S U N D A Y • P H O T O • A D V E N T U R E S

If you read Jeff's blog, you might already know that on November 10th we started a new hobby... Sunday photo adventures.  Sometimes it's all five of us, but sometimes we put Elliott down for his nap and leave him in the care of James and Evy for two hours so we can have a photo adventure/date.  It's been pretty amazing.

As a family we've explored Soda Lake in the California Valley, discovered an abandoned adobe, taken a farm tour of Paso where we found sheep, pigs, miniature horses, and eaten roadside fruit, carrots freshly pulled out of the ground, and yummy goat cheese.  The kids loved meeting said goats and feeding them ice cream cones full of grain.  Really cool.  

As a couple, Jeff and I have visited San Miguel and taken the Mission tour- something we'd never actually done after many Mission visits and masses there.  Really beautiful and so moving.   We've also discovered the Caledonia Adobe, had impromptu picnics in the park, and enjoyed uninterrupted conversations- something pretty sacred in a house with three children.  We're loving this new Sunday tradition.  

However, in my search for a Christmas card photo- I noticed one thing we've been lacking in our lives is portraits of us together.  We take SOOOOOO many photos of the kids and each other too, but we have less exactly ONE of all five of us together in 2013.  Not acceptable!  So I decided to add a challenge to our Sunday adventures...  A PORTRAIT SERIES!  

As I explained to Jeff, they need not be fancy, posed, or even particularly dignified.  Just a concerted effort to photograph ourselves together.  Yesterday it was just the two of us, and we didn't even use the camera timer or the tripod- just laid in the grass and clicked the shutter.  I'm really looking forward to our first portrait outing with all five of us.  It should be... interesting.  I'll keep you posted.  :)

L.O.V.E. at AMBIANCE...

I thought it might be fun to share a recent photo session with you guys... 

This one was for (surprise, surprise) VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Yes, I'll be milking it all week.

Kalsee and I had a lot of fun making a big mess at Ambiance.  And I had not even a little bit of fun blowing up gazilllllllions of balloons.  Seriously, I need to just invest in a pump already...

X's + O's by Banter Banner available at Ambiance for $10!  

Everyone needs one of these banners in their life.  Apparently I need 3.   

CONFETTI CRAZINESS!

ROSE PETALS + BALLOONS FOR DAAAAYS!

And how we make the magic...

The aftermath.

*And no, we did not get all that confetti out of the fancy reclaimed barnwood floorboards.  *eeeeek*

Have I mentioned that I love my job so much?  I do.

Holiday Portraits...

Our photographer friend Richard is doing holiday portraits!

We were lucky enough to snag a session with him recently, and the results are so great.  It's incredibly impressive to me that he was able to get ANY good shots, because things got CRAAAZZYYY during our session.  Seriously... a full-blown calamity.  Elliott cried, he ran away, he smiled with Teddy Grahams in his teeth, Evelyn pouted, and oh yeah... JAMES FELL IN THE CREEK.  Ughhhhhhh!!!  Poor Richard.  He took all this in stride, stayed totally cool, and managed to capture some really sweet moments in a very short amount of time.  If you are in the market for family photos this season (helloooo, cute Christmas cards), be sure to get in touch with Richard.  See his Holiday rates here.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, RICHARD!  WE LOVE OUR PHOTOS.  :)

Hello, from crazy town!

HELLO!

Yes, I'm still alive... but man, am I wiped out!  You guys, I have been slaving away on the most ambitious work project I've ever taken on.  I just wrapped it up and called it quits, literally 5 minutes ago.  Before I do a celebratory dance/eat a celebratory cupcake/lay on the floor clutching my laptop crying tears of joy -
I thought I'd just pop in to say a quick blog-hello.

So what's the project, right?!  A CATALOG!  From styling, to photos, to editing, design and layout,
this was a one-woman show.  In case you haven't tried it, let me fill you in...  that  is  crazy  talk!
Jeff sacrificed a lot of his own time these past 2 weeks, to picking up the slack around the house and just generally being superman.  I could not have accomplished this without a ton of support from him, because honestly- I felt in way over my head most of the time.  Have you tackled a major challenge lately?  I am toooootally sleep-deprived, but my brain feels like it's shifted into high gear as a result of this difficult work.  I haven't felt this level of brain stimuli in a long time.  When I finally went to bed last night I told Jeff that I felt like I had run a marathon.  Exhausted, but exhilarated.

I am SO excited to share this project with you, but for now I can only offer a peek.

 

That photo above... it's actually 12 individual photos. And the one below? 13.  

UMMM!!!!!!

Thanks for sticking with me through this quiet time on the blog- 

I hope to be back to regular posting next week.  ♥

6 locals you should be following on instagram...

You know how much I love instagram, right?  I love and follow instagramers from all over the world, but did you know that we've got some awesome instagram users with super fun, inspiring photos- right here in SLO?  There are so many great accounts, but these are 6 local users I just can't get enough of.  Here's who you need to be following right now!  I mean, besides @SLOmygosh, of course...  

Trust me, your feed will thank you.  :)

who  @MNKR_BRAND

what  All things MNKR related.  Day-to-day life of an upstart -gone big city. 

where  Arroyo Grande native/local t-shirt Co., both recent LA transplants.

why  Inspiration shots, new design sneak peeks, and behind-the-scenes of downtown LA.                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

who  @jeffclaassen 

what  Local art hustler/blogger/dad.  And yes, SLOmygosh better-half.

where SLO native, downtown dweller. 

why  Life as an artist, and family man.  When your art is loud and your family is louder.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

who  @jasonxyouth

what  Tattoo artist, straight edge, camera-obsessed, train-hopper.

where Vagabond-at-heart, frequent low-brow trips elsewhere, always finds his way back to SLO.  

why  Amazing talent, adventures you wish you were on, insects you wish you hadn't seen.        

who  @misocrafty

what  Cloth-diapering, baby-wearing, super mom.  Crafter, gardener, and the cook I aspire to be...

where  SLO-county family, happy at home.

why  Amazing meal ideas, craft inspiration (she MADE her baby carrier), + gratuitous cutie pie baby shots. 

who  @josepholesh

what  Photographer, videographer, marketer-extraordinaire, wine and food enthusiast...

where  From SLO, to DC and frequent travels between.

why  Fascinating auto-shots (and I'm not even a car fan), and the coolest dog on instagram.

who  @jorybrigham

what  Life as a kick-ass furniture designer/brilliant wood-worker/goofball dad.

where  Los Osos shenanigans.

why  Hysterical kid-shots, family life, behind the scenes workshop'ing, drool-worthy product shots.

Free People, and gum wall'ing, and stuff...

I had so much fun today with Anissa.  Remember her from the bikini shoot?

Ambiance is celebrating Fall fashion from Free People this month (really pretty).

I can't believe we're talking about the Fall transition fashion already... wasn't the first day of Summer like, yesterday???  

But it all looks beautiful.  Lots of rich knits and embroidery, mustardy hues, and fun pattern play.  

So we did photos.  Around 700 of em.  I love taking pictures in this big room flooded with light.  

And did you know that there's a secret sliding glass door above the gum wall?  I totally spy on everyone from up there, and giggle at the endless exclamations of "EEEEWW, GROSS" coming from down below as they first encounter the wall.  This is promptly followed by a collective "Whoooa" as they take that first step into the alley.  They pop a piece of gum into their mouth, chew it just to the point of stickiness, and then ever so gingerly attempt to leave their mark- 

without ever making contact with the wall itself.  They also like to remark about the smell.

It's usually something like... "It smells so nasty!  But in a good way."

Hilarious, I tell ya...  ANYWAY.  Yes, photos...  Fun.  Super good day.  :)  

Isn't Anissa the cutest?  I love working with her.  And how great is that reclaimed wood wall?!

Ohmygosh.  I feel like I need one in my house.   

Behind-the-scenes... (thanks, Grant)