I had been looking for a large piece of art to fill up some space on one of my apartment walls. I loved the idea of using my photography (makes it more personal), but wanted something unique rather than just another framed piece. The style in my living room is rustic/modern (yes, that's probably an oxymoron), and I'm on a budget. The solution I came up with was a print transfer onto a large piece of wood. I decided to use a photo I took on a trip to New Zealand last year. In order for the transfer to work, I needed to print the picture out using a laser printer. The largest laser prints I could get (for a good price) were 11 x 17, so I quartered the photo and bought a 22 x 34 piece of wood at Lowes. I then spread a gel medium over the wood, laid the prints face down, and let it dry over night. In the morning, I wet the backs of the prints using water and a rag, and scrubbed the paper off. It took about two hours to get it all and my fingers were sore for two days, but it was worth it! I love the way the piece turned out. Since then, I've been fine tuning the process, practicing on family portraits (happy anniversary mom and dad!) - This is definitely something I'll be offering in the future! 

It's taken me a long time to post these photos! This summer has been incredibly busy, but with lots of fun stuff going on. One of the best weeks was when my cousin, Emily, and her growing little family came in town! 

Baby Grace was born a few months after I left California, so this was my first time meeting her. And she got to meet the whole Dallas clan - the first of many visits! I wish we had more time for photo shoots, but there were lots of family members to meet. I don't think she was in the same person's arms longer than 10 minutes before being passed to (grabbed by) someone else for the entire 10 day stay. This might have been the only time she wasn't being held, come to think of it. It didn't seem to bother her though. She is such a doll!