Chelsea's Baby Shower

Several of you have asked about the details of Chelsea's shower, so I thought I would spill all the goodies here ;)

So this past weekend we had my sister, Chelsea, baby shower. The shower was planned for Feb 19th, but right after Christmas she was diagnosed with preeclampsia and was put on strict bed rest. SO because of the fact the doctor thought Feb 19th would be to close to a possible due date, my mom and I decided ok its now or never...in about two weeks we pulled this off. We were busy bees but am thrilled with how it came out. 

We wanted to go with a vintagey circus theme..

Here is the invitation. Originally, I was going to make the invites myself, but with the time constraints and the fact that I just couldn't seem to make exactly what I was wanting I decided to go to Etsy lol. As always, you can never really go wrong there. Within 15 minutes I had picked out the invite and had emailed the shop owner all of the details. Within 48 hours I had these babies printing at Office Depot. This is SO the way to go when doing invites! Its so simple - you pick out the invite, pay for them, send the shop owner the details and then they send you a pdf file of the invite customized to you! I then just emailed it to Office Depot and had them print it on card stock. The total cost (for file and printing) was about $35.00 for 53 invites (does not include envelopes or postage). Lisa, the shop owner on Etsy, was amazing to work with! She redid this invite about 3 times for me! She rocked. Go check her out here!

We decided to go with bottled soda and strawberry lemonade - I got the mason jar idea off Pinterest. Both were a huge hit and a fun twist!

Mom bought these straws from another one of my favorite vendors Shop Sweet LuLu. They have some really great stuff for parties and change out inventory regularly. 

The popcorn was another find off Pinterest. We did Kettle Corn and Caramel Corn. To make them stand I bought a piece of styrofoam and spray painted it green. I then bought skinny wood skewers and pushed them down in the styrofoam and put some hot glue around the base. I then slid the cone over the skewer to make the popcorn cone stand - when someone took a cone the skewer stayed in place and I would just put another one on there. The cones are just rolled up pieces of scrapbook paper ;)

My mom made this adorable Diaper Cake! 

We found a lady to make the cupcakes and then found the cupcake liners at Walmart. 

Here is the food table - We bought the pink pompoms from Party City.

My mom made this adorable wreath for the entrance of the shower. What's great is we went with the theme of the baby's (Maylee) room so Chelsea can put it in her nursery.

I made Chelsea her corsage - I think real corsages are way overrated - plus I wanted to do something different. I made her this one - what is great is all three flowers can be used as hair clips or put on headbands for Maylee - or they can be pinned on outfits as they have safety pins on the back as well :) And even better - this was cheaper than some fancy  flower corsage!

Here is a picture of one of the guest tables. We had 5 tables with these on them - we used pink and yellow pinwheels.

I found these online at Lauren Makes - she has several colors to choose from and they are completely free! I printed off tons of these and put them on the guest tables with some markers. Thought it was cute and different and something great Chelsea can put in the baby book ;)

We knew we had to think of a game that didn't require Chelsea to do much moving since she is on bed rest. Thankfully I found this fun little game called Match Mommy - I found it on the blog Little House Big Heart - emailed the blog owner asking if I could use her design and she was so sweet and customized it for the shower for me to print! She has some other fun ideas as well - be sure to check her out!

Well, that pretty much sums up the shower details - we had a blast and Chelsea was blessed with lots of love and gifts. I LOVE PLANNING PARTIES! 

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Michael & Shanna Ruppert

In September I met up with Michael & Shanna for a photo shoot. This shoot was extra special because it was for their 5 year wedding anniversary! I was so excited because um HELLO 5 years is a BIG deal!

You may remember Shanna from my Women Only Session - so from that post you already know how much I adore Shanna! I had met Michael once or twice before but this was my first time to actually get to chit chat with the man. I was not disappointed - these two are perfect together and were a blast!

When they first walked up I couldn't believe my eyes - M was in a  leg brace! Ummm What the WHAT? Come to find out he had been needing foot surgery for awhile from when he was in the Air Force - he finally got it a few weeks prior and here he was in a full blown boot and crutches! He was such a trooper- I know he had to of been in pain, but yet he stuck it out and did whatever he needed to make sure we got that perfect shot (most men are not to thrilled about having pictures done in the first place - let alone when they are in pain - so Shanna he is a keeper! ha) 

He got her flowers for their anniversary ;)

Ok so remember how I told you they were a blast? Yes well, let me explain the above photo. So as a fun little idea, I brought along some chalkboards and asked them to write down one thing they have learned about each other over the past 5 years of wedded bliss. They were not allowed to show/tell each other - I had them stand there and then at the same time turn their chalk boards over. I giggled when I saw what Michael had written about his bride - but then I saw what Shanna had written and I just about peed my pants!

See the laughter above? - this explains them perfectly. They are best friends and have so much joy in their relationship that you cant help but smile when you are around them ;) I absolutely loved that about their session!

Michael & Shanna - thank you for allowing me a glimpse into your past 5 years - I wish you lots of love, laughter and smokin hot smooches in the future! (was that inappropriate?)

xo

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So long 2011!

I just wanted to take a minute to tell all of my clients thank you! Every year seems to get better and better business wise and its all because of you. Every year I set goals (both personal and business) and each year you help me reach those goals! I was blown away today when I realized I did a total of 62 sessions/mini sessions/weddings this year. What? 62! How did that even happen? In 2009 I did 10 sessions total and now 62?!? Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would make it this far. So many of you have walked into my life as complete strangers and by the time your session was over you were already considered a dear friend. To those of you who have been my life long friends and family, who was there when I first started out, thank you for believing in me and for all of your honesty and encouragement - I would not of done this without y'all ;) To those of you are have been loyal - always coming back for more - thank you thank you thank you! You have no idea how much that means to me! To my mom - you're the best - thank you for always stepping in and being my extra set of hands - you have been a God send! To my fiancee, Alexx, who without him, I would of never started this adventure. Who bought me my first fancy camera and even set up a few of my first shoots (as I cried and complained because I was so scared ha!) - thank you for seeing my heart and understanding this is something I had always wanted to do and then helped make my dreams a reality ;)

  (note: not the best picture of me - but it just seemed so fitting)

 

I hope you all reach a dream in 2012 and that it will be your best year yet. I can not wait to see so many of y'all next year and excited to meet some new friends ;) I have lots of new stuff floating around in my head that I cant wait to share!

loves ya!

xo

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Mr & Mrs Hopkins

September 17th, 2011 I had the honor of capturing Michael and Lakeisha Hopkins wedding!  It took place at the Holiday Inn in DeSoto, TX. I aboslutely LOVED the colors of the wedding! Of course, everything was perfect thanks to Felicia Leffall at Felicia's One Stop Event Planning!

I always love spending time with the Bride and her Bridesmaid before the ceremony - its always a blast and this group did not disappoint - lots of laughs ;)

This was a very special moment!

I LOVE this photo - this was the last few moments before she walked downstairs to say "I do"...

Is their little boy not the cutest little thing in the world! Good grief he was precious!

First dance as husband and wife ;) - i love the way they are looking at each other!

Told ya this was a fun group! hahaha I love watching people on the dance floor!

I can never stress to Brides enough - please have a great Maid of Honor! I NEED you to have an amazing MOH - they help so many of your vendors on the day of. Thank goodness LaBre'sha was the bomb.com! She was incredible at the bridal session and awesome at the wedding! (sorry just had to give props where props are due! ha)

cuteness.

The reception  - im tellin ya go check out Felicia's One Stop Event Planning and tell her I sent ya. She is amazing! I have worked with her on two different weddings now and she is incredible. Everything runs smooth and is always right on time!

Mike & Lakeisha - thank you so so much for allowing me to capture your special day! It was a pleasure working with y'all (even when it felt like the big day would NEVER get here ha!) It was a blast getting to know y'all and to see the special you have. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness!

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Lakeshia Hopkins (Henry) Bridals

This summer I met up with Lakeshia for her bridal portraits. I was SO excited as I had been wanting to shoot at the NYLO for a long time, so when she said she was down I was thrilled! Lakeshia's MOH joined her for the shoot and we had a blast - lots of laughs. Brides, I can not stress to you enough - always bring someone you trust/dependable to your photo shoot - they will be your second pair of hands, will put you at ease and they will help me tremendously - overall, they make the entire shoot better. 

Ok so now do y'all see why I was so excited about the NYLO?!?! Its gorgeous and bold and so unusual. Lakeshia totally ROCKED it! 

Ok so the picture above - SWOON! I love LOVE love it! Absolutely gorgeous - definitely one of my favs.

And another one of my favorites above - it just screams sass, class and everything in between! BAM!

Ok I know this is a long post - just a few more pictures,K? K! I'm sorry I just have so many favorites and have just been dying to share!

I am in LOVE with the vintagy/glamorous feel here. Oh Lakeshia, you are gorgeous girl!

So when I saw this last photo pop up on my screen while editing I'm pretty sure I danced a little jig! ha This one blows me away! Lakeshia thank you thank you THANK YOU for trusting me with this location and for allowing me to be apart of this exciting time in your life! I have so enjoyed talking to you and getting to know you for the past year ;)

Y'all get ready - Lakeshia and Mike just tied the knot so be watching for that post coming soon ;)

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Daniel Turns 2!

Can you believe Daniel turned 2 in July?!?! One thing I LOVE about my job is when I get to document your life year by year. Check out Daniel turning one here. When I went back and looked at that post I could not get over how in a year D went from a baby to this:

WHAT the WHAT?!? He is practically a teenage boy here! Plus, this year we weren't able to just give him a sucker and sit him on a blanket - nope this year I lost 5 pounds from chasing him around. He seriously did not want much to do with me at all, but that's OK because the few pictures I did get are perfect-O. 

We found this old plane at an Antique Store - it rocked - well until Daniel insisted on crawling into the back engine thingy...

After the antique store, and some bribing, we headed to a local park. Amy, the gorgeous woman above. is my cousin - I am so beyond in LOVE with this picture - it makes me teary every time I look at it. I call Amy and Daniel twins, but seriously they look just alike - especially if you look at Amy's baby picture - holy moly. 

well Hellloooo stud muffin!

This last picture completely melts my heart into a million pieces. Daniel had been running around like a wild man all day - wanting nothing much to do with me, but then, all of a sudden, he squatted down in front of me for a good several minutes and was just so sweet and was talking to me. I love the tenderness you see in his eyes, along with his all boy curiosity. ;)

Daniel - I love you sweet boy! Thank you for making me laugh every time I am with you, you will always have a special place in my heart. ;)

xo

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Melissa Fairchild

I know what you're thinking - you are shocked to actually see a new post! I seem to do really well for awhile about writing posts and then BAM its like I cant keep up - dont worry, blog updates are already on my 2012 resolution list ;) 

I met Melissa this summer for a photo shoot. She is a life coach and wanted some new photos for her website. 

When I found out she was a Life Coach I had so many questions!  I'm surprised she didn't send me a bill in the mail after our  photo session with all the questions I was asking ;) Melissa is one of those people who instantly calms your nerves - don't ask me how - she just has a very peaceful way about her. Which is great for people like me who are high strung and dramatic! haha

Ok time out about the Life Coach business - I must say right now that I LOVE this photo! Purple looks stunning on you! Gorgeous, gorgeous, GORGEOUS! Also, don't ya think Melissa looks like Helena Bonham Carter ?!?! Which by the way is one of my favorite actresses ;)

Ok so back to her job - Melissa specializes in trauma - such as dealing with a child hood experience, dealing with death, etc.. I think that is amazing! What an incredible gift to have!

So when our photo session ended Melissa offered me a free coaching session! I was excited and nervous - I mean I had no idea what we would talk about or if it would be totally awkward, but I also loved the idea of getting some advice and just to see exactly what it is she does.  When the time came we had a session over the phone. I decided to talk to her about my business - its growing like crazy, but I need to be able to pace myself and not get overwhelmed, before I knew it I was talking up a storm and Melissa had so many ideas and insights (on even how to grow my business) that I had never even thought about. I hung up the phone feeling refreshed and not so overwhelmed. It was a great experience!

I strongly encourage you to check out her website here - as I said before you dont have to go through something traumatic to talk to her - that is just what she specializes in! If you contact her please tell her I sent ya ;)

Melissa - Thank you for our enlightening coaching session - I am reminded of it frequently and it has defintely helped! You are an amazing, strong and idependent woman - I can not wait to watch as your business grows. 

You ROCK!

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