Talah's Quilt

If you have emailed me recently, you probably got an auto reply from me about our recent move. Things have definitely been a whirlwind because it all happened so fast--all the way from deciding to simply look at houses to quickly selling our home to moving into our new home. Even in early February I didn't imagine we'd be living in a different house...yet, here we are. What a difference a few months can make! The whole moving process has slowed me down a bit in terms of blogging (amongst other things!), but I'm getting back in the groove.
We've still got unpacking to do and lots of decorating, so I won't share any pictures of the house right now, but I did want to share a few pictures of Talah's new quilt! With the move came the discussion about whether or not we should move Talah from her toddler bed to a "big girl bed." We decided to take the plunge. Talah is now in a real adult bed and she's actually transitioned extremely well. In fact, it's the bed Jacob had built out of picnic tables for his brother when he lived with us (Hi, Phillip!).
To go with her bed, we got her a custom quilt. The quilt was made by Sarah Miller from Blue Barn Quilts on Etsy. I actually used Alchemy to find Sarah. If you aren't familiar with Alchemy, it's a feature on Etsy where you can put in a custom project/product that you want and sellers will bid on your job. I had several bids and I'm SO glad I went with Sarah. She was fantastic throughout the entire process. She had excellent communication and she sent me pictures along the way so I could see how the quilt was coming along. She is so nice and very talented and was able to do the exact pattern I wanted. All I did was choose my fabrics and I had them shipped to her. She took it from there. If you want to have a quilt made, you should absolutely get in touch with Sarah. Working with Sarah has been, by far, my best Etsy experience. Be sure to visit her Etsy shop!
I'll share pictures of the full quilt once Talah's room is done. Sarah's work is impeccable!
Below is the box I opened when it arrived.


The top two bundles are the fabric scraps I had requested in my Alchemy request and the bottom two are quilts. I'm hoping to practice sewing and I might as well have some cute fabric scraps to use!

Senior Spotlight: Julia | Raleigh College Photographer

Julia just graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a degree in English. We took some pictures on the UNC campus to celebrate the wonderful experience she had in college. She was such a lovely girl and will, no doubt, go on to do great things. You can read more about Julia below!

JA: What are your plans now that you have graduated?

Julia: I am attending Duke Divinity School for a Masters of Divinity degree.

JA: What was your favorite class in college?

Julia: My honors thesis class where I got to work with some amazing and talented people!

JA: What did you want to be when you were a child?

Julia: I changed my mind almost daily. Sometimes a fire fighter or a ballerina, a scientist or a writer.

JA: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Julia: India. It seems like a beautiful and vibrant country.

JA: If you could have a shopping spree to any store, which would it be?

Julia: H&M

JA: What is the greatest advice you've ever received?

Julia: To live each moment in the present and (try) not to worry about the future.

JA: What would be your idea of a perfect weekend?

Julia: Spending time outside reading and then cooking a delicious and complex meal at night.

JA: What do you think is the most surprising thing about you?

Julia: I love writing poetry, especially in form.

JA: If you could offer advice to a college freshman, what would it be?

Julia: Always wear shower shoes!

Perry Family Part Two | Raleigh Family Photographer

Here is the overdue continuation of the Perry family's blog post. The holidays caused a delay, but here is the rest of your sneak preview! See the first post here.

Meet Axton Part II | Raleigh Newborn Photographer

I'd been wanting to do this shot for months and it finally came together with little Axton and his big brother Stone. It was inspired by old depictions of boys carrying their sticks like this with the little handkerchief tied on at the end. Remember Axton? This shot is one we tried to do during the first session, but it didn't work out that time. Mom Wendy liked the idea so much that she wanted to try again, so we did! I'm so glad we got it, Wendy!

PLEASE NOTE: Depending on your screen resolution/monitor size you may need to click on the image to see the full version. Some screens cut off parts of the horizontal photos on this blog.

Sweet siblings Macy and Stone


Stone's intense face in this one makes me smile : )

Gail Part Two | Raleigh Photographer

You may remember Gail from this post. I was so excited when she said she wanted to do another session. Now we have the last urban and this country/rustic session for her. I think we got some beautiful and colorful shots for your kiddos, Gail!*A special thanks goes to my friend, Lynn, for the quilt!!

Markley Family | Raleigh Family Photographer

What a nice family. These girls were so good and sweet during this mini session. They seemed to really enjoy the camera, which is always nice for me as a photographer! I loved that we got to use the nearby "field" as the sun got lower at the end of their session, too.