Hello Spring!

After a looooong winter, it looks like Spring might finally be here! And a beautiful one at that. Jake and my mom and I went on our first hike of the season yesterday, and it was perfection. Utter perfection. Well, minus the slightly tender feet afterwards (we were maybe a little too ambitious for the first hike in 6 months), and the wicked sunburn Jake and I accumulated (at least once every spring you get a nice reminder of how strong the sun is). Gotta remember the SPF. Yeah, with all the running and hiking that’s going to happen this summer, I’m going to have the most awesome sock tan you’ve ever seen. Be jealous.

Another great thing about hiking? It tires out the pups. They LOVE it, and they are absolutely tuckered out when we get home. They were so tired from the hike yesterday that they didn’t wake us up this morning. I slept in until 9:15… Yep, NINE FIFTEEN! That never happens. But I could definitely get used it ; )

Jake snapped this on his iPhone while we were out. It makes me smile.

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Happy Spring!!

Ribbon and Tin

This year one of my goals is to really focus on and establish my branding. Because Dulce Photography is more than just pictures. It’s the experience, the presentation, the pictures, the end product, and everything in between. And I’ve been working really hard to develop the feel I want my brand to produce. Lots of research, brainstorming, and indecisiveness. After all, it’s got to be perfect. (I might be a little picky.) So I’m really excited to share some of the results of my latest endeavors… Packaging! Prints will now be delivered in pearl white boxes, complete with purple satin bows. Why? Because I’m a girly girl, and ribbon makes me happy!

Ok, I’m joking. If you read this interview you may remember, but one of the words I want my brand to evoke is pretty. And what’s not pretty about satin bows? Then again, maybe I was only half-joking. Ribbon really does make me happy…

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I searched high and low for purple ribbon the color of my logo. But I think I found exactly the right shade : )

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11×14 box.

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8×10 box.

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5×7 box.

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All the boxes are filled with finely shredded gray paper to give some added protection. And because they needed some gray in them. I mean, gray is such an awesome color.
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CD’s will now be presented in a keepsake tin with my logo embossed on the cover.

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I’ll be honest, I’m kind of obsessed with these bad boys. I hunted for a long time to find the right type of CD case to represent my brand, and when I found these, I was SO stoked. They’re exactly what I envisioned.

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Hope you like it : )

Joel - May 4, 2011 - 8:01 am

WOW. That CD box is AWESOME, especially the embossed logo! This is all a fantastic way to really set yourself apart. Kenneth Linge delivered our Bridals in nice packaging and aside from the impact delivering prints can give over files, the packaging adds a fantastic touch of professionalism. Great stuff here!

Janey - May 4, 2011 - 8:03 am

Beautiful, Carissa! Nicely done. :)

Melissa Kelsey - May 4, 2011 - 8:04 am

Beautiful! I’m totally with you on the whole experience thing. Ribbon makes me happy, too.

Emily D - May 4, 2011 - 8:19 am

These are so awesome!!! I want one! haha :) So excited for you and how much I KNOW your business is going to take off soon!

Lindsay - May 4, 2011 - 8:34 am

I LOVE IT! the tin is an AWESOME idea… love the purple too. good job!

Carissa - May 4, 2011 - 9:57 am

Aw guys thank you SO much!!! I really appreciate your feedback. Totally makes my day : )

Joe - May 4, 2011 - 2:45 pm

Those are so sweet!! Packaging has a huge impact on products, look at Apple their packaging is always spot on with the products and I think you followed suit!

Lisa - May 5, 2011 - 6:54 am

Love the branded look – especially the CD case!

Shelly - May 7, 2011 - 8:42 am

These look great! Can’t wait to see them in real life :)

A Healthy Dose of Spam

I’ve never liked Spam. I guess technically, I’ve never had it. But I don’t need to. It’s just one of those things that I know I wouldn’t like. I mean, I’d never wake up and think I feel like scrambled eggs with a side of Spam! Yeah, not happening. Spam, on the other hand… Well, no. Nevermind. I don’t like that spam either. For the most part, anyway. It gets annoying. We’ve all gotten the ridiculous spam for Viagra in our emails. And if you have a blog, ohhh the spam comments we receive. Thank goodness for Askimet and other spam blocking technology.

Every once in a while, though, I like to look in the spam folder and see what clever coinciding string of words a computer put together. Then I laugh. They’re quite funny, really. Once I got this one that talked about how cows were taking over the world and there was no one to stop them… I laughed hard at that one.

This past week I got a few decent ones and figured I’d share. Enjoy.

 

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Laser Hair Removal- If you liked my post so much, how about some free treatments?! (And yes, this was for the Friday Fun Facts that I mentioned laser hair removal. Coincidence? I think not.)

Faith Amateur- Words to live by. Sort of. Although I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult…

Url- What does there seem to? THE WORLD MAY NEVER KNOW.

 

Park City Anytime: Melissa and Trevor

So much to say about these two. I have known Melissa since high school. Volleyball, choir, dances… it’s safe to say we had more than one good time together.  Jake has known her even longer. They grew up a street apart, childhood friends. And she was there when Jake and I became, well, Jake and I. She saw some of our ups and downs, and supported us the whole time. Melissa is a lifelong friend.

Then there was this guy named Trevor. I’ll be honest, Jake and I were a bit leery when Melissa told us about him. I mean, we weren’t about to let just any old Joe Shmoe try to win her affection. No no, he would need to pass a careful inspection. The first time we met him? (Which involved sleds, a big jump, and face plants, if you’re curious.) He passed that inspection with flying colors. And then some. Trevor and Melissa go together like peanut butter and jelly.  Like spaghetti and meatballs. Or my favorite, like Oreos and milk. (Hope you enjoyed all the food analogies.) And he fit into our group of friends like a glove. They got married 3 years ago, and I could not have been happier for them. That’s when Trevor became a lifelong friend.

The sad part: In just a few short weeks, they are moving. Somewhere pretty far from Park City. Chicago, to be precise. And while I’m really excited for them and this new journey they’re embarking on, I’m sad, too. I hate goodbyes. (Although, I suppose most do. If you like saying goodbye, you’re kind of weird, actually.) Anyhow. Goodbyes are difficult. Not fun. There is, however, one thing I’m happy about… I know that, even though they’re moving, our friendship will remain strong. After all, they are lifelong friends. And a few states? Can’t touch that.

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I’m not sure what joke Trevor just told here, but I was most likely laughing as well. He’s HILARIOUS.

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Can I just take a second to point out how beautiful these two are? Yes, I have beautiful friends.

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So Trevor might be slightly embarrassed that I’m posting this, but I couldn’t help myself. He was putting out the vibe while I checked my camera settings… Hahahaha.

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Pretty, pretty, pretty. I’m convinced their babies will be this pretty, too.

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I love these next two. Not sure why. I just do.

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When Melissa showed him this umbrella, I believe Trevor’s words were, “Hmm. I never would have picked that for myself.” Haha. But I thought it was perfect!

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Lurrrve.

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Ohhhhh you two. I will miss those smiles.

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I’ll finish with this one, because it makes my heart sigh.

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Trevor and Meliss, thank you for the laughs, for the dinners, for all the nights together that ended in at least one of us asleep on a couch… haha. I hope you know that you guys will be missed. But I truly am so excited for you guys and this adventure you guys are about to jump into! I know it will be so much fun. Most of all, though, I’m looking forward to all the memories we have yet to make : ) Xoxo.

 

Melissa - April 26, 2011 - 5:04 pm

Carissa, I LOVE every single one of these! Thank you, thank you! We are so lucky to have such a talented friend! We will miss you guys, for sure, but will always have a bed open for you if you want to come visit the Windy City.

Friday Fun Facts

For me, hiccups are painful. They’re not the silly and sweet sounding hiccup that some girls have. They’re the sound like a sick donkey and rip through my chest on the way up hiccups. Anyone else have hiccups like that? The first time I got the hiccups in front of Jake, he laughed at me. A throw your head back and grab your stomach kind of laugh. Because I’ll admit, it does sound funny. A sick donkey? Sounds kind of funny. But when I frowned and told him not to laugh because it hurt, he didn’t believe me. No, he started laughing harder. Which made me more frustrated. When the laughing had calmed down, I tried to tell him I was serious. But as I proceeded to try and explain how much it hurt, I happened to hiccup in the middle of a sentence. Yeah, as you can imagine, it didn’t help my cause.

Fortunately, since then Jake has realized that my hiccups are actually painful, and he’s a bit more sensitive about them. Although sometimes I still see him stifling a chuckle out of the corner of my eye…. Which leads me to this month’s installment of Friday Fun Facts:

1. Hiccups can hurt. Really, they can.

2. Nap time should be a part of everyone’s work day. Not just when you’re in kindergarten. Can I get an Amen?

3. Choosing lotion has become a chore. There are so many options: Ultra Healing, Overnight Repair, Skin Smoothing, Age Defying, Total Nourishment, Sensitive Skin… Not to mention all the different smells! When you’re indecisive like me, choosing can become a nail-biting experience.

4. Magic Erasers? ACTUALLY MAGIC. Seriously, those things have cleaned any mark or stain I’ve put them to. Miracle workers.

5. If you’re a bride and you’re looking for the perfect veil or hair piece, you have GOT to check out Trulu Couture. Some of the most beautiful and original hair pieces I’ve ever seen.

6. Shampoo/Conditioner-in-one does NOT equal shampoo and conditioner. Unfortunately, it just equals greasy hair.

7. On the outside, I laugh and shake my head at those radio laser hair removal commercials. But on the inside, I think about how great it would be to NEVER SHAVE MY ARMPITS AGAIN.

8. If you’re picking someone up at the airport, flightaware.com can be a huge time saver. As long as you have the airline and flight number, you can look up the status of any flight, anywhere. Sweet, right?! You’ll never have to sit around and wait for a delayed flight again.

9. Epson printers are awesome.

10. Don’t force your husband to change his profile picture.

Ok, I didn’t force him. But I did kindly asked him if maybe it was time to update it. I mean, the picture he had was like 3 years old. So we started going through some recent pictures of us, and he picked this. THIS.

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I KNOW! It’s not even one of those awkward pictures taken before everyone was ready that’s actually kind of cute. Nope. Now we know I have a face to match what I sound like when I have the hiccups. Heehaw. At least he changed his picture, though. He did what I asked. Haha.

Happy Weekend : )