Amber and Dan: Wedding save-the-date

Here's another paper/font/stationary obsessed post for ya...

This save-the-date for Amber and Dan's wedding is so charming! I got it awhile ago and I've been waiting to post it forever. Now that my sessions have finally slowed down (snow will do that) I have time to post it.

Isn't it cute? I really like the "love birds" theme - but adore the fact that it's subtly implied. In my opinion, a theme shouldn't over shadow the meaning of a wedding. It's a lot like reading a novel - I don't want to be told what happens. I want just enough detail to figure it out on my own.

The combination of elegant scroll and serif fonts is a complementary twist of modern and traditional. Something pretty difficult to pull off well. Too often combining traditional and modern makes something appear disjointed. I think what seamlessly joins the two approaches on Amber and Dan's save-the-date is that the birds are traditionally shaped, but the silhouette smooths them out a little. Which transitions nicely into the branches with the modern touch of using circles and hearts for leaves. Kudos to their designer! Wouldn't surprise me if it was Miss Amber herself.

Like I've said before, save-the-dates and wedding invites give you a glimpse of what to expect on the big day itself. Pretty sure Amber and Dan's wedding is going to be amazing!

Merry Christmas!

While Ryan and I frosted Christmas cookies tonight, we talked about what Christmas will be like in a few years. Staying up late Christmas Eve to wrap presents and assemble bicycles. Watching Owen's excitement over Santa and his presents. Just thinking about the future memories, I couldn't help but smile.


Every year we get a new ornament for our tree. It usually represents the biggest event of the year. No surprise, this year's ornament is for Owen's first Christmas. Hallmark makes some stinkin' cute ornaments, don't they!?

Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas!

Christmas photo project: Sneak peek

A friend of ours asked me to put together a photography project for some of their Christmas gifts. It was a bit of a stretch for me considering I'm far more comfortable shooting people. But I really enjoyed the challenge.

Without spoiling the surprise of someone's Christmas present... here's a sneak peek:

I'll post the finished project soon.

When life hands you apples

... turn it into a smiley face.

When I was a kid, my sister and I always had to help my mom bake pies. For Thanksgiving. For Christmas. Birthdays. For my uncle when he plowed us out after a snow storm. For the local milk hauler who brought us water in the summer when our well went dry.

It was our job to get an ice cube out of the freezer. That was her secret to making flaky crust - ice cold water. And my mom makes the best pies.

We watched and talked. About nothing really. Looking back it was just fun.

When mom had the first half rolled out, she lifted it up while we slid the pie pan underneath. It was easy and smooth. And prevented cracking the crust.

Then she'd trim the edges. This was the best part of pie making. We would snitch pieces of raw crust as fast as Mom would cut them off. Flour, salt, and lard. Yum-O! What we didn't eat we sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on and baked.

And to finish it off, she had to vent the crust to let the steam escape and keep it from bubbling over. But rather than cut boring slits, my mom always cut out a smiley face.

MIA

I know... I know...

I've been ignoring the blog lately. Things have been a wee bit busy. There's the chaos of the holidays and with a new baby it makes things more complicated. Not even kidding - I started planning what we'd need to bring to my parents house for Thanksgiving an entire week before.

The good news is there are several posts in the works... and plenty of ideas for future posts! So just bear with me for a little while longer. I assure you regular blog posts will resume soon!