We Are Moving!

If you live in the Atlanta, Georgia area then lucky you. I am not from Georgia but my husband is. I had lived there since 1991 until we moved to Peoria, Illinois last year. We have been here for 10 months and have decided to go home.

I will be focusing on getting my blog, website and Etsy shop up to date with the latest photo sessions and products for Lily Mairi. I will also be booking clients for fine art portrait sessions for the fall and traditional portraits starting in July.

In the mean time here are a few images for some new items for Lily Mairi

Woodland Head Pieces

Steampunk Jewelry

Fairytale & Whimsical Jewelry

I also have new costume pieces and accessories, new bridal pieces, new steampunk fascinators, and new woodland flower fascinators. Keep checking in for updates. You can also like my facebook pages:

Jennifer Griffin- Fine Art Photography
and
LilyMairi

or follow me on Twitter
Lily Mairi

Here We Are In Peoria, IL

It has been very slow going with the unpacking from the move, hence my absence from blogging. But, I have been busy. Busy mostly with getting settled into our new house, new state, new school, new job, new people, new everything. We are literally starting over. That has been a little bit tough on all of us. We moved from right outside the city of Atlanta, GA to Peoria, Illinois. And yes, parts of it really are just miles of corn fields. Closer to the river in the historic part of town it is much more green and lush. Eventually I will start scouting soon for photo shoot locations since my matchbox size, cookie cutter backyard isn't going to cut it.

Escape from Gringotts at Universal Studios FL

In the mean time, let me get you up to speed.
Since all of my kids have their birthdays in July and we didn't have a house, we decided to take them to Universal Studios Florida for their birthdays. We made lots of wonderful memories. We also had a little party for them at SkyZone in Kennesaw, GA before we moved. I think their daddy had more fun than they did.

SkyZone in Kennesaw, GA

Then there are all the new items to make and photograph for the shop.

Several custom orders for birthdays and weddings

Then there are the seasonal items that are pretty popular, like mini top hats for women and children.

I am possibly going to be published in a book, that's very encouraging for me. Fox Publishing wants to publish some of my photos and products in their winter book coming out, Ice Princess Crafts or something of that nature.

 I was then contacted by a school in Ontario, Canada about replicating the icicles in the Snow Queen crown, on a large scale. As in 5 feet long large scale. That is what I am working on right now, while still unpacking the rest of our personal belongings.

My goal it to have us pretty much settled by then end of September so I can get back into my photography. We will see...

Selling Our Home

It is official, our home is for sale. After 8 years and a crazy amount of renovations, we are leaving. If you know anyone that wants to live in the metro-Atlanta area, this is a great house!

Here are some of the renovations we did.

Living Room & Fireplace Before

Living Room Before

Living room after (still need to put photos in that frame)

Living Room -Front Door

I have actually changed the colors twice since we renovated. I can't help it, I like change I guess. My husband and I did 95% of the interior work ourselves.

Before of the Dinning Room

I believe this is a wall in the kitchen.

After of the Dinning Room

The kitchen was the last project because some other things came up, like the roof needing to be replaced sooner than we anticipated. But when it was done, it was worth the wait and not having an oven for 3 years. (It was a wall oven and it broke and since we weren't going to go with a wall oven in the new kitchen, we didn't want to waste our money on replacing it.)

Ta-Da!

Where the hood to the oven is used to be where the black microwave is in the picture above this one. It's that same wall in the kitchen.

Here is a work in progress shot showing the new drywall

We renovated pretty much the entire house. Even new HVAC, new roof, new plumbing, wiring, security system. You name it we did it all except the flooring, it is original. 

Lots of work and love in every square inch of the home.