super snowmen

my dear friend pat knittel showed me an article last year in a craft magazine called cloth, paper, scissors about these snowmen made from recycled bottles and other random materials. pat started gathering materials and planning over this past year so that she could make her own snowmen this winter. the snowmen in the magazine were neat, but i have to say these are amazing. pat definitely took it up a notch!

the process of building a snowman happens on her dining room table. when you come to her home she simply insists that you sit down and make one. you can make a snow man, or woman, or child, or butler, or diva, or whatever springs to mind. i have to admit when she first invited me to make one i felt a little like i was in middle school. i wasn't really a "craft maker" type person. i think i was a bit intimidated. well, anyway, i sat down and had so much fun that i have gone back twice more and took my camera this last visit so that i could show everyone what an amazing process this has turned into.

and that's the thing...it IS a process. you sit down and RELAX. (imagine that...during the holidays) pat told me the other day that she noticed that most people start to hum or sing. you find your self chatting or sitting quietly, but truly just enjoying the process instead of the product. i was back in middle school, but it was really great. thank you pat.

Empire Reindeer Christmas Club Charity Gala!

this was THE event to attend, more than because I say so. it was a fundraiser for the toys for tots foundation and succeeded in raising over $10,000 in cash! what better cause could there be this time of year (though i am sure there are many other good causes as well, i know, i know!) than giving children a gift to open on christmas day who would not normally have one!! this makes me so happy!!
so ken murphy is the genius behind the event. he is also a truly amazing designer. don't take my word for it check him out here: murphy empire . i am in awe of his work.
ok, so he and a bunch of other great folks got together and created this wonderful event at the portland yacht club, a beautiful location for a beautiful cause. there was the really fab band called eastwave radio that you should check out if you haven't heard yet. they played a wide array of genres of music over the course of the night and made it great fun! and, of course, i would like to thank the marines who came to represent the toys for tots program and those who serve us every day. and lastly here is the link to the site for the party empire reindeer christmas club.
here are a few of my favorites from the night. i think like they give you a nice feel for the evening. please come next year as it only promises to be bigger and better!


i truly love this image and the feeling it conveys. if i had to pick one image from the night it would be this one.



the one on the far right is ken murphy!








wouldn't you love to know what he just heard!

kevin & jenny's october wedding

i have been remiss in my blogging lately. i have been distracted by creating wedding albums! apologies to all.
so here are my favorites from a wedding in october. kevin and jenny were a real delight and i am so lucky that i met them. working with them was a breeze since they were just SO in love and happy. they gave me plenty of time to take photos in between the ceremony and reception so we went to several locations and had great fun!! the whole group was just happy, ready to party, and up for anything. i love going to downtown portland to shoot as i always find something new. jenny picked out a couple of these spots ahead of time...she has a good eye.
thanks again to both of you for having me capture your day...what a beautiful one it was.

the reception was at the portland club. a really lovely place in downtown portland. the fabulous food was beautifully presented by black tie catering. the floral arrangements were done by flora . fauna and all i can say is "wow". and a special thanks to my friend and fellow photographer michael berube' of good photos.com for all his help that day. i was so lucky to have him help and give me such great ideas too!

i love reflection shots. this one is particularly fun...















this little car with the just married sign drove by as we were walking across the street. i just love what happened in the split second moment.

new nola baby

...here is nola! she is a tiny tiny girl. leaving the hospital under 6 lbs. and oh so sweet. more photos of nola and big brother lucas coming soon...