Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, friends!  I'm coming with a little update on an album that took me all year to complete.   Last year about this time I posted about this brand new project I was going to give a try, Project 365.  So in front of me sat this brand new, empty album, a box full of adorable but empty journaling cards and all kinds of other goodies to go along with it.  While I was eager to fill it up I always wondered if I would actually get a picture in each of the openings and journaling on all of the cards.  Well, (roughly) 365 days later I HAVE DONE IT!  What a GREAT feeling!  I know many of you are taking on this task for 2010 and some of you are using Becky Higgins latest kit, Project Life. You may feel a little overwhelmed but I'm here to tell you whatever you do DON'T stop!   If you get behind, it's okay!  Slowly get caught back up again.   At the end of the year you'll thank youself (and your family will, too!)  I'm going to post some of my favorite pages from the year as well as some of the creative way to add more than 365 photos.

Those great little accordion cards I often used to add more journaling, like I did below on a spring break trip or to add more photos, they're just a little smaller.


The kit also came with 4x6 title cards to include the date on. There were a few times where I needed more space for photos so I didn't use the included cards, I created my own by typing the date on the photos.

Don't forget to take pictures of some of your favorite things around your house. This is a magnolia blossom from our huge magnolia tree that I just love. Every week or two I took a picture of the blossoms opening up further and further.

What about the weeks I just didn't have 7 photos or I had a favorite I wanted to include but it was vertical? For the picture below of my kids I enlarged it to a 6x8 and then cropped it into two 4x6's. (I saw this idea on another blog sometime this year, too)

You can also do this with a 4x6, just cut it into two 2x3's to fit into the journaling spots along the bottom.

From a camping trip this summer, using Photoshop, I added a few more little photos onto the 4x6 photo of the day. (This was an idea that I saw on Becky's blog last year.)

I thought I also add some different ideas of what to take pictures of.
 Hobbies (yours, your husbands, your kids),

funny little things that happen during the year, such as a cat locking itself in the car

kids practicing their instruments, report cards,

little "accidents" that are just to funny not to document with a photo,

getting those Christmas cards ready and out the door,

packages left at the door, especially during the holidays,

notes or subtle hints left behind for you see,

special homemade gifts, quiet times reading,

the list goes on and on but at least there are some ideas I can share with you to get you going! Good luck and leave me a comment with a link if you, too, are joining in on the fun! I'd love to see your ideas. I am doing it again this year and will be using Becky Higgins great product however, I'm holding out to see what her digital kit will include and give that a try this time around.

Merry Christmas from Simply Enjoy

Wanting to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!  I hope you had a great day celebrating our Savior's birth wherever you were and whomever you were with.  Thank you to all the GREAT families I had the privilege of working with this past year.  I am looking forward to what's in store for 2010!

**Please note, not all photos used in the cards featured above were taken by Simply Enjoy Photography

In production

I am here but the winter slam of '09 is upon us!  Lots of Christmas cards to design and photos to edit.  A good problem to have but not so good for updating the blog.  I'll be back, I promise.

A little update on the Auction for Olive.  Over $12,500 was raised!  What a blessing and the sweet little girl just keeps doing better and better every day! Thank you to all who participated!!


And here's just a little peek at a little crafting we did on Thanksgiving.  It's still in production, too, but thanks to Ali Edwards and my Grandma who kept a can of buttons around (don't we all have a button can?).  And really blurry in the back of the picture is another project I'm working on thanks to a some photos of Chrismas' past and an old window from my Grandparents chicken coop.  Hopefully I'll be  back soon to show you that, too!

But for now I better head to bed before my husband gets up to go fishing.  He said he's got to catch some Christmas presents.

Auction for Olive is open for bidding!

If you need to do some Christmas shopping or just want to help out a great family head over to Auction for Olive this week to bid on some awesome items.  I am overwhelmed by what God has done with this so far and anxious to see where it goes!   Little Olive continues to be a little fighter!  Check out their blog, http://rustylynette.blogspot.com/ for the latest on how she and her mom and dad are doing.

I've got a few items posted over there so if you were wanting to schedule a shoot with me during the next year or if you were interested in me designing a Christmas card for you, head over to the Auction blog and bid on it to help benefit Olive and her family.   You can find the free shoot and photos HERE and a free Christmas card design HERE.

You will also find a few classes generously donated by Jessica Sprague, too.  So if you haven't taken her Photo Editing class yet, you can bid on it over there!

Thank you, Stan and all those who serve or have served

I thought it only appropriate to post these pictures from my shoot last month with this incredible family today, Veterans Day. Stan has been in the Navy for over 10 year and next week will start his 6th deployment. This family was so much fun to spend the day with in Seattle! When I first got the e-mail from Noel I had to read it a few times and make sure it was really from her. This is where the amazing power of the world wide web comes into play. I have stopped by Noel's blog for a long time. She take beautiful photos and is an incredible scrapbooker. She is filled with great ideas! So when she contacted me I was a little surprised. I have since learned that another wonderful scrapbooking friend of mine, Angela, sent her my way. Thanks, Angela!! So the date was set, the weather was beautiful and the photos, well, lets just say, she's got plenty to choose from!
After leaving Gas Works and heading to downtown we stopped at Dick's for a burger. It was my first time there and it didn't disappoint!

This picture is probably one of my favorites. If you would have seen who was coming down the alley by us you too would have had a hard time keeping your eyes on the camera!

After wandering through Pike's Place we ended up by the fountains and the girls got to cool off. Needless to say a FULL day in Seattle taking pictures the entire time led to LOTS of photos. I just could hardly narrow it down. I'm sure I still missed some favorites! When I was chatting with Noel later on about the day she said "I just smile thinking about that day." Me, too!

Her futures so bright

I got to hang out with Kirsten and her mom one morning at Boulevard Park. We had a great time chatting and snapping and chatting and snapping!

As much fun as I have photographing little kids, these seniors have been a fun change of pace! Thanks Kirsten for the opportunity to photography you your senior year!

Lending a hand

Many of you know of our friends, Rusty and Lynette, who are misisonaries over in Thailand. But those of you who do not know them or their story can read about if over on their blog,http://rustylynette.blogspot.com/. They've got quite a story and it isn't finished yet. One tangible way we are wanting to help is by reducing some of their medical bills which are quickly accumulating. If you are interested in helping as well head over to http://auctionforolive.blogspot.com/ and find out how!