holidays + a recent photoshoot

I can't believe Christmas is only a few days away! This has been my busiest season ever, and my first really full business holiday season. It's been a little nuts, and this week I finally got to relax, watch Christmas movies with my family, drink hot chocolate, go to The Grove in LA & Disneyland, write cards to friends, burn yummy smelling candles, and listen to lots of holiday music. All the special holiday festivities that I love so much.

I participated in the Santa Ana Patchwork show last month, where we got rained poured on! I'm now finishing up just two more photoshoots this year, and then I'll be focusing on planning 2015 (also, I can't believe it's going to be 2015. I need a pause button).

Here are a couple favorite photos from my session with a family friend's cute little family. I really love toddlers.

I hope you are all having a lovely December filled with lots of love and fun. 

xo, Michelle

Follow me @maryandluna on your favorite social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. See my art in my Etsy shop or on maryandluna.com. 

if you're interested in a low-rate portfolio-building session with me for you and/or your kids in OC, visit my website or email me! maryandluna@gmail.com

crazy november!

Oh my goodness, November has slipped out of my hands. It has been the busiest month I think I've ever had in my life, both work-wise and personally, and I know my social media has been quiet because of it!

I've been doing several photo sessions and editing those, prepping art for holiday shows, celebrating birthdays & a wedding, mourning the heartbreaking loss of my nearly-16-year-old puppy, babysitting a lot, and basically just operating in survival mode and trying to enjoy all the good moments.

So here's what's happening this weekend: local Patchwork Show + Cyber Monday! Head over to my shop to see what you have your eye on for a discount on Monday :) I'll be adding some new prints before the sale as well.

I promise I'll be more on top of blogging now that this busy busy month is over!

Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving and are starting to feel the holiday magic. I know I already am!

xo, Michelle

Follow me @maryandluna on your favorite social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. See my art in my Etsy shop or on maryandluna.com. 

photoshoot: my little buddies

I've been babysitting these kids since the oldest was 1, and their mom was my babysitter when I was really tiny! I'm so close with them and they are the ones that got me into childhood photography because all the little things they did inspired me so much.

So now they're 5 and 7 and I still play with them a lot, but it was fun to do an official family session with them! Challenging though because they're so comfortable with me and they couldn't really figure out why we were only taking pictures instead of being able to play WITH me and boss me around! :)

Here are my favorites from our time together:

Something I've been thinking about a lot as I build my portfolio is what I want to say with my photography. I'm not trying to change the world with it. I want to capture the spirit of childhood that is so fleeting. The years go by so fast, and if I can capture this moment in their early lives in a storybook, idyllic way, then I think I'll have done what I set out to do.

And now I will go prepare more inventory for my upcoming Patchwork show NEXT WEEK. oh my goodness, so much to do!

xo, Michelle

if you're interested in a low-rate portfolio-building session with me for you and/or your kids in OC, visit my website or email me! maryandluna@gmail.com

Follow me @maryandluna on your favorite social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. See my art in my Etsy shop or on maryandluna.com. 

new painting: alice and the white rabbit

I made this last week, but finally got a chance to post it! I've been so busy preparing for Patchwork Show! Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite stories (and I love children's literature oh-so-much). I recently made a custom Lost Boys painting for my friend Courtney, and I loved the style used for it, so I decided to expand that idea for other literature-inspired pieces. (that means more to come!)

I made up this scene that doesn't exist in the book, but the quote is from the book. I love this quote so so much, it almost makes me cry. I imagine Alice and the White Rabbit having tea together and discussing life :)

It's watercolor and ink, 8x10, and the writing is done in stamps and calligraphy. I loved blending all these different elements that I love to work with, and I'm really happy with how it came out! It's funny how I notice my style ever-evolving; I sometimes worry about my portfolio not being cohesive, but because I love each piece and all of them have similar wistfulness, I don't focus on the worry so much!

I'll add prints of this to my Etsy shop next month, but first I'll be selling prints of it at Patchwork show in just over 2 weeks! Come see me there if you live in the Southern California area :)

xo, Michelle

Follow me @maryandluna on your favorite social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. See my art in my Etsy shop or on maryandluna.com. 

Patchwork show!

Very very exciting news! I will have a booth for Mary and Luna at the Patchwork Show in both Long Beach & Santa Ana, CA this year! It's a really cool event with TONS of vendors, and I was chosen to be one of them!

If you live in the Southern California area, please mark your calendars and come see me! FREE admission. There will be food trucks and handmade goodness galore. Support your local artisans- it's a perfect place for Christmas shopping :)

I'm so happy to have been accepted to this special community of artists and makers! I will now begin preparing like a crazy person.

xo, Michelle