First SHS Party, A Success!

Just wanted to give an update on my first party. It went great! I know summer can get hecktic with weddings, vacations, and other activities; so I appreciate the ladies that took time out of their busy schedule to stop by. I do think they all found something that they loved, needed, or just had to have. The show will close on Wednesday and Samantha will also get to put her order in for her free and 1/2 priced items. I'm very excited to see what she picks. Thanks everyone for coming!
PS. I have several dates still open, but they can get snagged quickly. Call/email me and let me know when you want to schedule your party! They are fabulous fun:)

First Signature Homestyles Party!!

Tomorrow I will be officially kicking off my Signature Homestyles career. I am pretty pumped. Iba's "second mom" will be holding it at her house. So cute too, she went door to door to 20 of her neighbors and handed out special invites that I made for them. We both hope she has a good turn-out. We will both work hard to get her the May host special and many many 1/2 priced items.
I thought about rehearsing, which I have kinda been doing in my head. But, I have learned one thing about myself- whatever I rehearse, I never do the same at the real deal anyway....so I just may be going at it in a "winging-it" fashion. I am going to write down all the ways I use SHS baskets though. My husband even said that our house will soon be taken over with SHS baskets. Hey, I'm going to have my life organized one way or another after all. Will keep you updated on how my first go-round goes:)

10k in September (this really has nothing to do with photography, I know)

So, a few of my girls and I are going to be running in a 10k in September...actually the day after my birthday. So, when I am blowing out the candles on my no fat no sugar birthday cake I will make a wish that I don't die the next day:) The other ladies are what you would call "runners." I am more of a...hmmmm, what would I call myself?...good eater. I told these ladies that if I sign up for this thing, I will make myself train so I don't look like a big dork out there. Nothing like adding to the large pile of extra things I'm doing. I need to do this for myself though.
What better way to get into the running spirit, than to go out and shop for running attire. By no means are my legs shorts-material yet. So I decided to go out and buy some pants. VS has very cute yoga pants right now. With the combination of my new pants and the fact that my thighs rubbed together so bad last week they bled, I really have some good incentives here. Hell, maybe even when September rolls around we will have ourselves a little Boudoir party, we will be in such good shape:)

Katie and Tim

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Okay, so my passion and excitement for photography just sky-rocketed yesterday after taking such fun pictures of Katie and Tim. I had been bugging Katie to let me take pictures of them for some practice. We went to Boys Town and found some fabulous spots. I forgot to mention that Wilson came a long too. He was such a good boy for pictures!

many dandelions

my favorite "I don't wanna hold your hand"

Through my experience with taking pictures, I have realized that the perfectly posed ones are not always the best. They do not tell a story like the candid shots you capture...such as this, both sisters- Naomi and Gwendolyn would not hold their older brother's hand. And I was there to catch the story on a picture. I love it!

Mom's Day Walk

Mom's Day

While Mom/Grandma cooked breakfast in peace, we took the kids up to the dam and park. (A small pond my parents live by) I did a little practicing with my camera. The guys stayed home and celebrated Mother's Day the best way they know how...enjoying eachother's company and discussing power tools or something to that affect.

Boudoir Parties!!! OMG OMG OMG!!!!

(double click on graphic to enlarge)
I'm really hoping that I don't get in trouble for advertising this great idea that somebody of a very close relation, like same mama, gave to me!! :) But I am soooo very excited that I can't hold it in any longer. As many of you know already, I would love to specialize in Boudoir photography. This day & age, women are so pressured to look a certain way, however their men love them for who they are and LOVE when they are confident in their appearance. Here I am preachin' and later on I will catch myself complaining about the hail damage I have on the fronts of my thighs!
Anyway, what better way to celebrate our bodies then to take pictures of our hot selves...in a very classy way?? And even more exciting, what better way to take pictures then with some of your closest friends?? And Boudoir Parties were born...
Introducing Boudoir Party Packages. Pick a day. Invite 3-4 friends. Bring 3 cute outfits. Your hubby/future hubby will think its the best thing since sliced bread.

Big Rocks

I have to confess that within the last few months my 'time in the day' has never felt so needed until now. My little side-jobs are not so "little" anymore. However, I find them hard to let go of. The more you pack in your day, the harder you find it is to prioritize and determine what comes first. Well, I had a story told to me recently that I wanted to share with you; and wherever you are in life, I'm sure you can relate.
In front of an audience a man had a jar and large rocks. He asked them to imagine that the jar was time and the rocks were moments in time. He filled the jar with the large rocks and asked the audience if there was room for more. Of course they said "no" and were surprised when the man poured small pebbles into the jar that trickled in between the large rocks. Again, he asked the audience if there was room for more. Next, he pulled out a bag of sand and added it to the jar. It settle in between the rocks and pebbles. Lastly, after the audience had determined there was definitely no room left in the jar, the man pours water in. It found its way in between the rocks, pebbles, and sand.
He then asked the audience how this represents time. An audience member shouted "there is always 1 more task you can squeeze into your day!" But the man said "no", what I'm trying to show you is that there is always room for the small stuff, like the pebbles, sand, and water. If you fill your life with the small stuff first, however, you will never be able to fit the large rocks in.
This is a wonderful story. My dear family and friends will always come first. They are my large rocks. I can always add the others in later.

Stimulating the Economy 1 SHS Party at a Time

So, the Signature HomeStyles fairy delivered all the goodies yesterday. I didn't get a chance to take pictures of my party, so I took pictures of the aftermath instead. I felt like I was 5 years old at Christmas. I came home from work and dove right in. Not only did I have to open mine, but I had to arrange them in my house last night. I took pictures of some of the items I ordered and how I used them. There are many more to come ;)
**Click on the pictures to view them bigger**

Signature Homestyles Custom Graphics

I have to say, I got a major flash-back from college today creating these. I woke up at 6:30am, didn't shower, wore what I slept in, drank coffee & pop, and had left-over rice krispy bars (from the party) for lunch. Oh yes, the good ol' days when you even felt guilty for stopping to pee...Anyway, 11 hours later, I had design #2 complete. I decided I had better quit there. My brain was already fried and I knew that if I attempted design #3, it would go down hill very quickly. So, design #3 is on its way. And, I hate to say it, but there was a part of me today that missed the pressured/time-constrained creativity that still flowed from my brain...as it did in the life of "studio."

First Go At It!

So, I had my Grand Opening show for SHS this past Sunday...you know, the fondue party. It went really well. I actaully just got done closing my show. I think I pretty much got every item in the catalog with my 1/2 priced and free items. Of course, I tell myself I have to use every single 1/2 priced item. I mean really, that would just be illegal to let those go to waste, right?!! My house will be very nicely decorated and organized...picture to come once I get it in. Also, I meant to take pictures of my first party, but the fondue took over my brain and the rest was history. I will share my fondue recipes sometime when it's not 11pm and totally past my bedtime. Anyway, just wanted to share a little bit on that. I got lots of bookings for parties that I am really excited about! Good night:)

Grandpa

Have to tell a cute little story quick. Sunday, while cleaning, I placed a picture on Iba's shelves of him and Grandpa. (When he was about 1 week old) On Monday morning I had to wake Iba up early in order to get to my workshop on time. While I was hurrying to change his diaper, I noticed he was patting his chest. (Grandpa pats his chest when he is telling Iba who he is "I'm Gran-pa, Gran-pa") So, as I was trying to figure out what Iba was doing, I noticed the picture he was looking at on the shelves of him and Grandpa...And realized that althogh he doesn't quite say "Gran-pa" yet, he does the sign for it:)

Workshop Update

I learned so much at the workshop! So glad I went:) I also confirmed that I have some sort of A.D.D., as I began taking random shots of things down town. (When I was suppose to be taking shots of the adorable 3 year-old twins) This picture is my evidence. It was very encouraging for us beginning photographers. There were other photographers there that had been in the business for several years. Receiving information from them was worth more than any text book. I was also told by many of them to get photoshop CS4. Great...now I just need to find a college student for the discount. If you're out there- contact me!!