Although I felt pride in being the bacon-bringin’, jet-settin’, photography work-horse,  after time I realized that I was really missing the most important and fulfilling part of my life…being home for my girls! I needed a change. The pressure of not having a regular paycheck has been scary but we always seemed to get enough photography work to stay afloat.  The real problem was that I missed being the parent at home that was more involved with my kids’ daily routines! I actually started missing cooking and cleaning {if you know me, you also know that I usually avoid these things like the plague!}!! I suddenly felt the need to craft and decorate things…I wanted to volunteer in their classes, heck I want to Homeschool {that’s a whole other post!}….I was just missing my mommy role, and now it’s finally time to change things up. I have switched gears and am finally working back from home again, around my family’s schedule. Finally, some balance in my life!  My husband has done an AMAZING job getting everyone to school, cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry, and checking homework…on top of editing and videography for our business!! He has totally taken on the homemaker/support role and done a phenomenal job, and he now has a deep appreciation for all of those stay-at-home moms and dads out there. It’s hard work. And now I want that job back!

With my husband now working outside of the house again, it leaves room for me to step back into the beloved home-maker role. Don’t get me wrong, I will still be shooting tons! But now, I have some balance. Besides being creative with my camera, I get to make crafts with my kids, interior decorate, and learn to cook. That’s right. I don’t know how to cook a ding-darn thing! I have not had to make a meal for over 3 years!! But I HAVE been pinning a lot of yummy food pictures and recipes on Pinterest, and watching hours of cooking shows for motivation. I just LOVE  Ree Drummond {aka The Pioneer Woman}, and after meeting her at a book signing this week, I felt inspired to post more personal stories, food photos, and crafty ideas along with my photography. Because hey, I’m not just a photographer anymore!!! {sing it with me….HAAAAA-LLELUJAH!!!!}

I consider myself to be a pretty creative person. I like to make anything and everything that makes my eyes happy. But I have NEVER had creative juices in the kitchen. I don’t know why, I just can’t think of how to put things together to make an amazing dish! How the heck do those chef’s come up with such beautifully tasty dishes on those cooking show challenges with just a bunch of random ingredients!?? Well, the other day I decided to give it a shot. I was just as happy as a clam and feeling super inspired to get domestic again, so I looked through my kitchen I tried to make something yummy out of nothing.

I had a bunch of avocados that I needed to use before they went bad {and I LOVE avocados} so I grabbed one of those, some extra-lean turkey sausage, light cream cheese and an onion. I like all of these things, so I tried to put them together somehow. I had made stuffed mushrooms once, long ago, with sausage and cream cheese, so I chopped up the onion, cooked that with the sausage and mixed it all together with the cream cheese. Then, I cut my avocado in half, removed the seed and filled both halves with my sausage mixture. I wasn’t sure where I was going with this, but I remembered seeing a baked avocado on Pinterest, so I set my oven to 400 and baked my stuffed avocados for 10 minutes. When I took those babies out, I had NO idea how this was going to taste, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually Delicious!! I prefer a little Sriracha on just about EVERYTHING, so I squirted some on one of the halves and that was delish too {if you like it hot like me!}. Using a spoon, I just dug in to the soft warm stuffed avocados, like butter.  I did share the non-spicy half with my kidlets and they absolutely devoured that stuffed baked avocado  in seconds {good thing I marked my portion with hot sauce ahead of time!!}.

{I’ll work on presentation more, I promise! But the Sriracha just sort of exploded and ooozed out when I untwisted the cap, I had no control!}

And there you have it!… My first attempt at being domestic after years of being out of homemaking commission. I feel like a college student or newlywed learning to cook again, but it feels great.  I  may even do it again! Maybe next time I’ll try something a little healthier But my mission has been accomplished! I found satisfaction in the kitchen with my little helper by my side, and I even took some fun food pictures so I could remember this feeling of balance and fulfillment. Ahhhhh……

There are so many things I love about my job. I get to capture beautiful memories, fabulous events and details that I can only DREAM of!! Lizzy’s Sweet 16 Sunset Cruise was over the top, awesomeness!! For any of us that did not get the sweet-16 of our dreams, prepare to live vicariously through this fabulous birthday event, planned and styled by the brilliant Sarah Swanson of EVENTful Moments. Lizzy had her closest girlfriends join her on a beautiful sunset Argosy Cruise aboard The Champagne Lady. The weather was perfect, and so was the event! With a Vintage theme, my girl Sarah was totally in her own element, stylizing everything aboard the boat from the tables, to the windows, with the shaby-chic props she rented from Vintage Ambiance and lovely floral arrangements by Flowers by Tiffany!! I was in heaven, photographing the amazing details on the table, the lace, the flowers, the food, I loved it ALL! Lizzy had the most fantastic ideas for Sarah to work with and it all came together perfectly while we cruised around Seattle, with Wave Link Music dropping the beats as we sang Karaoke and danced like school girls! Even Lizzy’s cake was a dream…an adorable VW beach bus {my dream car!!} by the talented Lady Yum. At the end of the night, all I could think of was how perfectly perfect this party was, how blessed Lizzy is to have such a great group of friends and parents that love her so much, and …would they please adopt me!???

Couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day to cruise around Seattle! We got blue skies and sunshine!!

OH! And the food, catered by Barry’s Catering was SO yummy! They provided a mashed-potato bar, sliders, and chocolate fondue Guess who was licking her plate!!? Not me, I swear!

Happy 16th Birthday, Lizzy!!!!! You are loved

The Miller girls have a lot of history and nostalgia attached to this photo shoot. This beach holds special memories of days with their grandmother, but  it goes even deeper than that! Their great grandparents came to this country from Finland, years ago, with dreams of becoming American citizens. This old trunk journeyed with them across the seas, with stories only it could tell. Through life’s experiences and adventures we leave behind our legacy, and these girls so lucky to have such a story to tell! One of the reasons I am a photographer is because I believe so much in our individual stories and histories!  In the end, that’s all we really have as the money gets spent and the toys depreciate, our story is the one thing that we can pass on that will live forever through generations to come. Photos are such an important part of capturing and illustrating your life, reminding you of love, of the beauty and joy all around in a world that feels so rushed and imperfect at times. Life is beautiful. Remember who you are, where you came from and what you stand for. Tell your children. And create memories that will live on in bedtime stories for years to come, as you leave your legacy of adventure, love and beauty behind.

Over the last several weeks, I have been watching one of my FAVORITE artists hard at work, painting custom KitchAid Mixers for Oscar Swag! That’s right, Nicole Dinardo’s mixers have been given to the top thirty 2012 Oscar nominees and presenters staying at the Four Seasons Hotel. Can you say WOW!?? There were two designs, one for men and one for the women, each put on display to welcome each star, along with the other amazing Swag they got to take home! The lucky recipients of these fantastic mixers included Morgan Freeman, Al Roker, Octavia Spencer, Ann Curry, Janet McTeer, Glen Close, Tina Fey, Meredith Vieira, Viola Davis, Bernice Bejo, Michel Hazanavicius, Ryan Seacrest, Martin Scorsese, Thomas Horn, Thomas Langmann, Stephen Daldry, Leslie Dart, Ben Kingsley Jessica Lange, Jean Dujardin, Michelle Williams, Steve Buscemi, and of course one was donated to charity up for bid right now on Ebay {so you have a chance to get your hands on one of the Limited Edition 2012 Oscar Mixers by Un Amore!!!}.

Nick is keeping pretty busy these days with so many more projects and orders in the works, so we thought we’d share some images of the process behind the art! A LOT of care and creativity go into executing each and every project, so it’s interesting to get a glimpse behind the scenes where the magic happens! Stay tuned for much more from Un Amore as she creates new great things every day!!!

Karridi and Brandon had a GORGE wedding this Summer at the beautiful Juntunen Gardens in Mt. Vernon. They had everything, right down to a signature drink and garden stroll! The colors and personalities at this wedding were so vibrant and fun! It really was a glorious day coordinated by the talented Colleen Smiley of Creative Celebrations.  Having a coordinator taking care of details really makes ALL the difference in your wedding day!!  I could have photographed this bride and groom throughout this stunning location for hours and hours, but there was a ceremony to think of We also had a great time with the bridal party, with a little game of tackle football and some amazing dance moves. Here are just a few of my favorite images from that day as I look back at one of my favorite weddings of the Summer! I really hope to book more weddings at this awesome venue!!

Venue: Juntunen Gardens

Coordination:  Creative Celebrations

Flowers: The Rose Briar

Photography & Videography: Heather Lynn Photographie

]]> http://www.heatherlynnphotographie.com/blog/2012/02/13/3018/feed/ 0 http://www.heatherlynnphotographie.com/blog/2012/02/03/kitchen-coutour-kitchenaid-decal-giveaway-winner/ http://www.heatherlynnphotographie.com/blog/2012/02/03/kitchen-coutour-kitchenaid-decal-giveaway-winner/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:36:34 +0000 HeatherLynnPhotographie http://www.heatherlynnphotographie.com/blog/?p=3011 …And the Lucky Winner of our first giveaway is…

LISA SHELTON!!!

WooHoo! Congrats, LIsa! I will be in contact with you to give you your very own KitchenAid Decal set from Custom Kitchen Couture!

The rest of you, have no fear, there will be more contests and giveaways in the future!! IN FACT, Heather Lynn Photographie has just branched out to a new studio space, exclusively offering BOUDOIR and PIN-UP photography complete with hair and make-up! To jump start this venture, we are giving away a session {includes 90 minute session, disc of 20 images, hair styling, and make-up!} But you have to go to TraLaOohLaLa.com to find out how you can enter! Again, there are 3 ways to enter this giveaway and chances are VERY good for those who participate!! So what are you waiting for!??

A winner will be chosen on February 7th…you have 3 possible entries:

1} Become a FAN of TraLa Ooh LaLa on Facebook

2}Refer TraLa Ooh LaLa page on your profile

3} Leave a comment on the TraLa Ooh La La  BLOGSITE or our Facebook Fanpage

{Contest runs between February 1-7th! Winner will be announced on this Site and on our Fan Page!}

Thanks to ALL of you who are participating! I am really enjoying giving things away

xoxo ~Heather

{sorry ladies, this one’s all mine!}

Many people ask me if I have decals on my mixer…I actualyl picked this design and Nicole Dinardo painted it to match my kitchen!  It’s a one of a kind, but guess what…Nick saw that this design was super popular, so she made a simple solution and started making Decals for those of you that want  your mixer to look fabulous like this, without getting a custom paint job! Behold, Custom Kitchen Couture!!

I get to do a lot of the photography for  this business, and am one of their biggest fans, so I’d like to Give Away a Premier Damask Decal Set to dress up your own KA Mixer {from Custom Kitchen Couture by Un Amore}!!

There are 3 ways you can enter to WIN this giveaway for a total of THREE entries:

1. Leave a Comment here on this BLOG saying something that will make me smile

2. Leave a Comment at our Heather Lynn Photographie Facebook Fanpage {just mention this giveaway!}

3. Leave a Comment on Custom Kitchen Couture’s Facebook Fanpage {and remember to mention this giveaway!}

KitchenAid Mixer shown is NOT included, you can WIN the DECALS and apply then to your own mixer!!! Up to 3 entries per account/ip address. Winner will be announced February1st on this BLOG, so check back to see if you’ve won!!

Comment Contest Ends January 31st!!

READY…..GO!!!!!

I recently had the brilliant idea to have a Baking themed birthday party for my 12-year-old. My blossoming young tween wanted a baking-ice-skating-painting-dance-slumber party…so we compromised and I let her have a few friends over the night before to participate in the preparations for her Baking Slumber Party!! Part of the “party” was in the experience of making all of the cake-pops and cookies the night before, together.

The girls had a blast {and I almost had a nervous breakdown with all that was going on at once, at volume 12, until 2 am…} We had lots and lots of help from my fabulous mixer {custom painted by the amazing Un Amore Designs} and I think the girls just liked having turns using it {I know it inspires ME to bake!!}. Bright and early in the morning, before the party, the girls made decorations with cupcake liners, and party favors with Cookies in a Jar. We even had time to mold edible PhotoBooth Props {lips and mustaches on a stick!}. My favorite touch!

I provided ideas and inspiration, and everything was homemade by the girls except the aprons! I really wanted to make those myself, but I am no wonder-woman…so I hired the wonder-woman at Rockin Bobbin to make my over-the-top adorable aprons and hat flowers {just got the chef hats at Micheals!} My youngest girls even got to dress up and be a part of the party! They all had the best time I could have ever imagined!! It was totally worth the hours spent on Pinterest and sleepless night with a house-full of aspiring Bakerellas

This last few months has been flooded with adorable little mini-sessions and family-fun galore!! I have been doing Holiday sessions like you would not believe, and I have had a blast! I love being part of making family memories and telling a story of who you are and what your family is about!! I was completely touched by the Schwab family that is fighting {and beating} Cancer. This photoshoot was a Celebration of Life and every single moment we have together!! Heck-yeah. Hope. Love. Life. This is what it’s all about, and these families of lovers and fighters are so lucky to know how precious life is. This New Year, I am totally going to smile bigger, love deeper, live louder and dance harder.

So, I have always been a crafty momma. I like making gifts and pretty things.  I used to scrap-book with my girlfriends, and set up scenes to photograph just for a page, and spend hours creating the perfect homemade birthday invitations…ok, I still do that, but I have totally been consumed with working and going, going going, that I had to remind myself that I’m not just a photographer. I’m a mom, an artist, I like to dress up, dance, I like to cook, I like to create crafts and plan parties!!! So, with a little help from my new BFF Pinterest, I have been categorizing those ideas and actually doing them!! This Fall season, I have taken back my inner house-mom and I got crafty, I dressed up for Holloween, I find new things to do every day! Take a look at some of my Pinterest Inspired craftiness! If you aren’t already a Pinterester, you may not be addicted yet…that’s ok, you will be soon, and you can Follow my Pins HERE!!

I really had a great time dressing up with my girls this Holloween! My favorite was my little Audrey Hepburn in her tutu from Bee Bops and Lollipops {I didn’t have to buy a thing for our costumes since I already had the tutu!}. I had a lot of fun as Rosie the Riveter too:) {my other girls went as I love Lucy and I Dream of Genie}.

After trick-or treating, we made roasted pumpkin-seeds…3 Kinds! Cinnamon, Salted Caramel, and Traditional Sea Salt!

We also totally had to try recycling old crayons into new fun-shaped rainbow crayons! All three of my kids loved this!!

We also made these decorations for the door! This ribbon wreath and pumpkin ideas can also be found on Pinterest! I am inspired every time I sign in, but I always find a way to put my own little creative twist on things Fun, Fun, Fun!!!