picture yourself

can you picture yourself on this christmas card?

how about this one?

well, stop picturing yourself and make a comment on the blog to win a free design with YOU in it!  the lovely shari from dolcetto designs is offering a free digital design ($18 value) to the winner of this contest.  basically, that means you submit photos and the content you'd like to include and she works her magic and voila!

she will e-mail you the design and you can make as many copies as you like.  she has over 100 different christmas card design options on her website, so there's no doubt you will find one you love.  probably more than one!  don't they look great?  if you're saying to yourself, "aw man, i don't have any pictures to put in a card like this", why don't you give me a call?  if you win this and don't have pictures, i will guarantee a session spot for you before christmas so you have these in time to give to all of your loved ones.  or you could save it for the new year and have birth announcements or thank you cards made...the options are endless!

so leave a comment here and if you want an extra entry, go and "like" dolcetto designs facebook page and then come back here to tell me you did it!  if you haven't become a fan of my facebook page yet, do that and i'll give you another entry as well.  you have until midnight pst on friday to enter.  happy winning!

drum roll please...

okay, the moment you've all been waiting for...the winners of the contests!

now i know there's fancy on-line software that can run these kinds of contests for you, but how much more fun is it to actually draw OUT OF A HAT!  infinitely more fun, i tell you.  especially when you have an assistant as cute as mine.

as you can see, this method is totally unbiased.  the winners are...

the set of 3 frames:

and the 50% off photo session:

congratulations, ladies!  I'll be in touch.  for all you vintage frame lovers out there that didn't win this time around, adrienne has more to sell.  she could even turn them into chalkboards like she did with this one...which i already bought from her :)  be sure to follow her blog as she's in the midst of a "30 day blogging spree" and she's showing new projects everyday.

and because i'm in the spirit of giving, anyone who commented on my "100" blog post and didn't win the 50% off is eligible for 10% off a booking if you set up an appointment with me in the next two weeks.

one last thing...stay tuned for a new contest this week starting tomorrow...it's perfect timing if you still haven't made your christmas card...(hint, hint).

new little

meet kenneth.  he's the newest addition to our wild & crazy & ever increasingly large family.  i don't think he knows what he's getting into yet because he is so relaxed.  i got to take him on his "first since leaving the hospital" car trip and i must say that being a newborn's chauffeur in heavy snow is quite the responsibility.  he is the perfect gentleman, though, only cracking his eyes open for a few brief seconds to let mama know it's time to eat or when big brother decided to use his head as a car racing surface.

welcome to the family, little man.  we're so glad to have you.

sorry!

i know some of you have been waiting, but we just had to get all of our ducks in a row before we made the big reveal for the latest giveaway!

meet my incredible friend, adrienne.

her creativity and eye for design is so inspiring.  we've gotten to know each other over the past year and i just LOVE her family.

she has also started her own business doing something she loves and is very gifted at.  she has so graciously agreed to give away three vintage frames that she re-finished this week!  i think they would be an amazing compliment to any home, whether it's framing sweet prints for your child's room or featuring the family pictures i took of you (hint hint) on your living room wall.  they would also make amazing gifts!

to enter: all you gotta do is leave a comment here.  want an extra entry?  go to adrienne's blog and leave a comment there too.  the best part?  you don't even have to live in the lower mainland to win.  we'll ship!!  contest ends tomorrow, sunday the 28th at midnight pst.  good luck! (i'm kind of sad i'm disqualified because i'd like to win these).  i'll also be drawing for a 50% off portrait session tomorrow night, so leave a comment on my "100"post to win that too!

little/big boy

my little/big boy had a hard day today.  it had a promising beginning with a breathy "oh wow" as he walked into the kitchen for breakfast and saw the winter wonderland outside.  unfortunately, it deteriorated into lots of whining and screaming as we tried to dress them to actually play in the snow and went further down the drain as he continually harassed his little sister to the point of repeated wailing and tears (she may be a little dramatic).

so after all the stern "talking tos", scoldings and time outs i came to the realization (after he was in bed, of course) that in spite of all this, rather THROUGH all this, i love this little/big boy.  how can you not love the hint of bum crack peaking above the edge of the santa robot pjs he wore all day?  and the squinty eyed prayer for dinner that takes five minutes to complete as he thanks God for every person in the room along with a complete listing of ingredients used in our dinner and "the good day we had today"?  and the parade he lead through the house of he and allie banging on old christmas cookie tins pretending they were bass drums (i may or may not have joined in for a few rounds on the mouth trumpet)?

oh, i'm so blessed that this little/big boy is mine.

p.s. he's starting to take after his mama...

tough.

these two are hardcore.  it just may have been the coldest day we've had yet (and i know cold is relative depending on where you live, but it was COLD, people).  i scouted a site and called them half an hour before the session.  i think if i had given them the opportunity to back out, they would have.  but i didn't, so they were in.  and i'm so glad they didn't leave me hanging.  because if they didn't, we never would have gotten these:

cold meant lots of snuggling.  i love getting pictures of expectant couples because the love is flowing.  it seems like love gets kicked up a notch when there's a baby on the way that you know you had a part in making.  so sometimes it's fun to not focus on the belly for a second and just zoom in on the love.

friday is going to be an amazing giveaway featuring the talents of my friend, adrienne, from adrienne-marie designs.  she takes vintage furniture pieces (some that you would see in the thrift store and not even blink an eye at) and makes them incredible.  come back friday to win!

100

happy 100th blog post everyone!!

i know for people that have been blogging since the beginning of time, this is not a very significant milestone.  but it is for me.  i've never been a very faithful journaller, so actually churning out 100 posts is a pretty big accomplishment.  it's also an indication that i have been working, which is so great!  i love what i do, i love my clients and i love being able to share these lovely people with all of you.  i also love giving you a glimpse into the family that i adore, though i need to assure you that if you have been lead to believe that our life together is a glamorous one i am sorry. it is not.  but it's real!

to celebrate this momentous occasion, i'm giving things away!!!  this will include free albums for new sessions booked, gifts exclusively for past clients and future ones as well as a contribution from some of my super amazingly talented friends who have agreed to partner with me.  so check back daily to see what the new offer is!

i'm going to kick it off with this post...i will be doing a random draw of all the comments left on this post for 50% off an hour session in 2011.  that's $100 in savings!  so tell your friends.  and neighbors.  and people you pass on the street.  if you want to gain an extra entry, leave a comment, then go and join my facebook group, then come back leaving another comment telling me you did that!

and i changed my header...because i'm shaking things up around here, people!  get ready.

no post is truly complete without a picture, so here you are.  my two day old nephew.  beautiful as beautiful can be.  he's coming over for a full session later this week, so stay tuned for more pictures!

honored.

i'm always blown away when other photographers compliment and admire my work.  it's especially cool when i'm an admirer of their work too.  stacey malleck contacted me about taking their family pictures and i was so flattered.  she's got a good eye and great style and a sweet family, so of course i jumped at the opportunity.

it's always a little nerve wracking taking pictures of another photographer, but it's also nerve wracking being a photographer and having your picture taken, so i'm not sure which one of us was more uncomfortable!  but being who i am, i just made a few inappropriate comments and everyone relaxed right away.

the kids were so desperate to play in the puddles, so after we got a few pictures of the family, we freed them.  and they didn't disappoint.  you can always spot a photographer's children...they're the ones that don't care when the camera comes out.  they don't even give you the time of day.  they just go about their business.  which happened to be getting filthy dirty in this case.

did i mention stacey is a photographer?  well she is.  you can find her here.  and here.  she wanted a few pictures of her with her camera that she could use for promotional purposes, so while she channeled tyra, i did my best annie leibovitz impersonation and i think we came up with some really cute pictures.  because stacey is really cute.

side note: the people of blueberry junction were so generous to let us use their property and feature the incredible fall colors of the blueberry bushes.  even though the season is over, you can still order amazing organic frozen berries from them here.  each of their bushes are hand trimmed to help produce extra large berries!