In Style with Christan P Photography

What do you get when you combine an incredibly talented photographer, an adorable couple, and Frenchie & Flea?

A ton of F-U-N...and total creative amazingness!

Remember how we have been incessantly discussing how pumped we are for 2010?
OK well this is one of the BIGGEST reasons.
We're plunging right into a whole new sector of style as we have completed our first official photo styling session with Christan P Photography & his fabulous clients, Travis + Miranda.

So, let us give you a teaser and talk to you a little about what went down this fun day!

First, meet Christan of Christan P Photography:

We're here to vouch for the fact that he is as awesome as he looks -- it's true!
Oh, and we should clarify that while his name looks like it's Christian it's actually Chris-tan (Kristin if you're writing his name on a cup at Starbucks)

This Converse-clad photographer can be summed up in three words: happy, genuine, and hilarious. When shooting with Christan, you are guaranteed more laughter than you can imagine AND incredible photos as a result...he just completely gets his clients.

California based but more than willing to travel, Christan is an insanely talented catch for your big day!

Now, Meet Travis + Miranda
We were tickled (to say the least) to find out that Miranda was a big fan of Frenchie & Flea! She has to be the epitome of fabulous, and we have never been so flattered by anyone in our life than when we met her. We knew instantly that she and her adorable fiance, Travis, were going to be a a joy to spend the afternoon with...their love and excitement was so fun to witness!

We teamed up with Christan to style the engagement shoot for this totally awesome couple. Here are some of the shots from that day:

With an F&F original handmade burlap back drop for a fun photo booth feel, Travis & Miranda literally jumped in front of the camera and were ready to rock without any direction.

As their little entourage of 1 photographer + 2 photo stylists looked on, I'm pretty sure they didn't even notice that we were there.
It was pretty freaking precious!

As it turns out, Travis proposed to his bride-to-be while having a picnic at Disneyland.
Sort of ideal to bring that back to their engagement session.

Christan, Travis, and Miranda...
you ROCKED!
Thank you for letting us step in and style your session...it was a great afternoon and we just loved coming along for the ride!

Visit Christan and let him know what you thought of the sesssion!

F&F photo styling & custom photo backdrops will be available to photographers and couples alike in 2010!

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Christmas Traditions Part II

Hello! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed some time off of work and fun with your families and friends! I cannot BELIEVE it's almost 2010...can you? Alas I am feeling inspired and motivated and totally energized for the new year to come. Stay tuned for some BIG things from F&F! I honestly cannot wait!

{image from here}

In the spirit of Allegras last post, I (Emily) thought I would share a little about the new Christmas traditions we made this year in my family. It was a daunting holiday season as a newlywed, to say the least. Sharing time with two families seemed nearly impossible and, to be quite frank, didn't really excite me. Anxious and stressed that my quarter century of Christmas traditions would be ruined this year, the hus and I began the dreaded task of planning our double-holiday. In the end, even though both of our individual traditions may have been reinvented, altered, or even left out, our NEW traditions proved to be equally (if not more) special and memorable.

New Tradition #1: "Christmas Adam" and As Seen on TV + Gourmet TV Dinners!

Yes, my sisters and I coined the term Christmas Adam (the day before Christmas Eve) a LONG time ago when we thought the biblical reference to Adam and Eve was oh-so-clever. But it stuck, and December 23rd has forever been Christmas Adam in our family. Usually this day is filled with baking and wrapping and last minute decorating...and of course my dad's amazing cooking. THIS year, we decided to throw a crazy spin on Christmas Adam. We turned it into an As Seen On TV gift exchange and gourmet TV Dinner night! Everyone had to purchase a gift that had the official "as seen on tv" logo on the packaging. After the exchange we watched EVERY SINGLE infomercial on YouTube to judge who's gift earned the best and CHEESIEST infomercial award. It was hilarious! Then we dined on Salisbury Steak, green beans and mac & cheese, all compliments of my dad's fantastic chef-skills. It was like 1950's Swansons Dinners done gourmet!

This is one of the goodies I came home with:

New Tradition #2: Christmas Eve Pedicures & Starbucks Date - NO BOYS ALLOWED!

{image from here}

With the addition of two guys who married into my family this year, the three-girl sister dynamic has definitely changed. In order to preserve some precious alone time and girls-only bonding, my sister Aly gifted us a pedicure and coffee date for Christmas Eve. She handed out matching candy cane flip flops from Old Navy and handmade gift certificates for our date to be had on Christmas Eve Day. This was one of my favorite gifts of all this year and the time with my mom and sisters was incredibly special to me!

New Spin on an Old Tradition #3: TisBest Charity Gift Cards from the "Philanthropy Phairy"

My family has always given back each holiday season...I'm sure you remember my post awhile back on the memories I have growing up of giving to others at Christmas. Well this year my dad found the greatest idea ever to carry on this tradition: TisBest Charity Gift Cards! He purchased a gift card for each of us, and just like any other retail gift card, we get to "shop" with any charity we like and "purchase" our donation with it! It's completely personalized and fun and really allowed each of us to choose a cause we connect with. I am LOVING this idea for future gift giving (year round!)!


Well, those were just a few of the new traditions my family created this year that I hope we carry on in the years to come. All in all, it was a lovely Christmas filled with laughter, joy, and family...and that is all I could ever ask for. I hope you enjoyed your holiday traditions this year, both old and new!

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Traditions Part I

It's a common story really but mine just the same.

I (Allegra) grew up in a broken home.
Broken homes mean there is a lot of opportunity to feel and be different from your friends.
You spend half your life in one place and the other half in another.
One thing that my parents didn't allow us to feel different in though was
Christmas.

However the story goes,
this one is just mine.
Christmas always began on December 23rd.
While other kids waited another 24 hrs until they could hardly sleep
I could hardly sleep on my first of two Christmas Eves.

After a horse drawn carriage ride through a local neighborhood to see Christmas lights while sipping on hot cider and chasing Santa in the sky,
we'd lay our cookies out and anxiously await Santa's visit.

Santa was always so magical.
He would leave signs of his visit in cookie crumbs, reindeer prints in the front yard, or even notes.
He never let us down.Our handmade stockings hanging from the mantle would be filled (semi-regrettably) with tangerines and walnuts and then the presents would begin.
While Chicken-Apple Sausage and Scrambled eggs cooked themselves ;) we'd one by one open each gift just as we'd asked Santa for:
rollerblades or down jackets or new shoes.

I admit-we were spoiled.

Interruptions were welcome only when Grandma would arrive.
As tradition has it: she'd come with modern-vintage Coca-Cola bottles and the announcement that there was a candy cane tree ready to be tackled!You see, the candy cane tree is something dear to me.
Every year the tree down the street would be covered in candy canes.
My siblings and I would line up at the front door and race to the tree and see who would win by pulling down the most candy canes.
(I think I lost every year)

With wrapping paper filling garbage bags and happy kids playing with their new loot,
we'd begin the hard part...
wrapping up Part 1 and packing to fly to Part 2.
While the afternoon always held lunch at a local landmark
and a candlelight service all together
it was at the moment the flames were blown out that the tears would come.
Goodbyes were never easy.
Despite the fact that we'd always have to say goodbye from an airport terminal,
we were blessed.
Parents who didn't claim Christmas as "theirs".
Parents who bent the rules so we never had to miss out.
This is how it should be.
It's not about a specific day.
It's about when you can be a family.

What traditions resound in your heart?
{click images for source}

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Santa's Sweets

Santa has a long night ahead!

Maybe Santa has had a long December!
Start Santa's Christmas right with a few sweet treats.
What will your kids be serving?Does your Santa need some spoiling?!

{Peppermint Meringues with Chocolate Fill}

Traditional Santa? No shame in that!

{Gingerbread Snowflakes}

Perhaps Santa could use an early latte or a late decaf iced latte...

{Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies}

All I know is that being Santa is actually looking pretty tasty to me!

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Renegade Craft Fair

This is where I want to go this weekend....

If you live in the Bay Area and want more info, click here.

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Product Photography & Business Branding

You may remember way back in October we had a Custom Styling Giveaway!

It was a great opportunity for Etsy store owners who wanted a makeover to enter to win this:

Etsy Store Custom Stylizing Package!
1- Creative Evaluation & Consultation for your custom design - worth $25.00

1- Custom Designed Shop Header - worth $50.00
1- Custom Designed Favicon - worth $20.00

1- Photo styling for 3 products (feature images). You will receive 3-5 low resolution images for web only of each of your 3 products - worth $65.00

1 - Custom Designed Logo High-Resolution Jpeg (and all rights) PLUS Print-Ready Business Card File - worth $300

&
FREE Promotion of your ReVamped Store or Blog + Featuring of your store products after F&F Styling on F&F's Blog and/or Etsy Shop.

Well Ashley, the owner of Knots by Ashley, was the winner! We actually completed her store's makeover awhile back, and we're finally sharing it with you all!

We've said it before, and we'll say it again--
how you market yourself can truly make your business more successful!

Ashley's store was amazing even before we touched it and we knew it would be FUN to style and photograph her fantastic handmade creations! We collaborated with her to enhance a business she has worked diligently to build.
We just adore working alongside clients and offering creative branding and marketing ideas to help them showcase their craftsmanship in it's best light. It's our passion to bring fluidity to a clients vision. We LOVE helping other crafters and creators achieve success!

Here was Ashley's store before.

After talking with Ashley and discovering she loves jewel tones we developed a color scheme and were able to put together a comprehensive design for her shop. We played with fabric textures and emphasized the knots in her name with her new logo and banner.

Ashley's Etsy Store After F&F

In addition to a new logo, we were able to style some of Ashley's amazing knit products and enhance them with high resolution photos.

Ashley's Slouch Hat Before

Ashley's Slouch Hat After F&F
While it's generally true that you can't judge a book by it's cover, a cover is all you get in the internet world! Quality photography can get you solid recognition from sources such as Etsy's front page listings and popular blogs.

Ashley's makeover ended up achieving exactly this kind of success at Oh Hello Friend!
Recognize the photo at the bottom right?! It's Ashley's from F&F's Product Styling Shoot! Her newly styled and photographed creation was featured in Oh Hello's Holiday Shopping Guide!!!

General Photography Tips:

1. Use High Resolution for the Best Quality!
Don't skimp on this especially if you are charging a lot for your products. A bad photo won't sell an expensive product!

2. Take Your Photos in Great Lighting & Stay Consistent

Try to take your pictures at the same time of day (preferably utilizing natural sunlight) and against the same background. This gives your shop a more cohesive and consistent feel and allows the customer to easily navigate through your items and focus on your product! If you have a hard time with lighting, here is a great tutorial on how to build your own light box!

3. Capture DETAILS

Remember that customers do not get to hold or touch your item when they are shopping online. All they have are your photographs to help them make a choice, so make sure you highlight all the unique angles, textures, colors and size of your items as accurately as possible.

4. Highlight your Items Versatility
Showing how many different ways an item can be used lets a buyer know the product is a great investment!

5. Use People vs. Mannequins when You Can

This gives a photo life, personal perspective, appropriate scale, suggests different ways to wear the product and enhances the overall quality. Ask a friend to come over and model for you and offer an item of their choice in exchange for their time.

Another Sample...
Ashley's Blair Bow Headband Before

...and now...

Ashley's Blair Bow Headband After F&FWe enjoyed working with Ashley and just loved her products so much we recently shared them with you in our Handmade Holiday Giveaway!

***

Have you wanted to style your store to enhance your brand and grow your business? F&F is ready to help! We can start small as we know these things are an investment.

So as the shopping season winds down and a slower recovery season winds up, start dreaming of where you want your business to go in the New Year and what need to do in order to accomplish your goals.

Big things continue to develop here at F&F and we look forward to sharing with you some exciting new things in 2010!

*Want information on Marketing, Branding, and Store Restyling now? Email us by clicking our Email Us button to the right!*

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D*LSH Invite Suite

Seriously swooning today of this invitation suite created by the amazingly talented duo over at D*LSH Studio. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiigh....

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White Christmas.

I'm dreaming of...

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May your days be MERRY and BRIGHT!

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A WINNER + We Are So Thankful...

And the Winner of The Urchiness' $20 Gift Certificate is...#5 Julia A!

Julia, please contact Brie through her store
Thank you, Brie for your generosity and for sharing your talent!!
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

What a wonderful week!
Having the opportunity work with Brie, complete some special orders for clients, and talk to so many of you through our blog...
As we get closer and closer to saying goodbye to 2009 we can't help but wish it would stay a little longer.

This has been an amazing year.
In April we, we two little friendlies in our corners of California, started our little dream.
After countless pennies were cast into fountains, we realized wishing wasn't going to make it happen, channeling Nike and just doing it was.
2009 has been incredible!

We have met, both virtually and live, so many amazing followers, encouragers, and supporters.
We have had our friends & family cheer us on and come to us for our styling services which only motivated us.
We have YOU that comes and says hello every day, or at least checks in to read.

Now, here we are, a few days away from putting our shop on hold so we can quiet down for the last week before Christmas and we're at 91 sales.
91 SALES?!
We did little happy dances yesterday about that
(think Drew Barrymore & Adam Sandler a la 50 First Dates)Well friends, to celebrate how CLOSE we are to hitting the big hundo
we're offering FREE SHIPPING on our Spread Some Cheer Winter Cards AND Discounted the price!
We love you guys.
I mean, lets be honest, there'd be no F&F if there were no YOU!
We hope you know that!
This is an amazing ride and we cannot WAIT to tell you what 2010 holds!

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