Sadly they have been sitting in a closet for the past eight months, ever since we moved to our new house. Sure….I can blame it on being pregnant all summer, and then newborn care after that, but the truth is I was a bit overwhelmed when we moved in, and when I am overwhelmed my creativity gets zapped, and I end up doing a whole lot of nothing.

It appears something in me has snapped finally, and I have spent the last three days rearranging  our entire top floor and thinking up plans for decorating virtually every room in our home. My first big task was moving the girls into the same room on our first floor. (Don’t ask how that’s going yet…that’s a whole other story!) I have taken the second floor, which was previously just Holly’s room, and turned it into a creative wonderland with a sewing and art area for the girls and I, as well as office space for me. The girls also have a cute play area at the top of the stairs. (This is my attempt at making their downstairs, more visible room, not look so tornado-like with its toy explosions.) Oh yeah, and I was even able to carve a “guest room” up there too!

All of this moving around did make me laugh when I sat back and looked at my work.  Time and time again in my life I have rearranged rooms and somehow it always happens that I have just the right amount/shape of furniture in colors and styles that all flow. I have no idea how this happens, so much of it has been bought over time, but it speaks to the fact that if you just buy and collect what you truly love it all works out in the end.

I am starting a list of things I want to accomplish this year at home, and can’t wait to share it all here.  It’s not ready yet, but I did manage to get one thing already crossed off (*almost)–the hanging of the puzzles pictured above.

I say almost because my husband likes to do the hanging at our house, or should I say I like him to do the hanging.  (I am, for better or worse, a bit of a loose cannon when it comes to hanging things.)  I start out all precise–measuring, marking, leveling–but get so impatient by the end of it that I sort of just dive in, pound the nails, and create a few mistakes along the way. I am not proud of this, but it is who I am–and my husband knows it!

So as not to mark up the walls in this house, I took the time yesterday to actually create paper templates of the frames so I could see what arrangement I like best.  Super glad I did this, as the way I was going to hang them isn’t the way I think I want to hang them now. Behold the two options….

Can you guess which way I am going to go? Or better yet, leave me your vote in the comments below.

I hope to be able to show you how it turned out soon, if for no other reason than to not subject the poor baby to any more project-filled Saturday afternoons. She sat in her little pink papasan most of the day watching me jump from room to room, and if her mood yesterday is any indication she has already had enough of this nonsense.

I am still undecided if I am going to do little Marie’s or not.  Not sure how she’ll hold up her head!

With temperatures FINALLY reaching into the eighties here in Saint Paul, I just might be on the verge of believing that summer (or spring for that matter) has actually arrived.  That, to me, is a reason to celebrate….and why not celebrate together with a summer mini-session!

For the next week I am going to open up the ENTIRE SUMMER WEEKDAY schedule to these special sessions, versus trying to condense them all into one day or weekend.

Here are the particulars:

-30-60 minute session
-must be scheduled on mon, wed, or fri either in the afternoon or evening
-fee covers up to two children (each additional child $25)
-session will be located at my studio in Saint Paul, outdoor shots encouraged!  Lots of parks, fields..etc..nearby
-fee is $150 and INCLUDES three high-res files on CD with printing rights (Retail value $450+!)
-NO MINIMUM purchase is required,  however special digital and print packages will be available to purchase if   you desire additional images
-these special sessions are for children’s portraits ONLY.  In the fall I will be offering holiday mini-sessions    designed for capturing the whole family

Remember, these will only be available for a limited time so be sure to schedule your session today!

You probably all remember my post from the other day about Harper, the little gal that loved playing peek-a-boo with me during her session.  As her mom and I sat down to talk about what to order, it seemed only natural to put a series of these shots together in a storyboard.  We loved all of these images, each seems to tell a different tale about her sweet personality and who she is right now.  (Which is exactly what her mom wanted, and exactly what I strive to capture each time I get behind my camera!)

Printed up this is storyboard is 10×20 inches, perfect for hanging in your child’s room or with a collection of photos on the wall.  I think I need to order myself one!

Things have been a bit calmed down in the studio as of late, but things are sure to be heating up soon–literally.  New babies were born last week (hello hot studio!) and it actually might hit 80 degrees outside.

Summer here we come!

Little Harper was at the studio a few weeks ago and this is easily one of my most favorite images of our morning together.  With little ones I happily follow their lead (have you ever tried to tell a one year old what to do?!)  and she was quite the busy lady!  She sat on my seamless paper, than crawled over the the window. Then she climbed up the sofa, then down the sofa.  Once she discovered the sheers around my window she played a fun game of hide and seek with me before she was off again!  Such a fun morning and such a beautiful baby girl!

Little Miss D. turned one a few weeks ago, and this morning we were finally able to get together and have a photo session to celebrate the event.  There are SO many cute photos, I truly didn’t even know which one to post as a sneak peek!  I have literally sat here for over an hour going through the session selecting photo after photo to publish here….but in the end this one won out.  She seriously has the sweetest face, and was such a wonderful baby to photograph. She danced to Jimmy Buffet tunes, smiled, laughed, the works….such a great way to spend a Sunday morning.  Thanks Miss D.–hope to see you and your mom again soon!

I am looking for expectant mothers with an estimated due date between March7th and mid-April for a special project I am working on in studio.  Newborn models pay no session fee and receive special pricing consideration on your order.  If this applies to you, or someone you know, please pass this information along and/or contact me as soon as possible.

I still have a few spots remaining for my baby model open call, thanks to all of you so far that have volunteered your time or sent this information to friends:)

Here is another collection of photos from my “Friday Fun” mini-sessions this winter.  Little “B” is absolutely adorable–and so much fun to photograph.  She was up for anything and I look forward to capturing some great photos of her once the weather warms up!  I will be holding these “Friday Fun” mini-sessions through the rest of the month, if you are interested please contact me.

I am happy to announce I signed a lease on a natural light studio today in Saint Paul!  I have been looking for a space with lots of options, and this building has just what I was looking for.  There is a park across the street, a skyline a few blocks away, and a large bright room perfect for indoor shots.  I look forward to getting it set up, and showing it off once complete!  I move in on March 1st–will update with more details and photos soon.