Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I am SUPER excited...and nervous...but, more excited to announce I am photographing my VERY FIRST WEDDING (insert spirit fingers here) in November!!!! I feel honored and blessed that a beautiful couple is trusting me to capture their special day. I can't tell you how anxious I am for November 25th to be here, already! I've been stalking wedding photographer blogs like CRAZY! I have so many ideas running through my head and am UBER stoked to see the results. :) Luckily, the wedding is the day after Thanksgiving which means I will be soooo nervous on Thanksgiving day, I might not even be able to eat. Which means, I probably wont gain five pounds. Yay! Even more, the bride and groom are really sweet and good looking so this should be easy-peasy.
Thank you Lori and Steve!!! You have inspired me to work hard and to go for it!

'C' makes 3

This is my baby boy and he completes our family. He is cute, sweet, funny...he is perfect. I could spend all day watching him. I couldn't dream up anything better. His smile is priceless!! My husband, Tyler and I decided to jump in a couple of the pictures, so my AMAZING sister helped out. Now I remember how awkward it is to be on the other side of the lens. Yikes. ;) As I'm typing this, Cruz farted and woke himself up from his nap, he stared off into the distance and smiled. If anyone else did this, I would be disgusted... But, my baby boy doing it??? It's perfect.
Happy Friday! :)

Taylor - all nat-ur-al!

Check out THAT hair!! How could you not love those curls, and that color? - it is perfect! Auburn, brown, strawberry and blonde, and it's real. Yep. Be jealous. I know I am!

Photography {Cruz Jameson}

The most photographed baby of 2011!!! Little Cruz is almost three weeks old in these portraits and he did GREAT! I was able to capture his unique expressions and my favorite part of him - his signature mo'hawk, which is now TWICE as long! :)
Enjoy!

Interior Design {Condo}

I was hired to assist a client in selecting materials for a condo redesign. He purchased the condo with intentions to upgrade the interior and rent out as an investment. Together, we selected paint, cabinetry, lighting, flooring, counter tops, and bathroom fixtures. Below are the before and after pictures of his living, kitchen, and bath. The finished project is clean, and updated ... Perfect for an investment property - remember, neutral colors attract a larger market!

Interior Design {Nursery}

Here are some helpful tips to aid you in creating a space for your baby or child!

Rule #1: You don't need a full blown theme. People always tend to choose a theme before creating a kid space, like trucks, trains, princesses, etc. This can get tricky and expensive, because at some point your little one will like boats over trucks, or fairies over princesses. Don't get stuck. Here, I wanted to incorporate a few animals into the space, but didn't want the room to scream "jungle." The way you can solve this problem is by using wall vinyls, framed art, and accessories to add a 'touch' of theme to your room. These wall vinyls are from etsy.com. In most cases you can work with the vendor to modify any of their creations, like I did here. The monogram vinyl adds personalization, and the elephants add a touch of the animal theme that I wanted to incorporate. The best part of these vinyls is that they are fairly inexpensive (these were $25-35 each) and you can remove when you are ready without damaging the paint! So, when your little one doesn't like monkeys or elephants anymore, or maybe when the room gets turned into an office, you can tear them down and move on. No need to repaint! :) You can also create your own wall art! Find images on Google that you like, print, and frame. Legal? I don't know. But, cheap? Yes! Some other accessories used in this room came from my own nursery as a child, as well as the 50% off aisle at Hobby Lobby. :)

Rule #2: Think long-term. To avoid having to re-do a room in a few years, choose a paint color that fits with the decor of your home. Here, I selected a gray/blue color that can be used for an office or guest bedroom if we change rooms a few years down the road. The furniture is espresso stained and the pieces can be used when the baby is older, and even for storage pieces in an office or guest bedroom if needed. Try to stay away from pastels or primary colored furniture, unless it fits within the rest of your home. (In which case, call me because you need more help ;))

Rule #3: Bedding doesn't have to be expensive. Nursery bedding can be CRAZY expensive. What do babies do with their bedding? Drool, pee, and poop on it. This bedding is from Wal-Mart!! It was a 10-piece package that had a little too much in it, if you ask me. I don't like "matchy matchy" so I ditched the matching mobile, wall art, diaper holder, and window treatments. I still spent 1/3 on this bedding compared to name-brand baby bedding!

Best of luck with creating an inexpensive, non-themed, long-term room for your little one!

Our *LUCKY* lil' man has arrived!

Cruz Jameson is here! He was born 7/17/2011 at 10:57pm. He weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces and was 20.5 inches long!! Notice all of those sevens?? ;)
Dad and I are so excited to be with our son. He is cute in every way.

I'll be posting his infant photography very soon!

Lenz Family! {group of 15}

Okay, I'm guilty. These portraits were taken for a Christmas gift - this shows how lacking I have been on my blog. Eak!

We gathered this group of brothers, sisters, and cousins at a local citrus farm in Queen Creek. The location was PERFECT - complete with rustic wood, antique farm equipment and barrels and barrels of oranges. FUN! My sister helped me organize the group of 15 to get everyone looking at the camera...and looking happy! We had so much fun! Thank you Lenz family <3

Family Holiday Portraits!

These group pictures are so fun! Courtney is one of my dearest friends, probably the nicest, most caring, compassionate person I have ever met. Even more, she shares my same sarcastic humor. :) Her mother-in-law, Donna, wanted to gather the family together for some beautiful portraits. It was a C-O-L-D day out in Gilbert, but this family was full of warmth! Cheesy - I know. But, I could tell how much Donna loved getting the family together. Maybe it was the hormones, maybe not... but when the day was over I drove away from the photo shoot in tears because she was so happy and I was so touched. Thank you!! <3