dash, pinch, smidgen

2012 or the last year on Earth

2012-01-23T22:40:00.000-08:00

It's just funny to say, like Y2K was. Either way it's been pretty amazing so far. Just before the New Year I received 2 copies of Southern Living Weddings, which came out officially January 6th, which contained a spread with images from one of my 2011 weddings, which is one of the most exciting things that has happened to me to date. Meeting my husband might be a bit more exciting (teasing, of course it was, because the idea of a soulmate of any sort is far more rare than a magazine), but that didn't happen this year, so the magazine wins.

I hope I never have actual resolutions again. My personality resists them very strongly, and I have trouble planning things anyway (besides shooting weddings, and planning what to wear for big parties, although deciding what to wear for Airplanes & Blazers 2 is proving difficult). This year I started out blogging on my photography blog everyday while the husband was in Hueco, Texas on a climbing trip, and it was a lot easier then. Once he got home I just wanted to spend time with him. And sleep. I love sleeping. It's one of the only non-productive things I don't feel guilty about (with the exception of naps, which I don't take anymore for the most part). I am not a daily routine taskmaster.

What I am in some way committing myself to this year is being more organized. We finally moved (with the exception of a few hard to pack items that I'll be working on picking up this week) into a new apartment, and I've been in love with the additional bedrooms (we went from one to three), and additional closet space. I've been buying bins and containers and trying desperately to have a place for everything (and everything in it's place). I'd love to blame my messiness on my creative mind but at some point you grow up and excuses aren't useful anymore (they really weren't ever).

So here's to 2012, which is to be a year of washing clothes (HOORAY for having a washer and dryer at the new place, best improvement possible), putting things away (I sound like I'm talking about training a 3 year old), and getting help with my business to-do list. In June of last year I got an intern finally, and we became great friends, she left and spent a semester in London, she went back to college (bummer), and now I have a new intern who actually went to high school with the first. It's amazing. It's really fun sharing what I do with the next generation of adults, who are not old and 25 like me, I hope to steal their youth and laughter. No, but really, learning to delegate has been the best best best thing for my business. I booked 12 over my goal number of weddings that I set at the start of last year and in January I'm already only 5 away from this year's goal (I hope I make it, although I have a much more balanced expectation this year).

I jump around a lot, and that might be hard for one to follow, but I write these things for myself anyway. Tonight I shined my sink in the new place, an odd first step to making things happen that I learned from a book my mom has, though several years after she offered it to me to read; and I feel great about the things I can do from there.

Cheers to your new year as well.

25 before 25

2011-07-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

I have a list of 101 in 1001 somewhere on this blog and I haven't looked at it lately for fear I'll become depressed at the number of things not yet accomplished (which is probably accurate). I'm also not even sure of how much time is left. **edit, I just checked, and I have until next October. Whew.** I should probably update the list as there are definitely items on it that I no longer wish to complete, or can't, or were far too ambitious. Like blogging a photoshoot once a week. Clearly I'm failing on that one.

Since I'll be 25 in a little over a month and that sounds like a terrible age, overshadowed only by 30 in awfulness, I feel like I should accomplish things, one last go at life before the age sets in. Apologies to anyone over the age of 25, I tend to be highly dramatic and I like to think that it's part of my charm (which probably means that it is only charming to me). I don't even think my parents are old (even though my dad just bought a Lincoln and was alive the same year Pearl Harbor was bombed).

Without further introductory rambling, here are 25 things that I hope to remember to make myself do in the next 40 days:

1. Reach 1000 likes on Spindle Photography's facebook page.

(this is shameless, and we bloggers/social media addicts are usually pretty shameless anyway, we feed on comments and fake fame and being responded to on twitter. I'm surprised my husband lets me have the internet, or that he is willing to look past how opposite our views on being visible online. It's just gotta be love.)

So, if you want to help me feel happier about getting old and you don't hate my photography, you could like it (no one is asking you to love it, afterall), approximately ~~242~~ ~~210~~ 196 of you who don't already. I'd add some easy fancy like button but I don't know how to on blogger especially, so if someone else does and would rather donate that service than like my page I could accept that.

~~2. Read a book.~~ Hunger Games & Done. Miracles.

I realize I sound illiterate, and I vaguely mentioned to Garrett that I wanted to buy a kindle kind of and he laughed and asked if it was to play mp3s and I explained that I thought I'd try to read a book by the time I turn 25 as if that logic follows. But, I have had trouble reading for fun since middle school really, I tend to busy myself with things and picking a book up long enough to read it all before I get distracted or eaten up with work of some variety has been nearly impossible. I have one on the bedstand that's been started, maybe it will be the fateful book.

3. Cook a ~~meal~~ dish

I'm going to allow myself a lot of leeway here, it can even be something I've made many times before, I just need to get back in the kitchen, I feel like that muscle has atrophied and I'll never get it back.

(Completed! I made lasagna last night (8-7-11) for my poor darling husband who had been eating sandwiches all week while out in Kentucky for a climbing trip. Nothing new and adventurous, but it felt good to make myself cook SOMETHING)

4. Use August to catch up! On everything!

I've only blogged 3 weddings this year. I've shot 14. Maybe number 5 should be to hire another intern. Lord.

5. Shoot and develop a roll of film. The pentax would be fine, I just need to do it.

6. Weed out old clothes I don't wear.

7. De-boxify the apartment (of at least the non-books, because I value my life and the books are not mine for the most part).

8. Take all of the old clothes to goodwill or consignment (or a clothing swap, if Molly Green has one soon).

9. Clean out the refrigerator.

10. Get all of my office papers out of the house and into my office where they belong.

11. Dust.

12. Clean everything else in our apartment up.

13. Have people over in our newly cleaned apartment.

14. Revamp my photo blog in some way

15. Make a plan for getting the new Bham Bride up, running, and functional

16. Start working out regularly (a few days a week at least)

17. Buy/gather the fabric for the quilt I've sworn I'll make one day.

18. Hang up the framed photos I got for my cement-walled office (that should be fun and easy, yeah?) (DONE!)

19. Update my website with new favorite pics.

~~20. Photograph my grandmother, who will be turning 90 this August.~~ (photos to come)

21. Giveaway something awesome.

22. Go out dancing (suggestions welcome, I have no idea of anywhere good to go dancing in Birmingham).

23. Do something relaxing. A movie, massage, pedicure, something. (Crazy, Stupid, Love, and DONE)

24. Make a video with my new camera (nothing fancy, and probably nothing involving my voice or any real editing. But maybe I can come up with something I would be willing to share online).

25. Do a styled shoot. Not sure to what extent, but it's time to force myself to do something different.

Coming up with 25 things was much more difficult than I would've thought, and I'm not even sure that those are all doable. Worth a shot.

Things as of late

2011-07-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

Hello neglected blog and its straggling followers. Last year was slow and agonizing, and often I didn't blog because of how little was going on or because of how depressing the thought of doing so little was. This year I ache to blog but find myself half finishing the posts in my head because I don't have the time to commit them to text.

August is a break. The first weekend I'll be shooting a wedding (that I am very excited about, two academic types that I know could've been some of my best friends in high school, and the groom is the older brother of my intern Nancy, whom I have adopted in some sort of sorority sister type way that very well might terrify her), and after that I only have small sessions here or there. September (my mostly favorite month because of my birthday, 9-9), will turn me into an old person but also send me to Europe for the first time with dear husband.

And then it starts again but I am so smitten with the thought of being caught up and reading books and marketing again and maybe even a blog or two, possibly even here instead of just in photography land. Photography is amazing and I love it, but as an art form it is so hard not to examine yourself and find yourself to be beyond lame. Pets, cute babies, weddings, landscapes, sunsets, they aren't new or different or exciting as art no matter how many filters you put on them or how much you spend on a lighting setup. Those things are not for the world to appreciate anyway. In my estimation (after talking with my husband in depth about the matter yesterday, lest I take all the credit), portraiture and fashion are the only very genuinely new photographs, and mostly portraits, because they center around a unique person and not creating something simply pretty.

I probably sound dark today, I feel a bit dark but happy, a bit anxious. It's not like a lot of things are changing right now, I'm not on some huge self improvement kick yet, but every now and then there are a few little things that make me feel like I am becoming someone. I've begun to wear high heels much more frequently, and considered wearing something with some height for shooting, even though my clumsiness threatens that logic. I bought a pair of 5 inch heels that make me almost the height of a real person (I'm 5'2" and a half, I used to say 5'3" until I was always corrected, so please just give me that half inch).

I'm waiting right now outside on our porch balcony for the UPS man to deliver a new camera. It's one I've been dreaming about for the past few years. Every time I would see someone with it I'd feel a bit crushed that I didn't have it yet, but I also felt like it was an unnecessary expense and that I shouldn't want it. I don't know if it will completely revolutionize my photography, most likely not, but it has dual memory card slots to minimize card failure (such an amazing feature for a wedding photographer like myself), and video, which I will probably not use very often but my husband seemed excited about it. I'm waiting around like I used to for Santa Claus to come. I'd check once every hour, staying up all night, with activity books and tasks to distract myself with. This time there's a note on the front door of our building to deter the UPS man from just leaving a slip (I've never, once, gotten a package on the first attempt at this building, even though we are always home. They don't come up to our apartment, they just leave a notice, sometimes even inside the building as if to spite us. So, I'm camped out on our porch with my laptop, weeks worth of editing to work on, writing this blogpost.

I hate posts with no pictures so I apologize if you do too. I'm hoping to decide on 25 things to do before my 25th birthday (not a bucket list really, just a to do list to keep me feeling less awful about turning 25, it sounds so incredibly old to me, and I can no longer pretend to be any sort of prodigy, since plenty of people have accomplished amazing things by 25).

If you have suggestions for said list speak up.

If you seek some creative portraiture art from my new camera (see above if you skipped down to the short paragraphs and thus don't understand), comment below or something.

Bham Bride

2011-02-02T07:27:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited with the new project I'm working on with fellow photographer, Morgan Trinker!

Being originally from North Carolina, it was really difficult to plan my wedding in a new place (Birmingham, Alabama), and especially since the online resources I found were lacking. I am very online-oriented, and most of the vendor websites I had seen online were outdated and unimpressive and the only vendor guides were subsidiaries of some larger company that surely knew nothing about the vendors that were paying them for advertising.

Fortunately vendor websites have come a long way, but the lists that feature them are still really impersonal and overwhelming. We've got some really great ideas for creating an actual community for brides planning their wedding, and helping vendors out with knowing brides and communicating with them online.

Bham Bride will feature local events, giveaways from local wedding vendors, real weddings from Birmingham, vendor listings and features, polls and surveys, discussion boards, and inspiration.

If you are interested in contributing we want to hear from you! We'd love to have a large group of present and former brides (and vendors!) to contribute on topics of interest. Send us your thoughts or sign up to get involved! bhambride@gmail.com

Giveaway :: Personalized Bridal Hanger

2011-01-30T19:58:00.000-08:00

I've been hoping to find a solution to the problem of photographing fabulous dresses on really un-photogenic plastic wedding dress hangers for a while now, and I finally found the perfect solution via Etsy! It's a surprise for my brides, and I love them! They are personalized with Mrs. and their new last name. Kara, the crafter behind the hangers I ordered, included a special one for me as well!

I'm so grateful to Kara's Kloset for offering one of these hand crafted hangers to a lucky reader! The personalized hangers can be personalized with up to 12 characters, and are a really clever idea for brides and their bridesmaids (your photographer will thank you!).

Kara is also extended a 10% discount to dash pinch smidgen readers, just use the code DASHPINCHSMIDGEN10 when you place your order!

To enter to win one (1) personalized hanger, please leave a comment below with the detail you For extra entries head over to facebook or twitter and like dashpinchsmidgen (or share a link to this post!), and report back below (add your twitter name if you choose to tweet!)

You have until Monday, February 7th to enter. And, go!

Hi Fi Fest next weekend!

2011-01-20T10:33:00.000-08:00

If you happen to think of me as a celebrity (right?!) and you want to come meet me in real life...here's your chance! Actually, I really just want to push for Brides to make the trip to Huntsville for a really fun wedding event with a lot of unique vendors displaying their craft!

For the specifics, visit Hi-Fi Weddings (an amazing resource for the music-minded bride and groom, btw). I might try to figure out a door prize to sweeten the deal, so if you have suggestions for a prize or if you plan to come and just want to let me know please do!

Also, in case you only stalk my personal blog, I'll be appearing as Spindle Photography. I hope to see you there!

101 in 1001- Movie List (in progress)

2011-01-19T08:11:00.000-08:00

See the original post for all of my goals. This goal is to watch 101 movies in 1001 days, and it began on February 1, 2010, will end October 29 2013.

1. Casablanca- classic, I'd never seen it, and I think it has changed Garrett's attitude about old films, which I am glad for. I also want to re-watch, we watched at Alabama Theater and the sound was quiet for the forst 15 or so minutes so I couldn't catch all of the lines. They showed us trivia before and I found it amusing that while "Play it again, Sam," something I've heard my mom say all my life, came from Casablanca, it isn't said in the movie.
2. Princess and the Frog- So good! I was glad to see the old disney cartooning style and the story was great. Also, this is the first Disney film for me where the sad part turned truly happy.
3. Slumdog Millionare- I really enjoyed it but not as much as everyone else seemed to. It reminded me a lot of City of God, and I didn't know much about either before I watched them, but I definitely wasn't expecting so much violence/horrificness. My favorite part was the Bollywood style end credits.
4. Charlie Bartlett- Cute, and had a lot of nods to Harold and Maude, but I can't help thinking someone else could've taken this movie and made it great. I really liked Charlie (Anton Yelchin), who went on to star as Chekov in Star Trek. And it has Robert Downey Jr.
5. Munich- I was completely on edge for absolutely all of this movie, but it was great (I need new adjectives). It's funny how much easier it is for me to watch graphic or violent movies now, I used to avoid them.
6. Away We Go- I was so ticked that this never came to Birmingham so we rented on Netflix. It was pretty good but couldn't live up to it's elusiveness.
7. Alice in Wonderland - Enjoyed it very much despite the nay-sayers.
8. Toy Story 3- I cried during this one as well, as much as I tried not to. Growing up is terrible. I'd rather not do it.
9. How to Train Your Dragon - Loved it and Garrett didn't stop raving about it. 3D movies are super expensive but this one was worth it.
10. It Might Get Loud- Amusing and intriguing. My husband loves Jack White but I'd never really watched any video footage of him, I enjoyed it. And I felt bad for The Edge.
11. Kick Ass- I loved it. I didn't read the comics (and haven't read much of any comics really) but I really think they did an amazing job of making a superhero movie that transitioned between real life and the grit and humor of comics.
12. The Talented Mr. Ripley - Chilling and really well done.
13. An Education - loved the outfits and hair.
14. Iron Man 2- Not as good as the first. Oh well.
15. The Hangover- I appreciated it much more once I'd seen Zack Galifianakis's stand-up on netflix, but I enjoyed it anyway the first go round.
16. The Fountain- Strange (surreal) and depressing but lovely. I was shocked it came out in 2006, it had a 1997 look to it (in my very untrained opinion)
17. Nick Saban: Game Changer- I teared up during the intro. Amazing. I took pictures with the marquee and dressed up. That good.
18. Knight and Day- Really enjoyable.
19. Inception- I remember someone saying on Twitter that Inception would take over high school philosophy classes, replacing the Matrix. Rightfully so.
20. Jackass 2.5- I'd only seen bits and pieces of Jackass before watching this on Netflix, and it was much more watchable than it would've been to me a few years ago. Enough that I went to see...
21. Jackass 3-D - They did an amazing job with the intro & cinematography. Makes me want to take up film. But not of men purposefully hitting themselves in the nether regions.
22. Twilight- the first one. I was okay until he started running fast.
23. The Social Network- Makes me love facebook again. Great acting, even if it's not 100% accurate (which is really too bad since everyone was crazytown), and the rowing scene is beautiful.
24. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - Hilarious probably unintentionally. And Carey Mulligan's baby bump made me want one. Enjoyable but ridiculous. And I need to see the first one still.
25. About a Boy- I'd just read the book. I really like both. Plus it's fun to see Tony from Skins as a child.
26. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 1
27. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- I was as excited as anyone at seeing Brad Pitt as a teenager but this movie didn't do it for me. Most people I've talked to liked it, so it might be just me (and the friend I watched it with). I felt like old baby Benjamin looked like Smeagol from Lord of the Rings and I wasn't drawn to the love interest at all. Also, 2 hours and 45 minutes? Should've read that before we started watching.
28. Me Without You - I watched this one instantly on Netflix and I really enjoyed it. It's at times a pretty accurate portrayal of female friendships and madness. Plus Michelle Williams is in it.
29. True Grit- Amazing.
30. Dinner for Schmucks- I couldn't help feeling bad pretty much the whole time. A lot like Shallow Hal.

Writing killer thank you notes :: A preface

2010-12-28T09:07:00.000-08:00

I really like physical mail correspondence. It's too bad that I forget to do it more frequently and that aside from my grandmother most people I stay in contact with are on facebook, so now rather than have a conversation through the post [I've just at this moment become very envious of Emily Post's name and want to change mine], I have nothing to ask and tell that the whole world doesn't already know.

I wasn't crazy about writing thank you notes for wedding gifts, not because I was not thankful, I saw the necessity and I like stationery quite a bit. The problems were the overwhelming nature of wedding planning, the multitude of presents, my forgetfulness in which gift givers were present at the wedding, which ones I had met, how to thank someone in a unique way and say enough but with a genuine tone.

I was probably a little burnt out from all of the wedding thank you's. My handwriting isn't great. I'd be a messy artist. I actually have no idea if my thank you notes wow people. They probably like my taste in paper goods, because it's an extravagance I don't feel very guilty about. I like buying letterpress cards, I like sending them out, and I love mail.

I would run to the mailbox as soon as the mail was set to arrive, full sprint. I would discourage my parents from checking the mail from the car on their way home, or make them pull up so that I could open it from the back seat. My best friend and I sent letters back and forth about tickle wars and newsletters with beauty tips, ways to beat boredom, wordsearches we created ourselves.

I can't stay directly on topic for long, which is why I'd never be any good at writing papers, I want to say everything. I want to do everything and live to be 113. I used to, at least. That's probably the only way I could fit everything in anyhow.

So, for the patient, I will write another post about my thoughts on actually writing thank you notes, and if you have your own ideas please share them, for the greater good.

Mega Score: Day after Christmas at Urban Outfitters

2010-12-26T21:53:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty bummed that after packing last night and psyching myself up for driving in the snow to the NC mountains to see my family, (a 7 hour drive if you could actually go the speed limit in snow in the south), we had to give up 18 miles in after passing 6 (according to Garrett who was counting) spun out cars, passing spewing sand/salt trucks, and stand still traffic on a highway with a 70mph limit.

Good did come of it. I don't know that I've been so proud of a shopping trip since that time I bought a $5 rainbow striped sweater at Belk in 8th grade. Behold, the deals I obtained at Urban Outfitters. Buying things on sale is probably cheaper and more beneficial than actual therapy (debatable and likely untrue, but I'm going to try it out anyway).

So, until the 31st, all sale items in-store are an extra 50% off. Boom.

Faux Leather Aviator Jacket by Sparkle and Fade $40.00

Lady Bird faux fur cropped jacket by Kimchi and Blue $25.00

BDG Sherpa Parka $40.00

Linus Blanket for $9

only available in stores, I was shocked to get it so cheap! They had 75% off of holiday items and luckily it was included. G's been wanting one for years and I've always missed the sale, so merry day after Christmas to him!

The Sartorialist $1.45

Couldn't believe it. I might go back tomorrow and make sure that it was the last copy, because what a perfect gift/blog giveaway possibility!

I also bought a pink and black kimchi and blue dress for $15 that I plan to do some minor alterations to (shorten the straps mostly), and a $5 plaid button up top.

Did anyone else score big during the day after Christmas sales?

Favorite Christmas Card designs

2010-11-23T23:47:00.000-08:00

I haven't gotten Garrett on board with Christmas cards with our photo on them for this year just yet, but I've really enjoyed browsing all of the Christmas cards available this year anyway (and I'm definitely getting a card to send out to my bride & grooms from this year and will post photos once they're sent!).

Here are some of my favorite photo cards from Tiny Prints, a company anyone can use to order personalized cards: (prices are based on orders of 200 and are per card)

Peaceful Clusters $0.94

this one is a simple but lovely postcard.

Lacy Holiday $0.71

Iron Gate in Peppermint (postcard, $0.71)

I love these colors! They are almost my business colors, so it's not a shock I like it.

Festive Lyrics ($0.97)

Holiday Event Trifold cards ($1.66)

Merry Script Trifold Cards ($1.66)

Luminous Stars (this one was designed by Night Owl Paper Goods and I loooove it). ($0.89)

Are you sending out Christmas cards this year? I'd love to see your favorite designs!

And, if you want a photo card with your spouse or family it's not too late! I have some sessions available this Sunday here in Birmingham. If you are interested, just send me an email at kelly (at) spindlephotography (dot) com!

20% is the new 15.

2010-11-15T08:01:00.000-08:00

via examiner.com

I almost aways tip at least 20% at restaurants.

Which is mostly a result of living the following first hand:

-Most waiters make a very paltry sum hourly from their employer ($2.15 when I was working in NC), with the expectation that they will make at least minimum wage considering tips. This is the minimum requirement by the state, but most employers don't see a reason to pay more.

Employers are required to make up the difference if you don't make minimum wage, but at least for me it was a per paycheck rule and I don't think I ever saw any additional pay because of it. That means, if you worked on the slower weeknights (which most waitstaff were required to for the benefits of a weekend), you could earn only $20 or $30 (which happened a lot during slower times of the year, especially since they cut people early if we weren't busy and scheduled too many people just in case)

-Waiters may be tipping out to their bartenders and hostesses. I think ours was 3% out of our total sales, which means if someone left us no tip at all, we were losing money. If you tipped 15%, 3% of that was not ours. I don't begrudge the hostesses and bartenders making money at all, but paying the hostesses a good hourly wage and letting the restaurant handle the bartender's cut sounds okay to me as well.

-20% is now considered a standard tip. I am sure not everyone has this expectation, but where I worked, we wondered what we had done wrong when we didn't get 20%. I wondered what I did wrong when a foursome came in and spent $90 and tipped me nothing, who wrote in zeroes. I'm assuming that the man who so graciously decided to pay didn't like the way his steak was cooked, although, when I asked if everything came out right, he declined to offer up that information. I know that the internet world doesn't know me, but I am pretty even tempered with customers.

Before I started working at the restaurant (a pretty popular and nice Italian restaurant chain), my dad tipped 15% always. Within a few weeks I had asked him what he tipped and explained what working at the restaurant was like, and he changed his ways, mostly for me. He didn't know it had changed. Some people feel like 15% is standard and 20% is if they wowed you.

-You aren't teaching anyone a lesson when you tip them less than 20%. You had an awful server and you decide you are doing them a favor by leaving them a small tip. Now they will know that they did a bad job and improve in the future. Actually, they will consider you to be an asshole, and if they see you again they will pray you aren't their table. If they do think they've done a bad job they will feel bad, but probably not improve. And chances are they don't think they did a bad job. Or, it might have been the kitchen's fault. Or, this is their second job of the day and they are tired and miserable. Or, they are new. It really doesn't matter. Tipping only really means "good job" when it's not expected. Take it up with restaurant owners if you don't like it, or stop eating out. You won't, because it doesn't affect you.

-You should factor in tips before you make the decision to eat out. Restaurant owners care if you tip, but not as much as they care if you eat out. They want everyone to feel like they can afford eating out. However, if you decide to really treat yourself and end up with a $100 check, I hope you aren't thinking $10 is a good tip. That anyone would be happy with $10 whole dollars from just one table. They aren't. They are giving three of those dollars to tipshare. You were probably taking up their table for at least an hour. You might be their only table or you might have been really demanding when they had several other tables to deal with.

-Waiters come in before their shift starts and stay after. Where I worked, at the end of every night we were required to clean our tables, "vacuum" around them, refill the sweeteners and refill the olive oil. Then, we had a job to do: clean out the tea urns, polish the wine glasses, clean the bread cutter, etc. During the shift we had "running duties" such as helping the bartender restock or being responsible for starting a new batch of coffee or tea. We had to wait on someone to check us out at the end of the night. We had to wait for our last table to leave before we could do any of that. Some of us were so desperate to get out of the restaurant that we'd pay another server to do our jobs and take over our tables if they were closing. You don't get paid extra to stay late. You get paid $2.15 an hour. Closing only paid off if people preferred paying you to doing their jobs or if you got extra tables after some waiters had gone home. Opening meant that you got seated first, and usually you got a good section.

-When you come to a restaurant to catch up with old friends or just to order dessert and coffee but sit for 2 hours and tip based on the check, you are killing your waiter with a slow painful death. You are either unaware or inconsiderate. I've heard people use the excuse that it's not very busy so it doesn't matter. Where I worked you only started out with two tables until you could be trusted with three, and on weekends often we only had two anyway, because they wanted to make sure we did a good job with each table. If both of my tables were full and both parties were enjoying themselves after a meal or taking their time with the large salad they split and their two waters, I was stuck.

I've been really uncomfortable as a customer when I'm out with family or friends and we've been there a long time. I've tipped extra after covertly seeing what a friend tipped (when we hadn't stayed long after the meal). I've squirmed when someone ordered another coffee. I can't help but feel for these servers, even incompetent ones, because I've been there. I round up on tips, it makes the math easier. I never tip less than 20% to make it a whole number or tip on the pre-tax amount (which I'm not necessarily knocking).

I do feel like I could write a book on the topic, it is what waiters breathe every day, mutter to each other after every table. The amazing tips aren't as frequent as you'd like. The small tips make you feel crummy and the non-tips make you livid. The car salesman-like waiters that work with you and make great tips but also pull out photos of their children and say it's their birthday to get better tips make you sick. You worry about pushing dessert because while it ups their tab, they might be dead set on only tipping you $5 no matter what, and especially if you make them pay more on their check. You are ticked off when it takes the kitchen 30 minutes to get your order out because you know the table will be there longer which means less turnover, and will be less pleased which means less tip.

I've gone on for too long, and I don't expect anyone to actually read all of it, but hopefully the bolded text sticks out to some people. I want people to be informed when they vote and when they eat out.

Wedding Dresses that aren't

2010-11-08T19:16:00.000-08:00

So, French Connection is one of my new favorite dress brands (I've known about FCUK but just recently started trying on their clothes & buying on sale at Belk). Weddings are a favorite pastime of mine. This post was born.

Wedding dresses that aren't are pretty great, and I admire the folks that go the non traditional route of buying a dress not designated as a wedding gown. You can some luxury brands you may usually feel too thrifty for and spend less than you would have at a bridal shop.

So, here's a French Connection dress for $248 that I could most definitely see as a wedding gown. I haven't tried it on (I would say yet but I don't see any chance for a vow renewal in the near future and I think I've passed the opportunity for a deb ball), but it does look pretty amazing on the model.

What do you think? Have you seen any wedding worthy gowns lately?

Also, as far as a recommendation for FCUK: French Connection dresses tend to fit me pretty well (I'm really petite and I can rarely find dresses that really fit) and in my opinion the silhouettes are typically interesting and flattering.

Digital Negatives (oxymoron?)

2010-11-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: Skip to the end if the length of this entry is scaring you off. I will add a photo to distract you from the text.

I've been reworking my website and branding a little bit lately which is both really amazing and really frustrating, because I want everything to be perfect immediately. And it's not, of course. I'm impatient and I think that can be a strength, especially since I deal with wedding clients all the time and thus I can empathize with their impatience!

Anywho, I'm in the middle of reworking pricing and offerings for next year, and after some recent client meetings I'm figuring out that (duh), prospective clients aren't in the photography industry and they have no idea why we do the things we do. Or why different people offer different things. And so, I want to hear your opinion, and I want to say my two cents here.

Having a photography blog and a wedding/personal blog makes it difficult for me to share anything really personal on the business one, I feel like it'll turn people off to hear a photographer complain (not that that is my intention) about the industry when they are just seeking out someone to hire. So feel free to comment on that as well.

(Christmas gift idea, a photo session, comes with this lovely gift certificate!)

So, as far as "digital negatives" go... Here are the various thoughts on the matter:

• In days of yore, photographers used film. They had the film developed, and then they made proof sheets from the negatives. You selected your favorites, the photographer made enlargements, and the photographer kept the negatives so that if you wanted to order more later, you could.

You could sometimes buy the negatives, but it would be very expensive, because the photographer would no longer be able to make prints of their images.

• In days of yore, photographers made most of their money off of prints.

• Along came digital. Photographers slowly made the transition into digital for wedding photography because it offered more flexibility, it was cheaper than rolls of film, you could be sure you got "the shot", and you could back up your images in a way that you couldn't with film.

• The same photographers that were shooting film created the setup for Digital Wedding Photography. So, the emphasis was still on prints, and giving the clients the "negatives" felt problematic.

• Now, in 2010, clients know that most photography is digital, and in the age of the internet and facebook, and shutterfly, clients want to take control of the photography. They want to own the images and broadcast them to their friends and family. They are in the images, they feel like they own them (and I don't disagree).

• Another dilemma with digital photography is that when you feel like you, the client, own your images, you don't think it should cost extra, you want to order the prints yourself from whomever is cheapest, and if you post your images, you don't think to credit your photographer, because, they are your images.

Enough with the bullet points, I think. I believe I feel the weight of this issue more than most clients and photographers just because last year I was both a client and a photographer. The photography world is competitive and full of peer pressure.

I've been criticized by a fellow photographer for posting images of an engagement (of one of my friends even) on facebook, I was told it was "unprofessional", and I have heard horror stories passed around about clients who take an image and add some creative color techniques and words, post on facebook, and say "look at the wonderful image by Blank Photography!" I've heard that argument not to give clients their images, and then I have heard people like Matt Sloan (via his formspring/facebook) say he doesn't watermark because he doesn't care what happens to the images afterwards. I applaud that attitude. I also have a huge problem making the decision about digital negatives for myself.

I'm still fairly new to the business side of wedding photography, and a recession is not a great time to figure out pricing for a new business. I currently charge an additional fee for a disc of high resolution images but include it for free with album purchases. The philosophy behind that decision for me is that I want clients to have a physical product. Partly because I want my work displayed from the mountaintops, but mostly because I tend to think everyone is at least somewhat like me, and that without the obligation to order something physical, you may never get around to ordering prints or an album and feel shorthanded a year later when you remember that your images only exist on a computer somewhere.

I myself am a very bad bride, and have yet to order my own album. Our wedding was complicated with the multiple parts, and while I LOVE my images, I was pretty burnt out post-wedding. I'm hoping to kick it into gear and order for Christmas.

I am not good at staying on task with my essays. I should've probably failed my college classes. So, for those of you who can't follow 10 trains of thought, here is a summary:

• Photographers charge a lot for high resolution digital images because giving them to you ensures you will most likely not order images from them, and the way wedding photography pricing is set up across the board, they don't want to scare you off by just raising their package price to accommodate for that loss of money.

• Some photographers will not give you the digital images at all because they are afraid you will use them in a way that negatively reflects their brand. Plus, they know that if you love their photography enough you'll probably make do with that fact and just order prints instead.

Indie Candy in Mtn Brook (Birmingham, AL)

2010-10-19T06:34:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to write about Indie Candy for a while since it's a local candy company (and a great place for brides to buy favors or candy bar goodies). As a bonus they specialize in allergen free sweets, with products for those with dietary restrictions: gluten/wheat free, vegan, soy free, dairy free, corn free, and organic.

image via indiecandy.com

Today is an especially good day to discover them because they are the deal of the day on Groupon. $7 will get you $15 dollars worth. I really like the caramels and the gummies (which they make in house). Indie Candy is located on Church Street in Crestline.

Gifts for the Photographer in your life.

2010-10-13T23:19:00.000-07:00

I saw some Polaroid notecards in Books-A-Million (or BAM! as Garrett calls it) and thought about how that would be something fun to have, but not the kind of thing I'd buy myself. I'm crazy about lists, and you probably are too, so here are a few fun photo-related gift ideas. If you are looking for something practical, ask yourself why.

1. Leica Look-A-like iphone skin

$13 at the Petapixel Store. Found via twitter (@abryanphoto) on Katie Armour's blog

2. Lens Look-a-like coffee mugs

We certainly love when things resemble our gear. Because we most certainly want more. Always.

We want to drink from it. Sleep on it. Keep it in our nests. Just make sure you know if they are Nikon or Canon.

(Just so you can be a better judge of my character, I'm Nikon.)

$36-55 on Cupshop.com, and they come in the 24-105mm for Canon, 24-70 for Nikon, and the 70-200 for both.

$24 for the 24-105 Canon at Photojojo

3. Polaroid notecards

Pretty sure these are the ones I saw at BAM! $14.95 for 20 cards at Chronicle Books

4. Camera arm extender for the person who always looks like they are in a myspace photo.

You'd definitely want to limit this to your point and shoot for weight, but especially when you are a tourist in another country anyway, you can't look that silly with a camera extender.

You can find The Collapsible Camera Extender for $24.95 at the Photojojo Store

5. The Zumi Digital Camera

I don't shoot any video currently, but I definitely would with a zumi, they create some pretty hip 8mm style videos
The Zumi Digital (2.0) is available for $190 at the Photojojo Store

6. Miniature Camera Replica with interchangeable lenses, $28

They seem to only have Canon, but the dinosaur with the camera is still amazing. Of course Photojojo is taking over this list, they tend to have really clever and inexplicably desirable goods. I do disagree with their idea of gifting a friend a tiny replica of the really expensive zoom lens they've been lusting after. That's just cruel.

7. A Lensbaby, $270

These attach to a digital camera for an awesome and fun tilt shift effect. I recommend the composer (I've played with one but don't own one. yet.)

8. Playmobil Wedding Photographer (with flower girl and ring bearer)

From the ridiculous Wedding Pavillion set that Playmobil has out now I saw this little gem at the local toystore. And even though I'm not a man in vest and khakis, I simply must have this set. They even have a wedding piano player. So clearly if you are getting married this year you need to thank everyone involved with a playmobil version of themselves.

$10.99 at ToysRUs.

You can also apparently buy Barbie as a baby photographer or her friend Becky as a school photographer. I really can't think of anything to say about that, I'll let you form your own opinions.

9. Coby 1.5 inch Digital Photo Keychain $9-15 or the Tao Digital Photo Keychain ($10)

I am including this because it amuses me and it's too cheap not to want to buy it, take it with me to "networking events", for example, and when I'm asked what I do, I'll pull out my keychain portfolio and smile. Who needs an ipad?

10. Camera tie tack, $10 (with mention of matching cufflinks) on etsy.

They also have these lego video camera cufflinks that I approve of for $19.99.

Have you seen an awesome photo gift that I don't have listed? I'd love to add more to the list so feel free to share!

First Anniversary Gifts for the Menfolk

2010-10-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

Hello there. I apologize profusely for my absence, fortunately I have had a very busy wedding season with my photography business and unfortunately am now playing the most intense game of catch up on blogging and marketing. So if you want to be my life intern, let me know [wink].

In other news, Garrett & I celebrated our first anniversary this Sunday (although this was the 3rd one, if you recall we were illegitimately joined by a friend of Garrett's on August 13th, legally joined in the San Francisco City Hall on the 14th [the same place Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were married], and our blessing and reception were October 3rd).

Garrett and I have become less involved with presents as we've been growing up, although it's mostly a need to conserve space because a one bedroom apartment is infinitely smaller when you add two people, their possessions, and wedding presents. But, I have a strong desire to follow the traditional list of wedding presents, and the first year equals paper.

There are a lot of really cheesy and awful ideas out there, like puzzles with your wedding photos on them, or anniversary toilet paper (which could be a subtle way to remind a forgetful spouse I guess?)

So, here are some ideas for the rest of you newlyweds, which I offer in exchange of helping me think something up for Garrett. We're both delinquent on picking out gifts (but our birthdays were pretty recent and we've eaten out a lot to celebrate the anniversaries) so maybe we'll combine our powers into an awesome gift. I think a winning lottery ticket would be pretty sweet.

1. Moleskine cover for kindle : Real Paper + E-paper

image via Amazon.com

The cover has a moleskine reporter style notebook on the inside flap. Aren't you just dying right now?

Garrett received a kindle from his parents this year for his birthday and when he discovered this cover a few weeks ago I was cursing the fact I didn't find and buy it first, it is probably the best possible present for Garrett ever invented. But, he got it for himself, so we'll move on.

2. Letterpress Calling Cards

via words, a blog, card by Brooklyn Social Cards

Letterpress goods are sexy. The cards from Brooklyn Social Cards are $250 for 250 cards, +$75 if you want to submit your own design. They also have letterpressed gift certificates, so you could let your guy design his own if you wanted.

3. Boudoir Prints

I had a surge of Boudoir sessions the past few months which got me thinking what a wonderful present a boudoir session would be. The paper part comes in when you present the gift as a print or album. I suppose men could also give a (paper) gift certificate for a boudoir session to their womenfolk, because they are ridiculously fun, but it might just come off as a present for yourself instead.

Just for perspective, my boudoir sessions currently run for $250 which includes an approximately 2 hour session with a disc of high resolution images, 25 4x6 prints, and an option to purchase an album (with no design fee).

4. Show him the directions for how to make a copy of his favorite gun out of paper. (I'd say make him one, but that's like giving someone a lego set you've already put together).

It's pretty easy to find tons of websites with videos and instructions, just type in "paper gun instructions". Here's a link (and above photo) from instructables.

5. A custom paper cut-out

via remodalista, cutout by Rob Ryan

paper cutout by Made by Julene

The San Francisco cutout would be cute since Garrett & I got married there, but the Made by Julene cutouts are often custom and somewhat pricey (justifiably though, they are amazing). They make me think of our Disney World silhouettes (just because paper cutting is magical). I would love to commission one for Spindle Photography one day.

The usual:

• a framed share of a stock that means something to the two of you
• a book
• a love letter
• a gift certificate

For the less literal gift givers, here are some paper related ideas:

• Paper Mario (video game)
• Paper Tiger (song by Spoon)
• Paper Toss for iphones and Droids (game)
• South Park on dvd

gone tomorrow

2010-04-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

It's well overdue, but I've cut off all my hair. I had been growing my hair out since we were engaged in December 2008 (it was a little past my earlobes at that point) and I hadn't cut or trimmed it at all (even the frayed end bits would add to the volume of the updo).

My hair in Dec/Jan 08 (the right is pre-engagement and the left is post. sorry for the two-toned awfulness, I was in the process of going back from brown to blonde)

I had no real intention of cutting any of it off (no post-wedding chop plan), it had been so long since I'd had it shaped that I figured I could make something of my limp hair with some clever scissor help. After the Oscars and after I'd made a hair appointment for said shaping, Garrett (husband) suggested the Carey Mulligan look. She has a pretty round face and so do I, and I rarely resist suggestions as to hairstyles, so I considered it. Garrett was afraid of being responsible if I hated it, so I left it up to Mallory (Oak Street Hair Group in Birmingham if you need a stylist).

(updo for Valentine's Day 2010)

I knew what she'd go for, she prefers short hair for herself and she's not the kind of personality that will cut your hair an inch longer than you want just because they are afraid you won't like it if it's as short as you say you want. So, I let her do it. I'd received mostly cries of "Yes!" on my unofficial facebook poll, with a few no's (including my sister who said it was thinly veiled rosemary's baby hair, and since I have yet to see it, I didn't let that ruin it for me).

(random, fairly recent pre-cut hair. sorry that I have 0 pictures of it down but it looked so bad unless I curled it. it was well past my shoulders, if that helps.)

I was so nervous driving back with my haircut, Garrett didn't know which I would get, the Mulligan or the trim, and I was desperately hoping I hadn't transformed into a completely unattractive boy. He loved it, which is fortunate, since I'm stuck with hair fit for a pixie for at least another 6 months.

I hate reading long posts online, so I will leave it there, but I intend to discuss my revelations that come along with having short hair, and would love to hear your own hair adventures or answer questions.

Vibram five fingers

2010-04-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

If you've been to an outdoor store in the past few months, you've probably seen the shoes that claim to be the new barefoot. For the website, check out Vibram Five Fingers.

My husband is sure he'd want to run if he owned a pair. I feel like they are probably a novelty that will die out in a few years. I know they're saying that people wearing normal shoes all of the time is reducing the use of muscles in our feet and that doing activities barefoot (or with these barefoot like shoes) would retrain our muscles... but I'm also recalling a study a few years ago about how flip-flops had ruined our feet because there was no arch support. (Or is that just for people with already flat feet?)

That didn't keep me from trying them on, and I didn't try on multiple pairs. I have 2 toes that don't separate all the way (it's hardly noticeable), and the fabric between the toes was really uncomfortable there. I think I'd have to go up a size or two from my regular size to remedy the problem (the website faqs says they don't have custom pairs for webbies like me). It's not likely I'll shell out $100 for a pair any time soon, though I like the idea/look/oddity of it.

Has anyone actually bought a pair that they can weigh in on?

Beauty Girl Mag Green Event

2010-04-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun at the Beauty Girl Mag Green Event last week and wanted to share a few pictures! All of the vendors I met there were fabulous, Jessica from Birmingham Glam, Tiffany from Studio Flower, Shaun from Blonde Salon, Anne from Arbonne, Martha from Johnny Green Seeds Wines (a local organic wine supplier), and of course Brittany from Beauty Girl Mag!

There were door prizes, mini-makeup lessons, a hair before and after treatment, and wine tastings. The event focused on going "Green" with your skincare/beauty regimen, something I'd never really thought about. I'm sure Brittany will have a post up soon but here is a sneak peak at some images from the event!

All photography by Spindle Photography. You are welcome to use as long as you credit the source!

Mallory & Eric are competing for a free wedding!

2010-04-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

My friends Mallory & Eric (of previous engagement fame over at Spindle) made a video for a contest over at Project Wedding Alabama to win a free wedding! The wedding is being sponsored by a lot of really fun and creative local vendors, I'm jealous that I'm already married. If you live in Alabama and want to enter, visit the site for rules and enter by May 2, 2010 (the wedding date is 9-25-10).

Go see their super cute video and comment/vote to help them win!

Ajalon Printing & Design:: Vendor Feature

2010-04-02T22:54:00.000-07:00

I received an email a few months ago from Trish Jackson of Ajalon Printing & Design about featuring their letterpress wedding invitations on my site. While I typically focus on local vendors, not all of my readers are local, and I know that I spent most of my time online when I was planning my wedding. Trish was kind enough to send me some samples to photograph and I picked my favorites to feature.

If you order by April 30th, 2010, you can get 100 invitations with blank envelopes and 100 RSVP postcards for $439 (We used RSVP postcards for our wedding invites and it cuts back on the postage for the RSVP and invite weight pretty significantly).

style Avani

Fleur Reception Card

Jessica Invitation

Rana 1

Anne RSVP card

Sindhu Thank You cards

Feel free to check out the rest of their designs on Ajalon's gallery. Some of my other favorites are the Laura, Jennifer, and Baroque. Ajalon is located in Santa Rosa, California, but are available online for everyone and at a really great price!

Beauty Girl Green Event

2010-04-02T07:39:00.000-07:00

Beauty Girl Mag is a website for girls about inner and outer beauty and confidence, and is based here in Birmingham! Beauty Girl Mag is hosting an event at Blonde Salon and Spa on April 14th to talk about how going green can be applied to your body as well! I'll be there and I hope you will as well!

The event is FREE and you can RSVP on facebook!

Here's more info from Brittany, founder of Beauty Girl Mag:

Okay, so maybe you're not sure what to think of the whole "green" movement that has swept over America. Maybe you're not convinced to buy only organic fruits and veggies from your local farmer's market or trade in your SUV for a smart car.

But do you really know how important it is to use organic/natural products on your face and hair? After all, it is your body we're talking about!

BeautyGirlMag.com is hosting an organic beauty event at the Blonde Salon and Spa in Homewood, Al. BeautyGirl's Green Event will take place April 14th - 6:00-8:00 pm

The event will feature products from Aveda, La Bella Donna, Arbonne, and Good for You Girls. This will include product demos and a mini-makeover from our very own local, celebrity makeup artist from Birmingham Glam and an organic wine tasting.

There will also be goodie bags for the first 50 guests, which will include Aveda hair products and Good for You Girls coupons. In addition, you don't won't to miss the chance to win a great giveaway- Arbonne gift basket and Good for You Girls skincare kits.

Come and enjoy a fun evening. Go green starting with yourself first!

The never-ending recap...is ending

2010-03-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking maybe the reason the recap is taking me so long (our reception was in October, after all) is that I don't want it to be over. I want to feel like I still have real and relevant things to say and things to show. But the truth is, I'll fade back into the spectator group soon. I'm still very much into weddings, as my google reader reflects (and taunts), and seeing as my main income is wedding photography, I doubt it will completely fade anytime soon. I am so glad to be apart from the stress that was the months leading up to my wedding, and I am so glad to be married, to call Garrett my husband, to have the same last name, to be "The Cummings Household" (I used to answer my parent's landline "Merrill Residence" as a child, and it was good fun).

I'm like a mother that doesn't feel useful anymore, or The Giving Tree. Ask me your questions! I yearn to teach! All good things come to an end. I do have one more post to share about our wedding after this, so sit tight, but here is our sendoff from our reception.

We danced until well after our time was up (the reception began at 7 and was to end at 11) and not everyone stuck around, but those that did were handed sparklers for our departure.

From my own personal preferences, I think for a night send off sparklers are great (or anything else that produces light) and bubbles can be as well for pictures (the flash reflecting off the bubbles can be great if there are a lot of bubbles). Just to throw my two cents in, for daytime I love confetti (big round or rectangular multicolored bits) or flower petals (from different wildflowers or various colored and sized petals).

Our send off was a bit silly, as we didn't have anyone to pull the car to the front and so we failed at an attempt to walk to the parking deck (it was locked so we walked back inside), but I don't think anyone noticed and the party didn't really end. Afterwards I changed into the short white dress I wore to our second attempt at getting married in San Francisco (do you not recall that story?) and we went to a bar with a lot of Garrett's high school friends.

It was such a fun night and everything was great. The music, our friends, our families, dancing. I don't think everyone needs a big wedding, but you do need a party! It is such a moment to celebrate! So, do! Whether it be before or after, you need time with the people you love to celebrate, eat good food, relax, and dance!

all of the images in this post are by Kristen Stewart Photography, editing by me.

101 in 1001- new words

2010-03-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

I have to learn 1001 of these before October 29, 2012!

Have any obscure favorite words I should learn?

In case you are new to the blog, this is one of the items on my 101 in 1001 list, click for the whole shebang.

1. akimbo (to stand with arms akimbo), body position with hands on hips.

2. jag (as in crying jag) a period of unrestrained indulgence in an activity; spree; binge: a crying jag; a talking jag. (dictionary.com)

3. calliope [kuh-lahy-uh-pee] (hard as heck for me to pronounce while reading for whatever reason) Also called steam organ. a musical instrument consisting of a set of harsh-sounding steam whistles that are activated by a keyboard. reminded of this word when seen in Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.

4. rennet - enzymes naturally found in mammalian stomachs used to break down mothers' milk. often used in the production of cheese. Microbial rennet is often used in North America because it is cheaper than animal rennet, and it is vegetarian friendly.

Night Owl Paper Goods Giveaway Winner!

2010-03-12T07:03:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway! We had 35 comments, and random.org decided on the winner. Everyone wins though, because when you place an order with Night Owl Paper Goods and enter "spindle" into the coupon codes you get 15% off! The coupon code will expire March 31st so act now! Thank you to everyone who entered, the winner will receive an email shortly!

I'm so grateful for the awesome response and can't wait for the next giveaway!

Charm::Local Feature:: Birmingham, AL

2010-03-09T07:10:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago for the second time I wandered into the lovely Charm on Second Avenue North (across from Urban Standard, which you most certainly know if you are an artsy type in Birmingham). My first visit was during the Decembered frenzy in which I had to buy a secret santa gift exchange present for someone I'd never met. I had such a hard time giving away the goods I purchased, which is why I knew I'd be back.

Charm opened last September and every girl I knew was immediately telling me I had to go. Owner Chatham took great care in arranging and decorating the store, painting the wall art herself, and allowing local artists to help her change out the window displays regularly.

Three days after the shop opened, a kitty showed up. Lovingly named Wild Nasty, she's found a home in the shop. If you are dying to have the "Edison lightbulb", new ones can be purchased in the shop!

Charm features mostly jewelry but also has a pretty large selection of handbags, some paper goods, and eclectic goodies as well. When I was there last, a vintage polaroid camera was for sale, as well as a working vintage telephone.

Chatham has collected jewelry since she was 15 and has offered up some of her own pieces in the store. Other vintage pieces come from estate sales and local pickers bringing in items that fit the charm aesthetic. New pieces are often found in New York showrooms. The mix is wonderful, and there really do seem to be pieces to fit the dainty, eccentrics, and classics. Charm makes a great stop for bridesmaid gifts and birthday presents, and many items can be found in the $20-30 range.

Chatham keeps some local items available, from a limited number of artists (to avoid competition), in the shop, including these crocheted headbands pictured left. As the artists featured do change, feel free to ask Chatham about her current local pieces.

I bought the gorgeous knotted bracelet for the Christmas exchange (lucky for my recipient it was too big for my tiny wrist, if not I don't know that I could've given it away!)

I purchased the turquoise and white scarf on the right, I love houndstooth!

Huge thank you to Chatham from Charm for letting me pop in for a very long visit and learn all of her secrets. If you've been there be sure to leave a comment with what you think (and what you bought!) and if not, go now!

Lace earrings

2010-03-05T12:03:00.000-08:00

I found this amazing lace jewelry store, White Owl on etsy, via Southern Weddings, and had an idea! If you are having your bridal gown altered and some of the lace will be cut, it would make a lovely pair of earrings. You could wear it along with your gown for your wedding (which may or may not be too much depending on your gown), or you could wear it after the wedding as a lovely way to re-wear your dress! It also seems like a great alternative to reusing or altering a mother's or grandmother's dress.

I don't think the lace on my my dress would lend itself well to earrings, the pattern is too large, so I might just go buy one of these pairs and feel like a bride everyday. Most earrings are $18 and necklaces $28-$29.

Urban Outfitters to start Bridal Brand

2010-03-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

Pictureshow Dress from Anthro, $298

Urban Outfitters has announced plans to start a wedding brand. As much as I love the clothes at Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie, I'm kind of sick of everyone calling things "Anthropologie inspired" and I'm not sure I'd get my dress from them. I don't hate on J. Crew for their wedding line though, so maybe I'm being too harsh. Or maybe I'm just hating because I worked for anthro for a little while and it killed some of the magic. A year ago I bet I would've died with excitement. The wedding industry has killed my buzz.

GIVEAWAY from Night Owl Paper Goods

2010-03-04T07:44:00.000-08:00

Comment below for a chance to win this prize pack from Night Owl Paper Goods which includes an assortment of letterpress cards, postcards, and gift tags. The items are pictured below.

If you missed yesterday's feature about Night Owl Paper Goods, click here.

Please include your email address so that we will have a way to contact you if you win! I wish you owl luck!

Enter by Thursday, March 11th for a chance to win!

Boom! This just in from NOPG::

Night Owl Paper goods is running a 24-hour sale at jasmere.com starting at NOON ET TODAY that’s going to give you the opportunity to pick up a $50 coupon code for up to 70% off that you can use toward ANYTHING in the store, including custom and wedding items! It’s the perfect opportunity to save a bundle on your invitations and pick up some goodies and gifties at the same time!

(It's basically like a deal where you buy a gift card for less than the value of the giftcard, and the more people that sign up, the cheaper it is for everyone! I'm game for that, and I'll be in possession of $50 worth of night owl paper goodies soon!)

And the really cool part is that the more people who buy, the more everyone saves, so spread the word!

Be sure to check it out at jasmere.com, starting at 12pm ET TODAY, March 4th!

City Skyline Necklace

2010-03-04T06:44:00.000-08:00

(Paris skyline)

(NYC skyline)

Every time I see a new city map or skyline object, I always think we need one for Birmingham! Of course for the Birmingham skyline we'd have to throw Vulcan in there.

These necklaces can be purchased in black or white acrylic on etsy from Plastique. Other cities available are Chicago and Sydney, Australia. I found out about them at Mixed Plate.

Night Owl Paper Goods:: Local Vendor feature:: Homewood, Owlabama

2010-03-03T19:57:00.000-08:00

Night Owl Paper Goods is a letterpress company based out of Homewood, Owlabama, and they were gracious enough to humor me with an interview! They have a very cute whimsical collection complete with clever puns and I bought some of their letterpressed Thank You cards a few months ago when I was finishing up wedding thank yous and they are absolutely gorgeous. Night Owl Paper Goods are also known for their wooden postcards and invitations, a really unique way to communicate with your friends!

Night Owl Paper Goods' amazing designers, Jennifer and Alan.

How did Night Owl Paper Goods find its origins here in Homewood, Owlababa? Why the owl?

The image of two owls on a limb is a self-portrait of sorts. While working together at a design firm and art gallery here in Birmingham, Jennifer and Alan daydreamed about starting their own stationery company. At first, they pursued our dream after hours, moonlighting for friends who needed invitations, logos and letterhead—any project they could print themselves.

In 2004, they went out on a limb to start Night Owl Paper Goods. Six years later, the company is still thriving! With a passion for fine craftsmanship, detail and the environment, they're totally devoted to creating handmade letterpress cards and eco-chic wooden goodies in a style we like to call "modern yet folksy."

Both Alan and Jennifer illustrate the entire line of greeting cards, journals, jotters and totes by intermixing their critter and pattern design styles. They're very fortunate to have created a company and product line that combines everything they love: design + printing + writing + paper + wood + nature + the environment + friends + family. What a hoot!

(I ordered the owl love you forever card for my hubby on vday and the thank yous on the right for my wedding! they're owl so lovely!)

What are your (or the designers') favorite places to gather inspiration for new designs?

A few of Alan’s favorite places to gather inspiration include Japanese gift/ bookstores, the cliffs in old Del Mar, CA and the Birmingham botanical gardens. One of his favorite blogs is http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/.

Jennifer gathers inspiration anywhere there are animals: her yard, the park, the zoo. She also challenges herself to dig through every catalogue she receives in the mail – no matter how junky – in search of inspiration from it because she believes that it made its way to her for a reason!

What is the process like for ordering a custom wedding invitation or save the date from Night Owl Paper Goods?

Once you’ve selected your design, you can simply place your order online! It’s just that easy! After placing your order online, you'll email the copy for your custom wedding invitations or save the dates to us at custom@nightowlpapergoods.com. We will work with your copy to produce a wonderful custom invitation or save the date for you, and then we’ll send digital proofs of everything for you to review. Once we have your approval, it typically takes about 3-4 weeks for any finishing touches, printing and shipping.

If I have my own design can I have Night Owl Paper Goods print it?

We can absolutely print your design on our wooden cards! You can view our custom card options and prices online in our Custom Cards category. Simply click on any of the items to view dimensions, options, costs, timelines, art submission guidelines and more.

In the past few of weeks we’ve created numerous custom wedding save the dates, invitations and reply cards as well as several custom business cards and even thank you postcards using individuals’ unique and lovely designs! It’s magical to see someone else’s personal artwork come to life on wood!

So, say I'm a bride and I'm not feeling creative at all! I want to pick from pre-designed invitations! What are my options?

We certainly do offer a variety of lovely wedding invitations, as well as save the dates, reply cards, place cards and more! You can view all of our selections and information in our Wedding Suites category. Peacock Blue Zinnia is the most popular!

my favorite wedding invitation styles: Blue Zinnia, circles and stems, and flowering dogwood

Now, if you see another pre-existing design in another area of our site that strikes your fancy, please let us know. We can absolutely use it to create beautiful custom invitations, reply cards, thank you cards, save the dates, jotters, gift cards, etc. When you're ready to order, you can simply select the blank wood card that you prefer from our Custom Cards category and let us know what text and existing design you'd like us to use in the "customer notes" section during check-out. If there's a layout of an existing invitation that you like, please feel free to send us a link or image as an example.

And if you don't see exactly what you're looking for, please let us know! We're continuously expanding our wedding selection, so we love to hear from our clients what they most would like to see! And besides, you never know what our designers might have up their sleeves!

Please note that samples of our pre-designed wedding invitations are available for purchase on our Wedding Samples page. Samples are great because they give you a good feel for the dimensions and texture of the cards and also serves as a "practice card" when you're ready to start addressing your invitations. Simply indicate the quantity that you’d like and let us know in the "customer notes" section which designs you'd like to receive!

All images courtesy Night Owl Paper Goods.

Even though the company prints locally, they are available nationwide (I was super excited to see NOPG cards on a recent trip to San Francisco)! Stay up to date on the happenings at Night Owl Paper Goods by becoming a fan on facebook or following them on twitter!

Thank you so much to the staff for making this feature (and tomorrow's giveaway) possible!

Head over tomorrow for the chance to win a GIVEAWAY with a prize pack from Night Owl Paper Goods!

The WHITE Wedding

2010-03-01T22:42:00.000-08:00

The WHITE Wedding, a Bridal runway event benefiting Camp Smile-A-Mile, was this past Saturday at Old Car Heaven in downtown Birmingham, and it was amazing! Heidi Elnora, Project Runway alum and Alabama native, showed her new line, available in Ivory & White here in town. The dresses and concepts were lovely, local florists and hair and make-up artists all participated, and local caterers provided the hors d'oeuvres. If you want to know more about the vendors involved, click here. If you want to look at pretty pictures, scroll on.

this look, "Heart Attack," was constructed with inspiration by Joy Thigpen, beauty by Birmingham Glam Beaute Agency (hair by Jessica Lazarus, make-up by Jessica McGettigan, wardrobe styling by Nia White), and flowers by Studio Flowers.

The flowers for this theme are by Hothouse Design Studio.

"Rhapsody in Blue": Beauty by Salon M2 (squared), floral by Red Mountain Design.

"Nesting": Beauty by 'N Vogue Salon and Spa, flowers by Lillie's

photography by Spindle Photography, all gowns by Heidi Elnora. If you know of additional vendors to be credited, please let me know!

Water Balloon e-session from Ruffled

2010-02-28T07:17:00.000-08:00

I haven't thought about water balloons in ages! I wish we got more traffic on our street, dropping water balloons on a hot summer's day seems like a forgivable offense.

Check out the full post on Ruffled blog. Photographer is Daniel Kiyoi.

Paper Art

2010-02-18T14:54:00.000-08:00

I'm loving the video from Famille Summerbelle on Black Eiffel, using a knife to create paper arts. They remind me of lace paper doilies, just personalized with things about you. The city maps cost about $60, and you can choose from London, Paris, and NYC. Can you tell I'm on a city map kick?

How perfect that the one year anniversary is paper?

These also remind me of Julene Harrison's work:

She has some laser cuts on ebay now, they range from $65-140 but you can commission original art for quite a bit more as well.

City Plates

2010-02-18T09:53:00.000-08:00

How fun would it be to register for these sleek black plates of city grids by notNeutral? You could mix and match and make it a goal to visit every one.

These are Shanghai, Cairo, LA and Berlin.

Found on AllModern.com, $40.50 each

The complete list of cities available: Berlin, Brasilia, Cairo, Dubai, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Mexico City, New Orleans, NYC, Rome, Shanghai, St. Petersburg, and Tokyo (I've been to 4: LA, New Orleans, NYC, and Tokyo, and G has been to all of mine except for Tokyo, plus London & Rome. We have plans to go to St. Petersburg and I'd love to hit up Melbourne & Cairo myself.)

always, sometimes, never

2010-02-17T21:22:00.000-08:00

I came across a giveaway through i art u today and you can win really fun photo things. click on over to The Madness of Mundanity to enter!

Part of the entering is to answer these questions, so here it goes:

I always: pick the wrong way to go if I'm not sure whether to turn left or right.
I sometimes: laugh like scooby doo (which was just pointed out to me recently, and I think it's pretty funny)
I never: miss a part of a movie in a theater (not for bathroom breaks, falling asleep, walking out because it's awful, or to refill my popcorn) I only miss some if we arrive late, and honestly I can't stand to miss the previews. (my bff and I missed the first minute of Divine Secrets of the YaYa sisterhood and were confused for practically the entire movie.)

The fun thing about this giveaway is that you add your link to the post, making it a very interactive giveaway. A lot like blog-it-forward which I hope you are participating in!

Best of luck! You have until Feb. 21st to enter!

What inspires me most...

2010-02-17T06:29:00.000-08:00

I am following in the footsteps of D ashily who has passed the torch on to me in sfgirlbybay's blog it forward. Basically, we are 300 bloggers talking about what inspires us most, and there are 10 groups of 30 blogs that are spiraling forward in a chain of thought.

I prefer images more than words when it comes to inspiration, these are the things that make me light up. I am inspired by beautiful things, by fonts, by physically sensing the world, by light, color, textures. I am inspired by seeing other people do things I wish I'd thought of. I am inspired by my husband who indulges my photographic whims. Eating a lot of chocolate tends to do some good as well.

Photographers

by diane arbus

this picture is of salvador dali by phillippe halsman

by walker evans

Miss N by Gertrude Kasebier

by Richard Avedon

Fashion//Photography

nothing makes me happy like a good dress. I love excuses to wear great clothes, and seeing other people do it flawlessly.

dress by Alexander McQueen

image by Eugenio Recuenco found via makool loves you

image by mads teglers via postcards from dreamland

via bleubird vintage

alice in wonderland image by annie liebovitz

Childhood

I want to keep jumping on the furniture and I don't see why not. I think grown ups encourage children to grow up because they're jealous they are no longer children. My favorite books are children's books. I still love the idea of being under the blankets, playing in the ocean, pillow fights, and sleepovers.

blanket fort (via flickr user smwright)

treehouses. (image source)

I never had a cape, and my life has suffered for it. via say YES! to hobeken

jelly shoes via flickr like_shipwrecks

pretending to be a spy or detective was an everyday occurence.

(source: flickr)

twirling in dresses (via flickr)

Quilts

I have wanted to make a quilt for at least 6 years now, and now I've married into a family of quilters. I want nothing more than to collect fabric from everyone that means anything to me and put them into a quilt. They are the most beautiful things you can possibly own.

source

by denise schmidt

via you are my fave

this one is called "single girl" how perfect is that? denise schmidt

Blogs

The lovely things these ladies write, find and create make me want to do the same. They are the reason I will be getting a sewing machine this year. And forcing myself to do 101 things in the next 1001 days. I know they could do it.

Other bloggers posting today::

alexander salvage::monkey in l.a.::brin and nohl::peanut butter and poetry::scoutie girl::haley and rose::taking the long way::lana de lanna::thompson family-life

Check Daughter Earth tomorrow for her post on what inspires her most!

Shameless Plug

2010-02-16T08:27:00.000-08:00

Vote for this image from Spindle Photography on the Wedding Chicks! (Click the link and post a comment)! Thanks!

Advertise on Dash Pinch Smidgen for free!

2010-02-15T14:39:00.000-08:00

I needed a use for the picture of me stuffed into the box my computer came in... so you shall reap the benefits.

First 10 to comment (please include your email address so I can contact you with instructions for sending me your ad and link) will receive one month in the sidebar for free! You can use the ad to advertise personal or business websites & blogs! Happy President's Day!

UPDATE:: there are 5 spots remaining, and I've been told there may have been some trouble commenting, so you can e-mail me at kelly(at)spindlephotography.com if you are interested in this promotion! Thanks!

Remember when there was still snow?

2010-02-15T14:10:00.000-08:00

Friday's flurries melted pretty quickly here in Birmingham, but here are some scenes from the short-lived day.

the view from our balcony

the city from our roof

Sally (Emily's daughter) in the snow; Garrett helping her down the hill on a saucer.

can you believe this is Birmingham? I pass by this gorgeous mountain nearly every day and it's even better with snow.

view of our street from the roof.

The beginnings of a great V-week

2010-02-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

When you start out with this:

You end up with this.

The getting and keeping of hair; V-day

2010-02-14T18:20:00.000-08:00

One of my 101 in 1001 is to take pictures of my hair every day for a month because I always try to dress & style my hair better when photography is involved. So, here's a trial run. The back is really messy because I styled my hair at night after keeping it in a top knot all day. But it is very similar to my hair for our Valentine's Day outing yesterday (actually Galentine's Day if you watch Parks & Rec). We saw Casablanca at the Alabama Theatre (I'd never been inside and it is breathtaking) and ate dinner at Fleming's with our friends Ian & Onna (they had a sharing menu with a filet and half lobster each, and 2 sides + a salad. we won.). I wore a dress I'd bought with no occasion in mind while we were in San Francisco after the National Championship.

Process: hot curlers, lots of bobbypins. I used a curling iron for a few pieces that resisted my curling efforts. Top off with a lot of hairspray (I use Nexxus and I really like the resulting texture)

Helium :: The Pre-Memorial ::Running out of gas

2010-02-13T10:46:00.000-08:00

I discovered via A Cup of Jo the other week that we are running out of helium (she always seems to know what's up!) and immediately freaked out. They estimate that we will be completely out of helium in 10 years. What?! My children may never see a balloon float. It makes me want to hoard a helium tank in a basement somewhere so that my kids can experience helium. UP is going to seem even more fantastic by the time my children see it. I am almost crazy enough to want to hurry up and have children just to extend their balloon eligible years. Okay, so forget all of my craziness and enjoy this tribute to the magical element via photographs taken by other people.

via The Design Files

also via The Design Files, this is actually a project by Clementine Henrion entitled Helium Eternal inspired by the impending doom for helium. The balloons are actually made of fabric and suspended in air with wire.

via Jessica Paige

99 red balloons? It doesn't matter, they are lovely. And endangered.

via Jakob E

via anne

via Millie Motts

via Bloom, Grow, and Love

via Elle Moss

via photographer Ben Blood

via bleubird vintage

via Green Wedding Shoes, photography by W Scott Chester.

via Sarah Yates Photography

via Snippet & Ink

via sweet eventide (she's part of blog it forward, so you should visit her blog!)

balloon garland from 2000 dollar wedding

Who's in for a giant going away party for our helium friends?

Local Vendor Feature:: Ivory & White:: Birmingham, AL

2010-02-12T22:14:00.000-08:00

Ivory & White Bridal Boutique

55 Church Street, Mountain Brook, Alabama 35213

205.871.2888

Tuesday-Saturday 10-6pm

Appointments Preferred

Even now, four months after my wedding and practically a year since I picked out my own gown, I still have a major crush on long, white, definitively wedding dresses. I can see how girls become 2 and 3 dress brides. It is so much harder to confine yourself to one dress for the rest of your life than to one man. And oddly enough, my husband still peeks in the window of Ivory & White every time we visit his parents in Crestline Village, and points out his favorites from the dresses on display.

Last week I popped over to the couture boutique, located on Church Street in Mountain Brook, Alabama to refresh my memory (and feed my everlasting desire for more satin, silk, and lace), with the pretense of a blog interview. We all know I had ulterior motives. I just might be addicted.

From the moment you walk in (or peek in from the street), the shop is the picture of luxury. White dresses, shelves, tables, and walls, dark chocolate hardwood floors, a chandelier and white cushioned furniture. In contrast to most bridal salons overrun with overstocked racks, the space is clean and open, with seven dresses on display and the rest (over 100 total) tucked away in the back (ensuring an ever-changing window for the little girls hand-in-hand with their mothers that certainly dream of their wedding day as they pass by on their way through the village).

The cake in the left image is the "Flounce" cake from local bakery Angel Cakes & Confections. The cake designer noticed how much the dress in the shop looked like her cake design and offered to bring it in. I loved the dog door stopper, I feel like it adds a little bit of whimsy to the shop.

I adore the dress on the left, and I swear I will invent a reason to wear long white dresses on non-wedding days. That, or I will become a celebrity, since they get away with it regularly.

Ivory & White was by far the best wedding dress shop experience I had as a bride and it was a natural choice for my first bridal salon vendor feature. Brooke Mason, the shop's owner, and her assistant made the whole process effortless. I pointed out some of the dresses I liked in the storefront, mentioned the style I had in mind (strapless mermaid with some lace) and waited in the gorgeous plush dressing room while eight or so dresses they thought I might like were brought in. It reminded me of the time I asked to try on an Oscar de la Renta cocktail dress in NYC that retailed $5000, completely glamourous.

Before Brooke opened the shop on October 1st of 2008 she began in advertising, opened a Bella Bridesmaid with her sister in Louisville, Kentucky (a chain that is now also in Birmingham), and took over the Sak's Bridal Salon in Birmingham; making her quite well rounded in the market. She recognized that something was really special about helping a girl find her dream dress, and I know personally that she has a knack for it (and, I'm excited to say one of my May brides found her dress there!).

Dresses are selected for the shop based on what Brooke believes Alabama girls will like, but she also throws in a few that she personally finds beautiful, even when it doesn't seem like it would fit your traditional Southern bride. Often she's been pleasantly surprised. Eleven designers are represented in the shop, Amy Kuschel, Bliss, Elizabeth Fillmore, Heidi Elnora, Jewel, Junko Yoshioka, Lela Rose, Liancarlo, Monique Lhuillier, Priscilla of Boston, and The Vineyard Collection. Heidi Elnora is a local designer, and if you are in town you should check out her runway show at Old Car Heaven on February 27th, The White Wedding, an event that benefits Camp Smile-A-Mile, for children with cancer.

The prices of the gowns in Ivory & White range from $2500 to $8000, with most in the $2500-5000 range. Even if your budget is less it is worth taking a look, the shop usually has some samples in house for sale for about 50% off regular price, and they are usually $3000 and below. Keep an eye out for Trunk Shows as well:

February 19th & 20th :: Liancarlo

March 5th & 6th :: The Vineyard Collection & Jewel

March 12th & 13th :: Priscilla of Boston

I asked Brooke about how long a dress will stay in the shop before it becomes unavailable, and the answer is largely dependent on the designer. Seasons really don't matter as much in bridal fashion (although certain trends and gowns become so popular that they will become dated), and unless a dress is discontinued by the designer it could be available for years to come. For example, one of Monique Lhuillier's 2004 gowns has stood the test of time and is still being made and sold. (So that means I can go ahead and pick out a dress for my vow renewal, right?)

As far as timing on ordering your dress, keep in mind that most designers require 4 months to make your gown, and it is recommended that you order 7-8 months in advance in consideration of bridal portraits and alterations. While your order can be rushed, it will cost you a percentage of the cost of the dress (25-30% is a common percentage). If you have the money and you have to have the gown right now, there are designers that can make your dress in 4-6 weeks.

I know I'm gushing and I promise that I haven't been paid off for featuring Ivory & White. I really do just love it that much!

Please do visit if you have the chance and tell them I say hello.

Recipe 3/101 Asparagus Tempura

2010-02-11T22:02:00.000-08:00

So, last night I fixed some Hamburger Helper (except it was complete so it included the meat, you just add milk), and it was okay but not amazing. But only like 3 dollars so it's still a win. I made tempura as a side though, and it is soo easy and tasty.

If you've never made tempura here's the scoop. Heat vegetable oil in a pot or pan (I used a tiny pot and cut the asparagus into halves). Make your batter with water & flour, think pancake consistency. I used medium high to high heat. To see if the oil is hot enough, drop in some batter and if it rises to the top bubbling and then turns brown you win. Dip the asparagus (or shrimp, broccoli, whatever) in the batter and carefully drop it into the pot. I recommend tongs for removing them once they've browned. It's a really quick process and so delicious with soy sauce for dipping. You can add some salt and pepper to the batter as well.

I did burn the oil at first because I forgot that you have to drop the batter in (NOT WATER, btw), I thought it would bubble on it's own like water. Haha! I consulted my handy "How to Cook Everything" to see where I went wrong. The oil smoked and filled the apt with fried oil smell but we worked it out by opening all the windows and doors and lighting some of my Christmas candles. I need some non seasonal scents to cover up my cooking mistakes.

Our Wedding: Photobooth

2010-02-11T00:05:00.000-08:00

Ahh yes, the photobooth. I had been looking at photobooths since before we got engaged and it was one of my big must haves early on. I was willing to splurge to rent one, even. Enter mad amounts of stress that made me want to abandoned all of it, except for the part where Garrett and I would be married.

Just for FYI's sake, my photographers (who are also friends of mine) set up the booth for me and hired someone to press the button. We discussed remotes but I just know someone would've accidentally dropped it into their pocket. Plus, drunk people going to check and see how the pictures are turning out = disaster. We limited the hours on the photo booth so our poor photo servant could go home at some point. We were hoping for a legitimate backdrop holder but it didn't arrive before our date. I don't think anyone really noticed/cared. And now I have the yellow fabric for future projects, which is pretty special.

I don't have much to say about it, except lessons learned for future brides. Create a sign to direct guests to your photobooth, let your DJ know in advance to announce it, several times. If you are doing it yourself, make sure to order too much fabric, it's better than not enough. And if possible, have a handout to let guests know where they can see the images later. I say all of these things because I didn't do them. And while I really love the images we did get, most guests didn't know about the photo booth since it was in a separate room at our venue. Signs are great. Make signs.

LOVEing Giveaways!

2010-02-10T19:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not quite sure what to give away on my blog just yet...but here are some amazing contests via other blogs that you must enter!

Love Knot Ring by Ariel Jordan, giveaway on A Cup of Jo. Hurry, the winner will be picked tomorrow (2/11)!

hey fellow photogs! win a Kelly Moore bag! enter by 2/12.

gingham note cards by Bklynstitch giveaway on darling dexter.

Snippet & Ink giveaway, headband by Eddera. Enter by midnight 2/14.

Black Eiffel mini L letterpress giveaway, enter by 2/14.

$30 gift certificate to vintageholic frog via oh, hello friend.

Music & Lyrics giveaway on Weddingbee. Win a 32 GB ipod touch & 6 cds for listening to and commenting on 3 songs! enter by 2/15.

Kate Spade bag giveaway from Oh, Joy. enter by 2/12.

Ruche $50 gift certificate giveaway. enter by 2/14!

mint's birthday giveaway! win 50 calling cards. enter by 2/22

I also have a random question: Do you ever sign up for giveaways when you don't really want the prizes?

It reminds me of bidding on a jukebox on price is right.

Psst...Pass it on!

2010-02-10T06:36:00.000-08:00

Today is day one in sfgirlbybay's blog it forward! The project has 300 blogs participating in a modern chain letter of sorts. There are 10 groups, each starts off with a post about what inspires them most and links to the previous blog in the list and the one to follow. My post will be on 2/17 if you plan to head back over. In the meantime, check out some of the other blogs on the list! I'm planning to visit each blog when their day is up (10 a day, not so bad!) and link back to my favorites & of course comment! Comments are like crack for bloggers.

Recipe 2/101 Chicken Fried Rice

2010-02-09T22:31:00.000-08:00

Forgive the awful cell phone quality picture, but at least you can see that I try as hard as I can to be a Japanese grillmaster. I almost put a spatula underneath and made it pulse. It tasted nothing like any other fried rice I've ever had, which is okay, because it was still pretty yummy. I have a few things I'll be doing differently next time.

Here's the link to the original recipe, from about.com.

Basically, you scramble some eggs, heat up cold cooked rice, add some soy sauce (I added way more than the recipe called for and thus we will likely die early, but we love us some sodium), and when you're ready to serve, throw in some chopped green onion.

I used our giant Presto big griddle because Garrett loves "cook on the table" restaurants and I felt like I'd watched the pros enough times to do it right. I scrambled eggs on one side, stirred my rice up on another, and added 2 chicken breasts on a corner. I also used about 6 cups of rice because Garrett and I always get hungry after we cook at home. Probably because we always eat out so much.

It is so much harder to stir things on a flat surface, and I'm pretty sure I'll use a pan next time. We like really flavorful foods so we added some asian hot mustard sauce (I'd maybe even add more next time), ground ginger (more than you'd think you should, and it was a good choice), and lots of salt and pepper. I used butter and vegetable oil to cook with. Not a healthy meal by any means. But really yummy.

Have you ever made fried rice? If so, what are your secrets?

Progress...#30

2010-02-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

image via the yellow stereo

So, I've finished #30 on the ol' 101. Garrett and I went to see Girls at Bottletree this past Thursday night and it was oh-so-fun. Opened by The Smith-Westerns and Magic Kids (I had to hear Garrett and Joey sing the words Magic Kids over and over during their songs, and it was actually entertaining). Here's a link to their myspace, my favorite song is Lust for Life.

Local Vendor Feature:: Please Reply:: Birmingham, AL

2010-02-03T22:01:00.001-08:00

In my continuous quest for local vendors I discovered a hidden away stationery and invitations store in Crestline Village. Over on Vine Street, just by the elementary school sits a little yellow house full of personalized items, gifts, and papers. The owners, Betty McEwen and Katie Smith were generous enough to let me overrun the store with my camera and my questions.

Click on any image to view it larger.

The front of the shop is full of tote bags and goodies to personalize! I really enjoyed the "mommy agenda" bookshelf and of course, the display of Alabama merchandise (left image)

These onesies are precious, the one on the left has an elephant with a blanket on its back that says "roll tide" and the right is an airplane, both can be customized. The hand towels on the right would be such a cute bridesmaid gift.

And now for the good stuff, the event invitations! I picked some of my favorites from the shop, which actually carries a lot of local lines. I was really excited to see products from local Jenny Barry of Press Charming, she did our wedding invitations and her letterpress goods are absolutely gorgeous.

The middle one is a new address that says "a new nest" and it makes me want to move so that I can have an excuse to send these out.

(all three by Press Charming)

I love the colored envelopes, and the invitation on the right is for a crawfish boil!

(both by Press Charming)

Many of the products at Please Reply can be printed on for showers, parties, and announcements. The invitation on the left is a bestseller by Devonshire, the center pink bridal shower invitation is by Mindy Weiss from Arkansas, And the blue with lace is by Cat Seto from San Francisco.

These metallic invitations with ribbon embellishments are by local designer Fabulous Designs.

The green on the left really stood out to me, by Cat Seto. The Thank you card to the right is by Prentiss Douthit from Birmingham.

All three of these designs are by Prentiss Douthit, the simple and colorful squares on the left are really fresh and the the invitation on the right has a very playful elegance.

The really fun thing about stores like Please Reply is that you can go through the entire wedding process with paper in their shop! From engagement party invitations to save the dates, wedding invitations, shower invitations, thank you cards, and baby announcements. They have so many options for bridesmaid and groomsmen gifts and really lovely hostess gifts. They carry many luxury stationeries such as Vera Wang, Crane, and Kate Spade.

Betty and Katie were so personable and they make an excellent Mother-Daughter team. Betty got started in the business over ten years ago when Katie was engaged and about four years ago Katie joined her mother in the Crestline shop.

I can imagine having a wonderful experience there as a bride. Please Reply has a wedding room just filled with wedding books full of invitations which would surely overwhelm anyone if left to them alone, but Betty and Katie are there to expertly bring out the designers that best fit your taste. They also work with local calligraphers for customized invitations and have samples for brides thinking of having their envelopes hand addressed by an expert (samples coming up in a future post, if any local calligraphers would like to be featured as well let me know!)

Thank you so much Betty and Katie for your time and patience!

In search of a handbag

2010-02-03T13:07:00.000-08:00

The bag I used to carry (see above) has gone from a once alluring leather-esque gray to drab, and fast. The coating over the material has crackled off, in a way reminiscent of snakeskin. I just carry my zipper ruffle wallet from Urban Outfitters around all the time. And I love it, but it really isn't functional for a grown-up. I am constantly attempting to balance my keys and wallet and phone and ink pens and my day planner. Ugh. But every time I look at purses in a store I'm underwhelmed.

I need something hypothetically big enough to carry my camera for days I am not specifically shooting, and it needs to hold my planner and wallet as well. Perhaps I need more of a color kick as well? Though, based on my selections I'm definitely into brown right now. And purples.

I put my personal style idol, Megan LaRussa on the case and she scoped out some possibilities for me at Urban Outfitters (apparently hipster is my style, and that's really okay). Since I'm not planning on heading there just yet and I am ridiculously impatient, here are my favorites from the internets. With some Juicy Couture and Dooney & Bourke just for kicks.

a.b.c.

d.e.f.

g.h.i

j.k.l

m.n.o.

p. p. q. r.

a. LOCK-IT LARCHMONT HOBO, $378 (Juicy Couture)

b. LOCK-IT DREAM IT TOTE, $321 (ORIGINALLY 428) (JUICY COUTURE)

c. PADLOCK CHINA BAG, $328 (JUICY COUTURE)

d. Deux Lux Geo Pattern Tote, 49.99 on sale (originally $58) (UO)

e. Deux Lux Studded Satchel, on sale for $39.99 (originally $68) (UO)

f. Deux Lux Zipper Panel Satchel $68.00 (UO)

g.Large Zipper Pocket Sac, $265 (dooney & bourke)

I want it in plum, but it's not in stock and there's no photo available.

h. Saddle Bag, $350 (dooney & bourke)

too small for my purposes but I really want it anyway.

i. Medium Lucy Bag, $395 (dooney & bourke)

j. Deux lux ruffle Bucket Bag, $68 (UO)
this one would be ridiculous because it is basically the same as my wallet, they are even the same brand.

k. Deux Lux Prism Satchel $39.99(Was $68.00) (UO)

l. Deena & Ozzy Chain Tote, $58 (UO)

m. Doctor Satchel, $425 (dooney & bourke)

n. Deux Lux Embroidered Satchel, $68 (UO)

o. Large Shoulder Tassel Bag, $475 (dooney & bourke)

p. Deux Lux Basketweave Satchel, $58 (UO)
I can't decide between the lilac and brown.

q. Saddlery Buckle Bag, $58 (UO)

r. Sabina Leather Satchel, $198.00 (UO)

Which are your favorites? Garrett (the hubs) prefers the Dooney & Bourke ones, I assume because they have a very clean shape to them, he isn't as crazy about the slouchy look of the other bags. The Saddlery Bag is an option, and is only $58. Do you have any favorite bags to show me?

mini LOVE sessions, $35! February 7th

2010-02-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

I rarely mix my work and play but I certainly want to let everyone know about my mini photo sessions for Valentine's Day!

You don't need an excuse to be photographed. Really. But Valentine's Day helps! The purpose of the shoot is to give couples (and friend and people with pets) an affordable excuse to be professionally photographed! The price includes a 15 minute mini photo session with Kelly Cummings of Spindle Photography and a choice of one 8x10 (great for families and married couples) or two 5x7s (perfect for best friends and boyfriend/girlfriend couples).

The mini love sessions will take place on Sunday, February 7th, in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, between 11am and 4pm. If you are unavailable on the 7th you may set up a weekday session for the following week, however the prints may arrive after Valentine's Day.

Proofs will be available online by 8 am Monday morning and your prints will be ordered by 5:00pm on Monday to ensure their arrival by February 14th. Additional prints will be available at an additional cost.

After you reserve your spot, if a friend books and mentions your name you will receive $10 off your session!

If you would like to sign up, email kelly@spindlephotography.com or leave a comment below with your email address and I will be in touch!

101 in 1001 - The list

2010-02-01T21:31:00.000-08:00

101 things to do in the next 1001 days...

Beginning February 1, 2010, ending Monday, October 29, 2012

The rules:
•I made these 101 things doable because I want to actually accomplish them. I would like to, in theory, run a marathon. But, I would much rather run a 10K with my husband, and that's a goal I can actually see coming to pass in the next 2 and a half years, so it makes the list instead.
•If the goal is to do something once a week or month or everyday, I will tally it. Once I've reached the number goal, I'm done, even if I still have days, months, or weeks to go. Making myself do something everyday never turns out well, so hopefully this method will be easier.

Crafty Fox
1. Make a quilt.
2. Embellish a onesie for our favorite expecting married couple, Ian & Onna (though I may wait until after the baby is born, they are waiting to find out the sex!)
3. Modify an awful piece of clothing to render it wearable.
4. Make a crochet squid for Garrett.
5. Complete 33 DIY projects I find online.
6. Buy a button maker.
7. Open an etsy shop

8. Learn how to embroider and embroider something awesome.

9. Make a font out of my own handwriting (which requires that I make my handwriting worth fonting)

All Quiet on the Homefront
10. Spend an entire week eating only home cooked meals.
11. Play the Newlywed Game with another married couple (or two, sign up now!)
12. Take cooking classes or have a great cook teach me.
13. Move into a new place.
14. Host a yuppy wine tasting/guessing party where we see if guests can distinguish between the cheap stuff and the good stuff.
15. Cook 101 different recipes. (2/101)
16. Organize my closets [shudder]
17. Host a big sleepover.
18. Set up a weekly routine of need to do things (such as, taking the trash out or organizing my tumblr) and stick to it.
19. Organize my computer and external hard drives.
20. Keep track of all finances for a month and adjust spending based on the sure to be shocking results.
21. Host a dinner party, complete with invitations.

Choose Your Own Adventure
22. See Paris.
23. Have a Honeymoon
24. Take a trip to NYC (I've been once with my fam and once with Garrett's, and I think it would be tres fun to go just the two of us. and bum on someone's couch)
25. Spend a week with Garrett at his grandparents' in Needham, AL.

26. Visit my Grandmother in Galveston, TX.

27. Go see Glacier Park before it all melts away.

~~28. See a Bama game at Bryant Denny Stadium. (Georgia State Game 2010)~~

29. Visit Chicago.
30. See a show at Bottletree
31. Take a Trip to DC

Keeping up Appearances
32. Get a functional haircut (because the lifeless shape of my "mullet" as Garrett lovingly calls my hair, is sad)
33. Wear only dresses for a month (My main outfit for the day will have to be a dress).
34. Photograph my hairstyles for a month.
35. Find a new purse, preferably one that fits my camera (or buy the Kelly Moore bag)
36. Find the perfect pair of jeans (any suggestions? I am petite (5'3"), have no backside to speak of, and I have proportionately large thighs and calves)
37. Run a 10K with my husband.
38. Be able to do one pull up.
39. Get picked southern femme of the week (dress better).
40. Paint my fingernails, just because.
41. Get a new pair of glasses.

I turn my camera on

42. Spend a whole day photo scouting (any boy or girl scouts who would like to be my guide to Birmingham?)

43. Have one photo session a week and blog about them (whether it be a shoot with my husband, the landscape, for fun, or something paid) (5/143 shoots)

44. Upgrade my flickr account to pro and justify it (I use flickr for things I wouldn't add to my photography blog, random photos of outfits I wear or muffins that I think look pretty).

45. Take 1001 upload worthy non-work related images.

46. Create a photograph inspired by a great photographer.

47. Get back into the darkroom!

48. Shoot some film at a wedding (don't laugh when I pull out my pentax k1000 guys)

49. Get my Diana film developed. this was so expensive! I had 5 rolls and it ended up being just under $100. I'll have to be more discerning in my diana photographing!

50. Have a Disfarmer style photo night of portrait sessions

51. Get a TLR

~~52. Upgrade my camera~~ Nikon D700 and I'm in love!

of the Internets
53. Comment on my favorite blogposts at least once a day (total of 1001 comments) -this one has yet to prove difficult, and I'm not going to tally, since it would be ridiculous, instead this will serve more of a reminder that I need to be commenting on blogs

~~54. Meet one of my favorite bloggers in person.~~ Lauren de La Croix of WeddingBee fame!

55. Do a "What's in my Bag" blogpost.

56. Help someone else complete a goal on their 101 in 1001.

57. Update the blog to make it easier to navigate.

58. Reach 100 followers on dash, pinch, smidgen (as in, they follow me via blogger or googlereader)

59. Feature 143 local vendors/businesses that I think are great! (4/143)

60. Finish my wedding recap! (I don't know why it's so hard!)

61. Go through my tumblr and add tags to make it more navigable.

62. Double my average monthly hits to the blog.

Mind your own [business]
~~63. Get new headshots for my website~~
64. Launch Southern Spin with my partner in crime, Megan LaRussa
65. Have my photography featured in a magazine.

66. Do some studio style portraits with a white backdrop.

67. Execute a photobooth setup.

68. Do a 1-on-1 with a photoshop guru.

69. Design a full set of photo cards for my clients (baby announcements, save the dates, christmas cards, etc)

~~70. Order sample albums for all of my photography package options~~ (and find an affordable engagement guestbook to offer)

71. Get letterpress business cards.

72. Create an organized, inspiring workspace

It's Not You, It's Me (22)

73. See 101 movies (1/101)

74. Join a women's social club.

75. Buy/own something from Hermes (besides the perfume, Kelly Caleche, that I received as a Christmas present in 2008. it smells faintly of leather and is so lovely).

76. Pay off my student loans.

77. Climb a tree.

78. Be the subject of a boudoir shoot.

~~79. Get a pedicure~~ (never have I ever had a pedicure. this clearly needs to be remedied!)

~~80. spend a day doing some serious thrift store shopping.~~ (I think operation Martha's wedding counts)

~~81. Get a new car (new to me, lease or own).~~ (2010 Mazda 3 and I looove it!)

82. Take a French class.

83. Have a picnic with my husband.

84. Read one book a month (1/33 books)

85. Get my wedding and engagement rings resized (they've always been loose but I haven't wanted to part with them!)

86. Stay up until the sunrise Marie Antoinette style (from the movie, she stays up till sunrise on her birthday)

87. Sip on some Dom Perignon Champagne.

~~88. Drink Moet and Chandon while listening to "Killer Queen"~~

89. Record a song (silly or not) with the husband.

90. Discover 33 new songs that I really, really like. (2/33)

91. Find a Japanese conversation partner here in Birmingham (I took Japanese in college and hate that I've forgotten almost all of it)

92. Learn 1001 new words (old words count if I didn't really get what they meant before, but other languages do count)

93. Find a video game I'd actually like to play (any good PS3 games for a girly novice like me?)
94. Design & Print our wedding album.

Okay, so it's you.

95. Send someone an anonymous mixed cd.

96. Send one handwritten note a week. (2/143)

97. Run a giveaway on this blog. (what would you like to win?)

98. Buy 10 things from etsy sellers. (3/10 personalized hangers, washi tape, typewriter kit for G)
99. Give a free lesson to a budding photographer.
100. Volunteer for a good cause
101. Baby-sit for friends or family so that they can take a night out.

If you have your own 101 in 1001 please comment with a link! And, if you want to help me complete one of my goals I'd love the help!

Pantone Bridesmaid Dresses

2010-01-31T14:43:00.000-08:00

I was pretty stoked when I saw this over at Style Me Pretty

Dessy, the Bridesmaid dress company, has 190 different colors of dresses to choose from so that you can match your wedding colors perfectly. You can even order copies of the swatch to leave with your florist, planner, venue, etc. How clever! They win, clearly.

Alfred Sung Style D440, color::majestic.

This is my favorite dress from their site right now. This is a bridesmaid dress I would wear again and again. Hear that, unmarried friends? I would really consider buying it anyway. Does anyone know what it retails for?

Oh, and graphic folks totally geek out over pantone books. So buy your favorite design person one today. Or me, because I don't own a pantone book but I can pretty much guarantee my life would improve tenfold if I did.

101 in 1001

2010-01-31T01:22:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking of embracing the 101 in 1001. I know there are tons of other bloggers, photographers especially with the lists of 101 things to do in 1001 days and it seems so much more achievable than something I only have a year to do. I think it may take me 1001 days to come up with 101 things, so please feel free to comment with suggestions.

If you are interested in following suit, here are some examples and resources to get you started:

Day Zero - declares itself home of the 101 in 1001. You can create a list there if you want a place to keep up with it. I'm planning on having a lot of items with multiple checkpoints (like, if I plan on doing something once a month, I need to have 33 done by the end of this adventure), so I'm not sure if such a site will help.

For fun, some of my favorite goals from the lists of Tiffany Zajas (fellow photog in Nashville that I went to High School with way back when), Jessica Claire (no explanation necessary).
italics are sidenotes by me.

Tiffany:

source

25. Learn how to make fondue.
I have a fondue set that we received as a wedding gift from Garrett's mom but I haven't used it yet!
27. Get a sewing machine.
Garrett's actually getting me one, he wants me to pick it out though, so I haven't gotten around to it just yet!
34. Go on a train ride.
G and I have been talking about taking the amtrak to New Orleans for months now, and I say we do it!
42. Stay in a bed & breakfast.
57. Learn how to shoot a gun.
I just love that this is one of Tiffany's goals. I shot a few different guns for the first time in 2007 and really enjoyed it, and would enjoy getting good at it, but guns really do freak me out.
72. Send a care package to 3 people.
73. Encourage someone to make a list!
Tiff, you can check this one off!

source

82. Learn how to use my new Diana F+ camera.
I have a Diana too! And ridiculously I have used up 5 or 6 rolls without getting any developed. Yet.

Jessica Claire:

6. Sell my wedding stuff on ebay

I have a ton of navy teapots and teacups that I desperately need to get rid of. But the thought of counting them, photographing, listing is daunting. anyone nearby want to make me an offer? There are at least 12 teapots and probably 20 something cups and saucers.

Julia Child (source)

33. Take a cooking class
My plan is to coerce my in-laws' next door neighbor to take me on as a student (she used to work for Southern Living and is writing a cookbook!)
43. Get a new passport with my new last name
Apparently this will cost me $75. ugh. But I want to reserve our next out of the country trip under my real name.
source (by Annie Liebovitz)

55. Have a Martha Stewart looking dinner party or tea party
Now that I'm married I am desperate for a styled party. so hopefully I'll have time in the next 1001 days.
94. Get fresh flowers for my house
I've been wanting to do this more often, just buy and arrange some flowers to make our place more lovely!
98. Randomly send someone some small item they mention wanting
If I mention wanting a shootsac, will Jessica Claire hear me? Haha I just think unexpected nice things are great. If you ever want to make someone's day, tip someone at an icecream shop or fast food restaurant that wouldn't usually receive tips at all $5. It's a cheap way to see a shocked happy face.

What would be on your 101?

New Conversation Hearts:: NO good

2010-01-30T23:41:00.000-08:00

This is a ridiculously frivolous post. I like candy that other people find loathsome. Basically, I like all candies, and while I prefer some to others I'm just addicted to sugar. Candy corn and conversation hearts. Oh man, and those little candy pumpkins too. I like kitsch. Plus, conversation hearts have evolved over the years to say 'fax me', email me, and the most current 'text me'. It can't get much better.

image via charlotte's fancy

The point is, while Garrett and I were in California for the BCS National Championship (more on that later), I bought a box of conversation hearts at a Walgreens and they were fruit flavored. The green was sour apple. It was really, really bad. There was no warning on the box that there were new flavors and it was the necco brand. So, I may have to go find some Brach's this year. I did buy some necco wafers to feed my craving for the traditional flavors, most of which are the same. And the pink tastes exactly like Pepto which is bizarre. And now that they make pepto in a chewable tablet, they are almost identical.

photo by me

Has anyone else noticed the disappointing flavor switch? (oh, and don't worry, I wrote in to complain)

EDIT:: Here is the response to my complaint::

January 21, 2010

Dear Mr./Ms. Cummings,

Thank you for writing to Necco, I wanted to personally thank you for all of your input on our new Sweethearts. They are a great US made product and I am glad to hear you are a longtime fan. Over the years, our number one product requests have been around producing a more flavorful and softer product. Sweethearts have been America’s favorite Valentine’s Day candy for over 145 years now and we needed to ensure that Sweethearts continue to delight people of all ages.

It’s never easy to change something that hasn’t been changed for a very long time and we appreciate your support as we continue to come up with new flavors and ways to say I Love You. Here’s more information about all of our exciting changes:

Our new softer Original Flavors now include: Green Apple, Blue Raspberry, Strawberry, Lemon, Grape and Orange. The color of the hearts were changed to match the flavors so people could tell what flavor they were eating before they even tried them. The new expressions on the Sweethearts were chosen by over 10,000 Americans at mysweethearts.com back in the summer. The complete list of the top new sayings includes both contemporary expressions like Tweet® Me and Text Me and beloved classics like “Love Me” and “Sweet Pea.” The packaging was changed to make the product easier to find at shelf. And our little 1oz boxes are now slightly smaller with no window, to be more sustainable and easier to handle for tiny kid hands. The back of our 1oz boxes was also changed so that kids could write in their To/From names in pencil.

If you are looking for something to share with the little girls in your life be sure to check out our new Sweethearts Dazzled Tarts with flavors including: Pink Lemonade, Wild Berry Grape, Sour Apple, Watermelon, Extreme Tangerine and Blue Raspberry. These new Sweethearts are dazzled and have crowns and shoes on them!

So, thank you for your feedback and please stick with us. Let us know what you think of our other Sweetheart products. Also, check our www.mysweethearts.com for free recipe ideas and craft projects.

These stores still have the old flavors.

Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Family Dollar, 99 Cent Only, Freds , Odd Lots, Wakefern, Sav A Lot.

Thank you again for writing.

Sincerely,

Theresa Denis
Customer Correspondent

So, apparently, I have to go to the dollar store and stock up.