before you do another thing today (well, perhaps *after* you trim the tree!), jump on
itunes and get this wonderful album…imagine a happy photographer hopping in her office to
*great* holiday tunes…had to wait till after thanksgiving to share, but i've
been listening to it for a week. warmly, -melanie- via A
Little Sussy
one of the things that has me most excited this week is holiday cards…if you'd like to do a new years card, just get in touch with us this week via email (melanie@melaniemauer.com)! i think it's so sweet to put something dear in all the mailboxes of people you adore :) doesn't that little parade of cards you'll get in the coming month make you happy?
you'll need to have had a session/wedding with us that has already been proofed (for new years…but there's always valentines day, too). here's a peek at one for susannah – incorporating a key phrase she uses often :) (the black corners are to indicate that opposite ends will be rounded…a little something to make it more unique) yes, we're out to totally jazz up the holidays and make the mail carriers smile!
there are SO many things we can do with your recent photos + cute paper…
* birthday party invites (so cute you've never seen anything like them for 1 – 101yr olds)
* birth announcements
* communion announcements/invitations
* anniversary parties
* wedding save the dates
* wedding seating charts
* tags for your out of town guest bags
i have such a weakness for pretty paper and love coordinated paper suites…so yes, we can make tags for your gifts that match your holiday cards! next time you need cute paper, think of us! have a wonderful thanksgiving week! warmly, -melanie-
two favorite things to keep me warm and toasty in the wintertime:
a tall, nonfat peppermint mocha and ugg boots!
we'll be out of the office Nov 24-28, melanie will be working on proofs but we'll both be enjoying some extra family time!
happy holidays!
warmly,
laura
we're having such a great time working on your holiday orders…and remembering great sessions from this past year…if you'd like to sneak in an order for a print or gift certificate as a gift, send it this week and we'll get it sent your way. warmly, -melanie-
these look like such a lovely treat…it's being filed in my 'sweets to try' folder (although i'm sure i'll simplify with pumpkin ice cream from the grocer) :)
250 grams butter
125 grams powdered sugar
1 egg
370 grams flour
3 grams salt
2 grams baking powder
3 grams ground ginger
2 grams ground cloves
1 gram ground cinnamon
Egg wash
Sanding sugar
Cream
the butter and the powdered sugar with the paddle attachment. Scrape
the bowl and add the egg. Mix until combined. Combine the flour, salt,
baking powder and spices and add to the mixing bowl. Mix until combined.
Turn
the dough on to your work surface and shape it into a disk. Wrap it in
plastic wrap and flatten it some more. Refrigerate overnight.
Remove
dough from refrigerator and roll to 1/8" thickness. Cut with a square
cookie cutter that is about 3" and place them on a sheetpan lined with
a silicon mat or a piece of parchment paper. Brush the tops of the
cookies with egg wash and sprinkle sanding sugar on top. Bake at 350F
for about 8 minutes. Let the cookies cool before assembling the ice
cream sandwiches.
Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream
450 grams whole milk
100 grams heavy cream
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
170 grams sugar
70 grams egg yolks
200 grams fresh pumpkin puree
Cut
a medium size pumpkin in half. Place on a sheetpan cut side down and
bake at 375F for about 30 minutes or until flesh soft and scoopable.
Measure 200 grams of the pumpkin flesh, puree and set aside.
In
a medium saucepan, heat the milk, heavy cream, half of the sugar and
the spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the
rest of the sugar. When the milk mixture comes to a boil, temper into
the egg yolks and whisk. Return this base to the pan and cook to 82C or
until it coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Strain this custard
through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Mix the pumpkin puree into it
and place the bowl over an ice bath to cool it quickly. Let the ice
cream base rest in the refrigerator overnight.
Churn in ice cream machine and when done, pour into a frozen quarter sheetpan. Freeze until solid.
Cut
ice cream with the same size square cookie cutter used to cut the
gingerbread sugar cookies. Place the ice cream squares between cookies
and serve. via cannelle et vanille
an incredible couple – so in love but also so steady…love can be so intoxicating, it can blur our view of everything except the one we're focused on and yet the sense i got from these two was that it helps sharpen their vision, provides clarity and they walk into this marriage without the feeling of 'falling or stumbling' in love but of walking into it purposefully and with total grace. i think 10 years from now, they'll remark…"how could we have known how beautiful this decision would make our lives?". i'm thankful to have been there on the day their marriage began.
luke had the crowd of guests on rehearsal night in stitches with his retelling of family vacations with his bride-to be's family, and dad had the crowd in tears with his offering of a special momento…a sonogram photo of his daughter that he'd kept in his wallet all these years which he turned over to her groom. to say the two days of events were lovely is such an understatement.
wedding notes:
wonderful planning by uber cute jessica safely
ceremony: st. louis bertrand
rehearsal: truly phenomenal service at the brown hotel led by jeri stewart
shoes: kate spade
dress: carolina herrera
cake: merts cakes by virginia
you know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. [dr. suess]
