Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Ceiling Medallions as Wall Art

I am enamored with the idea of putting ceiling medallions on the wall. This concept would be perfect for Ella's room if I had $300 or so to spare... too bad I'm not ambitious enough to cast my own plaster medallions.

This fabulous idea is just going to have to wait. Unless of course you fine people let me know if you see any killer deals on medallions or moulds out there while you're shopping at home depot.


Fabric Eggs {Easy Easter Decor}

I made eight fabric eggs so that my baby girl can actually play with some of the seasonal decorations for once. They were really quick and easy to make. This was a great evening project for me.

I used the pattern and tutorial from Retro Mama, and after filling about six eggs with batting I had the idea to add rice so they would be more substantial and like bean bags. After a bit of experimenting I determined it best to put batting in first and then fill the center with rice... the perfect combo for a beautifully smooth looking egg with a bit of weight to them (rice only results in a bumpy egg with weapon-like weight)

For perfect eggs, be sure to sew all the pattern pieces right-side up (seems logical, but I flipped a few so that they fabrics would look better, and they were weird looking eggs), and be sure to mark the pattern as shown.

We don't really have something festive to put them in, so my current project is this basket.

I have been on at least ten Easter egg hunts since making these. E loves to carry them around and stash them in different places. They are the perfect size for her pudgy little hands.

ooh, and wouldn't these be darling on on a wreath? I'd make them a bit smaller and attach them to one of those twiggy wreaths. Maybe next year :)



Sunday, March 29, 2009

R Family

I love the challenge of shooting at a new location, but people just love this orchard and I feel like all my clients choose this place as one of their locations. Can I blame them? No. It's amazing. I will be taking my family pics here as soon as the orchard blooms and I get goosebumps thinking about Ella in her Easter dress and her new little white chair. I don't think I could ever get tired of shooting there...

This photoshoot was a baby shower gift for this family from their sister! How cool is that?! I was so excited when the R family brought a little rocking chair as a prop for their children. It's great to bring something that your child is familiar with because it helps them to feel comfortable and helps me to capture portraits of them as they really are. They wanted shots mostly of their children and at least one picture of their family. I think we succeeded...

Louisiana Chicken

I haven't really made many blog-worthy meals lately, but this dinner was a winner. I am obsessed with the Cheesecake Factory's Louisiana Chicken. This recipe rivaled the real thing, if I do say so myself... and I'll quote my hubby to back me up "this is one of the best meals you've ever made" which naturally made me feel pretty good about myself.

Try this one, it's delicious!

Oh, and this recipe made enough for a huge helping for me and Kyle, lunch for Kyle and a friend the next day, dinner the next night, and dinner for my parents the next night. Yea, it made a lot.

I forgot to take a pic, so I got a lovely one HERE. Thanks google images!

Next time I do this I'll cook the chicken first, then make the sauce, then the pasta. The chicken takes the longest.


Louisiana Chicken
(from HERE with a few minor adjustments and commentary by me in parenthesis
)


FOR THE BREADED CHICKEN:
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (I used about 10 chicken breast tenderloins)
1 c milk
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsps flour
3/4 c breadcrumbs
oil for frying
  • Heat oil to medium high temperature
  • Wash & drain chicken breasts and then pound until very thin (if you don't have a meat mallet, put the chicken into a plastic bag and use a rolling pin and whack away)
  • Mix breadcrumbs, flour, & Parmesan cheese together.
  • Place milk in shallow dish (like a pie pan) and dip chicken in breadcrumb mixture, then in milk, then back in breadcrumbs (sounds strange but it actually works the best).
  • Fry in a few inches of oil until chicken is golden crisp & cooked through.
  • Remove & drain chicken; keep warm.


FOR THE PASTA:
1 package bow tie pasta (I used a box of Barilla Farfalle, and it was enough to feed like 10 people- seriously)
3/4 small red onion (I used three pearl onions and one shallot- tasted great!)
1 1/4 pints whipping cream
1 c mushrooms, sliced
1 small red bell pepper, sliced (we only had one red pepper- no yellow- and it worked great)
1 small yellow pepper, sliced
4 tbsps fresh basil, finely chopped
Cajun Sauce, to taste
1 c grated parmesan cheese
1 c low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp butter
3 whole garlic cloves (minced)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

SAUCE:
  • Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add yellow and red bell peppers, mushrooms, and onion to same skillet and cook until crisp-tender, about 4 min.
  • Add garlic & crushed red pepper to skillet & saute 3 mins.
  • Add whipping cream & chicken stock and simmer until sauce re-heats & thickens slightly, about 5 mins.
  • Add basil & 1 c grated Parmesan cheese to sauce while stirring.
  • Add salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Reduce heat to low, simmer until sauce reduces and thickens
PASTA:
  • While sauce reduces, cook bow-tie pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente
  • Drain and return to pot, then add sauce and toss to coat.
Serve the pasta topped with chicken






Saturday, March 28, 2009

Little Preview- R Family

I was quickly looking through images from a shoot this morning and I just had to post these... I intended to post one or two (cause I know how hard it is to wait) and got a bit carried away. I'm excited to edit this session, so stay tuned for more!






Adobe Ilustrator

Today my sister Erin, my mom and I took a 1 day class on Adobe Illustrator. It was a tad bit overwhelming, but opened my eyes to a few more hobbies that might be kind of fun. It's a great class, and if you're in Utah and interested in illustrator, you should definitely take it next time Alma offers it. She's a fantastic teacher and gives you some great exposure to the program and projects that you can create.

Here are two of my favorites from the day. It is amazing to create something like this from nothing!



Friday, March 27, 2009

Should I be proud or embarrassed?

I guess since I was an art history major I should have gotten 100% on both, right? Guess I need to hit the books... These are fun!

Take them HERE and HERE





Sunday, March 22, 2009

I love getting mail, I just hate sending it.

I've always had a hard time with mailing things. If I have stamps or mailing supplies at my house or I'm good to go. However, if it's a present or a letter without a stamp or packaging, I can think of about 100 things I'd rather do than go to the post office. And I generally do them all first.

I especially have a hard time getting things in the mail that look so cute on my kitchen counter and make me feel productive. I think this little set of baby gifts sat on my counter for over a week before I mailed it to my dear friend and her beautiful baby girl.

Sorry Emily.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

S

I can't believe my baby sister is 19. We took these on her birthday a few weeks ago. Her look (at least for this day) is very Blair Waldorf, don't you think?




Dallin + Katie: Out-takes

Favorite silly shots from the big day...