{In Need of Holiday Magic}

Does anybody know of a magic person or fairy dust or something of that sort that I could borrow?  We (Sam, Ashley Danielle, and I- oh and Isabella and Olivia)  are soooooooo tired of working on our new studio.  It is like the never ending project that can't seem to get done.  We have been working on it for weeks and it honestly doesn't look like it at all. 

Since our hardwork hasn't paid off I am now in search of some sort of magic wand to be waved and make it be done.  Does that sound so spoiled?  I don't mean to be.  I don't mind the work at all.  It's the fact that it has taken us away from our family and put us on survival mode during a time that should be all about family and celebration. 

Maybe if I list the things we need to get done that will make me feel like I have accomplished something when I can cross it off:

- FInish the upholstered wall (not sure that undertaking was the best idea)
- Finish hanging pics in meeting room
-Have lights installed
-Buy, paint, cut, and install baseboards
- Paint furniture
- Hang curtains
- Make curtains
- Order gallery displays and hang them
- Finish dressing room
- Get internet set up
- Move our entire home office to the studio (that's like 60 million steps right there)
- Clean
- Set up entry way
- The other gazillion things I'm forgetting

Hmmm... funny thing... I thought making this list would be cathartic.  Nope.  Still Overwhelmed.  Still waiting for the magic wand. 

Some upholstered wall blunders.  Luckily Momma Jill came to the rescue with a better idea to fix my failed attempt at covering up the seams.

{In Need of Holiday Magic}

Does anybody know of a magic person or fairy dust or something of that sort that I could borrow?  We (Sam, Ashley Danielle, and I- oh and Isabella and Olivia)  are soooooooo tired of working on our new studio.  It is like the never ending project that can't seem to get done.  We have been working on it for weeks and it honestly doesn't look like it at all. 

Since our hardwork hasn't paid off I am now in search of some sort of magic wand to be waved and make it be done.  Does that sound so spoiled?  I don't mean to be.  I don't mind the work at all.  It's the fact that it has taken us away from our family and put us on survival mode during a time that should be all about family and celebration. 

Maybe if I list the things we need to get done that will make me feel like I have accomplished something when I can cross it off:

- FInish the upholstered wall (not sure that undertaking was the best idea)
- Finish hanging pics in meeting room
-Have lights installed
-Buy, paint, cut, and install baseboards
- Paint furniture
- Hang curtains
- Make curtains
- Order gallery displays and hang them
- Finish dressing room
- Get internet set up
- Move our entire home office to the studio (that's like 60 million steps right there)
- Clean
- Set up entry way
- The other gazillion things I'm forgetting

Hmmm... funny thing... I thought making this list would be cathartic.  Nope.  Still Overwhelmed.  Still waiting for the magic wand. 

Some upholstered wall blunders.  Luckily Momma Jill came to the rescue with a better idea to fix my failed attempt at covering up the seams.

{Weddings by Socialites: Photo Shoot}

Here's a couple of pics from last night's photo shoot with Kelly McWilliams and the girls at Weddings by Socialites.  More to come soon.

{Early Christmas Present}

The Brockintons (Sam's parents and aka Be-Pop and Wawoo) made our Christmas wish come true and got us the point and shoot camera we had wanting oh-so badly.  So, I now have zero excuse not to blog.  I haven't really taken any blog worthy pics with it yet.  Mainly I'm just testing it out to see how it handles different lighting situations.  So far it is a dream!  It shoots in pretty much any lighting, it focuses quickly, and snaps the shot equally as fast.  Here's a few pics I took today as I was testing it out.  Next on my to do list is to read the whole camera manual.  I am a pretty firm believer in knowing what your equipment can do so you can get the best out of it.  Thank you Brockintons!  I can't tell you how thrilled I am with this gift. 

Olive.  She just started pulling her self up to standing yesterday.  

Isa after waking up.  My first test subject.

Olivia the crawling machine.

Our new studio is a couple doors down from a nail salon that these kiddos parents own.  They were quite enamored with baby Olive.

It was DARK outside at this point so the fact that the camera could pick up this much ambient light with no flash was VERY impressive to me.

Once again testing the camera in a low light situation.  Sorry Dad for catching you mid "crunch."  Thanks for dinner!  P.S.  If you haven't been to Cilantro Tamales... it's the best!

{Trip to Ikea}

Yesterday mi madre y yo (yes I am fluent in espanol) went to Ikea in Sunrise to pick up some necessities for the new studio.  Unfortunately there were still some biggish ticket items we couldn't find like curtains.  Over all the trip was a success and we ended off the exhausting day with a trip to the gluten free pizza haven, Pizza Fusion.

Update on my christmas wish:  Sam's wonderful parents said they are getting the point and shoot for us as our Christmas gift!!!!!  YEAAAAA!!!!  I am so excited.  They said it should be here by Christmas. 

{Announcement: NEW STUDIO}

I can not tell you how excited we are about our new studio.  In the next few weeks we will be  moving from a 100 sq ft meeting space to a 1,000 sq.ft. space where will have room for:  a shooting studio, a meeting space, a display gallery, an office, and a photo gift boutique. 

When we first signed the lease and started our renovations we knew the lavender walls and nasty blue carpet had to go.  We figured we could just take up the carpet which was nailed to the wall perimeter and paint the beautiful concrete floors beneath.  What we found when we started taking up the carpet was a disaster.  Instead of nailing the carpet down to the edges, the previous tenant had just used a TON of glue to glue all of the carpet down.  So..... our inexpensive and quick renovations have become not so cheap and extremely laborious.  For the last week Sam has been scraping, grinding, washing, etching, and priming the floors just to get them ready for the first coat of epoxy paint.

Although things are moving a lot more slowly than we hoped we are still soooo excited.  Tomorrow I make my big trek to Ikea to get some lighting and curtains.  Is anyone out there an electrician?  We'll keep  you updated on the progress. Here's some pictures of our adventures so far.

  All the pictures were taken by Ash Danielle and borrowed from her blog (the busy allbee).

I know this is so hideous of me.

 My little ham.

{Bryan and Kristen: Bellasera Hotel}

{Ashley's Christmas Wish List}

I know Christmas is still a while off and I know the purpose is not to get stuff, but this year there is one thing I am really really hoping for.... a camera.... ok, another camera.  I want a "put in your purse and take out and shoot with ease camera."  There are so many everyday moments that I want to capture but the thought of running to the office, pulling out the camera, changing the memory card, fixing my settings, and choosing the right lens is just too much sometimes.  The point and shoot I have my eyes on is this: 

 Sam and I are asking for this for our joint everyone chip in gift.  This little beauty has a leica lens, it shoots well in low light, and it is supposed to be very quick.  I have told myself that if we get this camera we will become the most devoted bloggers ever and will forever post daily updates full of wonderful picturosity.

{Newsletter: The Mix: Red Box Meets Ashley Brockinton Photography}

The Mix: Where two photo worlds combine. 

Real Weddings. Real People. Promos.

Trends. Photography.

Ashley Brockinton Photography is a Hip and Chic Photography Boutique. We cater to the fashionista in love.

Red Box Photography is our brand for portraits. We cater to seniors, families and kids.

We seperated our business into these two brands in order to provide a better

experience with each set of clientel.

This newsletter will bring you The Mix between both, so you can get to know us and our clients on a more personal level. The Mix will also bring to you featured seniors and weddings, plus updates on the newest products and trends! 

This months "The Mix" features high school senior Gena, how to accessorize your look, baby Luke, new Holiday Cards, Ashley and Justin's Wedding, Pop! Jewels Accessories for the Bride, Welcome to Ashley Danielle Allbee, New Website and Products, Trip to GA and Discount of the Month!!!

As you can see there's lots for you to catch up on and sweet information and deals to come!

Enter email to recieve The Mix

For Email Marketing you can trust

{Road Trip to the Mountains}

Once a year we pack up our bags and head for the woods for our camping trip with some of our closest friends. This year we trecked up to Georgia for the chilly mountain experience. Now that most of our friends have babies as well, we decided we'd trade in the tents for a ginormous log cabin. This cabin was fully equipped with 5 bedrooms, full kitchen, balcony overlooking the woods, hot tub and fireplace! One day we got to go to an apple orchard and festival. The girls went to a puppet show, Ashley had the best lemonade of my life, and we all took a horse and buggy ride. To end our fabulous vacation, we alost got stuck in Blue Ridge, GA (the town we were staying in),  when our car broke! My manly husband of course fixed it for us and after a weekend of fun we were finally on our way back to sunny, un-chilly Florida.

Click Here to see our trip slideshow

{Check out Kim: Designable Space}

My friend Kim is such an amazing interior designer.  I LOVE her style.  It is so minimalistic and so hip.  Kim has helped me with both decorating our home and our gallery.  She is able to see the big picture and tell me where I can get the most bang for my buck.  She is all about working with any budget. 

I was so excited when I heard that learned the t.v. show "Top Design" had featured one of her inspiration boards on their blog.  GO KIM!  Check out the blog entry HERE.  Then go check out Kim's own website at www.designablespace.com.

{Halloween: Brockinton Style}

Halloween means nothing to me.... except that I get very very excited about the idea of dressing my daughters up as animals and taking pictures of them.  

This Halloween we: handed out lollipops that our print lab sends to us every time we place a big order (???don't ask me why they do that), grilled out and ate out on the porch with friends Ashley and Justin, and Whitney (our wonderful friend and the girls babysitter) helped me heard up the farm animals and go out into our backyard to take some pictures.  Our yard is soooo overgrown right now but I prefer to see it as a secret garden where the girls can frolic and play.

{ashley & audrey: the birth of a friendship}

Ok, Ok, I know the entry title is sooo cheesy, but I had to use something that went along with the super corny picture!  

This week I met and had lunch with the super hip and fun Audrey Snow of Audrey Snow Photography.  We had been admiring each other's work for awhile and thought it was time to meet up.  I'm so glad we did because we had such a fun time talking and getting to know each other.  

Audrey shoots weddings in the Sarasota area and has an awesome budoir business in the Fort Myers and Naples area.  She is also engaged to another photographer, Mike, who shoots for Impressions Photography.  Quite a talented couple they will be!  

So anyway, the story behind the picture.... After lunch Audrey and I decided to walk around Coconut Point for awhile.  As we walked by the Picture People they begged us to come in and get a free picture taken.  We thought, "What the hay?"  We got to do a variety of poses including: the princess legs seated pose, the sitting on our knees and hug the neck pose, the side angle princess legs pose, and the upside down heads pose (see below).  It was quite the experience!

{New Website. Woooo HOOOO!}

After months of planning and working we have finally finished our new website (almost)!  We still have a few pictures and features to add but for the most it's all done and ready for you to view and most importantly to pass on to your unmarried friends  ; > wink wink ; >

The address is the same:  www.ashleybrockinton.com

{Behind the Scenes}

Ashley A.  (our office manager) gave me these pictures that someone took at her wedding while I was taking pictures.  I thought they may be interesting so you can see a behind the scenes glance.

Set Up:

Right before we headed outside to get some pictures of Ashley A. and her bridal party it started to rain.  Luckily the rain stopped but Ashley didn't want to stand in the very wet grass with her fun shoes and big dress so we had to scrap our first ideas and come up with a place near the hotel where we could shoot a large group of people in a short amount of time.  As I looked out the window of the room I noticed a few giant storage units in the parking lot that I thought would offer a good background as well as some shade. 

THE FINISHED PRODUCT:

{C-A-T-S Cats! Cats! Cats!}

Growing up I was surrounded by lots of girls; girl mom, girl sisters, girl dogs.... My poor dad had to suffer through so many dance recitals, petty fights, and "girl talk."  One common interest we all had is that we were big time University of Kentucky fans.  My dad went to school there and me and my sisters dreamed of going to school there.

So, my sisters and me were so excited when my dad got us all tickets to go to the Florida vs. Kentucky game this weekend.  It will be a daddy daughter weekend full of junk food, sun burns, and fun fun fun!!!

Here is a picture my sis Allison emailed us the other day.  Here is the text of the email as well:

"I was looking at some old pictures the other day and I found this old picture of us cheering on the wildcats! "

Brides in Pajamas Fun

Ashley and Ashley attended the "Brides in Pajamas" event on October 12th. It was held at the beautiful Heitman House in Downtown Fort Myers, FL. The event was made to help educate brides on how to plan their wedding and how to make decisions on which vendor will be the best fit for them. Plus the event sponsored "The pajama Program", which is a wonderful organization that brings warm jammies and books to children in need. We thought would we were at our vendor table, it would be fun to take pictures of the guests with Ashley B's old Polaroid camera. The pictures came out really cute and vintage looking. Here are a few of our favorites!

{Steven and Stephanie: Wedding: Naples Grande}

{Sister Friends}

I love having two sisters.  It is so much a part of who I am and I love that my girls get the opportunity to have the same type of relationship.  There is nothing better than watching two people you love love each other.  Here are my girls snuggling in bed.

{tag: I'm it}

We were recently tagged by the amazing planner, Kelly McWilliams in a get to know you type blog game. Here we go:::::::

Today I...
1. Got up at 5:30 to work.
2. Worked on our new website.
3. Ate a handful of dark chocolate covered raisins.
4. Worked in Photoshop.
Still to do...
1. Finalize several wedding albums.
2. Pack for our trip.
3. Get the girls out of bed.
4. WORK WORK WORK and change a few dirty diapers.
Some of my guilty pleasures...
1. Watching tv episodes on the internet... better yet on a tv!
2. Really good gluten free pizza and other goodies
3. Dancing lessons
4. Vacations
Random facts about me...
1. I've done some professional acting and used to want to be an actress as a career.
2. I'm a glutard.  Which means I can't eat gluten, wheat, flour, pasta, bread, soy sauce.....
3. I LOVE art and making things.
4. My dream would be to be a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars"

-Ashley

Brides in Pajamas

{Katie and Clay: Wedding: Naples Grand}

{ Honey $$ }

Picture from: worldwidevacationspots.com

I just heard about this amazing web-sight called HoneyMoney. It's like bridal registry... but for your HONEYMOON. You go to the website register and set up where you are going and what gifts you would like. Then your friends and family can gift you money towards your airfare, sunset drinks on the beach, day trips, etc or just spending cash. I think this is an especially great idea for those couples who are already set w/ set-up household things (blenders, toasters, towels). Gifts range in price from money for gelati to luxury accommodations. Right now if you sign up using the promotional code PRMT21 you get to skip the registration fee. HoneyMoney.... Brilliant I know. I included a clip of the sample list from the website below. 

{Ashley & Justin's Wedding: Sneak Peak}

Our most wonderful assistant Ashley got married to her high school sweet-heart Justin on Saturday.  In the last couple of months I have gotten to know Ashley and Justin as we have worked side by side and spent our Wednesday night "craft nights" together.  It was such an honor to shoot their wedding.  There was such an amazing spirit in both of them and everyone around them.  I'm trying to get to bed before 2am so I can only post a few right now but there will be more to come in the weeks to come.  

{Etsy Wedding Hair Accessories}

I heart Etsy !! I could browse for hours.  There were some many wonderful things I could not figure out what I wanted to blog about.  THEN I found these hair accessories.  I am partial to feathers, but I love them all!! 

Susan York

qg designs

{Published: The Knot}

I'm so proud of us.  We were published this week twice.  Neither was a huge deal like a multi-page spread but it was important to us because it was one of our business goals this year to be published.  We keep meaning to send some of our weddings in to be considered for publication but the every day grind always wins and we never have time to submit.  Luckily it happened anyway.  I guess one of the editors from the Knot was going through some of our online galleries and asked to use one of our images.  I didn't think anything of it because that kind of stuff may or may not actually go through and make it in the magazine.  I was so excited when I found the new Fall/Winter edition of the Knot and flipped through it and found one of Sam's pictures from Kelli and Joe's wedding.

The second publication one of our images was featured in was The Florida Sentinel Bulletin.  The Tampa paper did a feature on Gyasi and Bianca's wedding.  What cracks me up is the GIANT headline about the selling votes and then the picture of Gyasi and Bianca below.

{Updates}

It seems like so much is happening this week:

1. My baby sister, Gracey went off to college.  So sad ; <

2.  Our assistant, Ashley Allbee got married on Saturday!   It was such a beautiful wedding- I can't wait to show you pictures.

3.  A hurricane hit- kind of.  We hauled our behinds down to my parents house because it is built better only to have the power go off.  Let's just say the hurricane we most battled was Hurricane Isabella.  At home her room consists of a mattress and... that's it.  So, trying to get her to go to sleep at my parents house was a nightmare.  She didn't fall asleep until 12:30 and woke up at 6am.  

4.  I finally got a gym membership.  In college I worked out about 1-2 hours a day.  Since we have been married and I have had two awful pregnancies that average has gone down to about 30 seconds a day.  I am so excited to start working on my fitness and to banish the muffin top syndrome that is occurring around my middle area.

5.  We were published twice in one week!  Yea.  This was one of our goals for this year but we have been too busy to submit anything.  Luckily it happened anyway.  Once in the Florida Sentinel  and once in the national Knot magazine!  

6.  I now have office hours.  I realized my life had gotten so way out of whack that I needed to re-prioritize.  I was staying up until 3am just to get more work done.  Well, I have finally realized that the work will never stop, no matter how late I stay up day after day and that it is more important to take care of myself and more importantly my girls.  My priorities always should have been:  God, husband and family, others.  I am now going to try my hardest to re-align my life with those priorities in mind.  

7.  Next week we will be out of town for a workshop in Washington Illinois.  It is put on by Jeff and Julia Woods of Portrait Life and we are stoked about the chance to learn from them and the chance to be together.  

8.  I gave Olivia her first hair cut and she now looks a little boyish.  I am not good at cutting baby's hair.  I want to take her 6 month pictures soon but I am waiting a few days for the hair to hopefully grow a little.

9.  I should have 10 things to report about but I don't so 9 errr... 8 should have to suffice!  I'll do my best to expand on some of the updates with pictures later.

{Let them eat Cake}

Who doesn't like a pretty cake?  Here are a couple of designs that I found on our beloved The Knot. 

Side Note: We used Mikkelsen's for our wedding and they made us a great gluten free cake (for any Celiac Sprutans out there). 

{Think Pink}

{Cross your T's and Dot your I's}

{Classic with a twist}

Dresses for weddings are diverse so many women opt for a classic style or fabric and make it unique by choosing a dress with small adornments and details. These dresses by Lazaro and La Sposa are very classic in colors and fabrics but bring different textures and details that make these classics stand out.
Why not make your classic style fuky by adding flower petals, lace trim, rosettes, ribbons, and layers! I found these wonderful dresses on brides.com

 

{Something Gold (or Platinum or Titanium) ....For HIM}

There are so many things to do when you are getting married.  Searching for the perfect ring is top on the list when it comes to her.... but what about him.  I found a couple of websites with great rings for men. Try out Wedding Bands and Titanium-Jewlery. ( I tried to choose a more masculine border.... your welcome boys!)

{Colorful Cocktails/Mocktails}

 Weddings often allow for a chance to experiment with colors in the area of beverages! You can choose just about any color or flavor of beverage you desire and the best part about drinks is they can be made any way you like; alcoholic or with sprite, or with ginger ale--colorful drinks make for an expression of wedding colors and personal taste! Sweet, Sour or just for fun don't forget to choose a special wedding day drink to suit you! Checks these out at Brides.com and The Knot.

{The New White Gold}

Attention all; yellow gold is coming back! That's right break out your stash of golden gems and jewelry becasue yellow gold is the newest fad in bridal accessories. Thanks, The Knot

{Unusual Hotels of the World}

Unusualhotelsoftheworld.com is an amazing website for all hotels worldwide wacky, funky and fun! These insane lodging options would make for a memorable reception site or at least a one night stay you will want to fully document! The website is split up in categories in types of hotel genres, prices and locations. If you don't stay in any of these hotels you HAVE to see this website! It is sure to impress you.

Purple and Grey Lead the Way

Purple and Grey are the new colors of high-style. Purple is majestic, royal, strong but still subtle. Grey is a good counter part for this feminine color and makes for excellent tones in suites for the boys and details. This is a fun example of colors that can make a statement for your special day that don't scream "look at me!", but classic beauty. This image was put together from ideas on brides.com and JCrew.

Alternitive Guest Book

Guest books are a fun way for guests to leave you a sentimental message; so why not make it lively by using one of these fun alternative ideas for guests to sign and write their special messages on! All ideas the the wonderful The Knot

!