We have been in design mode lately.

Albums are at the top when it comes to our favorite product to design. It is a fun alternative of cherishing your images when the walls in your home are already studded with the people you love. We recently just finished our daughter’s 4 year album. Her face lit up when we placed it on our coffee table. As she looked through it, she asked when she is going to turn five so we can do her 5 year old photo shoot. Here is a look into our most popular album. The Luxe Album. This one is designed as a 12 x 12 on pearl paper with a metallic cover.

We have 2 fabulous frame collections for you to choose from!

The Artist Collection includes:

* Shabby Chic Frames with a variety of trim choices   * Christmas Frames   *Specialty Frames (such a polka dot, swirly frames…)

And…

So I am a year behind in our personal pictures, but I wanted to get a move on this album. Here is a look at Miss Paisley growing throughout her first year. The album is 10×10 inches in size. It has a padded metallic canvas cover and is printed on art watercolor paper. Enjoy!

We are doing great, and we have been busy as I’m sure you all are too… We finished up the school year which seems like a blur now. I ended up having vein surgery done on my left leg from continued vericose vein pain from my 4 pregnancies. My leg is healing, and I hope the pain will be gone soon. Yay! Before all this happened, I was on a frustrating phone call with insurance. After hanging up and not getting any answers, I broke down in tears not knowing if the surgery would be covered. My daughter came up to me and asked what was wrong. I told her that my legs hurt and that I just wanted them fixed. She asked where she could kiss it to make it better for me. It melted my heart. If only it were that easy. Thank you to all of our family and friends for the help and prayers!  This week was a great week of Vacation Bible School, celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary, and taking care of sick kids. I am ready to relax a little and have it feel like summer now.

***We ARE booked for the remainder of 2011. This includes our Mak a Dif sessions as well.***  If you are interested in a session in the future, please stay tuned to the blog for further booking information. Meanwhile… you all can still get these fabulous frames from us!!!

The frame above: 11×16 Twin Double Fonzie         Inner color: Tahitian Sky             Outer color: Pumpkin

Here are more great products that we recently put together and gave to a fabulous client of ours:

Introducing the Twin Double Stack Frame. The name says it all. This is a 16×24 Mary Ann frame. The outer color is Dragon Fruit and the inner color is Sunkissed.

More frame goodness… the beautiful and curvy single frame.

When coming up with an art photograph to display in this unique frame, we were deciding between 2 images. We had a family vote and with a split decision, “The Tiger With No Teeth” (as our kids would say) became the winner! Here is “The Tiger With Teeth” image that didn’t quite make it.

This frame and “The Tiger With No Teeth” art print by Roots Photography & Design will be auctioned off at The Midwest Food Bank for their 2011 Gala Dinner and Auction on April 9th.

We fell in love with these beautiful frames the first time we saw them! We just began selling these babies, and recently received our first shipment. Our next several posts will be featuring these fabulous frames.

The colors and qualities of these frames are outstanding!! We thought it was such a great idea when The Organic Bloom began making these frames specifically to fit an iPad. Isn’t it gorgeous!?!?!

We use our iPad for so many things… online access, children’s games, videos, email… the list goes on. The iPad frame works great for sitting on an easel and being out for display. It comes in handy when looking up a recipe or listening to music.

These frames come in several styles and the many colors you see below. For a limited time, we are selling the iPad frame for $48. All sales are final. Please see additional details below and contact us if you are interested in purchasing!

This is what the finish looks like for a frame with no glaze. This is the Mary Ann style in the color Tahitian Sky:

So our kids are getting older and that meant a new phase of life and a more functional playroom. Remodeling the playroom was our family Christmas gift to each other. When we moved into this house, this room was a dining room. Knowing that we needed it for additional space we turned it into the playroom. Eventually we puttied the walls, and painted them green with texture. Tater and his brother added the baby gate. For the first several years this room acted as a large playpen. It was wonderful. Then the kids got bigger and more toys were added making it not so baby proof. Since little furniture was in there, the kids would drag out their toys to our main living area. We knew we wanted a place that was just for them (kind of their hang out spot). So the new phase began and the baby gate came down.

We first changed the room to a white with metallic glaze walls to make the room brighter. We also painted the furniture white. Then we added our Christmas gifts… a collection of Wild Sorbet frames, Pottery Barn kitchen set, and Land of Nod play table.

I have always struggled with knowing what my God given talents are. Talents always seem easier to find in others. I have known though my LOVE for organizing. It comes as a fault at times. Bringing me back to growing up…

I ran the sink water to get the water warm before washing my face. As I was waiting, I went back into my bedroom to get something. BIG MISTAKE! Totally forgetting that I left the water on, I began to reorganize my ALREADY organized room. After awhile I hear commotion downstairs, and my heart sank to find out what had happened. My washrag had fallen into the sink blocking the drain. During my ‘oh so organizing fun times’, the sink and bathroom filled up with water. My parents were downstairs and heard a big pop! The water had gone down to the main level and the Tiffany light on the ceiling had filled up bursting the bulb. Let’s just say the nice wood ceiling didn’t look so smooth after I gave that room a makeover. My parents were very forgiving and even gave us a lesson on water - how it comes into the house and even explained that we pay for it. ha! Something I did not know.

Okay, back to organizing. We wanted a display area for our kids’ artwork and important papers. So we use these attached to metal bars found at IKEA. The tins hold up their art and hold the girls dress up play jewelry and hair pieces inside.

I remember reading The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room when I was growing up. I was totally inspired and drooled over the closet that they had organized at the end of the story. I knew I wanted that for my kids someday. So here is our attempt.

We definitely have been enjoying our new space! Here are a few of our favorite toys besides our everyday princess shoes, dolls, legos, dinosaurs, coloring books and of course the Wii…

Calm Down Boris: a book full of tickles, kisses and giggles!

Magformers: loved by both my boy and girls.

Ball Popper: my young ones love this.

Zingo: great family game for those with young kids!

Go Fish Guys - Let’s Sing (Sing-a-long DVD): makes for a fun dance party! All of their music is fun!

Melissa and Doug Slice and Bake Cookie Set: anything from Melissa and Doug is fantastic! Helps spark the pretend play for my kids.

The Jesus Storybook Bible: a great way to cuddle and end the day together.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we wanted to share some of our love to our fans that support us. It would be our wish to gift each and everyone of you but from THIS contest we found our winner!!!

The winner will receive this 8×8 frame in the color of their choice!!! These fabulous frames are made by The Organic Bloom. It is a new product line of frames we will be offering anyone who is interested in them. You don’t have to have had a session with us in order to get these fantastic frames!

Thank you to all who took the time to participate in the contest! We appreciate the time you took to write a comment to us. There were SO many of you with great answers!! We loved reading them! Here are some of our favorites of you guessing how the session ended:

• In a trip to the ER (Thankfully that did not happen!)
• Paint fight! And that we joined our kids in the fun! Too funny! (Something that we would do.)
• That there were tears… (That definitely could have happened with our dramatic crew!)
• That Tater was in his skivvies - (You think? - haha)
• Brought in snow to paint! (Good idea!)

A lot of you were right on with your guesses!! It was too hard for us to pick who had the most accurate, so we went the easy route with a random number generator. And our winner is….

Comment # 14! BROOKE you won!!!

You may choose the frame to be the color of your choice from the frame color above or the colors you see below. Congratulations to you! We’re so happy for you. You’re gonna love it!

Thank you to all who took part! Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

I love the products we offer as photographers, but so often our own personal pictures and album designs get pushed to the side. We have worked this past month trying to catch up on all of that before we add another little munchkin to our family. We’ve been working on birth albums of our 3 kids, a maternity album, our last years family album, and our personal snapshots from the past 3 years. Yes, we were pretty behind and now we are almost caught up. Here is our completed 10×10 family book:

Another share we have is one of our frame vendor’s 2010 catalog: Check it out the 2010 catalog HERE!

You will see our images sprinkled throughout the magazine and our studio as the featured studio. Check out the catalog to get inspiration from many photographers using this frame company and contact us to make your design dream come true!

And these beauties came in last night. They are 20×30 custom designed standouts on metallic paper with pebble texture.

Enjoy the before and afters: From straight out of the camera to the end product result.