You might think that just because you have not heard an update on the studio construction in a while, that we MUST be finished right? Wrong…unfortunately.
It has been a busy fall for Pixels On Paper with lots of outdoor photo shoots, mountain weddings and plenty of travel across both NC and VA. We are extremely thankful for the busy times, it just means we have to put on hold some construction at the studio. And now with the cold weather heading our way to settle in for a few months, what better time to have the shooting space ramped up and ready with the heat for some fabulous shoots!
Yes, we have had some shoots in the space already and have sets waiting on our awesome clients to swing in and help us break it in some more! Misty has done an amazing job finding the perfect pieces to put together to make sets that show our style perfectly. The sets are not your normal sets, they have a glam factor that we feel people will love with lots of sparkle and texture. They are prefect for young children, seniors, maternity and family shoots. We still love the freedom for the outdoor shoot opportunities, but if the weather decides to not cooperate, we have options now that we never had before.
What we still need to get finished on the studio side is the lobby, changing room and the consult space, all which are getting close, but not quite there with the finishing touches. We want the whole experience to be amazing from the time you walk through the front doors, to the photo shoot and even afterwards during the viewing/ordering session. We consider our clients as friends and friends deserve the best experience, and we will do that with this space more so than we could before.
These photos show the progress of our construction from June 2012 until today, November 1, 2012.
We haven’t outsourced much of the work in the grand scheme of things. But there were major components where we relied heavily on outside expertise and brought in the pros. Jeff and Josh, a team of two electricians from MECI worked for 3 solid weeks in the house bringing everything up to code and most importantly installing all the new speaker wire, computer cables and recessed lighting (which is enough that Misty’s Dad likes to say “can light up all of Wilkesboro”. Drilling and fishing wire through walls, floors and ceilings that are comprised of 1″ tongue and groove pine wood and drilling holes in original rough sawn 3″ x 7″ pine beams was no easy task.
Steve Garlock was on hand four weeks initially taking care of all the drywall repairs in the walls and ceilings where popcorn texture was removed. After Misty realized how long it would take to paint every square inch of the interior of the house by herself she had Steve stay on and they both tackled the painting together. Without Steve we would still be painting. In the time it took Steve to trim an entire room Misty had done a closet. He is crazy good and fast.
Chris and Red of Blanton Tree Works were outside for 3 days trimming and trying to bring about healthy growth to our huge 150+ year old Ash trees. Not one limb even touched the house or caused damage despite the precarious positions they were hanging in. And the best news is that the trees are still doing well and dropping much fewer limbs.
We decided when we bought the house that the existing upstairs carpet was nasty and had to come out and we would love hardwoods to go in its place. After searching we found a great deal on some walnut hardwoods (Thanks Ronnie at Munday Hardwoods!!) that has amazing color and character, exactly what we were looking for! What we did after we found it, was think that we could install it ourselves. And we did… and in the process, both of us found a whole new respect for people who install flooring for a living. It took us over a week (8 loooong days) of torture to get the flooring in all 1,100 square feet of it. Not that I was counting, but thats 8,371 staples 2″ long fired to hold the flooring down. Neither of us could have imgined the pain we would have at the end of the day; backs ached, hands pounded with pain, and knees refused to work like they should. Aleve and ibuprofen and tylenol all worked to help us make it the next morning to go through it again. It took our bodies a solid 2 weeks after the work just to recover.
Which brings us to Kenny and Craig Mathis of Mathis Hardwoods. Apparently in this part of the state there is no one better at hardwood flooring. The previous owners of the house informed us about Kenny and Craig having had worked on the floors in the early 90s. We decided to bring them back since obviously they knew what they were doing the last time. The floor downstairs in the original rooms are partly quarter sawn oak probably from the 1910s. In the dining room, added in the 20s, were Heart Pine floors and in the kitchen, added who knows when, were 6 different layers of flooring about 5 inches thick with the last being linoleum. We wanted to keep the integrity of the oldest hardwoods downstairs, get rid of their yellowed coloring and sun-bleached spots, loose the weird transitions between rooms, and have the floors match throughout the entire downstairs. Simple right? That’s why we called in the Mathis brothers. 3 weeks of sanding, installing more oak, sanding, staining, coating, and more sanding. Oh yea the bonus, they are hilarious, love to pick and joke and they are great singers. Each taking turns singing gospel hymns over the noise of the sander or nailer. In the end they were indeed the best. The only problem is that they made the job look easy. Bear in mind the downstairs floors were actually finished before we tackled installing the upstairs hardwoods ourselves. We really do have a new found appreciation for the work they did.
As for the portions of the house that we will live in, we are closer to moving in than ever. The kitchen is all but done, with some lighting, a little tile work and then stocking the cabinets, and what an exciting feeling that is! We have done all of the cabinet building (Thanks IKEA!!) and appliance installation ourselves. Thanks to all of the completely square walls and floors that are flat, it was all a breeze… OK, not really (someone REALLY needs to come up with a sarcasm font…) In a house that is over 150 years old, you expect some things to have settled a bit, which makes carpentry finishes a bit of a challenge. It adds to the slow going, but in the end it is looking amazing if I say so myself. And besides, those sloped floors that we decided not to level out will make easy entertainment for Chelsea and her favorite tennis ball.
The upstairs will be our living space with bedroom, den and a home office. There are lots of things that will make the place feel more like home, but those can happen while we live there. Our personal bathroom is currently pink… yes, pink, and light pink at that. It HAS to be updated at some point to suit our style, but for now, we will live with it.
Looking back, it has been a journey that we are both not only proud of, but both completely in love with. We love the fact that so many people have helped (and are still helping) to get us to our goal, and are so thankful and feel blessed. Looking forward, we see what we are doing as an opportunity to meet more friends and to share the talents we have been given with others. Here are only a few of our friends that have driven the distance and gone out of their way to pay us a visit and see the progress.
We will keep posting updates as things progress and would love the opportunity to show the space off to anyone who has time, and even better would be to schedule a shoot of your own to see it first hand.
Mia and Andre were married on August 11, 2012 on what wound up being a whirlwind of a day thanks to Mother Nature. The original plan was to have the ceremony outdoors at Greensboro College on the porch of one of the main administrative buildings. We were sure excited at the prospect of the day, but were a little leery of the weather reports saying rain was on the way. And rain it did pour with thunderstorms for hours on end.
With a few hours to the ceremony’s start time, the decision was made and the back up plan was put into action. Luckily Mia’s parents live in Greensboro and the decision had been made to move the ceremony to their home church a short drive away. To the church we go!
We are used to having to think on our toes each at every wedding since something can always go wrong, so we had a job to do and were ready when the time came. We had to shoot most of the pre-cermony shots in the church taking advantage of the chapel and hallways as best we could. We were able to take advantage of a very brief few moments of clear skies with a few photos outside. Not the best scenario, but one we were dealt and had to work with.
The ceremony itself was an elaborate affair with musicians performing while guests were seated followed by a brief concert of songs that meant a lot to Mia and Andre. Just before Mia walked down the aisle, a dancer performed as guests stood to welcome the bride.
After the ceremony, the rain was still coming down so it was off to the reception at the Greensboro Coliseum, where Nicole Conder of Premier Party Planners had transformed the Terrace into a fabulous party. From the start of the party, all the memories of the rain melted away and the guests were treat to a wonderful night. Everyone packed the dance floor thanks to PC Productions DJ and entertainment spinning the tunes that made people want to dance. It was so much fun to be a part of such a great reception.
We are so thankful for all the opportunities to test ourselves with each wedding, with some more challenging than others. But as a husband and wife team we are there together working our way through for our clients and friends.
We also had the opportunity to shoot Mia’s bridal portraits in and around downtown Greensboro NC. Her portraits were stunning and she was an amazing model. Here are just a few that we are excited to finally share.
Congrats to Mia and Andre!
Vendors Used:
Bridal & Wedding Day Photography: Pixels On Paper
Wedding Planning & Coordinating: Premier Party Planners, Nicole M. Conder
Ceremony Location: St Matthews United Methodist Church, Greensboro
Ceremony Music: Robert Jarrell
Florist: The English Garden
Videography: Allen Videography
Reception Venue: The Terrace – Greensboro Coliseum Complex
DJ: PC Productions
Cake: Edible Artistry
Linens: Connie Duglin Linens
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.
We always enjoy getting to head to Leatherwood Mountain for a wedding, and Mercedes and Nathan are the most recent wonderful couple to allow us to photograph there. With the wonderful NC mountains in the background, Leatherwood knows how to make your event great, and with the personal family and creative DIY touches, this outdoor wedding delivered stunning images. And we loved every detail filled minute!
Mercedes and Nathan chose to hold their ceremony in front of the chimney at the old cabin on the grounds at the entrance to the resort. What a stunning backdrop for a touching ceremony. The skies were full of soft fluffy clouds and the temps were just perfect.
The reception was held in the covered riding ring, and was full of all sorts of yummy details that make our heads explode with the possibilities for photos. Mercedes’ mother Rita went all out in making sure this was a day to remember. From a candy bar straight out of an old general store with candy sticks, and all sorts of classic candies, to the hay bails surrounding the dance floor, and the delicious whole pig BBQ pit served up by Gadabouts Catering, no area of the riding ring was left out. There was even a table set up with some props to allow the guests to take their own funny photo booth pictures, which stayed busy most of the night.
When the night was winding down, Mercedes and Nathan hopped on an old tractor that Nathan restored to drive off into married bliss surrounded by family with sparklers.
Congratulations Mercedes ad Nathan!
Vendors Used
Photography: Pixels On Paper
Gown, Veil, and accessories: Bridal Traditions
Tuxedos: Bridal Traditions
Wedding & Reception Venue: Leatherwood Mountains Resort
Hair: Clara with Tranquility Falls Day Spa
Stationary: Wedding Paper Divas
Music: DJ Grooves
Videography: Hayzens Productions
Catering: Gadabouts Catering
Rentals: A&J Rentals
Wedding Decor & Design: Rita Roman, When In Rome
Wedding Coordination: Abbie Hanchey, Leatherwood Mountains
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While you’ve been waiting for the next big blog post we’ve been moving straight from the Summer wedding season into the rush of Fall wedding season. And since honestly it’s more important to get our beautiful Bride & Groom’s wedding photos edited than it is to keep up with blogs, we thought we’d tempt you with some little glimpses into the weddings that we’ve been photographing. Don’t worry we’ll be filling you in on all the lovely details for each of these weddings as soon as we get a breather and can reflect back. Stay tuned!
Mia & Andre
Mercedes & Nathan
John & Ruth
Maren & Gordon
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Jeremy and Meghan were married on what turned out to be the hottest day on record in Charlotte, a measly 106 degrees. That did not put a damper on the wedding day though, like true champs they both pushed through and we were able to capture stunning photographs of the amazing couple even in the outside heat. The ceremony was held at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in uptown Charlotte, and was a great blend of traditional and loving family touches. Both Meghan’s brother and father sang solos during the ceremony completely filled with emotion that brought chills. Family figured in other places as well with their nieces as flower girls and their nephew as ring bearer. When the ceremony concluded, just prior to the big kiss, the couple were greeted by a bag piper in the aisle who was there as a surprise for them as homage to their Irish background. Once outside the church, in lieu of a late night exit, the celebration continued as they were greeted by family and friends with pompoms in the wedding colors of purple and gold.
The wedding party ventured over to The Green park next to St. Peter’s to wrap up photos before heading over to the Big Chill to start the wedding reception. Tyler Lee with the Big Chill knows how to put on a well-executed reception and with the wedding party primed, the party began. Personal touches were everywhere, from the marriage license of grandparents on display, to lots of family photos around the room all the way to the table settings that continued the Irish theme with the Celtic Knot as table numbers. Meghan’s parent’s had several surprises for the newlyweds, including having a congratulatory message for them on the marquis of the restaurant next to The Big Chill.
From the moment that Jeremy and Meghan stepped onto the dance floor for their first dance, we knew that this was going to be a fun and beautiful night. The love they have for each other spread throughout the room among their guests.
One last touching moment came late in the reception when Meghan’s father and brother along with a family friend were handed microphones and began to serenade the couple with the best impromptu “Carolina on My Mind” ever sang. For having had only a few minutes of practice together, the group was right on point and left very few dry eyes.
Somehow Meghan and Jeremy’s amazing engagement photos escaped a blog post. It’s a must that their UNC Chapel Hill portrait session get some attentions since it was nothing short of breath taking. Check out these photos that we captured of the two love birds on and around their old stomping grounds, the UNC Chapel Hill campus.
We wish Meghan and Jeremy all the best in life, and a huge congrats!
Vendors:
Portraits & Wedding Photography: Pixels On Paper
Cake: The Wow Factor Cakes
Flowers: Lily Greenthumb’s Floral Artistry
Gown: New York Bride
Hairstylist for wedding: Angie from Valeria SalonValeria SalonMusic/Entertainment/Booking Agency: Z Brothers DJ’s
Ceremony location: St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Charlotte, NC
Reception location: The Big Chill
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License. |