Why I Love Moo

I've blogged about how I love the paper products from Moo before - but this time it's really love. Or addiction. I'll let you be the judge. Please disregard the fact that I have bought almost everything they make. It's not a problem - I can stop any time I want!

First there were the mini business cards. And yep, they were pretty darn cute.

Then I graduated to their rounded corner business cards. One thing I love about Moo is their Printfinity technology - I can have a different image on each card if I want to. This makes for great conversations with people as they try to choose their favorite image.

And that goes for their stickers, also.

And I got some logo stickers, too. (That faded effect was on purpose - I wanted four different levels of strength in my logo, just for fun and to see what it would look like.)

Plus some address labels - why not?

And some of their gorgeous postcards - easily my favorite product of theirs. I love that the front and back are completely customizable. 

Those postcards sure do look good in a gold envelope with one of my stickers on them!

Or, maybe a silver envelope too - why not?

So, in short, if you have some printing in your future, I highly recommend Moo.

*Oh, and until February 10 you can get 10% off all printed products, just use the code MOOPRINTJAN.*

Christmas/Hanukkah Session

So I never shared these with you in 2011 (too much going on at the time), but my mother and her boyfriend Bruce asked me for some pictures for their annual holiday card.

Of course, I was all too happy to oblige. Evan came along as my assistant, and I honestly don't know if I'd ever use him again. That boy has a lot of sass! And he always wanted to hold the reflector in the wrong place. (Just kidding. I'd use him again. He comes at a good price. :) )

We started things off inside the house, and then we moved them outdoors.

Don't they look so sweet together?

Then we brought out the holiday decorations, and all bets were off! I'm pretty sure that's a Christmas tree skirt on Bruce's head and then later around my mom's neck. But what can I say? It looked good.

Then we brought a menorah into the mix just so no one would feel left out.

After that, we got a shot of Bruce looking a little more serious, potentially as an author shot for the next version of his book when it gets published.

Thanks guys! It was a fun shoot. I'll put you on my calendar for next year!

January Desktop Photo

New Year's Resolutions, take that! I've at least begun scratching one off the list - my monthly desktop photo. It's all yours to paste onto any computer desktop you like. Please restrict your use to personal stuff, though - I'd appreciate it. (I.e., don't sell the image as your own, fairly straightforward, but sometimes it needs to be said.)

To get the larger image, click on the photo, then right click to save the image, then follow whatever steps you normally would to make the image your desktop background.

Hope you enjoy! I personally never get tired of looking at the Bay Bridge.

(If you have any questions about how to accomplish this, put them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer helpfully. Or I'll enlist Evan to help, since he's a technology guru.)

Looking Back - 2011 Top Ten

Finally, the top ten of 2011 are here!

Drumroll, please . . . .

Man! It was so hard narrowing it down to ten. I started at 25, and then it was like killing my children to get the number any lower. But I had promised myself 10, and so I did it!

Happy Saturday, everyone.

*Don't forget, you can get a print of any of these at a very reasonable price by clicking Buy Print under the image you want. You can choose your size, and I'll optimize the file for print with Fotomoto, no watermark included.*

Looking Back - 2011 Pets and Other Animals

It's no secret that I love shooting animals.

Wait, that came out a bit wrong.

As a card-carrying vegetarian (yes, I have a card. Ask me to see it some time . . .) I feel like I'm almost obligated to tell the story of our furred and feathered friends. Well, yeah, maybe. Mostly I just find animals fascinating and just so darn photogenic I can't help myself.

Yes, about 50% of these are just shots of my own cats. What can I say? They're just so stinking cute and I'm only human. The other 50% are shelter cats, some random animals I found on my travels (I'm talking about you, Squiggles!), some wild animals from zoos, safari parks and such . . . .

Whatever their provenance, thanks to the animals for always reminding me what's important: food, a warm bed, a good nap, and looking good. :)

Mouseover the image to see it in color.

Come back tomorrow to see my top ten images of 2011 (non-person and non-animal). Before you see them if you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them. As always, thanks for your feedback and support!