Entryway Makeover - The Plan! Muahaha...

That was my evil plan laugh if you couldn't tell.

Anyway, back on track. Nabil and I have been in our house for a little over six months now, but it feels like we are still moving in. We haven't had the chance to do as much with the place as we would have liked so far. A very leaky roof and a lack of furniture to fill the place have made our to-do list projects a little cost prohibitive, but this winter we started working on our first room. This being one of our first house projects, we needed to start with a small room that we felt confident tackling and not getting overwhelmed mid-project.

Enter entry-way. If you can't remember, when we first moved in, it looked like this:
Note: This is the view looking at the entryway from the living room. The front door is on the left wall of the entryway.

Hate, hate, hate! I don't think that you can really get more out of date than wood paneling. And bookshelves in an entryway? Really?! I'm sure that they were meant to house picture frames, because I can't imagine who would want to store their books by the front door, but I would like my entry way to be a bit more functional. So what are the new plans you may be asking? Firstly, tear out those shelves and add in a little more light with paint.

I stupidly forgot to take a picture of the room right after I painted and before I took out the bookshelf, so here is my pre/post primer photo from Instagram. It's crazy how much paint can change a room.

As I tend to do, I got a random twinge of motivation just before we had a dozen people over for Thanksgiving. Less than a week before everyone arrived, we primed and painted the wood paneling a lovely shade a gray (Ozark Shadows by Benjamin Moore). I may have been a little crazy for starting the project and organizing dinner within the same week, but I desperately wanted the color to be at least a little more inviting when the guests arrived, and literally the day that they all left (less than 15 min after to be precise), I grabbed our new crowbar and tore out the hated bookshelves.  Soon after I realized that the pesky jut in the wall was actually part of the addition and I couldn't make the back wall flush like I originally planned, so onto plan B.

On Pinterest, I found this photo for my inspiration:

Side note: I would normally site the source here, but the link only lead me to a url with just the picture. What a shame.
I knew that I wanted a lot of the things that this entry had: a bench for putting on and taking off shoes, hooks for jackets, and a picture shelf for a little aesthetic appeal. The only thing it is missing is a place to put your shoes once they're off.

Here is the to-do list for the entry-way:
- tear out the bookshelf
- take out the paneling below where the picture shelf is going to be and add another texture to separate from the rest of the paneling.
- build a picture shelf to span the length of the back wall
- incorporate hooks for hanging coats/purses
- build a bench to go in the wall "nook" with a place for shoes underneath
- replace all the outdated trim and add crown molding
- replace the light fixture with something a little more modern
- replace the front door (eventually! Realistically, this is probably a few years down the line)

More entryway progress to come soon. Until next time...

Ringing in the New Year... 2013 edition

2013 already?! Man oh man, I really can't believe it has already been a whole year since I pledged that I was going to make 2012 better than the year before, and I have to admit, we totally did it. The Zerizefs rocked 2012! Some of my resolutions may have fizzled out by mid-February, as they tend to do, but this past year was really one of the best years of my life. Here are some of the things that made this year so great:

# 1- After many years of photographing for a hobby, I decided to try my shutter hand on more of a professional level. I have made so many great, new friends and connections this year. And by second shooting weddings and meeting with other local photographers, I realized two things. (1) I have a LOT of work a head of me, and (2) I LOVE doing it.

# 2- Nabil and I bought a house! There is so much that goes into buying a first house. We learned more than we ever thought someone could know about the house hunting (more on that here) and by the end we were both exhausted, but we did it. We bought a place of our very own and now we get to do all sorts of fun projects to make this place our own.

# 3- We took the trip of a lifetime to Europe. I mean that literally. It was something we will probably never be able to do again. On Zerizef Eurotrip 2012, we hoped through Spain, drove around the French country side, spent a week in Paris, and saw the Olympics in London. I still can't believe we did it all, and we left with some awesome memories that Nabil and I will share forever.

We had a lot of great things in between, but those are the big highlights, and for the sake of keeping this post shorter than a small novel, I will stop the recap there and move onto resolutions. After much deliberation, I thought of three great resolutions that will help make 2013 even better than the last.

# 1- Remember people's birthdays and send cards (mostly) on time. Okay, this one won't necessarily make my year better, but I used to be so good at this, and who doesn't love getting a birthday card in the mail?! Just so you all know, I think about (most of) you on your birthday, and many times I may even get a little gift. The problem usually falls in sending it. Curse the Post Office which is only open when I am at work. And the mail box at the end of my driveway! ...okay there is no excuse for that one.

# 2- Prioritize! I really shouldn't care so much about the next new full season on Netflix. I mean the Walking Dead really isn't that good, right? But really, I need to put down the remote and focus firstly on what is most important: researching stuff for the photo biz, editing photos, marketing, snapping some shots, cleaning the house, working on the next house project, and of course, posting on the blog more often.

# 3- Work hard and play hard. I often get stuck in this element of keeping one foot out of the door incase I need to back out at the last minute without getting too injured. The fact is however, if I put 100% of myself into my business, my projects, and my friends/family, all of those things would be so much more successful and worthwhile. It's a little scary to say type that out in the open, because like I said, I want to grab onto my safety net and be able to say "Oh that, it didn't work out because the market is over-saturated, or ...I don't have the know-how to start that project, or ...Congress shoved me off the fiscal cliff..." You get the idea. I know that if I set my mind to it and put 100% of myself into anything, it will work. Failure breeds in uncertainty.

So that's it. 2012 was amazing, but I have a feeling that 2013 is going to be even better. :)

And here is this year's inspirational picture (courtesy of Instagram at 30,000 feet) to help you pick your kick-ass New Year's resolutions. Anyone feel like sharing theirs?

...until next time.

Baby Gracie

Remember the O'Neal family from a few months ago? If you'd like a little reminder, you can look back at their maternity pictures here. As you may have expected, cute little baby Gracie was born soon after that shoot with ten perfect little finger and ten perfect little toes.

When Gracie was just about a month old, I got the opportunity to go back and snap some more photos of baby G and the new parents. Look at that sweet little face!

I've known Andrew and Nikki for almost eight years now. I've been with them both for many a crazy college nights, and this is the first time that I've seen Andrew with such a kind, gentle hand. Being a dad suites him well.

And oh my gosh, Nikki is such a great new mama. Whenever Gracie would get a little fussy, Nikki would pick her up and she would calm right down again. Like mommy magic.

And look at those little baby fingers and toes. She's so precious. 

And to top it all off... a little Blue Steel for ya! She's born to be a model.

I love this family and their newest addition. I can't wait to see her grow through the years.

Until next time...

Seeing Double

Just kidding, no need to sprint off to the eye doctor. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to do my first twin babies photoshoot. If you thought one baby was cute, you are going to get twice as excited now. Double the baby cuteness is about to ensue!

Lindsey and John invited me over to their house to get some shots of the kids and the family! They have their hands full with two newborns and two very sweet (and energetic) dogs, but they make it work, and their family is so great!

Lucy and Henry were so adorable I had a hard time keeping my pinching fingers off those cute little cheeks. Don't you just want to go through the screen and pinch them yourself?

Lucy was such a daddy's girl. She just kept staring at him then smiling. So adorable!

I cannot get over how cute this family is. I mean seriously! I just kept clickin' my shutter away while they kept giving me one cute Christmas card pose after another!

We had to try hard to make this shot, but we got it. No broken baby bones in the process...

Such a SWEET little face!

...and so handsome!

Now that we are officially fb friends, I can't wait to see photos of these two as they grow up. I can just picture them being the best of friends when they are cute little toddlers.

And by the end of the shoot, after just a little fussing, they both drifted off to sleep.

Thanks again Mackey family! I had such a great time, and I completely adore your beautiful family!

Until next time...

Happily Ever After

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to do a family photoshoot for a few friends. Nabil and I went to college with both Danny and Erin, and now they have been married for just over two years. I really like shooting engagement photos, but it was a good change of pace to shoot a couple that has been married for a little while. For one, they laughed harder at my (at times slightly inappropriate) marriage jokes. Instead of a "haha, we have to laugh at this but I really don't think it's that funny", I got more of a "HAHA, isn't that the truth"! Needless to say, we all had a good time traipsing about in the chilly, fall weather.

Becuase we are in Oregon, the winter weather is completely unpridictable. The first day that I met up with Danny and Erin it was cold, rainy, and muddy. They were troopers though and we all headed out to brave the weather. ...with a cute clear umbrella for some protection.

We got some great photos, but I wanted to come back when the weather was dry (or at least, not raining) so that we could have a little easier time milling around. So, I came back the next weekend and we got a few more.

I love this area where Danny and Erin live. I mean, you really can't beat that view. ...and those gorgeous, fall colors!

And where else can you find stacks or wine barrels that are being actively used for fermentation?! ...not to mention the cute couple standing in front of them. I love this sequence. Two years in the bag, and still giving cute little Eskimo kisses. ...I hope that term is still PC. :)

Thanks so much Danny and Erin for letting me photograph you and the pups. I had such a great time in such a gorgeous area.

Until next time...