THEY ARE HERE!

What are here, you ask? GIFT CARDS! I (if you can't tell) am really jazzed about these gift cards. They are awesome looking gift cards, all hot pink and whatnot, plus what they say is really cute. Wanna see?


















The front says, "you must be be special...VERY SPECIAL...A gift card espcially for you from someone who loves you very much"...


















...and the back has all the pertinent information.

So, although they barely made it here before Valentine's Day, if anyone is having a last minute debate over what to give, what could be better than the gift of amazing memories, captured for ever....? You can give these cards to an existing client or a new one, and the card can go towards a session fee or prints, canvases, etc. AND, for the next week, I am running a special: buy one gift card, get double the purchase price! So, buy a $50 gift card, get $100 to spend! That means you can invest $50 and your whole session fee is paid!

Your giftcard comes in a cute little black pillow box, all filled out and ready to give to that special someone. Have questions? Do ask! mandiraemcdougall@gmail.com.

And, to include one non-product, actually adorable picture, here is Jade.

















Last but not least, I want to wish all my friends and clients a Happy Valentine's Day! I will be spending the day in class and at work, but late tomorrow night I will come home and celebrate the day that Kris proposed last year!

Odds n Ends

I had to post these quotes, they are from this book my sister bought this weekend about Redneck Wisdom (that's probably not what it's called, but she'll e-mail me later and correct me, and I will correct the blog!).

About as much fun as a warm bucket of calf slobber.

Just call me butter, cause I'm on a roll.

ahahahahahha. Ok, well, we thought it was funny.

In other news, I've been having fun taking pictures with my new lens. Examples (my school friends Luis and Casey):

AND, I found this awesome website where you can e-mail yourself, in the future. As in, you write yourself a letter, and can have it sent to you in a year, two years, ten years...it's also fun to read the letters others have written to themselves...http://futureme.org/

The announcement is coming later tonight. I promise. Darn Fed-Ex...

love, peace and all things pink,

mandi

Weekend Fun

Confession: Yesterday I didn't step foot outside my apartment once, and I needed that break from the world.

Today, Ali and Jessica came up to visit and we went to BellSquare (read: shopping ahead). I went on a big of a shopping spree, buying a new camera lens, a new purse (it's HUGE), a hot pink apron...I could go on, but those were the highlights. I've added some pictures...my beautiful sister and Kris (unhappily) modeling my new purse and apron. And one of Kris with my new lens, done in chocolate tones. Love it!

Tomorrow it's back to the daily grind.

Something is in the works...

...that should be ready by Valentine's Day! I'm excited! Keep an eye on the blog!

On a fun note, I'm getting a new toy! It's a waterproof case for my camera, so I can take it UNDERWATER! How stoked am I??? This case (called a Del Mar Camera Housing) is going to help me rock the pictures this summer in Mexico (yes, I said MEXICOOOO!), and I'm even excited for pool pictures this summer at the grandparental's! AND, they are going to spray paint the back of it pink. I'm in love already. swoon...what would Steve Whearty say...?

Lastly, I'd love to do some newborn (under 2 weeks old) or maternity shoots, to keep fresh. If anyone is interested, I'm looking for a session or two FREE OF CHARGE, with the option to purchase pictures. If you know someone who might be interested, lemme know!

love, peace and all things pink!
mandi

Be My Valentine

Just wanted to give everyone a sneak-peak at my fab Valentine's cards.

Want some for yourself? Drop me a line!

In the land of dialup...

...I found some wireless internet! WOO HOO! This is a happy day. I sat down at my grandmother's kitchen table to edit some photographs, and the little "wireless internet within range" icon popped up. I am now the proud stealer of my grandparents mean neighbor's internet! *snicker*

Tonight we're going out to dinner at AZTECA, but earlier today I got to photograph my sister's boyfriend's 10 lab puppies...they are one week old today, and ADORABLE!

Just thought you should all know...

...that's it's my BIRTHDAY today! I've had many wonderful birthday wishes, coffee with a friend, and dinner and *gasp* gambling tonight with a good group of friends. Dinner tomorrow night with my family, and then just random time at home. I'm in such a good mood!

Randomness from my late night brain...

I have to be up semi-early tomorrow for a facial, but we took some funny pictures tonight and I had to post them. We (Kris and I)

have a cat, whose name is Rex.

Rex is orange and white, and has long hair. Hair so long, in fact, that it sticks out between the pads on his little scratchy paws. Tonight I named that hair... it's his PawHawk.

exhibit a:

one last note...check out these eye lashes my kids BETTER inherit:

Where oh where...

...has my dear OSP gone? I spend too many hours a day on a photography forum, and it has crashed...oh goodness! This happened at least once before, and a few days prior it went offline for a bit, but this has been 2 days now...I am definitley going through withdrawls!

Back to real life, it snowed tonight! Snow! I am excited, and hope that it sticks around for tomorrow, so maybe class will be cancelled!

Women of Faith

I am taking this class I was initially dreading...Women of Faith. Not that WOF isn't a great topic, but history isn't my thing. Anyhow, I ended up here 7 hours a day, two days a week for the month of January.

Let me tell you, it's not so bad. Today we watched a really good movie, One Night With the King, and it was captivating, if not cheesy for a moment or two. We also read a book, that debunked most of what we as current society thinks the bible, particularily Paul, says about women, particularily women in the church. If you want to check it out, the book is called "What Paul Really Said about Women".

Presenting: New Print Presentation Options

Happy 2008! With the start of the new year, I am launching some really cool new print presentation options. These would look amazing both as regular prints or as canvas wraps. I have started to work up some examples using past clients work. Take a look at the slideshow and check out the awesomeness!



If you see something you love, drop me a line and we'll work up something custom to fit your style, budget and wall!

101 in 1001

I've seen a few other people make these lists, and you can find out more about the inspiration at Day Zero. The list is basically filled with long and short term goals that I would like to accomplish in the next 2.75 years (prior to September 28, 2010). For me, this list is all over the place, and I love it!

Grey: in progress
Red: done

1. Graduate from TLC (05.24.2008)
2. Grow out my hair to shoulder length
3. Make a sign that says "I Won" and then get to hold it up at D's wedding
4. Move to Centralia
5. Buy a house
6. Have a baby
7. Get another tattoo
8. Go overseas at least twice
9. Finish my Costa Rica scrapbook
10. Start and finish my wedding scrapbook
11. Get my wedding album printed
12. Replace the picture in our wedding signature mat with a wedding picture
13. Get an awesome blog (more color, more of "me")
14. Unpack all of the boxes in our apartment, or get rid of them
15. Open a photography studio in Centralia
16. Take two weekend vacations with Kris that are not trips to our parents houses
17. Pay off my car loan
18. Get Kris back to school
19. Get another pet so that Rex has a friend
20. Figure out a better client proofing method that is cost effective and is nicely presented
21. Get our curtains hung in our bedroom
22. Put together at least 10 new and improved client info packets
23. Shoot 3-4 family sessions for friends in Centralia, to build a new customer referral base
24. Convince my Grandma Thelma to let me photograph her
25. Blog three times a week for 2008
26. Make Kris' lunch every night before bedtime for one month
27. Attend a photography workshop
28. Get Dionne's website up and running
29. Grow an indoor herb garden
30. Create a way to prevent Rex from eating indoor herb garden
31. Take a vacation with Dionne and Mike
32. Go on a mission trip
33. Find a rockin' church home where both Kris and I feel welcome and included
34. Portrait session by Carrie Viohl
35. Get a 30x40 canvas print made from our wedding
36. Do Trash the Dress portraits with Dionne
37. Road trip: D, Mel and I
38. Buy a new lens for my camera (02.10.2008 Nikon 50mm 1.8)
39. Partner with at least two boutiques in Centralia/Olympia
40. Vacation in the dirty south!
41. Buy bigger monitor(s)
42. Buy Kris a plasma TV
43. Find and buy a better camera bag (looks hot like a shootsac, but meets my needs...)
44. Start saving for retirement
45. Sell 10 sets of greeting cards (Christmas cards, baby announcements, invitations, etc.)
46. Buy a small SUV
47. Hand out one business card a day for one month
48. Order my first KISS album
49. Cook dinner (including a vegetable that Kris will eat) three nights a week for 2008
50. Make our bed each morning for a week
51. Sell $500 in prints/other products to one client
52. Go to Montana (05.24.2008)
53. Commission Dionne to paint a huge painting for our living room wall
54. Create a streamlined organization for all of my business paperwork and all of our personal paperwork
55. Get an A in all of my Spring classes
56. Find an internship for the fall that will truly challenge my current ways of thinking, work ethic and beliefs
57. Attend one Christmas church service
58. Do a session for my Brother In Law and family, and my Sister in Law and family
59. Crochet three projects from start to finish without starting another in between
60. Create a system to keep track of all of these goals (01.01.2007)
61. Drink milk with dinner for one week
62. Book one portrait session a week for one month
63. Send out all of my Christmas cards on time one year
64. Give away all of our leftover wedding "stuff"
65. Use my Kitchen Aid mixer 25 times, photo document
66. Buy a cuisinart (thanks mom, birthday present, 01.26.2008)
67. Learn how to make amazing pesto in #66
68. Buy a rice cooker
69. Use the hot tub at our apartment complex
70. Use the elliptical machine once a week for one month
71. Attend Yoga every Wednesday that I am not working for two months
72. Learn how to make raspberry jam from my grandmother
73. Have coffee with two professors
74. Edit 5 more newspapers during Spring quarter
75. Photograph 30 Celebrating Adoption photo sessions
76. Go overseas with a family adopting a child to photograph their journey
77. Become a LoveCat on OSP (02.10.2008)
78. Figure out a streamlined way to read the 30 or so blogs I visit every day
(01.05.2007)
79. Go one week without drinking Starbucks
80. Find an amazing local photographer to do a portrait session for my immediate family
81. Photograph my father's parents
82. Convince my parents to get a new computer
83. HSOAW in 2008
84. Ebay all of my old school books
85. Get an IPod Nano (thanks hubbs, birthday present, 01.26.2008)
86. Purge my closet of all the clothes I don't wear anymore
87. Buy some amazing red high heels
88. Find a tailor who I trust and who does a really good job, and get the 4 pair of unhemmed pants hanging in my closet hemmed
89. Read one business book for each 5 for-fun books I read
90. Design (01.05.2008) and print custom shipping address labels (01.06.2008)
91. Buy a Wishblade (02.08.2008)
92. Go to Europe (Italy, please!)
93. Create a budget system that we can use effectively
94. Get rid of all but 2 credit cards
95. Drink one gallon of water a day for one month
96. Subscribe to three magazines
97. Eat two servings of fruit or veggies a day for two weeks
98. See a Seahawks game in person
99. Photograph a maternity session, birth session and newborn session for the same mother/baby combo
100. Organize all of my scrapbook supplies
101. Make homemade bread at least 3 times

The Kvarnstrom Family

I work for the most amazing family, and yesterday I had the priviledge of doing a family portrait session for them. Take a look:



After you check out the slideshow, leave a comment below, and let the Kvarnstrom family know which picture is your favorite. The picture with the most comments will be given to the family as a free 8x10!

Merry Christmas to all...

and to all, a good time!

We're headed down to my parents house for the holiday, a.k.a. the Land of Dialup, so I will be MIA until next week. I hope that everyone has a radtastic Christmas, and if you're checking out the blog to see someone's photos, leave a little Christmas love on the other families slideshows...help them win a free 8x10!

The Crofton Family

Today I had the pleasure of photographing the Crofton family. I go to school with Katherine, and Brent graduated from TLC last year. Owen is my weekly (or more frequent) "baby fix" (one look at him and you can tell why...he's adorable!!)



To win them a free 8x10, leave me a comment with your favorite photo, and why!