More about these wonderful dancers later…but for now… a slideshow!
THE SHOPPE on ETSY
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{what is THE SHOPPE?} A place that is fun and relaxed. A place full of inspiration and creativity. A place you will want to visit over and over again.
{how did THE SHOPPE come to be?} Really, we owe it all to Starbucks and a chance meeting. I (Amie) was sitting in the corner table with a prospective bride when I overheard the woman next to me talking to someone about wedding flowers. Now, I'm not usually one to just walk up and introduce myself to a total stanger, but I did anyway that night. That was the first time I met Jen from Bella Donna's Custom Floral Design. She invited me to her upcoming open house, I invited her to come have her daughters pictures taken... and so began a friendship. Fast forward two years and one day Jen mentioned that she'd like to find a baker to work with and I knew Brian was the one. We took him to lunch... he thought it over...and after we batted our eyes a bit he joined in the fun. So, for the last year we have been operating under the title of "The Designer Alley", but that name isn't quite "us". And since we always call our little place "the shop", and we are a bit old fashioned at heart, it seemed like "The Shoppe" would fit us just right.
{what does THE SHOPPE offer?} We are a one stop shop for weddings, birthdays, or gift giving. We offer the finest in modern floral arrangements from BLOOM (formally Bella Donna's), contemporary photography by BELLA VITA, charming cakes by THE CAKE GUY, as well as custom invitations, paper products and gift baskets. Visit our websites online by clicking on the website link above, or stop by and say hello Tuesday-Friday from 10am-5pm. THE SHOPPE is located at 710 North 10th Avenue in Hanford, CA. 559.582.2376
More about these wonderful dancers later…but for now… a slideshow!
I am so fortunate to have an amazing group of friends. I was given such a great gift in the form of a wonderful party in honor of my 40th birthday. My partners in crime (Jenn and Amie) did a fantastic job putting this together for me. (I may have micromanaged a little). The “Evening in the Garden” as it came to be known, took place at the Hanford Carnegie Museum in their beautiful backyard garden. If you ever are in need of a great event space this would be the place. Many thanks to all those who helped make this evening so fantastic. A special thank you to my friend Terri for the divine food, to Johnny Q a phenominal DJ and to the folks at the Hanford Carnegie Museum for their generosity.

A nice area for my friends to chillax…


They made me make my own cake and it was fantastic…
Jenn was a fabulous bartender!


first of all let me start out by saying that a 2 star hotel on Hotwire is not somewhere you want to be. That being said our non-sleeping time in SLO was fabulous. As with any roadtrip you can never have too much shopping or eating. Our day started out with coffee and several pastries.
rough night…cool ride
We had lunch at a great contemporary bistro called Novo. We dined on the back patio overlooking the creek. If you ever find yourself in SLO on a Sunday, they offer a wonderful brunch.
During our shopping misadventures we ran across this unique paper store called Paper Sky. Lots of different things.

No day in SLO would be complete without a visit to the House of Bread, Great Harvest eat your heart out. This place is tops.
They grow up soooo fast! I still have high hopes of taking some more pics of him, but I snapped these while on a quick road trip up to Squaw Valley two weeks ago.
Of all my kids, Micah is the one that shows genuine interest in the taking pictures. He’s always asking if he can take a pic… so I let him! Of course, he can’t quite reach the focusing button yet
The next time you are trying to figure out what to wear in your portrait session… take a look at the Usher’s pictures! Jackie chose bright, vibrant colors for her family and it really added some punch to their images. It also helps to show what your personalities are like! Everyone wearing white or black is okay, but look how fun these are!
If you aren’t comfortable making a big statement with a lot of color… then choose clothes that blend into your background. White on white, brown on brown, pink on pink… monocromatic choices like this really bring attention to your face {and hopefully, your killer smile!} Colors that match the environment work, too.
If you don’t know what to put your kids in just bring a few things with you and we can choose clothes based on the props you’d like in your pictures.
This past weekend Bloom was honored to contribute flowers to a fundraiser for Family Services of Tulare! It was located in Springville, in the mountains above Porterville, and the drive was beautiful! If you ever need a place for a slow Sunday drive it would fit the bill. Here are a few pictures of the Japanese inspired floral arrangements and of the grounds.
I grew up with Sophia’s mommy… and a couple of years ago I was there to photographer her wedding! { You can see that post HERE } We had a great time with one month old Sophie… even when she broke in the “new/old” chair. Ha.