Gift Wrapping with Natural Elements

For as long as I can remember I have loved wrapping gifts, which remains one of my favorite parts of the holidays. I usually pick a theme every year, maybe a particular color or pattern, and try to incorporate a unique element to jazz up my wrapping. This year, I gravitated toward black and gold and pulled in natural elements for a bit of flare. I tied preserved magnolia leaves (left over from my wedding from Which Goose, but if you’re in Virginia you can find them on trees or on the ground all over!) and eucalyptus (Trader Joes ftw!) onto parcels with gold-embellished twine to match some of my gold-accented paper, and they came out quite nice. Not to mention, the eucalyptus smells great too! I think even plain brown or white paper would look lovely with some twine and leaves or herb sprigs tied atop, so if you’re wrapping some final gifts tonight here’s an easy way to make your gifts look beautiful and finally get them under your tree!

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Prillaman Family

In May I had the privilege to photograph my friend Juliet and her beautiful family. We met in downtown Clifton on a grey Sunday morning – it was supposed to pour down rain that day, but we managed to sneak in a couple hours of wandering and play with the two little ones. I’ve discovered that I absolutely love photographing families, capturing special moments in time that can be cherished and remembered as children grow. I’ll never forget this magical morning, watching sisters play and their parents, who admire the girls that they love so much.


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Perfectly Cozy BB Dakota Coat

The weekend before Halloween, Bryan and I took a little road trip to Raleigh, NC to celebrate his 30th birthday. All he wanted was to eat amazing barbecue and sample beer from breweries along our journey, which is just what we did!

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Baby Orson

This time of year always reminds me of the importance of family, so I wanted to share some portraits of a family that is very near and dear to my heart. These were taken about a month after Orson was born, and he has grown even more since then! He is incredibly lucky to have such amazing parents, and they are just as lucky to have him. So much love for the Knox family.

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Raleigh Road Trip

 

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that if you’re reading this you are a couple drinks and multiple helpings into the celebration. I’m thankful for many things this year, but in particular I’m grateful for my wonderful fiancé, Bryan, who you see mentioned on the blog here and there, and most of the time in my photography credits. Among many things, Bryan is an incredible support to my creative pursuits, and without him this blog wouldn’t be possible!

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Thanksgiving Ready

You already know how I feel about style + comfort, so you must have guessed that Thanksgiving Day is no exception. As an alternative to my [very] worn-in sweat pants, I found the best comfy AND stylish pieces from TOBI as outfit options for all of the eating, drinking, and lounging (and no, I do not plan on deviating from those three activities).

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Luna’s First BarkBox

Luna’s birthday was back in September, so I decided to treat her with a little BarkBox to celebrate! Her box was dinosaur-themed and she was over the moon for the huge dino bone and Herbert the Herbivore plush toy. The box also came with a bunch of treats and she absolutely loves the Pterodactyl Treats made with limited ingredients (which we’ve found works better for her), including duck, sweet potato, and carrots. I can’t believe her we’ve had her for over a year already. She’s changed our lives in the most positive ways, so I really don’t know how we functioned without her!

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Hanging on to Summer

I’m writing this as I look out the window to see the turning leaves of fall… how can summer be over already? I left for Portugal and Spain two weeks ago (where it’s 90-degrees and sunny), and came back to 65-degree temperatures and rain! Summer always goes by too fast, so I’ll be hanging on to summer nights and the fleeting sun by soaking up as much time outside as possible, as long as possible, with my favorite things and favorite people until we start to spend chilly evenings inside with cozy blankets and warmer drinks!
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