Happy Halloween 2010!

My niece and nephew always have the best costumes, and take the best pictures. Last year:

This year I got to be in on the fun:

I promise they don't cry all the time (you can see some sweet ones from my 365 project here), it's just my favorite pictures when they do. I think they're hilarious. Dressed up kids crying are just funny.

I'm going to be a horrible parent....

A toast with toast!

On the way to work, I was listening to NPR and they did a story about a lady in England who made a 9,852 slice of toast portrait of her mother-in-law for her birthday. You can read the whole story here.

I salute Laura Hadland for her efforts! I'm impressed by your dedication and creativity!

Can You Still Feel the Butterflies?

I have a terrible memory. Terrible.

But, I have sense memories sometimes that are very vivid. Like, if you smell a certain smell, it makes you think of a certain memory and feeling?

One of my sense memories is when I hear "For Me this is Heaven" from the Clarity album by Jimmy Eat World. One of my most favorite albums. The best from Jimmy, in my opinion. Ryan and I were driving back from Tulsa tonight after a fabulous photoshoot (be watching for it on the pro blog soon!)

Although Ryan and I danced to The Luckiest by Ben Folds at our wedding, I would say "For Me this is Heaven" is our song.

But it's not necessarily the memory that I have attached to that song. When I hear that song, it takes me back to my first semester of Senior year. That semester I was taking 16 hours (which in art class world, that's really more like 21 hour class time since art classes are 6 hours a week). But that semester I was taking wood block print making.

I wasn't actually very good at it, but I loved it. LOVED IT. Creating art is something very satisfying to me, because it's creating something meaningful out of non meaningful things. Meaning, when I have a paintbrush and canvas and paints, they don't have meaning. But using them all as tools together, it can become something that has feeling and movement and meaning. And there was something about carving layers and layers into a piece of wood, and then using a press the size of a large closet to print it, and it is all a little bit of mystery to how it is going to turn out, that is totally and utterly appealing to me.

I specifically remember one night when I was alone with the gigantor press, just him and me and my Jimmy Eat World cd. And I had my cute little apron on, messy with ink, rolling papers through the press. And I was completely content. And there aren't many times in my life that I can remember being completely and utterly happy in the spot that I am.

I tend to be one of those people who looks 4 steps ahead. I can't wait until I get a real house, and then when I'm there, I can't wait until I get a house that I like better, and then I'm sure I won't be able to wait until I move into a neighborhood that has a better school district. Or, I really want to book one wedding this  year, but I won't really feel validated until I book 15 in a year, and then I need to get a studio, and then I'll be a real photographer.

Anyway, that's why I love that song. It reminds me that sometimes I need to just be happy where I am.

Do any of you have sense memories??

For the Other Design Nerds...

I saw these over on How About Orange. If I owned a design studio, these would be my conference room chairs for sure.

And these would be our coffee mugs:

And this is how I'd get there:

And this would be our christmas wreth:

And these would be the luggage tags:

To take on our trip to the Pantone Hotel:

And the boys could wear these cuff links (i wish they'd make earing like these..._:

And match their iPhone covers:

and I'm seriously thinking about changing my credit card to Visa so I can get one of these:

(most of these pics were found on If It's Hip it's Here)

Rough Day.

Today was one of them.

But one bright spot was I finally got some pictures from the wedding in Florida posted on the pro-blog! I try not to double post on my personal & professional blog, so I highly encourage you to hop on over and take a looksy!

xoely

Who's Excited!

Last week I submitted a photo to Pioneer Woman's photo contest, and it got picked as a 'favorite!' The theme was actually Your Favorite Photos, and I chose one from Lauren's maternity photoshoot a while back (yes, she has a cute little belly under that bowl of cherries!!). It's funny how you can have a hundred photo shoots, but still come back to one that may be your all time favorite. I had this session when I was FIRST starting out, was still learning the ins and outs of my camera, and didn't even have a professional camera yet.

But I think because there is so much love in this family, and Lauren is just so sweet, I always come back to this shoot as one of my favorites. I know my skill has improved LOADS, but no matter how much you learn and equipment you buy, nothing replaces creativity and heart.

Anyway, I was just super excited and wanted to share!!!! xoely