So, what on earth is this Feather Bound stuff all about? I’m ’bout to tell you!! Sara might have summed it up most concisely on one of her scrap doodle pages that I ganked (what else is new??) . . .

“Where the wonder of words & photo art collide

and cherished memories forever reside.

We click for the cause & write for the fight

to keep the legacy of loved ones burning bright.”

Our primary purpose is to honor families who are fighting the battle with cancer by telling their story beautifully and gifting that story back to them in one amazing book. If you’ve known anyone who has fought this fight, the imagery associated with parts of that journey can be very painful and overpowering. We wanted to change this one thing for them. We want to help them capture the story in all it’s beauty. The strength, grace, unity and faith that weave themselves into their story. We want to be able to give freely to these families because they deserve that. We also want to help fund research along the way. So, the best way to do all of the above is to do what we do best. . .

click. create. write. bind.

The coolest thing is we will be doing custom albums, like the one I’m about to post next, to fund these special books! How fun are these??! I felt it deserved it’s own post so the people who don’t care could skip all this reading;o) I’m so excited about the possibilities. Also, Sara will be writing simple, but customized poems for Feather Nest Photography clients’ albums too!!! eeek – way exciting . . . she’s already done a couple for me & they are super cool and more unique than anything you’ve ever seen. One seriously extra-fantastical heirloom for you!

So, here’s where you, the lovelies that read this blog (still blows my mind why?), come in . . .

1) IF you are interested in a custom creation, like the one I’m about to feature next, featuring your kids, your family, cousins, couples, girlfriends, anything, etc. . . LET ME KNOW! We will help you style a custom photo session ( The sky is the limit as far as imagination!). Then Sara & I will set to work designing your book. A portion of the profit from these sales is already set aside to “pay it forward” for a specially chosen family to receive this service.

2) IF you know a child who is battling childhood cancer no matter what stage or a special survivor (specifically childhood cancers), please nominate them for this service by emailing their story to sara{@}feather-bound.com. We have a couple of nominations on the launching pad and are ready to start fielding inquiries.

The website will be here. The blog will be separate from feather nest photography sorta of. I will probably cross-blog so you can follow along easily if you want & if not, just skip it!

Ok, that’s probably too much to process for now. Like I said . . . it will have it’s own space soon & all the details anf sample work will be there!

So, next up, my favorite people in a “Signature Series” custom story book from Feather Bound Book Co.

OH! I forgot to mention too . . . these will be printed from my favorite album company. They have the thickest board book like pages and an image cover. Really cool. I’ll take pictures as soon as we get the first one ordered.

Yay!

More from this Go Texas inspired photo session coming soon.

Adriaaaaanne. . . remember these??? I still love them:o) Yes, friends those are “Texas” shaped sunglasses. I happen to think they’re awesome. Would’ve been so awesome for these pictures and I totally forgot about them until after. humph. That’s why they got their own shoot. Made me feel a little better:o)

Happy “Go Texas Day”.

don’t worry, if you don’t live in Houston – this probably makes no sense . . . It’s the day we celebrate the Houston Livestock show and Rodeo. Kind of a big deal around here. It’s just smelly and crowded if you ask me. But whatever. Great excuse to take pictures of kids who are already all sorts of decked out!

It’s cloudy here today. blah.

Felt like doing something like . . . .  spring cleaning?

Yah, my husband wishes that’s what I spent my day doing.

I didn’t though. I’m happy that I spent my day decorating over at www.feather-nest.com ) FOR FREE!!!!

check it out {HERE}.

(Thanks ShowIt for making awesome software.)

 The best part – I can get a new sofa every day of the week if I want too! (did I mention FOR FREE??!)

Well, not totally free . . . it cost me 3/4 of a day of real house cleaning. whatever. I made all the font & galleries bigger while I was there too, MIKE BASKETT.  (;O) )

I know it.

I’ve asked for it SO MANY times.

Sometimes I really meant it, sometimes I hoped He really wouldn’t . . . Always silently adding, “gently of course.” (doesn’t everyone?!)

This week has been one of those weeks.  After a rocky start to this year, I feel so hopeful for the rest of 2010 now. After one too many pity parties, I needed to find something else to do.

Someone else to focus on.

So, I think God just dropped “that something” in my lap our laps today? I’m giddy. Better yet, WE’RE giddy.

WOW. awesome. THANKS God.

So, until the “something else” grows into something I can share. If you need lifting up, feel stressed, hopeless or are, like me, (and sooo many others) confused & broken hearted by

this . . .

you must . . .

you must . . .

you must. . .

listen to this:

And, please, just follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/RuffleButts  and become a “fan” of Ruffle Butts. They are donating $1 for every new facebook fan to Layla Grace’s medical bills. There fans have doubled!! since I was last on there (only 1 hour ago). There clothes are way awesome too. One of my favorite outfits that Raleigh is just about to out grow is from Ruffle Butts. So, check ‘em out.  And, on a lighter note . . . every time I say “butt” Pressly tells her Daddy that I said a bad word. geez. The accountability around here is getting stiff.

Happy Tuesday:o)

music: JJ Heller, “Your Hands”

Thank you Sara. You’re the best.

ETA: Ok, after the 4th congratulatory email/text on my “announcement” I came back to reread this post & yes, clarification IS most definitely needed.

 ”something” = way cool project (NOT BABY) 

AND

 ”we” = me & the very talented Sara Chan (not me & Pride).

There.

Are we clear now??  Good.

If I’m being honest, I’ve avoided the blog lately. Not because I don’t have pictures/sessions to share, but I’m just bored with the whole idea of “look at this cute family that I photographed yesterday!” It’s boring and obnoxious - right??! Not the families of course, but there is so much more to them than, just the same old boring blog lines; “they were soooo cute,” “does it get any cuter,” “look at these eyes.” I mean seriously, I’ve grown a serious aversion to the word cute. And, since everyone is so cotton-pickin’ cute, what am I suppose to do??? So, I’ve been struggling with not wanting to have the same old stupid blog that everyone else does & trying to figure out what I do want to have. I have a couple of ideas, but nothing concrete yet. They are the kind of ideas that seem brilliant at midnight, but first thing in the morning you wonder what was so smart about that idea last night, because that just won’t do. I’m close, but still brainstorming with myself.

So, did you know “cunning” is an adjective for the above mentioned word?? Well, I don’t think of cunning when I think of baby Mollie . . . but she is pretty damn cute. Sorry for the expletive, but geez – that [cute] word is just annoying me & I need something to spice it up;o) We did have fun yesterday romping around Carlton Woods finding the best light everywhere we went. No reflectors needed; creamy marble floor does a perfectly honorable job . . . and this perfectly lit session was just what I needed to brighten my mood this week. I know her family could use some bright light this week too. I’ll definitely be back with more of her & the last few sessions which haven’t been showcased because of their ”cuteness” aka “boringness” (NOT the people – just the adjectives that come to mind!! They just deserve better than a Thesaurus abused post - I’ll get there.)

Oh, and I love this picture because of the beautiful light #1, but also because she was talking to me with these eyes (is that selfish? don’t care.) Because, 99% of this session her eyes and her flirts belonged to her mommy. As it should be, and, who could blame her . . . I think her mom is one solid lady. Mollie gave me a couple of glances & even a few smiles, but this was a glance we exchanged & I know exactly what she was thinking right here. So, I like this one:o) We did good Paige! Can’t wait for you to see them.

This is an antique high chair that resides at her grandpa’s house. I know nothing about it, except that I had to have it to take these pictures. He brought it to me from Abilene just for this. Thanks Q-Pa for always taking care of me in the prop department. I go shopping at his house for my photography props every time I’m in Abilene. His garage is a gold-mine. And, for those of you who know him . . . you’re laughing right now aren’t you?

 I love this picture because she’s standing. It’s the hallmark shot for a just turned 1 year old baby.

I love this picture because my baby was talking to ME. Not her goofy Daddy or her big sister, who were also trying to get her attention. It’s my shot. Of course, the cute knit teddy bear hat doesn’t hurt one bit.  

now, this one is Daddy’s shot. She smiles like this for him. What? It looks like the same smile? It’s totally different. Way different. Trust me. It’s flirtier. Yeap, I can make up words if I want to.

What’s not to love about my favorite colors as a backdrop for all these images. I intentionally scoped this location for these colors. I even had to leave The Woodlands to find it! They will match her nursery perfectly. There’s something about the angle of winter light. It’s dreamier, softer, and full of pastels. It’s my favorite.

speaks.for.itself

luh-luh-lurve.it

And, it’s not over! Some of you don’t know that my special mess #2, Raleigh, shares a birthday with my special mess #1, Pressly. Yeap, totally unplanned; no intervention. They were born on the same day 2 years apart. I think it’s very special and I hope they will have an extra special bond. Soooooooo. Here are Pressly’s 3rd Birthday pictures! We did them the same day. The fun part was, she was big enough this time to go out for a real “photo shoot” with me all by herself. We had fun together. I think this kid rocks so hard. She had her own little 3 year old ideas. She’s a funny one.

I’m leading with my favorite picture. We had the most amazing natural light reflectors all around us and then there were these amazing fluffy white clouds that assisted as our giant soft box straight from heaven (because these were taken at high noon people!).

did I mention she’s THREE now?

I had so many amazing pictures of her showing off her dance moves. Yah – they’re awesome. They’ll have their place, but, this one is my other favorite. Most people wouldn’t pick this one. I love it because it captures a real piece of her soul. A small piece, but a real piece. She felt just a tad insecure for a split second. She didn’t know what to do with her hands or her feet, her hair was blowing in her face & she felt a little awkward sitting on a cold piece of metal. She giggled and glanced down. Then back up. And, I clicked. My shutter release was just quick enough to catch it. Then she found her stride and that moment was gone. There’s just something so real and authentic about an emotion that you can’t control. I see a little girl here. . . not a baby anymore. Still my baby, but not a baby. And, that’s what I love about this image. I can see my baby, but I can also see a big girl growing into a little lady.

(their birthday was in December for the record, just now getting time for their post!)

coming soon. . . just deciding on my favorites. I’ve narrowed it down to 34. So, I’ll just tease her grandparents in the mean time.

I’m on a journey . . . you may or may not get see bits & pieces of it here?!;o)  So, I got up ONE (only one) morning this week decade to watch the sun rise and pray. We talked about it in our life group this week & I had an itchin’ to try it. I was thinking it would be so much easier to pray with this kind of stillness before me. It was still hard not to get distracted. Obviously, I was distracted by the camera (note to self). It was just 1 morning though . . . baby steps . . . I’ll make it out again. It takes years to master meditative prayer. I get it though. It definitely charged me up in a different direction for the day. Try it.

just died & went to heaven over their collective cuteness.  

. . . and yes, that is a fireman’s pole right in the middle of their playroom and this is the backyard! Lucky kids, lucky family, lucky me. I love the wayher big brothers hold her.