courtney jade’s blog

In honor of my 25th birthday on August 1st, I have decided to do my very first giveaway!! ::drumroll please::

I’ve chosen one of my all-time favorite places- Saint Cupcake!

One lucky winner will get to pick their six favorite cupcake flavors, frostings and sprinkles to be made into their own personal “cupcake kit”! The winner can choose to send the cupcakes to themselves, or anyone they want (in the Continental US)! Don’t miss out on this super sweet deal!!!

By this point, you’re probably drooling.
You’re also probably wondering “How do I win?!”

Details Shmetails

You will have FIVE chances to win by completing the steps below. A random winner will be announced on Monday, August 2nd. Here is what you must do to win!
**For you to have FIVE entires, you MUST leave each comment SEPARATELY**

1. “Like” Courtney Jade Photography on Facebook, comment back here that you did.

2. “Like” Saint Cupcake on Facebook, comment back here that you did.

3.  Share this contest on Facebook (please tag Courtney Jade Photography and Saint Cupcake in your post) and comment back here that you spread the word!

4. Leave a comment response to this question: “If you were a cupcake, what flavor would you be and why?”

5. Lastly, tweet about it and come back here and link to your tweet!

Please be advised that all comments are moderated by me. If you do not see your comment right away, please do not post again. I will moderate all comments as fast as I can

Good luck!!! May the sweetest little cupcake win!!!

valentine’s day is my most favorite day of the entire year.

What other day do you get to indulge in all of the hearts, pink, love, and romance you can imagine!?

Ok, ok, so maybe I do that more than just one day a year, but it’s nice to have a designated day set aside to plan for it I didn’t get to do or capture nearly as many valentine-y things as I wanted this year, but I did take a few pics this weekend.

My friend Jenn came over, and we decorated cupcake valentine’s! It was super fun, and there was a LOT of pink happening!!! I didn’t snap any photos of my cupcakes (i know, shame on me!), but I did snap a couple of Jenn’s! Here are some of her fabulous and adorable cupcakes!

First, I just want to say that my boyfriend is the best boyfriend ever. I seriously can’t believe sometimes how lucky I am to  have found such an amazing person to share my life with.

We have been wanting to go to this one particular restaurant for over 5 years… now you might be thinking “5 years is a really LONG time Courtney… just go to the dang restaurant!!”, and I know. However, being in college, broke, always living paycheck to paycheck, etc. we just could never bare to “afford” it. Our anniversary happens to lie on the same date our lease is up, so we’d either be broke from moving or just not have time. And as for other special occasions, it just never worked out right.

I’m happy to say that the stars finally aligned, and we were able to enjoy an incredible dinner together at The Melting Pot! I brought my camera along, but I knew it would be SUPER dark down there, so I wasn’t expecting any amazing shots, but I did catch a few good ones. Here are some fun moments from our Valentine’s day dinner!

We started with the cheese fondue. Not my favorite, but Mark sure liked it! they give you breads, green apples, and raw veggies to dip. I did like the apples with it, but I knew there was so much more on the way and wanted to save room.

Next we had salads, I took a photo but didn’t export it, lol, they weren’t anything amazing, just plated yummy dinner salads. Then the next course: MEATS!! Look at all of that delicious raw meat, just ready to cook. We chose the “Bajo Style” broth, it was a citrus-y garlic broth, and completely delicious!!! Our plate included lobster, filet minon, new york strip, kielbasa, shrimp, garlic chicken, and raviolis. We also got some raw veggies to cook, and a variety of sauces to dip the meats in after they cooked.

And last but most definitely not least: DESSERT!!! This was my most favorite part of the entire meal (of course), and I would go back a million times for it again!! Our server brought out the chocolate and then poured in the fire!!!

a little stir…

a lot of delicious things to dip…

and mmmmmmmm two very happy valentine’s!!! We chose dark chocolate with marshmallow cream

they give you SO many fun things to dip! Cheesecake, strawberries, bananas, pound cake, brownies, rice krispy treats, and different marshmallows… can you say heaven?? They are also all refillable, excluding the cheesecake.

SO yummy!!!

And of course, we had to take a pic of the bill. This is the most expensive meal Mark and I have ever indulged in to date. It might not seem like a lot, but I guess you can say we live on the conservative side. Oh yea, that doesn’t even include tip, hahaha… so awesome. Like I said, my boyfriend is amazing.

Then Monday I had the day off, and I was a total and complete BUM all day. I managed to take Quincey over to my cousin’s house to play with their pup (Quincey’s cousin and BFF) Rufus, so that was fun. I also did ALL of my laundry and folded/put it away. As well as re-arranging our bedroom. But BUM city it was, and it was amazing.

Overall it was a great Valentine’s weekend. Hopefully next year I’ll be able to document more! How was your Valentine’s weekend??

Now it’s time to get ready for Costa Rica!!! I leave in less than 4 weeks now- CRAZY!!! I’m so excited, but I’ve never travelled outside of the country. Advice? Tips? I’d love to hear them!! Also, what’s one thing I should make sure to do while on Vacation? I’ll be staying in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

<3

One of my very most favorite blogs is featuring me and my new packaging!!! I feel so honored, especially since I have been following Robyn (the blog creator/admin) and her work for YEARS! Stop on by Paperie Boutique and check out the post

I am very fortunate to have so many talented friends! I would like to introduce you all to the lovely, Khrisma!!!

She recently started her own tutu making business, and let me tell you, these tutus are to die for!!
The colors are whimsical, vibrant, and sure to make any little girl feel like she is a princess. We had so much fun on this shoot! (and I have never in my life worked with a child who took direction as well.) At the adorable age of just 3 years old, she was happy and excited to be in front of the camera, modeling this beautiful tutu.

If you’re thinking about Halloween costumes, Khrisma has you covered! She is currently offering the tutu costumes: faeries, witches, pumpkins, and black cats. I’m sure if you have any special requests, she would do her best to create anything you can dream up! If you’d like to order one of these beautiful creations, contact her via email: Khrisma@hotmail.com

Prices
$30-35 for basic tutu up to 3 colors
$40-45 for tutus with embellishments
$50+ for tutu dresses

*Shipping not included

You can also view more of her work via her facebook

[*All images are copyright 2009 courtney jade photography and may not be used without permission. Any unauthorized use is punishable by court of law.]

Enjoy!

And last, but not least…

<3