On a more personal note: The Condo

I always wanted to do a series of blog posts on my condo. Little did I know, I'd be doing it all in one chunk and trying to sell it at the same time :) I took the time to clean and photograph my adorable little abode so we'd have awesome pictures for people to look at online! We've lived here for almost 3 years, can you believe it?!? It blows my mind. When I think about actually leaving this place, I get sad. It's the best place ever.. but it's time to move out and up to something a little bigger. With Kyle's new job taking up so much of his time, I want him to be able to have his own office so he can work from home more often. As you'll see in the pictures, we currently share an office (this is a new development.. his desk used to be in our bedroom.). But what I've learned about Kyle, and this is new to me after living with him for nearly 3 years, is that he's a Self-Talker. I'll be sitting at my desk trying to edit photos or design an album and out of nowhere I hear him say, "Yeah, I don't think I need to include that module after all. Perfect."

....

Not only does that break my concentration, but it's so weird. I'm the silent worker bee. In fact, I'm just quiet all the time! Even when I'm watching a movie and something funny happens, I think to myself, "Ha! That was funny!" but I rarely laugh out loud. I only laugh at Tosh.0 on occasion. The most recent episode where he shows the video of the girl blowing out her birthday candles, and then her friend smashes her face in the cake and knocks her unconscious?! OMG. I cried I was laughing so hard!

But I digress..

 

So anyway, my adorable little place is going on the market tonight, but I thought I would share some little tidbits that make it so special. Also, I've been getting a lot of questions about the decor.. so I'll explain some of my purchases/finds here as well:

 

I can't tell you how many times I've said, "E as in Elephant" when telling people where I live! Haha So as you open the front door, the kitchen is to your left and the dining/living room is straight ahead.

As you walk into our condo, you notice an eclectic assortment of odds and ends.. as well as awesome vaulted ceilings. What we can't say on the official MLS listing is that to the left of the ceiling fan, above the kitchen, Kyle has created the most awesome storage area ever. He put in floors, drywall, lighting, and a fan that vents to the roof. It adds an extra 180 sq.ft of space but because it was a DIY job, we can't list it as a feature. But I can put it on my blog!

What I love about this place is how social it is. The kitchen is open to the dining room, which is open to the living room! Some of the best parties have been had here :) The black wall decal is just a sticker from Etsy, the birdcage is an eBay find, and the tiered side-table was found on the side of the road!

You are seeing that correctly, that is an orange wall. We originally painted it brown, but what fun is that? The Coffee Table is actually a reclaimed old breakfast table from the 1930s. Kyle refinished it with a darker stain and added little legs to it. And the awesome Throne Chair is a Craigslist find! The clock is from Bed, Bath & Beyond online, and I took down the hands to change the battery and then forgot to put it back up.. now I can't find it.. Oh well!

Ahhh the Master Bedroom. We literally JUST finished this room last month. We painted the walls grey (that would be "Porpoise" by Behr in eggshell finish), got brand new black hardwood floors, and found the white furniture at IKEA. The embroidered pillows and duvet cover are also from IKEA. The curtains were a custom, handmade job with 2 different colors of linen and the terrariums are just apothecary jars from Michael's.

This room is amazing. Especially with that flat-screen... mmm...

P.s. The super delicious white cat in the window is not for sale.

The mirrored closet doors are such a nice touch!

Yup, that is a dragon holding our toilet paper. I'm going to shame him for a second (thank goodness he doesn't read my blog) but Kyle used to play Dungeons & Dragons in highschool and he was actually the Dungeon Master. Now, I didn't know what that meant until he told me, but apparently that's the guy that's in charge of the story... it's a big deal. So now my mom and I mock him by buying him dragon things.. but he loves it. There's also a matching dragon hand towel holder that didn't make it into the pictures.

Guest bathroom has the washer and dryer in it! So nice :) The color of the bathroom is called "Spearmint Stick" by Behr in Semi-Gloss.

The kitchen has tons of storage space and really nice recessed lighting! I painted it "Butter Yellow' by Valspar in Semi-Gloss.

And this is the second bedroom which has been turned into a hair salon/office. I'm sure most of your don't know that I used to be a hairstylist (..and a barista, and a bartender.. we all start somewhere, right?) but I've kept up with the hairstyling because it's fun and easy. The desk by the windows is Kyle's, and mine is the dark one! The large built-it was brand new when we moved in as well as the wooden blinds (there are matching ones for every window in the house). The blue is the best color blue in the world, it's called "Dusty Spruce" by Valspar in Eggshell.

And this is the view from our patio! Yeah, you see some parking lot.. but look at those mountains :) The picture is taken facing west so we get some phenomenal sunsets. So that's pretty much it.. the Grand Tour :) The condo will get listed on the MLS database tonight, so if you or any of your friends are looking for an awesome condo to buy in Santa Clarita.. I know a girl who's selling one. Here are some of the details of the place!

-We live on Apple Street off of Lyons Avenue in Newhall, CA -The HOA is $286 and includes a pool, gated community and beautiful oak & apple trees on the property. -It's 1,159 sq ft. -2 Bed/2 Bath (laundry in guest bath) -1 storage unit in the garage -1 inside parking spot/1 carport spot

It's just 2 miles away from the freeway, less than a mile away from Ralphs and the best Chinese food in the valley.. China Palace.

ALSO, you are ridiculously close to the best little coffee house ever.. conveniently named, The Coffee House. Their chai tea latte makes me want to curl up with a book and a cat next to a fireplace. It's totally a Santa Clarita gem that you just have to experience!

 

If you're interested in it, or want more details, you can e-mail me at becca@beccarillo.com or if you want to contact my realtor instead, you can talk to Laura Smith with Dilbeck.

 

For the official listing, click here!

What a Fabulous Year! | Los Angeles Wedding Photographer Becca Rillo

I can't believe how quickly 2011 is coming to an end. It truly flew by and I am so thankful to all of my brides who have made it a year to remember! Here's a little recap of some amazing moments I was so honored to capture:

Ryan & Destiny in Palm Desert | January

Great Gatsby Styled Shoot | February

 

Princess & the Pea Styled Shoot | March

 

Desert Styled Shoot | April

 

Beach without the Beach Styled Shoot | April

 

Kott Motorcycle Bridal Shoot | April

 

Juan & Sandy at the Beach | April

 

Nick & Bre in Santa Clarita | June

 

Arnold & Tricia at The Hyatt Valencia | June

 

Emmanuel & Pamela in Beverly Hills | July

 

Jeff & Holly's Photoshoot at Dodger Stadium | July

 

Caleb & Monica in Malibu | July

 

French Styled Shoot at Le Chene in Santa Clarita | July

 

Adam & Haley at Port Hueneme | August

 

Paper Styled Shoot in San Diego | August

 

Marc & Robyn in Newhall | August

 

Garry & Jackie at South Coast Botanical Gardens | September

 

Zac & Jessie at McCormick Home Ranch | October

 

Ryan & Alexandra in Palos Verdes Estates | October

 

And then, one of the highlights of the year...

I was able to capture my sweet friends, Mitch & Ariana, at Lombardi's Ranch when he popped the question!

Can't wait for 2013!

 

Carl &  Erika at the Valencia County Club | November

 

Ben & Ido at the La Canada Flintridge Country Club | November

 

And my final wedding of 2011..

Josh & Amy at Grace Baptist Church | November

 

 

To all of my 2011 Brides, thank you for making this year unforgettable! You consistently surprised me with your unique weddings and dazzled me with your beauty. I am so blessed and honored that you all chose me to be there for the biggest day of your lives and I will always remember you. Call me when you decide to have babies ;)

 

 

...and to my 2012 Brides.. Nicole, Jennifer, Lily, Amber, Erica, Courtney, Brianna, Melissa, Jessica, Ashley, and Shauna.. Get ready ladies, 2012 is going to be a year to remember!

Big changes | A Sneak Peek at The Princess & the Pea!

Things have really started to change in my life... for the better, I think. Job changes, friendship changes, mind changes. It's funny how differently I look at 2011 now than I looked at it at the end of 2010. At the end of 2010, I was convinced that my life would take another 3 years to really get going. That I was stuck at the day-job I had because I needed the financial security. That I couldn't control my own life, rather it was being controlled for me. I was tired, I was discouraged, and worst of all I was torn between all of the many, many voices in my head that were pulling me in completely different directions. Well here we are, just about 3 months through 2011 and it's amazing how different this year is shaping up to be. I'm taking that leap of faith and making big changes to my life. I'm working on big changes for my business and expanding my portfolio with photoshoots that I'm hoping will grace the pages of fabulous blogs in the not-to-distant future. And I am so happy. You know why?

Because for the first time, in a long time I might add, I am doing what makes me happy. Not what makes sense in my head, because my logical brain is screaming at my creative brain, "What are you doing?!?" but I...don't...care :) So with that said.. look for much more frequent blog posts from me and enjoy a sneak peek of my latest photoshoot: The Princess & the Pea.

Copyright © 2011 by Becca Rillo http://www.beccarillo.com

Los Angeles Wedding Photographer, Becca Rillo lets you tell your love story without ever having to say a word.

Becca Rillo Photography | 661.310.6909 | becca@beccarillo.com

Styled Shoots!

Models: I am in the process of putting the finishing touches on some fantastic Styled Shoots that I am planning on hosting this year. Each photoshoot will involve a bride and a groom in a faux-wedding situation and feature a particular theme of my choosing   : )    In exchange for being one of my lovely models, you will receive all of your photos on a disk for your own personal use.. and you get to dress up and play pretend! It's win-win. Interested? Read on.

It would make my life so much easier if you had your own wedding dress, however, I know not everyone I will photograph is married or even dating someone. So I have a few dresses that I will lend out and I plan on accumulating more over the course of the year.. go figure! Please contact me if this sounds like fun and if you'd like to be a part of my special projects! I plan on submitting some of these styled shoots to magazines and blogs so you might be featured in one! Fun fun.

If you are interested please send me an e-mail with your contact info, your dress size/shoe size/ring size, and a full body shot! If you have a significant other that you plan on dragging with you, a full body shot of him would be lovely as well!

Photographers:

Want to get in on this? You can   : )    I'm going to be hosting one guest photographer at each one of my shoots! Fabulous, right? Totally free to you and you just have to show up! The catch: you can't submit any of your images to publication and if you post them on your blog/website I have to get some type of shout out. Other than that, you're golden! If this seems like fun to you, shoot me an e-mail and hopefully we can work together.

Everyone Else:

Stylists, florist, jewelers, hair-stylists, make-up artists, graphic designers and everything in-between..

I need you too! As much as I like to think I can do everything on my own, I can't. I need your skill and you need my awesome networking powers so I think we'll do well together  ; )   Once again, a totally fantastic deal to you.. You provide your services to me and in return you receive all of the images on a disk to use for your marketing/blog/website...whatever. The catch: You need to either leave my watermark on them or give me a little shout out somewhere. Seriously win-win for everyone involved!

Please contact me as soon as humanly possible so I can start planning my year around these shoots! I hope to hear from you and I'll see you through my lens <3

Becca

Copyright © 2011 by Becca Rillo http://www.beccarillo.com

Los Angeles Wedding Photographer, Becca Rillo lets you tell your love story without ever having to say a word.

Becca Rillo Photography | 661.310.6909 | becca@beccarillo.com

Kitty Acupuncture?

My cat had acupuncture on Wednesday. True story, I've never had acupuncture done and I honestly didn't even know that you could do it on cats.. but apparently you can. I took Origami in to have his hips looked at. He's an older cat and was walking a little stiff so I figured maybe there was a kitty-glucosamine or something for his joints that they could prescribe. The doctor was super nice, in fact, the entire staff was incredibly welcoming and nice. If you live in Santa Clarita (or Santa Clarita adjacent) and have a cat, I highly recommend The Cat Doctor & Friends. Anywhoooo.. Our doctor felt around on his hips and while she was explaining the joint meds to me, she took his little neck and cracked it both ways! I gasped! What on earth was she doing to my baby??! She must have noticed the stunned look of horror on my face because she said, "Oh! I'm just adjusting his neck, it was a little tight." He got his neck adjusted. Spoiled, spoiled brat cat. After the whole neck-cracking situation, she suggested that I try Kitty-Acupuncture to help little Ori out with his hip problem. "Kitty-Acupuncture?" I asked, "Is that expensive?" She told me it was about $50 and that she'd go see if their on-staff acupuncturist was available. She came in and gently, sweetly, softly stuck little needles up and down his spine. There was even one on his head! Sooo funny! Unfortunately, all I had was my camera phone to take a picture of my silly cat and I don't know how to post it online. After the alloted 10 minutes of needle time, she pulled them all out and then set him on the floor to check out his walk. Perfect. No limp, no grunting.. I'm a believer. His hips are really stiff so we'll be going back in another couple of weeks for some more acupuncture. But she said a couple more sessions and he should be as good as new. Interesting, huh? My camera will be along for the ride next time so I'll post some pictures of Ori with needles in him!

Married! ...and a new Blog! | Los Angeles Wedding Photographer Becca Rillo

Happy July everyone! I know most people make new years resolutions, or resolutions on their birthdays.. but mine is more like a "Post-Wedding" resolution. I've been so wrapped up in wedding planning (over a year, my friends..over a year) that I haven't had any time to focus on my business or even in my personal life. Ask anyone I know, I've been slightly MIA for a while.. be it phone calls, or e-mails.. my mind has definitely been elsewhere.

That being said: I'm going to a better person. My e-mails will be returned on time. My phone calls will be dealt with (FYI: I hate, hate, hate voicemails, so if you leave me one.. I won't listen to it for a week. That will never change! Haha) and my business will grow. Hopefully my business will blow-up.. but I'll settle for "grow" for the time being..

I think if I write down my resolutions I'll be more likely to actually follow through, so I'll be working on a list to post. I'm better at getting things done if I give myself a timeline, it's worked up until now so I don't see why I should stop!

Becca