Creole Wisdom

recent work favorites

September will mark three years of taking photos at The Magazine. I am continually grateful, everyday, that I get to do something that I enjoy. Growing up I always assumed I would hate my job because most people I knew disliked what they did. I had pretty low expectations. I am so glad things turned out the way they did!

new perspective and angles:

getting more comfortable with my flash:

still loving available light and keeping things bright:

This past winter I learned how to shoot food with a flash (controversial, but at times necessary), photographed several glasses of beer, worked on a giant breakfast issue and fell in love with Gray House, Parka, Union and Borough. I am continually impressed with the restaurant scene in town and grateful for the connections I've formed with chefs and owners. So many good people who are passionate and knowledgeable about food in a a relatively small town.

protecting images on the web, my 2 cents

I think everyone has a system that works for them, If you have any tips, I'd love for you to share them with me in the comments!

Basically I never protected my images until recently. I felt like, who would want to steal them and also who cares? Then I wised up and realized I needed to be educated.

I'm not big into doing things retroactively because I don't have the time. Going forward this is what's been working well for me:

Some of my photos are stored on flickr:

-I can grab the link and simply paste it into the HTML box

-Flickr allows me to individually decide if photos are visible or not

-That can get annoying though, right? I hate going to a blog and wanting to pin something and then it takes me to a flickr photostream or private page

Some of my photos are sized for web and I add a stamp:

-I almost exclusively do this for projects I've done, things that I anticipate getting pinned or work photography :)

But... sometimes I don't do either and instead deactivate the photo link:

-Maybe it's just me, but I'm not going to watermark every image and not every image should be watermarked.

-In instances like that I re-size for web and then deactivate the link, that way the photo can't be opened up into another page. 

...

{all photos taken Mother's Day at Patisserie 46}

instafriday: finally spring edition!

Happy Friday! I'm linking up with Life Rearranged today to share with you my favorite instagram photos as of late. If you are inclinded to follow along my handle is: creolewisdom. If you're new here scroll down and enter the fun giveaway that closes tonight :)

I found a few more succulents for my apt, I decided not to get the "flowering" cacti once I realized the flowers were fake and hot-glued on//heading out to a work event, I love my new infinity scarf, wear it all the time!

Part of mother's day included a stop at Patisserie 46... oh, their food and coffee are so good!//Rain falling over Loring Park as dad and I head out to lunch one afternoon.

We finally have some nice weather, while I waiting for an oil change I enjoyed a few moments of quiet at Sun Street Breads//I took some photos of the graduating class of Alpha Omicron Pis and snagged this cute pair of Be Greek sunglasses :)

lost in art, texas giveaway

Giveaway is now closed, congratulations Hilary!

You may have noticed that I'm doing more giveaways. I am doing them for two reasons: 1) they are fun and 2) I want to support good businesses and let you readers know about them. I call it a win-win. Most of my giveaway sponsors I have contacted myself, just like today's from Lost In Art Texas.

Owner Heather was kind enough to offer a Creole Wisdom reader one pretty ampersand pillow.

I just received mine in the mail the other day, I think it makes a perfect addition to my reading chair (that sounds really dorky, in all honestly it should be called the e-mail chair). The packaging also made me squeal in delight!

Ampersands are fun and I like that mine has a bit of a rustic look to it. 

To win this giveaway simply mention this post on the social media of your choice (twitter, facebook, instagram...) and leave a comment below telling me where you'd place your pillow if you won.

One winner will be chosen at random and the giveaway ends Friday May 17th at 1130pm CST!

Be sure to check out Hannah's blog, too, Cottonwood Road!

 

Joy's rock-a-billy polka-dot bridal shower

It's a mouthful, but a fun mouthful. Joy has been a dear friend of mine since college years and I was so excited when she got engaged last November. Flash forward and we are just a month away from her big day! Maybe I'm a bit biased because I'm in the wedding, but I'm really looking forward to Joy and Nicholas' big day.

Planning out the details of a party is one of my favorite things and this shower was chalked full of little details:

Joy's awesome rock-a-billy hair and makeup and festive straws in pink and red polka-dot. I even created a party hash tag: #rockabillyshower

Mom and I did a ton of work... it's no small feat to put something big like this on! All the finishing touches added up last minute, my favorite being these personalized, old-fashioned style cokes (thank you, Costco!) featuring two childhood photos of Joy. 

Oh, I just love this girl!

Of course we didn't just drink pop the entire time, we served lots of good stuff up (I am still full): fruit salad in paper cones, cheesecake, mini brownie sundaes and my favorite were these mini cheese balls: 

I loved how they looked lined up on that doily tray :) they went pretty fast, too!

I know Joy loved it, which was the entire point. I think the best part was the game we played where everyone including Joy had to guess answers from a list of questions that I asked her fiance. Maybe it's not best to ask a guy what he's looking forward to the most about marriage. I'll give you a clue, it was a one word answer.

For favors mom and I sewed aprons for the guests... this is one of those things you only do once. Have you ever sewn 16 aprons? The result was worth the work, though! I just hung them up on a old drying rack with clothes pins:

the three fabrics we chose for the aprons:

All in all an excellent shower for the sweetest bride-to-be :) Joy felt honored and loved, that was the more important thing! 

A few sources if you're interested:

solid washi tape: Russell + Hazel

lace washi tape: Crafty Japan 

polka dot straws:Talking Twine and Trim

mini cheese ball recipe: Family Fresh Meals

Before I plan a party I usually create a pinboard, this one can be found here. 

apt living binder

I'm starting to think about summer. It sneaks up on you in Minnesota. We don't have spring, really.

Summer is a really crazy time to be a photographer. When the shoots pile up, my life gets disorganized. I also don't like feeling overcome with humidity. I thought I didn't like being hot, but when I had to leave Arizona I cried so I guess I am okay with hot? 

That being said I am really trying to have a better attitude about summer. One way is by using a binder to keep me organized.

I'm hoping I will make great use out of it. I want to stay organized and have a clean apartment so that I can enjoy summer and feel more under control!

There are three sections: clean, financial and life.

This looks kind of micro manage-y, but I actually need this. Because my daily schedule is never the same I crave a little routine.

Sources:

Binder, rubber bands and dividers are from Russell + Hazel

Wasi tape is Mara Mi

Page protectors are Office Depot

 

Baby M

I don't do many portraits these days, that's okay. I love trying my hand at more commerical work, but something about newborns always calls me back. Who can resist a fresh baby? They are just too precious. I met Baby M last week bright and early at 730am for a photo shoot.

Her parents were game for the giant collection of quilts I brought and even had their own. I spent more time admiring Baby M and enjoying their sweet pup Bernie than taking photos, I think! We managed to get a few favorites in among the fun and visiting:

{She was truly this peaceful the entire session-- even after about 4 outfit changes... what a love!}

{This blanket is the same fabric of Baby M's mama, gotta love crazy 1980s prints.}

{baby hands are such a testimony builder for me- so perfect and tiny, such a beautiful example of God's artistry.}

{Her expression in this shot just makes me grin, what a happy girl she was the entire session!}

...

instafriday: snow in may edition

I can't remember the last time its snowed in May, but apparently the only month without record of snowfall in Minnesota is July. Either way, I've got some sweater tights on this am and that feels kind of weird. Link up with me at Life Rearranged (click on the button above). My instagram handle is creolewisdom and if you're new here pop down and enter the Minted giveaway that ends tonight!

cameras: last week my neighbor took me to Digs, such a cute boutique...//where I found this camera ornament. I love having little cameras all over {the tray above the frame is from Target}.

shower prep: the polka dot straws I ordered off Etsy arrived!//Here I am holding all the fabric to make apron favors for Joy's bridal shower.

 

out and about: I babysat cousin Patrick the other night and it was nice enough for a trike ride. He can't quite pedal and steer at the same time so I steer and cheer him on while he pedals.//my co-worker and I spent the early hours of Saturday at the Minneapolis farmer's market taking photos for next month's issue.

weather: we had snow on the 23rd of April//and nice weather on the 29th for a walk around Lake of the Isles and now we're back to snow on May 3rd.

Have an excellent weekend! I've got work, lots of sewing and a date with the gym.

 

minted journal giveaway {closed}

We have a winner! Congrats Jaci! :)

Can you believe I have another giveaway for you!?! :) As much as I love blogging and writing on my laptop, there's just something about putting pen to paper!

When Minted decided to offer a custom journal to me and one of you readers I was excited. Minted does everything from party supplies to cards to perfect mother's day gifts.

Here's what sets Minted apart: they work with independent designers and creatives which means they support people in our communities! I love that.

Their items are also customizable: how cool to have a journal with you or your mom's name on it?

I knew I needed something for the variety of lists and notes I make daily: something cute enough to take to the office, fun for the grocery story and perfect for writing down DIY ideas.

I chose the simple thoughts journal and added my own photo.

Then I edited where the font went and changed it to fit my aesthetic.

You can even choose what kind of paper you want inside, I picked lined.

 Here's the fun part:

To win a journal from Minted link this giveaway on any social media of your choice (twitter, facebook, instagram...) and leave a comment below telling me what you'd use your journal for.

One winner will be chosen at random and the giveaway ends

Friday (tomorrow) May 3rd at 11pm CST.

Also, Minted is offering Creole Wisdom readers 10% off and free ground shipping on all mother's day gifts. Just use code: CWISDOM10 at checkout! 

Don't forget you have a few hours to enter the previous giveaway from Wonderkath :)

{Minted is an affiliate of Creole Wisdom: meaning they provide me with a % compensation of each sale that comes from a link placed here.}

wonderkath giveaway {closed}

Update: congrats Beth! You won the necklace, yay! :)

Good morning! One of my Bible Study leaders, Kathy, creates incredible, hand-stamped jewelry that she sells in her Etsy shop, Wonderkath. She does custom work as well as ready-to-order pieces that are so lovely and delicate. I've been eyeing her work for quite some time!

Kathy recently made me two gorgeous, custom necklaces:

As you know my word for 2013 year is "authenticity." I am trying to keep that at the forefront of my mind always and I thought it would be neat to get that stamped out with my age, too. I added the cross because I want a daily reminder of who I am in His image--

For mother's day I usually struggle because my mother has so many lovely things! Losing grandma a few years ago was hard on both her and I. Kathy stamped my grandma's, mom's and my initials on this heart charm. I went with everyone's maiden initials, which I love.

To kick off May I'm going to giveaway one of Wonder Kath's necklaces! 

To enter "like" creole wisdom on facebook, follow creole wisdom on your chosen blog reader/feedly and leave a comment below telling me your favorite quality of your mom :)

One winner will be chosen at random with the giveaway ending

11pm CST Thursday May 2nd (tomorrow!).