Weekend wrap up : Movin' on up.

Oh man, where do I even begin? We spent the last weekend, along with the help of our generous friends, moving furniture, boxes, and clothing from our old home into our new home. You would think that moving out of a 580 square foot place would not take too much time or energy. But, you would be wrong. How do we accumulate all of this stuff, I am not quite sure. What I am very sure of though is that our next move will be permanent :)

I think what really affected us the most this weekend was the task of painting the walls of our new (very old) home. It was a lovely shade of yellow, green, and purple before we got our hands on it. Now it is a fresh mint green and grey. I love it. And just like I predicted, we feel like we moved into a mansion. Stone and I keep laughing at the fact that we sometimes will try and say something to the other and don't know what room to find each other in! It is awesome.

Speaking of awesome things. Ikea. We have been building things from Ikea this weekend like crazy and I have to say I am pretty impressed with their instructions, it means four girls can piece together a sleeper sofa in one hour flat. Sounds like a riddle :)

Hope you had a wonderful weekend and HAPPY OCTOBER! xo.

That's a wrap : Kate + Jeff

Above are just a few frames we shot at a recent wedding in Boulder. That last one is a favorite of mine, I just love the movement, it is very romantic.

Go here to see more! xo.

Food to love : Moscow Mule (kinda)

Stone and I are not big drinkers. I do like a glass of wine here and there, but other than that we are clueless when it comes drinks. Especially mixed drinks.

That is until we tried a Moscow Mule for the first time at one of our favorite restaurants Starlite. It was delicious enough for us to attempt making our own version at home. While nothing we make will be as good as having the real thing out of a copper mug, it is a good alternative. Perfect cocktail for entertaining!

We kind of eye the amounts until it tastes right to us. Also, it is important to note that a true Moscow Mule is made with vodka instead of rum and does not have agave or bitters (those are just an extra special treat).

You can find the mugs here, but it will cost you a pretty penny! Start with a few cubes of ice and poor in about half of a bottle of ginger beer and 2 oz of rum. Next add agave (about 1 teaspoon), bitters (two dashes), and lime (a good squeeze) to taste.

Enjoy!

Look of the week : 1960s.

Mmmmm... The MET museum's vintage Dior dress collection. So beautiful!

Stone and I have been into all of these new 1960s era tv shows like Mad Men, Pan Am, and Playboy Club. The clothing of that time period makes me feel like a total schlub (yup, I don't know if that is a word, or if it is I don't think I spelled it correctly). I need to step it up!

Go here to see more of these gorgeous gowns.

Feeling Crafty : Falling in love.

Leaf Identification Guide found HERE

Let's be honest. As much as we all love summer with it's lazy beach days, late sunsets, and sweet fruit, really it is fall that takes the cake. There is nothing better than crisp winter air, cozy sweaters, and leaves changing... nothing.

Stone and I always joke that if you want to sell something to a girl all you have to do is say the word 'cozy' or describe it as something you can 'tuck into'. Seriously, if Stone waned me to go to a greasy taco shop in a sketchy neighborhood, but he described it as cozy then I am sold. Done. That is kinda like what fall is. A cozy season where you can tuck away and read a good book. Precisely why we all love it. I have a few fun crafts on my to do list this fall and I am hoping to try them all out.

Homemade Vanilla : We recently shot a wedding where the bride made Madagascar Vanilla as gifts for all of her guests. Not only was it so cute, but it is something people will actually use! I thought it would be the perfect hostess gift for all of the Christmas parties coming up this season.

Hanging Leaves : I really want to make a leafy garland, but I want to use real leaves. The fake stuff just does not cut it. Of course Martha has the best idea for keeping your leaves colorful and sturdy. Dip them in wax!

Pine Cone Door Hanger : Thought this was a colorful and fun little craft. I don't think it is front door worthy, but perhaps if you have a little side or back door it could be a nice fall touch!

Twig Wrapped Candle Holders : Just a cute touch!

Fall Foliage Wreath : A great alternative to a fresh wreath. This could be perfect for the indoors. Our new front door has a big 'ol window in it so I thought I could put a fresh wreath outside and a more crafty one inside! Getting wreath crazy....

'Thanks' Bottles : Love, love this idea for an easy and cheap home decoration. You could put it on your mantle, bookshelves, or as a centerpiece on your buffet table at Thanksgiving!

Get crafting :) xo.

Tuesday tunes : You and tequila make me crazy.

I am not usually a huge Kenny Chesney fan, but every time this song comes on the radio (and yes, I do usually have country on in my car thanks to my husband) I love it more and more. Nice rainy day music. Enjoy!

Week wrap up : Life according to my phone.

Well it has been a while since I have been here! Sometimes it feels like a week goes by in a giant blur without much explanation of what I did with my time. The only proof I have that I did in fact do some things, are the photos on my phone :) For starters, last week, we traveled. Stone and I jumped on a plane to Colorado to see his grandpa (who has been in the hospital the past two weeks) and shoot a wedding. Now we are gearing up for our big move! We have done all of the major things to prepare... we went to Ikea, we purchased a new sofa (one we have been dying for and found on Craigslist!), and even started collecting boxes. Stone and I just have to actually fill those boxes now. I think that will be my job, as he needs to edit like crazy so that he can help with the move. Oofta! So much to do, so little time!

Hope you have had a wonderful start to your week, I am happy to be back. xo.

Inspiration board : Take me home.

It is two weeks and counting until we move into our new place. TWO!

Stone and I are so excited and our minds are reeling with ideas of what we can do to make a rental into a home. That is my immediate goal whenever I move into a new place... make it cozy! I never thought I would be a girl willing to invite vibrant colors into my home. Always the one to choose olive green over grass green OR rust red over cherry red when decorating. Husband changed all of that. When I first met Stone and saw his college room I was blinded, literally, by the four bright blue walls that he had painted himself.

Since then he has been seeping color (bright color) into my life little by little. NOW I am drooling over mint green sofas, light up marquee arrows, and orange metal clocks. Love it all and cannot wait to have it in my home!

1 : We do not hunt, obviously. But, I am down for hanging these modern animal heads in our home. Rhino is my favorite!

2 : Love all of my magazines. Hate trying to figure out where to put them. Problem solved!

3 : This one came from husband's furniture list, I love that he also likes to furnish and decorate.

4 : Just a little funk for the office! It is a bit pricey, but I think it will make a great statement in the room. Also, debating whether or not to get the 'C' instead.

5 : When Stone and I saw this we knew it had to be ours. It would be an investment piece for us and hopefully would last a lifetime with lots of fabric changes.

6 : Love the poms.

7 : We have never owned a clock... clearly from the iPhone generation!

8 : Eames purists would be disappointed, but these knock-offs are pretty convincing!

xo.

Food to love : Cinnamon drop biscuits

You know those mornings when you wake up and think 'crap, we have absolutely nothing in our house for breakfast...'

Do you have those mornings? Or is it just me? Usually this happens when Stone and I have been traveling and we get home and go straight to bed then the next morning I wake up praying that while we were gone someone came and re-stocked our house with a fresh load of groceries. Actually that would creep me out if someone just came in our house while we were away, but I suppose if they were delivering coffee creamer, eggs, fresh fruit and other essentials that I would allow it.

The good news is you will always be able to scrounge up enough ingredients to make drop biscuits, so that is precisely what I did. The morning after we got home from Sacramento I whipped these babies up and they were so delicious I thought I had to share them with you. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Drop Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

1 cup buttermilk (can be low-fat)

2 tsp cinnamon sugar

Heat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Using a pastry blender, 2 knives held crisscross fashion, or your fingertips, add the butter to the flour mixture and mix until crumbly. Add the buttermilk and, with a wooden spoon, stir until combined. The dough should be very sticky. sprinkle cinnamon sugar and work into the dough.

Using the spoon or your fingertips, drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the baking sheet. Bake until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Tuesday tunes : I feel alright.

My brother-in-law sent over some pretty great tunes for you to listen to this Tuesday. This guy always knows the new upcoming artists and songs, so you are going to want to take this playlist seriously ;)

Look over your shoulder, make sure nobody is watching while you are perusing blogs at work, pop on your headphones and ENJOY!

Thanks Brady for the suggestions.

That's a wrap : Kelda + Eric

This is just a small (very small) taste of Kelda and Eric's beautiful wedding in San Francisco. These three photos above are up there with my favorite that we have shot at a wedding ever. There is just something about the fog that makes photos look so romantic. Go here to see the full post from their wedding, trust me you won't be disappointed ;)

xo.

9/11

Stone and I were in the car driving for most of the day yesterday and had a lot of time to talk about September 11th. Every year, I always think back to where I was and what I was doing. I was definitely too young and naive to realize the weight of what had just happened and I will never know the heartache that a lot of people went through and are still going through because of what happened that day. Anyway, I always believe that God can use the terrible things that happen on this world for good, this is just one of the millions of stories of a hero from that day. We watched this a couple of times this morning and I still have goosebumps. God is good, there is not denying that. Watch and enjoy.

Weekend wrap up : The land of beauty.

This wedding season Stone and I have traveled to well over half of our weddings. It is a strange feeling for us to go to a wedding without having met the bride and groom before. Of course there is the phone calls and on occasion we video chat with clients, but really we barely know them and we are about to be the two faces that they see the most throughout their wedding day. Weird, right? Well, this was one of those weddings. All we knew was that we were shooting a wedding in Nevada City, CA and we needed to be there at 10 in the morning. So that is what we did. We showed up at the grooms' childhood home and were absolutely blown away with all of the incredible thought and detail that was put into transforming this backyard. I seriously cannot wait for you to see photos of this place and the awesome couple (I secretly, but not so secretly, want to be best friends with them).

On another note, I have never been to Sacramento and had no idea how beautiful it is. I kept having to remind myself we were not in Colorado because it is very similar. Stone and I had our first B&B experience... I have to admit that I was a little nervous. The photos of this place involved a lot of porcelain dolls and frilly old bedspreads, but we were down to try it out and we loved it. It felt like we were staying at our grandparents house complete with a hot homemade breakfast. If you have never stayed at one I highly recommend it!

... Oh ya, then we drove the 9 hours back home. Husband is a trooper :)

Tuesday Tunes : Okay, Thursday Tunes...

A little treat for your ears. Stone and I heard this song just this morning and both fell in love! We hope you like it just as much.

I have had it on repeat since! xo.

Happy Birthday dad.

We love you and wish we could be celebrating in San Fran with you today :) Hope you are having a wonderful day so far.

Food to love : Asparagus + Gruyere Tart.

(Photo was taken with my iPhone, and did not turn out too well, but you get the idea!)

Side dishes are always a tough thing for me. If a friend is hosting and asks for me to contribute to the meal I always end up bringing an appetizer, salad, or dessert. I think I just never really know what is a good side dish. Veggies, obviously are great, but I don't really make any fancy veggie dishes that I feel deserve to be shared with friends. So I did my research this time. My friend Ashlyn was cooking grilled chicken with rosemary olive oil bread, and our friend Lacey had already claimed to bring the salad. I was left with sides... yikes! But, chicken is any easy meat to pair with and I brought sweet potatoes that we chopped up and baked with olive oil and rosemary. So yummy. And then thought I would be a bit more gourmet and tried this Martha Stewart recipe. It was a hit, and so easy! Next time you have a dinner party, invite me and I will bring it along ;)

Asparagus + Gruyere Tart

• Flour, for work surface
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
• 5 1/2 ounces (2 cups) Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1 1/2 pounds medium or thick asparagus
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy! xo.

Weekend wrap up : People watching.

This weekend my mom (Becky) and sister (Lindsay) came to visit! I knew I had to convince them to make it out to the west coast before the babies were born or else it was likely that it would not happen for a while. So, they flew in on Thursday and we spent the long weekend hanging on the beach, cooking, showing them our favorite spots in Encinitas, talking about life with the babies (less than 3 months away!) and taking long walks. It seems that Encinitas likes to play tricks on us because Stone and I are always raving about the incredible weather, but then every time we have visitors it is gloomy as all get out. So our day on the beach did little in the way of bronzing us, but it was still warm and fun people watching. Does that sound creepy? I love to people watch and usually I try and figure them out, I can write a whole story about a person just by watching them. Not that it would actually be accurate, but interesting none the less. I wonder what people watchers come up with when they see Stone and I?

Either way it was a lovely weekend ending on a great note with a delicious dinner at our good friends' The Carters house! Can't beat that.

Welcome back to work. xo.

That's a wrap : Stephen + Amy

I so wish that I could have been here for this wedding! But, alas, I was fulfilling bridesmaid duties in Texas (which, I have to say, was a total blast as well!) while Stone was in Boulder with Stephen and Amy taking photos of their beautiful wedding day complete with mountain views and incredible dance moves. Go here to see the complete wedding and the reception that looked more like an awesome breakdance party! Enjoy.