Babies: Sophia Alago

So let's play catch up and rewind to December. I told you I had some catching up to do! Let's start here....

I walked into their bright apartment and immediately could see why Aimie is referred to as creative. Her bedroom walls painted my favorite color (teal), the baby's room perfectly coordinated in shades of orange, and her love of photography displayed proudly in her home that Aimie herself photographed. Her husband, Jorge, was very attentive to the session "Aimie! You're blocking her light." I laughed and immediately felt their welcome.

Don't put your camera down.

That is what my fiance would say, so I repeated these words in my head. You can see my predicament in wanting to hold Sophia, Aimie and Jorge's beautiful baby girl, when you see the pictures. I knew if I put my camera down, I wouldn't be able to contain myself. I just wanted to hug her, hold her, and make her laugh. Oh wait, I'm supposed to take pictures.

Thank you Aimie, Jorge, and Sophia. I am not just "saying" this -- y'all are a beautiful family and the cutest couple! I am blessed to have met y'all before leaving Atlanta and soon -- there will be a special shoot of just Aimie! ;)

I love feet... especially babies'! :)

That smile!!

Playing superman :)

This was back in December so this had a little Christmas spirit..

Like I said... gorgeous!!

Looking quite sneaky!

I love the dress! That fabric!

To see more, check out the slideshow!

Friday Links!

via deardiana

How cute is this topper??

What an insanely creative Save-the-Date my fiance's sister Jasmine shared with me.

The other side of the moon

A submarine that merges into your water to make your tea!! How cute! Via Cup of Jo

Haha -- "May the 4th be with you" birthday party.

What a whimsical garland tutorial

Ack! I need to get away from more (gorgeous) fabric flower tutorials because I WILL do them!!

I want to go here so bad and take my camera with me!

Pretty cool gift for him - don't you think?

So the fiance and I are trying this place out tonight. Last week I was craving dessert and we had the MOST AMAZING cake at Cafe Intermezzo. It was a warm, banana and chocolate chip cake with a creamy fudge frosting -- you can see it here. The bread was so moist it kind of reminded me of banana pancakes -- but with chocolate chips! DIVINE! What is the best dessert you ever had?

Failing Forward

"People are training for success when they should be training for failure. Failure is far more common than success..."

In the midst of all this wedding planning, my photography has slowed down. There are things I still need to post about -- pictures, shoots, events -- and I will.

I started this entry with this quote because I find that failure is such a SCARY shirt to wear. I read an article about the difference between "people who achieve" and "people who are average." We can't deny that sometimes we blame people's achievement on their background, their opportunities, or even their wealth. But we can't.

"The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure."

When I first launched my photography website, my heart could not stop racing. I cared too much (and sometimes STILL do) about what people would think. I would measure my success based on what people said. I look at other websites, other photos, other blogs and start feeling anxious. I've posted discussions on my other blog that would expose personal feelings. I feared. I feared how much people would know about me. What they would think.

"Why do you care about what they think?" -- my fiance asked.

Because.... there's nowhere to hide? It's not like I write movie reviews. I'm not a persona or a character. I type as I think and yes -- sometimes I still hold back.

I don't post something on my photoblog (here) because I don't think it's "worthy" of a post. Then what happens? I don't end up posting for another week!

So to YOU out there reading this -- take a step towards failure with me. Don't get discouraged by your hesitations. Guess what? We ARE going to have problems. But think with me this second: What if you didn't care about what people thought? What if you don't care about failing?

"Failure is far more common than success."

But do you know what that means? The more we fail, the more chances we will have to succeed. Otherwise -- we just stand there. Hoping. Wishing. Envying.

Start with one risk. TAKE that one risk. Ask them. Try it. Show it. Buy it. Learn it. TRY IT!!

Promised good to me

02-09-09. Ugh. Expired.

Raspberry vinaigrette, sundried tomato basil .... I can't believe I forgot. I forgot to bring my salad dressing, and now I'm resorted to "borrowing" some dressing from our office fridge. Believe me, I didn't need much (my main course being left over pizza) so I didn't feel too guilty. It didn't matter -- they were all expired!

I open up my little plastic ---errr-- Jose's plastic container (he lends them to me and I have collected about 4 in my house he's not too happy about) and see my slightly mushy salad.

He already put the dressing.

Jose and I had dinner at his house last night with some salad. We love our salads. We buy walnuts, croutons, tomato, onion (for him -- I hate it), and even cranberries. Plus, it justifies our buffalo-chicken pizza. He let me have the left overs for my lunch the next day, claiming he doesn't really like the pizza that much anyway and we split the left over salad into 2 mini containers.

I ended up forgetting my "lunch" at his house and this morning a delivery man shows up who oddly resembles my fiance. I get a phone call to come outside and I am greeted by a 6'2 hunk of a man with two plastic containers. One holding some pizza and the other holding some salad. There was also a GPS on top because I had also forgotten to take that back with me.

This man, whose eyes resemble those of a smiling Asian, tries to charge me ten dollars, but we both know he could never take my money. Plus, the meal itself was less than 10 bucks! I kiss this man and run upstairs to finish getting ready.

02-09-09. Ugh. Expired. I shut the fridge door, hopeless. I consider eating it without dressing, but I've never been able to eat salad like that... naked. I shake the container, open it, and decide to look at the salad as though an idea may formulate upon seeing our glorious-green-creation.

He already put the dressing.

There was no love note inside the plastic container, no surprise dessert, nor a hidden photo of us in my lunch bag. He just put dressing on my lunch salad.

That alone made me swell up with gratefulness (kind of like the blueberry boy in Willy Wonka). It's really quite retarded, but this gratitude is hard to explain easily. I won't go into details, but growing up without a father figure makes little acts of "I got you covered" feel so incredible. Especially from the man I'll be spending my life with.

"The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures."

The Lord has promised good to me -- and I see it. Sometimes even in a salad. So thank you love. I may be better at pointing out what you don't do, and for that I'm sorry. I'm also sorry that I picked out this photo and you may dislike it -- but sometimes you win some and sometimes ya lose some :) Thank you my delivery man. For delivering to my heart more than a pizza and mushy salad :) Getting to marry you is such a blessing...

Bowtie Ring bearer?

I mentioned before that I think I want my ring bearer to wear a bow tie. After seeing this little cutie -- well, there is NO QUESTION!!

Via TheBelleandTheBeau

Freaking Etsy. You can find just about your whole wedding there...

Cake Story

The long awaited for cake story. It's not incredible nor dramatic -- just plain bad experience.

As you may have remembered my second trip to Houston last month, we went to re-visit our bakery. Re-visit. Not visit for the first time. We had seen them back in May for our first trip to Houston and enjoyed their 3-leches cake. I wanted a simple white cake with this design that Jasmine made for me inspired by a cake I had seen online:

I figured they could handle a *relatively* simple design on a white cake. Honestly, I was NOT going to be spending more than $200 on a cake. I respect that it may be incredibly important to other brides, but I just can't justify $3.50+ a slice. Unfortunately, there are times in your life that you "get what you pay for." But I'm getting ahead of myself.

SO! I spoke with someone from the bakery and told them I was in town. I asked if I could e-mail the design of the cake to him and if they could make a small sample for me. Cause, you know, I'm trying to save money but I don't want "surprises" at the wedding ;) Fortunately he agreed and was incredibly professional on the phone!

We (my brother, Jose, and I) show up at the bakery the next day and I am feeling excited. I finally get to see something that I will be seeing at the wedding! Potentially. He serves my brother and I some coffee and he brings out a sample of the 3 leches cake to remind us of our last experience. It was just as delicious as the last and I am very pleased. He then gives us a chocolate slice of cake which had been in the fridge too long = gross. Then he walks back to the kitchen to.... bring out the cake!!!

Calm down, you'll get pictures. You know I won't leave you hanging like this!! ;)

The first thing I notice when he brings the sample cake out is the icing color -- beautiful! I love the shade of blue they chose. Then he sets it down in front of us and... well, I don't say anything. It's not ugly, but it has a tone of "sloppiness" to it. AND then I notice it's lopsided! YEAH, the freaking bread is... lopsided? It isn't noticeable until it's sitting right in front of you. The guy asks "what do you think?" And, this makes me laugh, we pause and Jose turns to him: "What do you think?" I love my man!

The guy says: "Well, first of all, the design (referring to the swirls) are not done correctly. They should have made the side branches first THEN laid the base on top so it doesn't look so piece-y."

Mind you, I hadn't really noticed that so while he is talking I think "Oh wow.. that's right."

He continues: "Obviously, there is a slant here (referring to the top of the cake), and I also think the icing was put on sloppy. I'm embarrassed to say that they had our intern work on this and I'm not sure why."

Ironically, I'm starting to feel worst about the cake after all of what he says. I guess it's worst than my first glance.... and I'm starting to second question the professionalism of the bakery (not the guy). At this point I'm not really sure what to say because I don't think it's "awful" but it's clearly lacking. However, it TASTES good and..... it's CHEAP! That's what I really want -- a cake that tastes good and is not over $200. I'm not that particular about the design, but I don't like the sound of "I don't know why they had our intern working on it." Don't you think that's bad?

I mean -- think about it. You are meeting with POTENTIAL clients -- they have not handed any money over. You want to *win* them over, and even though your professionalism is great, it will all go down the drain when you fail to impress them on the first trial with your product! How am I supposed to feel confident that you will do a relatively good job (i.e. NOT slanted cake) for my wedding? It gets better.

It always gets better.

He knows we're hesitant and so he says "You know, we can remake this and I can take a picture of it and send it to you. We'll put the actual design." HA! I JUST realized that they hadn't put the design I sent them on the sample!! DURH! They made up their own design and just used the one I e-mailed him as an "inspiration." Whaaaaaat? So what kind of design am I going to have on my wedding? A second rendition? And how dumb am I that I didn't even realize the design on the cake was not the one I e-mailed them? Again, it didn't look THAT bad, so I just... didn't notice.

Finally, I say "well, I would much rather see the second trial in person. I don't feel comfortable with relying on a picture and then agreeing to hire you based on a photo." He asks when we're leaving and I respond "tomorrow." He surprises me and says "can you come tomorrow morning? We'll have a second sample for you then WITH your design." I perk up and say "really?! Ok! That would be great!"

NEXT DAY

I'm excited again. I find out he's not there that day so we're just waiting on the cashier lady to bring the cake out to us. Jose sees our cake in the kitchen and tells me "they haven't put the design yet. Now is the real test. Will they hurry up and make a sloppy design because we're here already? Or will they keep us waiting, but work more slowly on the design." I'll let you guess what they did.

They bring the cake out and the lady says "You can eat it here or take it home." She sets it on the table.....

I will let the pictures speak for themselves

You can click on them to make it bigger. LOOK AT THAT MESS.

Did they just trace the design and MISSED it?!

Speechless. I asked for a to go box and just took it back with us to Dallas. Don't judge me, but it was my grandma's birthday and we told her we got her a birthday cake.

There was no way we could hire someone who made THAT for our "trial." If the intern made the first trial, his vision impaired cousin must have made the 2nd trial!! I mean, seriously??

So what now? I still can't pay over $200 for the cake. I really... I just don't care THAT much about it. Ugh. I just want a decent cake!! Our caterer is da bomb -- people are going to love the food! And if the only thing people remember about my wedding is that my cake was not "up to par" -- I must have done something wrong. But I still need SOMETHING.

Enter Plan B.

My fiance's mother --- she is fabulous. She is the worry-free individual of this wedding and I love it! She asked "Okay -- you like how the cake TASTES right?" Me: "Yes" Her: "Would you be willing to consider them at ALL?" Me: "Pfft! No.. I mean, only if they made me a SIMPLE white cake and charged me like $100."

Wait a minute.

Simple white cake....

Alejandra, you're creative aren't you?! GET IT TOGETHER! That's all you need! (That's me talking to myself, not my fiance's mother haha). If we get this cake for super cheap AND it tastes good, can't I just get some CUUUTE cake topper, add some flowers, and BAM! I'm done!

YES!!!!!!!!!!!! AND, guess what? I found an Etsy seller who makes personalized cake toppers without charging an arm and a leg!!! She will incorporate details of your attire (veil, dress material, color, face features, etc.) and will even put your names on the base! All for $35!!!

Via GraceFallen

How cute are they?!

And that is my "screw the cake" story. I am just going to get a freaking white cake that TASTES good, add a personal touch to it with a few red garden flowers for more "decor" -- and that's it. A total that should come out to be about $150 and everyone is happy. Except for my cousin Carlos who is not a fan of whip-cream icing. And sorry to my guests who don't like whip-cream icing, but it's my favorite! You're welcome to bring your own!!

At least that's plan B. If this doesn't work out -- I'll update you on Plan C. There is none yet, but let's hope I don't have to get to that point....

So what are your thoughts on the topper?! And what did you think of the trial/sample?! Rejoice in the mess with me!! :) :) :)

For that Diva Flowergirl

There's a new diva in this wedding, and her name is Alyssa. Alyssa Valdez. She is my flower girl! (My little cousin Isabella will be joining her... but she is a wee-bit little thing :)

However, this girl is up to par with fashion, which means she wants to sport a cute hair piece for the wedding! And you know how much I love hair pieces (and her) -- so I dedicated this post to you cutie!! I miss you!

This is not just for kids/flower girls... remember that a best way to create a unique outfit (and save money) is to pick a solid colored dress/skirt, with a ruffled top, and then you can really add that UMPH with a hair piece. Don't spend hundreds on the outfit! Splurge a little on the hair piece/accessories. That will be more memorable (unless you just find THAT deal for THAT top/dress/skirt -- then ok you win ;)

But guess what? ALL of these are under $25 YEP! We are all on a budget, right? So let's begin...

This has a cute whimsical look to it... and I like the clusters

$9.00

via IntotheLookingGlass

I love the texture on these and the brightness of the blue. Not quite "teal," but close (and cute) enough!

$14.95

Via PbbFlowers

Now bear with me on this next one. Imagine it WITHOUT the feathers (the white vine is on the wall). The 3 clustered flowers would look SO good with an up do. Think: messy curls pinned up with some falling strands. Romantic!

$18.00

Via Starzselection

Can never go wrong with peacock feathers (splash of teal!)
$19.00

Via LiveinStyle

Huge hair flower... but how cute does it look on her?!?

$13.95

Via Pinkpeppermintdesign

This one is a STEAL! I am starting to really get into the whole bohemian headbands. I have seen some really OVER priced ones on Etsy.. but this seller has SO many cute ones at such reasonable prices! Seriously... take advantage of it!

$17.00

Via SheaBay

I really, really love these. They have that anthropologie feel don't they? Imagine 2 in red and one in that same teal with that same center stone... :)

$24.00

Via Rosebudlips

And last... what do you think about this idea. WHAT IF I attached a little bit of veil fabric to her hair piece to represent a tiny-teeny-mini-birdcage veil?! This is the best example I could find:

via VelvetOwl

Now remember, the hair piece wouldn't necessarily be in white and it's NOT going over her face.... it's just a "hint" of it. Don't freak out, she won't look like a bride. I dunno, it's kind of crazy but I just think it would be SO stinkin' cute to see the flower girl walking down with something like that.

Am I crazy? Wait, let me rephrase that. Is that a crazy thought? I want to hear your thoughts!! Even if you think that's a dumb idea. I'm just curious :)

I'll be posting the wedding cake story later or this weekend!

Kisses

Kisses on the forehead make me smile :)



Actually, this whole session was eye candy!

Booya -- I gotcha

I have completely fooled you. Here you are thinking I am a good photographer, but then you put THIS baby in my hands and .... well, I fail. Utterly fail.

I can blame it on the expired film my fiance bought along with the "baby" I am referring to as my Christmas present. To say I was excited to receive the Diana F+ plastic camera AND 4 plastic lenses is an understatement. I was thrilled to open this up at 3 a.m. Thank you Jose! :)

Yes, she is so pretty and devious. She tests you, mocks you, and requires patience. I have a LOT of learning to do. I am still blaming HALF of it on the expired film. Currently she is loaded with non-expired black & white film (with higher ISO too!). I mean, seriously, 100 ISO? As Jose would put it, that is just "chopped liver."

And of course, I will not hide in my shame -- I will share my first attempt at a plastic Holga camera.

Hey, at least that's better than just 1 decent image right? And yeah, the great thing about this camera is that it is SUPPOSED to be experimental with a cross-processed look. I'm not completely hopeless! By the way, that last photo is my brother with cards that spell out cheater. Because that is what he is. Cheater!

So yeah, I fooled you :) Now maybe I can redeem myself with this black and white film. Though I have to say, I LOVE the feeling of not knowing what the heck your pictures will look like. I used to take photos all the time in high school with a cranker (my reference to the plastic cameras that you had to wind/crank the wheel after each photo) and I would get so anxious to pick up the photos. A surprise each week!

I'll leave you with the Diana F+ done right -- multi-exposure for an artistic capture :)

via Three Buttons

Cause I love pretty pictures

via One Love Photo

I have some fun stuff to post for the upcoming weeks!!

1) My horrible wedding cake experience

2) MY SAVE THE DATES! I know not many of my friends have photoshop, but in case anyone out there does -- I'm actually going to tell you EXACTLY how I made mine! This way, if you have photoshop... you can experiment with what I did and make your own invites (for babyshowers, parties, birthdays, weddings, etc.).

3) Groom goodies

4) CONVINCE my fiance to be a guest blogger (yeaaaa!!! ;)

But in the mean time... take a break with some of these links!

+ There are 2 looks I am "collecting" for a surprise (you will find out eventually). This one and this one.. now, to find the clothes at a thrift store or make a modern twist with my own..

+ DIY snowglobes!! via Creative Odds n' Ends

+On second thought, screw the cake and let's bring these!

+What are your thoughts on splits? I just don't look very good in them, but others pull it off... do you?

+You're not going to believe this... after much consideration, I am HONESTLY going to attempt making one of these. And YES, you will be updated on my progress. I already have some "beginning the ridiculous project" pictures!

+Speaking of DIY -- how about a simple bow? What if I attached a clip and made my ring bearer's bow tie like this?

+Then I could use the fabric I am obsessed with!!

+Now this is a gorgeous alternative to wedding hair pieces. Stunning!

+Interesting read... what if you didn't love your wedding? Would you admit it?

+Or "You'll seeeee" via A Practical Wedding

+Ok, this was WAY more fun than I expected. This Freud like character asks you 4 q's, jots his notes, and reveals your "type." Apparently I am "architype" which was a font I did not like and don't think reflects me. But it was still fun -- I laughed at the "discipline" question. What is your type? Via How About Orange


Going on a date tonight with Jose! We're going ice skating at Centennial Park. I'm pretty bad at it, so I hope I don't come back with too many bruises on my butt :)

O la la dresses

I had to post this dress -- it is considered a "bridesmaid" dress.

I'm not going to lie -- it is a pretty amazing, rocking dress. But seriously? Could you imagine women's faces when a bridesmaid walks down the aisle rocking that dress? They think "well the bride MUST have something that will floor us!"

However, the same designer made these, and I think these are GORGEOUS without backstaging the bride (me!).

This Etsy seller has very beautiful, long dresses. I just don't know if all of my girls would look good in long dresses.... but they need to start finding their dress soon!!

Have any of you ever owned a wrap dress? The one that has like 30 different styles you can wear it in. I was always hesitant to see if they REALLY were that easy to create. Because if they are, I think my bridesmaids should consider this:

By Nata Jane

for only $125 !! Don't you love the bottom row black one on the far left? Exposes your shoulders in such a feminine way, yet wraps around your neck for a more formal/elegant look.

GROOMSMEN -- you are next!!

...that's gong to be hard...

Alive By It

I have loved this quote since the day I read it:

"Photographers may or may not make a living by photography, but they are alive by it." - Robert Adams

Then, I came across these stories from Zack Arias' blog. Unbelievable. My fiance told me that my photography should not define me. That at one point in time, if God asked me to drop my camera and all of my photography -- I could do it. Can I? Could I pursue something else in life that keeps me up at night? That makes me anxious and excited to do?

If you aren't reading all of them, at least read this one:

I write this from the coffee shop where I was with Samantha the day she told me she quit her job. Her corporate job. Her well paying corporate job. She told me she couldn’t do it anymore or perhaps more accurately — she couldn’t not do photography anymore. Samantha had enjoyed her life behind a camera for decades. Arguably since the day she was born. Now, she told me, she was going to do it.

She was very clear about this.

I thought she had lost her freaking mind.

Before and since this day at the coffee shop I have watched friends and strangers alike admire Samantha’s work. But, since that day I have seen what so many of her admirers do not – the incomprehensible sacrifices she makes to do it.

I have seen her sell her furniture, her possessions, her car, her bed. I have watched her not go out. Not get another drink. I have watched her knowing that she knows, that corporate job, that stable paycheck – are all a phone call away. In the times where I feel she might just put everything on Craig’s List I have tried mentioning this to her. I mention the 401K, the health insurance, the stability, the stress free lifestyle, the SALARY.

But, Samantha – just puts more things on Craig’s List.

Recently, her house went up there.

This is Samantha.

Samantha is true. True to herself. True to others. True to her art. It is through the camera that Samantha shows the world her (and other’s) truth and I feel there is no better representation of this truth and this honesty with which she lives than with her — Project. A project that records the last moments of living. A project in which she takes photographs of those in hospice, those who have been diagnosed as terminally ill, and those who, at times, have only hours remaining in their lives.

When she told me about this project it seemed painful, morbid, desperately awkward. Then she told me the story of seeing her mother in the hospital. When her mother was in the hospital undergoing chemotherapy for lung cancer Samantha went home to see her. When she walked in the hospital, she saw her mother lying in bed. Her mother was bald. She had tubes sticking out of her. Samantha burst into tears. Her mother looked at her – and smiled. In this moment Samantha understood sickness and death are scariest for those who watch it. It was this moment that inspired the —- Project.
Samantha does the —- Project to bring social awareness to end of life care. She does it because she sees profound beauty and peace where most would only see death. She does it because she believes in living. Because she believes in life. She does it because she believes there is as much life in the first breath as there is in the last. She does it because she believes in each moment of life and because she wants more than anything to record the beauty of these moments.

Samantha will not accept money for this project and as such finances are tight. She is not able to be with her family in Italy for the holidays. I would love nothing more than to give Samantha something to open on Christmas that would not only support her as a photographer but would celebrate how Samantha lives her life and how she unabashedly celebrates, in all of its stages, the lives of so many others.

Her photography does not define her. Her passion for celebrating life, her challenges and victories, and finding beauty define her.

So I propose to you to figure out what defines you. Because if one day you are forced to put your camera away (or whatever it is that is with you always, any piece of technology), you will need that to keep you alive. I am alive by photography, but it does not keep me alive.

My I Heart Faces Challenge

I thought about writing something witty, or entertaining, or... you know, "cool." But, I'm not going to lie -- the fact that 18 mind blowing photographers will be looking at my photo leaves me speechless. Clearly not completely because I'm still typing, but you get the idea! Anyway... my fiance's sister and I get a little crazy with ideas and just start photographing and we did a Carnival theme shoot this past holiday (inside where it was warm of course :). My inspiration for this was an Indian-gypsie theme (what I would give to photograph an Indian wedding!). Though color may seem like a better option... something about creating it black and white made it just jump to me.





Go check out the other entries to see how many people REALLY put themselves out there! This was such an incredible experience... HI JOSE VILLA!!!