Category: san francisco

holiday cards!

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This is the first year we’re sending out holiday cards, and lots of the credit goes to Minted and their amazing Photo-Op deal.

Minted launched a deal in SF, LA, and NY, where for $100 they send a photog to your house (or wherever you want) for a 30 minute mini-photoshoot. You get digital copies of all of the photos, and Minted will suggest some holiday card designs to pair with a few pics . If you have ever paid for a photoshoot, you know this is an AMAZING deal and such a HUGE time saver!

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Pavel: shirt  | Denton: sweater + pants  | Ash: sweater

For our card I ended up tweaking the Minted suggestions a bit, but overall I’m happy with the service.  I mean — $100 and the photographer comes to us?!?!  THANK YOU!

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To style the shoot I of course called up my sis for outfit help.  Aj’s had loads of practice with family photos.  She even wrote a great post on tips and tricks for family pictures.

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I chose neutral outfits (i.e. they don’t scream HAPPY HOLIDAYS!) so that I could maybe frame some to hang around the house year round. Denton’s hair was the only surprise.  It was completely out of control, but we felt it added character 😉

xoxo
-ash

 

 

 

ash1 Comment

tree farm!!

The Friday after Thanksgiving we set out for Rancho Siempre Verde to find the perfect Christmas tree.

We loved the RSV tree farm so much last time, we couldn’t wait to go this year!  The first day they opened, we were there.

 

At RSV you can saw down your own tree, or choose one that’s already been cut and trimmed.

Thank goodness I had multiple outfits on hand (#beprepared) because it was HOT.  I ended up in the JL premium V tee — favorite t-shirt ever.

Of course I was all ready for cooler temps with this year’s reindeer sweater (so freakin’ cute! LOVE!!), but seriously it was so crazy warm out!

We opted for a pre-cut tree this year… and IMO, still just as fun 😉

And the wreath-making!! I almost forgot!  I made a wreath while Pavi and Denton roasted sausages and marshmallows on the bonfire.

 

[Next time I’ll pick a backdrop that’s not a pile of dead bonfire brush. oops.]

 

I highly recommend Rancho Siempre Verde tree farm if you’re in the Bay Area.  The people are wonderful, there are fun tree swings, a bonfire for marshmallow and sausage roasting (bring a cooler and have a picnic!), beautiful trees, and the drive up the PCH is pure eye candy.

For a full day trip itinerary see last year’s post here for inspiration!

 

I’m already looking forward to taking Denton again next year 🙂

xoxo
-ash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ash2 Comments

the color factory

If you are on social media at all, you’ve probably seen a photo taken at the Color Factory.  The vivid colors are the perfect backdrop for taking photo after photo!

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The Color Factory opened August 2017 in San Francisco and tickets quickly sold out…. collective sigh, I know…  BUT sign up to get the newsletter here and be the first to know of new dates!

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And for those that just want to get a sense of the place virtually, check out the Color Factory insta page for some amazing pics, or do a search for #colorfactoryco.

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I was lucky enough to have a friend with an extra ticket — thank you Victoria!!…

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(^that’s the beautiful Victoria!^)

… so I got to test out my photog and posing skillz… both of which have much room for improvement.

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Seriously, SO MUCH FUN!! So if you can get your hands on a ticket, then by all means go!

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  Live life in color and smile on!

xoxo
-ash

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