Aug
13
2013
What can be better than a perfect pregnant belly and the last rays of sun? Sigh.
Here’s a little sneak peek from a maternity photo session I recently did in Long Beach. Can’t wait for this baby to be born!
Aug
09
2013
I think spritzer is just a fancy word for soda. It is reminiscent of summer. Sitting on a porch or in a backyard with a cool drink in hand is how summers should be spent. I found this recipe while looking for something to serve friends at a dinner party. It then morphed into a treat that I make for the kids on lazy summer days. I don’t buy juice or sodas for the kids, so it’s definitely a treat at our house!
The original recipe from The Kitchn calls for oranges and lemons along with sugar and honey. So feel free to switch up the ingredients to your tastes. I think the oranges make it sweeter, so I was able to cut back on the sweeteners and just use honey.
Start with the juice of four oranges and stir in 1/2 cup honey. Throw in four sprigs of rosemary. You can either boil this mixture for one minute or microwave it if you’re in a hurry, like I generally tend to be. Let the mixture cool and strain it into another vessel. It will be a concentrated herbal scented juice, which is diluted by the club soda.
Pour 2-3 tablespoons of concentrate into each glass and top with soda water. If you’re feeling fancy, you can top it with a rosemary sprig and a paper straw. My kids like to be able to mix the glass themselves, watching the color crawl it’s way up to the top of the glass.
If you want to try another soda alternative, check out my watermelon cooler!
This is one of those perfect photo shoots that starts out at home all cozy in your own bed and ends up with a walk down to the beach. I’m lucky to have clients that turn into friends and Katie is definitely one of those people. If you follow me on instagram, you’ve seen this cutie-pie modeling for me from time to time. And we’ve even managed to squeeze in an yogurtland play date this summer. But, it all started with this adorable 6 month photo session. Like you, I fell in love with those dark eyes and kewpie curls. What an adorable little family!
Aug
04
2013
For those of you that are interested…I ended up moving the date from August 1 to August 24th. I have a few spots left, so if you’re still interested, send me an email! It’s a great deal with a session fee of $150 and the CD of all the images (minimum of 30) for $350.
Aug
01
2013
My mother-in-law, Kathy, makes all the adorable knitted newborn cocoons and and hats that I used in my photo shoots. She’s having a flash sale right now on Etsy. Just 24 hours and everything is half off! Sale will end Friday evening at midnight. Click here to view the sale!
I’m still picking thread off my clothes from the kimono-making party I had with my daughter Jillian and her friends yesterday. I posted the kimono DIY here and it was as simple as sizing down the pattern by a few inches to make it kid-size. Summer is definitely the time to teach kids something new, something COOL. Without the pressure of homework and sports practices, we have more hours in the day to play and plan out purposed activities.
I’m over on Modern Parents Messy Kids today talking about Taking the Time to Teach Your Kids Something New. And I gave lots of examples, so hopefully it’ll inspire you to get out there! Have fun! Learn something! (PS. We only have a few weeks left before school starts again!)
Jul
29
2013
I’ve been seeing kimonos everywhere, so I decided to try a Kimono DIY! Turns out it’s pretty simple. Just 5-8 seams…depending on if you want to leave any of the edges raw.
The best kimono I own was purchased at Prism Boutique in Long Beach. Dayna’s got an amazing selection of kimonos and the one I bought has the softest fabric and prettiest pattern. I tried to find similar fabric downtown LA and got similar but not exact. So, if you don’t sew or just want to treat yourself, you should check out her store!
Okay, on to the DIY step by step instructions! First start with a piece of fabric that is approximately 50×50″. If you aren’t exactly there, it’s okay…kimonos are so loose, so a few extra inches plus or minus won’t affect the overall look. For this particular kimono, I used a gauzy cotton (and mine was only 48″ wide). Then fold the sides together (selvage end to selvage end)
Cut the fabric in half lengthwise and the fold it in half.
Pin the right sides together half way down and sew them together.
I like to finish it with a french seam (which just means folding the edges in on each other so they don’t fray). Then I cut a small slit where the seam stops half way down.
Pin and hem both of the open sides.
Fold your fabric in half (right sides together) with the seam in the middle. The french seam will be running down the middle of your back when you wear it. Now you need to sew arm holes, so pin 8 1/2″ down to the bottom (leaving an 8 1/2″ opening at the top for your arm) and sew right sides together. You can finish with a french seam here.
I decided to leave my arm holes raw since the selvage won’t fray, but you can sew a seam here if you want.
You can also leave the hem around the bottom raw or finish with a trim. I added a lace trim to mine. Easy Peasy!
You can experiment with different fabrics and lengths of fabric for different fits. Here’s a few other kimonos that I recently made!
She found me through the post on Modern Parents Messy Kids. The one where I talked about how important it is to get in photos with your kids. Coming on the heels of attending an unexpected funeral, she immediately called me.
We hit it off right away over the phone and by the time I arrived to her Los Angeles home to start the photo session, we were like old friends. I wanted to start on their bed…just to let the kids get comfy and realize I was there to have fun. It was click, click, YES. This one. This one is now a huge canvas in their home. And doesn’t it just capture the life they’re living right at this moment? LOVE.
After capturing so many sweet moments with their kids, we moved the party outside for some more formal posed photos and like every good couple should, a photo without the kids. Remembering where it all started.
Last week, we got to try out the Goodies snack box with some friends! I’m on Modern Parents Messy Kids talking about it today.
While I was there I snapped a few quick pictures of our friends that shared the goodies with us…
I just had to blog these photos…these two couldn’t be any more gorgeous. I had a great set of photo sessions at the lemon groves and will be sharing more soon!
