A few weeks ago Ava and I had the chance to work with Lisa, owner and creator of My Sweetpea and Company.  I was so excited when she contacted us because we just love her bows and hats!  She produces some VERY good quality stuff, and Ava was THRILLED to model Lisa’s new product—the bottlecap necklace!  

Please head on over and check her out at http://www.mysweetpeaandcompany.com (sorry, the html code isn’t working tonight!) and let her know that I sent you!  

And some photos just for me…..how did she get to be so big?  Her beauty inside and outside just steals my breath away. ?

Happy February!  And Happy (almost) Valentine’s Day!  I hope each and every one of you are spending this weekend with the one’s you love most <3 <3 <3

We had a couple snow days this past week, and it sounds like most of the country has had the same!  YAY for snow!!!  Snow is GORGEOUS for outdoor pictures, so if you would like a snow session, please email me before it all melts.

Right now I am starting a Fresh Faces campaign for NEWBORNS!  I need some new newborn faces to update my portfolio so if you are expecting or have JUST had a baby, please contact me asap!    

What do you get?

A free newborn session and 8×10–a $140 value.  Baby must be 10 days old or younger and you must be willing to sign a model release.

I am also looking for twin newborns as well!

A post isn’t a post without a picture….so here are a few that I haven’t blogged yet of a sweet little newborn baby boy.

I still have a ton of sessions to blog from 2009 so I thought I’d take one off the list.  Life is crazy, as usual, especially when you have two small kids.  We have been battling the sickies and then pink eye, yuck!  I have never had pink eye…that is until last week.  It is the WORST!  No contacts for a week for me!  I’m completely blind and my best friend jokes that we could go and burn ants with my glasses with the sun.  Except I don’t think she’s joking.  

Anyway, we are all healthy now, so I think we’ll hole up  here in the house until the weather warms up.  

I have so much to share, including some new designs that my kiddos have modeled for a great clothing company, so stay tuned!

Until then…..meet the D family.  You might recognize these pretty kids from an urban session we did last year.

The oldest here was telling me all about how his dad works on bones at work

Grandma and Grandpa wanted some family photos….and I love how they turned out. (Even if middle “N” was D-O-N-E at this point, LOL!)

He’s happier here

Little “L”…she was the big “1″!

We have LOTS of fun on our sessions!!!!!!

Pretty Baby

I puffy heart this one:

Thanks so much D family….love spending time with you all!

You know someone. You know someone who’s experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can’t afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family’s spirit, love, and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography — Over $700 worth, to be exact. A ton of prints for them and to share and a gorgeous heirloom canvas gallery wrap, for them to cherish forever.

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a $200 print credit. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need.)

* The nominee must reside in [MICHIGAN or OHIO]. Tell me who you know, what they’re experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.

* You must e-mail me the full story : chixieandhoney@hotmail.com

 Deadline for nominations is December 20, 2009

The winner will be announced on Christmas Eve — get nominating! I can’t wait to read all of your entries!

Open your heart to someone this holiday season — and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

With love,

Tara

I recently had the absolutely awesome PLEASURE of meeting up with Nikki and her two girly girls.  She had them dressed so stinkin cute, and we ran around the orchard stomping on rotten apples, slipping and sliding, and taking a moment or two here or there to snap a photo.  By the time we were done, those girls smelled very strongly of fermented apples, LOL!  I think they had a lot of fun though.  Not sure if Mom was worried that we got any good ones…but I think we got our share

Nikki, thank you SO much for bringing your incredibly sweet and beautiful girls to me.  I seriously had SUCH a hard time narrowing them all down…I hope you love them as much as I do.  <3

Helllooooo!  Remember me?  The chick that hasn’t updated her blog in EONS!?  **ducking head**

Yes, I have been a total blog slacker lately, but I promise I have still been working hard, just not as hard as I was this past summer.   I’m enjoying my family time and watching my babies grow up.

I did promise you newborn pics, yes?  I am absolutely INFATUATED with this baby girl.  And when I say infatuated, I mean in LOVE.  <3  This baby girl is my bestest and oldest friend’s first child.  Lori and I went to school together, and really didn’t like each other—at ALL.  Then one day, we were just together.  And we never seperated.  Just like that.  She knows everything about me, my deepest secrets, hopes and fears.  We have survived her moving to Seattle for 5 years and me being in the Navy on the East Coast.  We even survived living together—but barely.   We survived us both getting married, me having children, and her living in South Carolina.  But now she is back in Michigan, with her husband and her new baby, and I selfishly couldn’t be more happy.  Lori, I’m so glad you are back in my life.  I love you and your new little family.

The new family….Chad, Lori and Baby Avery….

Just a reminder…mini sessions are filling up, I only have a few more slots open!  Please contact me asap if you would like to schedule a time!

Coming soon….this beautiful mama and her precious baby girl.

Miss Amelia came allll the way from Boston to see me!  Yep that’s right…JUST me.  Well okay, maybe she had a LOT of family that was waiting to see her too, but I feel so honored to be a part of this families lives.  I LOVE this family!    Anyway…Baby Amelia was over 2 weeks old when I first met her, and boy oh boy, she was WIDE AWAKE.  Nope, she wasn’t going to sleep for anything!  We did what we could but then her mama brought her back to me when she was 4 weeks old (I know, right?!?!) and she was sooooo good, she slept most of the time!  Yippee!!  I can’t wait to see her again. <3  You might remember the Mama…she is the super hot mom holding the little boy with the balloons….remember?  That’s her.  Doesn’t she look awesome?  She does, believe me.  Ladies and Gentlemen….meet Amelia Piper.

Just a reminder**  Mini sessions are booking up FAST so please contact me ASAP if you would like to book a session!  They will be sold out soon!

I absolutely LOVE fall!  L-O-V-E it.  <3  It was an odd first day of fall though, right?  HOT!  I sent Ava to school in a sweater dress, tights, and a wool beret for school pictures (every mom has gotta have the traditional school head shots for the album…at least this mom does ) and felt like the worst mom as I was sweating my face off standing with her waiting for the bus.  Hey, she looked cute.

To celebrate the beginning of fall, I am announcing my Fall Mini-Session Event!  I don’t do specials often, so this is a GREAT deal, and I am SUPER excited about it!  The location is AWESOME, I can’t WAIT!  Can you tell I am excited?  :)  

Check out below for details…you don’t want to miss out on this great deal!!  Please email me at chixieandhoney@hotmail.com to schedule your time.  Remember…the first two bookings get a free 8×10 (a $28 value)  ***Session Fee IS included in your package price which starts at $150

Ohhh…are you in for a treat!  I have known Nicole for a couple of years now, one of my first sessions was of her little girl Lily, who was not quite a year old at the time.  Now Nicole and her hubby Marty have expanded their family by one itty bitty little girl and OMG is she the sweetest thing!  I was so excited to be doing Grace’s pictures because, as you all know, I absolutely ADORE photographing newborns!  I was SOOO bummed though when I learned that Nicole went in to be induced…the very same day that I went away on vacation.  So instead of getting to see Grace in all her 4 or 5 day old sweetness, I had to postpone it until she was 11 days old. Oh boy, it didn’t make a bit of difference, she was as pretty as can be!  And such a DREAM to work with!!!

Isn’t she gorgeous?  That pretty olive PERFECT skin, pink lips…and that hair!  Ohhhh!!!

I even caught one or two of these pretty smiles…I knew she was saving them just for me.

I LOVE this shot!!

She slept almost the entire time.  Well, she slept when she wasn’t nursing.

I love this shot…every single time I take it.  I love how it always gets across just how perfectly tiny and round a newborn’s head is. <3 

One of my favorites!!

Mama didn’t want to be in any shots, so this was as close as we could get.  LOVE!!

Nicole and Marty…you have such a beautiful new baby that makes such a great addition to such a beautiful family that you have!  I have so enjoyed getting to know you guys and I thank you for giving me the honor of taking part of this special time in your lives.  God Bless!