Friday Fave-- Newborn Photography

Have you seen the fabulous photography by Kelly Ryden and her sister Tracy Raver?  I saw their Sleeping Beauty shots and interview on the Today Show a few weeks ago.

They do some incredible work with BRAND NEW babies. It makes sense-- newborns sleep so much and are so flexible.  Isn't it amazing the expressions they catch?

Anyway, their fab shots have inspired me to try their techniques when I travel to Saipan in just 19 days!!!

My travel date was planned around my niece's arrival (brother Mark and sis-in-law Brittany live there) but sweet Hatley Elizabeth showed up three weeks early! She was born yesterday-- 5 lbs. 6 oz.

Isn't she so precious?!?

I have a feeling she'll still be tiny and ready to be a great model for photography on the beach when I arrive!

Can't wait!!!

Wordless Wednesday

A few new projects

I've created some new layouts and cards for Paper Pals... I spent some serious hours on these!

 (chipboard buttons by the fabulous London Tierney...)

Yup. Serious hours. Just in case you were wondering, I'm not a fast scrapper. But I can (and do) create very simple quick pages that don't show up here at my blog too often. These photos are not my "simple quick pages".  :) These super-fancy layouts don't come to me quickly, but I love the process of creating them!

Visit the Design Team Blog to get more details on the techniques and products. Or, feel free to leave a comment with any questions you have.

Friday Fave-- My favorite 3rd Grader

This is my oldest child. And I adore her.

This morning I sent her off to school with a kiss and an "I love you"... but not long after a few moments of tough love. And I think I could have handled it better. Mommy will be apologizing after school today.

After all, she's the greatest. She gets glowing reviews from her teachers saying that she is eager to learn and is a great example to her classmates.  She knows the importance of the grace of God and a relationship with Jesus. She is very forgiving (which could work out well for me later today), she smiles at me when I wake her each morning, and she's got a bit of a goofy streak (just like her mom).

And tonite she will be performing a piano piece at a recital in front of the composer who wrote the piece. I'm so proud of her and look forward to what God has in store for her life!

Wordless Wednesday

Friday Fave--Lisa Leonard Designs

Isn't this the cutest?

I have seen some of the greatest designs in Lisa Leonard's necklaces. My favorites are the designs with a item or symbol to signify each of your children. I think these would make a GREAT mother's day gift!

Maybe one day I'll even be lucky enough to own one. :)

Remember this photo?

I posted this photo here not too long ago:

A friend mentioned to me later that it looked like we were all dressed up to go see Garth Brooks. Well, she was right! We were indeed dressed up to go to a concert... but even more country than GB. It was the George Strait concert!:)

I also mentioned in that post that I needed an updated photo of Dwayne and I. So I got one--when we were at a concert just a few weeks ago. This time is was the Rock and Worship Roadshow. Five bands for $10! It was great... and a lot of fun to go out with my hubby.

I got to meet one of my favorite artists, Francesca Battistelli.
Mercy Me was the main headliner... this was our second year attending the show and we highly recommend it!

Wordless Wednesday--34 days and counting!

Friday Fave-- a recent layout

Here's a sneak peek at a new favorite layout I created:



I used several papers from the Jillibean Soup "Chicken Noodle" collection. You can get all the details about my project and see the whole layout at the Paper Pals Design Team blog!

Wordless Wednesday

Friday Faves

I have two favorite "reading blogs" as I like to call them (Blogs, after all, were created for writing. However,my visual brain is very thankful for the photo and video capabilities. As you probably know, that's what my blog contains... visual elements.)

If I am going to spend some time each day reading, it will most likely be the bible and/or these two blogs. They're written by funny Christians who have great insight. And, they are pretty regular writers, so that keeps me coming back.

One author I've never met. The other I'm so thankful that I get to see most every week.

The author I've never met: John Acuff. His blog: Stuff Christians Like.


So funny. So real. So relatable. His book just came out this last week and if you scroll down through his most recent posts you can see a lot more info on it. And his April 1 Free Download offer is real. I got it and am laughing through his book. Find that free offer here.

The author who I'm lucky to see every week is Anna. Her blog: Farkles and Frinkles.

She's a mom in the trenches who has a gift to see God's hand in all she does throughout her day. I hope one day to come here and promote her book to you too.

Check out the blogs. You'll be glad you did!

Wordless Wednesday