Happy 1st Birthday Annie!

It's tough to believe that it's been a year since this beautiful face came into this world - but she did & Annie is 1! She's been bringing smiles to faces & stealing hearts since day 1. She's even walking already, clearly a genius.

I'm so lucky to be her auntie. These are some snaps from her first birthday party this weekend that was filled with laughs, food, everything Minnie Mouse (including a custom cake - scroll down to check out that confection) & family (including tons of COUSINS)!

Happy Birthday Annie! I love you!

Summer Moments

Here are some details of my favorite moments as of late. Hope you enjoy them & have a wonderful weekend.

A gorgeous sunset sky after a stormy day in NYC on a walk with my twin sis.

Beautiful & romantic flowers at my friends' (Karen + Paul) wedding last weekend.

Blurry champagne equivalent to the warm & fuzzy love in the room at the same wedding.

Fun paper lanterns & lights that we danced under all night.

2014 Thanks for Teaching Me to Choose Joy

Annie just 5 days old, smiling.

Today is the last day of 2014 & let me (be one of the many to) say, THANK GOD! To say that this past year was a challenging one would be a dramatic understatement. In lieu of “oversharing*” what downright sucked about 2014, I’m choosing this day to highlight an amazing part about it. I became an aunt officially for the 20th time this past September. That’s right Chris & I have 6 nieces & 14 nephews (plus a ton of baby cousins & friend babies). Each single one of their faces serves as a reminder of how magical life is & how we can all begin again.  As 2014 comes to a close I will honor it because it a sacred part of me but I will also willingly choose joy because life is just too short not to.

Huge thank you to my little niece Annie whose smiles remind me that there is always something to smile about. (Keep reading to see some more of the photos I took of little Annie. She's a super cute baby & that in itself should make you smile today (or everyday).)

Stay positive & be the sparkle you want to see in the world. I will try my best to do the same. Cheers & happy new year! May 2015 be my & your most spectacular year yet!

*PS: Did you know overshare is the word of the year? Pretty crazy but not huh?

The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

Rose & Douggie

Hely & Jack

It’s Friday, yay! I’m taking a break from my usual foodie posts to let a little light in & share with you two of my beautiful friends who have become even more gorgeous as mothers.  Yesterday two of my girlfriends, Hely & Rose, stopped by my office to say hi & to share smiles, stories & giggles with their little boys. It made my day & I’m still smiling about it.

It reminded me that every time things changes it’s comforting to know that they also stay the same, there's just more to talk about! Please remember to cherish the moments & people in a life full of things.

Click through to see more photos ;)

Personalized Gift Idea: Keepsake Photo Box

The holidays are upon us so I thought I'd share this idea with you guys in case you were looking for a way to gift someone that has everything. You can never have too many memories.

This past summer I wanted to create a thank you gift for my sistter-in-law Marie & her family with the photos I took of our trip to the beach but I didn't want to make a photo album.  I came across MpixPro's custom image boxes & I knew instantly that is what I would make. 

You can customize the box & it holds hundreds of photos. Sometimes you just want to pick through photos & hold them in your hand, you know?

MpixPro has fabulous photo papers & offers templates to create your own custom image box - albeit you need to have a MpixPro account & some Photoshop skills but don't worry I found some other non-graphic designy ones for you that look just as great, here & here.

Click through for some more photos.

PS: Happy birthday to my brother, Paul!

Photo Inspiration: A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book

I love the blog, A Beautiful Mess. It's a collaboration of two sisters plus some extra fabulous contributors.  Maybe it's the sister thang (I too work with mine) or the insanely creative and relatable ideas they offer on a daily basis.  (Or maybe it's that they both have really cool hair.) The great thing about most blogs, A Beautiful Mess & mine included, is that they're written by real people that aren't professionals in their field but some how become better than a professional because they break down what they do in to layman's terms so that you and I can recreate the same things.  Life's about trying new things - not necessarily becoming a professional at it but hey once you try something new you might even make it your profession.

Currently, I'm browsing the pages of this book, A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book.  It's for real people who take real pictures that are sometimes blurry and then sometimes they're extraordinary. I'm still an amateur at taking photos but the 95 ideas that Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman have journaled in this book are super inspiring.

Gratitude

Sunshine in My Life

This little perfect person is my newest niece, the perfect bit of sunshine in my life after a "stormy" (pun intended) two weeks. Little Claire Elizabeth came into this world November 1st & I've been in love with her ever since.  Super huge congrats (& thanks for letting me share her with the blogosphere) to Marie & Greg,  Claire is amazing!!!!!

Clearly I couldn't wait to take some photos of her (especially in this hat!) in her precious nursery. Click through for more photos of my newest member of our family.