{Autumn Tea Party}

This session made me totally want another girl so my daughter can have a sister! Aren't they beautiful? They were so fun and silly too. They made me giggle. Sisters are the best.

P.S. Don't forget to send in images of your cute kiddos in their costumes by Sunday!!! (See Costume Contest details below)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Dinner in a Pumpkin and the Vintage Faire

As a young mother, I am always trying to think of special traditions and memories that I want to create for my children. My sister (miss you Ash!) told me about her friend's family who always does Dinner in a Pumpkin. I am going to try this out this year just for fun and see if the kids like it. Ya never know though since my cooking skills are not too savvy ;0).

Also, mark your calendars for the Tumbleweed Cotillion's Vintage Harvest Faire where we have a booth!

Please join us at the historic Plumas Gym near downtown Reno:

575 Monroe St.(on the corner of Plumas and Monroe)

Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008 9:00 a.m - 3:00 p.m.

Truly a one-of-a-kind event for the area, the Tumbleweed Cotillion is fast becoming the premier vintage faire in the region. Join us for a relaxing and fun day filled with charm and nesting inspirations. Enjoy live music while meandering through booths full of vintage treasures and finds for your home and for gift giving.

HALLOWEEN CONTEST!!!

Here's a photo of my little guy last year when we dressed him up

for Halloween as "Alfalfa" from Little Rascals.

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Halloween. Probably because I love to dress up. Always have. I have dressed up for Halloween EVERY year of our marriage and my husband has totally humored me and dressed up too. I tried to find a photo of me when I dressed up as a pregnant (with my oldest) Wonder Woman but I have no idea where I put the darn thing. But, we've got some sweet costumes this year so be on the lookout for future images.





Enough about me though. I know there are a lot of Moms out there who read this that have adorable kids who will be wearing some fabulous costumes for Halloween. To celebrate my favorite holiday, I thought we'd have a costume contest. Please email me (francephotography@gmail.com) a photo of your child(ren) in his/her costume this year by Sunday November 2nd. I will post the photos on Monday and the voting will begin! Voting will end on Tuesday at midnight so after you vote for the President, come vote for the best costume on my blog!



The contest winner will receive a $35 Gift Certificate to my favorite Boutique http://www.babywillows.com./ I can't wait to see your entries!

Another gorgeous photo purse

I cannot tell you how many compliments I get when I am shopping with my photo purse. Here's one that a client recently purchased from this Superhero session. Oh and my bag vendor just started offering crocodile print in black and grey. Now I know what I want for Christmas.

Just because I LOVE these bags (and so do all my clients that have one) I am having a special right now where all bags are 50% off right now so if you want one at your next session, be prepared for lots of compliments on your bag.

Wall of the Week: Baseball wall!

Before: After:

We call it the "Baseball wall" because this family LOVES baseball except the Mama so we did a baseball theme for this session. We did fhe framing on this wall as well.

My studio manager/husband went to this client's home and hung this wall for them and took these images (hence the glare ;0)-- love you honey). They were giddy when it was up. Can you blame them? It looks SUPER cool!

P.S. We now offer complimentary hanging (where we come to your home and hang your wall for you)when you purchase a "virtual wall" from us. We also leave you with a large paper hanging template should you choose to move your wall somewhere else.

{Autumn baby}

This little babe was so sweet. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE babies so newborn portrait sessions are how I get my baby fix since I am in no hurry to have another one. I got to hold her for a while when I was chatting with the parents which was just so peaceful.

I did more color images than I usually do with newborns because she had the rosiest complexion and beautiful pouty pink lips.

I loved the look of their front door with all the Autumn decor so we put the baby out there. When I was taking the pictures, the Mom gasped in awe. It was a really fun setup.

She was such a good baby too. What is the deal with everyone getting easy babies? My first was a fiesty one right from the start. These guys deserve it though. They are really nice peeps.

Portraits in a Pumkin Patch

I couldn't resist the bum shot!

Remember him? This is one of my Baby planners and I couldn't believe how much he had changed since his newborn session! Check out his killer red locks. Love 'em. In fact, I think he is the first redheaded boy I have photographed. Wow! Where are all the redheads in Nevada?

I thought his hair went perfectly with the pumpkin patch. We got a couple shots of him at home too. He has the cutest smile! Don't you just wanna squish him?

{Hall of the Week}

It wasn't a typo, this is my HALL of the week and probably one of the coolest looking halls I've ever seen! We created a sample wall for this client and she loved it so much that she purchased it along with our custom framing. All she had to do was hang it up and it looks fabulous!

Oh and you are going to die when you see this newborn. He's a cute and squishy 6 month old now. I will be posting images of tomorrow.

I've been robbed.

The other day I came home and for a split second I thought I had been robbed. Then I realized that my house was just a disaster. He.he.he. (I am laughing and crying all at once)

My sister-in-law once told me that she justified her house being dirty by saying that when other moms came over, it would make them feel better about the state of their house. That's why I am posting this today...to make all you moms who think your house is a mess, know that mine is probably messier.

That picture (above) is kind of accurate except for it's BECAUSE of my hobby/business that my house is trashed. Don't get me wrong, I am not a slob. We are sanitary but I have learned to just not care. I would rather go jump on the trampoline with my kids anyday than wash the baseboards with a toothbrush. Life is just too short for that.

Oh and here's a quote that makes me feel better. "Cleaning house while kids are still growing is like shoveling snow when it's still snowing." Amen sista.

{Wall of the Week}

An image for the nursery (above).A trio for the living room. Love this!
And this image that is on my blog header was strategically placed above the antique heirloom chair in the dining room where the picture was taken. How cool is that!

These walls are some that one of my lovely clients sent me. I love seeing my work on their walls! It's so fun to see them incorporate their favorite images all throughout their house.

P.S. If you are one of my clients and have some images of your walls, please email them to me and I will share them on the blog!

Mom-preneurs

Mom-preneurs,

There is nothing harder than being a mommy and starting your own business. I have been very lucky to have built a business that I LOVE through great clientele and word of mouth. I never thought that I would actually love going to work! In fact, I love it so much, I don’t consider it work. I am a huge supporter of mom-based businesses.

What I want to to do is help other Momtrepreneurs get their names out there. I am looking for Momtrepreneurs, who like me, created their own business out of a great idea or by doing something they LOVE to do. Whether you own a storefront or do your business online through eBay or etsy, I want to hear about it! In January, I will be featuring several Mom-preneurs and their services or goods offered. I may even continue to showcase one a month after January depending on the number of applicants.

If you are interested (or know someone who might be interested), please send me an email to francephotography@gmail.com and I will send you back a questionnaire regarding your services/goods. Those selected will receive a feature spot on my blog (I have fabulous blog stalkers!), a complimentary headshot or product image, and a link to your site on my blog. Let me know if you have any other questions and I hope to hear from you soon!

Family Portraits at Lake Tahoe

I seriously love this family and their cute kiddos . They should know it too- they are all over my website! We did their session at Lake Tahoe and got some great shots of them just chillin'. One of the highlights of the evening was when I rode home with them (sometimes I carpool with clients) and the Mom and I talked our ears off. We were like giddy school girls, it was fun!

Okay and I cannot decide for the life of me which image of the bottom two I like better for my website. What's your vote??

{New Referral Program}

I really wanted to simplify our Referral Program and make it more beneficial to my clients to thank them for their referrals. So here it is:

For every client you refer, you will receive a $100 Gift Card to use towards your next session (that's 50% off the Session Fee!)

Simple as can be.

So what if you refer 3 people? Then you will have paid for your Session fee and gotten a $100 Gift Card to use towards images!

For those of you who were on the previous Referral Program, your vouchers will still be good for use towards your next session.

Here's my "little squish" fresh from sleep. I love getting him out of the crib when he's all warm and happy. It makes for good snuggles.

Why do I love walls?

I don't know why I am slightly obsessed with walls. Decorating people's walls and seeing how others decorate their walls. I am sure it is because I LOVE art, I love my kids, and I love to decorate. Doing a wall display, starring your children, is an artistic way to decorate that incorporates all of those passions.

I think of wall decor almost like furniture for your walls. It is an investment because it is something that should last a long time and make your house more of a home. I love seeing other people's wall because they are always so unique, expressing who they are.

My framing company had a "Wall Display Contest" and I LOVE the wall displays of the winners. If you love seeing wall displays too, check out these GORGEOUS wall displays with the frames we offer.

Simply Serene ~ Beach Maternity Photos

This client told me that she LOVED everything about being pregnant so I

tried to capture that in her images. I think the beach was the perfect place for her because it was so peaceful there.

I have to give her props for the tree pics too. That is no small task to climb onto a tree root and try to act like you are comfortable with bark protruding in your back but she pulled it off with grace. She is seriously gorgeous! Why can't my body look like that when I am pregnant?? Sheesh!