The Holiday Set.

 

So it feels a little tiny bit weird to have the studio (which also still happens to be a room we live in) be all set up for Christmas already--the tree all decorated and lit, etc.  And Christmas is still almost two whole months away.  I guess if it really is the best time of year, why not stretch it out and enjoy it for longer, right?  Anyway, I won't be posting "Christmas Photos" every day for the next two months, so don't worry. I might even put the room back to normal between work and reality just to make it seem special when it actually happens.  

The littles have been loving all the Christmasy things--eating candy canes and shaking presents, playing under the tree.  I hope they keep their enthusiasm for Christmas until the day actually arrives.  (!!)  They have been my models too so it's been hard keeping them out of that room.  

For now, here are a few photos of our Christmas set which I start shooting tomorrow.  I am really really nervous and excited.  I am not sure how exactly I am going to sleep tonight.  I took a run through it with a friend's children the other day and the pictures turned out really well.  And then I changed everything!  So fingers crossed!  And maybe I'll share a few down the road.  For now, if you "Like" Magnolia Coasts Photography on Facebook, you can have a sneak peek at our Tuesday practice run. 

 

A special shout-out to our friend Laurel for doing this amazing Christmas floral arrangement.  She is amazing and I really hope she starts her own business some day. 

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Halloween, among other things this weekend.

This past weekend was Halloween and despite the rain and cold, we stepped outside our doors and into the puddles to take the littles door to door around the neighborhood.  We didn't get very far, nor did we have to since Gabriel is still pretty content with his two pieces of Halloween candy for the year.

We managed to convince Gabriel into his dinosaur costume and he roared at the neighbours to show him how ferocious he was.  Although Maggie was supposed to be pebbles, the cupcake costume ended up being warmer. And she just looked too cute not to. 

At the last minute, Chouchou arrived stopping through on her way back from a business trip and got to see the kiddlets in costume.  Maggie got her first little taste of chocolate.

With ChouChou here, meals got on the table and so did laundry and order restored--all things that have gone by the wayside while I've started my new business venture and Jordan has been finishing his masters.  And I also did my first family shoot in the new studio, which was exciting for me.  I gotta tell you, the life of a working-stay-at-home-mama is not for the faint of heart!  It sort of felt like a marathon weekend.

We did get outside and played in the leaves too.  And Maggie got to stomp around in the leaves.  We suspect it won't be long before she is walking on her own.  The betting has started and at the very latest, we expect by Christmas.  (We got a little video I will share shortly).  As we head into the grey and gloominess of weather and darkness of November, we are hanging on to the last bits of colour from October.  And as we entered November, we saw the first snowflakes fall from the sky and melt as they touched the ground. 

 Happy November!!

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The Studio.

Welcome to the Magnolia Coasts Studio!! 

Well.... I've basically been up until midnight for the past several of weeks setting up studio, doing set design, researching ideas, researching equipment and experimenting with my camera, problem-solving and working with new editing software.  I think I've been putting in 25+ hours a week between late nights, weekends and nap times.  I cannot tell you how much I have learned so quickly.  And just when I think I've got something all figured out, I learn something new and it just opens up a whole new world.

So far this has been an exciting adventure and one that I have LOVED every minute of--from contacting and working with clients, developing relationships, doing marketing, design work, studio creation, technical work, and photo shoots, etc.  Can I just say how awesome it is to work for myself in a field that I am passionate about!!

I love our new studio.  It's as comfortable as being in our own livingroom, which, of course, is the entire point. Full of light and airy with rich browns. Looking forward to playing around with it over the next little while.  

Being a stay-at-home mother has been amazing (and tough).  And I am so glad that I have had these past few years to spend with Gabriel and now Magdalene.  I so very much look forward to doing the same with Magdalene and continuing to be home for Gabriel.  But I have to admit, there is something that is really fulfilling about now having something outside of being a mama.  Something that is sort of my own and something that I completely love all aspects of, something to challenge my brain and creativity.  But I have to admit, balancing expectations, workload and parenting where there are so few defined times and spaces, well, that will be interesting!

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