Maple Leaf Festival

November 2, 2015 by Debra 1 Comment

Maple Leaf Festival Baldwin KS

Hi, October is one of my favorite time of the year. The third weekend in October is always marked on my calendar. It’s a tradition of mine to go every year with a family member. Some years it has been all of them and this year my son, son-in-law and grand daughter was with me.

The atmosphere is just awesome; people, crafts, food, the smell, colorful leaves and plain ol’ fun.

The best part of the whole day was my souvenir. Yes, each year I like to buy one item to remind me of the day. This year was the best to date.

The Forever Hands booth. Once I spotted the Forever Hands booth I knew I found just the souvenir for this year. This was one of the very first booths we stopped at. Typically we walk throughout all of them and then I go back to the one I liked the best. There was no question or doubt, this was it.

A sculpture of my grand daughter’s hand- to last a lifetime. What a memory! Clickable gallery below.

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The last image in the gallery; I was worried Brie’s plaster hand was going to have a huge thumb! She was wiggling her fingers in the mold. Once the mold was set and Brie’s hand was removed; we were told to come back in a couple of hours while the plaster set. Upon our return; I was quite pleased……

Forever Hands

This lovely sculpture is at home next to my computer. I look at it often while working and remember our Maple Leaf day together.

Have you ever preserved your children/grand children’s hand-foot print? Please do share!

Best Wishes,

My Daughters Family Photographs

October 13, 2015 by Debra 3 Comments

October 3, 2015

was one a favorite day for me– I spent it with my daughter’s little family! They are on the go all the time. When we get together, it’s a time I cherish. Saturday was such a day. The day began at 9 am. Briella had a tumbling class presentation where family was invited to see the skills they learned throughout the program.

And how cute it was! Front rolls, back rolls, tossing a ball and walking on a balance beam were just a few of the skills demonstrated. All of the parents and grandparents enjoyed the presentation. Afterwards we stopped at the playground for Brie to play on the slide with the other children. Off to lunch we went. Then back to the house for a short rest before our family photo session.

My Daughters Family

Lake Shawnee located in the capitol city Topeka, KS was Erika’s chosen spot for family photos.

My favorite family picture is the non traditional pose of Brie hanging upside down. For some reason three year old’s just do not sit still for long. This was the biggest smile and she didn’t move. Just LOVE this!

As you can tell, I will be grandma once again- end of November. Erika and Shaune have chosen to wait until the big day to find out if it will be a boy or girl. The sweet anticipation!

Christmas is just a short 10 weeks and 3 days away. Here’s Christmas Card Template 3 – Harmony.

Click the image above for the Fotofusion V5 .scrap file free download. The template includes the background image with image paper squares. Just insert your own images in place of the paper. Fonts used for this template are made by Kimberly Geswein – KG Eyes Wide Open and KG Behind These Hazel Eyes.

For a Photoshop template or if you would like for me to add your images and send a flattened jpeg file, contact me. I will send instructions for how to send your images. Professional photographers work will be respected.

To see more of my daughters family photos, click here.

Have you taken your family photos this year? If not, are you planning on scheduling a session or setting up a tripod and taking your own? Would enjoy hearing your plans!

Best Wishes,

Perfect Family Picture

October 5, 2015 by Debra 1 Comment

Hi, I have mentioned Fall is the time of year for family pictures. Most will have an idea what they think a perfect family picture is. I bet it’s different than what I consider a perfect family picture. There are no guarantees with young children!

The best advise I can give to parents, do your best to make sure your children are well rested and well fed prior to your session. Trust your photographer. Go into the session with the thought that no matter what happens, the end result will be awesome. The more comfortable you are, the more comfortable your photographer will be and the children will be comfortable too- creating that memorable family picture you will enjoy for the rest of time!

Perfect Family Picture

From funny expressions……….

To someone looking away……….

The more people there are in a group picture, the more difficult it is to have everyone looking at the camera at the same time with a pleasant smile.

Sometimes the best pictures are when no one is looking at the camera…..

More images from this photo session.

So many different expressions!

A real beauty.

And handsome!

Remember- when having your family pictures taken; either by a professional or setting your camera up on a tripod and using the self timer, you are creating a lifetime of memories for you and your family. Be relaxed and have fun. Your images will show your happiness and love for each other!

Below is my favorite of the family. I like it best for several reasons:
1) Everyone is looking at the camera;
2) Everyone has a pleasant smile;
3) It tells a story.

Do you see what the middle child is doing? He’s holding one of the juicy fruits the parents brought for the kids. Even the littlest is holding one. I’m not sure just how many they went through that day, but it was alot!

What are some of your favorite memories from one of your family photo sessions? I would enjoy hearing your story.

Best Wishes,

Click here to view more family pictures.