brag part 2

so i guess this evening i'm making up for my lack of participation in the blogging community for the last several months- this is my third post tonight but i've got so much GOOD STUFF to share!

so one thing i didn't mention in my earlier post BECAUSE I WAS ATTEMPTING TO KEEP A SECRET was the absolutely best time i had preparing for our holiday photos this year. because it's our first year with jonas i wanted to give the snapshot my best shot- i hope i can get my act together every year so that we have a collection of pictures that mark our years together.

two maybe not so secret pleasures of mine are planning and shopping and i've often fantasized about being an apparel buyer or designing layouts for catalogs or magazines. it's back to my love of themes. i love a theme for a party, a photo, a vacation... often when i'm flipping through the jcrew catalog i think about how much fun it must have been to take pieces of the collection and put them together against a foreign backdrop. i enjoy the scenery as much as the clothes (do you remember the summer jcrew catalog shot in palm springs at the famous architect's house? or the one in the scottish fields with the tartan blankets where the girls were wearing party dresses and wellies? or how about the "roman holiday" themed shoot on the vespas?), i just love how it all comes together, and particularly in that catalog how there is (nearly) always the perfect mix of classic pieces (the jackie cardigan, a smart navy wool sheath), feminine pieces (layers of pearls, ruffley blouses), and something whimsical (a ribbon belt with a giant peony, a swarovski crystal ladybug, or a collegiate tie over a button down shirt paired with a bubble gum pink taffeta skirt). sometimes i think they live inside my head because they seem to know exactly what i like to see and what i'd love to wear. ahh. makes me smile just thinking about it. anyway, back to my planning for our first photo shoot...

now that i've revealed my silly enjoyment of staging and styling, i'll tell you that i had the BEST EVER time coming up with our holiday attire for the pictures. i wanted something christmas plaid for this first year. i decided on the requisite red and green and then shades of blue, grey, and black (classic meets modern). i had picked up a simple red sweater for myself a few months ago and was giddy everytime i came across it in my closet as i conjured up different layouts. we have a great fireplace mantel for holiday pictures two gorgeous forest green chairs on loan from micah's parents so i knew i wanted something using those elements. over the last few months i've been collecting pieces for each of us to wear whenever i found something on sale. my absolute favorite find was a tiny red union suit for jonas with the word "naughty" appearing on the fanny panel. SO CUTE. i immediately pictured a shot of him reaching up to snag at his stocking hanging from the mantle. can you picture it? as soon as i bought it i called my photographer friend and filled her in on the plans. i also picked up two different adorable plaid shirts for him and then found complimentary pieces for mommy and daddy.

so today it all came together and i had so much fun and satisfaction! micah was great about it, he even agreed to wearing something he hated just because he knew how much it meant to me (i couldn't get him to wear a scarf- this is something i've been working on the last few winters but he continues to draw the line and refuses). my photographer friend brigett was great too, she always humors me when i have these big ideas about how i'd like her to shoot us. i just viewed the pictures and like i said, i was trying to keep a secret because i wanted them to be a surprise as part of our holiday card but i'm just too excited to keep them from you.

if you're curious you can check them out at our fantastic photographer's website:

www.pureimagephotos.com

go to "online ordering"
scroll down to the Yarborough gallery
enter the password "jonas"
and look at the christmas gallery

i wish we could have gone on location in the alps, of course that would have required another set of attire entirely- probably something with stocking caps and puffer coats- but for a modest budget and our living room set they turned out pretty cute. happy holidays everyone! vote in the comments on your favorite to appear in our holiday card...