I have to say - I am pretty amazed! :)

Out of all the Avengers (superheros), which would be? (Options: Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, or Hawkeye?
I am not sure if he is "considered" a super hero but I would say God! No matter what, no matter my journey, he is always there and is always the same!

Is there anything else you'd like to say?
I am just a real photographer. I like my clients to be real and just enjoy the moment! Life is too crazy to not be :)

So, that's Melissa in a small nutshell! Of course, this wouldn't be an appropriate post without highlighting a few of her pictures, so check out a bit more of what she's done:

There are several hundred miles between Melissa and Lifewall, and it's great to have such a talented, supportive photographer all the way out there. Thanks to her for being interviewed by us! To explore a little more of her work and/or to contact her, check out the links below. And of course, feel free to comment!

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LifePhotographybyMelissa

Website - http://www.lifephotographybymelissa.com

Blog - lifephotographybymelissa.blogspot.com

- Alex

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