. studio open house .

. as i mentioned in the previous post the open house was awesome . both friday and saturday i was overwhelmed and in awe of everyone that came out and showed their support and encouraged me with their words and presence . it was soo much fun !

. my friend traci made all the food, with the exception of the yummy smores cake, which my friend beth contributed . have i mentioned that i have amazing friends ?! they both did this out of the goodness of their hearts .

. chicken curry wontons were a hit ! good call traci .

. and you can never go wrong with cucumber sandwiches .

. water in cute lil bottles .

. my mom and dad bought me tulips . my in-laws, who already did sooo much to help me get the studio fixed up and ready for the big day, brought me flowers too (although not pictured) .

. all week preparing for the open house i saw dandelions everywhere, i had visions of putting some in cute little vases all over the serving table. come friday morning my mom and i couldn't find a single yellow one so i put on my facebook status that whoever brought me a bouquet of yellow ones got a free 8X10...it never happened . this was the closes i got to a bouquet of yellow dandelions .

. i love them though, thanks lynda !

. i used my great grandmother's pitcher to serve the sparkling peach tea .

. yummy treats saturday morning .

. my favorite flower i think . picked fresh from my mother in law's flower garden .

. guests signing in .

. girls, being cute .

. more guests .

. one of my favorite guests .

:)

. the little guests just had me busy with my camera .

. thank you everyone that came . i am not sure when I've ever felt so loved .

. the after .

. so, open house is over, it was awesome...but more about that later, for now i wanted to show you all that have waited so very patiently the 'after' shots of the studio . i am still pinching myself to make sure that this is all real and i can actually shoot in this awesome space any time i want !

. i'm looking for a little light-weight table to put in the center of this space for a little consultation area . i can see it in my head already .

. a happy mistake.

. remember the hole cut in the wall as a doorway to go to the next building that had a piece of paneling over it (look again at the 'before' photos and you'll see it) . we came up with this fabulous idea to put the blemish to good use . i couldn't love this chalk board more . here it is with signatures from all who attended the open house .

. i received this little plaque today from a client, i love it sooo much . between this and the card i got with it, i had tears in my eyes .

. and this is in the back storage area...i'll figure out a way to use this too, you can be sure !

! so...there you have it !

:)

! can't wait to take more photos in it !

. no more peeks .

. this is the real deal...almost . well, it is the real deal, just the 'before' photos . this little space has everything a great studio needs; high ceilings, large windows with great lighting, wide open space, and white walls ! this was my first look at the place . i knew under all the stuff that was being stored, there was some potential .

. she needed just a little bit of work .

. this is my favorite part, i think . this is an old walk in freezer that has been converted into a dressing room . it's perfect !

. come to the open house tomorrow or saturday and you can see the 'after', it's done and i don't think i could love it any more ! if you can't make it, i'll be posting 'after' shots soon enough .

:)

. i have to say without my husband and my father-in-law it would look very similar to how it does in these photos . is there anything these guys can't do ?!

. STUDIO OPEN HOUSE .

. you're all invited to . sarahnebelphotography .'s STUDIO open house !

. friday, may 7th, 3pm - 7pm .

and

. saturday, may 8th, 9am - 1pm .

. there'll be drawings for discounted photo sessions as well as a drawing for a free session . if you bring a friend, your name goes in the drawing again ! if you're on facebook become a fan of . sarahnebelphotography ., that'll get you a free photo for your profile picture . oh and of course, there'll be a little something to snack on while you're chatting with me and getting your photo taken .

.......................................

. are you interested to hear about how the studio came to be ? if so, keep reading...

. the beginning of last winter while rearranging my living room and dining room again, and wondering how i was going to incorporate studio lighting, i came to the realization that this set up couldn't go on much longer if i was going to grow my business the way i wanted . i decided it was time to start looking for a space of some sort to shoot in until someday when we can turn one of these old out buildings on this farm into a studio . with where i wanted to keep my budget a few of the places i checked into were for sure out . i thought more about my location and decided to check out riverside . there on main street sat 5 empty buildings so i started writing down phone numbers . weeks went by with calls and returned calls . then finally, i made connections and was able to look at a potential space . as soon as i walked in i saw the possibilities . i also saw much work needed to be done, but i knew it could work .

. my expectations in the beginning was just to find a small, cheap space to do a few session indoors when the weather was bad . i'm so excited to have found that and so much more with this space . it's a store front, on a main highway with amazing natural light and once it's all said and done it'll be pretty awesome (although not perfect so don't bring your magnifying glass) . i feel blessed to have found this space and i'm so excited about this new chapter of

. sarahnebelphotgraphy .

. thanks so much, to you, my friends and family for your support and excitement right along with me . you're response to the studio has been overwhelming . can't wait to see you at the open house !

. this photo was taken in march . i've done just a little work to the outside of it and am in the process of a little more . but it'll look pretty much the same .

:)

. helpers and peek .

. i'm back from the little trip down south and i'm getting back into my groove, sort of . it's great to be home, sleeping in my own bed, seeing my hubby (a little) . but with spring planting under way, working on the house and studio, things are far from "normal" . although, what's normal anyway ? and that's so boring, right ?!

. today i had help painting at the studio . i, of course, have to share some photos i took of my helpers, and in so doing you're going to get a little peek at the place . although i was careful not to reveal too much . i'm so excited to share 'before' and 'afters' . soon, k ?

. my help was awesome . my cousin, holly, from the des moines area came and brought her friend (and my friend) abby . they picked up (sister) beth along the way and came prepared to spend the day painting . and that we did .

. the good thing is holly doesn't mind me posting photos like this .

:)

. it's so exciting watching the progression . things have even changed since these photos were taken !

. all we accomplished would have taken me days so i really couldn't appreciate it more .

. thanks girls, i owe you !

. a sneak peek .

. so, are you wanting a little peek into the studio ? a few of you have mentioned that you do . so, here's a little one, from the back door .

? satisfied ?

. big news .

. if you're a friend of mine or a fan of my photography on facebook you already know that i've just rented a studio . it's an old store front in riverside . it needs some tlc, and with that it still won't be perfect but i think it'll be kind of cool . today i just started working on the place . it's going to take a week or so to get the work done and i'll be out of town for a week here soon too . sooo, in time . an open house is in the works for anyone who's interested in seeing it . i'm dreaming up give-aways as i paint ! so you'll want to come check it out .

. thanks to all my wonderful friends and clients who have helped me get to this point . i'm so excited to take this step and see where we end up !