Annie did my make-up and it looked pretty amazing. I have not a clue how she does it — she is really pretty talented in that realm. So of course we put a back-drop up in my garage and took pictures of it. [Why wouldn't we?!] Thanks, Annie!

 

 

I want to quickly blog the gift I made for my mom for Mother’s Day. It’s made of barn wood from our old barn and yes I did cut, drill, carve, paint, and sand this thing. My mom loves when I get creative, and I love to see her tear up when she opens her gifts. I am her favorite daughter indeed.

Also, I want to throw in last year’s gift for my momma {flashback to my blog post one year ago}.

 

 

Very excited to get these experimental portraits up of my very good friend, Megan [Bruzek]. I had a blast photographing her yesterday, and I could not have asked for a more open or awesome model. Megan has a very care-free attitude, which ultimately made her subject to crazy ideas such as wearing a scarf for a shirt and/or holding a cat even though she is not very fond of them. Thank you Megs. I want to thank you too Annie; you initiated this photo-shoot in the first place. As Americas Next Top Model addicts, it only makes sense that my passion for photography and your passion for hair/make-up/styling would come together into this photo-shoot. And yes indeed, we will be doing more of these collaborations. I wanted to get some funny candids up too, but due to my desire to trickle off into dreamy-land, I’ll have to save that for another day.

 

I was honored to photograph Sarah and Tyler’s wedding. Sarah is my beautiful cousin, and her wedding was THE MOST PERFECT wedding to be my first as a solo-photographer. Sarah and Tyler have been together for 14 years and finally made it official with a private wedding ceremony at Enjoy! restaurant in Apple Valley, Minnesota. Everything about the day was intimate, laid back and special, and I admire their choice to have only close family members there to partake (plus a few “wedding crashers” who came towards the end of the night to celebrate!) Congratulations again Sarah and Tyler!

 

So I haven’t blogged in a while due to A) a trip with college friends and B)  an abundance of projects (which is a good thing!) so I wanted to quickly share some loves in my life. I have had maaaany cats to roam our yard, but rarely do they have this much personality. I realize this means they will soon get eaten by coyotes or hawks, because that’s typically what happens to the cats I love most.. Anyway, here they are!

Stinky (didn’t clean herself as a tiny kitten)

Biter {self-explanatory a.k.a. he’s the naughty one}

Pinky {pink nose}

 

So while in Las Vegas {GlobalShop 2012} I had the opportunity to listen to very intriguing seminars, most of which related to retail design trends and developing technologies. I don’t have too much of a background for interior design, but my job has led me to learn more + gain interest.

Here is a summary of the speaker presentation Megatrends in Visual Merchandising, spoken by Renee Labbe (trend forecaster for Stylesight.com). I also threw in some examples for all you visual learners! I’ll share more as time goes on.

Four leading trends in design this year: (1) Ashen, (2) Clarity, (3) Nutopia, (4) Subnation

1) Ashen – ‘beautiful abstraction’ -­ blackened, charred, destroyed by fire, quiet, somber, smoky, matte black depth, fading, ghost, ombre prints, graphics, Trompe L’Oeil

Accents: minimalist furniture, sleek design, neutral finishes  |  Textures: dry, matte, cement |  fabrics: high drape, felts  |  Symbolic for: harsh economic times

Example: Margiela hotel in Paris {Images: stylecartel.com}

2) Clarity – brighter, bolder, rainbow, string installations, happiness, brightness

Accents: lack of interest in materials things, soft-­tech continuation of structures  |  Textures: acrylics, ombre light effects, transparency, diffused light  |  Symbolic for: post-recession and optimism, throw away the past and start new, interest in technology

Example: Office of Foley & Lardner, LLC {Images: Architizer}

3) Nutopia – revolution

Accents: artist palette, natures coming into display  |  Textures: cut stone, experimental marbling, metal frames, natural grains geometric domes, cage effects  |  Symbolic for: re-interpretation of the 60’s & 70’s, revolutionary moments, freedom from binding, reactions to too much technology

Example: Frye Flagship Store, Soho {Images: A.R.E. Magazine}

4) Subnation - ­small spaces

Accents: preppy colors – red, blues, urban greys, national flag colors color blocking, city grids, box shapes, scraps, leftovers, recycling  |  Textures: compressed knits – furniture, touches of impact in stores, bloated shapes, play-dough, foam  |  Symbolic for: cultural clashing of mega-­cities

Example: Mulberry Boutique, Soho {Images: www.archiscene.net}

 

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I typically don’t photograph myself, but I had a vision today and decided to use myself as the subject. Not gonna’ lie, I felt like a little girl playing dress up again.. it was kinda’ fun! Thank you to my guy for handling the camera for me.


 

I had the pleasure of shooting an engagement session for Anna + Brad, a couple whose adventurous energy simply radiates! We went all over New Market – MN, and even though we fought some major wind + sun, we got some really great photographs that [if I've succeeded] captures these two amazing personalities.

 

I’d like to think I haven’t changed much.