Just Born
Just Waiting
Just Little 
Just Engaged
Just Love 
Just Married 
Posted on March 5, 2012
Last year around this time I started planning a Tea Party styled shoot. I put a shout out on my Facebook page for any businesses that might be interested in working with me. I was so fortunate to connect and meet many wonderful ladies, and I continue to work with them as well as value their friendship and our creative like-ness!
As women do, we talk, we plan, we collaborate, and we compliment each other’s talents. Two of these ladies have recently started working together styling and planning party’s/events. I was fortunate enough to be able to hang out with them last Friday night when they were putting together a Pink Gingham themed 1st birthday party for a little sweetie that I also photographed last week.
I trekked out in a blizzard Saturday morning to take some photos of their set up before the big party!!
You can find Jenn at By Invitation Only and Laura at 2Sweeties, and of course here working with me!!! Looking forward to some fun collaborations this summer! {we are already planning the cottage business planning nights while the kids are tucked in and the wine is flowing!!}
Meet Ava, who just turned one! and what a lucky little girl to have such an amazing party planned for her!!
Posted on July 11, 2011
I have been crazy busy the last few weeks with life! My husband had holidays at work, and therefore I was booked for extra shifts at work. My only two days off were for my husband’s and son’s birthdays (one day apart). I have so much proofing to get caught up on, not to mention everyday life!
I posted part one of this tea party shoot a few weeks ago, and time got away from me! A little idea that was dreamed up on a cold winter day last winter, turned into such a fun {and sweet} event.
There are a few things I would do differently, and it was all a little chaotic, but overall I loved it! This tea party set up was at a spot at the end of my driveway {our very own not so secret-secret garden}
The kids were invited to bring along their favourite friends to join in the tea party.
The setup {or the calm before the chaos!}
My little man and little Kristen “would you like this dance”
Adam and {some of} the girls before the shoot
A big thank-you to all these cute little ones and their parents for helping my vision come to life! Also thank-you so much to all the businesses involved in the shoot~such an amazing group of talented ladies! I can’t wait to work with all of you again!! xo
Posted on June 23, 2011
On a cold snowy day in February I was dreaming of all things spring, and I was looking forward to getting back out side shooting again. A former client~now friend posted on her Facebook a photo of a dress she just bought for her girls. I had recently bought the same one, and commented “we should do a tea party shoot for the girls”…….had I known it was going to turn into a full blown styled shoot, I might have thought I was crazy…..{I think I am, but it’s all good}
Cold winter planning, turned into a magical June “tea party” shoot with the collaboration of friends, businesses, a second day of good weather {the first one being rained out}, adorable children, a cute little dog, delicious treats, and a “not so secret” secret garden.
Cookies and Cupcakes were provided by Julie at Sugarcakes, which were so tasty, and almost too pretty to eat!!
and sweet little cookies!
Cake Pops were provided by Laura & Penny at 2Sweeties. So amazing! These were like works of art, and matched our theme perfectly!
A beautiful banner was made by Twill & Twine to decorate our lemonade stand! Flowers were designed by Leslie French at French’s Flowers N’ More here in Shelburne {thank-you Leslie! they were perfect!!}
The children all wore beautiful jewelry hand made by Jenn at Grace & Lil’ Grace Jewelry Designs {even the little boys wore her Lil’ Joe line~so cute!!}
and they all came in these sweet little containers that I love!
The owner and designer of Grace & Lil’ Grace Jewelry Design; Jenn, is also the creative owner and designer behind By Invitation Only who designed these sweet name place cards and menu’s for our party!
Andrea of Baby Booms made absolutely beautiful headbands to match our dresses….all a little different, and all perfect! {btw I also have a large selection of Andrea’s headbands in my studio to use for shoots!!}
I want to thank all these creative ladies and friends for helping me to pull my vision together! This will be one of many styled shoots done by me, and I hope to work with you again in the future! Part two of this post will be posted soon with all the fun and magic that happened that day!
Posted on May 26, 2011
Many of you know I am a stay at home mom. Well I guess you could call it a “working at home mom”. I am a Registered Nurse, I run my photography business, I have 2 small children, 2 teen step-children, a work-a-holic husband with a demanding job, and my 81 year old great uncle who has recently moved in. I nurse on the weekends, I shoot/edit/plan/email/etc for my photography business when the kids are sleeping, or when my husband is home. It allows me to stay home with my kids. I love being here with them even if it means my house is a disaster, I look like I could sleep for a week straight, and no one has anything clean to wear.
These years are so short. Already my daughter is in JK and in school half of the week. I miss the endless days with her crafting, chatting, playing, baking etc. Soon she will be in school full time, and time will go even faster.
Today we ran errands in the morning, had lunch and Adam went for his afternoon nap {I think I can do what I do because I have been blessed from the beginning with excellent sleepers!}
Mary has been wanting to paint rocks since we saw them at a birthday party on the weekend. So when we were out running errands I managed to pick up some paint. When Adam sleeps I try and get everything else done. Recently resorted to setting my timer on my iphone to 20 minute intervals~its amazing what you can get done in 20 minutes and then move on to the next task. So today, 20 minutes email for work, 20 minutes dinner prep, 20 minutes laundry~then paint rocks! Mary knew the plan, but it wasn’t happening. As soon as dinner got in the oven she came to me, and asked if we could start painting rocks (for the millionth time)….okay the laundry can wait….
Out we went, and spent such a lovely hour on the driveway painting rocks for the garden….she loves art/crafts and tells me she is going to be a “great artist when she grows up”. I think she already is one….
We talked about fossils (when one of her rocks broke in half), colours, patterns, plants, our garden, how these were going to make our garden “so beautiful, the ants will love them!”
We discussed how she wants to have a “fair, to show off all her rocks”, or perhaps she could “put them in her bike basket and show them to the neighbours”….
It was such a blissful hour before the rain started, before Adam woke up, before dinner was cooked, before dance class and all the craziness that always happens at 4pm when everyone is starving, tired and cranky. It was an hour that I will treasure forever, whenever I look at the painted rocks in my garden…
So today the laundry will wait. It will still be there tomorrow {I do laundry everyday}, because today we painted rocks.
{Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone}
Posted on May 13, 2011
Many of you may “know” Kristen. She was my “celebrate the moment” baby. I photographed her Mom when she was pregnant with her, I did her newborn photos, I photographed her before her heart surgery, after her heart surgery, her one year birthday portraits and recently at a Heart and Stroke Foundation event that celebrated their volunteers. They featured Kristen’s photo as part of their appreciation event, they showed a video her parents made of her journey, and her Mom spoke to help raise awareness to CHD. I was so honoured to be a part of it all.
Today is her one year anniversary of her heart surgery, and I just wanted to post a few photos of this little angel that I recently took at the Heart and Stroke event that we were a part of.
I am truly blessed to have been connected with this little one and her parents. She has stolen my heart forever!
Posted on February 11, 2011
This month is Heart Month, this week is CHD {congenital heart defect} awareness week.
Some of you may have followed Kristen’s story on my facebook page. I had the pleasure of meeting her parents when her mom Jamie was pregnant with Kristen.
I then had the honor to photograph her when she was 11 days old. She was a little angel and slept through most of the photos. Their dog scooter, so amazing with her, watching over her. The following day as I was proofing these photos of Kristen, Jamie’s facebook status changed to notify her friends that she was taking Kristen to RVH then Sickkids as the midwives had heard a heart murmur.
I am also a nurse, and a mother, and I cannot for one moment imagine what Jamie and Andrew were going through with Kristen. She was diagnosed with CHD {Congenital Heart Defect} and was in heart failure. She was sent home on many medications in the hopes that she would get better.
At 6 months it appeared that Kristen was going to need surgery. I contacted her parents and gifted them a family session before surgery to “celebrate the moment”. They only had a few hours available during such a hectic time, and we were able to make it work. I arrived as Kristen was getting her NG {naso-gastric} tube feed.
She was so content, such a happy baby despite all she had to endure in a day.
Her parents were doing amazing, despite everything. She is so lucky to have these two for parents!
Kristen’s surgery was cancelled and re-scheduled, and she did amazing! After she had healed I went back and visited the Seal Family for a family photo shoot. I could hardly handle the difference in Kristen! She was fast asleep when I arrived. I managed to snap a few photos before she woke up!
Jamie wears a heart around her neck, and Kristen loved playing with it.
We then took it outside, and Kristen just stole my heart yet again with all her charm!
With Scooter always by her side. This dog is amazing!
This is one truly amazing family!
Kristen visited me in November in the studio for her first birthday portraits and Cake smash! We had a blast, and she is doing amazing! This one has stolen my heart forever!
and how cute is scooter?!
Such a great dad {and a great sport!}
I hope to be able to continue to photograph Kristen’s journey, and help to bring awareness to CHD.
Some CHD facts to leave you with {courtesy of Kristen’s mom Jamie}
~50% of all children diagnosed with CHD will need at least one invasive surgery
~There is no cure for CHD’s, only surgery and catheterizations to “repair” and medication to manage. It lasts a lifetime.
~There are 35 known CHD’s
~1-85-100 babies are born with a CHD
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Posted on July 28, 2010
Adam is my youngest of four (2 of my own, 2 step-children). He just turned one. He is my observer. So happy to be surrounded by his family. He watches everything that goes on and takes it all in. He doesn’t crawl yet (although started bum scooting this week). He doesn’t walk yet, I haven’t had to baby proof {yet}. He is just content to play and “chat” and take in the chaotic world around him. With 3 older siblings, he has the opportunity to play with dolls and house with Mary, listen to {cool} head bobbing music with Jacob (and is constantly being subjected to wearing his “cool” hats), and cuddles and kisses and lots of play time with his big sister Chenoa. He will grow up always having these 3 to look out for him, and I treasure the bond that he will have with each of them.
He has just turned one this month, and I am amazed daily the light he brings to our lives, and how much love I have for him.
I captured these photos one day in the kitchen, while he was eating {playing} with spaghetti. I just love him.
Posted on July 15, 2010
One thing my husband and children love is strawberries {especially over ice cream-well lets be honest here, they will almost eat anything as long as it is over ice cream}. The weather was perfect for picking strawberries, a little bit cool, and sunny with a beautiful breeze. My daughter, step-daughter and I managed to escape the boys for a little girl time at a local farm in the strawberry field.
Mary has never been strawberry picking before, and she loved it. She didn’t know she could eat any, {and I didn’t really want her to know} until we found 3 really nice ripe ones and shared them amongst the three of us…..
Chenoa was a great help, keeping Mary on track on “their side” of the row…
We managed to fill 3 baskets before taking them home, washing them, and {of course} serving them over french vanilla ice cream. Mary can hardly wait for raspberry picking!