Halloween Tricks & Treats!

Happy Halloween to you all today!  So glad you can join me today for this double topic post today!  I got loads of great feedback from bloggers loving the post I did about photographing on different "surfaces" last week.  So I thought I'd share with you another fun (and free) background to set your photographs on, paint chips! This works especially great for small objects to photograph, but you could also create a grid with these to shoot larger objects against!  Fun, right?!  Bonus: You'll have a rainbow of swatches to choose from at your local hardware store.  Just don't go crazy and stuff them all in your purse from sheer excitement, you might get some weird looks from store employees :)  I shot a small pairing of pumpkins against a few different paint chips, just to get your creative gears turning for your next mini-photo shoot ideas.

  I seem to have an endless supply of pumpkins these days, since our fall outing from last week to the pumpkin patch.  So I also included some easy ideas I'm using this season to display my gourds indoors and out.  Inside we keep them grouped together, on top of the microwave, no less :)  Until we find a better use for them... I smell a pie in my near future! And then I also used them to decorate my small outdoor landing area.  I also picked up a hay bale during our country outing last week, for (get this) 5 dollars!! Holla!  You can only find those steals in the country baby! :)  Okay, sorry I'm back.

In other news, I'm sorry to tell you that I am signing off my blog until next week as Joe and I have so much to prepare for this weeks wedding we are shooting together!  I'm talking planning some shots, buying more gear, getting our website in order, ordering business cards, the works!  Oh, and we are also setting up a photo booth for the wedding in between everything else.  Yep, it's a lot of work.  But who am I to complain?!  So until next week, take care!


Post Details:
Photography: evphotogal
Photo Templates: Pugly Pixel
Font: Journal

All Into Fall

Hi everyone!  I first want to give a warm welcome to those who have found my lil blog via BYW.
And a giant thank you for all your sweet comments I've received this week.  It has truly inspired me to keep posting everyday this week (so far), yippee!! Today I wanted to share a small table top duo I shot around this time last year.  Along with them I wanted to share a few tricks to compose a shot like this, without emptying your wallet.

  I'm always looking for fun and interesting surfaces to photograph on and this one I used cost only 99 cents at my local Michael's  craft store.  It looks pretty close to the worn surface look I was seeking.  Another source for inspiration is taking a trip to your local farm stand, farmers market, or orchard.  They tend to have the freshest in session produce you can find.  Plus they make for great holiday decor around your home after you've photographed them.  And finally try going on a walk in your neighborhood. It's fun to collect fallen leaves from the trees and inspect all the different varieties that surround you.  After your done with them put each leaf in between pages of a heavy book and come Thanksgiving you'll have a festive and creative element to add to your festive table!  Have fun!

Shades of Autumn

It never truly feels like Fall until I get to experience something in nature.  When the air is crisp and the smell of burning leaves fills the air.  This past weekend Joe and I packed our car and headed out of the city for a much needed time in the country.  We met up with some friends in McHenry at Stade's Farm.  It's a quaint family owned farm located 50 miles outside the city. It was definitely worth the trip!  We had a blast taking a hay ride to a REAL  pumpkin patch were we picked out the best looking gourds.  My friends jokingly asked if this was better that shopping at Aldi, where I usually go to buy my pumpkins.  And oh was it ever!  We stayed until the sun went down indulging in there famous hot apple cider donuts, hot coco, and sweet corn on the cob.  Later that night we headed back to my good friend Alise's house were we carved our pumpkins and roasted all the yummy seeds! We had a blast and can't wait for next years fall outing!

Happy Friday

Hello and happy Friday to you on this beautiful fall afternoon. We've experienced some crazy winds (up to 60 mpr) this week so I thought this paper art work would be appropriate to share with you. Created and constructed by artist and illustrator Jayme McGowan. It's really cool to see her process on how she creates such intricate cutouts. Have a joyous holiday weekend!

hello sunshine

Happy start to your week everyone! How was your weekend? Did you do something adventurous, fun or scary? I did something all of the above this weekend- Joe and I hosted our very first dinner party on Saturday night. Besides having to run out and buy more chairs so that we could all sit in the same space, we roasted our first beef tenderloin, which came out pretty tasty and we indulged on apple pie with a scoop of pumpkin ice cream from TJ's. All in all I'd say it was a success and I can't wait to host again :)

Happy Friday

fall harvest no.2

And a good Friday to you too! I have been bursting at the seams for the work week to be over...and it almost is! Tonight my friend Alise is hosting craft night at her new home. She lives about an hours drive from me in the city so I've made plans to spend the night. hehe...I can't remember the last time I had a sleepover, but I'm excited just the same. All of the talented ladies that are coming are so sweet and the best part is we all get along. I'm planning on making some paper crafts and gifts tags for the holidays, which I will happily share with you once we get closer to December. Geez, can you believe it, Christmas is almost (almost) here!? I guess I'm starting early in part because I'm happy to be finally getting a REAL tree this year. I know, I know..but yes I'm really that excited :) Happy Friday to you and thank you to all you lovely ladies for your kindness and encouragement this week. It always means the most!

Pssst...

Hop on over to on the brink of something beautiful today to see what I created from all this crafty goodness! Thanks again Kel for inviting me to create this DIY post for you and your readers :) I had a blast putting it all together and hope you enjoy it too.

Orchard weekend

Happy Monday everyone! How was your weekend?My family and I took advantage of the beautiful fall weather this weekend and enjoyed some time apple picking, corn a-mazing, cider drinking, and pumpkin picking, phew! Here are a few of my favorite picks from this weekend.

Hello October

I'm just catching up on things from this weekend. It was so great to ease into the season this past weekend by spending Friday all by myself. I spent the day running errands, taking a cardio bootcamp class, and sprucing the outside with pumpkins, gourds, and purple mums! I even had time to carve my very first pumpkin while the seeds toasted up all yummy in the oven :)
For those of you who are just as head over heels for this glorious season as I am , I'd love to hear how your spending it!

For those of you who are looking for a seasonal lift, stop by That's Happy blog, and download a cute owl desktop wallpaper calender by illustrator Lisa Rupp. I have it on my work desktop, and love the hint of autumn it brings to my 9-5. Thanks Lisa for sharing!