Love...

I was never a fan of couple photo shoots. Posed images of two people who more often than not looked uncomfortable and forced. But since having our little boy, I have come to appreciate how important photos are, not only of us as a family, but of my husband and I together, enjoying each other’s company, doing things we love.

My husband LOVES music. Rock n roll, heavy metal and anything in between, some of which I cringe at but most of which I enjoy or at the very least reminisce on some very fond memories. My love is old and pretty things.

To capture our loves is the very clever Marina, from Marina Locke photography, whose photography manages to bring out all the hidden emotions that exist inside us all. Together we devised the concept, then I set about styling something representative of us for her clever eye to capture.

Here’s a peak at something a little more private and personal.

To see more images from this shoot, visit Marina Locke Photography

A Homemade Valentine's

Valentine's Day... commercial gimmick or romantic opportunity? I'll argue definitely the latter. What's wrong with having a day dedicated to all things romantic, loving and thoughtful. For the single ones... there is the anticipation of potentially receiving an anonymous love note, or attending a cheesy singles party where you may just happen to come across your soul mate. The dating ones...the excitement of what your date will hold. And the coupled/married ones... the enjoyment of reminiscing on times that have past, before getting home to the dishes and washing. Kidding. Our Valentine's Day as a married couple is as special as they were in the beginning, 9 years ago. But with Valentine's Day being on a Tuesday this year, it just doesn't work for us. So we've cheated and rescheduled our Valentine's date to suit.

Having an 8 month old darling little boy and no babysitter in sight, my husband and I decided to create a homemade dinner and movie date, all within ear shot of the little fellow's room and all outdoors, making the most of the glorious weather and beautiful sky. I hope there is a little something inspiring in here for you when deciding how to spoil your loved one.

Dinner included a few of our favourites:
* Assorted cheeses with cabanossi and crackers
* Salmon and creme fraiche blinis
* Prawn and boconcini pizza hearts

For Dessert we had three options:
* Love Nests (pavlova with cream and strawberries and hugs and kisses lollies on the side)
* Layers of Love (triple layer cake)
* Homemade chocolate chip ice cream with mix ins

Nearby to our table was a photo board with a few snaps of some of the year's big events and a vintage suitcase full of memories we have collected over the years to reminisce on. As gifts, we both filled a small red LOVE box with a few special things for each other (the contents of which will remain our little secret!).

As dusk arrived, we ventured over to watch a few of our favourite classic movies beneath the stars in our very own outdoor cinema.

I hope you are planning something grand for your loved/lusted one and if you're not... there's still time! xx