{Back to School} FaithWorks4U!

I have to admit, I'm not ready for summer to end.  It's been so busy with swimming, camps, and late summer night movies.   I just don't feel like we've accomplished all the 'summertime' things that I wanted to - like more campfires with s'mores (it's a bit hot in AZ to do this but we've done it a hand full of times over the past month - I just want a few more), a lemonade stand, swimming in a creek or swimming hole and exploring small towns - like quirky/artful, Bisbee, AZ.   So we're going to try to cram those activities into the next 2 weeks since the end is fast approaching.

In thinking about back-to-school, Faith has some recent designs she's releasing just in time for school.  This is one of her most recent designs - more to come...  It's getting me, as well as Brielle, excited to start the school year.  Dare I say, I'm  in love --with this dress!  I want it in my size and I want it in every color for Brielle ;o).  I can't express how much I love Faith's work.  She has created her own style with a modern twist on retro-vintage designs.  They are simple and classic, yet fun and hip.   And I love them.  Faith and I have been working together for a while and I'm so thankful that she shares her amazing creations with me.    Here's a link to her shop - FaithWorks4U and her Facebook Fan page where you can hear about her latest promotions & new design releases.  :)

Funny little blopper of Brielle with the apples.

{Vintage Crown}

I posted this image along with a few others on Facebook and have had many, many e-mails asking me where I got the crown Brielle is holding {above} and wearing {below}.  I feel so lucky to be able to photograph this beautiful vintage crown for  TFJ Designs.    Brielle loves it and keeps it next to her on her nightstand.  When she first saw it she squealed then covered her mouth and finally said in a whisper, 'Is this a 'real' crown?'  Do I get to wear it?  We stood in the dinning room looking in the mirror as she tried it on.  I wish I had my camera then...it was priceless seeing her expression.  She didn't want to take it off, so I secured it to her head with bobbypins.  And during the session, she had so many ideas - so we went with them...she danced with lace, caught ladybugs and she wanted me to get a ladybug to put on the crown so I could take a picture of the ladybug with the crown (that one didn't work out since all the ladybugs flew off the crown and back onto her dress or on her arms).  After the session she kept the crown on until bedtime.  I love that she's sooo in love with this crown.  You can find it at TFJ Designs and the price....amazing for such a pretty vintage styled crown.  Thank you so much again Tabitha, you have such an eye for pretty things.... I love all the goodies you sell in your store!!

{Red, White & Blue!}

Happy Belated 4th of July!  The 4th of July is one of my favorite celebrations - the meaning of the holiday and the festivities that go along with it.  I remember as a kid celebrating the 4th every year with fireworks in the street with friends & neighbors, sparklers, an amazing dip our Irish neighbors used to make, giggles, anticipation and sometimes ear protection.  Those memories make me want to keep the fun festive traditions going for my family.  And my husband....he's a kid when it come to fireworks (a safe, mature kid, but a big kid none-the-less).  I'm sooooo glad he loves fireworks and the festivities of the holiday as much as I do.  This year we were very last minute with our plans since we couldn't decide what to do - stay local or go somewhere.  I wanted to stay local to start a tradition - and I'm so glad we did.  Our friends who live right down the street came over - we love their company and the kids get a long great. We smoked some ribs, grilled burgers and had lots of yummy food and way too much desert  - but it was worth indulging.  :)  And the 4th isn't the same without fireworks.  Arizona has pretty strict laws when it comes to fireworks so we bought lots that we 'think' were legal (jury's still out).  The loud whistling, the pops, the color and the smokey smell made it the 4th ;o)  Then we topped the evening off with with some night swimming!   We had a fun 2011 4th with friends, swimming, high temperatures and memories made.  I hope my kids love the 4th and these memories made.

And like I've said before, I have some of the best neighbors!!  Look what fun festivities that were made for the kids.  They loved them!!  Below is a puzzle they had to solve and the image at the bottom is Trivia Popper Rockets.  How fun is that?!  They also included star shaped notepads, red & white candy, a Red-White-Blue bracelet the kids can make and some flags.  So creative & thoughtful!!!

{Puppy Party! August's 1st Birthday!}

But first...do you see something different about my blog?  Think....think.... it's been updated with my new logo and  branding!!!  I'm so excited about it!  I have to work on my actual website now!   I've ordered updated packaging labels & accessories for my clients.  It was time...I've had the same logo and blog design for over 3 years.  Now it's more me! Yay!!  Okay, onto August's day :)

It's true.  We couldn't resist having a party to celebrate the birth of little August {yes, he was born in late May, but life was crazy in late May - so we made time in June.  He's a dog, he doesn't know the difference}.    The kids were giddy planning his party.  It was small since we didn't want to overwhelm August , so he had two of his favorite playmates over and we kept it small and intimate. And really  it was an excuse to have some friends over, let the kids play with the dogs and have a 'celebration' that they could help orchestrate with games and all.  Next year we'll have more kids over to help celebrate :)   We had one party pup that loves the water.  She jumped right into the pool upon arriving - didn't even take the time to remove her beautiful flower necklace or party hat.  It was a hoot!!  The kids played fetch with her in the water and she was in heaven while the other two dogs ran around the pool wishing they weren't afraid of the water.  ;o)  By the end of the night the dogs were exhausted and confusion set in when August saw his friends leave.  I think he got a little depressed.  So he turned to the comforts of his gifts after a good nights sleep (see the last image).  Intervention?  I think it's just a phase (fingers crossed).

Happy Birthday August - we love you!! xoxo

August still in party mode the next morning with some of his presents.  He's such a lush.  ;o)

{boy, oh boy}

It's summer!!  And summer is  getting  hot here in the desert.  But I was lucky to have this great client withstand some of the warm summer sizzle recently.  And their little cutie who just turned one was a joy to photograph.  He was so good natured and like all my little clients his age, loved the rocks and dirt.  Yes, getting 'dirty' is a part of our session and thankfully these parents were fine with that.   I really enjoyed meeting and photographing this beautiful family.    Check out a few images from our session :)

{tid-bits of randomness}

Warning:  Hodge Podge Post ;o)  Little tid-bits of randomness

It's been quite a busy summer, and it's still the beginning. :) We've had more pool days that non pool days, lots of bbq's and many nights of lit tiki torches and campfire s'mores in the backyard.   I'm starting to love summers in AZ even though that's when the mercury rises and the heat sizzles off the pavement.  To kick off our summer Brielle ended this years dance with her first recital.  It was adorable!!  I don't know if I've mentioned this before but Brielle is super shy (a word we try not to use around her) in front of a crowd and being the center of attention.  So I was worried she would just stand up on stage and her shyness would take over like it did the first 2 months of dance.  (But she insisted on staying in dance even though she wasn't participating - so I let her.  Her dance teacher and I were thrilled the day she actually  participated!).  Anyway, I was the stage mom so that means I had to help the girls backstage, which also meant I couldn't see the performance (only from the side).  So I did the next best thing.  I told Jeff to take pics of Brielle using my big-ole long lens.  He was able to capture some moments for me.  But I forgot to tell him the best settings for this kind of tricky light - oops.  But he got a few pictures and I was giddy to have anything at all.  :)  She's now so excited about dance that she wants to do it again next year.  :) {below, Rapunzel dance the reason for the crazy hair piece}

This week I had an interview with Becky, on her Blog.  Here's the link to my interview :) When Becky asked to interview me I was flattered.  She had interviewed Sheye Rosemeyer, who I adore.  So I was beyond flattered that she wanted to interview lil'ole me.  Becky does her homework, she knew so much about me so the questions were really pertinent and fun to answer.  Thank you again Becky for asking me to be a part of your blog.  :)  Oh and she chose all the images to be shown on her blog - some I had forgotten about.  I love the variety she picked out.  Below is one image - little B....just being little B.  :)  And the ones of Tyler....he's growing so fast.  I love seeing him through my camera.

And lastly - I've become addicted to crackle nail polish. Totally random, I know.   Have you tried it?  I got mine at Sephora.. And they have so many colors of the crackle to choose from.  I think I'm going to try silver or gold next time.  A little more subtle.  But it's so fun!  Oh but if you do try it, make sure you put a shiny top coat on after the crackle.  The crackle is very matte and can look contagious if you don't ;o)  Have fun!

{Miss Ruby Sue and her sweet summer styles}

Eeeps!!  Look at this adorable hair piece by Lori, talented designer behind 'Miss Ruby Sue'!!  When she contacted me about working together I wasn't sure what she'd have in store - since she has so many amazing things in her shop.  When I saw this hairpiece my jaw dropped.  It was so pretty and colorful yet had a vintage flair AND it's YELLOW!  I love yellow!  So I carefully placed it in my staging area (aka my office lol) thinking about what what kind of shoot I wanted to do for it.  Isn't it darling??!  I haven't seen anything like it - I love it!!  It comes with a neck strap but I opted to used bobby pins and tuck the strap in the hat, it's a great option to have.  I just love how it looks!  It's called A Wink & A Flounce.    She also has some super cute styles for the 4th of July - 4th with a Flair is pictured below.  It's a darling crown that ties in the back.   I paired it with the cute 'Miss Ruby Sue' t-shirt she sent.  We are now set for the fourth of July!!  I can't wait - it's one of my favorite celebrations.  I'm still trying to figure out what our plans are that weekend but I want it to be festive and fun.  I can't wait!!  :)

Thank you Lori for sharing your talent with me!!  Check out Miss Ruby Sue's shop and her Facebook page.  She's listing new items all the time and she previews many of them on Facebook :)

{Fun Fall & Winter Styles - Kait Emerson Designs}

I can't tell you how much it means to me to work with such amazing and talented designers.  I've been working with the amazing Feanna, of Kait Emerson Designs of over 3 years now and her work always grabs me.  She's a special person in my book and I'm thankful to have this business relationship and friendship.   When I saw what she has lined up for Fall and Winter 2011 I was smitten.  The outfits speak for themselves.  Check out her on-line boutique.  You can also find her clothing at select boutiques in the Huntington Beach Area of California.  And she's on Facebook, where she reveals her latest styles, special offers, and KE news.

{the nerdy type}

August, our puppy, isn't a fan of this new look.  I personally love it.  Makes me want to curl up with him and talk about pressing issues with him - how to make the earth more green, what to do about the future of my kids generation, to buy or sell in the stock market, etc.  August however, just sat motionless waiting for this humiliation to end.  I tried to reassure him that I'd seen many cute dogs with similar spectacles.  He wasn't convinced and just waited for the pain to stop.  :)

{end of school is near….sniffle, sniffle}

It's bitter-sweet....the end of the year is quickly approaching {only 4 more days left - eek!}.  Every year it flies by, especially this year. This past Friday Brielle's class had a beach day.  How fun is that?!  The playground was transformed  - there were pools, water-slides, sprinklers, sand buckets and brightly colored beach umbrellas.  So festive and fun!  The kids played in the bubble station, built sand castles, squealed going down the water slides, and played games with the huge colorful beach balls. Such a fun day!!  And Tyler's class is having a Publishing Party on Tuesday followed by a day at the Community Pool.  I'm loving all the fun activities but I'm sad knowing that it's all coming to an end.  I have a hard time saying good-bye when things come to an end.  I'm never ready to start new chapters, especially when I'm loving what's happening in this current chapter so much...sigh.  Anyway, these fun days remind me of the fun we'll have this summer and the fun we had last summer.  I dug up some photos from last year that I loved of the kiddos (the last 3 pics) - so indicative of summer afternoons.  :)

The kiddos last night in the pool last year (actually in October) before it was too cold and too busy to swim with school.