I often get asked where I get my inspiration for some of my setups, and honestly, I get ideas absolutely everywhere.

I love succulents.  If you’ve been to my home, you’ve seen my front porch full of them (in a neat little wooden crate display of course). I love the color, texture, and patterns to them. The fact that they like infrequent watering is also a plus. Many have fallen victim to my lack of horticultural abilities, but I love them none the less.

My absolute favorite backdrop vendor is Baby Dream Backdrops and while browsing through their designs, I came across one called “Grandma’s Porch”. It was white and bright and a bit rustic and had succulents on it. It spoke to my heart. I added it to my wish list but hadn’t purchased it just yet. (Their backdrops are incredible, but they’re an investment and I have to pace myself.)

I also love all things vintage and shabby. (Come on, who doesn’t love “Fixer Upper”? I seriously wish Joana Gaines would ask if *I* had the guts to take on a fixer upper…answer. I do. I just don’t have the funds. Anyone wanna help a gal out?) I was in a private professional photography forum when I heard about a company run by a husband and wife team who took old reclaimed barn wood and made handmade picture frames from them. I’m not talking about little ones either (they do that too), I’m talking about the great big huge portraits that hang over the fireplace, and the groupings that are displayed on the living room wall as a showpiece. The craftsmanship is seriously drool-worthy. I applied to become a customer but they are in such high demand among photographers right now, that I’m on a waitlist until at least 2019. Frustrated, but willing to wait, I browsed their selection of photography props. If I couldn’t start ordering frames, I could at least purchase a new prop. That was several weeks ago, but I knew it would be a while because everything is handmade to order. Today, my handmade crate from Farmhouse Frames arrived. It smells like heaven! It’s perfectly imperfect and has saw marks but has also been sanded so it’s the PERFECT prop for little ones. I might have also purchased a pretty little cream colored knit wrap with it.

Then it happened. One of my favorite newborn prop shops, The Indy Cottage advertised a little succulent headband for baby girls. I had to have it, and that meant I had to have the backdrop that went with it. (Thanks a lot, Carly- I blame you for this….)

My little headband arrived last week, but the UPS man brought my backdrop AND my handmade wooden crate today at the same time. Weird, but it must be a sign, right?

I opened the boxes like kids on Christmas morning and went to work playing. I’m sure my neighbors wondered what on earth the crazy lady was doing bringing some of her plants in and out of the house, putting some back, bringing more in (I just had to test them in the setup).

So, tonight instead of editing or marketing or answering emails (sorry- I promise I’ll do it tomorrow), I’m playing with my new backdrops and props and headbands and succulents. Because that’s a totally normal thing to do.

(Be sure to check my website for more samples of “normal”, lol!)