Melissa Munding

AHEM!!! Announcement Time!

2010-01-17T04:35:00.000-08:00

Ready for it?

I have upgraded my blog and I'm SUPER excited about it! There's a new link, a new web address, a new post and so much more than this measly little blog has. Stop by and stay awhile, will ya?

http://www.melissamundingblog.com/

This blog has been good to me, but it's time for an upgrade. Don't forget to bookmark the new one and check back often for new posts. I plan on breaking it in well!

With love,

Melissa

Hiking with the Potts Family

2010-01-11T19:22:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to make some amazing new friends last year, among them, the entire Potts clan. Dan and Heather Potts are such down to earth, genuine people and the more I get to know them, the more I love them! So naturally I was THRILLED when Dan emailed me last December and told me that he wanted to surprise Heather with a family portrait session for Christmas. Best. Gift. EVER....if I do say so myself! I love the idea of giving photography as a gift! And so did Heather! Dan took us all to Santiago Oaks Regional Park and I got a chance to use my handy dandy annual pass...awesome. We went on quite the hike! By the time we made it up to the top of the hill, we were all out of breath but it was worth it. I love the natural backgrounds in this set of photos, thanks for the great location Dan!

The whole fam! Abbie, Heather, Lucas, Charlie & Dan.

These two are high school sweethearts and it's not hard to see why. They're adorable.

Mom & Abbie & a little sun flare.

Just the boys.

Lucas.

They just crack each other up, love it.

Abbie.

Charlie. This little guy gave me a run for my money, but a sticker or two did the trick...kinda.

Thanks guys! I had fun, even if the kids weren't so into hiking, it was worth it. Merry Christmas again! And I hope you love your new family photos!

A Little Potts Family Preview

2010-01-10T14:46:00.000-08:00

Just a little sneak peek from my hikeslashphotoshoot yesterday with the awesome Potts family. More coming soon!

Word of the Year & Resolutions I Can Actually Keep.

2010-01-08T04:32:00.000-08:00

My dear friend, Rachel, has done it again. She's gone and inspired me by her blog post on her outlook for 2010. Choosing a word of the year, she sort of streamlined her resolutions to revolve around that word, that idea, and I thought it was brilliant. Sometimes the simplest things are the most worthwhile. I immediately started thinking about what my word would be if I would have been the one who had thought of it first. It wasn't immediately obvious, but after looking specifically at some of the things I want to accomplish this year, I finally came up with one doozie of a one-word motto.

DISCIPLINE

Discipline and commitment are what I am going to require to achieve my weight-loss/get-healthy goals.

Discipline will help me grow and succeed in my new business.

Discipline will keep my relationships healthy by setting aside the quality time they deserve instead of the multitasking of which I'm often guilty.

Discipline in prayer and scripture will allow me to grow in the Lord.

Discipline is how I plan to stick to my meager wedding budget.

Discipline will help prepare me for being somebody's wife.

Being disciplined will help me sleep better at night, literally.

Discipline is one thing I wish I had more of, so I'm going to create it and stick to it.

Discipline will only help my creativity.

Discipline will yield more paintings & photos and therefore, a better talent overall.

Discipline will make school far more painless.

Discipline is my word of the year. I plan on wearing it out.

“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.”

-Zig Ziglar

I just know it's going to be a worker bee kind of a year and I welcome it. I'm going to be just like this little guy and discipline is what will get me through it with my sanity in tact.

In addition to a word of the year, I've been thinking about all the things I want to do in 2010. Here is a list of some resolutions, some big, some small, in no particular order. I do believe though, that every one of them is attainable, but I can't promise I'll get through them all. Without further adieu, here are some resolutions I believe I can keep:

1. Start hiking. In order to achieve this goal I have purchased a rad new pair of North Face Hiking shoes, and I'm headed in the direction of an annual parking pass for OC Regional parks. Wanna go for a hike? Hit me up!

2. Book a minimum of 5 weddings for the year. The more the merrier, but 5 is a good minimum goal for year 1, I think. 10 would be absolutely incredible.

3. Kick my fingernail biting habit.

4. Drop 50 pounds before my wedding.

5. Take a yoga class...regularly. Anyone out there with an LA Fitness membership and an appetite for yoga? I really want a yoga buddy, fitness classes intimidate the hell out of me.

6. Do more nice things for the people in my family just because.

7. Involve myself more deeply in my super awesome church.

8. Read more.

9. Watch less TV.

10. Go to bed earlier.

11. Truly brand my photography business.

12. Take a vacation.

13. Take more day trips.

14. Make a new friend.

15. Eat something I've never tried before.

16. Read every book for my new book club no matter what.

17. Communicate in person more often. Really get to know people.

18. Create my own recipe.

19. Cook a type of cuisine I've never made before. Greek? Indian? Thai? Any suggestions?

20. Play a sport for the first time in years, but go easy on me please.

21. Buy more cute but practical shoes.

22. Take a photo every day I can.

23. Create a conceptual shoot from start to finish.

24. Attend a photography workshop.

25. Find some ways to volunteer or donate my photography services for someone in need.

26. Spend some quality time with my mom & brothers.

27. Have an adventure! Hopefully several.

30. Sign up for some kind of important "walk" and train until I can achieve the mileage.

31. Buy a piece of art for our new home.

32. Have a swanky dinner party.

33. See a local attraction I've never been to.

34. Paint 16 hours per week, minimum. Be disciplined and treat painting as if it were a job.

35. Be in front of the camera from time to time.

36. Create a painting from the Masters.

37. Keep a sketchbook.

38. Eat organically as often as possible.

39. Be green as often as possible.

40. Revisit some of my favorite movies.

41. Let Branden plan some things HE wants to do and go along with it, no questions asked.

42. Stay off the Diet Coke.

43. Downgrade my Nikon D80 to a backup camera and buy a D700.

44. Make my living solely from photography/painting by the end of the year.

45. Attend a concert.

46. Drink a martini. Preferably of the French variety.

47. Individually thank every single person involved with making my wedding happen.

48. Get to know my current friends on a deeper level.

49. Rid myself plus sized clothing once and for all. Ugh. See #4.

50. Read some of the books that have been sitting on my shelf for years...unread.

51. Spend more time with Sharon.

52. Streamline my workflow.

53. Destash some of my jewelry supplies.

54. Find a creative way to thank Dr. Jon White for fixing my back. I'm his prized patient but I'd like to give him more than an x-ray to show off!

55. Set aside quality time with my brothers when Branden & I move out.

56. Have a girls' night.

57. Get straight As Spring semester.

58. Get to a point where I never need pain meds...even after a long long day of shooting a wedding.

59. Watch 5 classic movies. Any suggestions?

60. Learn off-camera lighting techniques. I officially have 2 flashes and a borrowed copy of The Hot Shoe Diaries to get me started!

61. Shoot a roll of film. Manually/Holga/Polariod/Whatever, just film of some sort. I'd love to experiment with some old Holga cameras though. I love digital, I just want to explore some more.

62. Get up early enough to shoot a sunrise.

63. Upgrade my blog to something a bit nicer.

64. Actually print some of my photos and display them.

65. Learn something new about something I know nothing about.

66. Buy a wide-angle lens.

67. Unsubscribe to the ridiculous number of magazines I now receive. It was great when I was stuck in bed after surgery but now it's just nuts.

68. Go to the dentist. Twice.

69. Find a new favorite sushi joint since ours closed their doors for good.

70. Have a mani-pedi day with Branden.

71. Attend a new (to me) museum.

72. Play a board game.

73. Laugh so hard I cry.

74. Do something spontaneous.

75. Let bygones be bygones.

76. Set up an accounting system for my business. Quickbooks anyone?

77. Reconnect with some old friends.

78. Attend a photography gallery/exhibit.

79. Take a photography class.

80. Spend more money on paying off debts and less on those things I don't actually need.

81. Get a photo(s) published, even if only on a well-read blog.

82. Plant a new herb this year and discover its uses.

83. Create a more useful workspace.

84. Un-clutter digitally.

85. Buy a desktop computer.

86. Back up my backed up files with an online service.

87. Digitize stacks of old photos.

88. See a theatrical play.

89. Do a project out of my Photojojo book.

90. Create a business plan.

I was hoping to get this list to a nice round number, like 100, but that didn't quite happen. I may add onto it if I think of some more, but until then... there you have it!

Then & Now: 2009 in Review.

2010-01-02T21:13:00.000-08:00

New Years always has me feeling a bit nostalgic. I don't feel that I can properly move forward until I've taken one good last look back and take a mental inventory of all that's happened. In retrospect, it's really hard to believe that THIS is how my year began. More importantly than anything else, 2009 was the year I had spinal surgery. I look at my daily life now and I can't tell you how much things have changed, how conditions have improved. The little things that were absolutely impossible pre & post-operation are now a breeze...well except shaving my legs, that remains troublesome, but beggars can't be choosy. It's amazing how quickly pain fades and I'm so grateful for that. Using a walker at 26 years old and having to have my mom help me bathe is a distant memory....thank the Lord for that!

Branden took this shot while I was in recovery. He stayed with me the whole time because he's amazing like that.

Awful as it all was, surgery was the most memorable time of the year for me for one major reason. Throughout the life of my injury, leading up to and after surgery, it has been an incredible way for God to show me, very blatantly, just how lucky I am to have such amazing people in my life. From my good friend (and pastor), Sean, sitting with my family in the hospital ALL DAY LONG, praying and just being there not only for me but for my whole family and Branden, to everyone from church getting together to plan to have church at my house while I was still stuck in bed. It was really amazing how everyone rallied and changed their plans to come and show me their support and love, it still means the world to me. I even had people bring me gluten-free food and snacks which was so so nice. I'm so thankful for every one of them. I'm so thankful for my family, for making recovery as easy as possible for me. I'm so very very thankful for Branden. He took the most amazing care of me and he continues to do so in every way he can. I can't wait to marry that man!

I'm happy to say that by the end of the year I looked more like this...two more shots from my talented fiance. MUCH better.

In 2009 I turned 27. Stuck at home after surgery, I had lots of visitors on my birthday and even had flowers delivered. Unexpectedly, it was a grrrrrreat birthday.

So, as you can imagine, back surgery really took up the first half of the year or so, but a lot more happened in 2009.

2009 was the year I went back to school...after a loooong medical leave.

In 2009 I went back to my roots. Brunettes totally have more fun. I feel like me again.

In 2009 I started planning my wedding (more on that coming soon)!!!

2009 was the year I reconnected with some very long lost friends. Thanks Facebook!

2009 was the year I finally joined a book club! I'm super excited about this, the girls are the most fabulous group of ladies ever. And no, we won't be reading any crotch novels!

Last year was a year of new friends, new adventures, new babies, and a new beginning.

In 2009 I learned to deal with the fact that I don't have control over everything and for the first time I was able to accept it.

Last year was the year I quit Diet Coke. Can you believe it?

2009 was the year I fell madly in love with photography! This is quite possibly the highlight of my year. For this reason, and because blog posts are always better with pictures, I'll leave you with some of my favorite photos from the year. It's a rather random collection, so bear with me. I have way too many favorites to post, I know you don't have all day, so I tried to narrow it down!

Our White Christmas

2009-12-30T22:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas was fantastic!

Branden and I went up to Big Bear to spend the holiday with his family, for once. His sister, Brianna, and her kids & husband were visiting so we got to spend the whole day with our adorable niece & nephew. It was so much fun to spend Christmas with little kids again. The house was full of that Christmas MAGIC that only exists with young ones. Their little faces lit up the room when they realized Santa had eaten their offering of cookies and milk. Cora even told me that she heard Santa say, "ho ho ho!" I have no doubt in my mind that somehow she heard some noise and her 4 year old mind twisted it into the voice of dear old St. Nick. It's pretty cute. I wish you could hear her tell the story!

After we watched the kiddos rip through their mountains of presents we played and played and played. And then, we went sledding and played some more. Ok, well I didn't go sledding, but the kids did...and Branden because he's definitely grouped into that category. Here are a few shots from our hour or so in the snow.

Miss Cora, our 4 year old niece...she's also gonna be our flower girl so you'll all being seeing her next year!

Unadulterated Christmasy Joy. Meet the Brodie-man.

Each kid got a turn with Uncle Branden.

This just melts my heart. Just wait 'til we have our own.

Reason number 347 why I know Branden is going to be the best dad EVER: he RAN the kids uphill while they giggled and held hands in their wee little sleds. Can we say precious???

Headfirst. No fear.

"It's brrrrrrrrrrr outside!"

Aside from checking in with long lost loved ones, there are a few other things I love about the holiday season. I love the lights! Branden and I have been walking around with our cameras all month trying to capture some cool bokeh in our pictures. (Bokeh is just a fancy word for the blurred light in photos).

This is our Christmas tree at home. Or at least what it would look like through squinted eyes.

My neighbor's house. She's not very nice but this sure is.

Lots of lights at the Orange Circle!

The Big Tree in the Orange Circle

Ramos Family

2009-12-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

To top off the year o' babies, I have one last maternity session to share with you all before we end the year. My good friends, EJ & Heidi are expecting their second child. Their first baby, Dosque, has been such a blessing and they are ready for round two. The new little guy will be here in just a couple of weeks and I CAN'T WAIT to meet him. It has been so much fun watching Dosque grow and play in the last year and a half and I look forward to every part of their growing family. I hope baby boy #2 gets his mommy and daddy's dimples just like this little guy!

The happy family. Heidi, EJ and baby Dosque.

How rad is this metal Christmas tree in Vista del Sol in Fullerton? Rad.

Love this face. LOVE those eyes.

Silly Daddy.

Coming Soon: Baby Sweeney

2009-12-24T14:48:00.000-08:00

I was so excited when my friend, Natalie, told me she wanted to do some artsy maternity shots for our session together. I would certainly be the shy one if it were me in front of the camera but I so greatly appreciate those who aren't. I love how comfortable Nat feels in her own skin. She's absolutely beautiful as she waits for her daughter to arrive. See for yourself!

I can't wait to meet little Kaelynn! You're next little lady!

Just perfect.

It's hard to decide, but I think this is among my favorites. Love Natalie's little tattoos.

Proud Mommy & Daddy to be.

Aren't they cute!?!

Kymm + Andy = 18 years of wedded bliss

2009-12-22T02:51:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I had the opportunity to shoot another wedding with my photographer buddy, Amanda Patrice. It was such a pleasure to shoot with her again, we had quite the adventure together. This time, the couple, who was already married 18 years ago, decided to renew their vows after 25 wonderful years together. I love the idea and these two were so adorably in love after all these years, it was a breath of fresh air. The best part about this special day was that their adorable son was included in every aspect of the ceremony and party. All day the four-year-old said, "We're getting married!" and every time my heart melted into a gooey little love puddle. Don't you just love LOVE? Just wait 'til you see this kid and you'll see immediately what I'm talking about.

The stunning dress.

I dub this little heartbreaker, Landen the Adorable! So proper in his fancy red chair.

I love this one. Mom and the maid of honor bend over backwards to help the beautiful bride into her dress, all smiles.

I'm in love with the idea of vintage brooches on bouquets. Y'all may be seeing this at my wedding! So pretty!

My favorite shot. I love the look of excitement and joy as she's about to walk down the aisle once again.

This amazing church is the Immaculata in San Diego. Gorgeous. In every way.

I would kill for this kid's eyelashes. To die for.

Love the same furrowed brow expression on Dad and Son's faces. Too cute.

She needs no introduction. I though these statues were incredibly beautiful.

Brooke, the lovely Maid of Honor.

Landen escorted his Mommy down the aisle. Such a special, non-traditional role for a little boy it was perfect.

Silly girls.

Jake the Snake & Zach Attack (Shhhhh!!!! Don't Tell Mom!!!)

2009-12-17T02:11:00.000-08:00

When I'm not off taking pictures or attending classes, I'm often at home making sure these two don't burn the house down. My not-so-baby brothers, Zach & Jake, had their little arms twisted into doing a little surprise photo-shoot as a Christmas present for our mom. Jake, the pretty little guy, was an angel, smiling with his eyes, totally working it for the camera while Zach gave me a melange of nerdiness and what he calls his "sexy face". Thanks Zach. You're 14, sexy doesn't exist for you kid! Since he wasn't the most cooperative, I'm paying him back by showing off some of his truly ridiculous faces at the end of this post. What are big sisters for if it's not embarrassing her teenage brothers? Exactly.

Branden and I actually had a lot of fun with the monsters. It seems like just yesterday I was rocking Zach to sleep and changing Jakey's diaper...it's amazing how fast they've grown up. I love these boys so much! They're both a huge pain in my keister, but I love 'em anyway. I'm trying to spend some good quality time being a pseudo-soccer-mom in my down time before Bran & I move out this summer. I'm gonna miss those little buggers, I just know it!

This is one of Zach's better "sexy faces." As you can see, Jake is not impressed.

My baby. He's 12 now, I can't believe it! He's such a sweet kid, I just wuv my widdle Jakey Wakey!

And then there's Zach. Little hoodlum. These are totally representative and I love it. He may not be the sweetest, but he totally cracks me up. He's a little Shea (my 25 yr old brother), it's ridiculous!

Some new textures? Yes please! Hey, that's me! Branden is responsible for this cuteness!

And this. Zach's most convincing smile of the day! He swore he didn't know how to smile but he rocked it out in this shot. Compliments to the Bran Man!

Don't they just look THRILLED to be there? Love it.

This is right after he almost choked to death on his own gum. Good times.

Loving my boys! Thank you Branden for such an amazing picture of me with my little bros! I don't have ONE picture of the three of us...until now and I love it.

Zach, having soooooo much fun. I love his curly hair paired with the uber serious look on his face. It's something like a sad clown. I say this out of love : )

Jake has the greatest eyes. He wins the prize in the family, and let me tell you, that's no easy task in a family full of blue & green eyes!

I like how these next too ended up with my post-processing. The boys are little skaters, wear lots of black & grey with the occasional burst of neon color and I thought the greyish train tracks worked will with that. Maybe I just like trains. 'Cause I do. Trains rock.

ALL MINE!

Another one from Branden. I like it!

I'm a little obsessed with the rust & patina on this old door. You've seen it before and I'm sure you'll see it again.

Finally having some fun.

As promised, some truly horrendous pictures of my little Zachary. This is what you get, Dude, for not behaving! He was worse than some of my clients' toddlers! The kids have all been great so far! Oh man, he thinks he is so damn cool. Simmer down little boy.

This was so much fun! I can't wait for the missing link, my 3rd brother, can visit and we can do a shoot with the whole fam. Love you little nerds! Thanks for being so darn cute! I'm sure Mom is going to love her present.

Declan & Cousins

2009-12-12T22:19:00.000-08:00

My little friend, Declan, had a play-date with his cousins and they called me up and asked for a couple of family photos of these super adorable kids. Have you ever seen so many adorable little blondies all at once? Can we say...dominate genes?

I think this is my favorite shot from the day, but they're all so darn cute, it's hard to choose for sure.

What this picture doesn't show is all the mommies doing some kind of crazy dance behind my back. Way to go mommies...you got all the kids looking up and sitting still for an entire minute!

Cousin friends!

She loves her little brother...and she's the BOSS. She told me so!

I had to show off one more of the sweet little blonde with the curls : )

Last but not least, our happy little Declan, who was all smiles!

The Lewis Family

2009-12-11T23:09:00.000-08:00

You may remember this adorable family from a shoot we did a couple of months ago. Just in time for Christmas we planned another fun little shoot at Irvine Park. I love taking their pictures, they're all so cute!

I absolutely love the way mothers look at their babies. LOVE it.

Oh man, isn't she just so cute!?!

Pretty soon she'll be doing this on her own.

I love how they decorate Irvine Park for the holidays. The lights are so pretty without screaming CHRISTMAS!

It was a rainy weekend and our poor little Brooke got super cold! She doesn't have many teeth but I'm pretty sure they were chattering anyway.

Quincy Miles - Newborn

2009-12-10T00:11:00.000-08:00

I hope I don't offend any of the other adorable new babies on the block by saying that my new little friend, Quincy, is the most beautiful newborn I think I have ever seen. If he's in the room, you just can't stop staring, he is absolutely perfect in every way. I'm in awe of him. Amazed that God has created something so tiny yet so amazingly lovely.

My friends, Clinton & Angela, are the proud parents of this little bundle of joy and perfection. Angela has waited a long time to finally have the child of her dreams and Quincy is exactly that. I know every new mom is in love with their newly born little baby, but there was something unique about Angela and Quincy. Perhaps it was the natural childbirth and the alternative birth plan. Perhaps I'm just crazy and it's all in my head. But there's a connection here that was mesmerizing and I feel blessed to have been allowed to witness it and share it with you here.

The man of the hour, Quincy Miles Mosley.

Angela mentioned to me that when she first saw this picture, it made her cry. I can't think of a better compliment that I've received so far. I'm amazed that a snap of my camera can bring that kind of emotion and I'm honored, really. I love this moment, I have so many great shots of Angela and Quincy, but this one is my favorite.

Branden thinks this one shows a little bit of his personality, what do you think?

Angela looks so beautiful and serene, I can't get enough. Motherhood agrees with you, my friend!

Few things are better than teeny tiny fingers.

And teeny tiny toes.

One more sweet moment between mommy and baby.

This little sleepy smile makes me melt! This entire shoot just gives me the warm fuzzies.

I can't wait to watch this family grow together. Clinton and Angela are such special, unique people, I look forward to watching their son grow with their guidance. I feel that I've gotten to know both parents just a little bit better by being a little part of this incredibly special time with them and I just love them more and more all the time. I'm sure I'll find some excuse to photograph this little one again! I love him! Can I keep him?

* * * * * * * * * *

On a side note, in my going pro and all I finally decided to upgrade from Photoshop Elements to the whole Photoshop CS4 and I'm super excited about it! A very very very generous and helpful friend of mine was nice enough to share his Totally Rad Actions with me. This is the first set of photos I've edited with the new actions and I'd love to know what you think! I've been having a blast playing around with my new toys! Feedback (and constructive criticism) is warmly welcomed!

The Foxes & Friends

2009-11-30T20:22:00.000-08:00

If you've ever met the Foxes, they're your favorite people in the whole world. I'm not even exaggerating, it's impossible not to fall instantly in love with the whole family. It's no secret that I adore all three of them so I was thrilled when they wanted a little photoshoot before the holidays.

Every year Sean & Chantel make a donation to the wonderful Heifer International in lieu of gifts for Christmas. It's a fantastic organization that helps entire communities, please do check it out! Even a small donation can work wonders. Heifer.org uses donations to buy livestock and much more for areas in need. A cow will provide fresh milk, chickens lay fresh eggs, and many other animals are useful in sustaining hungry mouths. A mere $20 can send off a flock of chicks or geese. $60 sends a trio of rabbits. $120 gets them a goat or sheep and $500 buys them a cow...and there's so much more you can choose from. I love the ideals behind this project and I hope you will keep it in mind when you're spending all your hard-earned cash this holiday season. Giving back is good for everyone. So...the whole point of this photoshoot was to get pictures with some of said animals for Christmas cards! Cute idea, huh? You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a farm willing to let you touch the animals in SoCal. Oye! We found one, but I'm sworn to secrecy as to where it is, so don't ask!

Our day at the farm!

My favorite little man, Colton.

Yay animals!

C wasn't so sure about having chickens and bunnies right behind him. This face is priceless.

The little baby chick almost did a nosedive, but I'm happy to report that no animals were harmed in this photoshoot. Branden captured this amazing shot and thanks to these expressions, it's one of my favorites.

See?

Pretty Chicken.

Colton made friends with the cow.

I've never seen a rabbit like this before, it's so fuzzy and cute, I kinda want one!

Working on the farm. Another one from the Bran Man.

This smile is genuine! I usually have to bribe him, but not this time!

Mommy's turn!

My favorite part about this picture is the story behind it. Look how sweet that little piglet looks! From this picture, you'd have no idea that this thing was squealing at mind splitting volumes...I was a little frightened. Colton's not so sure about this one. Not to mention the GIANT momma pig just out of sight. Chantel and Sean fake it well, huh?

Fox boys and a goat.

And the goofball I know so well emerges.

Look! You can see everyone's reflection in the sunglasses, I love it! We're all there...me, Branden, Chantel, and Sean.

You guys are my favorite. For real. Never a dull moment and I love that!

Brandon, Amanda & Family

2009-11-27T17:15:00.000-08:00

A couple of good friends of mine, Amanda and Brandon, asked if I was up for the challenge of photographing their close extended family of TWELVE! This is by far the largest group of people I've shot at one time but I was game, I like a good challenge. You might remember little Kiki & Noah from a previous shoot...they're getting so big!

Here's little Noah! I love this wiggly little guy, I always want to grab him and take him home with me, he's that cute and sweet and cuddly! And his little old man Christmas sweater is kind of my favorite thing ever.

This girl, with the most incredible blue eyes, is Kendalyn. I'm still in awe of what a beautiful little girl she is.

All the kiddos. Kiki, Aiden, Madison, Noah, Katia & Nathan.

And now, all twelve members of this family...thirteen if you count Kahlua the dog, who is definitely another member of the fam.

My dear dear friends...the Cabrera family. These kids are carbon copies of Amanda, can you see it?

I love this picture because I feel that it captures, even if just in some small way, what incredibly loving people these two are. Not only are they still madly in love after ten years (that's right, we all went to high school together!) but they are sooooo kind hearted and loving toward everyone they know. We've only recently reconnected and now they're moving to Missouri. I can truly say that I will miss them both very very much.

I'll especially miss these kids! Can I keep them? Pretty please? I love me some super happy babies!

I also love some little ginger haired kids! I can't get enough of that red hair and freckers! Yes, freckers...remember the Nickelodeon cartoon, The Rugrats? That's how they said "freckles" and for some reason it stuck with me. Anyway, this handsome little dude is my new friend, Nathan.

Favorite-est cousins. Here I am making up words again.

The lovely Madison with Grandma Dana.

All the kidlets feeding the ducks tortillas...which all sank to the bottom of the lake immediately. Seriously, it looked like some kind of tortilla factory down there! But it sure is cute.

It was my absolute pleasure to spend an afternoon with this family. They really are some of my favorite people and I hope we can keep in touch when they leave us next month. Love you!

Being Thankful

2009-11-27T01:55:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Branden and I stayed home for a quiet evening with my mom. I spent the day in my kitchen with Bran as my sous chef. We went slightly non-traditional with a pork tenderloin roast, cranberry orange sauce, yams, roasted asparagus and finally, the most delicious pumpkin bread EVER. I'm still drooling over it.

I definitely have quite a bit to be thankful for this year. I'm incredibly thankful for the continued healing of my back. In the past six months I have really been able to take back my life. Only this time it's more of the life I want to be living! It's been an incredible journey. Incredibly difficult, but in the end, incredibly rewarding and completely life changing.

I'm thankful to be madly in love with the absolute perfect man for me. I'm even more thankful that one year from now we'll be spending our first Thanksgiving in our own place as husband and wife! I firmly believe that God knew what he was doing when he put Branden in my life and there's no going back now, he's amazing and I can't wait to be his wife!

I'm thankful for the time I've been given (back pain and all) to uncover an ideal career for myself. I'm thankful for my photography! This new business venture is already incredibly fulfilling and it hardly feels life work, I LOVE it! It's finally something I can see myself doing forever and ever...happily!

I'm thankful that Branden had 3 amazing days off this week which allowed us to spend some quality time together...work and school free.

I'm thankful for my family.

I'm thankful for the amazing friends I have.

I'm thankful for God's beautiful sunsets... Branden and I took great advantage of one of them on Wednesday. We took a little drive down to Balboa. Neither of us had been since we were little kids so it was a lot of fun to go explore as if it were our first time. We arrived around sunset and walked around, with cameras of course, to record the day.

We were super excited to work on creating some interesting silhouettes. The light was absolutely perfect for just that. Bran & I took these photos of each other on the Balboa Pier. What do you think?

I recently read an article about the best way to create sun flare with my camera. The main idea was to use a high f-stop to create those neat little sun rays you see shining around the building. I'm really quite happy with the outcome, it was a beautiful day.

I loved the light! This photo is straight out of the camera...what a gorgeous sunset.

A few more silhouettes. This is so definitive of Branden. He has an interesting stance and walk that I feel is completely unique to him. I think I've captured that here.

And a close up of my man's profile. Love it!

Branden took this shot and I'm loving it. I think there's just enough definition of shapes to know that you're looking at a lifeguard tower. Very cool baby!

This is also Branden's view of the beach. I often lean toward vertical/portrait style configuration with my images and he usually prefers landscape as is evident here.

That's me! I kind of liked the way the street lights turned into cool bokeh in the background.

Declan - 18 months

2009-11-25T11:46:00.000-08:00

I may be a little biased, being that this kid's mommy is a good friend of mine, but this little face is one of my favorites to photograph. I mean seriously, how cute is he!?! I love his big expressive eyes and he makes the most fantastic faces.

Daddy and Declan taking a walk at Irvine Park.

Taking a little breather.

Here ducky ducky ducky...

I love this expression.

It's so cute when they go from babies to toddlers and can finally run.

Where's Declan's tongue?

Singing an entire song in sign language with mommy.

Amanda Arbues

2009-11-21T20:20:00.000-08:00

Know what I love? I love it when you meet someone who is absolutely beautiful and after spending just a couple of hours with them you realize they're not just gorgeous on the outside, but on the inside as well. That's exactly how my most recent session went with the lovely Amanda. It was such a pleasure to walk around the Orange Circle with Amanda and get to know her a little bit. On top of her smokin' good looks, she's a very talented singer and actress! Maybe one day I'll get to see her in something awesome!

On to the pictures! I totally love this outfit!

In love with her big brown eyes.

I got out of the way just long enough for Branden to take this shot...and I love it.

Channeling her tougher side.

And her sexier side. Meeeow!

This is her "girl next door" look.

Amanda and cousin Katie grab a hug for the road. I really really like these girls!

Amanda, you were a total doll to shoot. Thank you for my thank you card, you're so sweet!

Eleanor Grace - Newborn

2009-11-21T18:18:00.000-08:00

I've fallen in love again!

I just can't help it, I LOVE me some teeny tiny little babies! This is my new itty bitty friend, Ellie Grace. How pretty is that name!?! I love it.

Ellie wasn't having such a great morning when I came to see her but we managed to have a few moments that were absolutely precious. She gave me a little run for my money (I've officially been peed on by a diaper-less baby! I knew the day would come) but I'm happy to say that I'm still pretty proud of the outcome.

This is the first time I've experimented with adding noise to a photo in post-processing and I loooooooove it! This is one of my favorites.

I've been so excited to take Ellie's picture in Karen & Matt's beautiful yellow chair. I scoped out this spot during out maternity session.

Can you believe those eyes!?!

Matt was so sweet with his baby girl. Even in stressful moments, he was so calm and comforting, it was a pleasure to witness. This man is already such a fantastic father and I just know Ellie's going to be a total daddy's girl. She even looks like him!

The light in Karen's home is magnificent. Be still my beating heart.

I love watching new parents just BE parents. It doesn't matter if the baby is is upset and crying or happy as a clam, it's so neat to watch the instant transformation of first time parents...especially when they're good friends. It's such a beautiful thing. Karen is already the amazing mommy I knew she would be.

I'm seriously in heaven with all these babies! I think I actually uttered the words, "I want one!" the other day...yikes! Good thing I can have my fill of these cute little ones for awhile instead!

Oh, hey Autumn, I didn't see you there!

2009-11-15T01:42:00.000-08:00

I had a quick little photo shoot at Irvine Park this morning and I thought I'd bring along my macro lens and take a little walk afterwards. It was the most beautiful morning. Brisk and cool, with the sun shining bright. It was one of those days that was so gorgeous it forced me to stop and take in the fresh air and just bask in the incredible fall weather. I've been waiting for you, Fall! I'm so glad you finally showed up! Don't move, you're perfect! I even got to bust out a scarf later in the day. Love love love!

So, it's been awhile since I took my macro lens out for a spin so today was the day. I quickly remembered how much I enjoy macro photography. How if forces me to take a closer look, see things from another angle and just enjoy the nature we still have around us. Today was just an overall fantastic day, I loved every minute of it. Tomorrow should be great too! Life is good!

I watched this little ladybug so long that I gave her a name. Petunia. We're totally friends now.

I love the colors in this one, how 'bout you?

These are the teensiest tiniest little flowers and I love them.

The Camera's on the Other Foot?

2009-11-11T23:54:00.000-08:00

I've always been a behind the scenes kind of girl. I love spending my time behind the lens of my camera and usually prefer to never step in front of it. But today I had to suck up my insecurities and model my assets for Branden. I've been wanting to have a new photo for the "about me" section on my photography website. I wanted something that was a little more "Melissa" and I think one of these is surely a winner. Opinions are welcome! What do you all think? Which one should go up on the website?

I'll number them to make it easier : )

One.

Two.

Three & Four. Okay, so I can't just ignore my camera. I got a few shots too!

Five.

Six.

This one's just for fun! The changing leaves in SoCal made me ridiculously happy.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

Ten.

Seriously people, it is the best thing EVER to share this passion of mine with Branden. I'm so proud of the work he does! You can't even see my lazy eye, can you!?! Haha! Good job, Baby!

Neither of us had ever been to Irvine Park, despite the fact it's 5 minutes from our house, so we decided to shoot there for the day. It was beautiful! The light was fabulous and it was so clean and pretty! A new favorite for sure. I love how many parks and nature sanctuaries there are nearby and now I'm totally inspired to seek them all out!

* * * * * *

Guess what else we did today!?!?!?! We started our wedding registry! It's so exciting! Kind of exhausting, but super exciting nonetheless. I can't wait to cook my fancy meals in those new pots and pans and chop like we've never chopped before with our new Santoku knives, and and and.....ahhhhhhh! I'm giddy! Who wants to come over for dinner?

Megaron - Just Because

2009-11-10T20:43:00.000-08:00

Ah young love! New relationships are so exciting, so fresh, and so contagiously happy it's almost sickening. Almost but not quite. I've had the pleasure of watching these two go from friends to lovebirds in recent months and they are just so sweet I had to take them out for some pictures. Megan and Cameron...or as they've been lovingly dubbed, Megaron, were a blast to just watch. I did zero directing this time around and it was fantastic to just watch them play and laugh and be so comfortable with each other that they could have this much fun just sitting in a back alley.

There were SO many images to choose from. I love having that 'problem!'

I played with some different post-processing this time around. I kinda like the vintagey feel this one has...just enough.

Not only are they so so so nice, but they're gorgeous...both of them. Cameron has the most amazing blue eyes and Megan, as you can see, has a slightly exotic look that I think is beautiful.

I have a soft spot for photos of shoes.

I still have no idea what was so funny, but I'm in love with their new love, it's just lovely.

Another new editing technique...just a little moody. Let me know what you think!

Love this face.

Cameron happens to be part ninja. I've literally seen this kid fall off a roof and land on his feet. It's impressive.

One of my favorites from the day.

Of all the time I've spent in Fullerton, I had never before seen this sweet sweet mural. Cool huh?

Last but definitely not least, this is a shot from Branden and I absolutely love it!

Branden and I had a blast hanging out with you two! The Winters totally hang out with Megan & Cameron!

Clinton + Angela - Maternity

2009-11-10T03:33:00.000-08:00

I wasn't kidding when I told you that everyone I know is having a baby this year. I LOVE IT! It's such an incredibly happy time and I'm completely enjoying watching some of my favorite couples become parents for the very first time. It's just so exciting!

I've known Clinton and Angela for quite awhile now and I really adore these two. Clinton is an incredibly talented musician and teacher and leads worship for our awesome little church. It's impossible not to love Clinton within minutes of meeting him. He's the most genuine, outgoing, caring, loyal person and my list of adjectives to describe him could go on and on for ages. Angela really is the perfect counterpart for Clinton. As a much quieter person, it may take a little longer to get to know Angela, but I think it's certainly worth the wait! I love Angela more and more as time goes by. Each new peek I get into Angela's brain is fantastic and entertaining. Angela is the epitome of an intellectual. If Clinton is the charm, Angela is the brains and they are perfect together. I can't wait to see what their little bundle of joy will be like. Will he have mom's cunning wit? Or dad's ability to groove better than anyone I know? Maybe a little of both?

Angela is ready to pop any day now, can't wait!

I think this is the first time I've seen Angela without her glasses (you know, because I forced her to take them off for a shot or two) and I never realized just how gorgeous and sparkling her blue eyes were.

There's just something about headless belly pics that I'm really loving.

I love this. If my husband could play the guitar and sing half as great as Clinton, I'd be a lucky woman. That makes Angela really lucky.

Doing what he does best.

I can't wait to meet the new Quincy Miles Mosley!

Doing what she does best. Did I mention that she is teaching herself LATIN? As a total geek who happened to take Latin as an elective in high school, this is just one more reason I love Angela...for her geeky thirst for knowledge. She embraces it, I like that : )

Now that's a Clinton face.

I'm in love with this shot. Angela seriously had me laughing as she played with her belly, talking about how she wishes it were see-thru so she could see her little one swimming around.

Thanks C+A for putting up with the allergies and heat the other day. I sure think it was worth it. I love you two! I can't wait to meet Quincy. He's going to be one amazing kid with the two of you as parents. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

Rachel & Miss K

2009-11-01T01:28:00.000-07:00

I met Rachel about a year ago when we somehow did a craft show together at my house, without ever meeting each other beforehand. I'm happy to now call her my friend and I've genuinely loved getting to know this girl. Rachel is one of those people you love more and more with every conversation, every visit, and even every blog post! She's positively exuberant, a little sassy, and incredibly open and honest. I have a great respect for this girl and I was so happy to get to spend a little time with her and her incredibly cute kid on Friday. I got a little lucky, I have to admit, Rachel's sister in law is also a photographer and she just happened to be in Hawaii when Rachel needed a headshot...stat. Lucky me : ) So here you go, Rach! You and little Miss K both look amazing! I totally love these, I hope you do too.

This is kind of the cutest thing I've ever seen...if I do say so myself.

Routing for Manchester United...just like Daddy.

Her name is Kensington and she likes to DANCE!

I'm in love with this face. Seriously people, how CUTE is she!?!

I love Rachel's vintage inspired sense of style...this chair rocks.

Miss K took a little break to talk to Grandma and have a snack.

Watching kids explore their own front yards is pure magic.

Rachel, you're stunning...inside and out.

I know everyone knows Rachel by her big, contagious smile, but I think her quiet side is just as lovely.

Thanks girls! I had fun hanging out with you BOTH!

Milestones Baby!

2009-10-24T01:19:00.000-07:00

Melissa-Munding.com is DONE!

I have been hard at work perfecting our website for weeks and I have finally come to a point where I'm really really happy with it. Now I get to share it with all of you! Stop by, take a look and help us celebrate by signing up for our Portrait Party! We think launching our brand new website is the perfect reason to throw a party, don't you? It's a great chance to come out and see how we do what we do and have your portrait done just in time for the holidays...think gifts! All the info is on the flyer below. We hope to see you there!

Serena & Jon

2009-10-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

I recently reconnected with a friend from high school (thanks Facebook!). A friend who just happens to be a fantastic photographer and a great inspiration to me in my journey to learn as much as I can from this medium. Branden and I even hired her to shoot our wedding next year and we're SO excited! Her name is Amanda Patrice and she's amazingly talented and oh so sweet. I had the wonderful opportunity to shoot alongside Amanda for a wedding last Saturday. I'm really happy with the way everything turned out. Amanda wasn't only fun to work with, she was helpful and I learned a thing or two. It's funny how people show up in your life at just the perfect time, hmmm? I really enjoyed second shooting this wedding with Amanda and I look forward to spending more time with her in the future.

Anyway, the wedding was small and intimate and absolutely gorgeous. The bride was stunning! The dress was stunning! The whole thing was just so beautiful, I feel lucky to have been a part of it in some tiny way. Serena, Jon, I hope you two live happily ever after, you both deserve it!

This house was almost as pretty as the dress. I was in love!

I can't get over the amazing textured orange wall just warming up the whole place. It was a perfect backdrop for our lovely Serena.

The bride was just perfect in every way.

The afternoon light was the most beautiful thing!

The big picture.

A little prayer.

I snuck up on them post-nuptials and captured a special little kiss while family was rounded up for photos. I love how happy they are.

A few details.

The beautiful bride.

The whole day was just wonderful and went off without a hitch. The night ended with lots of dancing, fun, and most importantly, LOVE.

Amanda, thank you for the opportunity to be your sidekick for the day. It was a fantastic experience in every way.

Serena & Jon, you're perfect and I hope you too will be very very happy together.

Parker - Newborn

2009-10-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

Last week I got to spend time with not one, but two brand new babies! I'd like to introduce you all to my new little friend, Parker. Isn't he adorable!?! Parker is only 16 days old here and he is absolutely perfect. I could have just watched his cute little faces and pinched his little baby rolls all day long...but I had a job to do. Thanks for warming up to me so quickly Parker : )

Here are some of my favorites from the day.

Wide awake.

Mom and Dad lovingly refer to him as One-Eyed Willy because he opens an eye every so often while sleeping.

This one is for Aunt Heather, who did an amazing job making Parker this blanket. I love it! It went great with his adorable pirate themed nursery.

Don't you just love that brand new baby fuzz? And the face? I do!

Parker with his mommy, Amber.

I really love this one. Parker and Ben.

Ideally, this would be sans-diaper, but I think I'm working up to naked babies. This is still a little new to me, I'm getting there!

So sweet.

Thanks for letting me spend the afternoon with you, Johns Family! I really enjoyed getting to meet you all!

Erica Avery - Newborn

2009-10-19T01:43:00.000-07:00

October 4th, 2009 was a truly momentous day! My very dear friends, Steve and Candice (you may remember them from our maternity session), had a beautiful, perfectly healthy baby girl. The day Erica Avery Wynn came into this world is a day we will always remember. Steve, who works as a police dispatcher, managed to have his first child on 10-4! Daddy is never allowed to forget that birthday! As a good friend of Mom and Dad, I was lucky enough to meet this sweet little newborn while still in the hospital. In the next few pictures, she is only 28 hours old! Candice was beautiful when I visited. She made giving birth for the very first time look like an absolute piece of cake. I can only pray that when I have kids things go as smoothly as they did for her. You go Candice! I'm so proud of you and I can't wait to see you grow into the truly amazing mommy I know you will be. I can already see how loved little Erica is and that brings tears to my eyes. I love the way Steve looks at the baby, and then looks at Candice as if they share something so strong no words are needed to communicate. I'm so glad to know I'll be around to see you both raise Erica into an amazing young lady. I love you all!

She's brand new!

Aunt Casey, falling in love.

I adore baby feet & hands.

For the rest of the photos, Erica is 12 days old. I had a really wonderful time spending the day with Mom, Dad & Baby. I'm telling you, these two are such pros at the whole parenthood thing already. It's impressive!

I'm in love with this little girl! Finally somebody I know has a girl to spoil...I'm surrounded by boys the rest of the time.

I love how Daddy's hands show just how teeny she is.

Isn't Candice just gorgeous!?! If I didn't know better, I'd have no idea she's lacking sleep as a new mom because she always looks good. Always. I might be a little bit jealous <3

I caught a dreamy smile! Love it.

I really do love it when they're all squishy. Just look at those lips!

She's gonna be such a daddy's girl, I just know it.

I love the family photos, I hope they will love them too. They're just so happy!

10-4. Over & Out.

Noelle

2009-10-15T01:47:00.000-07:00

This week is flying by faster than I thought possible and it's shaping up to be really amazing! I knew I had a busy week ahead when I took a little glance at my planner full of all my appointments/photo shoots/homework assignments/etc I had, packing my days to the brim. A momentary "ahhh" was quickly followed by a much more relaxed, "busy is GREAT!" And so the week began.

My first paper for my much hated Greek Literature class was handed back on Monday and much to my surprise I got an A! I've always been a decent writer but I have to admit, despite my effort I really thought this was rubbish. I guess I really am my own worst critic. Next I was handed back an impromptu in class essay I had to write on some Lyric poetry I hadn't even read yet and somehow I managed to get a B+ on that too! I have a whole new confidence about this class now and it's incredibly consoling. The good grades certainly took the edge off the paper I had to write on Tuesday. It's finished and I'm moving on to the fun part of the week...the exciting photo shoots!

The first of the four photography clients I have this week is the tall, graceful beauty, Noelle. Branden and I decided to do this shoot together since we were both free and it is just the most fun shooting with him. I love it! So together we headed down to the Orange Circle, blanketed by a sky full of amazing grey clouds and met Noelle for the first time. She had a quiet confidence about her that I found really refreshing. Noelle has been dancing since she was a wee little 2 year old and you can see it in her every move, she's a ballerina through and through. She was an absolute pleasure to shoot, and such a trooper when the skies began to shower us mid-shoot. No worries though, Noelle rocked it anyway!

Noelle, it was my pleasure to shoot your headshots, I hope you love them as much as I do.

Larissa - Just Because

2009-10-12T01:38:00.000-07:00

We girls really shouldn't need a reason to be pampered, should we? I thought not!

My friend, Becky, thought it would be fun to get together with her sister in law, Larissa, for an evening of some pampering and fun. Becky did Larissa's hair, while Natalie did her makeup and I shot a few photos of the whole shebang. It was a fun little night, getting together and using our talents in a little group just for fun. I'm always amazed at what incredibly talented friends I have! Fun too!

Unfortunately we ran out of daylight much faster than we had anticipated and our shoot turned into more of a mini-shoot instead. Oh well, I was lucky enough to finish off the night with a grande margarita and even more friends and the absolutely hilarious Zombieland (which I highly recommend watching post-margarita!). It was a great day overall.

Larissa's transformation.

This is actually my favorite shot from this set. Gotta love some reds!

Ta da!

Let the Shopping Season Begin!

2009-10-07T02:42:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again folks. . .

CRAFT SHOW TIME!!!

The chill in the air is reminding me that the holidays are just around the corner and you all know that means it's time for SHOPPING!!!

I will be sharing a booth with my dear friend, Elsie, at the Fall/Winter Bazaar at El Modena High School THIS SATURDAY, OCT 10th with all my jewels and baubles on display. Stop by and see me! Come and visit, eat some pancakes, and take a look at some serious show specials! I look forward to seeing you there!

Love is Real

2009-09-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

This is my version of a song dedication to the love of my life, my soul mate, my confidant, my best friend, my rock, and so much more than I know how to express with mere words. Three years ago today our relationship began. No matter how hard I tried to talk myself out of the thought of a "boyfriend" at the time, you seeped through every little crack in my life and surrounded me with a love so strong I could never deny it again. Happy Anniversary Branden, my love. I am happy to think that this time next year I'll be your wife and that fills me with such joy and completeness that I can't help but get a little giddy! I love you!

Kathy with a K's Song - Bright Eyes

Our mutual anniversary present is concert tickets to see the Mosters of Folk at the Greek Theatre...including Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. Fitting, no?

Love is real.

It is not just in novels or the movies.

It is fact and it is standing here, right in front of you.

So if you open your eyes, oh what a sweet discovery!

There is hope and there is joy and there is acceptance.

So now let all the light that collects on your plants keep you warm, make you smile,

And I will be there with this pen in my hand to record all the while.

You'll be laughing so loud that the house will shake with sound.

And everything will be as new as the day it was found.

Ohhh, love is real.

It is not just in long distance commercials

Or something that you thought you felt back in high school.

So I will turn black and white, become that horoscope you're reading

That predicts something good is on it's way.

Oh and then I will send you the world, green and blue, in a box through the mail.

You can open it up, hold it right in your hand and be glad that it's there and be glad that you're here.

Now you can feel the knots in your stomach start to untie

And suddenly it's not so hard to say you're alright.

Ohhhhh, love is real.

It is not just in poetry and stories.

It is TRUTH and it will follow you everywhere you go from now on.

So if you just cast off your doubt then your lips will answer for you.

Oh my darling, when you smile, it is like a song...and I can hear it now.

What's not to love!?!

D - Just Because

2009-09-29T01:41:00.000-07:00

Just in case you haven't noticed by now, my friends have exceptionally cute kids and I'm madly in love with all of them. I couldn't possibly be biased...could I? These few pictures almost slipped through the cracks but I'm so glad I finally went back and gave them the look the deserved.

A couple of weeks ago my super awesome friend, Becky, and I got together to check out a super awesome photography location and had some super awesome lunch. It was super awesome...just in case you didn't catch that! Know what else is super awesome? Her little boy, Declan, isn't he cute!?!

There's something about that toddler upside down mouth thing that just makes me melt, it's freaking adorable!

His eyes are incredible, I didn't do anything special to make them look like that. Becky and Trevor just made one super cute kid!

Little man just chillin' on the bench.

I figured I better show these off all quick like because we're already planning another little shoot with D. And by "we" I actually mean Dec's momma and our super awesome, super talented photographer friend, Jake Reinig. I'm excited to get to tag along though, I always learn a thing or two from Jake and I LOVE that! D's the most photographed kid I know, we're practically his own personal papparazzi! Oh well, at least Becky will have LOTS of beautiful photos when he's all grown up! Win win!

Brooke Noelle

2009-09-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

If you know me at all, you probably know that I absolutely adore babies. If there's a bouncing little bundle of joy somewhere in the room, you can bet that I'll be hugging/smelling/pinching/kissing/holding that baby before the day is through. Babies just make me happy! That's why this little shoot was so much fun! I mean seriously, how adorable is Brooke!?! She's such a pretty, feminine baby and she showed up dressed to impress and in a rather sprightly mood just for my camera. I couldn't have asked for more.

Isn't she sweet!

If I didn't know better, I would have sworn that somebody curled her eyelashes! Nope, she's just a natural beauty. Lucky girl.

I thought touching my toes was a feat...but this? I'm always amazed at how bendy little ones can be. I love it.

Wardrobe change! A diva in training.

A special thanks to Brooke's mommy, Cassandra, for letting me capture the personality of this sweet girl with my camera. It was an absolute pleasure! She was so well behaved, Momma should be proud!

The Darling Derya

2009-09-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

My friends, I have been on such a journey! I've been on the biggest roller coaster of my life these past couple of years and now that I'm healing and regaining the life that I love, I'm realizing just how blessed I really have been. I made a choice just over a year ago to make good use of my "free" time by going back to my roots, my innate love for the arts. I started making jewelry, mainly to do something productive that would keep my hands and head busy, which led to my Etsy shop. At some point I threw a few paintings in the shop and was amazed when those sold as well as the jewelry. It was such an incredible feeling to know that people out there, total strangers, appreciated what I could do. There was just one little thing missing, interaction with actual people! I missed being in situations where I was dealing with other people, which is the only thing I miss from my old job. Now I have a whole new passion for photography and it's been the most fun I've had...ever! I get to be creative while surrounding myself with the most amazing people, it's the perfect scenario for me and I'm smitten. I'm thankful for all the time I've had to learn and grow and dream once again.

One of my favorite parts of this transition in my life is the incredible new friends I've made along the way. Within the past year alone I've been enormously blessed with a number of people I could never live without again. Just one of these fabulous people is the darling Derya. Derya is the most incredible artist, through and through. Take a look at her jewelry in her own etsy shop, Jewelera (it's a tad bare at the moment, but keep an eye out for LOTS of new creations she's been deaming up). She's as inspirational as she is beautiful and I was lucky enough to have her all to myself for a photo shoot yesterday. I've never had such a difficult time choosing which photos to post because apparently it's impossible to take a bad picture of her!

A new favorite for sure.

Gotta love a little lens flare.

We were blessed with the most amazing light, I love it.

A special thanks to Becky for scouting this fab location! I'll be going back there for sure!

As always, to see more from this shoot, visit my flickr set!

Wedding: Danielle & Steve

2009-09-21T01:37:00.000-07:00

I'm always up for a new challenge, especially if it gives me an excuse to lug around my camera all day. Yesterday I had my first chance to assist in photographing a wedding. My new friend, Julia, brought me along for the day as a second shooter! All in all it was a really fantastic experience and I'd absolutely love to do it again. Thanks to the happy couple for allowing me to come along and help capture their big day!

As I plan for my own wedding, there's just something even more special about the idea of marriage and all that it stands for. These two people are seriously in love and wrote the most incredible vows for their ceremony. If I wasn't afraid to get my camera wet, there might have been a few tears! It was small and intimate and incredibly beautiful.

Danielle, our lovely bride, getting her makeup done.

The ring.

This girl has some seriously killer, piercing blue eyes. I could have photographed them all day long!

I love the sweet little braid in her hair, perfect for showing off those crazy awesome eyes.

Amanda, one of the bride's beautiful girls.

Leaving the hotel, looking flawless.

The bouquet.

The lovely bride.

A little vintage fun.

The happy couple.

I love this shot. Yes it is processed, and I love it. It reminds me of an old newspaper photograph, kind of ethereal and very cool.

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to do this again! I learned a ton being a second shooter and one day I'd love to be the one calling the shots from behind my camera at a wedding. Until then, I'm perfectly happy helping out in any way I can!

As always, to view more from this shoot, visit my flickr set!

Forever Changing

2009-09-17T00:13:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day weekend Branden and I took a super quick little trip up to Big Bear to deliver a camera to his parents. The trip was so short that we really didn't have time to do much of anything, but somehow we did make it down to the lake. This was the first time I had been to Big Bear Lake since I was just a kid! We never make it over there when we visit, I don't know why. This time was different though. Bob and Roxanne were excited about their new camera so it was a perfect excuse for all four of us to head down and take some pictures. The timing was perfect, just before sunset when every click of the shutter left us with a different result, different colors, different lighting.

It always amazes me how quickly the light changes, especially at dusk. You can see the progression of the setting sun and the forever changing light in these photos. The colors that day were simply amazing!

I love how once the sun went down (mostly) the light cooled off and completely changed everything around me. What was warm earth tones was instantly transformed into this cool blue-violet, I love it.

My favorite.

Baby Hutch Maternity

2009-09-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

My sweet sweet friend, Karen is having a baby! I told you, everyone I know is pregnant, and it's the truth. This is Karen's first baby and I couldn't be more excited for for her and her husband, Matt. They are truly delightful people and will soon make the most amazing parents. Karen is the cutest little pregnant woman! With a stature of under 5 feet, she's just tiny and oh so cute, I just love her perfectly round baby belly. I'm so honored to be the one documenting these momentous events for this family!

We started this shoot at Karen's home. She has exceptional taste, loves color and finishes it off with some really cool vintage trunks and things. I love it! Keeping in line with the feel I get from her, I went with a little bit of vintage flair with this shoot and it just fits. Hope you like it, Karen!

This is easily one of my all time favorite shots. A teeny tiny little park by Karen's house provided the coolest backdrop, I'll be returning for sure!

Matt and Karen are in for a surprise on their baby's birthday. They decided not to find out the sex of the baby so we've nicknamed the little one "Baby Hutch," short for Karen & Matt Hutchinson...adorable!

I know you can't see baby in this photo, but I just loved Karen's gorgeous brown eyes when she looked up at me.

A little texture for ya!

I'm in love with this building!

Isn't she the absolute cutest?!?

One of the many things I love about Miss Karen's beautiful home is the HUGE, gorgeous windows in the living room. I was stoked to try out some silhouette shots. Looking at them now I wish I would have moved a few little things out of the way, but overall I think the effect really worked well. Not bad for a first try anyway!

Karen, thank you so so so much for letting me do this for you! I'm wildly excited to meet the new little one! Baby Hutch is almost here!

Kiki & Noah

2009-09-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was packed to the brim, full of fun, friends and photography. I had an absolute blast reconnecting with some old friends and their adorable kids. I went to high school with Amanda and Brandon and they've been together ever since. The last time I saw them they had just had a beautiful little girl, Kendalyn, who is now 3. I can't believe how she's grown! Now she has a new baby brother, Noah, who is only 4 months old and oh so sweet. What started as a little photo shoot at the Orange Circle turned into an entire day of hanging out and catching up. I absolutely love this family and I hope we never lose touch again! See you guys again soon!

Here's the incredibly bright-eyed little Kiki, courtesy of Branden. He got some incredible shots from this shoot, I'm so proud! I'm a lucky lucky girl to have a fiance as talented and passionate as he...and about the same things I'm passionate about, it's so much fun!

Kendalyn was a tad cautious at first...she even told her mommy that she was going to be shy today. What a funny thing to plan! Kids are such a crack up. To me this picture just says, "I'm not so sure about you people." You'll see, this didn't last long at all!

This is Kiki and Noah's cousin, Mady, who was dragged along for the day. In true teenager fashion, she looked like this for the first half of the day. Works for the camera! Branden shot this fabulous photo.

In action!

Baby Noah, isn't he cute!?! He's still all soft and squishy, I love it! Not to mention that hat!

Branden captured this shot while she was hard at play. It's quite possibly my favorite shot of the day.

So cute.

How can you not love a face like this? Drool and all!

Noah with his first haircut.

Mady finally smiled pretty for the camera. I really loved her orange-red hair with the brick in the background. Pretty girl!

Peek a boo!

I couldn't help myself, I absolutely had to play around with some fun textures on this last photo. I can't believe how cute Kiki was just running around in an alley in the Orange Circle. What a trooper! Street Fair and all and she was content to run and count rocks in a nice shady little nook.

I seriously can't wait for another chance to photograph (read: play with) these kids! Throughout the course of the day I went from "that girl" to Kiki's "friend." We bonded over splashing water at Branden, but it was a sweet game of Candy Land that really won her over. I know how it's done!

As always, to see more from this shoot visit my flickr set!

The Colton Monster Turns 2!

2009-09-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

It's seriously amazing how time flies! I remember when my incredible friends, Sean and Chantel, brought their beautiful new baby boy home from the hospital when he was only 3 days old, and oh so tiny! Now he's TWO and he's a baby no longer! We celebrated his 2nd birthday with a monster themed party last Saturday. Chantel asked me to bring my camera so she could play and bounce and mingle, all those things she does best, so here is my account of the super fun party!

The Birthday Boy.

Such a diva, no smiles all day, luckily he's cute even when he's serious!

At least he tries to get the helmet on! This bike was SO cute.

A few of the party-goers:

Declan. How amazing are this kid's eyes!

Miley.

Jacob, taking his turn on Colton's sweet new ride.

Darren.

A beautiful little monster, enjoying the party.

Elliot.

CUPCAKES!

Colton & Grandma Shari, having a blast.

Frosting kisses for Mommy.

Bounce House fun and an almost smile!

Sweet Jonathon.

Chantel with Colton's big sister, Lilly. She spent the whole day cuddling Chantel, it was precious.

The coolest birthday candle EVER. It lights all the candles and it does all the singing! AND Shari made gluten-free cake and it was delicious! Score! For a minute there I thought it was my birthday!

These people are like family to me and I wouldn't have missed this day for anything. Happy Birthday Colton! I can't believe what a big boy you've become! I love you, Kid!

As always, visit my flickr set for the rest of Colton's birthday pics.

I've been asked lately what I shoot with. My trusty camera is a Nikon D80 and I'm madly in love with it. Although one day I would love to upgrade to a camera with a full sensor this does me well for now. All of these pics were shot with my new 50mm f/1.4 lens. It's amazing!

Who's With Me!?!

2009-09-10T00:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Friends!

My dear dear friend, the incredibly lovely and super talented Miss Rachel of No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane is opening her "Attic" full of vintage goodies for a special sale to friends and friends of friends. This girl has some seriously impeccable taste and as a fellow lover of all things vintage, I'm stoked to have a chance to peruse her collection. Think of an estate sale without ANY junk! A dream come true, right? I'm sure that's what this will be. Who wants to join me? Hit me up, I wouldn't miss this for the world! Aside from great taste, Rachel is just an all around awesome person and I'm sure you'll all get along juuuuust fine.

I'm hoping to find something seriously yummy for mine and Branden's future home together. I have a mad nesting bug...I can't wait to decorate EVERYTHING! And of course, there's the desire for super cool photography props. I wonder if there's anything I can put a baby in! Wait...that sounds strange...oh well, that's exactly what I'm looking for. I have so many brand new babies coming into my life and I want to be ready for some kick ass photo shoots. Is it October yet!?! I'm salivating. Thanks in advance Rach!

Oh, even if you're not into vintage, you've GOT to be into food, right? Rachel recently introduced me to a girl named April, who I now call a friend and she is an amazing personal chef! She will be providing bunches of delectable treats for the evening. Check out her beeeeautiful blog over at Modern Foodie. You can even hire her to cook for you...just because or for an event. Check out her site: Mod Gourmet.

Baby Wynn - Coming Soon to a Family Near You

2009-09-06T02:13:00.000-07:00

There MUST be something in the water. Everyone I know is having babies, babies, babies and more babies! Lucky for me, I LOVE kids and I seriously can't wait to meet all these new little additions...but...first things first.

On Friday I had the most wonderful photo-shoot with my dear dear friends, Steve and Candace Wynn. The Wynns are expecting their first child in mid-October and it has been immeasurably exciting to watch them add to their family. I went to high school with Steve, and we worked together for a number of years, which is when he first met Candace up in Big Bear...his "mountain girl." It was so wonderful to watch their relationship develop and grow, they are absolutely perfect for each other! Although I don't see them nearly as often as I'd like, I seriously adore these two.

Pregnancy has treated Candace well and even in the insanely hot 100 degree weather, she looked absolutely flawless during our outing to the Fullerton Arboretum. She deserves SERIOUS props for looking so gorgeous while sweat poured down my beet-red face...glad I was behind the camera, that's for sure! It was worth it though, I couldn't have asked for a better couple for my very first maternity session.

I would kill for skin like hers, this is all natural my friends!

"All Mom wanted was a backrub!"

Funny how that happens, huh?

How cool is the new 4D imaging!?! She's going to be so beautiful!

There's something I quite like about this shot. It looks like some tropical place, far far away. I experimented a little with some of the new post processing techniques I've been playing around with.

No shoot is complete without a good B&W photo. I loved this candid moment.

I'm in love with this baby girl's name.

Erica Avery Wynn

I get a little kick out of this expression.

Love is definitely in the air. This baby is going to be so blessed to have these two loving parents to spoil her rotten!

This was quite possibly my favorite moment of the day. I told Steve to kiss his baby and he just looked at me like I was a bit insane. So Momma showed him how it's done! Are they too cute or what!?!

I had so much fun photographing these two lovely people. I'm so thankful that we've stayed friends throughout all these years. I love how big life changes, like having babies, can bring people together. I look forward to meeting you, Erica! Thank you guys so much for allowing me to capture these beautiful moments, I love you both.

As always, please visit my flickr set to see the rest of this session.

Textures and Triptychs, Oh My!

2009-09-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

In my last post I showed off some of my new skills with textured photos. Today, I'm taking it one step further and I've finally gotten around to figuring out how to make a triptych! Thanks to my awesome friend Amanda for giving me a little tutorial, there's also one over on Coffee & Tea if you wanna check it out. I think I may have a new addiction to Photoshop. I'm warning you because you just may be seeing a lot more of this kind of stuff in addition to lots of upcoming photo shoots.

I know it's been done before, but I'm especially in love with the fun textures on top of the carnival pictures. The original image for these 3 pics (in each triptych) is the same, the textures are what make them so fabulously different! It's so simple, I love it!

Fun with Texture

2009-09-01T02:46:00.000-07:00

Although I am SO ready to upgrade to Photoshop, my little Elements program is growing on me since I found this amazing website: Coffee & Tea Photography. The lovely woman behind this blog is an avid photographer and is kind enough to load her site with tons of free actions and tutorials that even work for Elements! Yay, finally! I can do plenty of practical stuff in Elements, but I think I'm having the most fun playing with different textures. Bear with me people, I'm just learning this stuff, it's exciting! Here are a few photos that have had a textural makeover.

The Torres Sisters

2009-08-26T00:14:00.000-07:00

I already told you what an amazing day we had yesterday and here are the photos to prove it! So friends, this is our very first photo shoot with people we have never met. We were both a tad nervous, but mostly excited and I definitely feel that the excitement paid off. Although I had my suspicions, I had no idea just how fun it would be to get to know people through photography. As the girls posed for the camera, we quickly got a feel for their different personalities and in the span of 2 hours we grew to love all three of them.

I love it when families are close and have a blast together. They kinda made me wish I had some sisters!

Here's Karla, the oldest sister and certainly the most outgoing of the three. She was a doll and an absolute delight to photograph. This girl has a million dollar smile, it's contagious!

I LOVE that Karla wasn't the least bit afraid to be super silly for us. I think, just maybe, that means Branden and I made them feel pretty comfortable and I'm so proud of that. I love this!

This gorgeous girl with never-ending eyelashes is Anel, the middle sister. She was so cute and I just love her big smile.

The youngest of the three is Angelica. She was so sweet and showed off her little sister-ness with a little innocence in front of my camera.

The sun was against us for this shot, blinding my models, so we used The Bran Man as a human tree and shaded the girls...almost perfectly. Just couldn't resist the fantastic green wall behind O'hara's Pub.

I love to make Branden super nervous by standing in the middle of the street to get shots like these. It's so worth it...for the pictures AND the freaked out look on his face.

Eventually we made our way down to the train tracks and goofed off a bit. We had a blast with these girls, can you tell? They were laughing the whole time, what could be better? I love the sweet white dress paired with the rough, rugged train tracks. What a sweetheart.

Of course, I can't finish this post without one cool black & white shot. Love me some black and white, especially when it's candid. This is one of my favorites.

I'm so proud of how everything turned out for our first real shoot! I know I still have plenty to learn, but I'm ecstatic about where we are and where we're headed. Think of us for your photography needs!

To see a few more from this shoot visit my set on flickr here.

Sneak Peek - Karla

2009-08-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

What an amazing day!

Today Branden and I had the pleasure of photographing the absolutely gorgeous Torres sisters. This is our very first photoshoot with total strangers and we're thrilled with the turnout. Here's one of my favorites...check back soon for more from this super fun shoot!

Here's Karla! Isn't she lovely!?!

She was the absolute perfect model and oh so sweet.

Special Occasions...

2009-08-17T03:43:00.000-07:00

Are the PERFECT excuse to buy some new jewelry!

As a contrast to some of the funkier, ultra colorful pieces in my jewelry shop, I've decided to start another project...special occasion jewelry. Sometimes, when you have that perfect dress for a fabulous event, all you need is something simple and classic as an accent. Sometimes, less is more. Way more! This is exactly what these pieces are all about. Aren't they fab!?!

As I dream up my own wedding day, I can guarantee you I will be producing a great deal of jewelry specifically designed for brides, bridesmaids and other special occasions. Consider this a little sneak preview of what you will see a little more of in the near future.

Much more coming soon! Visit my Etsy shop to see more!

Testing. Testing. One. Two.

2009-08-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

Today, my friends, I am one happy girl. There's a new love in my life. A shiny new lens is mounted happily on my camera just itching to be used for the very first time. Usually, I have no problem taking all the credit for the photos I take, but this new lens of mine is sure to make me an even better photographer and I'm thrilled about it. After going back and forth for some time between a few different options, I went with a fantastic portrait lens. The Nikon 50mm f/1.4G is now mine forever!

Like a kid in a toy store, I just couldn't wait to take it out of the box and start playing. I only needed a willing subject. Check! Here we have a test shot of my little brother, Jake. It's just not fair that HE is the prettiest member of the family, but what can you do? This is so sharp and crisp, I think I have definitely made the right choice, just look at those eyes!

I can't wait to take this baby out and really see what it can do!

Okay, don't ask me why the kid isn't wearing a shirt...it's the curse of my brothers. All three of them have been through a phase where they wear as little clothing as possible for reasons completely unknown to me.

Negative One

2009-08-14T01:25:00.000-07:00

Exactly one year from today, on August 14, 2010, Branden and I will be married! We've been joking about celebrating our pre-anniversary and now it's finally here. 1 year. 365 days. I can't believe it, seriously. I know this upcoming year is absolutely going to fly by quicker than we can possibly imagine and we both actually kind of welcome that notion. Bring it on! We're so excited!

With only a year left to go, it's time to get serious about this wedding planning business and so I leave you with a piece of my current inspiration. (I promise not to turn this into a wedding blog, but I just can't hold it ALL in!) Have you ever seen something so lovely and romantic? I'm in love with the vintage Aqua Ball Jars for flowers. Smitten even. We even spent a ton of time in Arizona digging through antique shops looking for good deals on these lovelies. The search is nowhere near over, but we have a great head start on our collection. We're thinking centerpieces. Aqua is officially a color in our wedding thanks to these. If you come across any of these and they're super cheap, send the info my way! I'm also trying to find a vintage French language globe for our future home, which is proving to be a challenge.

And for those who have not yet seen where the nuptials will be held, here it is. The location for our moment of zen is Branden's parents' home in Big Bear, CA. I love this house. I love this yard. I love that it never gets hotter than 80 degrees, even in the summertime. I love that it's free! It's absolute perfection. We'll see you there!

Getty

2009-08-13T00:53:00.000-07:00

Today was a wonderful day. Branden and I drove down to Santa Monica to meet up with one of my best friends, Amanda, and together we all headed to The Getty Center. To risk sounding just like a broken old record, I LOVE living in Southern California! I love that on any given day there is a wonderful place full of amazing culture and beauty all within an hour drive. I've been compiling a list of the many interesting things there are to do in our area...what's your favorite?

The Getty was insanely crowded today so we decided to hit the painting exhibit (don't act surprised) and then spent most of our time in the amazing gardens. They have some really interesting plants and things on the grounds. Amanda walked around touching every single plant in the garden, it was adorable. Although I don't handle crowds and warm weather very well (especially the combination of the two), we had a great time just hanging out and people watching. We played spot-the-foreigners for awhile, Branden caught on quickly even though he's never crossed the border, it was fun! If you're local, I recommend waiting until the summertime tourists head back home to visit LA museums, but definitely go at some point!

We topped off our museum visit with some Thai food...YUM!!! Amanda's husband, Joel, had to work but thankfully he was able to make it home in time for dinner. I love those two, I really do, they're such a great couple, perfect for each other, and wonderful friends to everyone else. I look forward to getting to know Joel more and more as Amanda and I continue our wonderful friendship for years to come. Dinner was wonderful! I've only had Thai a couple of times before and it was always pretty basic, but tonight I got to try all kinds of new things and every single one of them was absolutely delicious. Anyone know of any good Thai places in the OC? I'd be grateful!

Hey Lady!

2009-08-12T02:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a random photo for today. I've changed things up a bit, found an amazing new Blogger template that allows me to show off larger, more fantastic photos and I'm super excited about it! What do you think about the new look? I still have to recreate a new banner and fix a couple of other things, but you get the idea. I'm liking it!

The Orange County Fair 2009

2009-08-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

We actually made it. After weeks of planning on going to the fair and never succeeding, Branden and I made time to go during the very last week and we had a blast.

I love the fair, I always have. As a kid I thought nothing was better than roller coasters and funnel cakes. Who's with me? Now, although I'm forbidden from eating funnel cakes and riding roller coasters, I love the fair just the same. With a camera in hand I'm always thrilled at all if has to offer. So many lights, so many details, so many mullets! Here are some of my favorite shots from the fair this year.

Prescott, AZ - Part Two

2009-08-10T01:02:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how quickly this summer is closing in on us. Our week long vacation to visit family flew by faster than I ever thought possible and now another week has gone by. It's crazy! So, before this trip is old news, here are some of my own photos from the trip.

I really enjoyed the view from the plane's window. This is the epitome of Southern California. You have the cities, mountains, lakes and beaches all within reach. It's the perfect place to live, I love it!

Once again, the smallest plane ever, but I just love the photos.

Who knew Arizona could possibly look like this!?!

LOVE the trees. 100 degree weather, not so much.

This trip was hardly relaxing. Branden and I even went hiking at Watson Lake. Of course, he did much more than I did, but I managed to climb a few rocks too.

Montezuma's Castle. That's right, castle. After traveling throughout Western Europe and seeing many actual castles, this hardly qualifies. It is pretty amazing though that people lived in these holes they carved into the side of a cliff. I have to say though, I'm glad Branden and I managed to skip the $5 a person entrance fee and nobody seemed to notice.

This is one of my faves from the trip. I love the contrast.

The giant rain clouds were one of the coolest things we saw all week. Amazing skies, and oh so clear.

More of Sedona.

Goldwater Lake. I really would have loved to spend more time here, it was beautiful and peaceful. Next time we visit, we know what to do!

Jerome, AZ

An old jail is turned into a wishing well of sorts.

More sweet old buildings.

A rusty old town.

Finally, after a long, but good, week, we headed home. Not quite as easy as it sounds though. We were bumped from our direct flight right out of Prescott and forced to drive 2 hours to Phoenix in a shuttle to a huge international airport for a MUCH later flight. Ugh! At this point my back was kind of killing me from a long week and I was in tears. Yeah, I was being a huge baby, but I couldn't help it. Everything worked out, we got home and were given $200 vouchers each for a future flight on Great Lakes Airline. My dad especially liked the sound of that. We now have no excuse not to come visit again soon! At least we got a much larger and much less nauseating plane to fly home in. I got to really enjoy the short flight with my camera pointed out the window the entire time.

The heavens were shining down on my beloved Southern California. It's as is the sky was welcoming us home.

And we're back. With only a couple of weeks left before I go back to school and reenter the real world, there is a ton to do to get ready. I don't feel quite ready, but I'm taking charge and going for it anyway. I'm sure it will be great to finally be getting back to my studies.

Prescott, Arizona

2009-08-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

My dear blog, I know you have been neglected and I promise I will make it up to you!

Branden and I had a great trip to Prescott, Arizona to visit my dad and his girlfriend. We were there for an entire week, which is the longest amount of time I've spend with my father in over 15 years! A good long visit was very much overdue! We did a ton of sightseeing while we were there....a ridiculous amount in fact, so we have some photos to show off.

For this post, I'm going to show off my talented fiance a bit. All of the photos in this post are Branden's! I'll show you mine later, but he came home with the best shots from this particular trip so that's what you get first.

We flew directly into Prescott (or as the small town locals call it with their quirky drawl, "Prrrrrescitt") on this teeny tiny little plane. For a moment, I imagined plummeting to my death while landing, which I've never before experienced in a plane. I'm usually a great passenger on planes, but this one was so small and bumpy and noisy, I almost lost it...including my lunch!

But isn't it pretty?

The awesome small town of Jerome, AZ was one of our favorite things from the whole week. This building facade was rad.

Neat old brick buildings, gotta love it.

Pretty much the entire town of Jerome appeared to be slowly falling down the mountain. If you're interested, visit soon, who knows how long it will be there!

Rusty old gas station.

Although I could never live there, Prescott is a huge improvement for my family than Lake Havasue, AZ. There are 3 lakes all within 20 minutes of my dad's new house and they're all fabulous! This one is called Lynx Lake and it was lovely.

Watson Lake at sunset.

Goldwater Lake.

Sedona, Red Rocks County, AZ. Very pretty, but not much to do. The Sedona wilderness was far more interesting than the town.

Downtown Prescott details.

So....that's Branden's handy work! It was so nice to get away and explore a new place with nothing but our cameras in hand. I think he has some more pics from our trip up on his flickr page if you'd like to see more.

I'm Free!!!!!!!!

2009-08-05T01:46:00.000-07:00

I returned home from our week long stay in Arizona to a criminally massive pile of mail. Seriously, armfuls of the stuff. We get more mail than we can keep up with. I understand that this is totally typical for anyone leaving for a vacation and you may be wondering why it warrants a blog post all its own. Well, there's a reason, promise! Somewhere between the stacks of magazines, even bigger stacks of junk mail, and the bills was a letter from Ralphs...the company I've worked for since I was 16 (over 10 years). Surprisingly enough, this is the best piece of mail I've received in a long time. It reads as follows:

Dear Ms. Munding,

Our records indicate that you are no longer eligible for leave of absence. Therefore, your employment has been administratively terminated.

If you have any active workers compensation claims with the Company, the termination will have no effect upon any such claims.

Very truly yours,

Ralphs Grocery Company

* * * * *

I know it might be odd to hear that I'm really excited to get fired, but I'm thrilled!!! That place has been a huge gray cloud hanging over my head since I hurt my back. After being forced to work while injured which made things worse, I decided that I would NOT be returning to that job after surgery. They were trying everything possible to force me back to work...and now they can't! I'm so excited that I'm free from the ties that bind. I feel liberated! I'm better off without that place and I hope to continue working from home, creating and working hard to cover the bills. I never imagined that I could really make a living on my own, but I'm feeling more and more inspired and confident that it's possible for the long haul if I just work hard. If I do have to go back to the working world at some point, it feels great to know that it will be something new and NOT something that will be so damaging to my health.

Also, now that I've been terminated, I should be eligible to collect unemployment. This would be fantastic to have as a secure backup plan until I'm feeling well enough to return to the working world. Win win!

SUCK IT RALPHS!

PEACE OUT!!!

Doctor? Or Clairvoyant?

2009-07-27T01:53:00.000-07:00

Acupuncture is incredible! I've had two sessions now with Dr. Betty Rigi (in Orange, CA) and she is absolutely amazing. When I first walked in she asked what was wrong with me and I told her about my back and aches and pains. That's ALL I told her. What was so amazing is what she told me. Simply by taking my pulse she was able to tell me that I have stomach issues, that I don't sleep well, that my liver and kidneys are a bit distressed, probably from medication, and that I was intensely stressed. Yes yes yes yes yes! She was also able to tell me that I have allergies, which I do. All of this happened within the first two minutes of lying on her table. I was impressed. It was one thing when my mom told me about it but when she actually just knew about all the things that are bothering me without me telling her anything about it, it was pretty neat.

After two sessions I don't feel any real difference in my levels of pain yet, but I have been much less stressed and I have been relaxed enough to sleep better. Ah...uninterrupted sleep, oh how I've missed you! The stress of the continued pain, trying to get ready to start school, struggling to make enough money to pay the bills while working from home, and much more has been piling up and making me pretty emotional. Since I started acupuncture I'm feeling much more balanced overall. All of the stressors are still there, nothing has changed or been resolved but I'm sleeping well and seemingly handling it all a bit better. Even if this is the only help I get from Acupuncture, it will be worth it. It seems to me that just about everyone can benefit from it. There's something really comforting about natural medicine to me. For so long I've just been pumped full of painkillers in a futile attempt to mask the pain but (until surgery) that was it. There are so many medical issues where Western Medicine only treats the symptoms where this is about focusing on the source, the real problem, and resolving that instead of only treating symptoms. I'm looking forward to continuing the acupuncture when I get home.

On that note, I'm off for some more relaxation while Branden and I go visit my dad in Prescott, Arizona. He just recently moved there and I have yet to see the new place so we're totally exciting to visit, spend some quality time with family I don't get to see very often, and exploring a new city with my husband-to-be. If I don't get to blog while I'm gone, have a WONDERFUL week, My Friends!

For the Love of Cooking

2009-07-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

In the past couple of years I have developed a deep love for cookbooks. I attribute this only partly to my love of food. There's something about a cookbook that allows one to use all the senses. It begins on the page, the luscious, colorful pictures are the first draw and from there I read and imagine what this recipe must taste like when properly prepared. Then I imagine all the ways I can change the recipe to suit my needs/likes/wants. Finally, testing a new recipe and having it come out spectacular and delicious just rattles the senses. The colors, the textures, the sounds of sizzling and chopping, and of course, the taste are the reasons I love to cook. I have learned SO much from cookbooks. I could pick one up and read it like a novel, hoping to soak up every morsel of information to incorporate into my daily cooking.

Trying new things in the kitchen gives me great pleasure and I enjoy giving my family and friends a new experience through food. Cookbooks and the Food Network are credited with teaching me everything I know. No skills were passed down from family members as there really are no cooks in my kitchen. Growing up, my mom managed to have a hot meal on the table for my family, but that's about it. There was no adventure in the kitchen, no cookbooks or recipes. No imagination. Canned green beans and dry, chewy barbequed chicken, paired with some sort of boxed pasta or rice were typical in my household, as I'm sure is quite common in our fast-paced world. My mom still gets credit where it's due; she worked while working on a nursing degree with two children and still we all had dinner as a family every single night. Since she had no interest in the culinary arts, I had no interest, that is until I was an adult.

When I hurt my back I started watching a ton of the Food Network. Not being much of a fan of typical daytime TV, I turned to cooking shows and learned more than I ever could have imagined! When I left work, in pain, I vowed to make the most of my free time and one of the ways I decided to do this was by learning how to cook. It had been on my to do list for some time and now, I have really come a long way. Now that I feel I have really refined some of my skills in the kitchen, I've been looking for a way to get more creative on my own, other than simply following a recipe. I finally found EXACTLY what I've been looking for and I'm ecstatic!

The Flavor Bible

I've read about this book in a few different places and each time I've been totally intrigued. The Flavor Bible isn't your typical cookbook, but instead a comprehensive dictionary style list of ingredients that includes the season, taste, function, weight, volume and techniques which work best with the item. It also gives you a list of a ton of flavors that work well with that one item. For example, if I look up BEETS (I love beets, but haven't quite figured out what to do with them), I will find that they are sweet and available year round and the best techniques to use are bake, broil, carpaccio, chips, roast, soup, and steam. Okay, now we're getting somewhere! From there I can assess the list of complimentary ingredients and create a complete dish out of absolutely nothing. I'm in heaven. I'm in love with this book. I could make a beet and apple spinach salad with goat cheese, walnuts and a balsamic vinaigrette. Or I could make roasted beets with carrots in a honey butter sauce with a few fennel seeds. Or I could make baked beets with shallots and horseradish for a more savory version. The combinations are absolutely endless. If you are looking to get a little more adventurous in the kitchen THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU! I can't wait to put it to good use, and I promise you, I WILL.

The book is gorgeous, a big pretty hardcover with full color pictures and it's incredibly easy to navigate. I finally bought this baby today and I can already recommend it to anyone with an affinity for cooking. Amazon.com has this book for a mere $23 and I think it's worth every penny! This book will not sit idly on my shelf, it will take journey after journey into the kitchen with me and I can guarantee it won't look pretty and new for long.

A few more of my favorite cookbooks:

Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook

$30

My favorite actual cookbook. I love Jamie's loose style with super fresh ingredients. Although it can be slightly challenging to decipher some of the English (UK) terms, this book yields some of my favorite recipes. Branden's favorite is the Pancetta Leek Chicken, it's amazing.

The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Food

$12

What GF people miss most...good ole comfort food. Absolutely delicious, try the lasagna!

You Won't Believe It's Gluten-Free!

$15-18

An excellent gluten-free book with MANY flour options. Each type of recipe will give you options of different bases such as rice flour, corn, potato, etc. Perfect if you have more than one intolerance. Easy to turn any of these recipes dairy free as well.

The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen

$12

I'm more carnivore than vegan, but this book has some fantastic ideas for delicious vegetable dishes. If you have a garden full of herbs and summer veggies, as I do, this will be great! I especially love the pestos and Parsley Walnut Sauce for pasta.

Okay my friends, what is YOUR favorite cookbook? What book do I absolutely need to add to my collection? What chefs do YOU love? I know you all have your favorites, so throw 'em at me! After all, I'll be putting them on a registry soon!

* * * * * * * *

While I'm on the topic of food, let me share one more thing with you. MacGourmet. My friend, Jess, bought me this recipe program for my MacBook when I first got it and I use it all the time. It's an incredibly easy way to compile your recipes all in one place. I just take my computer down to the kitchen and pull up a recipe. No wasting paper to write it down or print it out, I love it!

5 Months Later

2009-07-24T00:52:00.000-07:00

I do believe it's time for a post-surgery update. It's been quite a long time since I went into any sort of detail on what's going on with me (physically anyway) so I'll fill in the blanks. It has officially been 5 months since I had a spinal fusion and total disc replacement in my lower back. Looking back, I feel that I have definitely come a long way since I arrived home from the hospital. After only a couple of weeks I was able to ditch the walker and resume bathing myself and other such activities that we so easily take for granted. The first couple of months were the hardest. It was painful. The scar still hurts. I couldn't cook my own meals. The meds made me itchy. I'm not out of pain just yet. BUT, I still believe it was the best decision I have ever made. I think back to those fresh-from-the-hospital days mostly with thoughts of love of friends and family. I am amazingly lucky to have such amazing people in my life. For a couple of months I had at least 2-3 visitors per week. They kept me sane. They helped keep me connected to my real life and helped push me forward, always reminding me of the bigger picture. I'm forever thankful of all the wonderful things everyone has done for me, even if it was just sitting on my couch while I laid in bed sans makeup, in pajamas, moaning in pain and all drugged up. I love you!

* * * * * * *

I have been in physical therapy for about 2 months now. We started off slow, doing nothing but stretches, which was really all I could do, I was a weak mess! Slowly my physical therapist added new exercises. Each new thing was welcomed and I was thrilled to actually be excelling and moving forward, each time feeling slightly stronger. The harder the workouts got, the more excited I was to be able to do them. Yes, they left me insanely sore, especially since most of my muscles have been reduced to flab from years of inactivity. Before surgery I did PT a number of times and each time the exercises left me worse and worse until I could hardly walk. No bueno. This is why I was ecstatic to find that things had greatly improved since surgery, even if the healing process wasn't quite finished.

This is how things were up until a couple of weeks ago and then something started to change. My therapist threw some really difficult exercises at me, things like squats and crab walks, and for the first time I wasn't really okay afterward. I gave them a fighting chance. I did the new moves and left sore and exhausted for a couple of weeks until finally I had to say something. The severely sore muscles would turn into intense aches over the course of the day. I started icing more often and adding ibuprofen back into the mix but it didn't help enough. The aches have been so severe that they keep me up at night. It's a difficult sensation to describe, it's totally different than my pre-surgery back pain, but it got to be intolerable. I started taking my stronger painkillers again, just to get some sleep. I've been back on those almost every night for about two weeks now and that thought is totally killing me. I feel like I've hit a brick wall. Every time I try to move forward, I end up taking a couple of steps back. This IS NOT what I want to be happening right now. I told my therapist. Concerned, she took out a bunch of the newer exercises to let me have a little break to see if it helped. It did. NO! I need to be able to continue moving forward. It's stressing me out! This summer is flying by and I'm planning to go back to school next month and I'm feeling awful. The aches have completely been wiping me out. Taking the painkillers at night leaves me feeling almost hung over every day with very low energy to get things done. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. Thankfully I absolutely love my physical therapist and know that she really has my best interest at heart. She wrote detailed reports for me to hand carry to my doctor tomorrow so we can figure this thing out. I really hope he will have some kind of answer for me but I fear patience is what I'm lacking.

The pain has been wearing me out. The stresses in my life at the moment have been wearing me out. I've been a bit of an emotional wreck. I feel stuck. I feel discouraged. I wonder how I'll pay the bills when I have no income and I don't feel good enough to do all the work from home I need to do. I'm freaking out.

As always, when everything seems to be going wrong, something is put right in front of me to help me out. I believe this to be no coincidence, but instead I believe the Big Man upstairs is still looking out for me. This week my mom was my saving grace. She referred me to an amazing acupuncturist and I had my first appointment today. If she can help me get rid of these intense aches and pains, I'll be a whole new woman. She thinks she can help me and I'm so thankful for that. I'll tell you more about the session soon! My mom has degenerative disc disease in her neck, she's always in a lot of pain too. Last week I had to take her to the emergency room because the pain was so intense. Acupuncture has already been helping her after only 2 sessions so I'm hopeful! Neither of us has been feeling good enough to take care of the other, but we are both incredibly impressed and excited about our new treatments. I can't wait to tell you more!

Okay, so that's it in a slightly large nutshell. Keep praying for me! I am doing a lot better than I was a year ago, or even 6 months ago, but I'm not quite where I want to be just yet. I'll let you know what the doctor says!

That's it. I'm done being a Debbie Downer. Go about your day, I hope it's wonderful!

Cora and Brodie

2009-07-19T21:52:00.000-07:00

Our most recent trip to Big Bear was a special one. We went up to see Branden's niece and nephew, Cora and Brodie. Although we hadn't seen them in an entire year, they remembered us and were almost as excited to see us as we were to see them! They were waiting outside when we pulled up and their little hands were waving as fast as they could move them as their little faces smiled from ear to ear. They must have remembered that "Uncle Bwanden" and "Aunt Mewissa" come bearing gifts! A ha! No wonder they remembered us. It kills us that we don't get to see these amazing kids more often, so when we DO see them, we make it count. We played with bubbles, "huly loops," had a tea party, built racetracks, made gorgeous plastic jewelry, and took tons of pictures. I love these kids! And I REALLY love that they already call me Aunt Melissa, it's my favorite!

The adorable Miss Cora showing off her Poppin Beads Jewelry.

I found this AMAZING toy bead set at Target...it's Parents brand and fantastic!

Uncle Branden and the Brodie Man

Brodie Bubbles

This is how Brodie spends most of his time.

He's part monkey.

In action

Sweet Boy

I've never seen a 2 year old kid ride a bike like Brodie. He regularly gets a running start before he jumps on and speeds away. Crazy good motor skills for such a little one.

Safety first!

The Bro-dozer crashes and burns...on purpose!

"CRASH!!!!" he screams.

Triple Threat

2009-07-15T01:11:00.000-07:00

I've been a very busy girl! My Etsy anniversary sale went smashingly and I was able to clear out a decent amount of stock to make room for some new creations. I introduce to you my new design, the Triple Threat Necklace. I came up with this design for one piece awhile ago but it was far too heavy and needed to be revamped. This time, they're perfect! I'm in love, and I hope my customers will be too! These are SUPER lightweight and funky and bold. I almost don't want to sale them! But I must. There's even more new stuff in the shop! I have several more new designs that I'll be working on in the near future, but for now, I'm super happy with these. What do you think?

Zoo Babes

2009-07-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

I know sometime soon I'm going to be accused of being "baby crazy." The second Branden and I say "I do" next year, we are expecting a huge onslaught of questions about when everyone can expect some grandkids/nieces/nephews/cousins/etc. The truth is that I adore kids, I always have. I could sit and watch them play and explore all day long. I'm in no rush to have children of my own, but I certainly get a kick out of watching other people's kids in their element. Recently when Bran & I hit the San Diego zoo, I think we probably spent more time laughing and watching (not in a weird way of course) all the kids roaming the place. Eavesdropping on their little insights into the animal kingdom was absolutely priceless. I couldn't help but record some of these observations with my camera, usually with some friendly conversation to the parents of course. (I'm thinking of having some business cards made up with some photography info on them just so when I'm out and might want to take a stranger's picture, I'll have a way for them to see that I'm not some nut with a camera. Just a thought.) Onto the pictures.

Daddy and son watching the polar bears splash in their pool.

These little girls couldn't get enough of the zebras, they were adorable.

All tuckered out.

The great thing about the zoo in the summertime is that they have all kinds of special things for kids. We happened upon a hula hoop contest. Photography gold!

One day I'll have adorable little ones of my own to photograph, but until then, all your kids are fair game!

Row Your Boat

2009-07-07T23:30:00.000-07:00

I mentioned recently that I've been a little bit stuck with painting lately. Ever since I took such a long break for surgery, I've just been in a total funk. I started several pieces that I decided I would never be happy with so I wiped them clean and started again. Finally, I decided to switch gears a little bit and join in a painting challenge hosted on another website, Different Strokes For Different Folks. The wonderful artist who hosts the blog, Karin Jurick, posts a photo every two weeks. Those participating in the challenge decide what parts of the photo to use and what to edit. The purpose of all of this is to learn to "paint the scene, not the photograph." This is a huge thing really, as a total perfectionist it is difficult for me to loosen up and paint a scene. There's a part of me that wants everything to look like real life, even though that's not what I really want to convey. It's an internal battle that I'm always fighting, but I never stop trying to overcome it.

So, here's my latest, based on Karin's photo of a woman rowing a boat in Lake Michigan. It's not perfect by any means. While it's definitely not my best work, I'm quite happy with the water and the boat, it's the figure I'm not thrilled with. I was loving the painting before I finished the woman rowing. I've never before painted a person, so obviously there's still much to learn, but for a first attempt, I guess it's not the end of the world. The great thing about these challenges is that it is in fact a challenge. I would have never chosen this subject matter for myself...ever. So in doing it I certainly feel like I have learned a thing or two. And I'm sure the next time I leave my comfort zone to try the human figure again, it will be that much better. I'm even a tad embarrassed but I'm choosing to get over it and post everything I do anyway. Maybe one day I can look back and see that some progress has been made. That's my goal anyway.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts or critiques.

Row Your Boat

Oil on Panel

8 x 10 inches

The Original Photograph:

A Truly Unique Family

2009-07-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

Almost two years ago, my friends, Sean and Chantel Fox adopted the most adorable baby boy, Colton. They are some of the most genuine, most loving people I know and I often consider myself lucky for having them as friends. This baby boy is also a lucky one. It has been so much fun to watch him grow into the the little toddler we see before us today. Though the Foxes have had Colton since he was only 3 days old, exactly one year ago the adoption paperwork was officially finalized. The one year anniversary of the adoption conclusion was a time to celebrate!

Sean and Chantel have been able to keep in contact with their son's biological family and some of them came to visit for the momentous occasion. Two of Colton's biological brothers flew down from San Francisco with their Aunt Jill and I had the pleasure of meeting the unique extended family to take some photos.

Unfortunately, most of the day looked much like this...

While the baby was a little moody, the older boys were much like this...

Timothy is far too cool to have his picture taken, but I got it anyway!

The odds were against me this time. Nobody was all that happy to be having their picture taken.

Colton

Yay Brothers!

Aunt Jill

The extended family pyramid.

Brothers!

A little playtime.

Once more.

The real fun started when I finally brought out the lollipops. Sugar sure perks up some unhappy kids! Even the oldest.

Manuel

Brotherly Love

It doesn't matter what this kid is doing, his eyes always sparkle and dance.

Everyone is very serious about their candy.

Manuel, Colton, and DeVan

It was a tough day, but all in all I'm happy with some of the shots I did end up with. What a learning experience! An (almost) 2 year old, a 9 year old, and two 18 year old boys...all of whom were tired from a very long week of traveling and visiting. The age gaps were a challenge for sure, something I'll have to work to improve upon in the future. The light was difficult too, mid-day bright sunlight, and even though I worked it in the shade, most of that was pretty splotchy too. I felt a bit defeated at the end of the day, but when I got home to see that I had some decent shots, it was totally worth it!

I'm looking forward to going to Big Bear again in the next couple of days to visit Branden's sister and her kids. There should be plenty of great opportunities to take pictures up there, should be fun! Plus, we'll get to put our new tripod to use. We will be back this weekend! Have a wonderful week Everyone!

San Diego Zoo

2009-07-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

This post doesn't need much of an explanation, but I can't get over how lucky we got with the tigers! I've never in my life seen them like we did on Thursday, it was the highlight of our entire day. And now, for your viewing pleasure...

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect shot. I wanted to take him home with me!

Thankfully I didn't take him home with me, because he kept looking at me like I was lunch.

Isn't he lovely!

This is Janey, hiding.

She was extremely unhappy that we onlookers found her in her hiding spot.

She's beautiful though!

Asian Elephant

From the Rear.

I can't remember the name of this one, but he was so beautiful he didn't look real.

This flamingo has been around the block a time or two.

Just legs.

Lorikeet.

Crazy eyes, dirty beak.

"A Little Off"

I am reminded of those old claymation Christmas cartoons with Rudolph. This little guy, with his bent horns probably doesn't get to play with the cool kids either.

Conrad, one of the young zebras. Precious.

What an amazing day! I still can't believe I made it through an entire day out like this. My back is doing so great. There is still some pain, and I totally crashed when I got home that night, but I was able to bounce back pretty fast, which is a huge improvement. I definitely made the right choice with surgery and things are getting better and better all the time. I'm definitely still in recovery, but I'm getting there and that's a good feeling.

On a side note, our lovely new photography shop on Etsy, DUET PHOTOGRAPHY, is up and running and doing really well! We received our first sale yesterday and have been getting some truly fantastic feedback. That very first sale is always a welcome feeling of validation and I'm so glad it came so fast. Branden and I are both so excited for our new venture!

All in the Family

2009-07-04T01:14:00.000-07:00

Branden and I went to the San Diego zoo on Thursday and we had such an amazing photography day that I've decided to break it all up into smaller sections to show it all off. Things were quite different since we went in January (thanks to our annual passes!). There were tons of babies roaming around with their mommas, all born last Spring. It was pretty cute, I don't think I've ever experienced that before. I even learned some things. Like this...

Did you know that baby flamingos are completely grey!?! I had NO idea. These babies also have some seriously massive feet. Look at those bad boys, they're born with full grown feet, it's nuts.

Another baby flamingo, although slightly older than the last one.

The always adorable meerkats were very active running after their babies. The mothers would carry the little ones around in their mouths like kittens, super cute.

Finally Momma sat still for a moment to nurse her young...clearly she's very modest.

"Hey Mom! Look what I can do!"

Tiger Brothers...I'm in love.

Zebra brothers. One of them is named Conrad. The other...no clue. Did you know that although zebras are usually thought be white with black stripes, many of them have a genetic mutation that makes them black with white stripes? It all depends on how you look at it I guess. They're also super aggressive animals, much more so than horses. Branden has a funny story about a man with a Zorse...I wish I could remember it right now!

There are a ton of pictures yet to come but it's late and so I'll stop there for now. Just a little teaser really...a sneak peek.

Grand Opening!

2009-07-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

Branden Winter and Melissa Munding (that's me!) would like to introduce you to our brand spanking new Etsy shop!

DUET PHOTOGRAPHY

Since we are often found like this...

or like this...

we finally decided (after a great many suggestions) to dive in and open up a brand new shop full of one of our favorite art forms, photography. This is entirely a collaborative effort and a true labor of love. Branden and I love photography with a passion and often daydream about making it our living, together as a team, a duet. It's that much fun, and apparently, we don't suck at it! Take a look and feel free to let us know what you think!

HAPPY ETSYVERSARY TO ME!!!

2009-06-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been a whole year since I opened the modest little Etsy shop that saved my sanity. To celebrate my first fantastic year with Etsy, I'm having a HUGE SALE in my jewelry shop! Absolutely everything is 20% off! It's time to make room for some new creations, so celebrate with me and take advantage of a great sale! Also, prints are now available in my art shop...and photographic prints are coming soon!

20% off entire shop from now until July 4th!

Poppy Raye Studio

Rusty

2009-06-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

I went to the market yesterday to stock up on some fresh produce. I have some beautiful, sweet little cherries just begging me to paint them so today that's exactly what I set out to do. I sat down in my nice clean studio and cleared my schedule for the day. Today was the day to finally get back to painting since surgery. Things started out well, I already picked my subject matter, which, for me, is half the battle usually. But as soon as I started to paint I was feeling incredibly rusty. It's been months since I've painted and that has left me totally lost. I really hate this feeling, like I've completely forgotten how to paint. Is it just me? Does this happen to everyone? It's so frustrating!!! What do you do when nothing goes your way? I've already wiped my panel clean twice today and I'm not sure how to get back to my old self. I guess this is just a wall I have to break through. Maybe I'll try something different.

Ok, back to work I go, enough venting for now.

Orange Dandy

2009-05-31T22:42:00.000-07:00

Hey there my friends! I've been gone for awhile but I'm starting to get back to my old self. My back surgery went very very well and only 3 months later I'm having much less pain and working hard in physical therapy to rebuild my strength and stamina. I just spent some time cleaning my studio and every single paintbrush I own so I can finally get back to the easel. I couldn't believe how much dust had built up on my brushes in those three months! Yikes! Thankfully, I had a brand new tub of brush soap standing by and now they're squeaky clean and ready to paint.

Before surgery I had started another of my Dandelion paintings, this time in a bright orange. The background had been finished for months but it's finally reached completion and is ready for viewing.

"Orange Dandy"

oil on gallery-edged canvas

12 x 12 inches

SOLD

I'm hoping to start painting much more often now that I'm feeling better. I'm feeling extremely rusty but I'm trying not to dwell on how long I've been away from my studio. I'll be back with some new stuff soon!

* * * * * * * * * *

Just a little side note:

I've gotten a few questions about what kind of camera I'm shooting with so I thought I'd take a minute to fill you in. I'm mainly shooting with my Nikon D80 DSLR and I absolutely love it! Nikon makes some incredible lenses and I couldn't be happier with my choice. This is what I'm using for any real photography.

I also have a Canon Elph SD1000 point & shoot which I love because it fits in any pocket or purse and it takes wonderful pics when you're just looking for snapshots.

Daily photos #4 & 5

2009-03-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

Daily photo #5 - It's Strawberry Season!!!

Daily photo #4 - Tulip in Bloom

My gorgeous birthday tulips just bloomed! I'm fascinated by the amazing patterns of the inside of flowers, just like this one.

Daily Photo #3

2009-03-27T01:31:00.000-07:00

Daily photo #3 - Bedtime

Obviously I'm still taking the meds to mellow out the pain enough for bed. This is my nightcap as of late.

Photo #2

2009-03-25T22:23:00.001-07:00

Daily photo #2

More fun in the backyard. I can't wait to get out somewhere with my camera, but I'm still kinda limited to home for the most part. I promise I won't post flowers every single day though, I'll surely branch out. It's just that I'm SO excited to play with the new lenses that I just can't help myself. So today you get this perfect white rose from my mom's rose garden.

New Project

2009-03-25T04:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to those of you patiently standing by while I recover from surgery. I'm not back at my easel just yet, but I have been picking up my camera again, and that just feels good. My fiance and I are starting a 365 Photography project where we take a photo everyday. I will be posting my photos here. I consider photography an art form as well as painting, so I think it fits. Besides, it gives me something to do until I can get back to my paintin' chair. I'm excited! I think it will help us to always have our cameras at hand (which is easy for me since I rarely leave the house at this time), and become overall better photographers. Today is my 27th birthday so it seems like the perfect time to start. I have a new, better year ahead of me and I'm totally excited about it! It feels good to start it off in a productive way!

#1 - Pink Gerbera Daisy

(I got some gorgeous flowers for my birthday...AND a macro lens! AWESOME!)

I'm wide open to critiques of any kind here. I live for constructive criticism!

Red Ballet Flats

2009-02-10T02:05:00.000-08:00

"Red Ballet Flats"

oil on canvas panel

6" x 6"

This is daily painting number 4. I'm kind of loving it even more than the last shoe painting I did. These were a lot of fun to paint really, and I'm not quite sure why. I love these shoes and I would wear them all the time if my back didn't react to anything but ugly tennis shoes. One day I'll be able to wear my pretty red patent leather flats again, among others, but for now I can admire their beauty in this little painting. I haven't quite decided yet if this will be for sale. Branden thinks I should keep it to keep his shoes company (see last post), but I'm not so sure I agree. We'll see, it's still drying anyway. What do you think?

I again attempted my newly hated pears today. Again I failed miserably. I'm not quite sure what's wrong with me, it's like I've forgotten how to paint all of a sudden. I've had A LOT on my mind, so maybe my focus is off. Maybe I'm still getting used to painting from life, instead of from photographs. Maybe pears are just a difficult form to create with correct light. I'm still unsure, but I'm now stuck with 3 stained panels that I've wiped clean from pear mishaps. They'll end up being something beautiful one day, just not today. I think I'll be focusing on my upcoming surgery for the next week, because I can't really think of anything else. Spinal surgery (which you can read about on my other blog, here). I'll be back eventually, but know that I'll be on hiatus soon for an unknown amount of time. Probably a matter of weeks, but I have no way to know for sure. Think up some happy thoughts for me!

Branden's Jacks

2009-02-08T23:50:00.000-08:00

"Branden's Jacks"

oil on canvas panel

6" x 6"

Branden has been begging me daily to paint his beloved shoes. Now that I have my lovely little shadow box/still life display setup I appeased him by whipping out this little painting of his Converse Jack Purcell's a couple of days ago. It's daily painting #3. I had a ton of fun painting this one. I allowed myself (successfully) to loosen up my strokes a little bit and I'm really quite happy with the outcome. I can't say quite as much about the photo. We've been on a nice raining streak here in Southern California (which is very rare) so I haven't been able to get outside in the natural light to photograph it. I'll try to get a better shot in the near future. Branden wants to keep this one, so it's not for sale, but I had so much fun painting shoes, I think I'll do it again soon.

Today. . . today has not been so successful. I sat down to paint some pears today, perfect pears that I specifically chose from Henry's market just to have a great muse, and I had a really rough time. I arranged them in a way I thought would look great, but when I laid it out on canvas, I wasn't impressed. I kept going but I think today my dual nature got the best of me. My goal is to work toward a looser painting style than what I naturally do, but it's like relearning how to paint. It's incredibly difficult to break old habits. I'm not entirely sure I have painted often enough in my adult life to even have real habits, but today I tried to paint loosely and be a perfectionist all at once. It was disastrous. I ended my painting session by wiping the panel clean and kissing an ugly painting goodbye, and by that time I was in too much pain to start fresh. Days like this are so frustrating, especially since I'm limited physically as to how long I can sit/stand still and paint. Here's hoping tomorrow will be a better day. I think I'll spend some time perusing some of my favorite artists works to gain a little inspiration.

Feeling the Love

2009-02-08T01:26:00.000-08:00

My fellow artist blogger, Deano, was kind enough to send a little award my way! Take a moment to check out his fantastic art blog! I've only just started this blog really and I've been getting some awesome feedback so far. It feels good! I'm really enjoying bringing my love of painting and blogging together to start making a name for myself. It's time!

Anyway, along with the award I'm supposed to list seven interesting things about myself and pass it along to artists of my choosing. Here goes nothin'!

1. Although I've been painting since I was eight, I usually feel like a total and complete novice.

2. I've really fallen in love with nature in the past few years. I have a little wildlife (bunnies, colorful birds, quail, an occasional snake, etc) that often ventures into my backyard and I just sit and watch them nibble our grasses and fruit trees. Sometimes I kind of laugh at myself for bird-watching because it seems kinda lame when you phrase it that way, but it's fun. I can distinctly identify a few of the different characters and their personalities, it's fun!

3. Branden (my fiance) and I LOVE to go to the movies. We go as often as we can. We purposely get there really early and just sit and people-watch for awhile. We play a little game where we guess which people are going into which movie. Ok, I know it's totally based on judging people by their looks, but it's hurting no one.

4. I love to cook. I'm guessing you'll be seeing a whole lot of paintings of food here in the future. I think it's beautiful!

5. I studied art in Paris for a whole summer. It was the greatest experience of my entire life.

6. I've been prematurely (I'm only 26) plagued with back pain for many years, which will hopefully be fixed with a spinal surgery in a couple of weeks.

7. I'm addicted to Diet Coke. It courses through my veins.

Here are the people I've decided should also be the recipients of this award:

For Brook

2009-02-04T18:04:00.001-08:00

I realized last night that it would probably be more fun to see pictures of my newly organized studio, rather than reading all about it. You can see my shadow box here too! I'm just about to use it for the first time tonight, I can't wait!

My small collection of still life pieces. I haven't used any of them just yet, but I've been keeping my eyes open for things that I think would be interesting to paint.

Seriously, how adorable is this little guy!?! I've decided that my new porker needs a name. Any suggestions?

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I leave you with a painting that I NEVER show anyone. I did this for a class in college, in the year 2000 I think. I've never drawn people, let alone painted them! We were required to do a life sized self portrait. This is all that I kept from the many different pieces I painted...and it's probably the worst piece of the bunch. I feel like I'm showing off some embarrassing photograph of myself, but worse! But, my new adorable and feisty friend, Brook, requested it, so there it is.

self portrait

acrylic on canvas