What’s this have to do with Photography?  Nothing.

It’s just that I very sensitive skin and this is one of the few detergents that work for me.  And it’s CHEAP!  And I like making stuff.

You will need:

4 cups of hot tap water

1 Fels Naptha Soap Bar, ~$3.99 a bar

1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, ~$2.99 a box

1/2 cup Borax, ~$4.29 a box

Approximate cost to make 5 gallons of laundry soap $4, and 30 minutes of your life.  How hard is that folks.

I hate Walmart, but sadly that is the only storefront place I could find the Naptha bar and the washing soda.  Easy to find online but I’m big on buying local.  So save yourself some time and just go to Walmart already.

You will also need:

1 5 gallon bucket

1 4-6 quart stainless steel sauce pan

1 stainless steal mixing spoon

1 stainless steel cheese grater

I bought all these items at Goodwill.  When picking out plastics please keep in mind that plastic will absorb chemistry….so give some thought to what was in it before and think twice about using it again.  All of these items are dedicated to making lotions, soaps and detergents.  Never used again with food.  But that’s just me.

Start by grating the Fels Naptha Soap bar into the sauce pan.

Add water.  Stir over medium low heat until soap is melted and dissolved.

Then pour into the 5 gallon bucket.

Fill bucket 1/2 full of hot tap water.  Add 1 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda.

Stir

Add 1/cup of Borax.

Stir

Fill the bucket the rest of the way with hot tap water and let sit over night.

Now personally we like to just let it sit in the 5 gallon bucket and fill up a quart jar as needed (it’s easier to handle/pour into the machine).

Now my friend Pebbles who gave me this recipe likes to fill up old soap containers.  So figure out what works for you.

Either way, fill containers half full of soap (soap will be like a gel now) and half with water, shake each time before using.

Top load machines take 5/8 cup per load.  On our front loader we use 1/3 to 1/2 cup per load.

fyi-a 5 gallon bucket lasted my husband and I 9 months…..for $4.  It’s easy math folks.

It’s that time of year where everything is grey.  Grey light, grey plants, grey, grey, grey.  And it’s when I find myself doing the majority of my album design.  As I sit here working on Allie and Kyle’s album it keeps making me smile and it’s inspired me to revisit their great wedding. All the wonderful colors.  The sunshine.  The emotions of the day.  So just to recap-bring some color to your day and a smile to your face here they are again:

Allie and Kyle.  August 28th.  Twin Willow Gardens in Samammish Washington.

Classic!

One of the best things about my job is making friends for life.  It’s time for beer guys!

I’ve known Alexis, and have been photographing her, since she was about a freshman in high school.  After she graduated she moved on to college and I meet her folk while photographing a job for a magazine.  In college Alexis meet Dan.  And now I’m happy to say I’ve meet Dan too-at their wedding.

Alexis and Dan were married at a lovely ceremony held at her parents, most-excellent, place in Sammamish.  Now as far as ‘back yard weddings’ go this was pretty darn posh.  See for yourself.

Alexis’s parents manage a spa in The Woodmark Hotel called North West Face. So they had the all the treatments from the best of the best.  If only I wasn’t working…….

Lovely and useful.

Just a small family piece don’t ya know.

Everyone on the way to do photos in the late afternoon sun, well we found some shade, but you get the idea.

Bright direct sunshine can be a blessing or a curse OR an artistic add on.

Amazing details of the ceremony site.  Everything was so bright and fun.  I just loved the color pallet-yellow, magenta and cyan.  Must be from my days as a custom printer.

You know what I say-if your going to do bubbles, do them big.  Go for the big guns not those little sissy bottles that nobody can make work!

Moments before the ceremony folks took some calming breaths with the dogs and by watching videos on YouTube.

Just a quick peak’s ‘sall.

I’m telling ya-not a detail was missed or over looked at this wedding.  It was shear pleasure to photograph it.

If only I could remember his name.  He is their neighbor and he’s just starting his own catering company.  I eat a lot of event food and this was goooooood stuff.

Just an intimate little walk with the two of them in the early evening light.

Did I mention she got 2 wedding rings.  This set which the designed together and a family piece (not pictured) but amazing as well.

Yep that’s right-they had a bouncy castle at their wedding.  And it was fun!

Oh come on, how can you not just love a bride who can smoke a stogie.

If I had had the choice of my fathers vehicles to drive away in, it would have been between a full sized Ford F250 dullie and a John Deer tractor.  Nothing wrong with either of those, but it sure the heck ain’t no Ferri.

Every year on his birthday Jack and I head out to commemorate his big day.  I’m not going to lie, I had my doubts.  Jack had a killer all day birthday party and it’s that time of year where I’m working a good 60-70 hours a week.  Neither of those things is conducive to a good session.  I was wrong.  Once again Jack totally nailed it.

I realize this might not be the shot his Mom would have chose, but I just love it.

It’s not very often I get serenaded while working.  It really should happen more often.  Soothes the soul.

Most boys love mud, bugs and all things gross right?-well not Jack.  It took some sweet talking and a few gummy bears from his Mom to get him to even consider getting his toes even slightly close to potential bugs.

4 or 5 years ago his sister nailed a shot with bubbles.  It’s a classic, I’m still using it to this day.  When we set out to try and get a matching shot I thought they were crazy but it turns out I was the crazy one.  I should never have doubted them.