Photography: The Gander's | Family Session | Dayton, Ohio

I met Rachael through social media about a year ago when I tested an embroidery pattern for her. When she contacted me to book a session I was so excited to finally meet her and her wonderful family in person. 

Rachael is a wonderful crafter and runs the blog/shop imagine gnats. She made the super cute tunics you see in the pictures above. Aren't they awesome?! She also made the shirt she has on in her headshot. Such a talented lady!

Photography: Brett Mckenna | Baby Session | Dayton, OH

One of my dear friends gave birth to her beautiful little girl this past February. Two months later I made a special visit to her home to photograph this little cutie.

This was my first time professionally photographing a baby and all I can say is you never know what you are going to get. I loved every minute of it. Enjoy.

Photography: The George Sisters | Mini Session | Dayton, OH

I loved working with these sisters. They both are so sweet and made each other laugh so much towards the end of the session. It made for a really wonderful day.

DIY: A Lalaloopsy Doll Costume

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love dressing up and pretending to be someone else. This year a few friends and I decided to be Lalaloopsy dolls. I chose to be Marina Anchors.

This costume was quite a challenge, but probably one of the best costumes I have had so far. The most time consuming part was making the blue yarn wig. It was such a key element!

wig in the making

After getting the wig together I had the difficult task of figuring out how to get it into pigtails. I didn't just want any pigtails though, they had to be high and braided. This was a challenge because of the way my wig was assembled. If I pulled all the hair up then the back of my head was exposed. So I had to improvise! The end result was a jerry-rigged wig that included lots of bobby pins.  

After mastering my wig I had to nail the wardrobe. With the nautical theme being so abundant this past summer I thought it would be super easy. To my surprise I couldn't find a red and white striped shirt anywhere!

Then I decided I'd make the outfit from scratch. I had it all planned out, but then I ended up running out of time since I was so busy with work. Luckily I managed to score the most perfect skirt at a thrift store. It just needed to be hemmed and taken in a few inches. Easy peasy!

I borrowed a shirt from a friend, painted some white canvas sneakers blue, and made some button eyes out of foam and a wooden dowel. The end product was this!

Marin Anchors, Charlotte Charades, Jewel Sparkles

Charlotte Charades & Marina Anchors

Jewel Sparkles, Charlotte Charades, Marina Anchors

If you decide to tackle this costume yourself please share! There are so many cute dolls to pick from.  I'd love to see what other people come up with. 

Photography: The Wilson Family | Dayton, OH

A few weeks ago I had a mini session with the wonderful Wilson family! They are such a sweet and loving family and were so much fun to work with. Here are a few of my favorites from the day.

Photography: Lynleigh + Brandon | Engagement

Earlier this month I met with the future Mr. and Mrs. Kersting at Camargo Stables to take some engagement photos. The location was beyond perfect. Lots of great lighting, great architecture, and they even got a horse out for us!

Adventures in Letterpress Printing

Lucky me, I had the chance to hang out with my friend Reka and her Chandler Price Letterpress this past weekend! I've always wondered how much work went into this beautiful old style of printing. As it turns out, it's a very labor-intensive process. Setting your own type is quite a chore, but the end product is just beautiful.

We played around a bit with multiple wooden letter "R's" with one color. Then we did a large wooden letter "R" and "B" layering two colors. It was so much fun and now I have some super cool coasters.

Typesetting

Loading up the press

1-color "R" Coasters

Action Shot

2-color "R" & "B" Coasters