Have you heard of OPAM? It stands for One Project A Month and is a fun little challenge that I've seen some other bloggers doing. I sometimes struggle to complete projects around the house, because there are just so many to work on. So I've decided to join the OPAM excitement. Here's how it works: You pick a project (it can be anything) that you want to complete within a month. Then post before and after pictures on your blog. Simple right?!

If you decide to join me feel free to post a link to your project in my comments. We'll see how this all pans out over time, but for now here's my completed May project. When we moved into our home last year I knew exactly what I wanted to do on one of the large living room walls- a photo wall. Like most of my ideas it seemed easy enough but grew more and more complicated. Oh well, I'm thrilled with the results, so it was worth it!

Tips: 1. If you do a photo wall, make sure you look for frames before you have your images printed. I did it the opposite way. I had 12x12 prints made but couldn't find that size rimless frames anywhere! UGH. After lots of searching I ended up ordering them from this online store. 2. Also, if you are like me and think bigger is always better, go with larger prints. If I did this again I'd have them printed at 20x20 instead of 12x12. The original plan was to hang 9 images, but they just didn't take up enough space. I had to hang 15 to get the look I wanted. Did I mention I'm not very good with math and dimensions?!

Before. I didn't take a before picture, so here's one of some of our friends in front of the big 'ole blank wall right after we moved in.

After.

We're blessed to have some incredibly talented photographer friends, so I wanted to give a little link love to everyone who's art is on our wall:
Top row- jackie blair, audrey habeck, me, me, anderson
Middle row- audrey habeck, anderson, jackie blair, audrey habeck, heather thorne
Bottom row- me, justin lee, beth morgan, me, audrey habeck

Now I'm trying to think of a project for June. There are so many to choose from...:)

Marie and Ryan are hot! Really hot.

We went to high school together, but they didn't date back then. So when Marie told me they were getting married I was surprised! I haven't seen either of them in almost a decade, but as soon as they got out of their car to meet me last week, I remembered one thing about them...they're two of the most effortlessly cool people ever. They both have rock star style and the warmest personalities. Marie is kind and eager to make people feel at ease around her, and Ryan is sweet and funny and a lot more talkative than I remembered!

I got pretty excited when Ryan said he brought his guitar along for some shots. After living with Anderson for a year I'm starting to get the whole "guys and their guitars" thing, so it was really fun! Marie obviously understands too and even posed for a few shots with it. :)

Marie and Ryan, thank you so much for letting me be part of this exciting time with you. I can't wait for your beautiful wedding this summer!

(Not-So) Fun Fact-We were just starting to shoot in an alley when we all smelled something really, really bad. I looked down and realized I had stepped in the biggest pile of crap ever. (That's what happens when you never pay attention to where you're walking!) It was disgusting, and I'm still not convinced that it wasn't human! I tried scrapping it off my shoe in the grass but realized it was useless. The awful smell wasn't going anywhere. Realizing I was out of options, I kicked off my shoes and left them on the side of the street in downtown Jax. Ryan said some homeless person is probably enjoying them now!

I recently shot a bridal glam session with one of my summer brides. As usual, I wanted to post her pictures all over the blog but had a scary thought..."What if the groom decided to be sneaky and checked my website?" Yikes, it would ruin the whole surprise of seeing her in her gown on the big day. I talked with her about it and we decided to hold off on a post until after the wedding, so here's all I can show you for now!

Think you know who she is?!

Oh, and do those fabulous hot pink shoes look familiar? They're the same ones I wore for my wedding last year! I hear this wedding is going to be very similar in style to ours, so I'm really excited to see how it all comes together. Below are a few shots from our wedding. Looking at them makes me smile; a big, cheesy, goofy, happy smile! It was the best day ever. :)

The Florida Bride's Blog is a hot new resource for anyone planning a Florida wedding. It's written by two fabulous event planners, Danielle and Cassandra. The site is full of unique ideas, real wedding stories and incredible vendors. I'm so excited that they featured one of my favorite pink coffee photoart sessions today! Go check it out!

Here's a hint:

I have a mild case of baby fever lately and being around sweet little ones like Bryton really doesn't help! His Aunt Amanda is one of my favorite people to work with, so I was thrilled when she told me her family was coming from New Jersey to visit and wanted to schedule a session. Bryton just turned ONE, so it was perfect timing. He's a precious little guy with gorgeous baby blues and oh-so-squeezable cheeks! Go ahead-look at these shots and tell me you didn't want to reach through the screen and squeeze him. Of course his adorable cousin Caroline (who I think watches America's Next Top Model) was pulled in for a few shots too. The girl is so camera shy. I think her parents really need to work on that with her!!