Birmingham Magazines

It seems January was a good month for both the Mr. and I. I was chosen as one of the top trendsetters & Tastemakers for the Birmingham area in Birmingham Home & Garden. I was humbled to be paired with my friends Marianne, Doug and Paige, Brooke, Jennifer, and Megan among a few others. (Click on the image to make larger)


We then got an email from one of our past brides and she let us know that her wedding was featured in the Birmingham Magazine. We could not have been any more excited. Loved seeing Kellen Jacob Photography in print. Ha! (click on the images to enlarge)



So Fun, right?

*oh, and don't worry I am still over on Mrs. French and sharing the images that inspired my choices from yesterdays post. Love being inspired.

Three Days




Not sure if you had heard, but Alabama had quite the winter fest. I have lived here for 14 years and have never seen this much snow here. The down fall of never having snow here is that the state is not prepared for such things so the whole state just shuts down. The first day was fabulous. We made make shift sleds out of plastic bin tops and had hours of fun outdoors. Well, the next two days turned to nothing but ice which makes it no fun to go outside. So we made forts, painted, and I just let the kiddos destroy the house. By day three I must say the kiddos in all their hyperness were driving up the wall, ha! Yesterday Ellie was back in school and I managed to do a few fun errands and clean the house. It's so funny how much the state of my home effects my mood. Messy = chaos / tidy = peace. I am so odd.

Our Christmas Cards with Minted




One of my favorite things about the holiday season is sending out our Christmas cards. Last year we went with a photo with just kiddos that we adored, but this year I knew I wanted a family photo, which is much easier said than done with two small ones. While on vacation we decided to take a chance and see what we could come up with. Thankfully it went off without a hitch and we managed to capture quite a few winners.

A few tips on capturing a great family photo...

1) Dress in what you are comfortable in. You can wear complementing outfits without being too matchy matchy.
2) Keep it simple...especially when using a self timer like we did for the first image. If you try too hard it will show, and not necessarily in a good way.
3) Be yourself. Again this goes back to dressing in what you would normally wear and stay away from too many trends unless that is who you really are. People want to see the real you.
4) Have fun!!! So many people put too much pressure on having to get that perfect shot, but in the long run you will see the stress of it all on your faces. The in between moments are always our favorites anyways.
5) Using a self timer can be hard even for a photographer like my Mr. so asking a friend to help can be a life saver. It also gave us the chance to do something that comes completely natural to us...walking as a family.

Then comes the choosing of the card. We being the creative types like to be a bit different and try to choose something that not only represents our family, but our photography as well. Once we saw Minted we knew they would be the best choice for us. The quality is superb with thick paper and the designs are fresh and so very unique. We liked them so much we choose two different designs this and this one. Really it was too hard to choose just one...so we didn't!

Now to get addressing so I can have them ready to send out the week after Thanksgiving. Yes, I like to be on top of things.

A Wedding





A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of shooting Katie & Justin's wedding. Let's just say they were quite the inspiration. They were laid back and took every moment in a blissful stride. Every detail fit this couple ever so perfectly and I must say I was smitten. To see more from this wedding you can go here.

The Weekend



I had the most wonderful birthday weekend. Thank you all for your kind birthday wishes. Here are a couple of snap shots from the party. More to come tomorrow with full details. My husband truly spoiled me rotten. For today I am in recoup mode and getting Ellie ready for her first day of school on Wednesday. Talk about a big week.

THIRTY


I arrived home last night from the most wonderful one night get away with the Mr. We ate, rested, and truly just enjoyed each others company. We documented our trip with our Fuji Instax so I thought I would share just a few. On Sunday I turn 30 and tomorrow I will be having a party with friends that I have had since college. As for today I am over on Simple Lovely sharing a few of my favorites and be warned that I am feeling a bit reflective. I so enjoy where I am in life and feel very blessed to be able to share it all with you.

Checking In...


I have been an awful blogger. I have just been a bit tired so when I have a good moment I like to love on my family. Today though the kiddos are playing at a friends and I am having a good moment so I thought I would stop in and say hello and leave you with this lovely photo. It makes me smile. My husband has branched out and got a few film cameras that we are having so much fun with. He posted a few if want to see more. Anyhoo, miss you all and hope to be visiting soon. My first post op is tomorrow. Hoping to hear that I can drive again.

Tomorrow I will have Ellie's room makeover up! I thought I would take full advantage of this good moment.

Weekend in Review





We had a wonderful 4th of July. I checked off every last item off my list so now I am just going to relax and just enjoy my family. Over the weekend I majorly cleaned and organized so Kellen will only have to play keep up for the weeks that I am out of commission. Oh, but don't you worry I also found time to take the kiddos to a friends pool, do a little shopping, and enjoy a 4th of July cookout. We also had fun using Kellen's fathers day present a fuji instax instant mini film camera. Definitely the coolest thing we have gotten in awhile. It's never practical to lug around all our pro equipment for the little moments.

Busy Busy


As you know we got back from the beach on Friday then that Saturday we had a wedding to shoot. The weather could not have been any more gorgeous. This image Kellen captured and I simply adore it. I also had a wonderful mother's day. I received a journal to write down all of Ellie's and KJ's sweet and funny moments. I have a feeling it will fill up fast. I will be back to regular posting and visiting and email answering tomorrow, I hope.

BRIDALS





In case you didn't know my husband does a bit of photography on the side. I am second shooter on weddings but this is pretty much his baby. This lovely lady is a good friend of ours and he had the pleasure of doing her bridals. Stunning isn't she? Oh, and the dress was her mothers that she had altered into a more modern line, just gorgeous. You can check out more of his work here.

GLAMOROUS

This weekend a very dear friend of ours is getting married. With this spring like weather I am feeling quite glamorous. I think I will done a fabulous dress, kick up my heels, lay the pretty little clutch in my lap while sitting ever so elegantly in a gorgeous chair while I savor every bite of a yummy cupcake. Let's not forget that my pretty little earrings would sway as I walked to admire the beautiful flowers. Of course, this all would be ever so lovely if my funds were unlimited, ha! I hope you all have such a wonderful weekend. Any big plans?

A Kitchen Reno






I am so excited to be able to post this kitchen and dining renovation. This is the home of Eden Lang a fabulous photographer from Canada. She and her mother came up with the kitchen concept and her husband made it happen. What I love is that it's a kitchen made for cooking, but at the same time is extremely family friendly. I adore the clean lines, chalk board door, farm house sink, gorgeous lighting, the floors are delicious, and that huge map, wow! Did you also notice the clipboard leaning up on the counters with the calendar. Well, I did and I am so borrowing this idea to hold Ellie's school calendar. This looks much better than I just leaving ours laying out on the counter. Oh, and to see the complete transformation including before pictures you must go here. Trust me you will be in awe. I want to move in, really.

Thank you Eden for letting me share your gorgeous renovation.

Eden Lang Blog
Eden Lang Photography

Surprises


I just love a good surprise although I am not too keen on waiting for one when I know there is one to be had. My husband has been teasing me with a so called surprise for the last couple of weeks now. He says this is the weekend for me to get it. My skin is crawling with excitement. He says its not only good, but really good. He knows me well and I am already certain I will love it. I will be sure to share next week. Hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Oh, and I almost forgot how much I love having fresh flowers in the house. They really can brighten up the dreariest of days.

Merry Christmas!


Tomorrow the kiddos and I will bake Jesus Birthday cake and after they go to bed hubby and I will get busy wrapping and putting gifts under the tree. I am so very excited to see my little's ones faces when they see their gifts. This year we did bikes, shh! Oh, and here is a Christmas card from our family to you.

{we use tiny prints for our cards just in case you wanted to know}

Giveaway with Kellen Jacob Photography


We had an amazing year in our new photography adventure. We were blessed beyond measure and could not be more grateful for all the people who took a chance on us. This was our first year into the wedding side of photography and we are smitten with it. We can not wait till a new year of growth and as a thank you from us we are hosting a giveaway for a free standard shoot in 2010! It's easy, to enter just hop on over to Kellen Jacob and vote for your favorite photo of '09. You will then be entered to win, woohoo! It was hard to choose our favorites, but a post can only be so long. We just finished up with the wedding of the couple above and hope to have a wedding post soon. She was stunning, he all dapper, pure perfection.

*contest ends December 11th at 3pm CST, (my husbands 30th Birthday)!

*Contest is open to local Birmingham residents only unless you want to travel to us. We will also include the Rosemary Beach area since we head that way every year.

* winner will be chosen at random.