Happy Valentine’s Day! Just a little early… Don’t tell my boys I posted a picture of them together when they were not punching each other!
I have got to get started on 1,000 Valentine Cake Balls for three parties so I don’t have a lot of time to write. I wanted to share at least one last minute resource for very cute free Valentine printables from OntoBaby.com. I love that you can customize the colors you want to use. Check it out here:
I have a few other fun Valentine ideas on my Holiday Pinterest Board.
Lastly, I will leave you with some iPhone pictures of my weekend in North Georgia with my husband. We had the day off from our regular life as a gift from my Aunt and were able to visit Frogtown Cellars (we are now citizens) and Wolf Mountain Vineyards. It was a beautiful day and a big-fun time. I recommend taking a day trip as soon as you can to see what Georgia has to offer in red and white wines.
Do you see the sleeping photo-bomber in these pictures? 🙂
I made it! The 12th day of Christmas and I was able to post something every day. I was glad to share so many sessions but have saved a personal post for last. I am pretty sure my Christmas Cards will be late this year so I’ll just share some pictures of my own kids right now. Getting combed hair doesn’t seem to be the battle I chose to fight this day. I’m fine with it. My standards are pretty low for pictures of my own kids. I only want three things: Them, no crazy Superhero T-shirts and to look “pleasant” (aka it is okay not to smile).
They were acting very silly and out of control on this afternoon. I would like to say that is out of the ordinary but it isn’t. They were doing big huge cheesy grins with their eyes shut tight. Below is what I got when I asked them not to smile so much. It reminds me of those old pictures from the 1800s when everyone looked so miserable stoic.
Are you still with me or asleep? In case my Christmas cards really never make it out, I have included a couple of my annual Santa pictures. My middle child has the gift thing figured out and explained to my little girl how it works as we waited our turn. According to him, if you only put ONE thing on your list, you are certain to get it. If you put 5 or 6 things you don’t know what you will get. So sure enough, all three went up to Santa with exactly one thing on their lists. Barbie Scooter, iPod and Wii-U. That is all the Phillipson kids need to make their Christmas complete. I’m afraid 2 of the 3 will be very disappointed on Christmas morning (although Andy and I have been known to cave at the last minute). I like this Santa. We think he must be the real thing and not just a helper. I like him because he always tells my children to brush their teeth.
Photographer’s Note: I want to get a canvas for each year of my Santa pictures and pull them all out every December. I haven’t quite figured out how to display them or where I would put them so stay tuned.
I would like to share the best and absolute worst all time Christmas picture of all 3 of my children. It again has the theme of uncombed hair. An added bonus is that it features Alex’s haircut he created himself called my bangs were bothering me and now they are not. If you read my earlier post about how I have lived with scissors on the top shelf for the last 10 years, now you know why. Unfortunately, my kids are bigger now and can move chairs and climb high when I am not looking. Ariel the Mermaid had a recent hair loss as well. Anyway, Enjoy! Merry Christmas.
No, you may not submit this to Awkward Family Photos. I plan on holding on to all my awkward photos. I’m pretty sure I will have enough material for my own book one day. If you have a funny picture, I would love to see it. And you actually can submit to a funny Holiday contest here.
More silliness below (probably my Mom is the only one that has made it this far?). I will call this session “get in the backyard so I can get a Christmas Card picture” OR ” the sun is going, the sun is going, stop it!” I can’t decide.
Christmas Gift Ideas: Only one today – remember the real gift already given to us all! I’ll leave you with my favorite Christmas song:
Merry Christmas!
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you: He is Christ the Lord.” –Luke 2:11
A Senior Boy Session is definitely different than a Senior Girl Session (usually). The girls have lots of ideas and we try all kinds of new things. The boys do whatever I ask of them and are there just to make their Mom happy. This young man was no exception – so polite and I liked him immediately. He did not even mind sitting next to his twin brothers for a quick Christmas Card shot! 😉
Looking for a good teenage boy Christmas Gift? I have no ideas for you. I’m assuming something electronic would be good. Even my 11 year old doesn’t give me ideas and says “anything is fine, there is nothing I want.” Is this where having a boy starts to pay off?
Gift Idea: I can frame and wrap a gift certificate for a customized Senior Portrait Session. I will be doing these again starting in February and it applies for Class of 2013 and Class of 2014 Seniors. Email me for details.
Camera: I’m sure I am biased but I think a nice camera is a great gift for anyone especially a teenager. I don’t know that much about all the brands and what options are out there, but I know I loved the Canon Rebel I had years ago. You can check this link or Costco to see what has the better price. Unless you know a lot about it, purchase the camera with the kit so you have all the pieces needed and make sure you pull out the battery and charge it before Christmas morning. What a bummer to open it and not get to use it right away.
These beautiful sisters were lucky enough to get two new puppies this year. Meet Shrimp and Grits. They were every bit as wiggily and playful as you would expect. We laughed a lot and had fun. When I got the call for this session it was very much like one for a newborn session. We had to rush and fit it in ASAP to make sure we captured these puppies before they got any bigger. Mom said “they are already changing!”
We are in the process of hanging their favorite images in a collection of Obrien Schridde black frames. It is going to look so great. I have these same frames hanging in my family room and I think I love them more each year.
Christmas Gift Idea: Frames! Of course. Grandmas and family always love getting framed pictures of their family. I also love to give framed chalkboards or mini ornament frames that can be hung on the tree. I have several of these on hand if you need help. If you want to try canvas, I know Canvas on Demand has a good product you will be happy with. Instacanvas is what you need to check out if you are an Instagram user. (They have Gift Ideas to check out and just make sure you order by December 10th for Christmas delivery).
I hope your Thanksgiving was as good as mine. I cooked ALL morning and didn’t have much to show for it. Luckily my Mom and Aunt do most of the cooking. Like every other photographer I know, I haven’t cooked for my family at all this month. It was a nice change of pace for me. I’ve also been shopping online trying to get some great Black Friday deals. I’m so glad I can do it all in my pajamas. It takes everything I have to keep myself from getting out in the frenzy of shoppers in Retail stores and later regretting it!
This is a reminder that tomorrow is Shop Small Saturday. Remember all the small businesses in your local area as you search for the perfect Christmas gift. I love Amazon too but it is great to support the people in my very own community.
I offer gift certificates for custom photography sessions through Christmas. However, for Black Friday through Cyber Monday you can email me and I will create a custom designed card just for you and also frame it so you have a nice tangible gift for your loved one(s) to open at Christmas. Any Mom would love this and it is also a fun gift for Middle School and High School girls. They especially love to have Best Friend-Sessions at this age which I will be scheduling in February. This would be such a unique and unexpected gift that you could also pair with a gift card to a favorite clothing store to pick out something new for their session. I have lots of ideas…you can go to the “Contact” page and email me for details.
Shop Small Businesses!
Pre-register your Amex card at shopsmall.com and get a $25 statement credit on any participating small business purchase made on Saturday.
We had a great time during this session. It was a beautiful afternoon with lots of Fall colors and more use of the purples that I love so much. Mom & Dad were easy going and the kids were just perfect. I love that I got to “shoot” another middle schooler and that it was the same day he got braces! What a milestone day for him and I’m glad I got to capture this family before these kids grow any bigger!
This brother and sister did whatever I asked but still were free to have a good time and be themselves so we got some fun candid moments of them together. That is what I mean by perfect. 🙂
