Archive for June, 2010

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dinosaur art

Saturday, June 12th, 2010

Things are always changing in our home. I probably rearrange something, switch a picture out of a frame, move an accent from here to there, paint something … every week. Sometimes daily. It’s my little creative outlet I guess.

This is the latest change to our play room. Found this awesome clock at WalMart, of all places. Already had everything else – the frames and stands, the painted wooden animals (from World Market) and bookcase (from Razmataz). And I left Porter’s handwritten alphabet in the smaller frame from when he was almost 5 years old.

The dinosaur art is new. Porter loves to draw. It’s never the same thing. It’s whatever he sees or feels like that day. Recently it was dinosaurs. One dinosaur per sheet of paper.

I love putting the kids’ art in frames or hanging it on the walls or using it as our desktop wallpaper. Not only because I’m their mother and therefore a total sucker for everything they write and draw … but displaying their art nurtures their creativity and boosts their ego. If you missed my post about Nurturing Creativity in Our Children, you can find that here.

So back to the dinosaur art. This is what I did:

1. I scanned each page (at least 300 dpi).

2. I opened up each file in Photoshop and cropped each piece of art so that each dinosaur (with a little space around it) was 4″ x 3″. I knew the size of my frame and just figured it out so I would have 9 sections for the 9 dinosaurs.

3. In Photoshop, I created a canvas size (fit for my frame) and one by one, I dropped each 4″ x 3″ image onto the canvas.

4. I added a bit of text at the bottom. (Mom taught me to sign and date everything.)

5. I saved the document as a .psd (so all the layers are still there and in case I ever want to make changes) and as a .jpg. The jpg file is what compresses all of the layers and you can upload that to be printed.

Oh, the possibilities! Perhaps this is something you could put to good use with your favorite art that came home from school this year? Maybe you have been hanging on to the art from your own school years. Wouldn’t that be cool to create a grid of your own masterpieces?

Now that the file is created – this collection of dinosaurs – it’s super easy to print 4×6 copies of this and send postcards to friends and cousins. That’s next on the list of summer activities.

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Posted in DIY, family & children, home, style & design | 19 Comments »

more 15-minute floral ideas

Friday, June 11th, 2010

I realized that I have several 15-minute florals around our home. Actually … a couple of them took more like 2 minutes.

Again — it’s a simple way to add a lovely bit of color and texture into any room. Vases and pots and containers of every kind can be found in so many places. Try something unusual for a whimsical look. Post a comment if you have specific ideas for creative container ideas. I’d love to hear!

My favorite places to find containers? Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Ross, Marshall’s, JoAnn, Michael’s.

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Posted in DIY, home, style & design | 21 Comments »

5 of my favorite fonts right now

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

ScrapNFonts has some new fonts that I’ve been enjoying lately. In fact, I chose my five favorites and they bundled them up and put them on sale for just $10 for all five. You can go here for that deal.

You might recognize that I used one of the flowers from DB Floral Infusion as well as the SNF Goody font for Kylie’s birthday invite here.

Also, Brian Tippetts did a short & sweet interview with me and that’s also up on their site. For a quick read, click here.

And … you have to check out what Britta did! Using the digital Project Life and incorporating ScrapNFonts’ fonts & DoodleBats, she is creating an darling, custom Project Life book for her family. Check it out here.

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Posted in products, style & design | 3 Comments »

15-minute florals

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Here’s a fun way to add a pop of color and texture in any room! ANYone can do this.

If you’d like the look of a little floral touch in your home but making an “arrangement” is either intimidating or time-consuming or expensive or just plain not interesting to you … here’s something you can try.

I’m calling these 15-minute florals because it truly is that quick to put something like this together. Sometimes less. It certainly doesn’t require experience. You just need a vase, pot, jar, or some sort of container. And stems to your liking – silk flowers, dried  flowers, berries or whatever you want. Could be that you need 1 or 2 or a few or a dozen … depends on what look you’re going for (full and dense or sparse and simple) and how big the flowers are. The simplest approach is to get them all the same. Then  you’re not thinking about which flowers go well together and how many of each kind, etc.

Just cut each stem down, one at a time, and add them to the container. Not complicated.

Tip: The reason I recommend cutting the stems one at a time is so you can have varying heights. It looks more intentional than if you were to just stick a bunch of stems in a vase without trimming them at all.

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If you are creating a  piece that calls for a little more stability in your arrangement (you don’t want the flowers to shift around), here are some additional tips. For this arrangement where I knew the sunflowers would stand taller, I didn’t want them to flop over. So I used some styrofoam blocks (check in the floral dept of your local craft store).

Using a knife and a cutting board, trim the block(s) down to fit into your container. It could work out that you have one block or several smaller blocks. It doesn’t matter. And by the way, I don’t recommend using your good kitchen knives. It’s just the one I had handy this time.

Note: This styrofoam does get messy. Do your cutting in an area that is easy to clean up.

Shove the styrofoam in the bottom of your container so it’s snug.

Then start trimming your stems. Again — one at a time so you can stick them in the styrofoam one at a time.

These are the wire cutters I use. You can find a pair in the floral department of your local craft store or at a home improvement store … or you probably already have some. Ask your man if you don’t know where they are.  ; )

PS - I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Flowers (and floral supplies) frequently go on sale at JoAnn, Hobby Lobby, Michael’s and similar stores. Always buy them on sale. Otherwise they’re just pricy.

Did you know? If you haven’t noticed, most WalMart and Target stores also carry silk flowers. Check them out!

If anyone else has floral-related tips, advice, and great finds … do share!

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Posted in DIY, home, style & design | 17 Comments »

spray-painting + floral wrapped into one project

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

I mentioned that I coached from the sidelines as my sister-in-law created her first floral arrangement. And I promised to share. So … Ta-daaaa!

Isn’t it so pretty? I’m so proud of Lauren! I tried to keep it for our home but that didn’t go over well with her. The flowers are mostly from Hobby Lobby. My friend Karolyn and I took Lauren there so we could guide her in choosing just the right combination of colors and textures. Too fun.

The pot is also from Hobby Lobby and this is how we bought it. We liked the shape, size, and texture, and style. But the color? Oh, you know that had to go buh-bye. Nothing of this nature is safe with me. I’m armed with spray paint and I will attack. And so I did attack. With some fresh white. Looks pretty opaque and quite “spray-painted” (go figure) at first.

No worries. I planned on taking advantage of that texture from the beginning. A little sandpaper did the trick and this is after I distressed the piece and added a clear top coat.

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I think this look is my message to all things brown and blah. (Or maybe I don’t know how to be normal in front of a camera when my brother is behind the lens?)

If you still haven’t try spray-painting something, next week is going to be just the inspiration you need. Basic instruction and tips on spray-painting … and of course lots of pictures. Right here on my blog. Stay tuned.

PS – Got some questions about my apron in a recent post. That orange polka dot one and this black and white one were both from Home Goods or Marshall’s or Ross or TJ Maxx. Can’t remember exactly, but that at least helps narrow it down. Those stores almost always have darling aprons!

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Posted in DIY, home, style & design | 23 Comments »

how to make an invite in 4 steps

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Making a personalized invitation on your computer can be a very simple process. This particular technique is one that I’ve used over and over and over. The idea here is that you use a photograph — a digital image — that already has visual space for text. Here is the process I usually follow in creating a simple (and quick) invitation or announcement.

1. Take pictures with intentional space. Frame your subject so they’re off to the side or up or down or in the corner or whatever. Just leave a lot of space in your frame and just keep snapping.

Tip: It’s ideal for your background to be solid or subtle. Keep in mind that text will go in that area (your background). And it’s really hard to read text on a busy or bold pattern.

In taking a few pictures of our friend Kylie for her upcoming birthday, I had her brother and my Porter hold this textured blanket behind her a few feet back. You don’t have to use a blanket or sheet. Depending on your angle, you may have a simple background that already exists in your environment — a wall, the sky, or something else.

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2. Choose the one. You’ll know which one. It’s the picture that has just the right expression.

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3. Edit the image. Whatever you normally do for photo-editing … do that. My favorite everyday/quick editing happens right in iPhoto, which is where we have our digital pictures stored and organized on our Mac. I brought up the exposure, and saturation, color-boosted a couple notches, and increased the sharpness. This is typical of what I do to most of my photos.

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4. Add text. I add text using Adobe Photoshop. Many of you have Elements or some other software you like. Just click on the Text tool and start typing. Adjust your fonts and sizes according to your needs.

Fonts: For Kylie’s birthday invite I used one of my favorite new fonts — SNF Goody. And the flower is from the DB Floral Infusion collection. Both of these and 3 others of my recent favorites can be found HERE. I hand-picked these 5 fonts and DoodleBats as some of my current favorites so ScrapNFonts is currently offering the bundle of all 5 for just $10. Go get it!

Sharing the invites: Depending on the occasion and how much time you have, you can either email the finished piece or print it (upload to your favorite printing spot or print at home). Either way, you need to make sure your file is saved as a .jpg.

Tip: I also save my work as a .psd so that if I need to go in and change anything, my layers are all still there and I don’t have to start from scratch.

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Okay — more inspiration.

I dug up a few other examples of this same concept of intentional space for text. They all happen to be baby-related (I guess that’s what I end up doing the most?) but you can apply the principle to any subject and any theme. A friend’s baby shower invite:

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Another friend’s baby announcement (photography credit: Photos by Natalie):

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I pulled this from my blog archives a couple years ago. It’s one of my personal favorites:

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And one more baby announcement:

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Posted in photography | 33 Comments »

back from blogging break

Monday, June 7th, 2010

I took a little blogging hiatus this past week to host 8 of our favorite people in our home. Had such a blast with my brother Kevin & sister-in-law Lauren & niece & 5 nephews.

Kevin (the one who did the digital Project Life instructional video) is the one who shot that picture of me in the last post. Nice composition, eh? Someone said they thought it looked like an ad for the sunglasses. Ha! Kevin’s pretty great behind the lens. He pretty much rocks for lots of reasons.

But that picture really communicated “vacation”, didn’t it? Well he also shot this one, which is probably more accurate of what I was doing this past week.  : )

(I promise I am not usually so dolled-up when I’m doing the dishes. This was last Sunday and I guess I just never got out of my church clothes because my dress was comfortable.)

Anyway, the week was awesome. I so love my family. I’m so grateful for time together as we swam and made s’mores and watched movies and talked and talked and talked. Of course we squeezed in some creative time. It’s tradition.

I “coached from the sidelines” as Lauren made her first floral arrangement, so I’ll be sharing that soon. I think I’ve even convinced her to spray-paint something for their home.

On that note, I have a lot of spray-painting inspiration to share on the ol’ blog this week. Among other fun projects. Check back tomorrow. It’s time to return to regular blogging around here.  : )

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winners – batch #5

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Oh ye blog readers:

This is it! This is the final batch of winners from the Big Photography Giveaway!

Know what that means? Back to regular blogging tomorrow!

I know this Giveaway overtook my blog for the month of May. I am totally and completely aware that some of you were really missing my usual stream of random posts. BUT … I am so thankful to know that hundreds of families are blessed because of the Giveaway. And I do hope you enjoyed some photography inspiration. I want to express my gratitude to the 150+ photographers who participated and who are willingly offering their skills and services to bless others. It’s just awesome.

But back to the winners, right? Okay. Let’s get to it. Let’s get to this big, gigantic list of people who will soon be performing happy dances in front of their computers because they’re about to learn they won a free photo shoot.

Remember …

–This is the final list of winners for the Big Photography Giveaway. If you think you missed a specific photographer, do a search on my blog for the photographer’s name or state or country.

–If you are a winner it is your responsibility to contact the photographer this week or they have the right to choose another winner. Don’t miss out! Not sure how to contact them? Do a search for them on my blog to quickly and easily find their post, which includes their email, blog, and website.

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ALABAMA: Lauren Sanderson Photography

Winner: Allison in Decatur … you were already announced as the winner. Email Lauren this week or she has the right to choose another winner. You don’t want that to happen, do you?   : (

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ARIZONA: Terri Moore

Winner #1: Amy Maurer who nominated  Kimberly and her husband Ryan

Winner #2: Carrie who nominated young Bridget and her family

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CALIFORNIA: Vanessa Olson |  Vanessa Irene PhotoGraphix

Winner: Janine whose husband’s deployment has meant a lot of missed birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

*For the first 45 commenters on Vanessa’s post (basically anyone who commented by Memorial Day morning) Vanessa will give either $50 off any package you purchase through this summer. Email Vanessa for details.

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CALIFORNIA: Angela Gail Banchi | AGB Photographics

Winner #1: Julia who is enjoying a “reunification” with her family

Winner #2: Aimee Elam and her family full of redheads

*AGB is also going to offer 50% off a session to everyone else that commented on her post. Anyone that didn’t comment but still contacts AGB for a photo shoot will receive 25% off their photo shoot when they mention the Big Photography Giveaway. Email AGB by July 31st to receive the discounts.

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CALIFORNIA: Hope Adams

Winner #1: Jessica with a one-year-old son

Winner #2: Bruinbr whose daughter just learned to walk

*Hope wants to add that everyone else can get $100 off the session fee if you “like” her Facebook page. When you call to book your session, just mention that you heard about Hope on my blog and you follow her on facebook and you’ll receive $100 off your session fee when you schedule your session by July 31st. Email Hope for details.

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CANADA: Rebecca Wood

Winner: Jennifer who nominated her friend Dawn

*Rebecca would like to offer a one-hour session for $50 which includes a cd of all the edited images. This is for anyone who commented on Rebecca’s post. Email Rebecca for details. You will need to contact her by July 15, 2010 to get this deal.

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CANADA: Nikki Scott

Winner: Lisa in North Delta with two little boys

*Nikki would like to offer everyone who commented on her post 50% off any portrait session you book. Email Nikki for details and mention the Big Photography Giveaway when booking.

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FLORIDA: Beth Johnson

Winner: Jamie B. who is celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary and weight loss too

*Beth would like to offer a special for anyone else who commented on her post. $50 session fee with a $50 print credit ($50 books the session and all of it will go towards prints/products), plus 25% off any additional prints/products. Email Beth for details. Offer good through 7/31/10.

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FLORIDA: Rachelle Goldhammer

*NOTE: Katherine Pogorzeldki was already announced the winner. Katherine, Rachelle wants to do a photo shoot for you. You don’t  want to pass up this opportunity. Please contact her by June 9th. Also, Rachelle would like to photograph Stephanie Mast and her husband so Stephanie — email Rachelle!

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IDAHO: Amber Fischer

Winner #1: Traci Huntsman

Winner #2: Jen Smith

Winner #3: Steve who would like to surprise his wife (okay, seriously — bonus points for this guy!)

*Amber would also like to offer $100 off all digital packages for anyone who books by June 30th and mentions the Big Photography Giveaway. Email Amber for details.

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ILLINOIS: Jodie McNally

Winner #1: Laurie who nominated her friends in Peoria

Winner #2: Kirsten, mom of triplets

*Jodie would also like to offer a $40 session with a complimentary 8×10 to anyone who commented on her post.  She’d be willing to do this $40 session either in Galesburg, Peoria, or the Quad City area. If you live outside of those areas and you’re interested in this offer, please contact her to discuss details and options. Email Jodie for details and be sure to mention the Big Photography Giveaway.

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KANSAS: Jennifer Puhak

Winner #1: Erin whose friend who just had triplets via fertility treatments

Winner #2: Cassie Larson Whiteman AFB, military family due with a baby girl in July

*Jennifer has a few dates in June/July that are available. If you commented on Jennifer’s post and you’re interested in a 50/50 session ($50 session fee and 50% price prints for any order over $50 placed within 10 days), email Jennifer.

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MASSACHUSETTS: Kara Baker

Winner: Kristin who is expecting their first baby this summer

*Kara wants to offer everyone who commented on her post a FREE session! (Seriously!) This includes 1-2 hours of shooting time, post-processing & retouching of at least 25 images, and an online gallery of those watermarked images to share with their family & friends, and use on social networking sites. She is also offering 25% off prints if they are ordered within one week of their gallery being ready. You can visit her website, www.karabakerphotography.com for more information.

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MICHIGAN: Charlene Engel

Winner: Kelly Burkholder

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MICHIGAN: Deming Photography

Winner: Margaret who nominated her parents

*Amy has extended a 50% discount for session and proofing to all others who commented on her post. Email Amy for details.

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MINNESOTA: Expressions

Winner: Joan Schmidt

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MISSOURI: Kim Casey & Janelle Ringgenberg | RainKite Photography

Grand Prize Winner: Erin who nominated her friends who really deserve such a gift

And these other 3 families will also win … a free mini-session and 5 digital images

Winner #2: Annie Prenni who nominated her friend Donna Griffin

Winner #3: Tracy who nominated Pam K.

Winner #4: Sharma Keeler who nominated Bethany

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MONTANA: Tanya Webster | Capturing Magic Photography

Winner #1: Heather C

Winner #2: Lisa K.

*Anyone who contacts Tanya within the next week will receive 20% off her regular session fee and $25 in print credits.

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NEBRASKA: Becky Novacek

Winner: Janet G.

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NEVADA: Sheena C Photography

Winner #1: Julie B. with 3 kiddos

Winner #2: Kristi H. who nominated her friend Brooke

*Sheena would also like to offer all of the remaining people who left a comment on her post a discounted session. Email Sheena and mention my name to get this discounted pricing.

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NEW MEXICO: Liz Evans

Winner: Kara (5 years of marriage + 2 kids, but no family portrait yet)

*Liz would like to offer a free $50 print credit to anyone else that commented on her post. Email Liz for details and mention my name when booking.

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OREGON: Tanya Webster | Capturing Magic Photography

Winner #1: Rebekah Pontow

Winner: #2: Heather P.

*Anyone who contacts Tanya within the next week will receive 20% off her regular session fee and a $25 in print credits.

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RHODE ISLAND: Keri McCarthy

Winner: Jennifer B. – a SAHM with 2 girls

*Keri would like to extend a half-off session fee discount to anyone interested. Email Keri by June 30th and mentions the Big Photography Giveaway.  (Session may be scheduled at any point).

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SCOTLAND: Ruth Trotter

Winner: Margaret C. in Dundee

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TENNESSEE: Amy Lynn Smith

Winner: Erin and her little family, who have been through a lot lately

*Amy would like to extend $100 off to any who mention my blog. You may apply it toward a session fee. Email Amy for details.

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TENNESSEE: Courtney DeLaura | Peachtree Studio

Winner: Karen whose last family portrait was more than 10 years ago

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TEXAS: Sara Lopez

Winner: Angela Gordon

*Sara would like to extend a special offer to all those that commented on her post. Email Sara for details.

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TEXAS: Katie Shagman

Winner: Kristin with 3 wild & crazy little boys

*Katie has an offer for all others who commented on her post. You can schedule a two hour photo shoot and receive a DVD of at least 16 high resolution (edited) images for $150, which is $100 off normal price. Email Katie for details.

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TEXAS: Sarah Dorn

Winner: Brooke, who recently brought home their miracle baby boy

*Sarah would also like to offer 20% off a full session to those who commented on her post. Email Sarah for details.

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TEXAS: Nicole Denae Photography

Winner #1: Gretchen in Katy – Artist Session

Winner #2: Kristin in Pearland – $50 session fee plus a $50.00  print credit

*Nicki would also like to extend an offer to everyone who commented on her post, a discounted session fee of $75.  The session must be booked and paid for by the end of June, but can be held at a later date. Anyone that didn’t comment but still contacts Nicki for a photo shoot will receive $25 off their photo shoot when they mention the Big Photography Giveaway. Email Nicki for details.

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UTAH: Tania Finn | tk design company

Winner:  Andria Boer who has recently dropped 40 pounds

*Also, Tania would like to offer every person who left a comment on her post a $50 credit towards any family photo session. Email Tania for details.

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UTAH: Camille Stewart

Winner: Cari who nominated her dad

*Camille would also like to extend an offer to everyone who commented on her post: a discounted family session for $75 which includes a 1-2 hour session and up to 25 images on a CD. Email Camille for details. Book a session by June 30, 2010 and mention my blog to receive the discounted rate.

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UTAH: Marcie Jessee

Winner: Lyndsy who nominated her sister for an engagement session

*Marcie would like to offer a discount to anyone interested. Email her before July 1st about setting up a session and you will receive a discount by mentioning that you saw her on my blog.

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WASHINGTON: Randi M Brunt

Winner: Lis who nominated her friend Katie with 3 girls and an upcoming 10th anniversary

*For everyone else, take $50 off your session fee when you mention this giveaway when booking your session with Randi.  Effective after August 9th in Seattle or after July 12th in Portland. Email Randi for details.

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WISCONSIN: Wendy Schlomann | Clicka Foto

Winner: Beth Loheide

*Wendy would also like to extend a gift of 25 custom designed 4×8 Family or Children’s Holiday Greeting Cards to any family or childrens’ sessions booked by June 31, 2010. AND to anyone who ‘likes’ their Facebook Fan Page and leaves them a note, they’ll extend to you 8 complimentary wallets from your session. Email Wendy for details.

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WISCONSIN: Wynter Clark | Invierno Photography

Winner #1: Michelle M. who has a 5-year-old daughter

Winner #2: Laura P. who nominated her cousin Scott

Winner #3: Amanda Smith in Bloomer

Winner #4: Wendi in Saint Germain

Winner #5: Mellena who nominated her niece

*Wynter would also like to offer a 90-minute family shoot which includes the high resolution and fully edited pictures with full printing rights for $35.00. Just ”like” Invierno’s facebook page and post a comment that you saw the Big Photography Giveaway on my blog.

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WYOMING: Mandi Buchanan

Winner: Kristie whose family of 5 has never had a family portrait

*For the others who left a comment on Mandi’s post, she would like to offer 25% off plus a free 8×10. That’s $50 for 1.5 hour photo shoot and digital images. Email Mandi for details.

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brief blogging break.

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

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