Kirk + Kelli {Love Shoot}

These two lovebirds were our other victims from my lighting class. Kelli had amazing style and Kirk didn't seem to mind having his picture taken (a huge relief for once). My students and I weren't fully convinced that these recent BYU grads don't moonlight as models. They really helped the students loosen up because they were so comfortable in front of the camera... we couldn't have asked for better subjects. Both couples were fantastic!

A Work in Progress {a quilt for my husband}

I was trying to think of a thoughtful graduation present for my husband and thankfully THIS quilt found its way to my computer screen, just in time too. I ordered 12, 20x20 handkerchiefs (4 London, 4 NYC, and 4 Paris) and went to work the minute the box arrived. I sewed the 12 'blocks' together and backed the quilt top with a soft, cozy, chocolate brown fabric. Not my first choice from an aesthetic standpoint, but I really wanted him to use it. We have a lot of blankets around, and he generally reaches for the fleecy ones (while I prefer cotton quilts), so this was the perfect compromise. The hand quilting took forever, but I love the way it turned out.

I rarely document my works in progress, so I figured I'd try this time. Final product images coming soon.

Alex + Audrey {Engaged}

This lovely couple modeled for our lighting class last week. I can't wait to shoot their wedding next month... ah love.

Tie for a Little Boy {easy sewing project}

Oh I loved this little project my sister found for us to do together while she was in town. You recycle a man's tie and make a tiny tie for a baby boy with just a bit of cutting, pressing, and hand-sewing. This is an awesome project even if you don't sew one bit- you don't really have to.

My sister Stacey found the tutorial HERE and we picked the ties up at a thrift store for $2 a piece (I will definitely have the husband look through his closet to donate to the cause next time I make these).

Here are a few that we finished. The two on the right are mine, and yes I know Stacey's looks better. I'm not very good at following directions :) The patterns we chose turned out great on all of them, and when we modeled them on her 3 month-old we couldn't stop laughing because they looked so cute. What is about miniature things? I guess I should have put a quarter down so you could get a better sense of the scale. They turned out to be about 7 inches long when we finished. You are supposed to attach a piece of elastic to go around their necks, clearly we haven't done that yet :)


I will definitely be making more of these for our little mister in the future. I especially love the preppy blue and red stripe and those tiny elephants- I guess that's why I chose them :)

Brooks {Family Portraits}

It's been fun to document the lives of these lovely people over the past year or so as their family grew from two, to two+a tiny son, and now here they are with their six month-old. It's amazing how time flies, isn't it?








I'm sorry Garin, I couldn't help but post these. You are just too gorgeous:

Pillowcase Dress

I made this pillowcase dress this morning and absolutely love how it turned out. I love the classic look of the ribbon and the simple lines of the dress. I added a little rolled rose for a decorative accent too. This is a perfect sewing project for thos of you who don't have much time. It was by far the easiest dress I have ever made. The tutorial from Leslie at A Room Somewhere was really easy to follow as well and I highly recommend it.


However, my daughter does not like the bow closure one bit. She was disconcerted by the bow and just wanted to untie it, which meant the dress fell right off. Maybe I'll double knot it and try again :)

I wish I would have found THIS tutorial from Freshly Picked first- you use elastic instead of ribbon in the casing, and you make extra long bias tape for not only the armhole casing, but it's also used to create the ribbon closure at the shoulder. It would take a few minutes longer, but I think it would be worth it. Especially since I'll probably have to pack this away for later or sell it in my Etsy shop with a rolled rose clip to match (I've never sold anything there, so perhaps this would be a good start!). I made it really long, so it could fit a 4-5 year old.

So, for an older child try THIS pillowcase dress tutorial

for a younger toddler try THIS pillowcase dress tutorial

Also, I tried french seams for the first time and I'll never look back. I've tried a few different technique to finish my edges so that they aren't raw, but this is definitely my favorite.

Happy Easter!

Hope you're all having a wonderful Easter weekend. We are not enjoying the snowy weather, but we are loving Conference Weekend, celebrating Easter, and spending time with our family.

I am still obsessed with these eggs. I'm going to have a hard time putting them away.

Calvert Family {Portrait of 17}

I don't think I've ever had so much fun on a photo shoot. No whining, children who actually listened and obeyed, and lots of laughter. Defintitely not what I was expecting from a group of 17. We had an astounding number of large group portraits turn out (a record, actually), and I'd gladly take their portraits any day. Thanks to Erin for assisting!

My favorite part of our evening, however, was the mini sessions with each family... enjoy!