The Piano Man

My husband is a complex-simple man.  He's perfectly content to live in his hometown 5 miles from his parents.  He's completely uninterested in being the center of attention.  He feels so lucky to live the life others might call mundane.  But, those who know him know what a soulful person he is...especially behind the piano.  We recently took the plunge and bought him a well-deserved, beauty-of- a-piano.  Today it was delivered to our Killion Cottage and we spent the afternoon basking in the glow of a setting sun and listening to the melodies of his soul.

Chris and Melissa: An engagement shoot

I was excited to meet Chris and Melissa in their neck of the woods on a most glorious afternoon.  I've corresponded with Melissa via email for several weeks and her excitement about engagement pictures was contagious.   I knew it was going to be a great shoot.  They're sophisticated and fresh and it was a breeze capturing their cool vibe because they just are.

 

I think this is my favorite shot of the day!  Their genuine smiles are so charming and, although cliche, I love the neon heart above them.  So, sue me.

   

Okay, this next one runs a close 2nd to my favorite.  They fit together beautifully.

Many blessings your way, Chris and Melissa!

   

 
 

A proper display for a proper collection

My mother in law was so good about keeping special momentos from my husband's youth.  I gladly inherited at least 50 baseballs.  Each baseball represents a homerun he hit.  I displayed them for a while in a large glass jug, but it truly didn't do them justice so I came up with this display. 

The top pegboard still needs to be drilled in completely so it sits nicely against the wall.  This little project was so easy and it is so fun to walk by them and read the stats on each one.

 
Last year, Ethan played his first season of tee ball and at the end of the season he was awarded this ball.

 
One day, Daddy's Wall of Fame will become Ethan's Wall of Fame as we replace his homerun balls with Ethan's. 

1.  Buy 2 pieces of pegboard

2.  Paint the rough side so the paint adheres.

3.  Purchase these hooks

and you're in business.

This is another simple, cheap project in his room.  I'm always looking for interesting ways to display photographs so I grabbed 6 old clipboards from my husband's desk, some scrapbook paper and Mod podged it onto the  clipboard.  After they dried completely I slipped in the photographs (5x7's)

My next craft blog will be a quick tutorial on how to make this name banner.  It is so easy and cost me less than 10 bucks to make.

AND this room with THIS wall is my next project.  We've just purchased a shiny new piano and it was a great motivator to fix up the spare room/office/piano room.  I always get asked what paint color I used on this wall and I'll gladly share it as I searced a looooong time for the right red....not too bright and not too orange.  It's Sherwin Williams' Roycroft Copper Red.

   I'll leave you with one last image and let you drift off into your own decor adventures.  Thanks for etting me share.

  

Raegan: A birthday shoot

Raegan is turning five and I know her momma is emotional over this big milestone.  We met at Old Town Spring and this sweet thing certainly fit the bill with her cute and colorful ensembles.

Raegan is such a little lady.  She is so mature and so girly and she makes my heart pitter patter with all of her sweetness.

   

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!

Andrew and Miranda: An engagement shoot

Andrew and Miranda are the epitome of young love.  They're starting a new life together in the coming year, they're so adorable, and they are completely taken with one another. 

  

You see what I mean?  See that look on her face?

 

Let me take a moment to covet Miranda's hair. 

She picked the perfect shade of blue to compliment her beautiful skin and hair.

Andrew is a man's man.  He was a great sport about taking the pictures even though I know he would have preferred to be home watching footbal.  Regardless, his sweet nature is difficult to mask and with little effort I think I captured his gentle demeanor.  He would do anything for his sweet fiance ... except kiss the dog.  We asked.  He said no. Clearly.

And so begins the tale of two Aggies.  I wish you a lifetime of health, love, and prosperity.  Gig 'em.

  

R is for ruffles

I want a pair of ruffle pants.  These would be so cute with a matching tank top and some cute flippies.  For now, I'll just enjoy these pictures of Natalie and her mischievous grin in her own set custom made by Shawn with Fun N Sheek.  We'll be shooting her spring line in a couple of weeks and I can't wait to see what she's got in store.  Check back tomorrow for an engagement shoot!

 
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I think I did it with the help of a friend! I got my scroll box to work. If you happen to plug it into your blog, let me know so I can click it and make sure it directs you to the right site.
 

Housekeeping and Horses

Housekeeping and horses do not go hand in hand.  So, I'll start with a little virtual housekeeping for Heartspun in the year 2010.

I lost sleep deciding whether or not to up my prices for this year.  It's been several years since I've increased my rates and after a very successful year it would be natural to raise my rates in accordance to the demand.  Basic economics, right?  But, I've decided to give it another year before I reconsider.  The economy is slowly picking back up and I am giving myself another year to continue building a solid client base.  So for this year, my rates will remain the same.  What I will be firm about will be my travel fees.  I do shoot locally (Crosby, Baytown, Liberty, Atascocita) with no additional fees, but I will definitely be charging travel fees for locations outside of these areas.  I'll post specifics later.  I hope you understand that while this is my passion, it's also an income for us that pays our bills and while I know my services aren't cheap, I also believe that what you receive is worth the investment.  I've never marketed myself as a cheap photographer and I don't intend to do so lest I give you cheap work.  You don't want cheap work.  There's a lot of pride in my work and when I show up to our one hour shoot, it's only a fraction of the time invested in the final product you receive.

So....good news is that for 2010 the price for a shoot is 250.  Yay, you!

On to horses...

I rarely accept 'special assignments' but I agreed to do this for a good friend and it was fun!  Cherry Creek Equestrian Center is a brand new facility in Mont Belvieu.  It is state of the art and so I drove out for an afternoon of cowboys and horses, roping and barrels with Tee and Jacque Woolman.

  

Happy New Year

I've cleaned up my blog and I feel like I've purged the weight of the world.  I had to tidy up the header before I could blog for the first time in the year 2010.  I love that the blog is back to crisp white and it looks so clean.  I needed a fresh start.  My brain has been in a fog since last September and so it is with much hope that I welcome the new year. 

Throughout the week I'll be housekeeping for the year 2010.  I will post about some changes that will be taking place this year in order to keep the business fresh and prosperous.  Are you with me?  It's a new day and my mind is churning up new ideas to keep you interested.  So, be patient as I iron out the kinks.

First thing's first:

I know it's last minute, but I'm throwing it out there.

Mini Sessions

Monday, January 18th, Old Town Spring

Available times:

9:00, 9:30, 10:30

All sessions will be 20 to 30 minutes long for one child only (1 year and over), 15 image on CD, 5 black and white conversions for $125. 

I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to bundle up your babies in their cutest scarves, hats, and mittens for colorful pictures.  Email me if you're interested.

And to officially wrap up the year 2009 I thought I'd post nine of my favorite personal pictures from '09.

1.   At the bird walkabout in Tyler, Texas

  
  
2.  At the Fourth of July parade with family in Shiner, TX

3.  One of Natalie's finer hair days
4.  Ethan and his version of The Crane karate move in Rodeo clown attire

5.  My parents with their grandchildren

6.  Ethan last spring when we pulled out the slip and slide for the first time last spring

7.  Her attitude is slowly improving =)

8.  This picture just makes me smile when I look at it.
9.  And this is one to treasure as he's lost 4 teeth since this one was taken.