Fractured Thoughts ~ Wisconsin Wedding Photographer

Currently Watching: Well, it WAS Sherlock....because Sherlock is the best. But, that's done now so I'm not quite sure what I'm going to move on to next. Any suggestions? 

Currently Spinning: The husband just got the Ghost EP Popestar for Christmas and it's pretty stellar. However, it's still all Hamilton, all the time, in the car.

Currently Reading: White Trash: The 400 Year Untold History of Class in America. Because once a Sociology major, always a Sociology major I guess. This is the stuff I like to read. 

- We're taking 2017 on with an incredible amount of enthusiasm for the future. I'm so invested in making Type A Great Again (ha!!) that I feel this renewed excitement is trickling over into other areas, which is moving us into "getting shizz done" mode.

- Our whole goal last year was to get our family into a position to move without it being financially stupid for us to do so. I think we're getting there. We are meeting with a builder in the Milwaukee area next weekend which I'm cautiously optimistic about.  We are working with one of Dave Ramsey's ELP (endorsed local providers) Mortgage Lenders and they have been absolutely wonderful so far. They delve deep into your finances and are great for self-employed folks like me! 

Churchill Mortgage, shout out to you! 

- Like I said, we are CAUTIOUSLY optimistic about building. Being as frugal as I am (let's face it, I'm a tightwad)....the concept of "Oh, plan for 20% more than you think it'll be" like everyone says scares the bejesus out of me. Um....no. It doesn't work like that in our household. We don't need a fireplace, we don't want a tub in the master, we don't need extra fancy crap that no one cares about. What we need is a bit more space. Room for Bridget (who has taken to waking up so often from her crib in our room that neither of us are sleeping worth a damn right now) 

Room to grow and not just room to put extra crap. 

- SPEAKING of extra crap, I was way influenced by the book Minimalism that I picked up with my Christmas money. So, I went on a bit of a binge (or, shall I say, purge) and got rid of a ton of superfluous CRAP that we had around the house. Stuff we never used, never wore, never cared for....that we just kept moving around. 

It was REALLY freeing....though the husband had to step in a few times and say "Um, lets not get rid of EVERYTHING...."

I probably would have if he let me! 

 

- My daughter Betty (the 9 year old) started her own Art blog. Check it out at Betty Hearts Art 
 

- Can we talk SHERLOCK for a minute. First of all, 3 episodes per series is just NOT. ENOUGH. As soon as I get comfortable with a new Sunday night routine, it's over! But, this series was pretty incredible. Wasn't QUITE sure about the last episode, but it all wrapped up nicely. And, Benedict Cumberbatch can pretty much do no wrong. This better not be the bitter end.

- The whole family caught that NASTY norovirus that was going around. Whoa. NEL. LIE. I haven't been THAT sick in a really long time. I tossed my cookies at a wedding shoot (finished that wedding though....arggggg!)...but let me tell yah, being pukey-sick at a wedding is the WORST. I was rushing to get ill, rushing back out to catch the speeches, rushing back to dry heave, rushing back to catch the 1st dance. To my credit, I didn't miss a thing. But, it was ROUGH.

I came home that night to complete bedlam at the house. All three girls had caught it and it was a Round Robin of puking all night long.

Ahhh....parenting. 

- Betty started her foray into braces this month. She needs them. She has my teeth. I had some JACKED teeth when I was her age. I looked like I'd been popped in the mouth. So, she's in for a long haul....but she's taking it like a champ.

- I brought The Pudgy Gazelle blog back.....for good. It was too motivating for me not to renew it. You can check it out and follow along on our debt freedom journey! 

SENIORS!!! 

I am still seeking a few SENIOR MODELS! The response has been really overwhelming this year and that's GREAT! I'm starting to branch out and marketing to Waukesha and Milwaukee county too, in anticipation of a move, but Beloit is still my home base! 

If you or someone you know is interested in representing Type A for the CLASS of 2018 and scoring some sweet deals, fill out the application at the top of the page! 

 

WEDDINGS 

I am over 1/2 booked for 2017. I am looking to fill in some dates for July and August as well as October/November/Dec. So, if you are looking in that area, shoot me an email! 

I have some absolutely GREAT couples lined up for this season and I just cannot wait to get started. I'm all over the map again and that's just how I like it! 

I designed a new 33 page Wedding Magazine that I can send to any inquiry to check out. 

ON THE HORIZON

I've got so many things bopping around in this little brain of mine.....I've been writing things down at a feverish pace just hoping that I don't MISS something! 

Senior Model Studio Sessions kick off in February. I'm bringing more of the awesome to Senior Portraits...no cheeseball stuff included! 

I am hosting a specially priced Spring Mini promotion running from February 1 to April 1. Book a studio or on-location mini anytime between those dates and get it for $150 and 10 digital images. 
 

Kicking around the idea of bringing back a beginner's photography class to the studio sometime this spring as well, so keep an eye out for that! 


- Here's some pictures from the last few weeks. Check it out!! 

 

8 Ways to Be the Most Incredible Client ~ Wisconsin Wedding Photographer

We've all had 'em. Absolutely AMAZING clients. Clients we talk about with our fellow photographers....clients we wish we could clone....clients we think fondly about even years after their events or sessions.

The BEST clients. 

You hear a lot in the social media stratosphere about "nightmare clients" (there's even the ubiquitous websites and postings like Clients From Hell). To read these items you'd think working in the creative realm is chock full of nutters and we all must struggle to deal with these nightmares on a regular basis.

No, no, a thousand times no. 

In reality, 99.9% of my clients are really great, reasonable people (and I think I've learned enough to avoid the tiny percent of out and out crazy after 9 years). 

There's some nuances that make clients super-memorable, kick-ass, OMG THAT WAS SUCH A BLAST type clients. 

Here's 8 ways to join the ranks of awesome:

1. THEY MAKE THEIR FIRST IMPRESSION A GOOD ONE
Yes, we are out to impress you on first meeting. We want you to find us fun, funny, responsible, and, above all, creative and professional. But, we are sort of "interviewing" our clients upon meeting as well. 

It doesn't take a lot to make a good impression. Make your initial email personal. Nothing is more disheartening than getting a canned "Your work is amazing!" email only to find out you send the exact same "your work is amazing" email to 100 other photographers....just copy and pasting their names in the "to" box.  We work REALLY hard to set ourselves apart....to make ourselves appealing to your particular tastes....and it means a lot when people take a moment to recognize that. 

I get people who will email me and say "AH! I love Doctor Who too!" or "Potatoes are my JAM!!"

I get super excited to meet them, because I know we already have something in common.

2. THEY HAVE REASONABLE AND REACHABLE EXPECTATIONS

It can be frustrating to meet with someone only to find their expectations of what a wedding photographer can provide for them are completely out of whack. 

The best wedding vendors can manage your expectations and explain to you what is do-able and what is not. They won't promise the moon and the stars if it cannot be feasible. 
The best will underpromise and overdeliver to ensure your happiness with the overall job.

The best are HONEST. 

Much the same, the best clients are honest with themselves. They know what they look like, they know what photography can (and can not) do. They know a human being cannot be in 2 places at once or possibly know things not told to them.

They know, at the end of the day, we are human beings doing the best jobs possible for them....not magicians. :) 

3. THEY PUT THOUGHT INTO THEIR OTHER VENDORS

It's awesome when a client puts a lot of thought into the cohesive vendor team they're building. When we all work together well, it means a better wedding day overall. 

Ask your initially booked vendors for referrals! It's the best way to get a team that works well as, well, a team....and avoids the issue of videographers on power-trips or handsy DJ's. 

4. THEY READ THEIR PAPERWORK

This seems like a given.

It's not. 

I know a 4 page contract full of common sense type stuff can seem a bit daunting....but it's important to know what we are giving you and what is expected in return. 

Know your turn-around times....know your rights with the images....know when your balance is due. 

And ASK QUESTIONS....seriously, I love questions! Ask away! 

5. THEY SURROUND THEMSELVES WITH AWESOME PEOPLE

This can be hard. I've said it once and I'll say it again: weddings bring out people's latent crazy. That includes friends and family. From the Mom-in-Law who can't stop criticizing everything to the best friend who is so wildly jealous of your big day that she has a perma-stank-face.

Secure and happy folks typically have secure and happy friends and family....they attract that kind of love and acceptance. This is such a great environment to work in. And believe me, I've been among some of the BEST families and the BEST friend groups. It makes my heart happy. 

There's nothing like walking away from a wedding with the thought that "Man, I wish these people were MY friends....how AWESOME were they?!?" 

Have good people on your support team....it makes your day SO much better! 

6. THEY KNOW HOW TO BRING THE FUNNY

I'm a girl who appreciates humor. Dark humor, gallows humor, dirty humor, childish humor, cerebral humor...I run the gamut. I love me some South Park, some Tom Segura, some Eddie Izzard, some Monty Python.

I appreciate a sharp sense of humor above most other personal attributes.

So, it makes me happy as a clam when my clients are straight up FUNNY. When I can joke around without worrying that they're thinking I'm not concentrating on my job (I am, I'm serious about work....at all times! Even when joking about other stuff). 

I appreciate it when folks just don't take themselves TOO seriously (time and place though, folks! Time and place! Probably not best to be cracking jokes at the altar during high mass). 

Life is funny. LAUGH! 

8. THEY'RE MADLY, HOPELESSLY, CRAZY IN LOVE

I don't care WHAT kind of wedding you have: small or large. Ornate or simple. Expensive or shoestring budget. When a couple is crazy, madly, can't-even-hardly-breathe in love with one another, it makes the day so enjoyable and memorable. 

I can always recall those couples who are just nuts about one another. I may not be able to remember their centerpieces or what her dress looked like. But I can always remember the FEELING. 

This makes couples such a joy to work with....the LOVE at the base of it all.

8. THEY'RE NICE PEOPLE

It's simple....be NICE. I know weddings are stressful...and some folks just don't handle stress well. But, taking a step back and just being nice to the folks around you makes you a memorable and incredible client.

I remember the small gestures, believe me. Something as simple as calling me by my name (thought it's been a long time since someone has called me "Hey You".....lol)  Treating your vendors like human beings who need to eat....sometimes sit....maybe drink a water on hot days.

I always love to come away from a wedding thinking 'Man, they were so NICE. Their families were SO NICE." 

Nice. It may seem like a lost concept to some, but there's still room in the world for it.


************

So there you have it....ways to climb the ladder and reach the upper echelon of client-dom. 

People will never forget how you made them feel, and being a great, gracious, and fun client gives all of us vendors a great feeling: about our jobs and people as a whole. 

And that's a good thing! 

2016: A Year in Review ~ Wisconsin Wedding Photographer

What. 
A. Year.

Seriously, I feel like this one will go down in the record books as.....well...something. Most celebrity deaths, maybe? The election was....interesting. That's all I got to say about that, I guess. 

It's the year we said Goodbye to Bowie and Prince and Leonard Cohen and freakin' SNAPE, man.

It's the year I said HELLO to "Hamilton"....and haven't been able to let it go since. 

I had a baby. I quit a job. I celebrated 10 years of marriage. 

Some folks are calling 2016 "the worst"....but there are silver linings everywhere. I choose to believe. 

JANUARY

I started the year in a bit of limbo, honestly. I was still working at the Assisted Living facility and we were a week away from opening the doors and moving in our first residents. The situation unraveled quite quickly, with my urging, in all honesty. I was quite pregnant and the stress of being embroiled in a director-ship that was just NOT right for me was really eating away at me. When you know you are in a place you don't belong, every day becomes a struggle to find a way to bow out as gracefully as possible.

So, I resigned. I resigned the post and resigned myself....to building Type A back up to a full time, ass-kicking unstoppable train of awesome.

I had spent the better part of the 2 years prior working on other people's dreams....feverishly but foolishly, I think. I abandoned my own. And I paid for it.

 

FEBRUARY-APRIL

I concentrated hard on finishing up my pregnancy healthy and happy....and getting Type A back to thriving status. 

By the time Bridget joined us on April 26, I had booked up my 2016 season and senior bookings were starting to pour in.

Thankfully, my wayward year of chasing my ideals elsewhere wasn't an incurable misstep. 

You can ALWAYS start again.

Always.

We were able to welcome Bridget Frances Reseburg with happiness, open-arms, and a sense of calm that I am forever thankful for. I've also been able to stay home with her since her birth, which is absolutely ideal for us. 

Things always have a way of working themselves out, I find. Even if the road to seeing is long.

(Pictures courtesy of Kara Reese Photography) 

(Pictures courtesy of Kara Reese Photography) 

SUMMER 2016

I found this year that by really concentrating hard on reaching my ideal client, I was able to book some pretty incredible weddings. This is the first year I really tried to put out into the world a sense of who Type A is FOR. What stories I really wanted to tell and what clients would most benefit from my vision.

It all sounds like a lot of sale-sy mumbo jumbo, but it's pretty incredible how enjoyable your job can be when you connect with your clients on a level deeper than just "hired help". 

Yes, I am a service provider. But Type A can be so much more. 

The word "authentic" is batted around quite a bit these days....but the older I get, the more I come to discover WHO I am....(and who I'm NOT)....and just how much I may care (or not care) what people think about that.

I am authentically nerdy, to the core. I love turn-of-the century period pieces. I was SO born too late. I obsess over various fandoms and I love all manner of grunge rock, even if it past it's prime some time ago. Historical non-fiction makes me giddy. Documentaries are my jam. I won't miss Jeopardy. 

I have listened to the Hamilton soundtrack about a bazillion times this year and I still adore it. Lin-Manuel Miranda is my spirit animal. 

I will clear my schedule for some Sherlock. An exciting Friday night for me is filling out a new dayplanner with different colored gel pens. I love lists. I love order. I love planning. I love quiet.

I am by no means cool, in the conventional sense. But, I'm finally becoming okay with who I am and what I love. 

I think, in some way, that helped Type A connect with people. I hope to do more of that in 2017

FALL 2016

Fall was all about Seniors. About 3 years ago I decided I wanted to concentrate my portrait work primarily on Senior Portraits, and I got to work marketing my patootie off. 

I had read that it takes about 3 years to solidify a Senior Portrait market. 

And yeah, that's about right.

I FINALLY moved my studio to a killer space in Milton, WI and it allowed me to expand my creativity with respect to Senior studio portraits.

I love shooting Seniors and I've set some lofty goals for myself for 2017 with regards to the Senior Portrait game.

I'm currently looking for 2018 Grads who would like to join the Type A Model Team.....know anyone? Click on the website link to fill out an application. 

:) 

Fall was also about beginning to dream forward....and a lot of that was planning a move. I started to realize in 2016 that I think we have outgrown Beloit, WI. It will always be my hometown, but it's never really felt like "home", if that makes any sense at all. 

Beloit has made some incredible, laudable strides in the past few years and I've been happy to be a part of some of those. 

But, I realized I missed a lot of things about living nearer to a bigger city.  I felt a pull to move our family for some time now and in 2017 we are going to do everything in our power to make that happen. Whether that means buying or building. 

2017

I can't say I'm terribly sad to see 2016 go.....2017 holds a lot of promise so I'm ready to get going on it. 

I hope to dream more, worry less.
Read more, nap more, eat better, and hit CrossFit on a regular basis....as much as my body can withstand! 

I want to spend more time with the kids....who will only be kids for so long. 

I want to move upwards and onwards....find home. Settle in. Create memories. 

Is 2017 going to be "my year"....who knows....but I'm ready to take it on and see! 

An Open Letter to Those Who Received Cameras for Christmas ~ Wisconsin Photographer

Dear New Camera Owner,

Hey! 

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah....the Holidays are upon us! Eeeeeep! 

Let me take you back. Way back. To Christmas 2007. I was working as an Insurance Contract Negotiator (I'll let you soak in how exciting that sounds)....I was also in college, 2 years from graduating with a degree in Sociology. I had a 5 month old Betty Baby and we lived in a teensy weensy house in Milwaukee. 

I owned a point-n-shoot camera that was pretty crap at taking pictures of my baby girl. Or really anything else that wasn't stationary. But, I wasn't terribly concerned with it.

I wasn't a photographer.
I, honestly, had no interest in photography. 

Christmas Eve I opened a box that, unbeknownst to me, contained a future radically different from the present I was living. 

A Nikon D40X

I took my first picture with it about 20 minutes after opening the box. I had no clue how to even turn the thing on.

Truth be told, I'm pretty sure it was one of those presents my husband secretly just wanted for himself ;) 

Here it is, in all its glory...the first and second shot:
 

Clearly....I was on my way to greatness.

I didn't take to the gift right away. I was working on other things. I was busy negotiating contracts and doing homework and taking care of my kiddo. 

Here and there I would bust out the "big guns" and take "nice pictures" of the baby. But, that was about it. The thing intimidated me. I knew jack nothing about exposure, shutter speed, aperture or ISO. All I knew was "AUTO" and snap.

Then, April of 2008 I lost my job.

I was unceremoniously fired. Canned. Kaput. I came home, sat on my couch and wondered "Ok, now what"? 

I had no degree and my skill set included arguing with Medicare over benefits and, apparently, pissing off my boss. Not exactly marketable skills. Plus, I was growing weary of sticking my kid in daycare and making minor pennies in a job that was completely thankless, among other negatives.  

While I sat home and ruminated over what to do next with myself, I decided to fill in my newly found "free time" with the camera I had received. I started practicing. I started experimenting with the manual settings. I made a CRAP. TON. of mistakes. But, I realized the more I shot the more I really enjoyed it. I read "Understanding Exposure" and felt like I was learning a new language. My husband took me to a tent sale at Art's Camera Plus in Milwaukee and I was so intimidated by the salespeople that I couldn't even bring myself to speak to them.

But, I kept at it. Everything I shot went on Facebook. Just for my own enjoyment, really. You see, I had NO. IDEA. that "wedding and portrait" photography was such a prolific business. I didn't know any photographers outside of the guy who took my senior pictures and a girl from high school who took pictures of babies. 

Had I really known there were about 4000 people in Wisconsin with the title "Photographer" I would have probably thought twice about my next move.
 

What happened was, people started seeing the pictures I was shooting of Betty and asking me to come take pictures of THEIR kids. Why the hell not, I said. Not like I had a job to go to. 

Those few free shoots turned into people I didn't KNOW asking for me to come shoot. They asked me what they could pay me.

No idea.  

It all started there. I realized if I worked this right, I could actually make money. How much? Uhhhh....good question.

I started researching, meeting other photographers. In 2009 I booked 27 weddings (I KNOW. Holy crap.). In 2010 I booked 32. To say it all snowballed would be an understatement.

So here I am, nearly 9 years later.....and I would have done it all again, because I have the best job in the world. But I probably would have done some things a heck of lot different. 

 

YOU JUST GOT A CAMERA FOR CHRISTMAS, NOT A BUSINESS

Don't confuse the two, seriously. A hammer is not a construction business. A sewing machine does not make one a seamstress. You are going to be completely blown away by what your new gift can do once you start messing with it. It's going to trick you into thinking this is an easy peasy way to make some cash.

It's not.

YOUR FRIENDS ARE GOING TO TELL YOU YOU'RE AMAZING. YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT.

Now, I don't say that to be cruel. The word amazing is thrown around on Facebook SO often, someone should figure out how to copywrite it and monetize that shizz. Because whoa. You're going to start posting some random, in-focus pictures of your kid's eyeball, your dog sleeping or a macro of a snowflake and people are going to say "That's amazing. You should be a professional"

Trust me. They will. They said it to me. Someone said it, at some point, to every friend of mine who does this for a living.

They're not lying, exactly. They're friends. They're being nice. Supportive of your new hobby. 

But, you're not amazing.
Not yet. 
Don't get ahead of yourself.
I'm not amazing and I've been at this for nearly a decade. 
Amazing people are out doing truly amazing things and shooting pictures some of us could only dream of crafting. They are special. Unique. And rare.

Don't let that word worm its way into your head and your ego.

BE SMART BEFORE YOU START

I say, looking back, to keep that Christmas gift with you at all times for 6 months. Document. Observe. Play. If after 6 months you're not completely sick of people asking "Hey, can you bring your camera to the next family gathering?" you may have something there.

But slow and steady wins the race. I wasn't slow and steady. I was unemployed, so I was quick and dirty. I took any "job" that I was approached with because I needed to freaking feed and diaper my kid.

So, I never 2nd shot until YEARS after I started. I didn't take ANY workshops until several years into my job (because those things cost money).

Someone asked me to shoot their wedding and I said "Why the heck not"! 

I didn't really reflect on what the consequences could be if I completely SUCKED at weddings. I figured "Can't be that hard". I looked up other wedding photography online and I showed up with my little D40x and a D90 I had purchased used by that time and my one external flash and I made that work.

Be ye not so stupid. It just HAPPENED to work for me. By the grace of the photography gods.

If I could do it all over again, and the cards had been laid out differently, I would have second shot my patootie off. It's the only way to really immerse yourself in the world of wedding photography without taking on the huge liability of screwing up someone's big day.

My First Wedding EVER. Really, I look back and see the potential. I also see every error I made! But I cared DEEPLY about doing a good job for these folks. I knew it was a make it or break it situation. And in the end, I had happy clients....and so …

My First Wedding EVER. Really, I look back and see the potential. I also see every error I made! But I cared DEEPLY about doing a good job for these folks. I knew it was a make it or break it situation. And in the end, I had happy clients....and so it began.....

IF YOU DON'T HAVE A HEAD FOR BUSINESS, DON'T GO INTO BUSINESS

Here's the thing, not everyone is meant to be a self-employed person. It's ROUGH. It's also wonderful. But ROUGH. It takes a certain fortitude with a dash of complete madness to want to basically live by the seat of your pants year after year.

If you completely SUCK at any business task, don't take this on as a business. Just ENJOY photography. Because, really, shooting actual pictures is what I do the LEAST of. Most of my day is administrative type stuff, talking to clients, editing, ordering, blogging, marketing, and hustling new work leads. 

Because if you don't at least somewhat enjoy and gain a bit of knowledge on the business end, it will end up DESTROYING your love for the creative end. You'll gain a cold, steely, cynical heart and stop wanting to even pick up your camera. And you will lose your butt financially if you can't figure out how to charge a living wage for yourself. Trust me, I've seen it happen.

The only thing that really keeps me going year after year is I'm a nerd for the business end. I revel in spreadsheets and tax time and trying out new marketing ideas. I really do love that part as much as the creative side. 

DON'T LET THE GRUMPY ASSES GET YOU DOWN

Here's the thing. I can be a grumpy ass. I think you do this long enough we ALL can....even if it's just in the cold, shadowy reaches of our offices as we edit our 10,000th image that day. We'll hop on Facebook and see some "newbie" who just rattled off some out-of-focus, over-exposed travesties for a family for the low low cost of $50 and a disc and are getting praised up the ying-yang for their efforts. 

And we sit back and go "BLEEECCHHHHH.....really?"  Admit it. We ALL FREAKING DO IT. If you're saying you have never scratched your head in amazement at some pee-stained garbage on Facebook and wondered what the hell people are paying that person ANYTHING for.....then, I'm going to call shenanigans. We are all jerks sometimes.

And we all seem to forget our own pee-stained atrocities rather quickly.

HOWEVER....I have found that through supporting others in the field, sharing information, and asking questions myself....it really does improve the industry as a whole. You have to respectfully enter the industry and LOVE the industry. Don't expect to stand on the shoulders of those who came before and blazed trails for you and then crap all over their work and ideals.

You are ALWAYS going to have your outlying crabby asses. Your outlying rogue photographers who don't really WANT to participate in the industry. Again. Human nature.

But, you find your base. The folks you work among....and they can be the most supportive, helpful, and wonderful people in the world. 

A rising tide, folks. It lifts ALL ships. Even the shitty ships with the bad paint job and the really mean captain who have no business on the sea. 

I kid. I kid. ;) 

THE HARD IS WHAT MAKES IT GREAT

You hold in your hand a shiny new tool. A tool that can elevate your snapshots to less-crappy-snapshots in a pretty short time. A tool that will do some thinking for you. A tool that if not taken on with reverence and contemplation, can drain your bank account and lead to stupid decisions.

Photography is absolutely incredible. Even now sometimes I click that shutter and I look at what I froze in time and I'm just dumbfounded that I caught what I did. It's a lot of luck. It's a lot of knowing how stories are going to unfold. It's a lot of repetitive work. And you have to love it. The loving it is what keeps me gone every weekend from March to November. It's hard. It's hard on the family. It's hard on my body. It's hard on the gear. But, the hard of it is what makes it so great. 

I've tried other things. I don't want to do anything else. Not at this point in my life.

So welcome, new camera owner. Welcome to your newest obsession....welcome to a new WORLD. New people, new friends, new ideas. It's all out there....and there are a lot of us, yes....but if you're willing to scratch and claw and barrel your way in with YOUR vision and YOUR voice....there's room for you at the table. (Though, you may have to sit at the kids table until you learn to stop fashion-tilting everything like it's going outta style. Because newsflash there, Demarchelier, it's gone and not coming back).  

A Christmas present changed my life 8 years ago. 

The husband is never gonna let me live that down. :) 

Love, 

Amanda :)