Keeping Calm & Carrying On

Photography For our Big Day

It's official. I've selected our photographer for the wedding:

I've followed Front Room Photography since my college days at Cardinal Stritch. Working for them as an apprentice or shadowing them onsite was a highly coveted internships by the Photography majors. Ever since then I've followed the FR blog, watched them on Facebook and more.

I had my heart set on FR for so many reasons, but mostly because I love their artistic style. The Bayview Studio is super inspiring too. I love the cream city brick,  urbanized show room and I fell in love with Carl when my sister and I sat down with him a couple weeks ago! I'm thrilled to have this decision under my belt.

Plus, guess what?! On Front Room's "menu" of "extras" is a Photo Studio option. I'm thinking we are going to purchase the 3-hour Photo Studio extra with the surprise gift given to us by the Bella Blvd Design Team girls!

This is a sample of their Photo Studio extra. With great lighting and a simple backdrop Steven and I can provide fun props and have guests photos printed out on-site at the wedding....plus I get them on a DVD later too! So cool!

Four Legged Friends

With a career & business that has a very demanding (& revolving) task list-including creating & designing new products, marketing materials and visual "happiness," it's important that I am able to keep myself truckin' along. As a result, welcome to the third edition of "What makes me tick Tuesdays" where I share glimpses into what keeps me sane and brings me happiness.

Today's Tick:

Baby Mio. My Pups.

If you know me, you KNOW I am a sucker for this little face.

Baby Mio is going to be four years old this July. He's a Papillon and Chiwawa mix. He's got the butterfly ears that Papillon's are known for and the tiny little Chiwawa face. He's my baby.

Even on the saddest or worst of all days this "little guy" gives me kisses, snuggles right next to me and is my favorite little rascal. I love his white-dipped paws and how he always sits with his rump off to the side.

He's incredibly spoiled, which I take 100% credit for, and little is like a child. Again, my baby. With no children yet of my own, he is it. He sleeps with me and comes to work with me everyday. He's like the puppy all little kids wish for--the one that follows you wherever you go no matter what you're doing. He's a great little watch dog too...and only barks at strangers pretty much.

Baby Mio inspired my Tail Waggers & Cat Naps collection (Bella Blvd), which will also soon become fabric with Riley Blake Designs. Here's one of the many layouts I've created about my furry friend...

I seriously think I could have 5 little doggies and be perfectly content. (While I know that's most likely not what's in store for me, I'm just sayin....)

Are you an animal lover too?! 

St. Patty's Confessions & Cuties

St. Patty's Confession No. 1: I am not a beer drinker.

Never have been, never will be. It's very bubbly and makes me feel full...which I do not like. So on days like St. 

St. Patty's Confession No. 2: I (almost) hate the color green.

Hate is a very strong word, so I prefer not to use it. But seriously if one could hate a color---for me it's green. You won't find nearly a single piece of green clothing in my closet. None. I know it's weird. It's nothing I've pre-meditated or planned, but rather just happened.

St. Patty's Confession No. 3: I don't have a lick of Irish in me. Sono Italiana. ;)

So on days like St. Patty's Day, what does a girl like me have going on? Family, BBQ & NCAA basketball. I invited the kiddos to sleepover on March 17^th and we picked up baby Lauren for a couple hours too. Who could have guessed she would be all dolled up and super cute in green?!

Being the proud Godmother & Auntie that I am I couldn't resist some fun St. Patty's Day photos.

At 11 months she's got two little chick-let teeth on her bottom gum line and one big-honker breaking through up top.

And Carson just can't seem to get enough of her. He loves on her non-stop, talks to her, snuggles and plays!

Baby Lauren loves it! She laughs at him and lets him feed her her "num-nums".

So cute. For real. Just cheers me  up and makes me happy. 

Happy belated St. Patty's Day everyone! Hope you've recovered by now ;)

What Keeps You Going?

With a career & business that has a very demanding (& revolving) task list-including creating & designing new products, marketing materials and visual "happiness," it's important that I am able to keep myself truckin' along. As a result, welcome to "What makes me tick Tuesdays" where I'll give you a glimpse into what keeps me sane and brings me happiness.

While it's not realistic to think that I never fall into ruts, it is important to have several (and I mean several) different styles and resources for inspiration. Without seeing what else is being done in the world creatively, it's hard to see where you are at and where you want to go. Discovering a new artist, a new technique, a new blog, ANYTHING new is so exciting for me. I hope that this feature will give you a glimpse into those happy & inspiring emotions!

This first edition is a pretty obvious "tick," that is:

photography & taking pictures.

Pictures make me happy. Prints make me happy: in my wallet, in my car's visor, in frames. Everywhere....photographs help me remember those moments!

I think I discovered "photography" in high school as a direct result of scrapbooking. I bought my first Canon film SLR as a freshmen year of college (I remember asking my parents for help thinking it was terribly expensive-in hindsight it was only a mere $250). I grabbed on tight and never let go. Throughout college (and afterwards) I actually had a pretty successful freelance business going under the "i am stephanie" brand. 

I like to play around with my camera, but I must admit I could do more of that! Manual mode was always so intimidating for me, but it's becoming my friend and I test and shoot, test and shoot.

Do as I say not as I do...I'm a firm believer in taking pictures of yourself.  Funny that when searching for recent portraits I couldn't locate any. I need to snap more portraits more often. And no, not because I'm that vain. But rather, because life passes so quickly and we don't know what will happen tomorrow. I love looking back and seeing how I did my hair, or what wrinkles starting to come in (is that a good thing?), or rather the clothing style....

Moreover, it's important to share with the world, your world, the brains behind the camera and the beautiful eye within. 

We each see things in our own way with our own mind's eye. Photography, and scrapbooking especially, are very selfless hobbies and professions. Remember to document who you are during the process, because after all, it is you doing the creating & documenting of moments.

TAKE A PHOTO OF YOURSELF TODAY, please!

(And no you don't have to be wearing make-up...look at my portraits above---messy bun hair do and no make up. That's me.)

St. Peter Altar inside the Vatican

Hope you're having a wonderful, breathtaking weekend!

That Face!

That little face and those perfect little baby teeth just melt my heart ;)

He recently found one of his dad's old Nike hats. 

An Awesome Birthday Gift!

Look what I got for my birthday a couple weeks ago!

I'm in love with this fun little gadget, the Instax Mini 7S! On Christmas Eve my Uncle Gary appropriately named it "The Marshmallow Camera". So that's what we call it now!

I decided to make it an Instax Christmas and picked up a bunch of film at American Eagle for 40% off and enjoyed every minute of it this past week!

For those of you that haven't seen this camera in stores....it's Fuji's version of a Polariod but it takes "mini" photos! It operates on batteries and the photo dispenses vertically out of the top of the camera right after you take the photo.

I took lots of pictures with my Instax....check 'em out!

Now...what to do with theis fun stack of photos?! I've been searching Pinterest and found these cool ideas:

I could create a fun little mini book! (photo credit) or...

Clip them in a fun-colored hallow frame! (photo credit)

Check this pretty one out!

(photo credit)

or.....check out this amazing-ness!

(photo credit) This is crazy awesome!!!!!

If you haven't bought one of these I honestly DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE WAITING FOR! It's so much fun....and if you have a hard time getting people to take pictures, this marshallow camera seems to cure that problem! Everyone seems to be so intrigued by it's uniqueness that they'll smile for you....even the little stubborn kiddos!

More cuteness coming soon!

New Feature!

Well, it's obvious around here that I always have so much to say, which is why I've decided to give you a break every once in a while with this new feature, Single Photo Saturday. It might be a photo of what's inspiring me lately, a favorite family photo, a "right now" kind of image, or whatever is making me happy and keeping me smiling. Today it's this snuggle little guy.

How can you not love that little face and those huge ears! Baby Mio always melts my heart.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend! (PS-it took me about 20 bad shots to get this good one!)

Baby Portraits: Lauren @ 6 Mo.

She might be the cutest, prettiest, happiest baby I know.

(And curious too!)

At the end of October she turned 6 months and what kind of proud Godmother would I be if I didn't share all the photos I shot of her?! I've talked here recently about my thoughts on freelance photography and how I wish I had so much more time for it (see this post). Truth is, I absolutely love it and find it so rewarding when the images are done and even more so after they're printed! 

It doesn't matter if her hair is still whispy and thin ecause with eyes that beautiful, who even notices?! Plus she rocks hats and headbands every time I see her!

This one below is my most favorite! She wasn't in a super smiley mood the day we took her photos...but it didn't matter much to me because I love capturing WHO she is RIGHT NOW. Pretty soon she'll be getting her first teeth, which explains the constant fist in the mouth and drooling!

All these photos were taken at Baby Lauren't house in the kitchen using the natural light coming in from the windows. The most important thing to remember when photographing little ones is to be patient. They might need a break, or several at that, and you can't rush the perfect smile.

Baby Lauren will be one years old at the end of April. I've promised to put together her first year in a scrapbook, as I have done for my other neices and nephew. I can't wait to start printing these photos and get going on that next big project ;)

 

Happy Halloween

Nothing scary for you today. Only cuteness. Look who's six months old!

Little miss LoLo, baby Lauren, big eyes---that's what I call her anyways. Took some photos of her over the weekend! Hope your day is full of plenty of treats!

Visit Bella's facebook page for a *free* Halloween "treat"/giveaway today!

 

Champion: Lynnie

10.9.2011

Honestly, she's a soccer star. She scores AT LEAST one goal each game!

I just love this picture of her after receiving a championship medal, as her team went undefeated for the weekend and placed first in the tournment!

It was probably one of the last beautiful fall weekends that we're going to get around here...so I'm glad we were able to enjoy a little warmth. We are her personal little fan club!

I've enlisted Carson to be my photographer on several occasions. He does quite a good job considering the camera is quite heavy! He holds down the shutter for one second too long and always ends up taking nearly 5-10 photos at one time. It makes us laugh! Thank goodness for digital, right?!

She's going to be ten in just a couple weeks. Talk about sadness. I sure am starting to age. ;(

Madelyn tried out for a select basketball team and made the team an age-level above hers! We'll quickly be shifting into a new season of sports!

 

Thank You: Printing Photo Enlargements

One reason I love Facebook: Because I can ask a question to a community and get answers fast!

Case and Point:

On Oct. 15^th I posted this question on my FB page and got the following answers almost instantaneously:

I also posted it to the Private Bella Blvd Design Team Forum:

and DT Member Megan Klauer replied,

.

I've been looking for some online resources for printing scrapbooking size enlargements. I love the impact they make on layouts sometimes when the photo is *so important* to the story.

Immediately I went to scrapbookingpictures.com (based on Katrina Hunt's advice from FB). And, literally....4 days later I got a lovely, secure and sturdy delivery from the Post Man....

I'm drooling over the 12x12" prints and can't wait to use them! A title and a few embellishments later the layouts will be finished in an instant. I figure, spend a bit more on the photos and less on the paper and embellishments and it's an equal trade!

Photo developing makes me soooo happy. Even if I am a year behind. ;)

Then, a couple days later I also logged onto MPix.com (per Megan Klauer's advice on the DT forum).

Megan Klauer's photographs are always beautiful...at least they look it on her blog and submissions. Plus, I was intregued by her comment of a "user friendly" photo ordering site. Man was she right!! I uploaded and ordered so quickly. I can't wait to compare the quality of the two and become a loyal customer to one. I'll keep you posted.

Now, I just hope I'll be getting some e-coupons sooner rather than later ;)

Family Photos: Kyle, Ashley & Kam

In September I had the opportunity to take some family photos of some dear friends, the Knipples. Kam is the first addition to their family and he's growin' up quick!

He sure loves his mommy and daddy! I thought today I'd share some of my favorites from the shoot, taken right in Kyle & Ashley's backyard.

Those blue eyes are going to kill the ladies someday, I already know it ;)

So cute. Love those baby cheeks!

New Portraits

Can you believe that Steven, my love took these photos? I know, I know I guess I don't give him enough credit! After all I've been handing him my camera for years now...goodness knows he should be well-used to taking photos with it ;)

I've been using the same portraits (these below) for nearly 3.5 years now!  I'm so happy to have something new and fresh! I need to remember to do this more often!

The good things about these 2 versions is that you totally missed the "fat stage" in between the three years! Thank goodness I don't have portraits. Phew!

Anywho, today is my Friday Blog post day over at the Bella Studio Blog! Be sure to stop by for sneak peeks of the newest Bella Buzz newsletter that will be released on Monday. I didn't create anything for this month's issue...but it's totally awesome and inspiring. I PROMISE! Here's one of the layouts that prevoius Artista Michelle Clement created for a homework challenge.....

If you haven't already signed up to receive the e-newsletter for FREE, be sure to enter your name + email address here and we'll take care of everything else!

Over at the studio blog I shared some peeks at new class projects. Here are some additional photos of the mini albums I've completed for both Puerto Rico and Italy trips next Spring!

This everyday Home album is full of pockets, tags and more to document your everyday life and what you've built ont the foundation of your home/apartment/abode/loft....

The "Mother Knows Best" album was inspired by a recent book I've been holding onto and carrying around in my purse. I know, if you know me, you know I'm not a book reader---this is isn't a novel---it's a book with tidbits of advice and tips from moms all over the world!

Why not create your own mini album with advice you'd like to leave behind for your kiddos. Or in my case, because I'm not a mom yet, I'm putting great lessons I've learned from some of my faovrite moms and friends!

Each page of the album is an envelope. I can't wait to fill it up.

Last but not least I designed a mini album with my brand new Spring Flings & Easter Things product collection....

The book is approx. 6x10" and is an abc album. 

I don't know about you, but it sure is super easy for me to come up with a list from a to z of things I love about Spring....

a= April, b=blossoms, c=candy, D=dye (eggs), E=Easter, F=family....

Start making yoru list today....

I'm sorry that I can't quite share the entirety of these mini albums...but that would be no fun, right? You can see more images, including full-front views of the mini books over at the Bella Blog!  I hope you have a fun weekend...I'm doing some scrapbooking today...wha-hoo!

As promised here is the the two-page layout documenting the state fair in 2010.

I mixed my Halloween line, Too Cute to Spook (Bella Blvd) with some Jillibean Soup paper for the background, Lily Bee Chipboard flowers (text print) and Smash Book tape by EK Success.

And played with various stickers (Sassafrass & Bella) for the title and journaling. 

The coordinating right side looks like this

The Miniatures^tm stickers (Bella) add lots of fun details for both layouts and cards and went perfectly with the "laugh" script sticker by KI Memories.

It's a bit bright and eclectic.....what do you think?