Love, Joleen Photography Blog

2007

i just really want to thank you all for a truly wonderful year!
2007 was an amazing year of growth and i appreciate your mentoring and feedback along the way.
here's to a happy, healthy, + successful new year!

just a few images from this morning's session


my personal favorite

and just for fun

Interested?

Let me know..     Also, gimme your location ideas. :)
Edit: It looks like it's going to be Sun. Jan. 27.. possibly Irvine Spectrum.

A Little Bit of Happy

I think this blog is due a little bit of happy after my pity party earlier today. There is just no way I'm gonna be a scrooge this year! :) Here are some things making me happy today:

♥ Made a gingerbread house with my favorite 3 year old
♥  Drank Hot Cinnamon Spice tea from Harney & Sons
♥ Watched this movie for the upteenth time & loved it
♥ Went for a nice walk this morning
♥ Found out we don't have to move next week
♥ Received the last of the Christmas gifts in the mail; phew
♥ Browsing flickr and adding tons to my favorites

I just love this color combination and you know I'm lovin' these socks! View outfit breakdown here.

And, since people are starting to receive their gifts.. you get to see.. here is a sneaky peek of a holiday gift I made (more soon!).

This holiday gift is a mini art quilt for this lovely Mama and family.

To Move Or Not To Move

Oh, what a flippin' roller coaster these last couple of  weeks have been! First we were moving. Then we decided to stay until  June. Then we were told by the owner of the house here that it was too late, they made plans and we had to move. We went and saw a local home to move to for 6 months until we could move to OC. The latter just happened in these last couple of days and let me tell you.. I was FREAKING out. Thankfully, about three minutes ago, we were told we could, in fact, stay in our home until Summer break. I cannot tell you what I relief this news is. I was working myself into a tizzy and really, that's just no way to celebrate the holidays.

It's kinda been one of those weeks where if it could go wrong, it has. I ordered my holiday cards thinking they'd come by Tuesday and if I was super speedy I could get them on on Wednesday. Now it looks like the shipping is delayed (and they're in CA, too.. wtf??) until Dec. 27th. Um, so I guess now they're gonna be New Year's cards... just ignore the fact that they say Merry Christmas.. it's in french anyway. ;)

*Later* Oh jeez, now these are back ordered. Argh.

Weekend Happenings & Shoe Love

On Saturday we finally had a chance to take our holiday family photo. Talk about last minute (!) but I did get our holiday cards designed and ordered. I thought you might like to see my sister's entire ensemble from her dance last week. Also, you can't see them very well but those are my current favorite shoes.. they're a soft hounds tooth with fuax leather heal and bow over the peep toe. So cute!

Sunday we went up to my parent's house for a little family gathering to celebrate the holidays with my grandparent's visiting from Georgia. In the photo with me is my sister, Aimee, and our grandma.  We had such a great time. I fell in love with these online but they were sold out so I made my own Saturday night. :) They were super easy and I love how they turned out. I used two types of yarn and size 18 needles, cast on 30, purled 30 rows (or however wide you want them around), and cast off. I sewed 10 buttons down one side and the holes were large enough to go through on the other side (if that makes sense).

And last but definitely not least, I just ordered these adorable new shoes and can't wait until they arrive! Both of these were on clearance which is just super, don't ya think? :) Find 'em here and here.

Supremely Smitten with Sock Dreams

If you've followed me over here from my first blog you may remember when I participated in wardrobe remix. I've decided to play again for a bit this year so if you'd like to see what I'm wearing check here for updates. I'll probably update for a week or two. Unlike for most people, this is my favorite time of year for fashion. Winter in Southern California and especially in the desert is mild so you can keep plenty warm and still be cute. :)

One of my daily reads is Emily of The Black Apple but I am just completely and utterly smitten with her fashion-y blog, Some Girls Wander. So, so great! Ever since I saw this post I have been dying to get myself a pair (or pairs!) of O Basics, over-the-knee socks from Sock Dreams. My order came in a few days ago and I haven't stopped wearing them since. Let me just tell you that these socks do not disappoint. I was a little skeptical at first since I wasn't able to try them on before committing to them but they're perfect - super soft and stretchy. I was concerned about how a "one size" might fit on a plus size but they're comfortable and look great (if I do say so myself). ;)

Winter Wonder & a Change of Plans

Tonight my sister went to her very first semi formal. She wore a really punk|glam lace dress with black satin bow, black leggings, and black flats. We had a great time shopping  for the "perfect" outfit and she was tickled that her dress came from Marshall's, though I'm not sure why cuz that store kicks.. bum. ;) I did her hair and makeup and whoa, what a stunner! It's crazy to me that this was taken less then a year ago!

And speaking of changes (how's that for a segue?).. after much consideration and discussion we have decided to post pone our move until mid-June. The decision to do this comes as a huge relief to me and my family. It was feeling really rushed and chaotic and that's not how we want to run our home, much less during the holidays.  We really are looking forward to moving to Orange County (and there's no way we'll suffer another Summer here!!) but this postponement is a good decision for us financially as well as emotionally.

So, that being said, I've decided to keep my etsy shop open for the time being. I am no longer guaranteeing holiday shipping but items will still be shipped quickly. If you've placed your order before yesterday then your item(s) have shipped. The shop will close Fri., Dec. 21st and reopen on Jan. 14th with new items. :)

Gifting: Best Friend

I so enjoyed reading all of your  holiday traditions! I love how special and unique they are. Thank you for sharing and for participating in my little contest. So, without further ado, the winner is Jeanne of Dream, Create, Inspire. Congratulations, Jeanne - I hope you enjoy your gift tags!

I've been trying to figure out how I can show you peeks of some of my holiday gift making since so many recipients read this blog or watch me on flickr. I'm sending gifts out soon so once they're received (and opened!) I can share. :) I can share this gift because I am 99% certain she doesn't read my blog. This is a quilted patchwork pillow that I made for my best friend Candice. This is one of those projects that I started last year and left alone for a year. :) I am glad to have finished it and I hope she likes it!

Just a Little Reminder

Today is the LAST DAY to order from the holiday gift shop. We're having a SALE for one day only!!

Then the shop will be closed while I move and get settled and will reopen the end of January.

FREE shipping in the US! For international shoppers, shipping has been reduced to $2-$4 with 50 cents- $1 off for each additional item!

Happy Holidays!
Love,
Joleen

PS- I'll be announcing a winner to the contest later today!