7 Cheers for 7 Years!!!

We made it! 7 years ago today the Hubby and I said our "I Do's". A lot can happen in just 7 years and I am proud to still be standing next to the man who stood at the end of the aisle way back when.

Happy 7th Anniversary Ben! I love you, even through the ups and downs and the countless adventures we have had together. Thanks for being mine!

I decided that I needed a little something to give the hubby to commemorate reaching 7 years and the crazy journey that it has been.. and the amazing journey ahead. So I created a fun little print to hang in our house as a reminder that if we can make it through the past few years.. we can make it through anything!!!

ENJOY!

A Beautiful Summer for Family!

Happy Tuesday!!!

Summer is quickly coming to a close, as aptly proven by the cooling thunderstorm we just experienced here. Tents are being packed up; Swimsuits are hanging up to dry from the last pool party; BBQ's are winding down; and the school busses are alive with little feet. Yes, indeed, Summer is almost over.

BUT let's not forget the amazing memories and fun times we had this summer celebrating with family and friends. I was honored to be asked to photograph several families during a Family Reunion/50th Anniversary Celebration this summer up in beautiful Breckenridge, CO. YAY! I love these mountains. We had such a fun time capturing cherished moments with this family... and of course a few screaming kids to go along with. You can't photograph a beautiful family of nearly 20 people without a few screaming kids to bring us back to reality. And you can't ask for a better backdrop then the majesty of the Rocky Mountains!

Thanks Young's, for letting me be a part of your family time this summer! Many blessings for the  year ahead.

ENJOY a few of my favorites of this adorable family!

Every Day Should be Mothers Day!!!

Ok, Ok, so in true fashion of being a mom with 2 little ones I am a few days behind with my Mothers Day Post. But as I sat down to write I decided that EVERY DAY should be Mothers Day, so in reality I am not behind at all!!!

To be honest though, I could not post my fun Mothers Day gift/designs because I had not given them to my Mother and Mother-in-Law yet. And of course, however excited I was to show these to you,  I did not want to spoil the surprise!!

These "What a Difference a Day Makes" design prints were inspired by an amazing fellow designer over at Pixels to Paper and I just knew I needed to create something similar for my family for Mothers Day. I Love, Love, Love, Love how they turned out!! (And yes, I did make one for myself this time!)

ENJOY!!!!

- Family Tree Print (Birthdays in Grey, Weddings in Red)

- Special Dates Print (Birthdays in Grey, Wedding in Red)

- My Little Family! (Birthdays in Grey, Wedding in Yellow)

A Legacy of Love...

I love my job. I love being able to stay home with my daughter while still working. I love the availability to meet with clients in the comfort of their own home. I love being a witness to some amazing first hand stories. THIS story I think takes the cake, and it actually set the tone for the whole design.

It was just an ordinary day, but my heart would be filled with something special by the time the day was out. A month or so ago I was asked to help with a 60th Anniversary & 80th Birthday's Party Invite for Mr. & Mrs. H. The quests of honor actually live close me so we decided to meet at their house to go over ideas and lay out what they wanted for their invite.

We piled the table high with old photos, memories, paper samples and LOTS of ideas... Mrs. H had a particular photo she wanted to use for the front of the card, not her first pick, but she kept saying that it was her husbands favorite photo from their wedding. It was just a quick snapshot of them leaving in a vehicle.. nothing special.. right???

UNTIL, Mr. H came over to see what us ladies were working on and suddenly he smiles and pulls his wallet out from his back pocket. Slowly, carefully, he pulls out a little folded up piece of faded, falling apart paper. With well worn fingers he carefully unfolds it and spreads it out on the table.

My eyes did not believe what I saw before me, for this crumbly piece of paper was actually the original newspaper clipping from the day they were married 60 years ago! With the exact same photo of them leaving in the car. WOW!

Awestruck, I now understood why this photo was so special. Through all these years, even during his time serving our country overseas, he had kept this newspaper clipping of his bride with him. I knew right then and there that we HAD to feature this priceless heritage on the front of the invite. How memorable and honoring... what an amazing legacy of love for a 60th Anniversary! I was truly blessed to witness the unveiling of such a crumbly little paper which had stood the test of true love!!!

Here are the Before and After images of the article, fortunately for us they still had the original photo so I was able to clean up the article and fit a new scan of the old photo in for a more polished look.

Here is the Invite... complete with news clipping, wedding photos, childhood photos AND even photos of the high school sweethearts before Mr. H left for war. Ya that's right, young love celebrating 60 years together... I LOVE IT!!! (Oh and Mrs. H's photo also was tucked away in the wallet with the clipping)

AND now, last but not least, since they loved the invites so much they decided to continue with the look of the Invite and had me create a set of 4 Bookmarks that served as little trivia party favors on the tables at the party. YEP, I am a total matchy, matchy girl and this project was just so fun for me to work with. Not only did I get to be creative with my designs and think out of the box, I was honored to meet one truly amazing couple who's testament of enduring love will continue to inspire me for years to come!

Happy Birthday's Mr. & Mrs. H. and congratulations on a very Happy 60th Anniversary!!!
You have blessed me beyond belief!

Merry Christmas in July!!!!

Yep thats right.. time to beat the heat and think winter!!!! And since today is the 25th I thought I would jump right in and wish you a Merry Christmas in July!

Rewind with me if you will, to last fall when I was honored to take some LOVEly family photos of a dear friend of mine for their 20th Wedding Anniversary. (You can view that post HERE). Now, fast forward to a few weeks ago when my friend came to me with a wonderful idea... She wanted to do a Christmas Card with their photos to be sent out not in December, but NOW, in July!!!

I LOVE IT!!!! Creative, fun ideas just make my day and I am so excited to share this card with you all.

ENJOY, and hope this helps everyone to think cool thoughts!!!!

With Unconditional Love...

5 years ago today, I was in one of the most beautiful, heartwarming weddings I have had the honor of being a part of.

5 years ago today, I gained my first wonderful Sister-in-Law.

5 years ago today, my brother shared his heart through hand written vows to his beloved.

And today, I get to share with you a little photo project my brother had me design as 5th Anniversary gift to his beloved. Complete with the three little words he used as the signature in his wedding vows...

"With Unconditional Love..."

Matt & Vanessa, congrats, I love you, and many more years of blessing for the both of you!!!

20 LOVEly Years...

I recently celebrated my 3rd wedding anniversary, and as I reflected back over the past few years a lot has happened in our lives together... A few weeks ago I had the amazing opportunity to take a few photos for a friends 20th Wedding Anniversary!!! WOW... and I though a lot had happened in 3 years, I can not even begin to imagine what all will happen in the next 17!

October 13 was such a beautiful fall day to take a walk downtown and take some photos in the exact same hotel this young couple was married at 20 years to the day. This wonderful couple also brought their beautiful 2 year old daughter along with them, who really had no idea what a big day this was for her parents, and thought this was all for her of course. We had such a fun time just playing, enjoying the day and reflecting on 20 years of LOVE...

 I dearly love this couple and they have taught me a lot in the little time that I have known them. Thank you for letting me capture your little family on your big day. I wish you both many blessings in the next 20+ years to come.

ENJOY!!!