Another little something I thought you might enjoy! xo

Ok Ms. R, here are the snaps from yesterday! The girls are so beautiful. We had a great time and so glad we beat the rain-today is another story. Thanks for taking the time to let me play! Enjoy! xo

Another one of my favorite shots. Love the porch of this old house. It is being renovated and soon that patina will be gone.

Three of my favorites from the photo shoot. The picture of the kids together is adorable and I will share their holiday card with you a little later...it's a NEW style I'm introducing but am saving it for those of you who might get one in the mail...I want to keep it a surprise!!! L was so relaxed as she "worked it" and A was so adorable, stopping for shots, and playing tag and rolling around with her brother and my two sons. N is just too much-can't you see it in his eyes? We had a great time! xo shawn

Brrrrrr!

It is cold out there! 32 degrees this am...........while this weekend was beautiful, the cold is beginning to creep in and I'm not so sure I am ready for it! Where DID I put that winter coat???? I was able to get a little shot in the creative arm this weekend thanks in large part to B and her beautiful family who were very patient and relaxed-allowing me to "play" and get some fun shots of their family at the same time. We were at Ambler Farm http://www.amblerfarm.org/ and it is a truly inspirational place to capture family memories. We are lucky to have it in our little town. We also had a little soccer, a little football and some R&R to round out the perfect weekend.

This is a picture of the dogwood by our barn-someday to be my studio! Look at those colors! I love to look out onto this while I work!

There is just something about pork and apples that remind me of fall. This is dinner two nights ago. Cajun style pork grilled on BBQ, Sauteed apples with cinnamon and cardamom and grilled asparagus! YUMMMY!

Okay, I admit it.......sometimes I have tree envy. This is my neighbor's tree and it is SPECTACULAR!!! Every fall I catch afternoon glimpses of it as the sunlight hits it just right. Fortunately I have a little fireplace and sitting area to enjoy the vista!!

COLOR!

Every year I am surprised by the vibrancy of color in the fall. This weekend we had some time off from SCHOOL and we took a trip up to see the fall colors and visit the lake house. It was breath-taking. I took this SHOT from the shore of our house and all weekend, at sunset, we could not peel our eyes away from the glowing colors. We feel so lucky to be in New England-especially at this time of year. I worked on getting some shots of the kids for our HOLIDAY card! We had a great weekend and are ready to get back into the routine-though 6am came EARLY today. xo shawn

Fall

Finally the chill is in the air! My daughter SAID to me this weekend, "I love the changing seasons, it's why I love living in Connecticut." I admit, I think the FALL is the most glorious time of YEAR for New Englanders. It is making apple pies, stewy meals and hunkering down with family in front of the FIRE. I am really looking forward to the holidays this year-we're spending it with lots of family and I can't wait! Thinking of fires, familyAND holidays, I have to tell you about a a wine from Paso Robles, CA we discovered. It is called Treana, http://www.treana.com/ and if you are in Connecticut, you can FIND it at Stew Leonard's wine shop in Norwalk. It's a blend of cabernet and syrah that is soooo delicious. It sells for about $40, but drinks like it's $100. It is so tasty. AND, for you chardonnay drinkers, they make a fantastic Chard....salud! xo

once in awhile...........

Once in awhile someone or something touches you. It resonates with your soul. While doing some research on wine-making, I came across a quote from the late Robert Mondavi. He is credited with paving the way for California wine-making. His quote: "Wine to me is a passion. It's family and friends. It's warmth of heart and generosity of spirit. Wine is art. It's culture. It's the essence of civilization and the art of living". Now that says it all, doesn't it?
xo shawn

Uncertainty

I know for many of us it has been a CRAZY week. Living near NYC I have seen how the erratic behavior in the stock market has affected people. While I think that burying your head in the sand and pretending there are no real ISSUES out there is silly, taking time to remind yourself of all the beautiful things around you is one way to help control the madness. I feel especially lucky to have a warm and loving family, a perfect studio from which to create, Good friends that make me LAUGH, interesting, QUIRKY clients who challenge me to "bring it" every time I work on a project for them, and most of all, the ability to ALTER my state of mind at any given time simply by changing my perception of the situation. It has been a roller coaster of a ride this week, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I THANK those of you who have contacted me to do your holiday cards as it has provided me the ability to focus on beauty, simplicity, family and all the warm feelings that come with the holidays. I look forward to all the other CLIENTS out there who allow me to touch their lives with my simple and artful holiday cards.
xoxo shawn