I have to admit it, I have a problem. I am addicted to buying art and craft supplies. I love the potential and possibilities of new art supplies. I feel like anything is possible while cruising the aisles at the craft store. Every other week or so I have to get my fix and make a trip to one of my favorite suppliers-Artco Craft Supply. I like the store because it is independent and locally owned. Last spring when the former owner retired, he helped his loyal store manager Trina buy the business instead of selling it to Jo-Ann Fabrics who was eager to buy. I know all the helpful ladies that work there by name and they know me. When Carrie the manager of the paper department got married last summer, I was honored to be her photographer. We did an engagement session in the spring. I enjoyed getting to know Carrie and Adam before their beach wedding at her Grandma’s house in July. The day of the wedding they were so natural in front of the camera, so sweet! You may remember these two from an earlier post about my favorite offbeat wedding photo of the year. On my regular visits to Artco, I am always eager to see Carrie and to check out what she has created with her wedding photos. She is the "Crafting Queen" and is always making samples and testing out all the new products. On my latest visit she had created a very cool engagement book. The book was created on clear acrylic sheets instead of paper. Since you can see through the pages, each page plays off the next as you turn them. Carrie was able to use a couple of her favorite photos on several different layouts, with a clever peek-a-boo design. I found a supplier online for the acrylic books at Clear Scraps. These are the next new rage in scrapbooking. It was clear to me how much creativity and love was put into making this sweet book!

This weekend there was green everywhere with anticipation of St. Paddy’s Day. The main thing I like about this holiday is it’s name, because my Mom’s name is Paddy. My Grandpa loved the little Irish boy name Paddy and even though he had a little Italian girl, Paddy was her chosen name. Sometimes people call her Pat which makes me laugh because it really should be Pad. My favorite greens of the weekend were my little friend Leo’s vintage sweater, with doggies playing on the back. And a lady at the Chili Cook-Off that had a "Shake your Shamrocks" T-shirt, green nails and an elf hat on. Last week, while meeting with my client Lindsay, she brought it to my attention that I must REALLY love GREEN. I hadn’t even realized it myself, but then I looked around and noticed everything from my shirt to my calendar were most certainly different shades of green. ‘Tis the season!

All of this green reminded me of this photo of Brooke and Scott from last spring. These two will be getting married in Saint Barts this May. They will have a big reception in Seattle for their family and friends in July. Brooke’s sister wanted to surprise her with an engagement session with me for her birthday gift. The plan was to completely surprise her when she was at the park walking her dogs. I love surprises and was so excited as I waited at the park for her to arrive. Her sister had second thoughts the day before and decided to fill Brooke in on the plan. Luckily she did, because Brooke said she would have killed her for that surprise. She had really been looking forward to having an engagement session and had some clear ideas on outfits and locations for the shoot. Once she was in on the plan, Brooke ran around fixing her hair and picking out several outfits for the shoot.

I love how beautiful the vibrant green shirt looks with Brooke’s red
hair. Her switch to a little sassy black dress worked great with the
iron gate near the entrance of the park. I think it is a good idea to have a couple different outfits for a portrait session. I always encourage people to wear layers so they can easily change the look by adding or removing a jacket or sweater. I also tell them to pick colors that compliment their skin tone and eyes, even if that means they don’t match each other perfectly. I am often inspired by the colors people are wearing and will decide on backgrounds based on their outfits.

I wish I was going to Saint Barts with these two, they are so fun to photograph! Brooke is bursting with positive energy and always gives me a lift when I see her. I am looking forward to hearing all about their warm getaway and intimate ceremony. I am very excited to photograph their reception and to get more lovely portraits of them in July.