Spink Studio · The Blog

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLOG

2009-03-23T10:51:00.001-05:00

Hey blog subscribers! I just wanted to remind you all know that I have a new blog!!! I will no longer be posting on this one.

Please go check out my new blog and update your readers!

Click to See >>> MY NEW BLOG

NEW BLOG! NEW BLOG!

2009-03-07T14:52:00.002-06:00

Hey blog readers! I just wanted to let you all know that I have a new blog!!! I will no longer be posting on this one.

If you subscribe to this blog, please go check out my new blog and update your readers!

Click to See >>> MY NEW BLOG

Emily: Belle Ball

2009-02-25T13:27:00.003-06:00

Earlier this month, my good friend Angela asked me to come and take photos of her daughter, Emily before she headed off to Belle Ball. Emily is an amazing young women and I know that God has huge plans in store for her! It was so fun to document this important event for her. Here are some of my favorites.

***Friends and Family: to view more and order prints, CLICK HERE***

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T12:20:00.002-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you all have a wonderful day! Here are the cards that we did at our February Stamp Club. Hugs to all my blog readers! Thanks for stopping by frequently!

Hannah + Jeremiah: Engagement

2009-02-13T23:40:00.003-06:00

These two are so perfect for each other. There couldn't be a more fun and in love couple. Hannah and Jeremiah were so comfortable together in front of the camera. We had a great time on their photo shoot! They are getting married in May and I am so excited to be a part of their special upcoming day. From what Hannah told me, it's going to be gorgeous!

FRIENDS AND FAMILY: Click Here to be notified when the rest of the photos are online and available for ordering.

Love this one below!

I had passed this laundry mat several times and had always want to go in and shoot in there. This was the first time and I loved it!

Thank you, Hannah and Jeremiah for a totally fun Saturday! Can't wait for the wedding!

Hannah + Jeremiah: Sneak Peek

2009-02-10T21:25:00.002-06:00

Here is a little sneak peek for Hannah + Jeremiah! I know they are dying to see their photos. They were fabulous! Lots more to come!

December & January Cards

2009-02-10T20:18:00.002-06:00

I haven't posted any cards in a long time! I couldn't find my photos of our November cards, but here are the cards we did for December Stamp Club and for my January Open House. Enjoy!

The NEW Spink Studio Website

2009-02-06T17:25:00.002-06:00

I am so excited to share with you my new and improved website for Spink Studio! It has been in the works for several months and is finally up. I have a new splash page where you can access all the different sites for Spink Studio.

Spink Studio: Graphic Design & Photography

I am so excited to finally be offering wedding and lifestyle portrait photography! This has always been a huge passion of mine and I have decided to make it a big part of Spink Studio. I am now booking for weddings and portrait sessions locally and across the country! I love to travel, so please forward my information onto any potential brides even if they don’t live in Texas. Many of my destination weddings are free! Check it out.

Several galleries featuring my work
Information about me and my passion for lifestyle photography
Links to download the pricing booklets
Opportunity for other photographers and designers to book a personal learning workshop with me
Calendar of available dates

To celebrate the new photography site of Spink Studio, I am offering:

$25 off Lifestyle Portrait Sessions
when you book now through February 28

$100 off Wedding Photography Packages
when you book now through February 28

Contact me today to set up your session or if you have any questions! Please send my website to your friends and family. I look forward to hearing from you!

Franki + Max: Engagement

2009-02-01T10:35:00.004-06:00

Get ready for photo overload! I had way too many favorites from this awesome engagement shoot with Franki and Max!

Franki and Max were so much fun! I enjoyed getting to know all about them and learn about their relationship. While we weren't shooting, we were talking the whole time! We had a great time trying out some awesome new locations and driving all around town.

These two are getting married at the end of this month in Las Vegas at the Paris hotel! And I am so excited because I'M GOING WITH THEM!! Yay! We are going to have an awesome time shooting their special day! I can't wait!

FRIENDS AND FAMILY: Click Here to be notified when the rest of the photos are online and available for ordering.

I have an alley that I really like to shoot in and this nasty old chair was left abandoned in the alley. Every time I saw it was tempting me to use it. So this time, we used it as a prop. Thanks, Franki for sitting on that nasty yet sweet chair!

I love these next two. So dreamy.

Love this one!

Thank you so much Franki and Max for spending the afternoon with me! I am so looking forward to your fabulous wedding!

Franki + Max: Sneak Peek

2009-01-28T21:05:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to post a quick sneak peek for Franki + Max that drove in from out of town to have me take their engagement photos. We went to some sweet locations and got some awesome shots! Check back soon for the rest!

Sports Christmas Party

2009-01-15T18:00:00.003-06:00

As many of you know, Clint and I are youth leaders at our church. For our Christmas youth party the theme was "sports." Everyone came dressed up in their sports attire. I think Clint had one of the most creative outfits though! He dressed up as an NFL Sports Agent and wore the outfit, sunglasses, badge and even some fake earring to look authentic. Not only did he look the part, but he played the part very well by going around to all the "athletes" and trying to recruit them. It was so funny!

Callie though I think topped everyone off. Check out her creative costume! Priceless!

Here are the table centerpieces. Clint and I handcut eight astroturf circles. They were perfect!

The newlyweds, Bryan and Kensey looked super cute:

Todd also had a very creative outfit...Tony Romo with the famous broken pinky posed with Jessica Simpson, aka Nikki.

Here is Clint's badge that I designed for him and everyone thought it was super cool and authentic and they were all asking him where he got it.

I dressed up as my favorite athlete, #1 Crusaders: Clint Barker! Love him!

Our First Christmas Tree

2009-01-13T16:51:00.002-06:00

It was so fun putting up Clint and I's very first Christmas tree! I had been collecting red and silver ornaments for quite awhile and it was so neat to put them all together on one tree this year.

The ornament below is the one I painted at at Kim's Bachelorette Party.

Here's the the whole tree! We decided to not buy a bigger one this year, so we just used this little tree that I've had for over eight years. It was perfect for our space.

Custom Wedding Guest Book

2009-01-12T20:27:00.003-06:00

Hey! I just wanted to share with you one of the products I offer, custom wedding guest books. This is the one that I did for Kim's wedding and I have done several of these for many brides. You can use photos from your engagement shoot or your dating history. On the other side I design the sign-in pages that match the rest of your wedding collateral. These can have lines, boxes or just be blank for people to write long notes. Contact me if you'd be interested in a custom guest book.

Kensey's Lingerie Shower

2009-01-09T18:06:00.003-06:00

My November was full of lingerie! I hosted two lingerie showers in one week and they were both so fun and so different. Deanna, Nikki and I threw a lingerie shower for our friend, Kensey two weeks before she got married. Our theme for this shower was eco-chic with brown, orange and green. Deanna found the perfect green and orange napkins with leaves on them that became the inspiration for the invitations and other decor. We incorporated polka dots and other green items.

Even our food items matched with chocolate and orange cupcakes with toppers, guacamole and bacon croissants, melon, orange and kiwi fruit skewers, parsley and cheddar cheese balls, chex mix with green and orange M&Ms and coordinating candy. It all came together so well!

Kensey, the beautiful bride:

We played several games including the marshmallow stuffing game. Kensey had to guess Bryan's answers to questions and for each one she got wrong, she had to stuff her mouth with a marshmallow.

We put together two clotheslines to hang up and display all her cute items!

The hostesses, Nikki, Deanna and me:

This was such a fun shower and we all really enjoyed putting it all together.

Me at Kim & Matt's Wedding

2009-01-09T17:41:00.004-06:00

After months of planning, late nights, lots of designing and dozens of emails back and forth, Kim and Matt were married on Saturday, November 15, 2008! It's crazy to think that Kim and I were married in the same year! I was so blessed to be a huge part of Kim's wedding day. She was my maid-of-honor a year ago and I was blessed to be her matron-of-honor on her special day.

My jobs for Kim's wedding consisted of:

dress picking outing
researching and finding photos
researching photographers
engagement photography
wedding invitation design
rehearsal dinner invitation design
bridal lunch invitation design
hostess for bacherlorette party
hostess for lingerie shower
coordinating bridesmaids
bridal photography
program designer
guest book designer
favor designer
hair dresser
make-up artist
veil putter oner
dress lacer and adjuster
OVERALL WEDDING PLANNER

I am just kidding! But that is what everyone was calling me by the end. It was so much fun. It was basically like getting married but without the amazing honeymoon at the end.

Here is a little glimpse of me from the wedding day doing all my duties! These photos were taken by Kim's wedding photographer, the talented, Shan Renee.

My hair was done by the amazing, Ty Lindgren at the Barry Morris Salon. She has been doing my up-dos for years and does an AMAZING job!! Kim's hair was done by me!

Congratulations, Kim and Matt!! If you'd like to see more photos from the wedding, click below to watch their slideshow!

Kim & Matt's Wedding Slideshow

Kim's Bridal Luncheon

2009-01-07T23:13:00.003-06:00

For Kim's bridal luncheon, Kim took as to this really neat Cafe inside of a nursery. It was so pretty and luscious.

Kim got us earrings to go with our dresses as well as an ornament that matched our personality. Mine is the red one. It went perfect with my Christmas tree!

The food was so good too! I love quiche!

All of the bridesmaids minus Clair again:

One Year Ago

2009-01-04T12:08:00.002-06:00

One year ago, I married the love of my life, Clint! I can't believe a year has already flown by! I have loved every minute of being married and I know that the years are going to continue to get better! I thank God every day for giving me an amazing husband. I love you, Clint! Happy anniversary!

Kim's Lingerie Shower

2009-01-03T19:45:00.004-06:00

Two days before Kim's wedding on November 13, myself and three of Kim's other bridesmaids hosted her lingerie shower. I had been planning the theme for several months and I love how it all came together. I used pink, black, zebra stripes along with lots of feathers and rhinestone "bling."

The photo above is of the pink margarita glasses with cherry Sprite and cherries which everyone enjoyed as well as water bottles with pink cheetah labels.

One of the bridesmaid's friends makes fabulous cupcakes and she put together this amazing cupcake tower as our centerpiece. If you need some yummy cupcakes for an event, let me know and I'll give you her name! The bridesmaids also helped me prepare some really yummy food including chocolate covered strawberries, artichoke dip, cream cheese and chipotle sauce, gourmet chocolates and pigs in a blanket!

I bought these adorable paper lanterns that really helped pull the theme together. It took three of us to get these hung up just right.

Check out all these gifts! This girl got spoiled with lingerie!

We put together some really fun games that got everyone laughing. Thank you to Cari for helping me take some of these photos!

One of the funniest games came from Jayme. I read a poem that described Kim's "panty life." By the end, these were the granny panties she was wearing! These were a gag gift at my lingerie shower and I was happy to be able to use them again.

And here was Kim's gag gift from her aunt!

We also played the game that is popular at baby showers where you have to steal the most clothespins. Intead, we gave everyone a blinking ring pop and if someone said "honeymoon" or "wedding," they could steal your ring pop. There was some crazy stealing going on!

All but one of the bridesmaids: me, Wendy, Callie, Kim, Cari and Jayme

It was so much fun and we had a blast spoiling Kim like crazy!

Thank You 2008

2008-12-31T13:01:00.008-06:00

I can't believe a year has already past! I want to thank all of my 2008 clients for letting me capture their personalities and relationships this year. I am still doing lots of graphic design work, but this year I expanded and started doing more photography which I have always loved. Here is a look back on this year with a shot from each of my sessions in 2008:

Kim: College Senior

Kelsey + Nathan: Engagement

Kelsey + Nathan: Wedding

Kim + Matt: Engagement

Ariana: Senior

Amy + Jared: Couple

Amy: Trash the Dress

Sarah: Senior Homecoming

Kothmann: Family

Kim: Bridal

Justin + Ashley: Engagement

Bezner: Family

I am now booking weddings and sessions for 2009 and 2010! Contact me soon to reserve your date. To view pricing, download my pricing booklets on the top right of the screen. I look forward to hearing from you!

Lots Coming Soon

2008-12-31T12:53:00.003-06:00

Hi, blog readers! Sorry I haven't been able to post much lately. I was super busy this month with Christmas card orders and other big projects. I was also sick most of the month so I had no extra energy to edit and post photos. But I have lots of photos to get you caught up on! Here's a list of what's coming:

Kim's Lingerie Shower
Kim's Bridal Lunch
Kim's Wedding
Kensey's Lingerie Shower
Decorating Our Christmas Tree
December Stamp Club
Eminent Christmas Party
Christmas Lunch at the Mansion
Weekend in Ruidoso
Our First Christmas
Christmas at the Barker's
Christmas at the Schwisow's
Skeet Shooting in Colorado
New Year's Eve

Also, my new and improved website will be coming very soon! It has been in progress for several months and I am almost ready to launch it. Check back soon!

Kim's Bachelorette Party

2008-12-13T14:22:00.002-06:00

Okay, so back to blogging my personal photos! I am still so behind. The Tuesday before Kim's wedding Kim and I and three of her other bridesmaids all went to dinner at one of nicest restaurants in town for her bachelorette party! It was so fun to get dressed up and go out with the ladies!

After a good dinner, we headed over to The Pottery which is a local pottery place where you can paint pottery. We had the whole place to ourselves and we each worked on several pieces. I only had time to paint one ornament (I am a perfectionist and very slow!) and Kim did two ornaments and a cross in the same amount of time! We had so much fun and we enjoyed getting to spoil Kim before she got married!

Bezner: Family

2008-12-08T19:14:00.005-06:00

Page, the mom of these two very adorable girls asked me last week if there was any way I could take some photos of their family for their Christmas card. I was so excited because I was dying to go explore this "mini-forest" a couple streets down from my house. I had so much fun with this family and the girls are just two cute! I enjoyed getting to capture their sweet personalities!

I love these two shots!

Making Kim's Wedding Invitations

2008-12-06T17:06:00.002-06:00

One of the biggest projects of Kim's wedding was designing and assembling her 320 wedding invitations. We went more unique and designed a long booklet style invitation. I was very different and super unique. We had the pieces printed and in October we had an invitation assembling night. It took a lot of scoring, folding, punching, ribbon tying and stuffing, but we got it done! And they looked awesome! Here are some photos of Kim and her family and friends assembling.

Here are some photos of the final product! Didn't they turn out neat!?!

Photography Pricing Booklets

2008-12-02T16:48:00.003-06:00

I am so happy to finally present to you, my photography pricing booklets! My new website is still currently under development and will be coming soon. But until then, you can download my photography pricing booklets. Feel free to share these with friends and family that would be interested. The links to download these will be on the right sidebar or you can click the images below to view the pricing information. Please contact me if you have any questions or if you would like to schedule a session or book your wedding with me. I am currently booking for 2009, so act quickly to reserve your date! I look forward to working with you.

Kim's September Bridal Shower

2008-12-01T11:42:00.002-06:00

Yep, I am over two months behind in my personal blogging. Last night while watching The Hills with Clint, I worked on downloading and editing tons of my personal photos that have been on the back burner. Here are some of my favorite photos from Kim's bridal shower in September. I have lots more to come, so keep checking back!

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-30T16:54:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it has been a year since last Thanksgiving. It does not seem that long ago that Clint and I were heading to Lubbock to take our engagement photos and enjoying the very rare snow last Thanksgiving. As we are quickly approaching our one year anniversary, I am so thankful for everything God has provided for us the past several months. We have been blessed with so much and I feel so blessed to have had such a great start in our married lives. This weekend I enjoyed two wonderful Thanksgiving meals with all of Clint's family. I helped do lots of baking and of course taking photos. Thank you to Clint for taking some great shots as well! Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Ashley + Justin: Engagement

2008-11-22T17:38:00.003-06:00

These two have had a whirlwind romance and I was so excited to shoot their engagement photos for them. Ashley is a total sweetheart from Alabama who moved here to West Texas and fell in love with Justin who I've know for several years. Justin is an amazing pilot and business man along with many other talents. They were totally natural in front of the camera and they have such a sweet chemistry that is so easy to photograph. Here are several of my favorites from their session.

Guess what day in March they are getting married??

We went inside the restaurant of their first date and took several photos inside.

One of my favorites:

Congratulations, Ashley and Justin!

Holiday Portrait Special

2008-11-18T17:18:00.003-06:00

I am excited to announce that I will be having a holiday family lifestyle portrait special the next two weeks! Book now for the best pricing! Have your family photos taken before the holiday season so you can order custom Christmas cards and wonderful gifts such as coffee table books, prints and gallery wrap canvases. Email me to book your session or if you have any questions.

Coming Soon: Ashley + Justin

2008-11-18T15:02:00.001-06:00

Just a quick sneak peek for Ashley and Justin! I know they are dying to see the rest of these! They're coming soon!

Kim: Bridal

2008-11-18T14:01:00.003-06:00

Wow! I can't believe it has been over a month since I posted! I have so much to post and catch up on, and it's all because of this gorgeous girl!! I am so excited to say that I successfully helped marry off my sister-in-law, Kim this past Saturday! It was a beautiful wedding and Kim couldn't have looked more beautiful. I am so excited to see the photos taken by the awesome, Shan Renee, but until then, here are the Kim's bridals that I took one month ago. Hair, make-up and flowers also done by myself. Check back soon! I have lots more to share!

Kothmann: Family

2008-10-15T23:53:00.005-05:00

Not only is this family totally gorgeous and photogenic, but they are one of the sweetest families I know! I was so excited to take their family photos! They have a gorgeous home that they recently renovated, so they opted to take their photos around their home where they are most comfortable. We took several formal portraits, like my favorite below, but the rest of these are my favorite candid shots from the session. I had so many favorites and that I had a hard time narrowing them down, so here's a whole bunch! Enjoy!

After we shot in several locations outside, we headed into Kyle and Melissa's bedroom and all the kids piled onto the bed. I love these because they looked so natural hanging out on their parent's bed!

I took photos of each of the kids in their bedrooms. Katherine and I had a little too much fun in her adorable bedroom and bathroom!

I love this series of Kyle and Melissa! I couldn't pick just one favorite! I love all of them!

But if I had to pick, I think this would be my favorite:

Thank you so much, Kothmann family! I had a great time taking your photos!

Sarah: Senior Homecoming

2008-10-14T23:20:00.003-05:00

A couple weeks ago, Sarah and her mom asked if I would be willing to take some photos of Sarah in her homecoming dress. I was so excited because Sarah was on the homecoming court and we all knew she would be the homecoming queen! Sarah is not only a model student, but a gorgeous young women of God that is truly an amazing role model to all girls her age of how to live and lead a Godly lifestyle. I am so happy that I was able to document this special day for her!

October Stamp Club

2008-10-13T17:51:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it is already October! This year has been flying by! Here are the three cards we made at our October Stamp Club. Only two more club nights left this year.

Simply Scrappin' Class

2008-10-13T17:44:00.003-05:00

Here are the pages from the Simply Scrappin' class that I taught at the end of September. I had a ton of fun designing these page. It had been quite awhile since I had scrapbooked and it felt good to get some pages done. All of these pages and cards were made using one Stampin' Up! Simply Scrappin' kit.

Amy: Trash the Dress

2008-10-07T23:33:00.003-05:00

After Amy and Jared's session, Amy went and put on her one year old wedding dress and we headed back out downtown to capture some shots of Amy looking gorgeous! Here are my favorites.

This shot is awesome! We went back to shoot at a spot and this worker was out taking a smoke break and we begged him to stay for a photo. It's really different, but I love the contrast!

Amy's one request is that we take some photos of her on the train tracks! I was thrilled! She totally rocked it!

Oh my gosh, I LOVE this next series. I couldn't pick just one! She looks fabulous in all of them!!

And Jared hopped up for a couple shots!

Amy, you did an AWESOME job! Thank you for being up for anything...even laying on the nasty train tracks! I had so much fun!

Amy + Jared: Couple

2008-10-06T21:10:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, I got the wonderful opportunity to photograph Amy and Jared. These two have been married for a year and wanted to have some photos taken together! Aren't they so cute!?! I really enjoyed getting to know them and hearing their story. All I can say is that God totally put them together! Amy and Jared will be taking an eleven month long mission trip...or I should say excursion, around the world next year. I am so excited for them! Here are a couple of my favorites from our afternoon together.

Thanks, Amy and Jared! I really enjoyed our time together!

Harvest Tour Day 1

2008-10-05T12:45:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the lack of posting lately! I have been so busy with last minute projects and have had no time to sit down and edit any photos. A month ago, Clint and his band, Lifted went to Abliene to play worship at his cousin, David's Harvest Tour. It was an awesome two nights of worship, preaching, salvation and healings. God did a great work in the people and pastors that attended. Here are some photos of the the set-up, sound check and first night.

I designed the Harvest Tour logo and badges. My badge said "Photographer" on one side and "Drummer's Cute Wife" on the other side.

Here is the whole band that sacrificed their time and energy to come. They are each so gifted! John (electric guitar), Bryan (acoustic guitar and vocals), Albert (keys and vocals), Tom (bass guitar) and Clint (photographer's hot husband and drums)

Harvest Tour Day 2

2008-10-05T12:30:00.000-05:00

Here are photos from day two of the Harvest Tour. Although this was mainly an all guys trip, I still had a ton of fun getting to know the guys better. It was an awesome bonding time for all of them.

During sound check, John and I were having fun looking up people's names on the Urban Dictionary iPhone app.

In the convention center, there were these HUGE coffee filters that they used. The guys each took turns wearing one of them. It made for some really silly pictures.

Clint shaving backstage before hand.

We stopped at Whataburger for a late dinner before heading home. We all had an awesome time and I am looking forward to many more Harvest Tours next year.

SALE in my Etsy Shop!

2008-09-25T14:37:00.003-05:00

I have a bunch of cards and a couple card sets that are on sale in my Etsy shop! I'm cleaning it out and will hopefully be releasing a bunch of new items next month. To make room, I have put a bunch of the cards on sale! Go check it out! They will only be available until Tuesday! If you live in town and don't want to pay shipping, just leave a comment and I will get your card to you.

CLICK HERE to visit Spink Studio's Etsy Shop

Coming Soon: Amy + Jared

2008-09-24T18:00:00.002-05:00

Saturday was a very busy and fun day for me! I think I shot about 1,000 photos between the two family events and the two photo shoots. I had an awesome time with Amy and Jared shooting some photos of the two of them then some trash the dress shots with Amy. There's lots more coming, so stay tuned!

Kim's August Bridal Shower

2008-09-21T20:55:00.003-05:00

I was so excited to be a hostess for Kim's first bridal shower. I helped with the invitations, decorations and putting the theme together. We had the shower at Melissa's beautiful French inspired home which made it so romantic! It turned out so beautiful!

I created a "blessing tree" with coordinating cards for all the guests to write a blessing to Kim and hang it on the tree.

Kim with five of her six bridesmaids:

And us together! Yay!

And check out Kim's adorable hostess gifts! She gave us each a set of earrings that matched our personality. I love mine!

I'm so happy for you, Kim!

Which Canvas Should We Buy?

2008-09-19T19:41:00.002-05:00

I need your help. I have been wanting to purchase a gallery wrap canvas of one of our engagement photos for above the fireplace ever since we moved in eight months ago! We have finally decorated enough other parts of our house that I can justify spending the money on this now. So which canvas do you like for above our fireplace? I can't decide if it should be shorter or longer than the fireplace cover underneath it. I don't know if the long ones would make it look top heavy. On the blank white wall on the right will be two 8 foot long shelves (which just arrived from Pottery Barn!) with all black frames that have more of our engagement and wedding photos.

Excuse my painting project in the foreground! Place your vote:

September Stamp Club

2008-09-19T11:10:00.002-05:00

I had another successful Stamp Club last Friday night. We played around with a lot of the new Stampin' Up colors and tried some new techniques. I also showed them how they could take the concept of the card above, and turn it into a scrapbook page.

Ariana: Senior

2008-09-15T20:48:00.004-05:00

After photographing Kelsey and Nathan's wedding in Denver, I had the privilege of photographing my good friend, Ariana's senior photos. Can you believe this girl is a senior?? Yeah, in high school! Isn't she gorgeous? She totally worked it like a model. She has the most awesome serious face too. Love it! Here are some of my favorites.

It had been raining off and on all day and we keep pushing our photoshoot back later in the day. I had hoped to drive to the Denver art district to take photos around the awesome buildings, but because of the non-stop rain showers, we decided it to keep it close to home at a nearby shopping center.

After about ten minutes it started to pour rain, so we took some photos under a sheltered corner window.

Since the rain didn't look like it would let up for awhile, we decided to drive over to a nearby library and take some indoor shots. Ariana was a great sport and stood in the rain to take several of these outside this awesome library.

The rain finally let up and we headed back to the shopping center to get a couple more shots before being run off by a mean security guard!

Congratulations, Ariana! I hope you have a blessed year!

My Hair Dilemma

2008-09-15T11:17:00.004-05:00

I am going to go get my hair done on Wednesday and I can't not decide what to do with my hair color! I am a little fed up with it right now because I feel like I have 10 colors in it right now. Here a photo Hannah snapped of me three weeks ago, and this is what it looks like right now, except more grown out.

So, what do you think I should do? I want to start getting it ready for Kim's wedding in November. Vote on this poll and let me know what you think:

Kelsey + Nathan: Wedding Part 1

2008-09-07T20:00:00.000-05:00

It was a very rainy day and in Denver on Friday, August 15, 2008, but not even the rain could dampen the happiness between the Dodge and Garcia families on Kelsey and Nathan's wedding day! Everyone was anxious for the wedding to take place. Kelsey was the third of the four Dodge girls to get married and I have been blessed to be a part of all three weddings in some way.

We started off the day at my old hair salon, Hair and Now where all of the girls including Kelsey's mom got their hair done. Each up-do was so gorgeous and unique!

Kelsey had a very unique peacock inspired wedding, so we were having fun playing with the peacock feathers.

Since it was pouring rain outside, the salon was nice enough to give the girls these lovely blue trash bags to cover their up-dos. It made for some really cute photos.

And a photo of me! I helped Kelsey with her eyeshadow and eyeliner (one of my other specialties!). Thank you to Hannah for grabbing my camera and stepping into the bathtub to get this photo of me.

Aren't Kelsey's shoes fabulous?! Of course they have be since she is a professional shoe saleswoman. I couldn't pick which shoe shot I liked best, so I'm posting both.

Kelsey was such a beautiful bride! Check out her gorgeous brown eyes!

The handsome groom, Nathan! I loved his tux...pinstripe coat and pants, white striped tie and polka dot vest. So chic!

We decided to do the "first look" in one of the staircases of the church so Nathan could see his bride walking down the stairs. His smile was priceless!

I showed Kelsey this shot from Vogue's Carrie and Mr. Big photo shoot and asked if she would be up for this pose. I am so glad she said yes, because she totally rocked it! This is just one of the series. They were all awesome! Thanks to the awesome photographer, Scarlett Lillian for the inspiration.

What you don't see in these photos is the pouring rain that was soaking me. Thank you to my umbrella holders, Meghan, Erin and Heather for keeping my camera dry! We would have liked to take more photos around downtown, but we keep it around the church so the bride and groom wouldn't be drenched before the wedding.

The wedding ceremony and reception photos are next!

Kelsey + Nathan: Wedding Part 2

2008-09-07T19:35:00.004-05:00

Kelsey and Nathan were married in the gorgeous Trinity United Methodist Church in Denver. Unfortunately, they will not let photographers get very close during the ceremony, so I was restricted to the back. My second shooter, Heather was also a guest at the wedding, so she went and snuck her big 70-200 lens and tripod to her seat and hopefully got some closer shots than what I was allowed to.

Kelsey and Nathan opted for cheesecake instead of traditional wedding cake. Too bad Clint didn't come with me. He would have been so excited. He LOVES cheesecake.

Okay, I seriously have about a dozen adorable photos of Hannah and Brendan dancing together. These two are so sweet! I tried to limit it to only a couple.

I really love this photo. I don't know whether it is Hannah's cute smirk, Brendan's sexy eyebrow raise or the couple kissing in the background, but it just seems so dreamy.

This adorable boy was keeping us all entertained. Not only could he work a point and shoot, but he was also a great break dancer.

And since it's my blog, I gotta post this photo of my adorable parents dancing. This was just two days before their 24th wedding anniversary.

Nathan and Kelsey, I pray that God blesses your life together! Thank you for letting me capture your special day.

Kelsey + Nathan: Rehearsal

2008-08-30T22:46:00.003-05:00

I am so excited to share with you the wedding rehearsal of Kelsey and Nathan! Their wedding took place at the gorgeous Trinity United Methodist Church in downtown Denver. It was a gorgeous church that Clint and I had actually considered for our wedding. It was so neat to be shooting a wedding there instead!

Kelsey looked so stylish in her White House Black Market dress and her fabulous red shoes! Kelsey sells shoes at Nordstrom, so I of course had to get plenty of shoe shots for her!

Nathan's sister, Courtney is a wonderful cello player and she played several beautiful songs during the ceremony.

Nathan's youngest sister, Natalie was an awesome candlelighter!

After they practiced the ceremony several times, we ran outside to grab a couple shots of just the two of them.

I love this photo of Kelsey holding her dress so the wind wouldn't catch it. It was getting really windy because a big rain storm was moving in.

I also took several photos of my good friends and Kelsey's sister, Hannah and her husband, Brendan! Aren't they cute? They have been married over two years and are still so in love!

For dinner, we went to Garcia's Mexican Restaurant which was so fitting because Garcia is Nathan's last name.

I think this is one of my favorite shots of the night.

I caught Nathan playing with Kelsey's ring and it was so sweet!

After dinner, we watched two slideshows with photos of Nathan and Kelsey from their childhood all the way through their engagement.

After that, they opened their wedding presents from their family.

Kelsey's older sister, Meghan made them a quilt that matched Kelsey's peacock inspired wedding.

It was a wonderful and super sweet night for both of these families as they celebrated Kelsey and Nathan and their upcoming life together.

Don't go anywhere! The wedding is coming next!

Kelsey: Bridal Party Brunch

2008-08-27T21:55:00.003-05:00

For her bridesmaids, sisters and moms, Kelsey threw a bridal party brunch the day before the wedding. I felt so special to be invited and join in on the fun!

Kelsey's niece, Rachel was in Colorado for the first time and she was being super cute trying to get all of the attention. She knew how to win all of her aunts' hearts!

Here's me with the gorgeous group of girls! They're so sweet to include me!

Kelsey gave everyone a little box from Nordstrom where she works.

Inside each box was a pair of these gorgeous earrings for each girl! Kelsey was so sweet and gave me some as well! I love them and I wore them to the wedding.

Kelsey also prepared a wonderful brunch with some yummy quiches, fruit, scones and juice. I think she was working way too hard before the wedding, but it was fabulous!

To end, I love this photo of Natalie, the candlelighter and Kelsey's little sister-in-law. This is just one of the many cute photos I took of her throughout the weekend.

Kelsey: Lingerie Shower

2008-08-26T16:31:00.003-05:00

Get ready! The next couple posts are all about Kelsey and Nathan! I spent a wonderful five days in Denver celebrating with the Dodge and Garcia family during Kelsey's special weekend. I was so blessed to be a part of her wedding by photographing and capturing their special day. To start off the weekend, I attended Kelsey's lingerie and bachelorette party! Hannah (one of my bridesmaids) was the matron of honor and did a wonderful job with her sister-in-law, Erin putting the party together.

We played a really fun "Guess the girls' favorite chick flick" game. Mine was Just Married. Just one of my many favorites.

We had a wonderful time hanging out and relaxing before the busy weekend. Next up...the bridesmaid brunch!

Come be my fan on Facebook!

2008-08-26T15:17:00.003-05:00

I have set up a Spink Studio page on Facebook. If you're on Facebook, come be a fan! It's a great way to stay up to date with what's going on at Spink Studio!

Spink Studio's Facebook Page

Kim + Matt: Engagement

2008-08-25T14:56:00.005-05:00

This was a very special photo shoot for me! I got to photograph one of my best friends who I am blessed to have as my sister-in-law, Kim with her groom-to-be, Matt! They will be getting married on November 15 in the same church Clint and I were married in and I will get to stand right beside her as her matron of honor! I am so blessed to be a part of her upcoming special day!

Like I mentioned earlier, we headed out on a super hot Sunday morning to a nearby rundown West Texas town to take their engagement photos. Kim and I had scouted out a couple awesome places that we wanted to use. Our first stop was the park that had some huge trees. The morning light was gorgeous.

This is one of my favorites! So, so sweet!

Clint found this gold mine of an alley! I didn't even notice that is said "I knew then" on the wall until I was editing these photos. So perfect!

Kim and I found this perfect shaded alcove when we were scouting out places a couple months ago. I loved it so much I took a photo of it on my phone so I wouldn't forget. I'm glad I did because this is probably my favorite series of photos!

We took a little lunch break to cool off and then hit up this awesome tire trash pile! I love these. As we were leaving, Matt climbed up on top of them which resulted in an awesome shot!

Thanks, Kim and Matt! I had an awesome time with you and I can't wait for your amazing wedding!

New Header and Blog Changes

2008-08-23T15:16:00.004-05:00

So, what do you think of the new blog look? Since I am posting more and more of my client's photos and targeting my blog to new clients, I have made it more "Spink Studio." I have rearranged a few things and created a brand new header featuring some of my favorite photos from recent shoots. As you can see, I've given you a little sneak peek of Kim + Matt's engagement session and Kelsey + Nathan's wedding, both which I'll be posting very soon! If you've had a recent session with me, check back often because I may be featuring one of your photos in the blog header.

Also, I have updated the categories on the sidebar to include a "Photography: Engagement" and "Photography: Senior." I will also have a wedding and baby category coming soon. If you are a client and want to see just my engagement or senior work, click one of the categories to filter the posts.

I have also added the email function. If you'd like to email one of my posts to a friend, just click the envelope icon at the bottom of the post to send an email.

If you're reading this in Google Reader, come on over and see the new look and let me know what you think! I have also limited the number of posts on the home page to eight so that it will load faster for you. Please let me know if there is anything that is still not functioning or taking too long to load.

Also, I wanted to mention that if you don't use Google Reader, YOU SHOULD!! It's probably the best thing I have ever signed up for. Thanks to the awesome Kristin Bednarz for recommending it to me. I now subscribe to almost 200 blogs and always see the latest posts. If you have a blog, leave a comment with the link because I would love to add your blog to my Reader.

Thanks for stopping by!

An Afternoon with Great Grandma Kurrle

2008-08-22T17:55:00.005-05:00

While I was visiting my family in Colorado, my mom, sisters, Grandma and I took the afternoon and went to visit my Great Grandma Kurrle who lives up in the mountains. She had asked if we would come up and help her sort her pile of photos that were being stored in an old plastic green suitcase. Of course we would! Mom and I can't stand the thought of family photos deteriorating away in a plastic suitcase. After we ate lunch, my mom went to work sorting the pile of photos. I enjoyed watching and hearing about the old photos from my great grandma.

My grandma took me back to one of the old bedrooms and showed me a bulletin board full of portrait photos of her and her brother. I just adore this senior portrait of my grandma. She looks so beautiful and classic.

Mercy and Melissa had fun watching these crazy hummingbirds. I love this photo I caught of them fighting each other.

It was so nice to see my great grandma and spend time with the ladies in my family. We had a wonderful time.

Summer Band Practice

2008-08-22T16:02:00.002-05:00

This summer, the house was full of lots of music! Clint and his band, Johnny and the Yahoos practiced almost every night this summer while my brother, Josh was in town. They have been working on some really awesome songs. You can hear some unmastered clips on their MySpace: Johnny & the Yahoos. Of course their totally awesome MySpace page was designed by myself! It still needs some tweaks, but check it out!

Right after I got my new camera, I snapped some of these photos one afternoon during practice. Josh has been bugging me ever since to give him these photos for his Facebook. I played around with some different post processing effects. You can check out more photos on Facebook!

I also wanted to add, my bro-in-law, Tom is also in the band, but he happened to be sleeping on the living room floor during this recording sessions, thus no photos of him.

Kim + Matt Behind the Scenes Sneak Peek

2008-08-21T20:48:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to give you a little "behind the scenes" sneak peek at Kim and Matt's engagement session that is coming soon.

Yep, that's my husband...with his butt in my cute shot. This is what happens when your husband who also happens to be the bride's brother comes on the photo shoot. Hehe. Actually, Clint was a really big help during Kim and Matt's engagement session. We scheduled their shoot on probably one of the hottest days in West Texas. Because of that, Kim and Matt decided to drive the RV so they would have a place to change and cool off between sessions. Great idea! Because of this, I managed to talk Clint into going with me.

Since I am only 5 foot, 2.5 inches (at the most), I brought along a stool so I could get some shots from above. So, Clint became the official stool carrier of the day.

While I wasn't using it, it also doubled as Clint's chair. I turned around to find Clint sitting propped up on it acting like a total goofball and I got this great shot that makes me smile! Besides being the stool carrier, Clint found some sweet locations which I'll be sharing with you very soon! Check back to see the Kim + Matt's full post!

Chillin' at the Pool

2008-08-20T19:42:00.004-05:00

I finally got some pool time in this summer. While I was up in Denver, my sisters had a pool birthday party to go to, so I tagged along with them and the three of us busted out our new swimsuits. Aren't my sisters so cute?!?

My mom hardly ever lets me take photos of her and I love this one. She looks so cute in her new sunglasses shading herself from the super bright sun.

Melissa and I played "Motor Boat, Motor Boat" in the water, although I didn't go under. I let Melissa do that part. :-D

This is probably one of my favorite photos from this summer. I just love the this shot with Melissa's fair skin and her wet eyelashes. So sweet.

Day in Denver

2008-08-20T11:37:00.003-05:00

While visiting my family in Colorado, Mom, Mercy, Melissa and I went to meet my 4th grade teacher, Kathy and her daughter, Jenna and good friend, Callie over by Denver University. We first went to visit Jenna at the Flower Market where she works. It was so adorable and smelled so wonderful!

We went a couple doors down and ate at an authentic meat deli then shopped the stores and had some yummy ice cream.

After our ice cream, we drove over to Washington Park and let my sisters swing while us ladies talked. I manged to pull them off the swings long enough to let me take some photos of them. Mercy is totally a little model and was working it for me!

It was such a wonderful day and we enjoyed spending time with old friends and enjoying the summer weather.

Tons of Photos Coming Soon

2008-08-16T11:47:00.005-05:00

Hey blog readers! Sorry for the lack of posting. I have been so, so busy the past couple weeks with traveling and trying to get caught up with work while I am home. I just shot Kelsey and Nathan's gorgeous wedding in Denver and I can't wait to share some photos. I just wanted to let you know that I have tons of photos to post here in the next week or two! So check back to see these:

Day in Denver with the Wilsons
Pool Party
Band Practice
Hannah + Hope: Baby
Kim + Matt: Engagement
Kelsey: Lingerie Shower
Kelsey: Bridal Party Brunch
Kelsey + Nathan: Rehearsal
Kelsey + Nathan: Wedding
Ariana: Senior

Southlands Concert

2008-08-11T10:53:00.003-05:00

Before Clint left with the guys to go to Alaska, we got to spend a little time in Denver shopping, buying living room furniture (it looks so great; I'll have to show you) and going to Southlands to enjoy one of their outdoor summer concerts. They had a talented jazz band playing and we enjoyed the perfect summer weather while we watched. Afterwards, we went to PF Changs for some lettuce wraps and sweet and sour chicken. It was a really fun night!

August Stamp Club

2008-08-10T21:33:00.003-05:00

Hey! I am so sorry for the lack of posting lately. After last month's stamp club, I rushed to go out of town. I spent almost two weeks in Colorado with my mom while Clint, my dad, Josh and my grandpa went to Alaska. I'll have to post some of their photos later. I have been taking SO many photos with my new camera! About 1,300 within three weeks! So, I have lots of great photos to show you. But for now, here are the cards that we made at our August stamp club...photos taken with my new lens!

July Stamp Club

2008-07-20T14:08:00.003-05:00

Friday was our monthly stamp club meeting! There were 14 ladies that came, most of them for the first time which was great. Wendy served us a great dinner and the ladies enjoyed making cards for several hours. Here are the five cards we made.

New Baby

2008-07-16T13:00:00.005-05:00

I just bought this beautiful lens (50mm f/1.2L) and it will be in my hot little hands on Friday! I can't wait to play around with it and my brand new camera!! Anyone who lives close by want to come be my model? I don't think I will be able to put my camera down!

Youth for the Nations 2008

2008-07-15T15:15:00.003-05:00

I am back from Youth for the Nations 2008 and I had an awesome time!! It was a busy week with not much sleep, but amazing time with the Lord! I enjoyed the leadership workshops and night services with Benny Perez and Jude Fouquier and amazing worship by Jesus Culture. It was so neat to see all of our students press in and go deeper in their relationship with the Lord. God really touched our lives this week and I am so thankful that I was able to go. I took lots of photos. Here are several of my favorite. Check out the Eminent t-shirts!

Headed to Youth Camp

2008-07-07T08:03:00.000-05:00

I am headed out this morning to youth camp for the week! I am excited to spend some time ministering to the girls and enjoying some great worship and speakers! I am leaving Clint and Josh at home by themselves, so I know they will be having some very loud music practices while I am gone. I am also excited because we are surprising all the students with their very first youth group t-shirt! God gave me this concept when our youth pastor, Jermaine was explaining the meaning of eminent, our new youth group name. I know the students are going to be so excited! Here is a mock-up of what it looks like. I am sure you'll be seeing it in lots of the pictures! I'll be posting those when I return! Have a great week!

Six Months Ago

2008-07-04T10:22:00.006-05:00

While everyone is celebrating 4th of July today, Clint and I have something else to celebrate. Six months ago today, we were doing this:

I can't believe Clint and I have already been married six months! Time flies when you're having fun! I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July today.

Kim's Graduation

2008-07-02T12:17:00.003-05:00

I've been meaning to post some of these photos for awhile now! June just flew by! I can't believe how fast the last couple months have flown by! On Friday, Clint and I will be celebrating our six month anniversary!

My amazing sister-in-law graduated from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin on Saturday, May 10. Kim worked long and hard for five years to receive her Bachelor's degree while paying for it the whole way. Her family, soon to be fiance, Matt and best friend, Ross all came to watch her walk the stage on a super hot West Texas morning.

Ross brought his super loud horn to embarrass Kim. He had several people cracking up including all of us. He started to play along with the band and when we walked by the band, I told him to go sit in a band chair so I could get a picture of him playing along with them. Sadly, Ross was more on beat than the UTPB band. We all got a laugh out of it!

After the ceremony, we all enjoyed a nice lunch at one of the family's favorite Mexican food restuarants. All of Kim's family and closest friends came to celebrate. After we finished eating, all of us young ones started blowing bubbles at each other. It was a wonderful day and I am so very happy for Kim to be done with school!

June eScape Card Workshop

2008-07-01T17:58:00.003-05:00

Aren't these flowers so perfect? I bought them on Friday before my eScape Card Workshop and they are so happy and colorful! Perfect for the card class! Clint left me last weekend and went to Dallas to spend some time with his brother and cousin. I stayed home and got everything ready for my card workshop.

I had nine ladies over on Saturday and we had a great time! They made cards, ate a yummy lunch, learned some new techniques and I sold a bunch of Stampin' Up! stuff. I also sold a bunch of my retired stamp sets so I could buy some of the new preview sets!

Here are the five cards that we did.

Youth Group

2008-06-30T21:27:00.002-05:00

For the past six months, I have been serving with Clint as a youth leader in our church's youth group. We have had God work in some very awesome ways the last couple months and I know that every student has been touched. Next week, we leave for youth camp and I know that God will reveal things to all of us and I am so excited to see how He moves! Here are some photos that I took a month ago at one of our services.

Ask Kayla Q&A Round 1

2008-06-23T17:15:00.045-05:00

Here are the questions to the questions that you awesome blog readers left me. Let me know if you have any additional questions!

April Oaks said...Hey Kayla! What is your favorite art piece you've created?

Oh my gosh! That is a hard question! I create so many different pieces of art from photography to graphic design to painting to cardmaking to scrapbooking and just about anything else you can think of! I practically have a new favorite piece of art every week!

I'd have to say that the art piece that I am most proud of would be my college portfolio from design school. I spent two very long and hard years at school every day working hard to create the pieces that are in my design portfolio. I love graphic design so much. It's a talent that God has given to me and I love to use it for His glory every day. I am so thankful that I was able to go to school and learn how to be a graphic designer. And I am still learning new things every day! I spent two years creating these various design pieces and I spent several weeks putting my portfolio together for graduation. God really blessed me in school. Several of my pieces received awards at the Annual Portfolio and Art Show, I was the only one in my class to graduate with highest honors (4.0 GPA) from my school, I was given the 2007 Portfolio of the Year award out of all the students at my school and I was awarded Meritorious Recognition for Student of the Year in Art & Design out of all the private colleges in Colorado! I am so blessed to have this talent and I love what I do!

These are several pictures of my college portfolio that I had set out at my graduation party just over a year ago. Almost all of these pieces can be viewed on my website as well as all of my new designs: Spink Studio

April F said...Hey Kayla!! I am thinking about getting a new printer, I love to scrapbook, make cards, and invitations and stuff, but I am still using an HP all in one printer from high school, like 7 years ago (wow I am getting old). And with your line of work you must use a great printer...so what is your suggestion??!!

Hey, April! I bought a Epson Stylus Photo 1400 a year ago and I LOVE it! I use it almost everyday. It has six ink cartridges, so you only need to replace the ones that are needed and it uses Claria Hi-Definition ink which prints beautifully. The ink cartridges are a little pricey (about $20 each) but they seem to last for a long time and I don't feel like I am replacing them very often. I print all of my scrapbook pages, Etsy stationary, client proofs and photographs on this printer. It is wonderful. I also recommend the Epson Premium Photo Paper in 13x19. That is what I use to print my scrapbook pages and they come out beautiful!

lisa frith said...what is your inspiration to create? is it a color, a shape, a mood? just curious ... your talents span a range of things, so i'm just curious!

Hi, Lisa! I hope you're enjoying some good sweet tea down south! We miss you here!

I had to think about this one. Really, the biggest influence on me is definitely other artists and designers! I LOVE Google Reader and I subscribe to over 150 blogs of other artists, photographers, designers and friends! I am so inspired by other artists and they give me the courage to try new things! I am always getting new ideas and inspiration. Here are a couple of my favorite websites and blogs that inspire me:

Design & Art:

Photography:

Painting:

Scrapbooking:

Stamping:

megs said...when are you going to buy couch number three and come see me? :) love you babe, oh and i'm about to watch calamity jane

My friend, Meghan! I wish I was coming to Dallas this weekend with Clint. But I can't! I must stay here and work to save for the couch. Once we get it, you must come visit and see!

megs said...one more thing... how did you get the name spink studio?

I get asked this question a lot! Spink Studio is a totally original name. When I first came up with my company name, it was Scallop Pink, Ink. My business cards and logo had a very cute scallop edge and were all very pink as you can see in the logo. I also used ink instead of inc as a play on Incorporated. For short, the initials were, SPInk. I went a whole year with it being Scallop Pink, Ink all while having the world's most confusing URL (www.scalloppinkink.com). In June of 2007, I officially switched the name to Spink Studio and rebranded my company with the more sophisticated Spink Studio logo. I launched my website, www.spinkstudio.com last August and have had great success!

Thanks for all the questions! We'll have to do this again soon!

Ask Kayla

2008-06-18T10:53:00.002-05:00

Hey to all my blog readers! Thanks so much for stopping by! I thought it would be fun if we had a little Kayla Q&A! I love it when other bloggers do this because I always have questions for them and I love to read all the answers.

So, leave me a comment on this post and ask me any question you want related to anything about me or anything that I do and I will answer all the questions within a couple days. I'll try to include pictures too so this will be a visual question and answer section! Thanks!

Updated Spink Studio Website

2008-06-17T15:18:00.003-05:00

I've just updated my Spink Studio website with some of my new designs including a bunch of the graduation announcements I shared here and some never before seen designs. Check it out if you have time. Please contact me if you are in need of a graphic designer or if you know someone who would be interested in my services.

Thanks!

South Carolina Family Reunion Album

2008-06-16T20:36:00.004-05:00

It's been forever since I've posted anything scrapbooking related. I guess that's because I haven't scrapbooked in forever! I finished up this mini album a month or two ago. The photos are from our 2003 family reunion. This album was super fun and fast and totally inspired by Lisa McGarvey's family reunion album. Here's a couple pages from the book.

The Never Ending Couch Dilemma

2008-06-10T15:16:00.010-05:00

For one whole year we have been looking. And for one whole year, we still have not been able to make a decision on which couch we should buy. We have been married for over 5 months and we still do not own a couch. We have an empty room just waiting to be filled with a loving couch, we just can't seem to make a decision!

We want something comfy, that will hold up well and not look "smushed" over time, that will sit a lot of people and that I can put my feet up on (this is very important!). So the dilemma is leather or fabric, sectional or chaise, metal legs or wooden legs? Ugh!! Clint and I are so picky that we need your help deciding! Look at these five choices and take the poll at the bottom of the post. And leave me a comment letting me know what you think!

Thanks for helping us with our never ending couch dilemma!

Couch #1

Couch #2

Couch #3

Couch #4

Couch #5

Nathan & Kelsey: Engagement

2008-06-09T00:02:00.003-05:00

I have known Kelsey and Nathan for over four years and for all four years, they have always loved each other and knew one day that they would get married. I am so, so excited to be a part of Kelsey and Nathan's special day. Kelsey is the third of four sisters to be getting married and I have been able to participate in all three weddings! I am super excited to be shooting their wedding which will take place only blocks from where these photos were taken in downtown Denver.

This shoot was so much fun! It poured rain that whole morning and Kelsey and I were both a little bit worried. But the skies cleared and it made for a perfect day! We started our session at the Denver 16th Street Mall which we walked all the way up, came back down by the Denver Center for Performing Arts where we took several shots and then crossed the street and took several photos inside the TOTALLY AWESOME Curtis Hotel and made several more stops before finally finding our parking lot.

I got honked at my several RTD buses, almost got run over by a taxi and obtained a large blister (which is still healing), all of this was very entertaining and made for a super fun time. Kelsey, the best shoe saleswomen Nordstrom has, and Nathan, future Denver firefighter, are both so photogenic and natural around each other which made it so easy to photograph them. I had an awesome time.

Kelsey and Nathan, I'll see you again in August! I can't wait! Here is the sneak peek of my favorites out of the over 500 photos I snapped. I hope it was worth the wait!

June Stamp Club

2008-06-07T09:51:00.002-05:00

Last night was June stamp club and this month was Kim's turn to hostess! She had a total of 15 come to her party! It was a great turn out and we had a ton of fun! Here are the four cards that we did last night.

Etsy Grand Opening Party & THE WINNER

2008-06-06T16:33:00.003-05:00

Thank you so much for all of those that entered my Etsy grand opening drawing! Special thanks goes to my brother, Josh, who is not working this week, so he cut and folded all of the entries for me to draw a winner.

And the winner is...

Congrats, Cindy! Email me at info @ spinkstudio . com with the name/phrase you would like on your cards and with your shipping address and I will get those out to you.

To celebrate the grand opening of my shop, Clint and the band threw a post-opening party for me on Monday night. Here's a couple photos of the toast! They're so funny!

And thank you to all those that ordered from my store! I had a great first week and have shipped out several orders. Check the store often for new products!

GRAND OPENING & A GIVE AWAY!

2008-06-02T12:07:00.003-05:00

I am so excited to announce that Spink Studio's Etsy shop is now open and the products are available for purchase!

To celebrate the grand opening, I am giving away a set of 6 of our Green Damask Personalized Stationary custom made with your name or other phrase. Our personalized stationary sets make wonderful gifts for any occasion, or treat yourself with a set! Just leave a comment on this post and I will be drawing a winner on Wednesday, June 4th at 9pm CST!

Please check out the shop by clicking the image below or any of the images in the sidebar. I'd love to get your feedback and hear what you think! Please let us know if you have any ideas of items you would like to see. We'll be adding new product constantly, so check back often! Our personalized stationary sets and prints make wonderful gifts for any occasion. Happy shopping!

GRAND OPENING: June 2 at Noon CST

2008-06-01T14:19:00.003-05:00

It's coming!!! Spink Studio's grand opening on Etsy is tomorrow at 12pm CST! Check back tomorrow because I will be doing a give away for one of my personalized stationary sets! Here is the link to the store: Spink Studio on Etsy

Check back tomorrow! You won't want to miss it!

Coming Soon: Spink Studio's Etsy Shop

2008-05-31T10:39:00.001-05:00

Wonder why I haven't been posting much?? This is why. I have been working on designing cards and personalized stationary to open Spink Studio's very own Etsy shop. Here's a sneak peek of what will be for sale. I'll keep you all posted on a grand opening date.

Let me know if you have any suggestions of items you would like to see!

Coming Soon: Kelsey & Nathan's Engagement Session

2008-05-30T16:33:00.003-05:00

I know Kelsey and the rest of her family are dying to see her and Nathan's engagement photos that we took two weeks ago in downtown Denver! I ordered Adobe Lightroom, so I could edit all of these amazing photos we took but it hasn't arrived yet! I narrowed it down to about 300 awesome photos out of the 500 we took. As soon as I get my software, I'll post a whole bunch of my favorites! For now, I'll leave you with a teaser. Check back soon!

Congrats, Kim & Matt!

2008-05-23T12:19:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posting! I am still on vacation and will be for another three days, but I have so much to share. In the last two weeks, Kim graduated from college, we celebrated Mother's Day at our house, I went to Colorado, shot Kelsey and Nathan's engagement photos in downtown Denver (I can't wait to edit and share those photos!), Josh graduated from highschool, Shawn, April and Alex visited us while in Colorado and Josh and I made the long voyage from Denver to Houston. All in the last two weeks!

But the most excited thing is that Matt proposed to my sister-in-law Kim last Friday night! He took her out on the lake for a romantic dinner and asked her to marry him (every Matt Evans style!). I am so, so happy for them and I can't wait to be a part of their special day! It is so exciting!! I just wished I had been in town to celebrate with Kim. Here are some photos that Cari took of their special night. Get ready for some more wedding posting!

He's So Good

2008-05-09T22:24:00.003-05:00

So, I've had this pot. My mother-in-law bought it for me a month and a half ago on our girl's trip to Fredericksburg. It's just been sitting in the garage since then. Every Saturday, I've been trying to get Clint to go with me to the nursery so we can pick out some flowers to plant in it. And every Saturday has been way too busy.

I was determined to get some flowers planted in it this week before we have the family over for Mother's Day on Sunday. Because our Saturday is going to be busy again tomorrow with Kim's graduation, I called Clint and left a message at 4:00 this afternoon to see if we could pick up some flowers today to plant tomorrow. He calls me back at 6:00 telling me that the nursery is already closed and we'll have to go tomorrow afternoon. Bummer!

Thirty minutes later, I hear someone knocking on the front door...and it's Clint, outside with a beautifully planted pot! He's so good! He'd gone to the nursery earlier in the day and picked out perfect flowers and snuck home and planted them without me hearing him. Doesn't it look great? He even got me the sweet potato leaves that I wanted! I can't wait until we have our own backyard. Clint is going to turn it into a tropical paradise!

And the even cuter thing...he said, "you better go grab your camera and take some photos so you have something to blog today!" :-D

Two More Seniors

2008-05-08T19:14:00.002-05:00

I'm leaving in six days to go visit my family in Colorado and celebrate my brother's graduation. Because I am taking 12 days off work to help my brother move down, all of my clients are needing me to get their projects done before I leave. I have sooo much to do by Tuesday as well as go to Kim's graduation on Saturday and have a wonderful Mother's Day lunch on Sunday.

I had the opportunity to design two more senior announcements before the end of the school year which includes my first guy's announcement! Congrats to Shay and Whitman!

Shay graduating from high school. Photos by the awesome Kristin Bednarz.

Whitman graduating from high school.

Clint and I have both been working for almost 12 hours straight today, so I think we're going to chill for the rest of the night and take a mini trip to Target! Yay!

Happy Anniversary

2008-05-07T17:15:00.001-05:00

Happy anniversary to Clint's parents, my amazing in-laws, Chip and DiAnn! They have been married for 31 wonderful years and they set a wonderful example for a Godly, healthy and loving marriage. Love you!

Photo by the amazing Kristin Bednarz

Meetings

2008-05-06T23:10:00.001-05:00

Sorry, I don't have time to post anything exciting today. The last two days I have been super busy running errands, working out of the office and meeting clients. Hopefully I can stay in the studio most of tomorrow and get some stuff done. I have some recent scrapbooking projects I want to post.

Currently Not a Legitimate Driver

2008-05-05T20:30:00.002-05:00

So, I wake up this morning, get dressed all cute and do my hair and make-up and have Clint go with me the the DPS office so I can get a new driver's license with my new last name on it. I wanted until after my 21st birthday (so I wouldn't have to go twice this year) and I wanted to get it done soon, because next week I am flying and I need a picture ID with my new last name so it will match my plane ticket. So I have all of my proper paperwork and present to the DPS lady...thinking I have it all together and that this should take no time and all...and she looks at my current Colorado driver's license and tells me, "Oh, this license expired 5 days ago, so you are not valid to get a driver's license in another state. You will have to retake the written and driving test to get a Texas driver's license."

I was confused because I originally took my driving test in TEXAS and I have had at least TWO Texas driver's licenses in my short driving lifetime. Well, I guess it was too long ago, because they were no longer valid in the system and I would have to reapply!!

Are you kidding me?!? I am not retaking the driver's written test and getting in a car with someone to take a driving test. Been there, done that like six years ago. Oh my goodness. I don't have time right now to study the Texas Driver's Handbook and memorize all the current DUI penalties! Ugh!

So, I told the DPS lady my situation and that I was needing a picture ID to fly back to Colorado and she gave me a little tip. She said I could renew my Colorado license in Colorado and bring in back to her and it would be valid in Texas and I could legally drive without taking any tests.

All I was trying to do was get out of having to get two driver's licenses in the same year in the same state and because I waited 5 days too long...I have to get two driver's licenses in two different states!

Good grief! Maybe I can renew my Colorado one online....

That's my story for today.

Sick Day

2008-05-04T15:33:00.006-05:00

The past couple days I have been feeling congested off and on and today, I am not feeling well at all. I am just hanging out in my jamies on the internet and working on designing some stuff. I plan on launching an Etsy shop here in the next month or two, so I have been playing around with designing some fun product for it! I can't wait to show you.

On another note...Clint and I have been trying to eat healthy and lose some extra pounds that we gained the last four months. This has become one of my favorite drinks.
I buy them in the produce section at the grocery store. My favorite is the Bolthouse Farms Perfectly Protein Vanilla Chai Tea. They also have a mocha one that is yummy and so much cheaper and healthier than getting a Frappacino at Starbucks. I usually drink them for breakfast.

That's about all I can type for today. My head is too fuzzy to write more. More tomorrow...

May Stamp Club

2008-05-03T10:59:00.004-05:00

So, like I said last night, May Stamp Club was a huge success! I think this group of ladies are all going to have awesome parties over the next few months!

Last night we did four technique heavy cards. I've been playing a lot with craft ink and since the chipboard is on sale this month, of course we had to use some of that too! Let me know if you have any questions on these cards. I might even post a video tutorial! ;-) This first card was inspired by the card on the front of Stampin' Success this month.

Also, I wanted to mention that I added labels to all of my posts over the past three years! That way if you are looking for an older post, you can just click on of the labels at the right and it will filter through all of my other posts to just those of stamping for example. Check it out.

NOTE TO MY MOM: Don't look too closely! You may be getting one of these for Mother's Day!

Fresh Flowers...always a must!

2008-05-02T22:58:00.003-05:00

I just got done with Stamp Club, so I am posting late today! It was a great party and I'll be posting the cards soon!

I think everyone should have something that they do to pamper themselves. Some ladies like to get their nails done, so women go get a massage, some go shopping every Saturday.

My self-pampering is buying myself fresh flowers. Awhile back, I decided that whenever I had a home, I would always try to have beautiful fresh flowers around. I LOVE fresh flowers (no silk-flowers for me!) and I think it is so nice for people to walk in and see beautiful flowers out on the table, or next to the bed, or in my studio where I work. So classy! I love floral arrangements and I love to mix and match flowers and heights and figure out what vase would work best. (I have a large vase collection.) I am definitely not an expert at floral arrangements, but I love the look of them!

The grocery store around the corner from our home has a great floral department that is always bring in different, unique flowers. While I was there today picking up a few items, I spotted this gorgeous bouquet of ranunculuses! Aren't the colors beautiful?!? I love the small delicate shape and I knew they would work perfectly in this small rectangle vase that was left over from a friend's wedding. I hope they last for several days! Most of my flowers last almost two weeks, but I have never bought these before. Ask me later and I'll let you know.