26.1.11

My biggest fans!- Calgary Maternity Photographer

This family may be my biggest fans ever!! I have taken pictures of their daughter exclusively since she was born. I have taken both of their extended families pictures and I have taken their extended families, family pictures. And now I get to take more! Amanda is pregnant again and looking amazing! Little Elly is so busy and cute, and Jesse puts up with my picture taking with a very convincing smile on his face! This is one lucky little baby to be coming into such a neat family. Amanda you are exquisite! Enjoy!

20.1.11

Feeling famous or something like that?

I just received an e-mail nominating me for an award. I thought SPAM at first. But I'm glad that I took a second scan through and checked out the link. A very kind Barbara of William George, nominated me. And lucky for me Barbara didn't just click and send , but she also posted a blurb about me on her BLOG, a very nice blurb!! That just made my day!

So here is my nominees for the Liebster Award. It goes to those who have creative, inspiring, worthwhile blogs with under 300 followers.

My first would be to my cousin Martha Philips of a Young Crafty Wife. She is an up and comer! This girl just got married this last summer and has become the wife I wish I had! She is so super crafty and cute. Martha does great tutorials and has a little etsy shop full of treasures! Check her out HERE.

The next is a friend of mine. She is both hilarious and brilliant and currently doing amazing things for children everywhere Stephanie of Mama Drama. Stephanie is the mother of 3 almost 4 kids and has the best sense of humour, she's inquisitive and real! Stephanie also has started an organization with her husband and many others called Child Rescue. It focuses on saving children from child sex trade. This is close to her heart and she is building amazing awareness to the issue. Check her out HERE.

The last is a fellow quilter. Cheryl Arkinson of Naptime Quilter. Cheryl is both talented and a brilliant writer. She is out in her community building connections and contributing to the quilting world like nobody's business! I am very often inspired by her creative perspective, her talent and the way she tackles her projects. I so enjoy reading her blog! Check her out HERE.

12.1.11

Quilting Bee, or just me!

So I was quilting like mad it seemed, before Christmas. I made a couple of these quilts back in Oct and the other FOUR I started the second week of December to be done for Christmas morning. Can you say INSANE! Miraculously I did not have a single meltdown over the magnitude of it all (which was the goal) and was crucial because this first quilt was a surprise for my husband and therefore not mentionable that I was making 4 quilts in 2 weeks not just 3! I am so glad that I made it a priority to fit in a quilt for Kent. He was so genuinely thrilled and we had set a very low budget to spend on one another this year, so this was at least sentimental so it made the money not even matter to me. Kent has curled up in it everyday since. I love that it's slightly vintage fabrics in a modern composition with a gentle masculine feel.
This is a quilt that I made for a friend that just had a baby in Australia. She didn't know the sex of the baby so this is the gender neutral pallet we came up with. I love it's whimsy! I have been totally shocked at what a great response I got from those that saw it in person. I love it, but I know it's quirky too!
This quilt was made for my niece Lucy. I actually did a tulle crib skirt and the cutest curtains to go with, but I didn't bring my camera the day we set up and well, it's on my to do list to get pics of the room. Lindsay has the cutest wall decal on the wall and well it's all very sweet! Another post perhaps. You'll just have to take your inspiration from these pics and imagine the room to go with!
The big finale!! The APPLE QUILTS! Now you have to be a MAC fan to understand this. But My goal was to create a guy quilt, without being tacky, that related to the tech-y side of my Dad. Who by the way is the Apple/Mac Guru! Well I had this idea in my head of pixels and the original Apple logo (because it's iconic and bold and visually fun) I think it translated well. Now after having this idea for Dad only, I got to thinking that my brothers are pretty hardcore Apple fans too. SO why not make 3! A cinch right?? Well 1200 squares later!!!! They each got their quilts. Well actually Dad and Conor received theirs at Christmas gift opening, while Nathan had to wait until his birthday the next day, make him sweat a little. I hear that My Dad had himself wrapped in this thing for days while laid up sick, and it made it a little more bearable. Quilts can cure!
So how's that for ya! So now you all know why I didn't even touch my blog over Christmas, unless absolutely necessary!! And why I haven't since, until now. I needed a break from the quilts and everything 'to do'. However I have started on a few new projects that I can't wait to show you hopefully in a week or two!! I can't help my self!

10.1.11

Benson - Calgary Birth Story Photographer

My dear friend Ashley graciously agreed to have me take pictures of her labour. This is something that I have been dying to do!! It meant so much that she would be willing to share such personal moments with me. All I wanted was to capture that progression, the moments that you might forget later, but wish you could recall. I love looking at these pictures, because, although they aren't of my labour, they take me back to the place in my mind where I remember a few of those precious feelings that I had when having my children. Ashley I hope these help you remember how strong and brave you were as each contraction came and as the hours passed. That was a really amazing day, full of adventures you never knew were coming. Thank you!
And this is where the labour story went into an emergency c-section due to this babies dropping heart rate. I wasn't permitted into surgery, Dad didn't even get in until the baby was already born. We were all sad not to have the pictures to go along with the dramatic end of this labour.

So 6 weeks later........ because this HANDSOME little boy named Benson is baby #5 for this family! And well Christmas is busy for everyone. So we meet on this winter day to indulge in Benson's every little feature. Big brother Jameson had me pretty captured too!
I am available for your birth story too! The details can be customized to your comfort and budget. Please contact me for more info.