Wyoming Rustic Styled Shoot: Wendy Swanson Photography

 

 

Where to even begin with Wendy Swanson Photography... I met Wendy through her best friend Jess, who is also now one of my best friends; so we have been around each other a lot over the past couple years! Which also means, I have had the awesome pleasure in watching her evolve into the UNBELIEVABLE photographer she is today! I truly have never witnessed someone improve and grow in the 'huge way' Wendy has! She really is AMAZING!

 

 

Every shoot she post is better then the last, and I thought I couldn't love her more, until this shoot. WOW, this shoot...don't even know what to say, it's SO AWESOME!!! I LOVE IT SO MUCH! It's totally my style; and the Native American in me wants to just jump up and down at how wonderful she mixed the 'Vintage Indian' style of the culture with a 'modern vibe'. Super cool.

 

 

Wendy had been dreaming up this shoot for quite sometime so I will let her tell you more...

 

Styled shoots are something that I've been wanting to do more of for some time. My little sister lives in the middle of nowhere Wyoming (or Lusk to some) and last year while visiting her we spent some time visiting the large animals cohabiting her boyfriend's property. While everyone else was busy riding horses and petting oxen I was imagining all of the opportunities for photo shoots with my three nieces. I knew I wanted to get the old cars in the background of some of the shots but also wanted to make a teepee. Originally, I ordered an amazing quilt from Etsy to use for the teepee but soon realized I was not going to be able to fit a full size quilt and 50 presents for each niece all in one suitcase plus my clothing for a week. We ended up borrowing the quilt from my sister's boss. I also didn't realize that obtaining three large sticks in Wyoming would also be an adventure. Wyoming is a mostly plains so we had to drive about 30 minutes even deeper into the middle of nowhere TO FIND TREES. Seriously. Then on the way back we stopped by a teeny tiny little old west store and bought some leather (to tie the top of the teepee together) from a miniature but stout cowboy named PeeWee. My nieces are 4, 3 and 16 months (Ophelia, Talka and Guinevere respectively) and I knew I wanted coordinating outfits but not too matchy-matchy. It took me about three weeks but I found most of the pieces from their outfits from The Gap, J.Crew, Old Navy and Lands End. I started with Ophelia's dress and gathered the other pieces from there. Guinevere's headband is probably my favorite touch. I didn't expect to get a great pic of the three of them together but wanted them to just have fun and hopefully catch some candid shots. I've taken thousands of pictures of them but these are definitely some of my favorite. The editing is a little heavier than I usually lean towards but I liked the result for this shoot.

 

I mean really, the pictures speak for themselves... make sure you go follow Wendy Swanson Photography HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I could look at these over and over...check out Wendy's full album HERE! Also contact her for Wedding Pricing, you won't believe how reasonable she is! I tell her every time I see her, she is TOO reasonable! So check her out before she comes to her senses:)!

 

 

...And stay tuned, Wendy and I will be working on an AMAZING styled shoot this Summer!



The Top 10 Reasons to Hire a Wedding Planner...

 

 

If I have seen it once at The Red Barn Experience I have seen it a 100 times. Over the past 3 years, I have witnessed the MAJOR importance of hiring a wedding planner for, lets see...ONLY THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY OF YOUR LIFE. I can't even begin to count the reasons as to why EVERYONE needs to budget out a wedding planner. Many people believe that asking a friend or family member to help coordinate your wedding is the answer...I am here to tell you THAT IS NOT THE ANSWER...and here's why you should hire a professional:

 

 

1. Acts as a Point Person: The typical wedding can have as many as 20 different vendors to coordinate. A wedding planner can act as a point person, answering emails & questions so you don't have to.

 

2. Eliminates Stress: Wedding planning can be incredibly overwhelming as well as stressful. A wedding coordinator can assure that decisions are made on time, and all bases are covered leading up to your big day. Don't you want to have fun, as opposed to making sure your Great Aunt Lucy is in a photo or not?!

 

3. Offers Creativity: A wedding planner has many resources and ideas for inspiration; and can combine all your different concepts into a manageable plan of action.

 

4. Thinking of Everything: Wedding coordinators know exactly what goes into making a wedding fabulous, right down to every little detail that you may not think of. They will make sure you are on schedule and that you don't miss any important aspects to make your day perfect.

 

5. Knowledge of Vendors: Because wedding planners work one on one with all different vendors, they can give you the best reviews and resources for every aspect of your day.

 

6. Saves Money: Believe it or not, hiring a wedding planner can not only save you time but also save you money... from relationships with vendors, to wholesale resources, they can help you cut corners in your budget.

 

7.Handles Crisis's: Who wants to be calling the limo driver wondering where he is on your wedding day?! Let a wedding coordinator do that for you.

 

8. Neutral Party: Wedding planners are the neutral party when it comes to YOUR day. They can be honest with you, make decisions, and most importantly will not try and make the day their own.

 

9. Experience: A wedding coordinator has been there and done that. They know how to stay on schedule and make sure that everything happens according to your ideal plan. While your busy enjoying every moment, they are busy making sure toast are made, dinner is served, and your first dance goes of without a hitch.

 

10. Working For You: Wedding planners are hired for no other reason than to make your dream day a reality, so that's what they are going to work hard to do; And in most cases, are going above and beyond what you have ever dreamed of!



 I wasn't going to do this, but the facts are the facts! An average couple can spend up 300 hours wedding planning... and yes you should hire me;)! Xox



Mom Mondays: DIY Tulle Flowers

See, I told you she was back!;) I love these DIY Flowers for todays Mom Mondays! Unlike the tissue paper flowers that get wrinkled up in one times use, this tulle version can be re used over and over again! They also can get wet unlike the paper, as well as be stored and then just 'fluffed' up when your ready to use them again! It's pretty genius actually!

 

 This is all you need to make these super fun reusable tulle balls:
 Tulle, Scissors, Magazine

{It takes apx 1 spool of 6" wide  to make each Pom Pom. ( I like them to be very full)}

 



 

Start by wrapping the tulle around a book or magazine 25 or 30 times. Use the short side of the Magazine for an 8 inch Pom or the long way for a 12 inch Pom!

Slide the tulle off of magazine and tie a piece of tulle in the middle of the loop. Make sure it's good and tight in a knot so that it doesn't slip.

Slide scissors through the loop and cut at each end.

Fluff up and there you have it.

 

 

 

Little Bear: Sophia Marie

 

 

Today's Sunday and I feel like posting something random; but I promise it will make you smile, real BIG!!!

 

A few weeks ago my BFF's Em & Dani were in town, with my sweet little Sophia. Ugh, she is just the cutest; so we went out to the barn to take some pics of her! I didn't upload them until this week, and once I did I saw how freaking adorable they are!!! It was a cold day and Soph was wearing the cutest little bear hat; and at one point she started to act like a bear and chase Em around!

 

Yes, I'm still shooting in manual! Yay, me! :)...I haven't moved to editing yet, so these pics are {SOOC}, a new fancy term I learned!;)

 

 

 

 

HAPPY SUNDAY!

{Simple} Crochet Gift Wrap Inspiration

I always have to check out the sale aisle at Hobby Lobby when I'm in there, and the last

 I was there I found these adorable little packages of crochet circles in a bunch of colors for a $1. When I saw them I immediately thought 'gift wrap'... turns out with a little twine it actually makes the cutest gift wrap!

 

Hope everyone is having a beautiful weekend! Xox



'Sorry to string you along' : Gender Reveal

 

 

I just love the power of Facebook; whether you like it or not, it really does bring people together!! While looking around on FB one day, I stumbled across this ULTRA COOL photographer out of Omaha, Nebraska Lindsey Harwath Photography! That day she just happened to post a sneak peak of the coolest gender reveal I have seen! It's SO fun and totally NEW!! I love finding new ideas that aren't plastered all over Pinterest already, and so I contacted Lindsey and asked her to please please let me feature it! When she said yes, I have to be honest, I considered keeping this idea all to myself and saving it to use one day...but who am I kidding...I HAVE TO SHARE!

 

 

I asked Lindsey to share just a little something about the day:

 

Mama actually had the idea for the silly string. She wanted to do something different. They had a friend go with to the ultrasound appointment and get the gender and then go buy the Silly String. It was so cold that morning but we went out to the park just for a little bit and after the silly string fight started we almost forgot how cold we were! And of course we couldn't let it go to waste and so we emptied the cans on Dad! The kids had so much fun. Ok, the parents had just as much fun! LOVED this session!

 

 

After the session they sent out cards to friends & family with the 'pink' silly string reading 'Sorry to String you Along'... Tell me that is not the cutest!!! AHH LOVE IT!

 

After following Lindsey on Facebook, I have fallen in love with all of her work! She actually does something really cool and different with all of her clients and custom designs magazines of their photos!! Check it out for yourself and make sure you 'like' her Lindsey Harwath Photography page HERE!

 

 

 

I love this last one, doesn't it look like dad is just so proud!

 

Check out the full blog post HERE!

 

If you enjoyed this post, make sure to 'Pin it' and 'Share it'! Xox

 



DIY: Pom-Pom Drink Stirs

 

 

Your probably saw these adorable little drink stirs on my Craft Night {The Decor} blog post. They were so simple and SO ADORABLE. People were freaking over them!

 

 

How to: Add a little dab of hot glue to attach the pom-pom and that's it!

 

I got these adorable little handmade pom-poms from this cute ETSY SHOP!

 

How funny are those coasters too! Gotta love Urban Outfitters!  Xox



ATE PRESENTS CRAFT NIGHT PART 2: {The Project}

 

 

If you missed PART 1: {The Decor} make sure you check that out first!!!

 

 

Did I already mention how I literally had the most creative group of ladies!!! When I sent out the original email, I gave them some options of different crafts to make, and the majority of them chose a 'Rustic Spring Wreath'! We started with some grapevine wreaths and then everyone had to make their own fabric flowers to decorate them! I also had some extras they could add to the wreaths as well!

 

 

Everyone got so into it and came up with some super unique ideas that I didn't even think of...which is what I love so SO much about doing this craft night!

 

WE spent the night chatting, easting, drinking, laughing, and creating; what more could you want!!

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of the night, I asked the girls to fill out a 'comment card', just to suggest anything, or write a little review of their night! Almost all of them just said how 'they were so excited for the next one', and I wanted to share just a few...

 

- "Loved every second! Can't wait for round two!"

 

- "So much fun! Can't wait for the next one! The 'no longer craft virgin'!!"

 

-"This is such a great idea! Had a blast! It really was perfect!"

 

Thanks again for coming guys! You rock!!! Can't wait to see more new faces at the next one! xox

 

ATE Presents Monthly Craft Night: {The Decor}

 

 

 

Last night was ATE's first Craft Night...and it was AWESOME!!!! We had a great turnout with a group of 11 crafty ladies! Some of them had no idea how crafty they actually are...it was amazing watching them get so excited realizing that they could actually make the craft, and make it well! I LOVE IT! This is one of the many reasons I wanted to start this craft night! The way I look at projects is not necessarily how someone else does; and although we were all making the same craft, we ended up with 11 different 'Spring Rustic Wreaths'!

 

There is nothing more amazing then turning a dream into a reality... I have been dreaming up this 'Craft Night' idea for quite sometime now, and having it actually happen last night was awesome; and having it be a complete success was even 'awesomer';)!

 

I ended up taking around 150 photos last night when it was all said and done, so I decided to split it into 2 blog post, starting with the décor...But don't worry I will be sharing the second post SOON, there is no way I would be able to wait very long to show everyone's fun wreaths anyways ! :)

 

With this rough start to spring, I wanted craft night to feel SUPER 'Springy'!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stay tuned for part 2! xox