Crazy For You

At my most recent shoot, it was so obvious that this sweet little girl's parents are crazy about her. And vice versa. She lit up when she got a piggy back ride from her dad, and she was so relaxed and at ease snuggled up to her mom. I love the bond between parents and their children. It is so strong! And my-oh-my, I had another natural in front of the camera. I'm always telling my peeps that they're going to have to tell me when enough is enough because I could take pictures forever. And ever. There's always another angle of light or another spot I want to explore. Lucky for me, this doll loves having her picture taken, so we had ourselves a fun, fun evening. Thanks so much, you guys!

Lulu Belle

Lulu Belle is the oldest of my little sisters, and she lives in Dallas with her husband, Steve. The distance is very sad. But her in-laws live in Spokane, just a hop-skip-jump away from where I live (5-hour drive), which is very happy because when she goes to visit them, I am all over it! Last month her in-laws threw her a fabulous baby shower while they were visiting, and so my Baby Magnolia and I made the drive to see her because first of all, I love any chance I can get to spend with my dear sis (whose real name is Lauren, but I love to call her Lulu Belle), and second of all, I'm going to be an AUNT in December and I had to see the baby bump that is my future nephew!

One of the many fun things (thank you so much for such a fun time, everyone!) we did together was a Byers Family Photoshoot! Us girls had a blast raiding the guys' closets and dictating what they had to wear. And I must say, they looked awfully handsome! Check it out:

Sunday Snaps: So Long Summer

Magnet took the kids (minus our baby girl) camping Friday night, and I spent the evening (okay, the better half of the night) missing them as I went through some of the snapshots I took this summer. It's funny how when they're here needing me, I long for a quiet moment, and then when I get an evening to myself, I can't wait for them to get back. It was way too empty here with just Magnolia and me. But anyway, enjoy the snaps!

And man, Summer, we're gonna miss you.

Table and Chairs--Check.

Whenever I'd visit my friend Mamalia's house, I'd always compliment her on her table--I loved it! It was a darkish brown, and I thought it look fabulous in her house. Little did I know, she hated her dining table--her husband detested it most of all. She got a great deal on it at a garage sale, and like a girl of my own heart, couldn't pass up the find. But considering that "Mamalia and the Hooligans" (that's the name of her blog) are little people, the bar height wasn't the best fit for their fam.

When she decided it was time to find her table a new home, I was glad she called me before listing it on Craigslist. It had some broken chairs, and ideally, I'd always wanted a white table, but it was much better than the dining table we had, and she was selling it to us for a fabulous price. So, we bought it, and my sweet Magnet even told me he'd help fix it up just the way I wanted. I was thrilled.

Seven or so months later, it is finally complete! And I am more in love with this dining set than ever. We really enjoyed white washing the table. It was the chairs that killed us. Sanding them all down was arduous, but Magnet did all that. We primed them together, which was hard because these eight chairs (two are sitting around our island) have a million angles and sides. At first, I thought the chairs should be green. So, I bought this spring green paint and tested it on an end table I'd been wanting to paint. "Kermit the frog" would be an appropriate way of describing how that turned out. First wrong color: check. Next, I consulted every single female I know, and decided the chairs should be taupe. After painting seven of the eight chairs taupe, and having the chairs sit around our table for a good month, I decided I hated that look. I was so discouraged and my sweet husband, also discouraged, said this project was no long ours, but all mine.

With him out of the game, I sat on the project for awhile in order to stock up on some much needed motivation. Eventually, I decided the chairs would be perfect in a sea-salt color (verypale blue/green), and so I painted a few chairs that color. Scratch that. Too light. Finally, it occurred to me to paint them the same shade of blue that is on our accent wall in the living room. I adore them this color! And my true love even jumped back in the game and helped me give them a double coat and he distressed them for me. I was actually glad we had that taupe color underneath because it looks great coming through the blue. A couple coats of Deft Clearwood Finish later, and this baby is complete!

In a few months, when I have gallery wraps hanging on the wall and a fresh bouquet of flowers sitting on the table, I'll show you a pull-back shot of the finished room because after all, I'm married to a florist, and he's married to "a tographer" (as my kids say it), and anything less just wouldn't do.

Model-Esque

Oh, Shelby. You know you are such a favorite of mine! It was a complete treat to photograph you again this year. I'm still jealous of your freckles, exquisite blue eyes and auburn hair. You are so chill and comfortable in your own skin. Maybe this is normal for high school freshmen, but way back in the day on my first day of high school, I was sporting big, baggy Eddie Bauer (did I mention oversized?) t-shirts tucked into my jeans... and my paper lunch sack in tote. I had tight tootsie roll bangs and short/short hair. And I was so self conscious! Not cute. Uh-uh. And here you are, looking like you're straight out of a magazine. Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful snowboarding season this year, and I hope you always keep that calm confidence about you because it's beautiful!

Big Hugs,

Marie












In other Marie Photographie news:

*My first 10 clients to order Christmas cards will get a 10% discount.

*I'm booked for 2010.

*I'm going to both Newport Beach, CA and Germany in the month of October! Okay, so that's not photog news, but I cannot wait to see my family and photograph them and my babies near cobblestones and castle ruins, so it's kinda photog news. Yum.