A tiny bit Cheesy, I know.

I barely had enough energy for this maternity shoot with Quavondo a few weeks back... but he made the shoot worth it! He has a great approach to his subject and I have enjoyed shooting with him every time ( :
We have some other more natural shots coming up, but this is the first one he sent out. And yes, I know that I resemble a butterfly ( :

Black and White set

Same team on these shots, but different look.



I loved the team on this shoot... Terri Lodge, Rebecca Westby, and model- Stephanie Leppert. I forget how inspiring it is to work with other creatives who share such a similar vision! Collaboration is supposed to be the fun, exciting part and with these ladies it truly was! Even after 7 hours of shooting, it did not feel like work ( :
Anyhow, I am expecting Ella to arrive in about 2 weeks (she can come any day now though) so I'm working on a couple of last wedding albums in tandem. I won't be posting the rest of our shots from this shoot until much later, I'm afraid. But I'm POSITIVE Jelani will be getting some great shots of our new daughter ( :

Will keep ya'll posted!

Test Before and Afters

What an amazing "last shoot" before Ella arrives! I was overcome by some inspiration by Paolo Roversi... wanted to create something moody and a bit darker. So these are just a couple shots. The before and afters ( :





model: stephanie leppert, mua: terri lodge, styling: rebecca westby

Baby Investment

According to Time magazine, the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 years of age is around $221,000! This year alone, before she'd been born, we have found ourselves spending a crazy amount of money. There are the required pieces like carseats and diapers, wipes and hypo allergenic wash. Of course we have to have clothes, blankets and all kinds of burp/changing rags. There are co pays or lots of cash for those without insurance. There are gigantic bras and new maternity clothes to accommodate babies new living quarters. Afterward, there are more bra's with pad inserts and more clothes that can easily expose a newborn's food source.
Then there are the American necessities such as changing tables, changing pads, changing covers, cribs, crib mattresses, crib sheets, cradles, slings, carriers, wash mats, diaper genies, wipe warmers, and maybe bottles and all their accessories.
In addition to these, if you are a trendy parent, you may find yourself shopping for designers sheets, designer crib bedding sets and all kinds of matching accessories to hold diapers and transport baby. I can't forget the staple diaper bag ( :





So, how do us parents figure out which of these are essentials and where we can cut back? For myself I found some financial relief in second hand stores and craigslist ( :

For clothes I only purchased one pair of maternity jeans early on, that I knew would grow with me (although I just outgrew them a couple weeks back!) and that I would feel great in! Otherwise, throughout the different stages of my pregnancy, I borrowed clothes from friends, purchased flowy tops that I could wear post-pregnancy as well, or hit up some of the boutique-like consignment shops for mom's and babies. I always found good deals here at less than half the retail price!
Piccolina is just one of my favorite places to shop for maternity wear. They have a great turn over rate, so there's always new clothes to shop!



As far as baby furniture goes, I decided this was an area I could scrimp on, since Ella will only be sleeping in her crib for a year or so and same goes for the changing table, cradles, et cetera. I kept my eyes and ears open and ended up purchasing a used (but in great shape) crib, shelf, and cradle... all for $75!!! Later I found a white dresser for $50 and my favorite find- the Pottery Barn changing table (retails for $400) for only $75 on craigslist!!! With all of my furniture staples purchased early on at a steal, Jelani and I had some extra cash to go towards the details.

Another supersaver idea is to make your own crib set, which is the route we took! We simply bought a crib sheet to match the material, then had the bumper and quilt sewn to match. This cost us less than $140 which is the average price for a low-end target crib set. For moms who are familiar with designer crib sets you know they can reach upwards of $500!!! Plus, we have left over materials to make little accents, such as a rocker pillow, or lining for shelf baskets.


If any other mama's out there have their own tips and suggestions to add to this, please leave your comment!! I'm sure it's going to take some creativity over these next 18 years to raise a college fund ( :

Cheap Finds at Goodwill!

On my way back from the seamstress today I stopped by the Tigard goodwill and came across some GREAT finds! I posted just one of the wooden paintings for Ella's room last week, but I've got a whole little collection brewing for the final wall mount ( :
Here are some new additions as well as a swatch of the paint color we finally decided on (the color is called antigua aqua but it's not showing up as bright as should):


I also found this really cool, retro hanging for a friend of mine who loves butterflies:

It's a stretched print ( :

Next find is this FABULOUS wooden piece. This will go in a hallway somewhere!
It's taking me a while, but I'm finally getting a cohesive theme and feel going in our home ( :



Last, is this great little throw that seems to match my new rocker perfectly! It's a pottery barn pillow that came with a larger one just like it for only $8.99!!!


PS J just finished our side table and here's a quick snapshot of that:

Mama Baby Yoga

After three months of nausea and extreme fatigue in my first trimester, I stopped going to the gym regularly. Since I'm not much of a runner, I had to pick up some form of exercise, which I found in prenatal pilates on the Ball. I'm excited to get back into the rhythm of things post-baby and would like to continue on the Pilates/Yoga route that I've begun.
Luckily, I found this great class at my FAVORITE spa Zenana (located in SE Portland) that offers new moms a chance to workout with their babies in tow. I'm all for a baby/mama class... Makes scheduling in a workout MUCH easier!
What's better than a FREE introduction class as well? It's only once a month, but you can begin learning the postnatal stretches as soon as 3 weeks after delivery!

MamaStretch - FREE!
register onlline at www.mamalates.com
Class Level: Beg
First Wednesday of each month October - December
11 am -12 pm
FREE!

Here's a quick summary of the class I'd like to take:

"Come enjoy conscious movement with your babe while re-connecting with yourself in this unique, uplifting class. Focusing on mindful movement to help reclaim posture and build stamina, we will use a variety of props including resistance bands and balls for a challenging, efficient workout. Awaken and strengthen muscles you didn't even know you had , learn correct biomechanics for holding& lifting your baby & connect with other Mamas."

I will say that at $15 a class, however, I'm expecting some miraculous results ( : This class is more spendy compared to it's baby-free counterparts.

Custom Rocking Chair!

I am so excited to post pictures of our rocking chair- a project that allowed both me and J to chip in. (His part definitely more laborious than mine!)

We actually found the vintage bones on craigslist. My husband sanded, re-stained and painted it while we waited for the cushions to be recovered in Amy Butler fabric. The fabric coordinates with the nursery crib bedding, so once that is done I will post pics as well! Now I just need to find a great throw to add a splash of color... maybe mint green or aqua blue ( :

Chair: $25
Material: $20
Labor: $95

Total: $140

Finally Baby Stuff!

I am so excited to finally have my prayer necklace properly put together! I used to make jewelry- just out of high school- so I still had some of the tools and know-how to finish this project myself!
For those of you not familiar with the Prayer Necklace concept, it is actually a necklace made of beads that were individually prayed over or blessed by friends and family. My AMAZING friend Lisa Kane (who also threw me an awesome baby shower) took me shopping for these semi-precious stones (seen in blue) and I later purchased the clear crystals as fillers.



I am finally free to work on Ella Marseille's room! Since I've been so exhausted and busy with with weddings, I haven't had a chance to post pictures of the projects we have already started!

Jelani has been working hard on her rocking chair... a great vintage find from craigslist that he stripped down and re-stained. Isn't it beautiful? We pick up the actual cushions tomorrow evening. (Think Sunshine YELLOW!!!)



Here's a sneak peak at the theme and feel of her room. If you look closely, you'll see a mint slash aqua blue in the photo background. This the color we're going for on her walls!



I was also finally able to decide on a diaper bag a few weeks back, which I purchased with free shipping from Amazon! This bag looks and feels like a large purse, but it's made out of water repellant material (pee pee repellant too) and has built in stroller straps. In this photo, I've got it packed with 2 outfits, 4 diapers, a bottle, 2 small blankets, and booties.



Now, these are not the same booties I have packed in her bag... those are more like Ugg's for newborns. These are actually a Gap find and one of their less expensive items. I can't bring myself to spend a million bucks on clothes I'm POSITIVE she'll outgrow in 3 weeks! But these little brown boots were calling my name and I couldn't resist:

Matt and Kristina

I have had no need for a slideshow host up until this summer, when I had my first request from a wedding venue. Gorge Crest posts slideshows on their site for couples to view, which is a great business move on their part and awesome advertising for us photographers!

Anyhow, I have not purchased a SlideRollPro account just yet. I plan to give this first one (free trial slideshow) a go to see what kind of feedback I receive. Here's my first take on the gorgeous wedding of Matt and Kristina:


sorry- the music was driving me crazy- temporarily removed slide show. will replace with photos!!!

easy composite fun

Jelani linked me to this site a while back, but since then they have added more composite dates. It's this "yearbook" site that composites your face into black and white yearbook photos from dates going back to the 50's!!!
It's actually pretty easy, free and very entertaining if you're into that sort of thing.

Here are some of my examples... anyone recognize the Jennifer Aniston cut at the very end?