fail better...

Did I SERIOUSLY only blog three times last year?? 

Three. 

Fail.

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better."

~Samuel Beckett

Okay. Moving on.

We have been getting some actual winter weather here in the Heartland… not just the wind and cold, but a little bit of the pretty stuff (lots more snow than usual & these little ice crystals too)… so of course I forced my grandma outside to grab a handful of the cold stuff (what!!? Gracie doesn't have thumbs!).

and then she let me snap her picture before she froze her little buns off... 

thanks G! for being my pretty little hand model :)

you're number one in my book!

If I close my eyes, I can still remember a time… filled with brown paper sacks, full of handmade cards and valentine sentiments…  Exchanging cards and yummie sweets with my fellow classmates is a favorite pastime of mine.  So when my sister asked if I could help out my nephew with this year's valentines, I was delighted!  (She's crafty herself!  She makes really pretty things…)  Anyhoo, she passed along the idea to me from Pinterest (linked to this blog)- 

AND here is my version of these really neat bookmarks that he will get to pass out to all his friends this Valentine's Day!  

They are so good, all the adults want one too!!

So which one's your favorite?  Hard to pick just one, I know…

happy reading friends

back with family...

After four long years… we took a week long drive from the east coast, and were able to visit family along our way home from Germany.  It was so nice to see everyone after such a long time away… It was wonderful meeting my nephew for the first time & seeing my niece again!  Here's a few pics from our afternoon together.  

Until next time… eat some yummie Chicago style pizza for me!!

little miss claire bear...

The first time I got to photograph this cutie, she was in her mama's belly… Now she's eight months old, where has the time gone? So full of personality, when she wasn't sticking out her tongue or making all her sweet funny faces, I'd catch a glimpse of her cute one-toothed grin. Such a joy & full of wonder…

amongst the wildflowers...

Have loved every moment I've been able to spend with these two… from the time they were three weeks old and about five pounds each, to now at eighteen months.  It's been a pleasure to photograph these sweet babies, and who knows… maybe I'll see them again somewhere down the road, when we're all back stateside.

a day in the fields...

I've been so incredibly lucky to meet the most wonderful clients here in Germany, I will seriously miss you all!  I must say the part I've loved the most is seeing families & babies grow.  The first time I suppose you could say I actually met this sweet, sweet doll of a girl… was when she was in her mama's belly.  Then I had the pleasure of photographing her again a short time after she was born.  And now… well she's already a year old!  I can't believe how fast the time goes.  She was the perfect little model too, just letting me snap snap away, never even getting fussy… so what's your secret Mom & Dad?

and with so many more, I'm having a hard time picking my favorites!

first things first...

I still can't get over how in love I am with these images… hahaha, that's not weird to say, right??  You see I currently do not have a studio set up, but I've always wanted to try my hand at boudoir.  Lucky for me, I have a friend who does & I got to do just that!!  There's just something wonderful about a confident woman feeling beautiful in her own skin.  These stunning ladies were so much fun to work with, not to mention they made my first time shooting boudoir an experience I wouldn't mind trying again… so enough talk & on to the gorgeousness!!

color me pretty...

Are you like me, and look to color as a constant source of inspiration & motivation?  I find it so interesting that there is an actual theory behind color… that it can affect our moods, make us feel a certain emotion, or can even boost our memory… 

Considering I live in a place that is often grey, overcast, and rainy… it does my spirit a little good to remember that's not always the case.  Here's a couple wintery photographs I took during somewhat sunnier times here.  I then went on to create these soft color palettes from the photos themselves, so that I can always have them as a reference point if I'm ever in need of a little color pick-me-up.  

I hope color encourages your creativity, 

whether it be in your art, style, or even in your own home.

Wishing a happy Sunday funday to you all!

winter woodland shoot...

well… all we needed was a little snow, and these could have been 

the man from snowy river, hah!  but I'm loving these all the same.

one thing's for sure… I'm really gonna miss these 

gorgeous woodlands when I have to leave Germany!!

on a crisp sunny morning...

I had the pleasure of meeting up with this lovely family
to shoot their photos, just in time for christmas.

here's a few of the memories made on that beautiful day…