Ruddock Photography - The Photo Blog

Wedding Inspiration | Chalk Board Boxes

admin — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:00:37 +0000

I recently was organizing/decorating my utility room and got inspired to make chalk board wooden boxes to organize our cleaning and animal supplies. After making them (which was really easy), I realized how cute they would to use at a wedding as program, wedding favor, and/or card box. Below is the steps I used to make them.

Supplies
Wooden boxes (mine were from Container Store)
Painter’s Tape
Chalk Board Spray Paint
Sand Paper
Chalk

Clean and dry boxes with warm water to remove any debris.
Use painters tape to mark off the area you want to be chalk board. Be sure to cover any area you do not want to get spray paint on.
Using the sand paper, sand the area you want to paint to give it a rough area to adhere to.
Using even strokes, spray paint the boxes. I applied three coats with 5 minutes between each coat (Be sure to check the directions on your spray paint can).
Let dry for 1 hour and then peel the painters tape off slowly.
Decorate with chalk as you want!!!

Congrats, You’re an Ironman!!

admin — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:08 +0000

After completing a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run in the Texas sun (it was HOT…even spectating was a work-out), hundreds of athletes became an Ironman on Saturday!! This is a huge life accomplishment for each athlete and I want to say CONGRATULATIONS to each one, especially my husband Payton!

Good Luck Ironman Athletes!!!

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:00:30 +0000

Months of dedication and training has culminated to this Saturday for hundreds of athletes from around of the world including Payton!!! We wish all of the athletes the best of luck in tomorrow’s Texas Ironman and hope to see everyone on the course cheering the athletes to an amazing accomplishment.

Wedding Chicks Feature

admin — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:30:27 +0000

With the excitement of the week leading up to Payton’s Ironman, we are over the moon that one of our recent wedding couple’s had their beautiful wedding featured on the very well known Wedding Chicks Blog.

Check out the full BLOG post and don’t forget to leave a comment…

Congratulations Curtis and Alyssia and thank you Wedding Chicks for the nice feature!!

Ruddock Visuals | Launched!

admin — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:00:57 +0000

We dropped a hint on the blog a couple of weeks ago about this upcoming project and we’re happy [and pumped!] to finally announce it!

Since October we’ve been trying to re-structure and re-brand our photography as I [Payton] discussed earlier on the blog and this is the 2nd part of that restructuring finally coming to life! Ruddock Visuals is my baby and I’m extremely excited about what it has in store for us in the future and for all of the creative ideas we have prepared for the next year with this project. Expect plenty of Behind The Scenes [BTS] information on how we’re creating the shots we’re making, updates on personal projects and commissioned works, as well as plenty of other fun, informative, and creative ideas we have planned.

So, without further ado, head on over to Ruddock Visuals and subscribe to the blog to get updates as we progress quickly over the next few months!

Lululemon Mantra-Mile Workshop

admin — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:00:08 +0000

Last night we had the pleasure of photographing and documenting the Lululemon in the Woodlands Mantra-Mile Workshop for the upcoming Ironman TX event. It was a great time with signs and paints provided by Lululemon Athletica, and local sports psychology consultant Adrienne Langelier. Adrienne gave some awesome insights on how to keep yourself going to the finish line by creating and sustaining your inner-mantra! Check out some of the great signs and inspirations created by upcoming IMTX athletes:

At the end of the evening, they gave away a bottle signed by one of (if not THE) the greatest Ironman Champions to ever live, the Queen herself – Chrissie Wellington! It was an awesome night and we were so happy to get to be a part of it and document it for Lululemon. We have no doubt that seeing these signs on the run portion of the Ironman Texas competition coming up next week is going to help motivate all of the athletes participating in the event!

Wedding Inspiration | Sharp Dressed Man

admin — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:00:07 +0000

One of Payton and I’s biggest suggestions to our groom’s is for him to consider and look into buying suits for the groom and groomsmen (and even the family members). Renting tuxes can be low to moderately priced but you run the risk of it not fitting well for every person on the wedding day, and no one wants wedding pictures of the best man in high-waters. The bride and bridesmaids spend so much time and MONEY picking the perfect dresses and accessories (and let’s not even mention getting them tailored again… and again… and again!), the groom and groomsmen should be just as tailored and looking sharp (This is where Payton would normally chime in with a Bond or Don Draper quote…).

(Take Andrew here, awesome, well-tailored suit and looking like he IS one of the Mad Men!)

You may be surprised that buying suits can be the same price or a little more than renting a tux, and the best part is that you get to keep it at the end of the night and use it for the next wedding! A lot of the big name suit makers give discounts for bulk ordering (like for a bridal party and family, hint-hint). :-) They don’t advertise it so don’t be afraid to ask… you may be surprised!

Sneak Peek | Austin + Laura’s Wedding

admin — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:00:24 +0000

We’ve been working on Austin + Laura’s amazing Backyard DIY wedding photos since Saturday and their fun and beautiful wedding is looking fantastic! To see more of Austin + Laura’s sneak peek, check out their website at AustinandLaura.RuddockPhotography.com.

First Anniversary | Pat + K’Layn

admin — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:32:49 +0000

A year ago today we had the pleasure of being able to document two of our good friends’ amazing Cinco de Mayo wedding. Today we want to wish Pat + Kayla a very happy and special 1 year Anniversary. They’re truly a blessed couple and we wish them many, many more special years to come!

Wedding Inspiration | Spread the Love

admin — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:00:32 +0000

There are soooo many possibilities out there for wedding favors, but of course one of my favorite ideas is jam favors. The flavors for the jam can be customized to the Bride and Grooms favorites and to the wedding theme. There are two main aspects to making these wedding favors:

The Jam: Making jam seems like a daunting task but with the help of your bridesmaids and family, it can be a fun Saturday (don’t forget the wine). Kits are sold at Wal-Mart and online that will give you all the instructions and tools necessary to make them. I would recommend for wedding favors using the 4 oz jars.You can make as many or as few flavors as you want, just be sure choose flavors that are in-season. Froze fruit can be used but fresh is always better. Check out below for my favorite peach jam recipe ☺
Decorating: Even if you didn’t make the jam yourself, you can still make it your own with how you dress the jar up. Labels with the wedding date, Bride and Groom’s name, and a fun saying like “Spread the Love” can be added to the jars through stickers or tags. There are also endless options on what can be put on the top of the jars…ribbon, fabric, burlap, string, lace, raffia.

Of course, if making them yourself seems too overwhelming, there are many online shops that you can buy the jam from already made and/or decorated (check out Etsy).

Peach Jam Recipe

Yields: 6 pints or 24 4-oz jars

8 cups of pitted, peeled, and mashed peaches
4 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
6 Tablespoons of powdered fruit pectin
7 cups of sugar
½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon of ground allspice
½ lemon zest

1. Follow jar instructions on how to sterilize the jars, rings, and lids
2. Over medium heat, add the peaches and lemon juice and bring to a boil.
3. Add the pectin and bring back to a boil.
4. Stirring continuously, add the sugar a ½ cup at a time keeping the mixture at a boil.
5. Add the nutmeg, allspice, and lemon zest and let boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
6. Turn off heat and skim off any foam.
7. Carefully funnel the mixture into the jars, leaving about a ¼ inch from the top of the jar.
8. Follow jar instructions on how to assemble the jar tops and seal the jars.