Late in February I helped host a Team in Training fundraiser for my friends Alec and Cori (also one of my fabulous wedding couples from last year!) – and it was so much fun! We did little mini-shoots to raise money for the cause. Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who came out and support us!!

Here are a few samples from the day:

I normally do cute paper with simple bows, but this year I was feeling crafty after seeing this post from the Style Me Pretty blog http://www.stylemepretty.com/2009/12/16/gift-wrapping-inspiration-from-grey-likes-weddings/ (which is a repost from a blog I now know and love, Grey Likes Weddings: http://greylikesweddings.wordpress.com)

I’m in Texas, celebrating the holidays with my family. Sunday was my Dad’s birthday, yesterday was spent taking photos of my ADORABLE neice Eden, who just turned 1, and today we’re doing chores…if you could really call package decoration a chore!

I used brown paper, various ribbons, cream thick wool yarn, craft jewels, twine, cinnamon sticks, and leaves I just picked up from the ground and painted to create a vintage feel with just a touch of sparkle. I made the guys’ packages just a touch simpler and more modern. I used an obscene amount of hot glue.

Then I took a few outside for some photos (with my handy Canon G9 point-n-shoot):

Unfortunately, now I do not want to give any of the presents away! I especially love the leaves…they were so simple to make (a coat of shiny acrylic craft paint, followed by a coat of modgepodge crafting glue) I think they would be PERFECT at a place-setting for a fall wedding, pinned in a wreath, or hung individually from the ceiling to look like leaves falling. If you do this…please take photos and send them to me!!