Exciting! My incredible husband just put the finishing touches on his personal web design portfolio, and I wanted to share it with all of you. He is certainly a man of many skills (by anyone’s measure…although I am biased also), and I’m excited for this step forward. The website is new, but he is not new to creating websites–He’s been doing it since 2002! In fact, he made our very own Solace Arts website and blog. If you have a moment, go check out some of the projects he’s worked on in recent years. He specializes in WordPress-driven sites that are easily updatable by someone who is not a web guru (especially business owners who want to refresh their content often but don’t want to pay again and again to do it). His rates are very reasonable and depend largely on the scope and functionality involved in the website. He can create everything from simple sites to full-fledged e-commerce solutions. I think he’s hoping to fill his summer queue with some new sites at special summer rates, so if you know someone who is in the market for an online facelift, send him a note!

Looks terrific babe! I’m really proud of all your hard work, and blessed that you’re my one and only for all time.

One lesson my dad taught me that I still hold on to at 27 years old: Nothing is impossible for me. From a young age, he encouraged me to see beyond the boundaries and limitations I perceived about myself, and truly take flight on the wind of my dreams. I feel very blessed to be living my dreams this very moment!

I love this photo of my husband and our son Judah at 3 weeks old. It’s strange to consider this photo was taken over 2 years ago! It certainly doesn’t feel like it has been that long. As we announced in our May/June Newsletter, we’ve cooked up another fun contest to honor dads in celebration of Father’s Day! There are two gift baskets to win, and several ways to win them, so don’t lose out by not participating! Two people will each win a gift basket full of delicious goodies you can give to your dad or keep for yourself! Enter to win in the following ways:

1. Leave a comment on this post on our blog and tell us one important lesson you learned from your dad or closest father-figure in your life
2. “Like” us on our Solace Arts Facebook page and leave us a comment on our blog telling us you’re now a fan!
3. Sign up to receive our email newsletter which we publish every other month and leave us a comment telling us you’re now subscribed!
4. Follow us on Twitter, leave a separate comment letting us know you’ve done it!
5. Tweet, blog about, or share this contest online (facebook, forum, etc) and leave us a comment on our blog with the url’s to where you posted about this contest. You will receive one entry for each way you choose to spread the word about our contest!

**Please remember to leave us separate comments on our blog to let us know about each of the different ways you are participating. We’ll count each entry once and then select the winners randomly, so the more times you enter, the better chance you have of winning. We’re glad to ship these goodies to entrants outside the Seattle Area.

This contest will end at midnight on Friday, June 11th. We’ll announce the winners and send out the prizes early next week!

In this case, it was rain! But as they saying goes, the show must go on. A few weeks back we put out a casting call for flower girls and today was the day scheduled for this extra-special shoot. There were so many people involved, we couldn’t easily reschedule for a clearer day, so we do what you do when life gives you lemons…make lemonade! Despite the buckets of rain that poured down during the shoot, I think we captured some really great moments with these kids! They were certainly good sports, considering it was cold and very, very wet. Check out these colors! The flowers and dresses were both exquisite, and the kids were super cute!

Many many thanks to the people who made this all possible: BreeAnn of Pink Blossom Events, Laurel of Laurel’s Floral Decor, Jenn of Flower Girl Boutique, Melanie of Jardin del Sol, Tanya of Tiers of Delight Cupcakes, Eldon of Hill Street Cleaners & Tux Rentals, Alison of Venia Beauty, Alysha of Makeup By Alysha, and Emily of Solace Arts (that’s me!). To the parents of all these kids–Thanks so much for your flexibility and enthusiasm about this shoot! Your children are adorable and I’m very thankful to have involved all of them today!

Here are just a few of my favorites from this afternoon. Enjoy!

It’s alive! The garden, that is. It has been so exciting to see our little seeds sprout and grow over these past weeks. We have been enjoying delicious greens (spinach, arugula, & Miner’s lettuce), and have already put in the second wave of seeds which include several varieties of potatoes, carrots, zucchini, onions, corn, and more. Lots more. I’m beginning to wonder if we’ll be able to eat all the stuff we’re growing, but I suppose that’s a good problem to have! The following images were taken on a few different days, but they’ll give you an idea of the progress we’ve made since the last garden photos. Check out the size of those spinach leaves!

Just a friendly reminder that our last Quick Takes of the year are happening in less than 2 weeks! This is a terrific opportunity to have your photo taken with your family or sweetheart without a lot of fuss (and without a lot of money!) A $10 reservation fee holds a spot for you, and we donate that $10 to charity. All prints and products will be available for purchase at a serious discount, so you won’t want to miss this! Send us a note and book your Quick Takes session right away…The times are going fast!

As promised, here is a peek at some of the great folks who participated in the Snohomish Wedding Tour! I was able to sneak away from my family for the afternoon and stopped in at as many locations as I could to meet people and snap a few photos of all the fun. Snohomish is truly a beautiful area and with so many wonderful venues and wedding vendors to choose from, I can see why couples come from all over to tie the knot here. If you’re planning a Snohomish wedding, I recommend checking out the Snohomish Wedding Guild for great local professionals.

Pictured: Laurel’s Floral Decor, The Best Little Cake Shop, Jardin del Sol, Letter M Photography, Miller Special Events, Modern Mood Floral, Alexa’s Cafe, Snohomish Center, Panache Events, Max & May Design, A Manor of Wine, Party Design, Simply Sweet Cupcakes, Belle Chapel, Butler Transportation, Antheia Ballroom, Flowers by Tiffany, Pink Blossom Events, Kadie Designs, Mosaic Catering

This is a powerhouse team! Together they beautify brides on their wedding day by providing expert hair and makeup services. I met up with Alison &  Alysha last week to get to know a little more about them, and we have a really great time together. As a photographer, I truly appreciate the work of beauty professionals because they bring out the very best in my subjects. I love seeing the confidence and flair brides have when their whole look comes together, and I would definitely recommend these ladies to anyone getting married. Check out Venia Beauty and Makeup by Alysha to see more of what they do. Hope to work with you again soon, ladies!

On another note, if you are planning a wedding in the near future, you may want to join me out at the Snohomish Wedding Tour this weekend. I am not exhibiting this year, but I’ll be taking the tour to support all my fabulous Snohomish Wedding Guild Friends, and will report back about the event soon. Check it out!

Did you know that I’ve never been stung by a bee? Not once. I’m sure my time will come, but for now, I’m glad to be in the dark about it. We recently spent some time with Michelle of Letter M Photography (formerly Picky Penguin) to take pretty pictures of each other since photographers rarely have current photos of themselves. She had this wonderful idea to shoot in this ‘pretty field of yellow flowers’ near her house. It wasn’t until we started walking down to it that we realized the flowers were taller than me and buzzing with thousands of busy bees! We braved it anyway, and the beautiful yellow flowers were so worth it. Here are some of what we captured of her, and my favorites that she captured of us. What fun!

Don’t I know how crazy life is with three kids under four! This family is just about there, with their two adorable boys and a little girl coming soon. It was our pleasure to capture this time in their lives. I love the stage just before kids start to walk. For one thing, it makes my job a whole lot easier when they can’t run away from me, but more than that, I love their curiosity. This little guy just melted my heart!

Thanks for entering our Mother’s Day Contest Melissa! I sincerely hope your birth goes superbly and that the transition to three kids goes smoothly!

Oh yes! I’m asking you to help us find a handful of adorable little girls to be part of a really amazing photo shoot featuring the beautiful flower girl dresses from the Flower Girl Boutique. I’m so excited about this shoot because it is a collaborative effort between several wedding industry professionals, and I think its going to be a fantastic fusion of talents. Of course we’ll be sharing the images once we’ve created them!

The shoot is scheduled for Sunday, May 30, 2010 in the Snohomish area. If you know a little girl who might like to participate, please contact us for the details. A parent or guardian will need to be present, and a model release will need to be signed in advance. There is no financial compensation, but all participants will receive a selection of finished images from the shoot. Please be aware that this photo shoot will take several hours, but we’ll make there are breaks often and lots of fun to be had! We’d love to have a diverse group of faces and personalities, so send us a note if you know someone who would be a good fit!

*Edit to add: No previous modeling experience is necessary. Girls who enjoy playing dress-up and who are at least moderately social will be perfect! I have a nearly 4-year old girl of my own, so I’ll do my best to make this a fun experience for each of the girls involved!