Master Bedroom Reveal (For Now)

Well, there are still quite a few things I plan on doing in here- mostly adding the bedside lamps to the wall and then decorating those tables and tying it all together.  But, for now I thought I would share what I have done.

Easter Spring Photoshoot

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday yesterday!  My new favorite thing lately is setting up cute little photo shoots with my kids on the holidays.  I never do anything crazy- but if I look for ideas online I can always find some really cute and simple ideas and I literally only spend 10 minutes with the kids to get lots of cute pictures.  Here are some simple ideas if you want to do a Spring Photoshoot with your kids:

How to Train Your Dragon Costumes

I had a lot of questions from my friends about these costumes so I thought I would share how I made them.  I think I ended up spending about 2 hours tops on these and only about $10 or less.  My mom made the boys' Toothless costumes by using Pinterest posts as her guide- you can find those on my Halloween board.

Living Room Remix

If you like change like I do, you get bored of your home every six months, pretty much on the dot.  Since moving wasn't in the cards this time, I decided to mix things up a little bit.  There are so many little easy and cheap things you can do to change things up in your home.

First of all: Declutter

Getting rid of odds and ends that you don't really need (or don't need out where everyone can see) makes SUCH a huge difference in the way your place looks.

Accent Pillows

They are so easy to change and inexpensive if you buy fabric on sale or clearance.  I took all my mismatched pillows and made 4 faux leather covers for them.  I LOVE them!

Picture Collages/Big Statement Pictures

You can tell I'm a photographer when you walk in my house because I hang photos EVERYWHERE.  They are inexpensive when you buy frames secondhand and get your pics printed online.  I actually really like this online company when they have deals going.  Just don't print at Costco or Walmart, unless you don't care how they look I guess.  It is fun to be able to change them with the seasons.

Accent Lighting

I actually just bought these paper lanterns secondhand for 50 cents each and strung white Christmas lights through them.  You can find all sorts of cool lamps in secondhand stores or yard sales.

There are still things I need to work on in this room...but for now I am happy with the changes.

What are some things you do to mix things up in your homes?

This will be posted HERE

In a Creativity Slump

I have been in a creativity slump lately...been wanting to redecorate, craft, and sew, but just haven't been in a creative mood.  Hopefully I will pull out of this soon :)  Luckily, my photography hasn't suffered from it...go see an adorable redheaded baby boy I just took some pictures of here.

via Apt. 34

In the meantime, please share your creativity with me on Favorite Things Friday!  I am in dire need of it! :)

Oh, and have a wonderful weekend!!

Studio Lighting Photowalk

Last Saturday Adrian and I went to a Photowalk on Studio Lighting together in Draper.

I mostly use natural light when I shoot, so this was all pretty new to me.

I think I learned a lot about my style as a photographer, and it also opened my eyes to all the techniques in studio lighting.

I only took a few shots at each station...that being said, here is what I ended up with:

I have played with some lighting setups since, and will be posting some of my experiments soon!

A Beautiful Courtship

This was my first official photo shoot in which I took an idea and found the elements to create it. My sister and her husband are always willing to help me out and were so great to be models! I still owe you guys!

Jamie did such an awesome job on her hair. That's right, she did it herself!

My mom-in-law, Cindy, is huge into family history and has her own little museum in their basement. She let me use precious family heirlooms for this shoot which made it personal and even more special. The gloves and necklace date beck to the 1920's and 30's.

The dress was the wedding dress of Thelma Hislop Beard Crandall and it was made in the late 1920's or early 1930's.

Cindy also supplied most of the props, including some old books and photo albums belonging to ancestors.

Also, Jeff's suspenders belonged to an ancestor and photographer himself, George Beard, who has his collections in the BYU library. I hope he was happy to see another photographer in the family, especially recreating his time period.

Adrian shot with me. It is fun shooting with her - I think we work well together. She also came with me recently to do my cousin's engagements and wedding. I will be posting those as soon as I can finish them all.

If you didn't already get the theme here...I was trying to illustrate the beauty of old-fashioned courtship. An engaged couple spending the day together by the river.

Hope you enjoyed them! :)