Decorating adventures.

My mama was right. i shouldn't have decided on how i wanted to decorate the house until i was moved in! She's a smart woman. Before i even moved to Las Vegas, i had to make the wedding registry. I thought i knew exactly what colors i wanted in each room. Then one day about a year after I lived here, my taste changed. I went on an inexpensive shopping spree to change the living room. If you've seen other room changes, you've seen some drastic differences, like this one. In the living room I originally thought red and brown. Safe, and definitely cute colors together no doubt but while out shopping i was thinking how i want something bright, fun, and more me! One of my favorite color schemes is gray and yellow, in fact if i were to go back to the wedding planning, i'd seriously consider these colors. 

I decided to go on gray, yellow and light blue. ahhh perfection is what i found. there are still some updates i'd like to add but we're getting closer! 

before. 

after. 

Changed needed: Definitely a new little table. more wall art. finish production of the photo of puppies! 

This canvas below is on my list of making. First the colors are perfect for against the wall. Second it's a quote from how i met your mother, our favorite show to watch together. third, what better room to put a quote from your favorite tv show than in the living room? This is on my need to make list. thank you pinterest. 

What i love is how some pillows are just the old ones with new covers on them. Saves money by not buying all new pillows, and reusing the ones you have. 

Also i went with foam core mounting for the puppy photo. No it's sadly not a canvas for now, it saved tons of money though and still get a huge print! yeah! If you want to see where the puppy photo was taken, and see it closer.. click here.

The other big change was painting the wall gray. We were thinking of a blue, but this feels just so relaxed and i feel like it ties in all in together. I'm happy with it. 

Also wish i could say i told Conner to sit there for photos. He was being lazy, but oh so cute. 

I found a lot of the new items from target! Frames, blue and white vase, and pillows. These yellow flowers though, from michaels. One of the favorite things in the room! Dried flowers. so cute. I'd really like to buy more. 

Candles too! I usually like to stick to yankee, but been finding some pretty good burning candles from Wal-mart too. Usually the food smells are the ones i like, flower candles.. just not my taste. 

There's always more to do, seems like a home is never finished, but we're slowly getting there, and i'm so thankful for the beautiful home we have. 

what are some color schemes you like!? Once you were settled in, did some rooms change? Love to hear some tips on inexpensive decor that worked for you!

OH- i totally fell asleep outside or this little post would've been up sooner. It's been just too beautiful not to enjoy some time out in the sun! 

Arizona Adventure

Mini road trip to see brother in law, sister and to celebrate her birthday! 

It was the perfect getaway, the drive down (about 5 hours) was a great time to just think, not allowing music to fill my head until i hit halfway. Spending time talking to my puppies, thinking about everything and enjoying the beautiful slight change in scenery. it wasn't a crazy vacation, just a nice relaxed time with some family. Exactly what i needed.  

Arriving at 3 was perfect timing, the party was just starting, BBQ, cake, and some great friends! Eventually it died down, and Crissie and i spent some time in the movie room winding down from the night, and then, it was time to sleep. 

The next morning felt absolutely perfect, it felt like i was at a bed and breakfast. I sat in the kitchen, watching the fan reflection turn on the spoon as i enjoyed classical music, chai latte, the door opened letting in the cool air, and a little IPad time. I was completely relaxed. 

the view wasn't too bad either! 

What i love about spending time with Crissie, is we can just sit around, chat and it's the best time. We didn't get out and explore too much, i wasn't there long enough, but i'll be visiting again when i can, hopefully with Brandon next time and we'll plan some fun stuff! 

Eric met up with Crissie and me for lunch at an awesome little place called Ground Control. A fighter pilot that Eric knows actually started up the place, he roasts all his own coffee, sells it to other coffee shops too! 

i was in love with this orange cream soda. delicious. 

vacation eventually means relaxing on a couch after trying a new restaurant. Sitting under the covers with Conner and Murphy as we nap, and across from me, Crissie fell asleep too. ahh afternoon naps. What else could be better?  

Exhausted puppies, and they slept the whole way home. 

The drive back might have even been better than the drive there! In the dark, i could actually see the thousands of stars, and in Las Vegas you see like.. a hundred.. maybe. I didn't hit any snow on the way back, and it was so peaceful. 

It was my first adventure away from Brandon that wasn't back to Minnesota and although i missed him like crazy and next time.. he will come with me!- It was nice to get out of Vegas, on my own and see some family again. 

It was a perfect weekend getaway! Nice and relaxed here at home now.

So have you gone on any weekend getaways lately? Was it a long drive alone or was it a group of friends? Any favorite places i should know about for next time!? Even if you didn't get away this weekend, did you do anything fun, or discover something new? I discovered i want to make my own chai lattes. 

the new iPad baby!

I'd like to think i keep up with some technology news knowing when new camera equipment is coming out and some specs but... then there's Brandon, tech genius. this is one reason i'm so thankful for him. A few new things arrived at our door today, and I just am so excited to share some nerdiness going on in our house!

First the new iPads arrived! This in itself is something I'm so thrilled to use for photography and let's be honest another way to facebook stalk. I have a friend with an iPad and one thing she was concerned about with photos is uploading them. Evidently with the special ordered drive you can upload photos but it takes a long time and you can't see the photos directly, so if you were creating a sideshow or editing a few, you have to guess which ones you want to use. Boo. I wasn't happy about this so I told Brandon my concerns and he soon came to me with a way around it.

In my camera there is an extra card reader for sd cards. I don't normally use this slot but with this new card called eye-fi cards it makes it completely worth it. While shooting, the photos upload to the extra card and over to the iPad at the same time. This is amazing for having them in another place for backing up. The photos also copy to your photos on your iPad. So you can make a quick new album with selected photos, edit them in another program if needed and be ready to go!

The other fantastic thing about this card is it saves on the card until it transfers to the device you selected. This means instead of just am 8 GB card and worrying about changing it out too, it's like having an endless card. You also don't need to be connected to any wi-fi. I'm still amazed! A direct backup incase your cf card reader corrupts or a second backup to make you feel more at ease, especially if traveling.

I tried it out, and it worked just like i hoped! I can't wait to try it out while shooting sometime. 

There is also an option to have them store online too, if you're doing a wedding, it's going to take too long to upload, but if you're doing a smaller shoot and want yet another backup, it might be a great way to have them safe!

So if you're looking for a new way to save photos, and while shooting too! Try this out! I'll keep you updated on how it keeps working.  OH- it's not just for Apple products there are options for Androids too. 

short little blurb for you! what do you do for backup while shooting? And before traveling back with all of the photos, how to do save them again? 

Shoe Smitten

Traditional bridal shoes are not my thing, and shooting at the chapel i get to see hundreds of different shoes! Living in vegas, a lot of brides come in with all things sparkly, and i've got to say.. i love it! More and more brides are choosing a shoe that is one of the wedding colors rather than traditional white. It's a small (and can be inexpensive) detail but can add to your day and photos too! 

When i got married, i didn't know a lot about the wedding trends, i wasn't a part of a wedding community and seeing what brides tend to buy. But i knew i wanted something different, cute, funky and i could use again. I actually chose a shoe color that wasn't even a part of the wedding, but i fell in love. 

If there's one thing i learned about wedding colors, it's what my mom told me long ago about her wedding with my dad. someone told her you can't have more than 2 colors. She said that's what she regretted about her wedding. So when i fell in love with lots of bright colors, i didn't hesitate to have it how i envisioned. So i went boys all black except for the tie and flower. AHH i'm still in love with it. I will share that too sometime! But my fabulous shoes were purple. 

Yes i do still wear them. I also still wear my wedding dress, but that's when i'm alone just walking around the house. I think that's a completely different topic though. So if you're looking for some ideas of how to add a small but fun detail, here are all sorts of shoes! 

First a few something blue! you have some daring bling from Steve Madden, frilly, or vintage. 

If you're still thinking you want some classic white there are alternatives to the "normal" bridal shoe. Lace for a wedding dress is definitely in this season, so why not add a little lace to the shoe! If you want something a little less bling, maybe just a flower. 

If you're a little more bold, here are more sparkles! I absolutely love these, have some similar (you can see here.) and there are even cute flats for all of those who don't love high heels. (keep in mind, most photographers love a fun shoe, and definitely chuck taylors.. maybe a pair for you and one for your spouse!)

Maybe you want something really different, how about sparkle.. toms!

I could go on and share the TONS of shoes i've been saving for inspiration, especially pink ones! If you need more ideas, i have lots i can send over. It's fun to see that even if you aren't into wearing high heels there are fun alternatives. Opt for something fun and screams you! Think outside the box, and more than likely you're going to buy new shoes for your big day anyway, so why not something super cute! 

What shoes did you wear? Did you go comfy with flats, or high heels? Did you stick to white or beige or step out with a bright color. If you want to send over your cute shoes i'll feature them here too! Lastly, what do YOU think of bridal shoes, opinions on what they should or shouldn't wear? 

Inspiration in bloom.

Fresh new ideas for spring!

Today has already been an amazing Spring day. I'm off from work, so it meant a nice massage, cleaning, puppy walk, cooking and talking with my best friend! I mentioned i was stuck on a post for today, and she said how beautiful it was out. She's absolutely right, and even without meaning to, she constantly inspires me! So what better way to celebrate this day to show off some colors, and ideas for Spring! 

I've found a pantone of hot colors for Spring 2012, so if you're looking for some inspiration, think about combining some of these colors! 

I also shared some cute colorful personalized mason jars you can find again here. Here's another way to use mason jars wedding or party! 

Maybe thinking about a sweets table instead or along with a cake? Found this adorable bright table full of candy! Delicious, cute and great way to show all your favorites to your guests.

 Also a couple ways to show off some flowers on your big day! 

Hopefully this helped with some new fresh ideas for spring, colors, and combinations! If you want new ideas all the time check out my pinterst or click here to go directly to it.

This day has finally inspired me to change some of the decorations. Beautiful new wreath, out with the winter scents, all bright new colors! 

Do you have any fun fresh ideas for the new season? I'd love to hear them, email me at davistaphotography@me.com if you have some photos to share! 

Hope you're enjoying this beautiful day and at least getting outside for a walk, make it a date.