julia & brian

the shakespeare garden in golden gate park was the perfect setting for julia and brian's wedding.
yellow was the color of the day with yellow ranuculous in the bouquets, programs printed with yellow flowers as well as lemonade for the guests.


a fabric backdrop was used for the ceremony as well as the background for some fun photos.

after the ceremony, guests drove downtown to the carnelian room for the reception.
congratulations to julia and brian!

monday

lilly and bill's wedding was really nice on saturday. sand rock farm was such a wonderful location - i was in photographer heaven because there were so many spots for pictures! lilly and bill are off to italy for their honeymoon...i am a tiny bit jealous!
here is a recent picture of ryan...her smile lights up her entire face.

friday favorites

i hope you are having a fantastic summer. last night we attended a concert at the park around the corner and it was so much fun. there were kids everywhere and it was fantastic!
tomorrow i will be in aptos for lilly and bill's wedding. i have a feeling their wedding is going to be a lot of fun. plus, this will be my first time shooting a wedding at sand rock farm.
this cutie pie is my cousin's little girl, sarah. sarah flew up from southern california with her mom to attend the shower last weekend.

friday favorites
remember doing spin art when you were a kid? what do you think about adding a big one to your wall? i think it is so festive! (found on the ruby press blog)

i would love to have one of these! i can't seem to give up the old fashioned address book! the idea of putting everything in a blackberry or iphone makes me too nervous. there is something magical about getting a new address book and sharpening a new pencil! this one can be found at lovely design.

timeless treasures is an amazing store in san francisco. i stopped by a few weeks ago and i fell in love instantly. they have so many fun and unique items for your home. joan, the owner, finds really great pieces from around the world and she has a great collection of letters. i picked up an 's' for sam as well as an 'r' for ryan. you must go to this store if you are in the neighborhood!

remember the distinct sound from an old phone? what is the best word to describe the sound of the dial going back after dialing an 8, 9, or 0? remember when we didn't have area codes? am i dating myself? wouldn't this be a fun to have around? i am afraid my children will grow up thinking that phones have always been mobile. this was found on three potato four. check out the site when you can because they are always adding fun items.

a new boutique is open in los gatos which sells organic baby items. i haven't had a chance to go to babycoo but it sounds like heaven. our toys, clothing, and food is full of unwanted chemicals and it is scary to think about the future for our children if we don't clean up our act. buying organic is a good way to start. plus, i love supporting small business and it feels so much better to support the businesses that are choosing their products carefully.

easy desserts

as promised, here are two recipes from the shower. both are super easy and very, very tasty.

peanut butter squares
bottom:
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1-1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

top:
7 ounces milk chocolate
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

9 inch square pan

stir all ingredients for the bottom together until smooth. press the mixture into the brownie pan. melt chocolate and butter together and pour on the peanut butter mix. put in the fridge to set. cut into small squares - try not to eat too many!

graham cracker treats

1 box of graham crackers
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
10 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

pre-heat oven to 325
line cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. place graham crackers on cookie sheet in a single layer. in a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. add the brown sugar. boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. pour the brown sugar mixture over the graham crackers and spread evenly. bake in oven for 8 minutes. turn oven off. remove pan and sprinkle chocolate chips over the pan and place back in oven for 8 minutes. remove from oven and spread chocolate in an even layer. refrigerate for 1 hour. break into pieces and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
enjoy!

baby shower

good news...all went well for the baby shower on sunday. the weather was super hot on saturday and we were a bit worried that the plan to eat outdoors would have to be changed. sunday turned out to be a perfect day for sitting outside. the weather was great, the food was yummy and most importantly my cousin got to spend time with friends and relax for a bit. i picked up amazing flowers at the farmers' market plus trader joe's had peonies which is my new favorite flower. we used lanterns and paper flowers to dress up the tents. the menu:
scones with lemon curd, jam or cinnamon honey
a greek style frittata
spinach and artichoke dip with sliced baguette
fruit salad
a cheese plate with nuts and dried fruit
for dessert we served my husband's amazing chocolate chip cookies as well as homemade peanut butter chocolate bars and a super yummy chocolate graham cracker treat.

friday favorites

the end of the week is here...hooray! plus, it feels like summer with the warm weather. love it! love it! love it! my sister and i are hosting a shower on sunday for my cousin and her beautiful new baby. we are going to be cooking up a storm tomorrow. i promise to share pictures next week.
have a fantastic weekend!
friday favorites in my former life (before photography and kids), i worked in the advertising biz. the ad world is still fascinating to me and i love keeping tabs on new ads and designs. these ads were found on a lovely blog that i read daily, black eiffel. wouldn't it be fun to see these out in the neighborhood? if i had an unlimited budget i would definitely like to hire miles redd to decorate my house. i love how his style is elegant yet livable.

la petite chaise is a wonderful vintage store in mountain view. they are only open once a month because they spend the rest of the month shopping for items for the store. as much as i like pottery barn and crate and barrel, i love the idea of giving new life to old furniture.

i am really looking forward to the renegade fair. plus, my friend paula is coming with me and she has such a good eye! this is going to be a fun field trip!

look at this! method has a line of baby products! sign me up!

last day of school

today is sam's last day of school and he is so excited about summer.
i can't believe the little guy has finished another year of pre-school! where does the time go?
these photos are from his very first day of pre-school in 2006. what a cutie pie!

sneak peek

the shakespeare garden in golden gate park was the background for this lovely ceremony on saturday. stay tuned for more pictures very soon! so much to do, so little time!
on a different note, i am sending a big thank you to eleanor over at 2inspire for posting a nice note about my photography. eleanor does absolutely beautiful calligraphy and you can find her work on her etsy site : 2inspire.etsy.com

baby shower

i am so excited to host a shower this weekend for my cousin and her new baby. we are planning on serving yummy food and setting everything up for an outdoor garden party. i am still trying to figure out how to create shade because my backyard has only a tiny bit of shade at noon. the design of the invitation will tie in to the decorations for the shower...i will share some pictures after the shower!

friday favorites

friday! yipee! to all the daddies out there - happy father's day!
here are five new favorite things. enjoy.

i love this! you can send artwork from your child to this company and they will create a beautiful one of a kind piece of art!

purl carries a hand picked collection of materials, tools, notions and accessories for knitting, sewing and quilting. their blog, the purl bee, makes me drool. now i just need to learn how to sew, knit and quilt!


michael sowa is an artist from germany and i have been a fan for years. he has been described as a cross between magritte and the far side. you can find more of his work at www.art.com.

i saw this beautiful store last weekend while shooting a wedding in mill valley. i have a feeling i would want a whole bunch of things so it is probably best for my credit card that i didn't get a chance to go in! i love the idea of an 'urban farmhouse'. even the name sounds appealing! next time i am in mill valley, maison reve is going to be top on my list!

can i get one now?

strange

something strange happened yesterday and i can't stop thinking about it.....here is the story:
sam, ryan and i were walking down the street in a shopping area of palo alto in the afternoon when sam stopped to show me a big pile of quarters lying against the side of a building. the pile must have had about $10 worth of quarters and some other random change. the coins were in plain sight on a semi busy street where a lot of people had walked by to go to restaurants and shops. so, here are some thoughts that ran through my mind: - where is the hidden camera? - finders keepers, losers weepers - should we take the money and give it to a homeless person down the street? - should we leave the money because someone might come back to get it?
what would you have done?

kiki + hadi

kiki and hadi went all out with the details for their wedding last weekend. kiki is a designer so every little detail was planned out and designed to a tee. the menu cards, wedding programs, place cards and cake design were all tied in together with their wedding colors and logo. amazing!
here are a few more photos from the day. the wedding was held at a lovely church in sausalito and the reception was at the outdoor art club in mill valley.

preview

i photographed a lovely wedding in sausalito and mill valley yesterday. the weather was absolutely gorgeous! it was just one of those perfect days where everyone was out and about enjoying the sunshine. here is a one picture from the wedding..stay tuned for more photos!

friday favorites

happy friday! i am so excited about this weekend because the weather is going to be lovely and i get to photograph a wedding in sausalito and mill valley on sunday. stay tuned for pictures later in the week...
i am officially starting a new tradition for friday....i am going to share a few of my favorite items. enjoy!
friday favorites
these necklaces are from nervous system. i have a small addiction to necklaces and i really don't need any more, but..but...i really like them.

you don't even have to put a cake on these cake stands - i would want them out all the time! these were created by whitney smith and can be found at etsy. i am telling you - etsy is the place to go!

yet another fabulous etsy find. this lovely print is from sarah jane. she has the sweetest prints and i would love to put a few in ryan's room or give one as a gift at a baby shower.

mrs. meyers baby blossom laundry detergent smells so sweet and clean. i love the fact that all of their products are environmentally friendly and biodegradable.

mahar drygoods has the most fabulous stuff for children. toys to inspire the imagination....not the kind of toys with a bunch of buttons and really annoying sounds and blinking lights. wouldn't these be fabulous for a party...for any age?!

carmen & ray

here are some pictures from a beautiful wedding which took place at the brazilian room in berkeley. this is actually my third wedding at this location and it is always fun to see how every couple makes it their own with their unique personalities and details.


who can resist a whole table of candy so you could make your own goodie bag?

i love the hydrangeas in the cake! the bouquet was absolutely stunning and the ribbon is a nice extra touch.

i got to shoot this wedding with the incredibly talented ingrid from myrtle and marjoram.

baby girl

i am so proud to announce the arrival of aliyah kai. my cousin, kathryn, and her husband, hugo, are the proud new parents of this beautiful baby girl. isn't she precious?