giveaway: urban outfitters!

guess what!? just because fall is my favorite time of year, we've got another giveaway for you today!

today, elizabeth from the bradleys is giving away a $30 gift card to urban outfitters! just in time to cozy up your wardrobe for the chill in the air. thanks, elizabeth!

to enter: 

must be a follower of young people in love

then, hop over to the bradleys and follow their cute blog and tell me in your comment that you did so :) 

gooooood luck, friends!

giveaway: trama textiles

as an art therapist, this post holds a special place in my heart.
sky is here to tell you all a little of the amazing background story behind today's giveaway.

 

Hi. My name is Sky, and I live in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. 

I consider myself a storyteller. One of the beautiful things about living in Quetzaltenango is the process

of getting immersed in the spirit and culture of the city and finding myself slowly getting woven into

the fabric of life here. I could show you the market, or Parque Central, or where I work, but the things I

really love and the things that make me feel at home are often less visible to the typical tourist.

One of my favorite organizations is a worker-owned weaving association located just a few blocks from our Central Park. TRAMA textiles is made up of 400 women that originate from 17 different

groups of weavers located in 5 districts in the highlands of Guatemala. In each Mayan group, the weaving and patterns have ancient meanings and ethnic expressions. With each pass of the thread on the loom and every garment worn, a silent story is told and retold. However, for many of these women, their stories are being rewritten, as many come from

backgrounds of domestic violence.

The goal of TRAMA textiles is to provide women with the tools they need to preserve tradition while making their goods marketable both locally and internationally. Dignity, well-being, and the ethnic expression of its associates remain the highest priority. Additionally, TRAMA houses a weaving school that allows visitors an authentic experience with the culture and process of weaving.

One of my favorite items at TRAMA is their makeup bags and coin purses. I use both daily and love not only the quality and design, but what they represent. I have two sets to giveaway. 

>>>

to win one of the two sets of makeup bags: 

you must be a follower of young people in love 

then just visit TRAMA’s Etsy site and comment, telling me what your favorite item is! 

good luck!

>>>

*For those who do not win, Know that by supporting TRAMA, you are becoming a part of a bigger story- one of preservation and creation and redemption.

(all photos were taken by the talent and sought after Ivan Castro.)

new film and a holiday special!

this family was all kinds of silly! this new film comes complete with fake mustaches and a wild dance party! and yes- that is an 18 month-old who knows every move to gangnam style.

we also just announced on our facebook page a very special, limited time offer for the holidays!
check it out here!

 >>>

p.s. we can't thank you all enough for your kind and sincere comments about our little films! your encouragement and enthusiasm really means so much to us. we love doing this together and love knowing that people can enjoy our work! THANK YOU.

this is my life

our little bungry (our nickname for hero) is getting to be so much fun! i see these pictures and it's kinda hard to believe that she's alllll mine! she's looking like chas more and more but still has my block head :)

a few people have told me that 4-6 months is their favorite baby age and i can totally see why. it seems like every day she learns something new and her cuteness shoots through the roof.

like lately, she's been doing this little cough. super fake and super dramatic. smiling the whole time.

and then yesterday, i look over at her and she's almost completely rolled over!

right now, she's squealing with delight at the toys dangling above her in her "jungle gym."

i know this stage will be gone way too quickly so we're trying to soak up every bit of her goodness. and there's a lot of that to soak up so we're definitely keeping busy.

>>>

in other news, we woke up to snow today! crazy utah.

this new film has a special place in our hearts

this is my uncle, tom. he met my aunt, virginia, on a new york train recently after she'd been divorced. and, just like that, he went from being a single guy living in nyc to a father of six living in utah. he's a wonderful man: a loving husband, an amazing artist (teaches at the u of u), and a great dad.

we were so honored to get to film this night of love and celebration.

>>>

and, if you haven't already, we'd really appreciate it if you took a moment and liked our new little business, kelly arts: films, on facebook.

xoxo

guest post: the bradley's & fall trends

today we have elizabeth from the bradley's to give us the inside scoop on her fave fall trends! 

 

Source

Here we are mid October already!! 

And yet I am still getting into the autumn groove, preparing for our move

to a much colder climate ( Scotland). 

I haven't purchased much for fall or winter, but have been eying several trends that are 

somewhat modest and yet versatile and stylish.

Fall is lovely as the weather hasn't reached cold cold,

instead there is just the beginnings of what's to come.

Despite the drop in temperature, I prefer snuggling up in a warm blanket 

and drinking hot cocoa over wearing shorts.

( which I don't look too lovely in...)

Tartan is a trend I am enjoying, not only because we are moving to the

land of tartan, but because it embodies warmth and friendliness. 

Flannel also has these characteristics, especially now that we are past the 90s flannel look

( which was super baggy and unflattering)

Apparently Western and baroque are popular this fall,

both of which include lots of detail.

My daughter loves details and accessories, 

especially lace. 

She's getting excited for our move to a colder place and can't wait

to don her beret.

It's fun being girls....especially during the holiday season!

What are some of the fall trends you are enjoying?

new film! the hammer family (cuteness and more cuteness)

we just love how this little film ended up coming together! so fun to see our sometimes silly ideas actually turn out!

and this family? out of control adorable.
and don't even get me started on their pup.

have a wonderful weekend, friends.

new film! michael and jenny's wedding

we just looooved all the beautiful details from this wedding! and can you even believe her dress?! so fun to be able to capture it all :)

 for all the newest updates on recent shoots, like us on facebook here!

busy

last weekend was craz-ay busy! a wedding/reception shoot, an afternoon tea party with friends, a family shoot, and church.

last night, i finished editing the wedding footage and today we're wrapping up the edit on the cutest little family shoot ever. we're talking off the charts cuteness.

here are two sneak peaks from both films coming soon!

rainy

today we are out shooting a beautiful wedding in the rain! i secretly wished it had rain/snowed when chas i got married. something about wet pavement and brightly-colored umbrellas that make everything seem even more special.

have a great weekend!

4 months

at 4 months hero...

had her first huge laughing session (and we're still watching the video of it almost daily).

is just learning how to use her hands and grab for things.

does a really good job of sitting in her bumbo while we eat dinner all together.

spits out drool allllll. the. time.

loves to lie on the couch and do her awesome screaming talking to herself.

is growing way too quickly out of her size 1 diapers.

met her closest-in-age cousin, fiona (just three weeks apart!).

scooches around in her crib at night. sometimes, when we come in in the morning, she's done a complete 180 turn. (how does she do that!?)

love her like crazy.

on facebook

things are moving full steam ahead with our little videography business, kelly arts: films!

this morning, i ordered business cards and made an official facebook page. hooray!
for all the latest videos, updates on shoots, and sneak peaks, be sure to like us on facebook :)

>>>

and p.s.

sorry i'm not sorry if all i post nowadays is about this new venture. honestly, having this project to be working on is so, so good for me. being a mom is great and i love it more than i could ever imagine but the days at home can feel long and no longer working at a job can feel...well, not like me. but ever since chas and i decided to really do this whole business thing, i'm feeling excited, complete, and fully satisfied with life.

it's like i've got the mommy side of me who's in love with hero, the wife side of me who's in love with chas, and the just sam side of me who's in love with being creative and working hard to produce a new kind of art.

so, as a new mom, i don't have to feel like i've somehow lost myself or the person i used to be is simply swallowed up in a mommy to-do list.

working and making art. i highly recommend it.

the good and the not so good

the good: 

been busy editing some still photos from past kelly arts: films shoots and i just love this one! so sweet and perfect.

we stayed home all weekend and listened to our church's general conference sessions. such amazing messages. after a particular talk about losing loved ones, chas and i both had a good, bitter sweet cry as we thought about the tragedy of dear bryce.

after conference was over, i resolved (for likely the 200th time) to love myself and others more. i'm sick of allowing myself to indulge in negative thoughts towards myself and being critical of those around me. i'm praying to be able to do better.

hero is just on the brink of learning how to control her arms/hands and grasp onto things. it's so much fun to watch her concentrate so intently on trying to reach out and hold toys.

i'm looking forward to a reunion of friends this weekend. we're gonna get our fancy pants on and have high tea downtown.

we're pretty much all booked up for the month of october with kelly arts: films! 6 shoots in the next few weeks including 1 wedding! hooray!

the not so good: 

our car wouldn't start yesterday morning. we ended up having to buy a new battery...and wipers...and headlights. sheesh. (but glad it wasn't anything suuuuper expensive to fix!)

my wallet has completely disappeared. really weird. really annoying. just to be safe, i've already cancelled all my cards but am praying my guts out that it will turn up.

hero had a hard day yesterday. spit up all over her clothes three times and then somehow peeped through a brand new diaper, all up her back, immediately after i finished changing her and putting her in a fresh outfit. and, for some reason, she wasn't taking her usual awesome-long naps. glad we made it through. silly girl.

>>>

it's nice knowing that there's more good than not :)

crack up

after dinner tonight, this totally came out of nowhere! but boy, are we glad it did!

she's done little giggles before but this is the first real laughing sesh! i'm not sure my heart has ever felt more happy :)

happy 4 months!

i can't even believe how much i love her.

larsen family film

my cousin, amanda, came up to the cabin last weekend and had us film a little family portrait for her. this one was especially fun because there's a surprise ending! 

underwater faves

i've been editing some still photos from our underwater save-the-date shoot!

man, we had so much fun doing this film!

at the cabin

we spent the weekend up at my family's cabin. it's the most wonderous place in all the world. especially in the fall!

as we were taking a little family walk on saturday afternoon, soaking in all the dreamy autumn colors and the absolutely perfect weather, it suddenly started to rain. and, just like that, the whole experience became even more unbelievably magical. one of those life moments where you just want to freeze time and live it again, and again, and again.

before we left on sunday, we had to take advantage of the most beautiful backdrop of golden leaves you've ever seen and snap a few family photos.

i loved every single thing about this weekend and am a little sad it's over.
but if hero never grows out of that pink bear hunter hat, i wouldn't be sad. not one bit.