Just a wee tiny sneak peek of a beautiful little princess … Miss Sadie …
More to come – oh, LOTS more to come …. xoxox
November 14, 2011 - 10:43 pm
Sweetness at its best!! xo
November 14, 2011 - 11:25 am
LOVE her! Great pic 🙂
November 12, 2011 - 11:11 am
Awwww…so precious:)
November 12, 2011 - 10:33 am
Sweet Sadie!
November 12, 2011 - 9:59 am
Aww… Gillian!!!!! Thank you for the {peek} Boy, we had FUN with her session(s) lol!! xo
November 12, 2011 - 1:08 am
I just met Sadie on Wednesday at the breastfeeding clinic and she’s adorable! Keri is one lucky lady!!
A long- awaited sneak peek for an amazing couple … Lloyd & Sherri … we had so much fun with this session and they were up for anything – uniform and beautiful dresses aside …
Can’t wait to reveal the full gallery … 🙂 ….
by Gigi
11 comments
November 9, 2011 - 8:04 am
Stunning pictures!!! What an awesome couple, Sherri and Lloyd must be so pleased
November 8, 2011 - 5:05 pm
These are beautiful photos of the 2 of you. Yes the blue is so striking. Thanks so much for sharing. Love you xoxox
November 8, 2011 - 1:59 pm
Great Job Gillian! Love these pictures! Lloyd & Sherri you guys are an awesome couple. You guys look sooo in Love! 🙂
November 8, 2011 - 10:27 am
Hmmmm, Thanks Gigi nice pic’s but I think I need to lose some weight.
November 8, 2011 - 9:39 am
Gorgeous! So romantic 🙂
November 8, 2011 - 9:26 am
OH MY GOSH!!!! These are beautiful!! Sherri you look amazing in these photos…Loyd doesn’t look too half bad either..lol!!
November 8, 2011 - 9:03 am
WOW oh WOW!!! These are amazing, absolutely GORGEOUS photos of a VERY SPECIAL couple! Lloyd and Sherri, how will you ever choose which will be your LARGE CANVAS for your home???? WOWZERS!!!! Lloyd, you look so HANDSOME in your uniforms and Sherri, you are so BEAUTIFUL and STUNNING!! Love the pics, Gigi … great work!!! Can’t wait to see the rest of them. xo
November 8, 2011 - 8:55 am
OH WOW!!!! Those are absolutely STUNNING pictures!!!! Lloyd and Sherri, how will you ever choose which one will be the BIG CANVAS one???? Love the pics … WOW oh WOW!!!! xo
November 8, 2011 - 8:28 am
Thank you so much for the sneak peak! We had such a wonderful time. It could have gone on forever as far as we were concerned. You were right about the blue, it really does show up well in photographs. Can’t wait to see the entire gallery of the shoot. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
November 8, 2011 - 8:15 am
Wow! Striking wonderful photos <3
November 8, 2011 - 12:16 am
I LOVE the one where he’s kissing her forehead :).
Okay.
I know it’s only November 5th, but I think it’s safe to introduce you, my friends, to my new favorite recipe … one for the holidays … one that is SUPER EASY to make (because simple is all I can do!).
Get ready for it.
It’s soooooo good ……
Homemade Chocolate-MINT-syrup …. oh yes, I said MINT and CHOCOLATE together …. oh man! My *FAVORITE* combination EVER!
As expressed before, I rarely get out for a fancy coffee (which is fine by me – saving me money!) but I do like a yummy treat on a cold night after the kids are in bed. I whipped this up after dinner in five minutes flat. I tell you – it’s easy.
All you need is:
3/4 cup of sugar
3/4 of water
Boil these two together in a saucepan … once all the sugar is dissolved, add in:
– mint (I didn’t have mint leaves so I just used mint extract) – I didn’t measure this. Sorry. I just added and checked the taste at the end to see if it was minty enough for me. So add a small amount and then taste test it to bring it to your desired minty level. You can always add some more. 🙂
– 1/2 cup of cocoa power
Stir together in the saucepan on low heat. Once everything is mixed well and dissolved, pour into a small jar to store in the fridge. I’m not sure how long it lasts as this is the first time I’ve made it – but I would guess up to a month in the fridge, maybe a bit more. (But don’t quote me on that – I will find out in a few weeks if this syrup last that long!)
Drizzle over vanilla ice cream, dip half of your sugar cookies in it or spice up your favorite coffee with this AMAZING chocolate-mint syrup.
Oh my. Heaven. Just heavenly.
This is what I’m drinking while I finish up some proofing tonight.
Oh, this is LOVE in a cup!
{P.S. If you follow my facebook page, you would’ve read that I DROPPED my beloved 50 mm 1.4 lens into a very cold, fast moving river last week during a crazy-fun-maternity shoot … I’ve had it sitting in a bag of rice for a week and was able to use it tonight for these photos in very low light. I’m thinking my lens might be okay! Oh, thank GOD! One of my favorite lenses and I really didn’t want to buy a new one …}
On another note – it’s time to pick the winner of the Christine Taylor Quilt’s giveaway of a $30 gift certificate! Yippee!!
Using random.org, the winner is # 25 – Jenn – who wrote:
“What a beautiful idea to capture memories with precious items that are dear to our heart.”
Congratulations, Jenn!!! You are going to have SO MUCH fun picking out some pretty awesome ideas handmade by the super-talented Christine Taylor!
Thanks, everyone, for entering. I do so love reading your comments!
Stay tuned for some more sneak peeks – there are going to be tons!!!
by Gigi
9 comments
November 7, 2011 - 10:05 pm
Mmmm, you always have the best receipes! I will have a great time picking something out too 🙂
November 6, 2011 - 7:22 pm
I just made this even though I don’t even like coffee!! You inspired me to make it anyway!! 🙂
November 6, 2011 - 8:34 am
Your pictures are so festive! I can almost smell the chocolate mint syrup through my screen. mmmm. So glad your lens is not wrecked (hope your phone survived too), it would be a shame to have to buy a new one. Keep up the blog tips, everyone loves them. 🙂
November 6, 2011 - 12:30 am
Glad to hear your 50mm 1.4 is okay, this too is my favorite lens 🙂 Thanks for the recipe, ny husband will love it!
November 5, 2011 - 10:10 pm
That sounds scrumptious Gillian! And would those be Christmas decorations I see!? :):) I’m so inspired…I’m going to bring out our Christmas boxes tomorrow!! Thank you for sharing another yummy recipe!
November 5, 2011 - 9:50 pm
Oh My goodness… You made hom
ade Christmas in a cup! I knew I loved your blog!
November 5, 2011 - 9:20 pm
Looks yummy Gillian! And so happy to hear your lens is ok… My 50mm 1.4 is my absolute favourite lens so I would hate to see it meet a watery demise!! (I once dropped it out of a tree though – and it survived. I guess they’re a tough little lens!)
November 5, 2011 - 9:11 pm
One of my favorite drinks is a simple hot chocolate, made with milk of course and put a mint tea bag into it! The smell is heavenly! You can even get this on the go at Timmy’s if you ask. Love Christmas for all the good treats!
November 5, 2011 - 9:00 pm
MMmmmmmmm!!!!! 😀
So … I’ve discovered candy canes are a good deterrent for morning (night) sickness. Awesome.
Also awesome … this amazing family featured below! Meet Christine Taylor and her precious family. Christine is the incredible brains, talent and beauty behind Christine Taylor Designs. Her work is **amazing** and I have fallen in love with so many of her products …
Christine brought along her great, great grandmother’s handmade quilt to the session, a quilt that was tucked away in her memories as a child. About 10 years ago, Christine asked her mom to help recreate such a quilt like the one she remembered from her childhood … and lo and behold, her love for hand-sewn treasures was born!
Fast forward a few years when Christine’s mom found the treasured quilt tucked away – they painstakingly patched the beautiful quilted masterpiece … and now, we incorporated it into our session …
“Our lives are like quilts – bits and pieces, joy and sorrow, stitched with love.”
~Author Unknown
And now the fun for you … leave a comment here on the blog and you have a chance to win a $30 gift certificate to be used on any of Christine Taylor’s products …! 😀
Pop over to her facebook page, take a look at her amazing handmade items and then leave a comment here on the blog. I’ll announce the winner by the end of the week.
Happy posting!
by Gigi
28 comments
November 5, 2011 - 8:47 pm
Beautiful!
November 5, 2011 - 8:36 pm
I love Christine’s creations! The gift certificate would be awesome because I’ve been eyeing a number of things on her page 🙂
November 5, 2011 - 8:35 pm
Such beautiful pictures! Love how you incorporated the quilt!
November 5, 2011 - 8:33 pm
What a beautiful idea to capture memories with precious items that are dear to our heart.
November 5, 2011 - 8:32 pm
Great photos Gillian!!!
November 3, 2011 - 7:51 pm
I have been looking all over for a beautiful vintage or at least inspired quilt. Gorgeousness 🙂
November 2, 2011 - 9:39 pm
LOVE her work, what a beautiful story about the quilt how nice to work it into family photos 🙂 And the pictures look amazing as usual.
November 2, 2011 - 5:57 am
My Grandma used to quilt. The time and heart that goes into it is incredible. Christine must put so much of herself into each piece and that is something lacking in purchased products these days. We buy local/homemade whenever it is possible and love to be introduced to talent in the area.
November 1, 2011 - 10:17 pm
Amazing, both her work and yours always! I am not sure what else to say that has not already been said!
October 31, 2011 - 3:21 pm
Love the family pictures and Christine’s work is so beautiful! Did you see the Christmas pillows!! Wow!!!
October 31, 2011 - 1:19 pm
Pictures are beautiful! I love the family shot
October 31, 2011 - 12:43 pm
What lovely pictures and such a beautiful quilt!
October 31, 2011 - 11:03 am
Love the photo’s and I love Christine’s stuff!!!
October 31, 2011 - 10:26 am
Love the 9 patch quilt. Quilts that hold such wonderful memories are priceless. Like the photos that you capture. Just beautiful
October 31, 2011 - 9:07 am
Your pics are beautiful as always Gillian! And I love Christines work! This would be a great blog prize to win since I placed an order for one of her awesome half aprons last night! 🙂
October 31, 2011 - 8:31 am
LOVE LOVE LOVE! the pictures! I have many of Christines items, and so do many friends/family! She is always my go to person for hand made things for ourselves, and gifts. Her work is absolutely fabulous, and so is yours!
October 30, 2011 - 11:34 pm
Love the quilts!!!
October 30, 2011 - 11:28 pm
Beautiful pictures, I love both of your work. Blessed with amazing talents!
October 30, 2011 - 11:22 pm
Christine is amazingly talented. I too, love so many of her products and her creativity to keep designing more useful products that I am so anxious to have ( the iPad case…oh wait, I need an iPad first!). I love her quilt and how it was brought into her family’s pictures that tells a beautiful story. Great job again Gillian. The pictures are beautiful 🙂
October 30, 2011 - 11:18 pm
Beautiful pictures! Love Christine’s products, super quality. Will definitely be picking up more for Christmas gifts!
October 30, 2011 - 11:04 pm
Beautiful photos as always!
October 30, 2011 - 10:55 pm
Love the fact that the quilt was incorporated into the photo session…shows you how time can stand still and the love of something so special can last generations…beautiful as usual Gillian!! <3
October 30, 2011 - 10:48 pm
Nice pics Christine, good job Gillian!
October 30, 2011 - 10:44 pm
Love it when people bring items of who they are into a shoot and you capture it so awesomely 🙂
October 30, 2011 - 10:35 pm
Love Christine’s work i have bought many things!!! Love the pictures!!!!
October 30, 2011 - 10:34 pm
oh my gosh, CHRISTINE!!! GILLIAN!!!! these are stunning pics!!! Love them! Beautiful family you have—love the one with the quilt–nice touch of what you do! 😀
October 30, 2011 - 10:34 pm
Stunning images of a beautiful family!
(love Christine’s products!)
October 30, 2011 - 10:33 pm
Wow…absolutely gorgeous..the quilt, the family, and the pictures 🙂
“So, how are you doing?”
We hear this question almost every day. We ask this question to most people. And we ourselves are asked this question over and over in life.
And the answer is usually – “Good …. things are SOOO busy!”
Do you feel like your life is too busy? Busy is good, right? But hold on, let’s not get too busy. I mean, it’s great to keep our kids in activities that will help them grow and learn life skills, but do we really need to run our family and ourselves ragged by over-scheduling and ‘being busy’ all the time?
And if we’re too busy, how can we actually have any quiet time? Time with God? or quiet time with our kids or loved ones? I’ve been on a mission for the past few years to be ‘less busy’ …
So when this idea to do La Tienda Mini sessions popped into my head, I thought “but I’m too busy already.” I have a business to run, a family to organize, children need me, we home school, church activities, the list goes on and on and on … how could I fit a whole day of shooting plus proofing onto my already over-sized-overflowing plate?
And yet -isn’t that always the way?
Are we are too busy for the most important things in life while we run around busying ourselves with small, often meaningless tasks of the daily grind, leaving no room for the bigger picture? Are we not called to love our neighbours, help the orphans and widows and do as Jesus would do? Jesus never said “Help out when you find you have the time.”
Yes, I was right. I am busy. Too busy to help though? Well, that was something my heart argued back … I didn’t want to be so busy that I wouldn’t help the ladies of La Tienda, to answer the calling that God had placed on my heart.
It’s like the parable in the Bible … so many parables and stories where the people are ‘too busy’ and miss the most important thing right in front of them …
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:4
And so, I went through with it. And with your help – my awesome clients! – with all of the mini sessions, we officially raised $1,100 for the women and children of La Tienda today! Yeah!!!!
The money is already on the way to these ladies and is going to make a big difference in the rest of their year! A big thank you, also, to Heather of Duncan Photography who has kindly offered to help me proof so we can ensure families will get their proofs in time for Christmas deadline (early November).
We are busy people, that’s just life, But let us never be so busy that we don’t see the needs right in front of our faces.
Thank you for helping make a difference. And for making time in your busy schedules to help out La Tienda!
You guys rock. xo
{Just a few from the sessions … }
by Gigi
9 comments
October 24, 2011 - 9:17 pm
Thanks Gillian. What a wonderful encouragement to us! This money will helps 11 women for the a Month. What a difference a Day can make!
October 24, 2011 - 8:36 am
You do beautiful work Gillian. I particularly like the last one. Such a treat to see you sneak peeks.
October 24, 2011 - 7:06 am
It was a great day and I was so happy to be a part of raising money for la Tienda. You are awesome for giving back to them!
I LOVE the picture of my girls. Thank you so much…just what I needed! xo
October 24, 2011 - 4:11 am
Great words of encouragement and exhortation to all of us, Gillian! And great pictures too (as usual)! May God grant you the peace and extra time as you proof and get these pictures ready for the families. And may the $1,100 that you raised, be multiplied so as to meet MANY needs. You have “cast your bread onto the waters”
“He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.” Proverbs 19:17
October 23, 2011 - 11:52 pm
Such a beautiful blog…and even more gorgeous photos!!!
October 23, 2011 - 11:03 pm
Amazing!
October 23, 2011 - 10:41 pm
absolutely stunning…Gillian…everyone’s lives that you touch, and it might not be on a daily basis, is blessed over and over again! Your messages, your positiveness, your spirit…you inspire my dear and I am so very glad that I have been able to include you in mine and my families life….God Bless you and God Bless the women and families of La Tienda!!
October 23, 2011 - 10:39 pm
So in love Gillain! You are a super star! xox
October 23, 2011 - 10:35 pm
Thank you for your latest blog post. I needed to read your thoughts on our calling vs. our schedules. Your words helped to put things back in perspective again.
by Gigi
6 comments