Here are a few favorites from my recent photo shoot at Rascals to Rebels in Rossmoor for Halloween!
Nov
07
2012
I keep feeling like the holiday rush is over. And then…it’s not! So, thank you. Thank you for calling me. Again and again and again. You are keeping me busy and I love it! But, unfortunately, the blog gets a little neglected. Because clients come before fun blog posts!
I have a spare moment before the weekend comes and my computer starts getting bogged down with RAW images. So, I wanted to share a guest post I wrote over on Modern Parents Messy Kids. I photographed my friend Allyson’s home. She writes for Day to Day Wonderments and has some amazing DIY projects. This time she made her own wallpaper. You heard me right. Renters rejoice! You can make wallpaper and apparently it’s easy!
So, click here and read more!
Hey friends! I hope you all had a Happy Halloween! We had fun dressing up and going to parties, trick-or-treating and the rest. I meant to post this yesterday, but I didn’t get around to taking pictures until the evening and by the time we got home, I was just too tired to do anything but sit on the couch!
Can we talk about carving pumpkins first? It’s been so stinkin’ hot here lately that if you carve a pumpkin too early and it sits in 90 degree weather for a few days, the trick-or-treaters are greeted with rotten pumpkins. So, Monday night we rushed through homework and dinner to fill our table with pumpkin guts. It looked so easy, but really, do we want our kids hacking away with a knife? Isn’t this really for the adults? Brent and I high-fived each other for doing a great job carving up the kids’ favorite designs.
Also, I love these little Cinderella pumpkins you can buy at Trader Joe’s now. I put them on top of the antique spools I just bought at the flea market. Simple table decoration!
We hosted a Halloween party last weekend. It was in the middle of a busy work schedule for both of us, so we whipped together a costume. It was inspired by the awkwardly awesome school photo costume I saw on Cup of Jo. We both raided Jake’s closet for my clothes, Brent’s tie and his head gear…ewww! Also, thumbs up for posting stupid pictures of yourself and thumbs down for the bad quality of the iphone photo taken at night.
The kids on the other hand had awesome costumes! Jillian was a peacock. I made her costume from some of the cool stuff I bought at Michael Levine in downtown LA. My mother in law, Kathy, came over to help with last minute costume assembly too!
Cooper’s costume was thrown together in about 30 minutes a few weeks ago when he told me the party he was going to that night was dress up. A quick trip to Joann’s and a handful of sticks later, we were in business!
I ran out of steam by the time it came to Jake’s costume and our friend Marcus, who’s a way better seamstress than me, offered to make it. Jake takes guitar lessons and is super into his electric guitar. Most of the lyrics of popular songs he wants to play are questionable at best, so Brent introduced him to Stryper. Marcus did a bang-up job with Jake’s costume and his was the hit of the night!
It’s that time again! Holiday photo sessions at Rascals. This year the backdrop is grey/taupe velvet damask. It’s so very classic and neutral…it will go with everything! Drop by the store to spend a minimum of $50 to get your free photo session. The prints and digitals are sold separately and can be viewed on my website.
The fine details are…this is for kids 12 and under, with a maximum of 3 kids per photo session.
Oct
24
2012
I recently did a little 30 minute project and loved the way it turned out. I’ve seen chalkboard paint on vessels of all kinds, so I thought I’d give a spare pair of glasses a try. It makes serving wine even fancier and I thought it would be so cute to do for Thanksgiving and write the kids names on the glasses. Thrift stores are a wonderful place to pick up glasses of any kind if you don’t want to ruin your nice stuff.
Head over to Little Skye blog to get the template and the rest of the directions for how to make chalkboard glass, a wonderful fall DIY!
Can there be too much of a good thing? When it comes to cookies the answer is always no. Never too much of a good thing. Ask Jenny. Have you heard of Picky Palate? She’s one of those food bloggers with a new cook book and her she introduces you to things that you didn’t know were possible. An oreo inside a chocolate chip cookie? That’s amateur hour. She stuffs cookies in brownies, peanut butter cups in cookies, donuts in brownies and any other blow-your-mind combination.
Here’s Jenny’s original link to the recipe. I used my own chocolate chip cookie recipe, because I love it. But, I have a hunch any cookie recipe will do.
Let me introduce you to the Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie. You’re welcome and I’m sorry.
This isn’t rocket science either. It’s too easy. Just scoop dough on the top and bottom of your double stuff oreo.
Then squish those parts together to cover the oreo.
I baked mine for about 10 minutes and oh man. These are best fresh out of the oven. For sure.
TGIFriday’s was my first real job. And I had to talk my way into it. I was working as a hostess trying to get into waiting tables, because anyone knows that’s where the real money is. I went to my interview and said I would prove what a great server I could be. I know I didn’t have any experience, but give me a chance. Nine months later I was realizing what a great server I wasn’t. But, you know what got me by? Being nice. I was never given the best shifts. Those are reserved for the bulldogs. Servers that bark orders in the kitchen and don’t take NO for an answer. And if you don’t tip them well, um. Look out. I was given the parties 12 or more. I was given the tables with the messiest kids. The shifts that were a bit on the slow side and known for difficult customers. Because I was nice.
My managers could count on me to give the best customers service. But over the years, I turned those crappy shifts waiting tables into a strength. Not everyone finds it easy to be nice. But, nice is my specialty. I may not be ferocious and I may not always end up on top, but a lot can be said for nice.
Figure out what your strengths are. Maybe you are ferocious and strong. Maybe you know how to take the bull by the horns and get things done. Or maybe your a mouse like me and you have oodles of patience. Things don’t bother you and it’s just easy to be kind. Whatever it is, play to it. Make it your trademark and figure out how to make it work for you.
Here’s a bit of what I’ve been up to lately with my mini-sessions around Long Beach and Orange County. And a big thanks to Stephanie who assisted me. Hope you enjoy seeing the finished product!
Oct
18
2012
2012 Holiday card templates are here!
I’m not embarrassed, actually slightly embarrassed, to show you the inside of a messy drawer in my house. This type-A loves to organize, yet somehow my daughter’s hair accessories have slipped through the cracks. There’s a lot. Getting out the door to school in the morning is hard, so having our hair accessories easily accessible is just one more thing that will make my life easier.
Here’s the after picture. YAY! But let’s back track and figure out how I got here. I promise it’s easy. As in, 15 minute project easy. I’m guest blogging over on Modern Parents Messy Kids. Head over to see the whole project!
Oct
13
2012
I just got back from another group of photo sessions by the bay. One of the moms commented on how her kids love each other the most when they’re with me. They are lovey and hugging and being sweet. Now, I’ve got to say I’m right with her on that one. My kids aren’t hugging and cuddling on the couch while we watch TV. But, they do love each other.
Part of my job is to get you to open up. Not in an unauthentic, cheesy way, but truly show me how much you love each other. Families respond to that. Especially if they’ve seen me a time or two before. They relax, have fun and show the love!
