The Best Gal Pals

Ok I don't think we could get one photo that we were all looking at the camera at once but that's just how we roll. I'm so grateful that we were all able to find a time between our busy schedules during break to hang together because we always start right up where we left off and anything we do is fun. Feeling extra lucky that I have these three who are always there for me and have my back. They are also always willing to let me photograph them with whatever idea I may have and it doesn't matter where we are. I have memories with all of them that will be remembered for a really long time. I can confidently say most of the highlights in high school were shared with them. Consider this my (really late) Happy New Year's Eve post! ;)

xo, Hallie

Holiday 2016 Lookbook

EMBROIDERED TOP: Anthropologie (on sale!) || GOLD STAR HEADBAND: American Eagle || BLACK CHOKER: Nordstrom (on sale!) || HAPPY NEW YEAR HEADBAND: American Eagle || BLACK SEQUIN DRESS: Free People (last year, similar here) || STATEMENT NECKLACE: Forever 21 || RED VELVET BODYSUIT: Target || VELVET BOW SNEAKERS: Italy (see this post)

I hope you are all spending this holiday season with loved ones and your days are merry! Truth be told, I wanted to post this set before I left for NYC on the 24th, but life gets busy and here we are now. I am so excited to share these!

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

These images were shot in my home and I had a rough idea of what I wanted but these girls made it better than I could have envisioned. In the beginning, I wanted all the backgrounds to be white for that classic studio look so I stayed away from that one red wall in my living room. After we got going and became engaged with the "holiday looks" idea, we said, "Heck! Let's tape the bottom of the backdrop to the red wall and have the baking cups stand out and add to the feel of the shoot!" 

I'm so glad we did.

Sometimes it may take a while, but man, things always work out for the better after playing around with a little idea or quick thought you may have. Let your mind wander and don't be afraid to be wrong. I realized I could do anything I wanted... there is no right or wrong in in the realm of creativity. This was my shoot and I had to make my vision happen.

Learn to make your own baking cup backdrop here!

Baking Cup Backdrop

It's easy as (cup)cake(s)! ;)

You will need:

ᐧ Baking Cups (I used Reynolds mini, regular, and large because I wanted a variety of sizes!)

ᐧ Ribbon (my mom has buckets of scraps so we just tied pieces together)

ᐧ Sewing Needle (make sure the eye is big enough to fit your ribbon through)

ᐧ Blue Tape (to not damage your wall when you hang the finished strands)

ᐧ Step Stool (to hang your beautiful strands up!)

Steps:

1. Thread the ribbon through your needle and leave about an inch or so, no need to knot it

2. Make a knot in the bottom of the long strand of ribbon so the cups don't fall all the way off

3. Take a baking cup and feed the needle through the middle of bottom

4. Guide the baking cup down the ribbon with your pointer and middle fingers so the cup doesn't rip... too much... (the white is much more durable than the foil cups so I tried to use those more often on the thicker, unforgiving ribbon)

5. Vary between size and color of the baking cups until you finish the strand of ribbon (you don't need to make a knot so every cup will stay, they should just stay in place by themselves)

6. Add pieces of ribbon by just knotting them together to achieve the length you desire!

7. Repeat to end with as many strands of ribbon you want. I made 7 strands to fill up the space I wanted and used a whole pack of mini, large, and almost 2 packs of the regular cup size

8. It's going to be "organic" so don't worry if it's not perfect, it's not supposed to be!

9. Dance around in them because they're just as unique as you :)

xo, Hallie

Moments That Last Forever

I never knew how hard it was to edit a photo of photos until now. But I got a couple! haha.

I wanted to give a little plug to my favorite (and the BEST) photo printing company out there because I get so many questions about where I print my photos! White House Custom Colour (WHCC) has the best customer service (they literally get back to your questions by email in 5 minutes) and they have 2-day free shipping. The most important thing is that I have always loved the image quality, colors, and the variety of products you can choose from. The Standout Print from WHCC is my favorite and that's what is on our wall now. They stand alone so the best part is you don't need a frame! I gave my dad a couple standout prints last year for Christmas and he doesn't even hang them on the wall, they stand up by themselves on the bookshelf, so there is no need to make a hole in the wall for them either! And, (so far) they are pretty durable which makes it easy to take them down when I need to use this white wall as a mini studio. ;)

My mom put up some of her (and my) favorite images to date. There is room to add more and I'm excited to see what will make it up there in the near future! Those of you who have been following my work from the beginning and remember some of these early images - thank you. The support, encouragement, and word of mouth growth from the Sun Valley community (and now to start growing in Seattle), I couldn't do it without you!

Treat yourself this holiday and buy some prints of your favorite photos to brighten up your house with color and memories of kids, friends, family, adventures, travels... anything and everything that makes you feel good. Photos are moments that last forever. ♥

xo, Hallie

Velvet Bow Sneakers

Yesterday I made this backdrop with my mom for a shoot that's happening today. I love how it came out so I grabbed some pics to test the lighting and placement of the strands. I'm going to put together a post soon that will teach you how to make the same thing! It's super easy and will look different every time. Nothing like taking down pictures on your wall to have a little home studio. ;) 

My mom brought these cuties back from Italy and the moment she showed me I fell in LOVE! I have never seen a shoe like this before so I like that they are different. I can't find the specific place where she got them because it was a hole-in-the-wall lucky find, but I did put together some shoes that are similar below. I would say these ones are the closest to what I have!

xo, Hallie