creative tips | Sunny Slide Up

family photo style

‘Tis the season for Fall family photos! Everyone seems to have Christmas cards on the brain (already!), and with that comes the stress of what to wear for your family session.

I’m heading up to NH in a couple of weeks for a round of family sessions, and the first question clients ask is… “what should we wear?” My initial response is always the same: do your best to coordinate outfits, and avoid anything matchy-matchy. (Khakis and white button downs? No. no. no… When’s the last time you saw a family of four going about their Saturday all dressed the same?) Have fun with your style, bring in some bright colors, add a few accessories… but most of all, be yourselves. Wear what you’re comfortable in, and something you won’t mind seeing on your wall everyday.

Along with a few ideas I pulled together below (mostly from Gap, Target and H&M) check out Pinterest for all kinds of combinations!

And don’t forget to think about location! The sessions I’m doing will be in an apple orchard… so something like a cozy blanket or cups of hot apple cider would make for some fun props.

Say cheese!

All clothing above is currently available in the stores I’ve listed:

gap.com, hm.com, asos.com, target.com

pumpkins for tatas

by Mandi | creative tips

It’s October! Time for Halloween, football games, apple picking and pumpkin patches. You can walk into any store these days and be surrounded with skulls, bones, costumes and candy. It is an easy time to decorate your house.

For many of us though, October takes on another meaning, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Everywhere you go these days you hear of someone that has been affected by this awful disease. I am blessed to know to strong SURVIVORS! My mother and dear friend Emily. Click here to read an article on Emily’s story and hear her talk about the support of her family.

I decided that I wanted to celebrate this month in my home decor by adding in some pink! Pink pumpkins – why not!

I went to a local grocery store and picked up a few inexpensive pumpkins, got out some paint, made a light and dark shade of pink and got to work! It is simple really… I added stripes, dots, zig zags and ribbons!

Here is what my living area looks like for the fall! I love having a daily reminder to be aware of breast cancer for myself, my friends and my family!

How are you decorating this fall?

10 reasons to love october

by heather | creative tips, personal

October is here! And here are my top ten reasons to love October…

Halloween – I love costumes. I actually have a box of props that I keep handy in my house all year round to bust out impromptu for any occasion. No need to only do this once a year for Halloween! But at least for this holiday people don’t think I’m crazy for doing so.
Football – Goooooooo Dawgs! Football is in full swing now and the weather is perfect for tailgating, which is almost just as fun as going to the game.
S’mores – The chilly evenings are perfect for a fire and nothing makes a fire better than s’mores! Check out these 10 Creative Twists on S’mores Recipes. Enjoy these last weeks of daylight in the evenings before we turn our clocks back on Nov. 4.
Carving Pumpkins – Who knew you could have so much fun with a fruit and a knife?
More Pumpkin! – Is it just me or does everyone seem to go pumpkin crazy this month? Pumpkin pies, pumpkin beer, pumpkin bread, pumpkin spiced lattes. Jenn and Steph are obsessed with pumpkin spiced lattes.
Leaves – I know. I know. Raking up those piles of leaves that fall is a pain in the butt, but isn’t the leaves changing is one of the most beautiful things you have ever seen? Time to take a drive to the mountains and check out nature’s beautiful display of colors. Check out this map to see when the peak times are in all of the states.
Camping – Perfect weather, the last weeks of evening light, leaves in bright colors, campfires and s’mores…this all sounds like a perfect camping trip!
Sweaters and Scarfs – It’s time to break out your sweaters and scarfs that have been packed away for all of those months – it feels like a whole new wardrobe!
Candy – It’s impossible to not eat candy in the month of October. It is everywhere you look and normally on sale enticing buyers to stock up for those trick-or-treaters. It is hard to resist those mini bite-size candy bars! Candy corn? Yes, please.
Oktoberfest! – I almost love beer as much as I love candy. And in the month of October there are beer festivals everywhere. Want to find one? Check out beerfestivals.org for the world’s largest list of beer tastings around the world.