Out of Office: Jan. 26-Feb. 401.25.12

I may not be 22 anymore, but I still absolutely love this quote. I’m headed to Madeira Island to visit my brother, and I’ve decided to go unplugged the WHOLE trip. That means no computer, phone, Facebook, Pinterest, blogging, NOTHING! I’m not sure I’ve ever gone that long without technology, so this will be good for me. Lots of reading, visiting with family, sightseeing/picture taking, and living in the moment! As of tomorrow, Jan. 26, I’m out of the office until Feb. 4. All e-mails will be returned the weekend I return.

Sunny, 65-degree weather, HERE I COME! :)

Photo credit: www.madeira-web.com
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DIY 101: Pennant-Stamped Favor Bags01.20.12

I decided I wanted to use pennants in my wedding decor at the last minute. Little piece of advice for you: I don’t recommend making last-minute decisions when you’re at your most stressed-out time! It’s not pretty. The great thing about this DIY project is that you can do it well ahead of time, which leads me to my next piece of advice: I do recommend doing as much ahead of time as possible. And, even if you’re not planning a wedding, these favor bags are great for bridal showers, baby showers, birthday parties … you get my drift. :)

(Thanks to Just Something I Made for the stamp inspiration.)

Voila! The finished product…

We used these as dessert bags at our wedding. The bags shown above are lined in wax paper so buttery sweets don’t leak.

 

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101 in 1001: #6 Clean out my Inbox!01.18.12

Friends, I am embarrassed to say that just a couple weeks ago I had more than 4,500 e-mails sitting in my Inbox. I know I’m all “I love being organized!” but my Inbox? It got the best of me.

Here are just a couple of the things I found while DELETING old e-mails:

  1. A Facebook notification from 2007 (2007!! That’s back when Facebook e-mailed you about every little thing.)
  2. A message from my previous, previous roommate (Hi Lauren!) about our utility costs for October 2007.
  3. Lots of stuff about the 2008 presidential election.

… And you get the idea. I’m happy to say that I have a brand new organization system that I’m bound and determined to stick with! Yes, I have about 63 folders on the side of my gmail, but I’d rather that everything have a place … and that does NOT include my Inbox. The goal is to keep no more than 20 messages there. At that point, I need to get to work responding/filing!

What are your e-mail organization best practices? Obviously, I could use some advice!

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My Favorite Things: January 201201.16.12

Clockwise from top left:

1) Everything Bagels. When I was working in Oxford a couple weeks ago, my co-workers and I made a Starbucks run. One of them got an everything bagel and it. smelled. delicious! That was all it took for me to re-realize my love of the garlicy snack. The next day I had one for breakfast and one for lunch. And I’ve had at least one a day since then. Obviously I’m not worried about being healthy in the new year! Now that I’m a connoisseur of everything bagels, I say the best one is at Bruegger’s … with veggie cream cheese!

2) My Quirky, New ModCloth Flats. For awhile now I’ve loved ModCloth for its whimsical sundresses, but since I had a gift card and sundresses aren’t really practical in the snow, I decided to check out the shoes. My new flats are just about as practical as sundresses this time of year, but I couldn’t resist! I love that ModCloth carries Anthopologie-like products for a fraction of the cost.

3) The Sun! I don’t care if it’s so bright outside that I can barely see the road while driving, I love this sunshine! Someone told Nathan that on average Cleveland only gets nine sunny winter days a year. Maybe that’s true some years, but I have a hard time believing it; we’re about at nine already and it’s only the middle of January! Please, God, keep it coming!

4) Bamboo Dry-Erase Desktop To-Do Board. My sweet cousin Cheryl gave me this handy to-do board for Christmas. Does she know me or what? It’s like a mini dry-erase board that’s now chained to my desk.

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Goodreads: Run & The 19th Wife01.13.12

Now that I’m not planning a wedding or working three jobs (ridiculous), I have some extra time to read! My goal this year is to read more often and pick up some books that I wouldn’t normally. If you have any recommendations, please leave them in the comment box below! And I hope a couple of you pick up one or both of my Goodreads recommendations (they both got 4 out of 5 stars on my Goodreads shelf):

Run by Ann Patchett. My dear friend Leah recommended this book, and it did not disappoint! I was about three-fourths of the way in before I realized that the entire book had taken place over the course of about 24 hours. That’s the sign of a good piece of fiction … you get so wrapped up in the story that you forget about the logistics. This modern-day novel follows a family through a Boston snowstorm and beautifully uncovers the lasting impact that the storm will have on the family’s makeup. The snowstorm, however, doesn’t define the story; it’s more of a secondary character that subtlety nudges the book in a certain direction.

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. Before I opened this book, I knew next to nothing about polygamy. Yep, you heard me … I don’t watch “Sister Wives.” (Because, clearly, that’s the best place to go to learn about polygamy!) Really, even after having read this book I’m not sure I can say I’m an expert because the story is obviously a work of fiction, BUT it was fascinating nonetheless and I feel a little more informed about the history of the practice. Ebershoff intertwines a present-day murder mystery involving a polygamous and fundamentalist sect of the Church of Latter Day Saints with Ann Eliza Young’s (Brigham Young’s infamous estranged wife) memoirs about her fight to end polygamy. Certainly an entertaining read if nothing else!

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Thoughts: Living Wholly01.11.12

A few months ago, I subscribed to a magazine called “Whole Living” because, well, it wasn’t expensive and I thought I might learn a thing or two about being healthier in a natural sort of way. Turns out that most of the recipes are way too fancy (shiitake mushrooms and brown rice en papillote … I couldn’t even begin to guess what that last part means) or a little too “natural” (roasted beets with edamame and arugula … I like cookies) for me.

There is, however, a great section in the back called “10 Thoughts on Whole Living” that I think makes the subscription worth it. Each issue, the editors present you with 10 one-sentence, thought-provoking ideas. I literally sit staring at that page for an awkwardly long amount of time while I think through each one. Here’s one of my favorite’s from the January/February 2012 issue:

“The new year isn’t a do-over; it’s an opportunity to take your next big step.”

What an awesome reminder. You know that I love lists, which means that I like clean slates and tying stuff up in a neat and tidy way. If I’m going to eat healthier, I’m going to start on Sunday. And if I’m going to suddenly be the type of person who always keeps her Inbox cleaned out, I’m going to start on Jan. 1. But … that’s just not always realistic. I know this, yet I struggle with this control issue every day.

So, this year, I decided I wasn’t going to make resolutions (does anyone actually keep their resolution for the entire year?? Seriously, if you do, I want to meet you!), I was going to make goals. I wasn’t going to magically start over on Jan. 1 and suddenly become the person I’ve always wanted to be, I was going to place hurdles in front of myself so that I could slowly and realistically move forward.

This type of moving forward has never been so apparent to me as it is in my new photography world. I’m fairly new to this gig and I want everything to be done NOW. But … that’s just not realistic. I can’t update my website, write a blog post, order business cards and become better at Photoshop in one day because, well, I have another job! And I have to work within my means. But I will get there, and I so, so, so appreciate my 2012 couples for placing their faith in me and cheering me on. I had absolutely NO expectations when I started down this path, but just 2.5 months after telling the whole World Wide Web that I was a photographer and hoping for the best, you all proved to me that I can do this, even if I have to take it one hurdle at a time. Thank you.

This year, I hope you too find a balance between work, family and “you” time. Whether you’re flying by in the fast lane or hopping hurdles with me in the slow lane, I hope 2012 is one of your best.

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Creative Juices: When a Heart Breaks by Ben Rector01.09.12

I sure need a little motivation this chilly Monday evening, and Ben Rector is the cure. In my opinion, this guy doesn’t get nearly as much publicity as he deserves, so please check him out! In case you like what you hear, you should also look for “Disarm.” One of my favorites of all time!

Here’s to a productive week!

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DIY 101: Hand-Sewn Invitations01.07.12

If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you’ve probably picked up that I love DIY and handmade style. I love finding new uses for things and appreciate the personalized touch that comes with DIY projects.

What you probably don’t know is that I’m really bad at DIY projects. What I mean by that is I’m not one of those people who can just bust out my own unique, dreamed-up project from beginning to end. Sure, I can dream up the projects, but actually applying my handy-man skills is another story. Because I’m not handy!

You know what I can do though? Follow instructions. Really well. Once when I was in college I wouldn’t let Nathan (who is VERY handy) help me put my desk together because I wanted to follow the instructions from beginning to end by myself. Yeah I move at a tortoise pace, but the satisfaction I get from creating something myself is worth it in the end.

So, that leads me to my DIY 101 post. My goal here is to consistently bring easy, cute, fun DIY projects to the blog that most definitely include step-by-step instructions so everyone can be involved. Hey, if I can do it, you certainly can too! The first couple installments will be from our wedding, but after that I’ll be starting fresh and creating these things right along with you.

First up is hand-sewn invitations. I loved our recycled wedding invitations and a lot of that was because of its hand-sewn border. I have no idea how to work a sewing machine, but thankfully my sister-in-law Brandi helped me out there. As long as you or someone you know has that knowledge (and for this project I’m assuming you do because I don’t give you a tutorial on working a sewing machine), this project is pretty easy. I will warn you that it does take some hours, but that’s only because you’re doing each invite one by one, not because the project is hard. I highly recommend an assembly line. It’s worth it in the end!

Happy creating! :)

The finished product! We didn’t worry about the back of the cardstock because we knew it would be hidden by another piece of cardstock. Our thread wasn’t too messy on the back though, so if you aren’t going to hide it, it should be fine.

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Chagrin Falls, OH Engagement: Melissa & Greg01.03.12

27 degrees. It was 27 DEGREES during Melissa and Greg’s engagement session! And they acted like it was no big deal. To say they are troopers is an understatement.

These high school sweethearts are just that: sweet. They live in California but were home for the holidays (more bonus point for braving the cold after coming from sunny Cali!) and up for anything. We walked all around the cute, little town of Chagrin Falls, where their wedding will be later this year, and they humored me with my crazy ideas.

Melissa and Greg, thanks for spending the afternoon with me. I love how you make each other laugh. You both are so fun, and I’m already looking forward to your wedding!

We had to get some shots—and warm coffee—in front of the uber cute Chagrin Falls Popcorn Shop.

We warmed up at The Inn of Chagrin Falls, where Melissa and Greg’s guests will stay the weekend of their wedding.

And then the sun really came out and it was glorious! :)

Yes, that’s a picture frame in a tree on the right. Get ready 2012 couples, I have some big ideas for props this season! :)

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2012 Photography Goals01.01.12

Happy 2012 everyone! I hope you all had fun New Year’s celebrations surrounded by loved ones. We were pretty low-key, which seems to be a trend over the past few years, but it was fun to be with Nathan and his family. Next year, however, we’ve vowed to do something BIG!

I figured that I’d waste no time blogging my business goals for the new year … mostly so I would have some place to be held accountable to these. By the end of 2012, I hope to re-blog my progress on these goals. So, here’s to a successful and happy 2012! I’m really looking forward to this year!

  1. Be more purposeful with my blogging schedule/calendar. Right now I feel like it’s kinda a free for all. Along with personal posts, I need to make sure I’m blogging things that reflect my business.
  2. Link my e-mail addresses and clean up my Inbox. I have about three e-mail addresses going at once. Two words: GET ORGANIZED!
  3. Upgrade my computer and Photoshop software. This is a biggie. :)
  4. Work on telling a story at EVERY shoot I do. I say I’m a photojournalist, but I need to make that apparent at every shoot, not just weddings.
  5. Start an online gallery that includes printing options for clients. Another biggie.
  6. Start offering various-sized, self-designed albums. Very excited for this project!
  7. Make a concerted effort to be interactive on social media sites and other blogs. I put stuff out there but I need to get involved, too.
  8. See growth in myself, my photos and my business from the beginning of the year to the end. Above all, this is the most important.

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