I'm obsessed with The Coveteur. Like really obsessed. Their book and website are one of my go-tos for inspiration and information. The book gives you a peek inside some fabulous homes and closets while the website expands on that with beauty, fashion, wellness, shopping, and living tips. Go check it out!
At the beginning of the year we took the kids to Grand Cayman for a family vacation. This was our second time visiting what has become a favorite family destination. We stayed at Coral Stone Club on Seven Mile Beach, where we stayed when we came for a company/family trip back in 2014. These condos are perfect for families (there were 6 of us), each with three bedrooms, three baths, full kitchen, and daily housekeeping. It's an intimate property (maybe 40 units) with a private beach just steps from the condos and the pool. We stayed in a ground floor unit next to the pool (pictured above), super convenient for when you need to refill your margarita! Within walking distance there is a grocery store, liquor store, and restaurants. Directly next door to the condos is the Ritz Carlton Hotel and Residences. As with any Ritz they have a great selection of restaurants, and bars, along with a fabulous spa. Which we took advantage of, obviously.
DINING
Duke's Seafood & Rib Shack (casual)
The Bistro (casual fine dining, French Bar & Restaurant, within walking distance of our condo)
Bar Jack (casual, outdoor, located at the Ritz pool)
Blue (fine dining, located at the Ritz)
Morgan's Seafood Restaurant (casual gourmet, located at the Cayman Yacht Club)
Restaurants we wanted to try but didn't get a chance to this time around:
Grand Old House (waterfront dining)
The Wharf (waterfront dining)
DINING RESOURCE
Cayman Good Taste (guide to all the best Cayman Island restaurants and bars)
ACTIVITIES
We mostly spent our time relaxing at the beach but here are a couple of activities we did do:
On our first full day we swam with our new friend, Darwin, at Dolphin Discovery. They have different levels of experiences with the dolphins. We did the Swim Adventure which included a belly ride and boogie push. Coolest experience! We'll definitely be visiting Darwin next time.
Another day we did an all-day private boat charter with Paddle Board Cayman Style. Our crew, Pablo, Lee, and Joel cruised us around the North Sound waters where we snorkeled, visited Sting Ray Island, and Star Fish Point. Right before we stopped for lunch at Kaibo Beach Bar & Grill, Pablo whipped up some conch ceviche with the conch Lee caught while snorkeling. So delicious! It was wild watching Lee crack open the shells and release the meat. I highly recommend chartering a boat even if it's just for a few hours or half the day. It doesn't get any better than experiencing the island with locals. These guys are awesome. I'm sure we'll see them next time too.
I wanted to do a little shopping but never got around to it. Too busy being a beach bum! Haha. I hear Camana Bay has great shopping, and restaurants too. Hopefully next time I'll make it over there.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go plan next year's trip...
Every weekend I sit down and plan my week which seems revolve around food. From deciding what to make for dinner, to going to the grocery store, to making dinner each night... it's like a full-time job! While it does take up a lot of my time, I do it because I want to put fresh, nutritious food on the table. I like to pull from my library of cookbooks, recipes I've torn out of magazines, and of course Pinterest. To keep things simple this week I decided to cook from one of my favorite cookbooks, It's All Good. It's full of recipes that are simple, clean, and have lots of flavor. Here is this week's menu:
Sunday - Steamed Fish with Soy + Spicy Sesame Oil (pg. 137) and Grilled Corn, Korean Style (pg. 158) Steamed fish is so simple to make and so healthy. I should make it more often. Change it up with different seasonings and sides.
Monday - Grilled Salmon with Grilled Lemon Vinaigrette (pg. 143) and Frankies-esque Beet Salad (pg. 155) This was my first time making the salmon with grilled lemon vinaigrette. It was so delicious. I will definitely be making this again. Simple ingredients, lots of flavor. I would have never thought to grill a lemon but this is genius! The beet salad was also delicious. My husband was nervous about it but he loved it.
Tuesday - Easiest Posole (pg. 92) I've made this soup a couple of times. It's really good. I like to make this when it's just me for dinner. It's lighter and on the spicy side. Which is more my style than anyone else in my house. Great leftover too.
Wednesday - Quinoa with Mushrooms + Arugula (pg. 200)
Thursday - Mr. Chow-Style Minced Chicken with Lettuce Leaves (pg. 103)
Friday - Eat out!
If you scroll far enough down my Instagram feed (@camilledeann) you'll see it's no secret that I love Vegas. The last few years I've visited 2or 3 times each year. I'm not a huge gambler, although I do love the slot machines... I just really love the glitz, the glamour, the neon, the history, and the energy of this city. Here's a rundown of my most recent trip.
Hotel: I've stayed at Aria a couple of times in my travels and have always had a wonderful experience. The hotel, the casino, the restaurants, the spa, every square foot of this resort is done very well. It's a bustling place, but too crowded. Some resorts on the strip are too crowded for my taste. This time was our first time staying in the Sky Suites and we loved it. Perks like getting picked up at the airport, private entrance to the resort, and a VIP concierge to make reservations for you are definitely worth it.
Dining: One of my favorite things to do in Vegas is eat and Aria has no shortage of amazing restaurants. They have such a wide variety to suit everyone's taste. On this trip we dined at: Blossom (Chinese) dinner, Jean Georges Steakhouse, appetizer and drinks, Javier's (Mexican) dinner, Bardot (French) brunch, Herringbone (California style coastal cuisine) lunch.
Salon: On my first visit to Vegas I got my hair and makeup done and it's become a must-do every since. I like to get dressed up for dinner and getting my hair curled and makeup done makes me feel extra glamourous. Plus, it's nice to sit in a chair with a glass of champagne and be pampered! The salon at Aria has some very talented stylist and artists who got me all dolled up for the evenings.
Shopping: The Shops at Crystals is connected to Aria and has some fabulous designer stores. Such as Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Gucci, and Valentino to name a few. Chanel (pictured below) can be found at Wynn and Bellagio.
Jewel Nightclub: We weren't planning to go to the club but as we were walking through the casino a club promoter handed us some tickets. We were tired of losing money at the slots so we thought why not? I'm glad we did it. Cool vibe, great music. So much fun.
Show: No trip to Vegas is complete without taking in a show. Elton John happened to be there so we decided to go see him at Caesars Palace. Fantastic show, lot's of energy. A must-see if you catch him when he's there.
*photos taken with an iPhone7
As a photographer it’s fun to look back at your old work and see how much you’ve grown. I started shooting glamour photography four years ago after hearing Sue Bryce speak about modern glamour portraiture at a WPPI U conference here in Atlanta. I couldn’t believe I had never heard of her before. She is an amazing photographer and speaker. Plus, her work is absolutely stunning.
I instantly fell in love with the concept of glamour portraits. As a woman I loved the idea of having hair and makeup done and having beautiful portraits taken. As a photographer I loved that these shoots had a fashion/glamorous feel to them. I soaked up everything she had to say that day. So of course I went home and looked up her website. I think I read through her entire blog that night!
What is so great about her is not only is her work incredible, she shares with others how she creates her beautiful images. From posing tips, to backdrop tutorials, to marketing/sales strategies, she openly shares all of her knowledge. Not only on her website but also on Creative Live.
At the time I was moving away from shooting weddings and wanting to focus on shooting portraits. I was in the process of setting up a studio in my home and re-branding my business. So it was the perfect time to try something new.
I was dying to try out this type of shoot myself. So I asked a few friends to model for me and brought in a hair/makeup artist to pamper them. We had a blast that day. I was hooked. I don’t shoot as much as I used to but when I do, it’s primarily glamour portraits. I think every woman should have beautiful photos of themselves and I grateful to be able to give every client the glamour experience.
Xo,
Camille
Recently I teamed up with my beautiful friend and makeup artist Holly Chastain to do a glamour photo shoot. No particular reason for the shoot, just an excuse for a few creative people to get together and see what they can come up with.
Makeup & Styling: Holly Chastain
Hair: Hannah Chastain
Headbands: Pink Pewter
It’s hard to believe that five years after I created my handmade packaging for my photography business I’m still getting inquires about it. I used to have images and sources listed on an older website but didn’t think to add them to this site until someone messaged me the other day. The graphic designer in me had fun creating and putting all of the elements together. It was a labor of love and I’m happy to share my sources. Hope this inspires someone! (Side note: A few years ago I completely re-branded so I no longer use this logo, packaging, etc.)
Xo,
Camille
Article from Design Aglow Digital Magazine | Issue No. 11 | October 2010
In 2012 I was featured in the Handmade Packaging Workshop book by Rachel Wiles. Great book, full of fabulous packaging tips and ideas.
I was also featured on The Savvy Photographer website in 2011.
Sources:
Kraft boxes and folios: Rice Studio Supply
Custom stamp: stampin.com
Muslin bags: lemelange.com
Brochure interior pages: printed at prodpi.com
Custom DVD labels from mpixpro.com
Paper/Cardstock/Envelopes: paper-papers.com
Twine, lace trim & flowers from Hobby Lobby
Chipboard & screw posts: papergoods.com
Photo Envelopes/Sleeves: mpixpro.com
Tin CD Cases: sks-bottle.com
I'm back. Sort of. Almost two years ago I quit my photography business. I haven't stopped shooting all together but I definitely don't pick up my camera as much as I used to.
That all changed today.
Today I started. I started with fear. I've never done a self-portrait before. Now, let's be honest here, I've done a "selfie" or two (or more...) with my phone but that's just not the same as getting in front of my Nikon. Alone. So weird. Yet fun and challenging at the same time.
I want to get back to why I started shooting to begin with. Which was to be creative, to take beautiful, meaningful images, to push myself, to do more...
"Start now. Start where you are. Start with fear. Start with pain. Start with doubt. Start with hands shaking. Start with voice trembling... but start. Start and don't stop. Start where you are, with what you have. Just... start."
Xoxo,
Camille
