I thought you might all need a laugh...

At my niece and nephew's expense! PHOTO OF THE DAY!!! Seriously I probably should do something a bit "nicer" but who needs nice when you have fun?! LOL

Just for memory purposes, this occured only because I have recently discovered that it is physically impossible for me to go cross eyed... so this was Shannona nd Justin's attempt to see if they could! LOL Shannon said it was painful!

I am often asked by my clients....

Where can I find unique clothing for my children's pictures.

Well I have two sites that I have obtained permission from to share their information with you.

1. www.PinkTaffyDesigns.com
   
2. http://www.barnesportraitclothing.com/
3. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_12&listing_id=19043715
4. www.etsy.com *just do a search on hats or beanies for kids and you will be amazed at how many cute items you come across!
   

Those are just two that I adore their items... please by NO MEANS am I suggesting that they are the only way to go. Most of my favorite photographs are of plain black or white tops and jeans or a cute hat and no shirt on boys... sometimes the more simple... the better.

However, like I said, I have had a couple of clients ask me for suggestions and I thought it would be helpful for you if you had to completely unique places to check out!

Playing catchup!

It has been an absolute whirlwind month! I am FINALLY getting around to posting some sessions from December! We have had a wonderful week with family and friends... now we are MORE than ready to leave for FLORIDA!!! I can't wait for warmth!!! Merry Christmas everyone!!! Hope you enjoy the new blog layout, let me know what you think.

It wouldn't be a holiday without a Drake post!

I love this!

Gift Tag...

How cute is this!

A girl after my own heart!

Don't worry Carson your sneek peek will be up soon! This picture was like 5 minutes into the shoot before he knew we were going to have fun... he was quite the little poser!
They have a new fort in their basement that is SO cool... every kids dream!

I think she may have been talking about how cute Tyler was in this picture below... look at that smile :-)

I have been waiting for about 3 months to do this families photos... let me just say... it was WELL worth the wait. We spent 3 hours at this shoot and it felt like we were there for about 15 minutes. I knew when Kylee called me a few months ago that we would be a perfect fit, she has the same ideas as me as far as capturing kids as they are... I havea terrible time with photo shoots where I have to intentionally pose kids and "make them" do certain looks... it's just not my thing... this shoot on the other hand... JUST.MY.STYLE.

I am breaking this up into two different posts because I absoultely loved all these pics of Chloe in her little tutu, but her big brother Carson deserves his very own post too! This family had the most perfect home for photos... some incredible natural light available and completely intoxicating personalities made for an overwhelming amount of great photos! Just what I like!

I consider this family friends already and look forward to watching these two kiddos grow! I have so many ideas for the future pictures... we are FOR sure doing something when we have more fun snow like we talked about Kylee! Please give Carson and Chloe a big hug for me, we are working hard to get your final proofs edited and up very soon! Can't WAIT for you to see them.

Be sure to head over to Tyler's blog for more of the sneek peek! (Just click on that link)

Woah!

Well I attempted to do Drake Christmas photos... yeah NOT.SO.MUCH. That sweet little guy who would just so willingly smile and play with me and the camera is ON.THE.GO.!!! His session was an absolute no go! Just wanted to throw a couple up and we are going to attempt this with the little climber again when I return in a few days!!

On with the slew of pics...

Kaylee .... so big already and so cute.

Devin & Ava

Paige & her daddy! I see where she got those eyes!!

I have been an editing fool. I cannot believe how insane this weekend was, and how many incredible photos we took. Tyler (my assistant) and I worked from sun up on Sat. to Sun down on Sunday. It was the best weekend ever and after every shoot we were like this is crazy... how do we keep getting so lucky that every session is so awesome?! (Be sure and click on his name to visit his blog for more sneek peeks of the same sessions! They are awesome!)

This family is a friend of mine who is a graphic designer. She has done work for both Tyler and I now and does an incredible job and has such a great eye for design. Tyler will be posting his new cards soon so be sure to stop over for a view of those! So cool! Jess, Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your hard work and talent on helping us both "brand" our businesses. Your patience and keen eye are a gift and we are both very lucky to have you to do some awesome work for us! Thank you again.

Onto the important stuff! Jess has two sisters and she had the great idea to get everyone together for a family photo. Her sisters each have two little ones and Jess has one on the way, so be sure to watch over the next few months for Jess' baby pics!!! I know I'm rushing things Jess, but did I mention I can't wait to meet little... what's the name... george??? Something like that!

You will likely recognize little Paige the blue eyed blonde cutie and her baby sister from her newborn session... how is ALREADY setting up... wow... time flies! She was my 3rd 6th month old of the day and such a sweetie!

Lastly... Devin and his new baby sister Ava. How precious is she?! Alanna (sp?) I cannot wait for you to see the pics of your little sweetie. I seriously had to make myself stop snapping shots of Ava. For some reason everyone has little boys and I was so thrilled to have a little girl to photograph!

The start of a whole slew of posts!!!

I had the busiest weekend EVER... My email in box is chock full so if you are waiting for a phone call or email return from me, I am getting there!

I can't WAIT to show off these pictures from this weekend. First of all I got a new "baby"... no, not the one im posting about, but a new lens. For those of you who know anything about SLR camera, I got a fixed lens 50mm 1.4.... I can't even begin to tell you how much I LOVE this lens.

Ok, so now that im done being excited about that... lets get to the important stuff...

This is Jered! He probably looks a bit familiar because he has been on my blog before. He is part of The Bebe' Collection (a year of photos every three months). He has grown SO much and his little personality is emerging into such a fun little guy!

He was an absolute charmer for his session and was just so willing to throw the smiles out anytime! I think this age (6 months) is great for photos. They can't go anywhere but they are so animated.

I know Jered's mommy is patiently waiting for this sneek peek so I better get it posted! Shelby they tured out AMAZING... I can't wait for you to see the rest!

Lauren

If you know me at all then you probably know about my little Lauren. She is the daugther of my cousin Jessica. When Lauren was born, for some reason I just really took to her and love her just like one of my own, our bond doesn't waiver with time. She's got a special place in my heart and always will. It's easy when you see her! I have had a lot of comments about past shoots I have done of her, but wow seeing these today it really made me realize how fast she is growing up! She is the famous little girl from my blog with the purple coat and hat that people always talk about... yes, even a year later!

I picked her up last night and took her shopping. It was great for me because Kenedey (my daughter) is really outgrowing the "girlie" stuff and is way more into "tween" type things. Lauren fills that little void for me with her LOVE of pink and clothes shopping! I've taught her well!

She stayed the night with us last night and I throughly enjoyed having her. I gave her a bath, blew dry her hair, curled her hair and dressed her up and let me tell you she SHINED for her modeling session!

I put her up on my little studio set up and she cooperated SO WELL! She was all about it! Carson kept trying to get up there with her and get his face in front of the camera and she was NOT having it, she kept saying, "no Carson, this is my beauty show"!!! Too funny! I need to take her home in a little bit... I keep hoping the snow keeps falling hard so I can just keep her again! :-)

!

Flashback Friday

I STILL love this movie, but this song is one of my favs! Ask me to recite it sometime... oh yeah I can... I'm lame like that.

Baby Landon

Another Collage type

This cannot be possible...

Already??? Wasn't it just yesterday that we spent the entire day waiting to hear from Kayla to hear if that baby was born yet? It honestly feels like it! He's ALREADY ONE?!!!!

Drake's mommy asked me today if I would make a birthday invite for his big day. His actual birthday is a few weeks away. I can't wait because I have BIG.PLANS. for that picture!

I will never forget walking into that hospital room and seeing this perfect sweet little guy. One of the first things I said to him was, "Hey buddy, your gonna look great on my blog!"

Thanks Drake for never letting me down with your adorable smiles, sweet hugs and the ultimate gift of watching you grow into such a cool little guy! I love you!!!

Oh and I should probably tell you thank you too Kayla! You are the best at picking his holiday outfits with my blog needs in mind (;-) wink wink!

Custom designed Christmas Cards

So as most of you probably know by now, I really enjoy designing cards. I have an INCREDIBLE print company that I use that is #1 not only reasonable, thus making me able to pass the savings along to my clients. But #2 I can do just about anything! I will be displaying some holiday cards over the next few days for you to view. If you are a past, present, or future client, and would like to have a ONE.OF.A.KIND Christmas Card designed for you, you can use any picture that I have taken of you or send a photo in and I will design a card for you. The best way to do this, is to send me an email: karicarpenter2002@yahoo.com and let me know what your thoughts/vision for your card design is and I will get to work and have a 1st design for you within 24 hours. When you email me, we can talk about cost also. I promise it is extremely reasonable for one of a kind cards!

Officially Introducing...

I have gone round and round with myself for when would be the best time to introduce this official kick off of Boudior Photography. Well... it's obvious that I have decided that now is the TIME!! Just in time for Christmas. Girls, this will make a fantastic gift for that special guy who is so difficult to buy for!

I have done a few Boudoir sessions and I can honestly tell you my clients leave feeling so glad they did this. My passion is to make you feel comfortable, feminine, and glamourous. My artistic approach is simple: Capturing the beauty of women; Capturing a look, a moment, through fine art photography.

Boudoir Photography is really catching on in the Photography world... that can only mean one thing... I am here to help you capture just what you are looking for!

Planning a Session
Whether you are looking to give a gift for a birthday, wedding, anniversary or just because.
A pre-session consultation is held before all sessions to discuss your vision with regards to poses, clothing and location options. This consultation can be held in person or over the phone and helps facilitate a better portrait session by discussing your expectations in advance.
Additional Services should you wish to have your makeup professionally applied, or hair styled, are available for an additional charge.

The Session

Please alot plenty of time to enjoy your session. The photo session typically lasts between one to two hours, with unlimited images captured, clothing changes and scene changes as time permits.

All sessions are personalized to your wishes. Boudoir means different things to different people and can range from being fully clothed to semi-nude to nudes. Please remember this is ALL in good taste and elegance. My goal is to create a comfortable environment for you to express yourself the way you want. If you're looking for intimate and tasteful photographs that capture your true beauty, call Touch of Love today!

The Boudoir session is a place where inhibitions disappear, a place where your allure and sensuality are revealed in elegant and tasteful fine art portraits. Boudoir photography is all about attitude and little to do with your age, figure or clothing. Body language and facial expressions are the key to having beautiful portraits. Your session can be at my home (Touch of Love), your home, or a private location of your choice. Sessions last up to two hours and are customized to meet your wishes--it's your time to let loose and have fun. Before your shoot, relax in a setting dimly lit by candles, while enjoying a glass of wine.

Now you can probably see why I hesitated on launching this option, however, I feel that this is a very important avenue where women should feel proud of who they are and create a special treat for their spouse, signficant other, or themself!

Lastly, my final hope is that Boudoir Photography may even branch into couples sensual Photography. I realize this is not for everyone.... however... if you are intersted... Give it a try. I promise your expecations will be met and the last thing you will feel is disappointed in your session! Come on girls! This WILL be fun and HE will be amazed at the incredible gift you have created JUST.FOR.HIM.

Please contact me @ karicarpenter2002@yahoo.com or by phone 517-315-1115

The Goings Family

Such a fun family photo shoot! I met up with this cute little family and let me tell you I could completely relate to a fraction of the busyness this family must endure everyday! These kids were all just as sweet as could be and their personalities varied greatly!

Little Brandon reminded me so much of my little guy whos is the same age. He was NON-STOP I am amazed (I think dad will be too :-) that I was able to catch him when he wasn't moving... good thing my camera is FAST! I had to use the continuous shutter of 6 frames per second to catch him NOT moving! LOL Told you... fun times!

The easiest one of the bunch had to be sweet little Catherine. She is 11 months old and just about as happy as they come. I felt super relaxed while shooting her pics, you can tell she is just a go with the flow kind of girl.

And last but not least is little miss Delaney... one of my favorite names in the world! Delaney is just turning 4 and look how little and petite she is... just precious! She wasn't crazy about being in front of the camera, however every now and then she would let loose and we would get a true Delaney smile!

It was an absoulte pleasure meeting you all! Your proofs will be available today!!!

Awwww...

I took Carson over to my grandma's farm not too long ago to run off some energy and see the animals. This kitten was absoultely crazy about Carson! It would not leave him alone. I have pics of him running away from the kitten and the kitten is following him! I wanted to bring the kitten home.... almost! Then I remembered how much I hate cleaning litter boxes!

Im offering...

Ornaments this year!!! For all my clients who are intersted in an ornament for your family, these are a beautiful custom handmade piece that will last forever. I will not be profiting from this at all, however I wanted to do this mostly because of the donation they pass along to the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation. The cost for the ornament with the picture is $42.00

One of my favorite things that my parents did while I was growing up was to give me an ornament every year with the year on it, and sometimes my name too. When I left home I had a box of ornaments that I still get out every year. My kids LOVE to look at them when I get them out every year. We also do a family ornament every year and this year we are doing the square one below! I wanted to pass this beautiful ornament opportunity on to you. I will supply the photo from your session that you chose!

When you order the ornament, a portion of the proceed will go to the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation. The company I order them donates back to the Foundation, so of course I am exstatic about that!

Oh my goodness!

I absolutely LOVED this session! It was pretty chilly out, but the Michigan colors are still beautiful! This is Crystal, she is a Senior at Addison High School... isn't she gorgeous?! We had a great photo shoot and found some super neat areas. We we to her grandparents home who have a gorgeous yard and they still had some roses growing on the trellis... how lucky! They smelled AMAZING! Grandpa insisted we get some photos on the train tracks... I'm sure glad we did... a couple of those are my favs!

Love her tatoos! And a girl after my own heart... how about THOSE shoes?! I couldn't not include that as a picture! The symbol tatoo means Genuine... I love that! I think it speaks to the beautiful person she is, both inside and out.

Crystal and fam... it was so wonderful meeting all of you. I throughly enjoyed our time! Can't wait for you to see the rest!