DIY Cake Toppers

And the countdown continues - our wedding is in 10 days! Eek! I am flying to California Friday, so I've already been packing and organizing and finishing up as much crafting as possible before heading out. 

One of my favorites from our many DIY projects is our cake toppers! 

Initially, we hadn't planned on cake toppers because we aren't having a cake. A wedding without a cake - I know, right? But neither of us really like cake and we didn't see the point in spending a bunch of money on something we didn't care about. Instead, we are having a dessert station with assorted cheesecake bites! Although I didn't mind skipping the cake, I didn't really want to skip the cake cutting moment, so our caterer offered to prepare a sweethearts cheesecake just for us. At that point it only made sense to have (cheese)cake toppers, but they would have to fit our casual, country chic theme.

I stumbled across an Etsy shop called Goose Grease, which is a Columbian fair trade DIY wood figures business owned and operated by a family in Brooklyn. "Fair trade"often equals outrageous prices, but I really feel like I got an excellent bargain with their wedding kit, which only cost me $28.95! The box included four toppers, two brides and two grooms, which relieved my "oh no, what if I mess up!" anxiety. The six colors provided were adequate, since I was able to mix them to get the shades I needed for our wedding colors. The kit even included two paint brushes and a cute fabric pouch.

Wedding Planning Update!

The beau and I spent our weekend in Amador County meeting with potential wedding vendors. Now that the sticker shock of these sort of appointments isn't quite so nauseating, we're beginning to enjoy the process a bit more.

Saturday we met with a few caterers and were reassured that our front runner is definitely still our front runner. We also dropped by our venue to take photos of the grounds and ask catering, rental and DJ related questions of the owner.

 

I haven't gone to any local wedding faires since all the vendors are likely to service only the greater Bay Area, and the faires here are generally too pricy to attend just for the heck of it. When I heard there was going to be a small wedding faire at Preston Castle in Ione while we were in town I couldn't resist!  

The entry was only $5 per person and benefited the Preston Castle restoration project. It certainly wasn't your average wedding faire packed with all sorts of vendors doing raffles and sampling - think small town, haunted castle, local vendors - but that's just what we needed. Our preferred caterer was there, a DJ we're really interested in, and we met a backup photographer just in case our current plans fall through. 

The best part of the faire had to be wandering around the haunted castle! That place is seriously cool... Maybe a happy alternative to a "trash the dress" after the wedding since the mere suggestion of partaking in the photo sesh trend sent my grandmother into cardiac arrest?

Esquire - Best Bars in America

California made quite an appearance on Esquire's Best Bars in America list and, not surprisingly, a lot of those listed are in San Francisco! 

I do feel rather obligated to drink my way through them. Join me?

Marin Headlands

Marin is full of great little trails, some of which weave right down to the ocean. My favorite is the Tennessee Valley Trail, just shy of four miles round trip. Half way out the trail splits for a while, a beautiful but narrow path on the left leading you on a flatter route, and a wider more steep path to the right better suited for bikes and horses. The two paths reconnect before reaching a pebbly cove where I like to sit and watch the waves for a while before heading back. To the right of the beach there is a foot path zigzagging up the hillside that leads to an incredible view of the cove. 

I don't get across the Golden Gate Bridge as often as I'd like (hello $6 bridge tolls!) but as I've told you before, Grand View Park, which is just blocks from my house, is a great spot to run stairs and get a 360 view of the city.

Life's a Beach

Last week it rained and it poured and it stormed, although we Californians can't really complain considering the Midwest got ripped apart by tornadoes for two days straight. Nevertheless, we sure were ready for some sunshine come Saturday, and that's exactly what we got!

There is a beach right down the road from my house in San Francisco, but on the rare occasion that the weather is nice enough to enjoy it, every square inch of sand is covered with blankets and bodies from sun up to sun down. I prefer to cruise down the coast an hour to Santa Cruz where there is more beach to go around.

If you haven't been to Santa Cruz before, know that it can be sketchy, so make sure you stay on the right side of it. The Boardwalk is expensive, crowded, and highly overrated. If you have never been, give it the obligatory touristy walk-through, but once that's out of the way cruise over to one of my favorite beaches, between Woods Lagoon and Schwan Lagoon, off of E Cliff Drive. During tourist season, which begins the first weekend of April, only residents with a neighborhood permit can park on the street, but if you arrive early it's not impossible to find a free curb space or a reasonably priced lot.

Labor Day Weekend in Amador County

I spent Labor Day weekend in Amador County, one of my favorite Northern California gems! My grandparents have lived in Jackson (yes, there's more there than an Indian casino) for 20 years, so I have plenty of wonderful childhood memories there. But it has been especially delightful to explore the area in new ways as an adult.

Thanks to a LivingSocial Escapes deal, I stayed two nights at the St. George Inn in Volcano. The LivingSocial deal came with a bottle of local wine, two $20 vouchers to the Jackson Rancheria casino, and a discount voucher for dinner in the St. George restaurant.

A scenic 15 minute drive away from the St. George is Sutter Creek, a quaint town known for having the most thriving boutiques and antique shops in Amador County. My favorite is Tomorrow's Heirlooms. They carry the most darling women's clothing and paper goods! Another favorite is Tea Eras. Their menu allows you to choose from a variety of tea, pastry and lunch items, and their gift shop guarantees you won't leave empty handed.

While Jackson doesn't have quite as many shops, don't overlook their downtown. There's a great kitchen store, candy and ice cream shop (we're talking troughs of salt water taffy, people!), and a handful of unique boutiques and antique shops. I would also recommend popping by the Kennedy Mine. It's a great piece of California history!

Two must-sees that I didn't hit last weekend but did enjoy while I was in the area a couple months ago, are Daffodil Hill and Indian Grinding Rock. Daffodil Hill is seasonal, so be sure to check online before you visit to make sure the flowers are in bloom. Grinding Rock has tours but can also be explored on your own.

Christopher

We'd been scouting out this location for months so it was a huge disappointment when we finally got out there and it poured all day. After killing some time in the shops on 4th Street, we caught a lucky 30-minute break in the weather to snap off a few frames.

Alicia & Girls

You've seen plenty of photos of this little family over the years. Alicia is forever my favorite client and a dear friend. Her daughters are so easy to photograph because even when they're in a stinky mood, like they were this day, all I have to say is "show me your supermodel!" and suddenly they're full of adorable poses.

We'd hoped to shoot in the blooming orchards between Tracy and Modesto, but the sky was so clear and bright that I wasn't getting any good shots (except for that top center one of the girls running, which I'm in love with). Luckily, we stumbled upon an old feed warehouse that made for even lighting and an awesome backdrop.

Fall Family Photos

I finally discovered a fantastic default location for portraits in Livermore! I took these photos of the Salas/ Dress siblings last week at Sycamore Grove Park. There is a $5 parking fee but it's well worth the scenery. There's a decent sized bridge, countless crawling tree branches and several miles of trail. Except for a few joggers and cyclists, we had the place to ourselves!

If you know these guys, shhhh!

They had these photos done as a birthday treat for their mom ;)

Colby & Jaclyn Isaacson Wedding - Walnut Creek CA, May 2010

Colby and Jaclyn Isaacson

Scott's Garden in downtown Walnut Creek

May 2010

Shannon's little princesses

Shannon wanted spring portraits of her one and three year old daughters at the Presidio in San Francisco. With the city it's always a toss up whether the sun will peak out or not, and this morning it sure didn't. The girls were freezing but mom and dad jumped in and kept them smiling long enough to get some sweet portraits regardless! Thank goodness for my co-shooter Lisa, who is amazing with kids and really made this shoot happen. What a relief to have her in jams such as these!

My Favorite Little Family

I have been photographing Alicia since I was in Photo 101 class using 35mm black and white film that I developed by hand in the school lab. Throughout college I used her pregnancies and family portraits for school projects and practice shoots. It's no wonder these three are my favorite subjects to photograph! Yesterday we met up at a park in Tracy, CA for some quick spring portraits of the girls, and as always, Alicia's munchkins were more than willing ham it up for the camera.

Engagement Shoot

Lisa and I had the pleasure of photographing Colby and Jaclyn last weekend at the Presidio in the Marina District of San Francisco. Despite the goosebumps and wind gusts, we all had a great time! Lisa and I will be photographing their wedding in Walnut Creek next month.

Amber's Maternity Photos

Amber is 7 months preggo with baby Presley!

Here are some photos I took of her last weekend while I was in the Bay Area.

Prop 8 Upheld

Yesterday the California Supreme Court ruled that the state would uphold Proposition 8, banning same-sex marriage. However, the court did decide to legally recognize the 18,000 marriages that were authorized between the court's pro same-sex marriage ruling in May 2008 and the November passing of Prop 8.

Protesters gathered outside San Francisco's City Hall shouting "Shame on you!" and 162 arrests were made. Even larger gatherings were reported in Los Angeles and San Diego.

According to the court's only Democratic appointee Justice Carlos Moreno, the decision "is not just a defeat for same-sex couples, but for any minority group that seeks the protection of the equal protection clause of the California Constitution." I should expect that Moreno is well versed in the rights that are in place for the protection and equality of the LGBT community, and should be aware that they in many ways exceed the rights of straight couples who want to live together outside of a legalized marriage. Most companies now include a clause in their insurance policies allowing same-sex couples to add their life partner to their coverage, a benefit that is not usually extended to non-married straight couples.

In November, Prop 8 was about gay marriage. Today, Prop 8 is about the will of the people being upheld. This is democracy! The people vote and their decision is respected and enforced by the government! The passing of Prop 8 does not inhibit anyone's right to the American "pursuit of happiness" or strip them of the ability to find employment, housing, and health care. It doesn't even ban them from having wedding ceremonies, living together, or raising children.

California, and more specifically San Francisco, has been a front runner in the progression of LGBT causes over the last 30 years, including the securing of equal employment and housing opportunities, and the rallying of support for the fight against AIDS. It is inevitable that eventually same-sex marriage will be legalized and, in my opinion, the sooner that the cause is approached in a professional and strategic manner the sooner conservatives will become receptive to it. Not everyone is moved by masses of drag queens chanting into megaphones and waving cardboard signs. Lawmaking happens in a three-piece suit.