Strawfoot Handmade

I love this new women's beach bag from Strawfoot Handmade. Available at Stripe in Santa Cruz, CA.

Happy Weekend

Honestly, today was a bear of a day. Most of the morning involved one or both children crying and it seemed like just getting dressed might be too daunting a task. But after an hour at the pool the three year-old is napping and...ahhhh.  He will not go to bed until 10pm tonight because of this nap, but if it means an hour of quiet and 10 minutes for me to escape with the new Anthology, then so be it.  All the wacky color in Eunice Moyle's home (above) is strangely calming right now. The whole issue is really gorgeous, cover to cover.

Sunday I'm shooting my first wedding of the season and am nervous/stressed, but looking forward to it. I still get nervous before every wedding - keeps me on my toes. Rebecca & Brad are a very cool couple and I get to see the Bash,Please ladies and photograph all the gettin' down brought by The Flashdance so obviously it's going to be an awesome day. Give me thirty minutes and I'll be smiling ear to ear, so happy that I get to photograph weddings as my job. Happens every time.

Happy long weekend to you!  xoxo

Ariel Gordon Jewelry

My friend Samantha hosted a trunk show for Ariel Gordon last weekend and I wanted to buy pretty much everything. My favorites are the hammered gold hoop earrings and the silk woven chain bracelets. Also love that love knot ring which I *think* I spotted on Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids (new favorite funny movie, by the way).

P.S. Sam has a fabulous blog called Could I Have That and modeled for Ariel's look book...

photos by Tyler Jennings for Ariel Gordon.

Color Moment: Blue & Yellow

photo by Raya Carlisle. skirt and vase via Anthropologie.

Rachel & Dan's Wedding :: Tierra Rejada Ranch

Rachel & Dan got married on the Fourth of July last year in the Walnut Grove at Tierra Rejada Ranch. Happy, happy people!  Loved all the yellows & blues with pops of orange and pink...A sweet Summer celebration.

Sassy Tassles

These brightly colored Cynthia Rowley tassles are so pretty. Would add a fun little swish to your handbag...

Happy Weekend

I can't stop buying books these days. Emily posted about this same thing and I love how she said she reads them in bed like a novel.  Totally. I often have a stack of decor books by my bed - these are my current favorites, along with Jose Villa's new book and Handmade Weddings, because they are both full of pretty pictures and good ideas.

from left to right:
Old & New by Katherine Sorrell
Handmade Weddings by Eunice Moyle, Sabrina Moyle & Shana Faust
Happy Chic Colors by Jonathan Adler
Happy Chic Accessories by Jonathan Adler
Decorate by Holly Becker and Joanna Copestick
Fine Art Wedding Wedding Photography by Jose Villa
Apartment Therapy Presents by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan
The Vintage Modern Home by Katherine Sorrell
Flea Market Style by Emily Chalmers

And here are my favorite photo related posts from around the web:

• The food photography class in school scared me so I avoided it at all costs, but I really would like to learn more about photographing food and this book, Plate to Pixel, by Helene Dujardin looks excellent. She makes everything on her blog look so yummy.
• Making some Polaroid Coasters would be so fun. Or maybe I will just buy these ones.
• I sort of wish I didn't know Photoshop so well because then I could have gone to this. If you are a blogger and want to learn the basics of Photoshop The Blogshop looks like one of the most fun ways to learn it (they are doing another class in June)
 • Love these inexpensive large format photographs by Debbie Carlos

Happy Weekend!
xoxo

Color Moment: Pink & Green

photo by Raya Carlisle. top & trousers by Zara. pillow by Madeline Weinrib

Happy Weekend

B and his "parachute army guy" taking up residence in the 1960's Barbie Dream House I just HAD to purchase on ebay.

This weekend maternity leave is officially over and we're heading down to San Diego in the morning for an engagement shoot. It feels weird when I don't shoot and it has been over three months.  I'm excited!

Here are some fun photography related posts from around the web:

• Mario Testino is one of my favorite photographers ever ever.  Tons of inspiration on his website.

• Nicole talks about upgrading from a basic digital SLR

• I love photobooths at parties and these props on Oh Happy Day are so fun. Plus there's a free download to make them yourself!

• Awesome DIY Polaroid fridge magnets. Jenn, want to be friends? Oh yeah, we already are : )

Happy weekend. xoxo.

Baby Clothes

 I'm not gonna lie. Dressing a little girl is SO much fun.

Joy & Dan's Wedding :: Santa Barbara

Joy & Dan and their sweet little boy celebrated with many happy guests on the beach and under the stars at Rincon Beach Club. I loved this day! Such gorgeous light and gorgeous people, inside and out.

Decorating the Outdoors :: The Front Yard

We are finally fixing up our front and back yards and I am SO excited. The front is getting a whole new walkway, landscaping and eventually some paint. It's been in a pretty sad state since we moved in and I'm not sure why - I think we just didn't have a vision. But now we do!  I put together an inspiration board for the porch - a little mid-century, a little modern, a lot like the inside of our house. We are planting all native plants because we want to conserve water and I am horrible at keeping green things alive. Really. I almost killed our mint and mint is like a weed.

Here is what it looked like...

A friend said recently she would never imagine the inside of our house to look the way it does based on the outside. I would be offended if it weren't so true.

For the last few weeks I have been pouring over DIY landscaping design books from the library, watching way too much HGTV and have drawn out a plan.  Forest and his dad spent all last Saturday ripping out the walkway and they are going to continue the work again this weekend. Will post the progress!

May Flowers

Fresh flowers in the house make me happy. Welcome Spring!