Paint Session- A Perfect Gift Idea for Mother’s Day, Denver and Boulder

Paint Session- Perfect Gift Idea for Mother's Day

Recently I was doing a little market research and I reached out to some of my past clients and I asked them why they did a paint session.  If I’m being honest, I literally asked them, “why did you hire me?” As a photographer that’s a truly daunting question to ask but I really wanted to know what specifically, made them say “I have to have it!”.  

One said they liked the way that I appreciated children's artwork, that I was able to see value in what they do and celebrate it.  Another client echoed the sentiment around the artwork saying that she knew the artwork would evoke an emotional reaction and connection to her kids.  She also liked that it was unique. Everyone has their kids artwork in their home but NO ONE had their kids artwork like THIS.

For me, it’s all about freezing a part of their childhood and giving them a truly immersive experience.  I love that when my kids are grown and gone, I will have their paintings- made with laughter, big dreams, open hearts, and little finger swirls- hanging right there above my sofa.  There’s always a part of them that stays with me, in our home, among all the chaos and changes life throws at you, the painting will remain. Just like a part of them of will always be a part of me.  It’s a little time capsule and every day I look at it I get to relive those memories again.

A paint session is so much more than just a photo shoot. It gives something tangible and timeless to Mom, the one who has worked hard for that special keepsake with countless nights of interrupted sleep; fevers; endless dirty diapers; turned up noses at full dinner plates; disgusting bodily fluids; chauffeur duties to: gymnastics classes, ninja training, swim practice, karate belt tests, ballet/jazz/tap/hip hop classes, baseball/football/basketball/soccer games; chaperoning the zoo field trip; late night research projects;  boo-boo kisses; mending broken hearts (and sometimes broken bones); and always, always saying ‘I love you’ back.

The Moms in your life have earned their stripes.  

Give them this one little token they can have to hold onto, no matter how old their babies get.  

I’m excited to announce a special promotional offer designed for that special Mother in your life. This is the first promotion we have ever run on our paint sessions and it's a big one! Book a paint session in April until Mother's Day (May 13th) and you will receive:

1. 50% OFF YOUR SESSION FEE (a savings of $275)!!!!

2. 5 FREE digital files of your child painting

3. Pick from a pre-selected color palette or make your own!

4. If buying as a gift, you get a FREE personalized gift certificate for you to give/send on Mother’s Day

Click below to take advantage of this amazing deal,
don't wait limited sessions are available!

Fun Winter Family Activity- Ice Castles in Dillon, Colorado

Fun Winter Family Activity

Last weekend I took my kids to the Ice Castles in Dillon, Colorado.  It was an amazing experience and I’m so glad we braved the traffic to go see this fantastic place.  Here are a few tips and tricks I learned from our experience and of course images and a little video!

Buy tickets online, you can save a little bit on the ticket price and it also shows you when they’re open.  It can be weather dependent too so your best bet is to head to their website to get updates.  You buy your ticket based on a time slot for entry.  We bought our tickets for the 5:00-5:30 entry time, once you’re in you can stay as long as you want but you cannot leave and come back.  Make sure the kids are fed and do a potty stop before you go in because just like in regular old-timey castles, there is no indoor plumbing!  

I wanted to see Ice Castles during the day and at night and the 5:00 entry time was perfect. Some days there is quite a long wait to get in but when I went (on a Friday), I think it was earlier enough that people hadn’t made their way up there yet and there was hardly a line.  I bet it’s a different story on Saturdays and Sundays though.  Lesson learned: optimal time Friday at 5!  We were there right as the sun was starting to set and it cast this pretty shade of pink that reflected on the ice [insert: photographer’s deep sigh].

My kids are 8 & 5 and we managed to stay just over 1.5 hours.  The wind can pick up there and it can make for a chilly evening so bring those layers and waterproof gloves/mittens and boots.  The ice can drip and cause puddles which are irresistible for children, you can imagine what cold gloves and boots on a windy day up on the mountain feels like!  

There are lots of little tunnels, rooms, windows, mazes, sculptures and even a fountain.  Tons of nooks and crannies for kids to crawl around in and explore and a long ice tunnel slide.  Fair warning: some of the tunnels are S-M-A-L-L and if you are not a fan of tight spaces, those tunnels are not your friend. I included some photos of my kids crawling through them so you can get some perspective. If you have a little kiddo that you normally use a stroller for, bring your sled.  The ice on the ground is like walking through sand, pulling a sled is your best way to transport tired kids.   

We stayed long enough to catch the fire dancer show put on by Insphyre Performance. It’s about 10-15 mins and worth the wait if you can make it-my boys loved it, check out the video below for part of their performance.  When I was there the first show started around 7pm.

At night it did get significantly busier with crowds and despite the colorful lights underneath the ice it was still pretty dark.  That, coupled with lots of people and everything looking pretty similar, might make it confusing for kids, make sure they stick close or establish a meeting spot if they become lost.  Be sure to talk to them beforehand on what to do and make a gameplan if they get separated from you.  There’s lots of friendly staff there on hand to assist but I saw several panicked parents and worried kids. If you have littles best to stick by their sides after the sun goes down.

All in all we had a super fun time, there are plenty of restaurants nearby both sit down and fast food and that certainly makes keeping stomachs full and bladders empty much easier. You are not allowed to bring in outside food or drinks and if you want to take photos be aware that you can’t bring anything with a tripod or stand, it all has to be handheld.

Definitely go check it out, you won’t regret it!

Playful and artistic children's portraits- Artist in Residence Bio: Stella, age 3

Playful and artistic children's portraits

Stella was born in Denver but learned at a young age that she yearned for a classic more rustic Colorado lifestyle and moved up to the mountains in Conifer, CO.  Given her preference for the simple things in life it comes as no surprise that her preferred art medium to work with are grown up pens applied to rolls and rolls and rolls and rolls of paper.  During her paint session, she was as poised and confident as a seasoned Olympian; she strode out on the giant 9 foot paper roll...she was home.

Her intensity is real, her demeanor is centered as she channels her contemporary influencers: Paw Patrol, Lion Guard and Monster Machines.  A non conformist, she feels most comfortable blurring lines and stereotypes. She wears her older brothers super hero t-shirts, and plays hard often resulting in scuffed knees and dirt smudged cheeks.  Yet she chose soft and bright pinks as her color palette to work with in her paint session. Stella follows no rules and refuses to fit in any box...perhaps that’s what makes her work so intriguing.

At home her Cow Cow and big brother Grey Grey (things so nice, she refers to them twice) as her muse.  Like most creatives/artists she suffers from insomnia but it’s that wakefulness that spurs the artist to churn out her most most inspired pieces of work.  It’s during these nighttime creative interludes that she relies on her most ardent supporter: Mom.  

She’d like to thank her Mom for providing constant support from the hours of 9pm-7am, always being a willing sound board to hear about new ideas and creations, visions in the night (sometimes scary), provider of snacks when this creative night owl needs nourishment. Most of all, a helping hand when a pillow needs fluffing, a blanky needs replacing or a gentle reminder that this artist’s soul is not alone.

Now accepting personal commissions, preferred form of payment: candy, candy, candy and also candy.

Holiday Gift Ideas- Giving the Gift of Experience

Holiday Gift Ideas

I’m stuck too. I’m so done with toys for my kids. All the money and worry to procure the latest and greatest for them to forget about it after 30 mins and I’m literally left holding the bag...and picking it up...and putting it away...again. So I’m making a conscientious shift in my gift buying this year to minimize the mess and frustration. If you feel like we’re riding in the same boat, you’ve come to the right place.  Here are my ideas for gifts of experience and I’ve grouped them into 3 categories: kids, spouse and parents. Hopefully you’ll find some inspiration and I will have saved the day (and yes you may take full credit, your secret is safe with me!)

Kids
Dilemma: Why can't they love something that won't get embedded in my carpet...looking at you Lego...

1. I’ll start with the shameless plug. My paint sessions are pretty damn experiential, not to mention I'm the only photographer in Denver, no Colorado, scratch that- the United States that offers these sessions, talk about a pure one-of-a kind experience.  Plus you walk away with something too, consider it a parent bogo.

2. Classes/Lessons: Swimming, any instrument imaginable, karate, painting or any kind of art, dance/hip-hop, ninja, drama, magic, ice skating, cooking, horseback riding. Do something completely out of left field, it’s a great way to expose them to new and different things. Side note: be prepared to invest if they do like it. I did this last year and now we’re committed to weekly ninja classes a year later but hey, he loves it and he’s active and engaged for an hour while I write my blog posts: win-win.

3. Hotel night- on those random days of from school, go to a hotel (if it’s not a holiday you can usually find a pretty good deal), order some pizza in and go play in the indoor pool- they don’t care they are only 30 mins from home! Any hotel is still new and exciting for them.

4. Tickets/Shows: professional sporting event, concerts, afternoon tea service at a fancy hotel, movie day with a boat load of snacks.

Spouses/Significant Others
Dilemma: trouble is most of us are hardworking indivduals with ready access to Amazon Prime. If we need/want something we buy it, we don’t need to wait for things like holidays and birthdays, we’re not suckers.  That’s why you gotta stick with stuff that’s non-tangible. We think nothing of buying the $50 tchotchke but actually spending money on a service that would take stress out of our life, well that never seems to be a priority for us.

1. Services: Car detailing and wash, house cleaning, meal prep services, dry cleaning, spa treatment 

2. Classes/lessons: welding, knitting, foreign language, photography (tip- almost any photographer you know is willing to teach an intro to photo/this is how to use your camera class), sculpture/ceramics. 

3. Night outs with a purpose: farm to table dinners, brewery or coffee tasting tours, wine and cheese tours (Groupon is great for this btw- take a look at your local offers)

4. Rent a fancy car: Why not? We’re adults, let’s give each other a taste of what we otherwise cannot afford. Live a little and rent that beast you've had your eye on.  What would you pick muscle car vs. sports car or does technology triumph over all?

Parents:
Dilemma: What do you give someone who already has everything?

1. Gift cards to their preferred airline: maybe this will encourage them to take that trip on their bucket list?

2. Tickets to an event or show: and since you’re buying anyway buy one extra so you can go with them.  You know that feeling you get when you can finally do something because your children have reached a manageable age, it won’t be total chaos and you might get some actual enjoyment out of it?  Well that’s how our parents feel about us now.  We can all go to a big fancy restaurant and they won’t have to worry about us behaving badly.  It’s such a glorious parenting achievement that I honestly don’t think that feeling ever wears off in parenthood.  Go ahead, give your parents that feeling again.

3. Netflix & Amazon Prime memberships: If your parents are not already on the convenience train, it’s time.  Usher them into this century.

4. Tech classes: Technology is growing at faster pace than it has ever grown before.  There are lots of community classes available that can help teach your parents how to: sync email over multiple devices, buy and upload apps, use FaceTime, how to text (and use emojis!), how to watch Netflix and configure Apple TVs.  Give them a little knowledge to help them keep in touch with you, and bonus: it might cut down on the IT support calls you have to field from them.

5. Family Photo Shoot: Hire a good family photographer in your area. If you have to, pitch in with other siblings. Folks, this one is too important, just do it.  Click here, if you want some tips on what to wear for your photo shoot, your family photographer will thank you!

6. Hire a someone to digitize old photos and videos: again...echoing my sentiments from #5- too important, and it ultimately saves you a lot of time and hassle, get that stuff organized and saved so you never have to worry about losing those precious memories.  It is such a weight lifted off your shoulders you never knew existed until it’s gone.

What are some of your slam dunk gifts of experience you have given or received? Maybe I can add more to my list!

What to wear for your family photo shoot

The family photo shoot.

The very phrase can send pangs of stress and anxiety through the most unshakeable
mothers.  On top of the usual stress concerning logistics, cost and children’s behaviors there’s the almighty, lingering question of outfits...

It’s seems so easy, we literally navigate through this problem everyday but why do we always wait until the very last minute to tackle?  It’s because it’s so overwhelming, we get
paralized by choice.  It’s too much think of at once and people push it aside until they know it’s too late and force themselves to “just make a decision”. I’m going to share some tips and explain how I handle it for my own family because it happens to photographer’s too!

I put together some ideas in case you need some inspiration...best part?  I found all these items at Gap- one store, that’s it!

Tip 1: Find your centerpiece. Find the one piece of clothing or accessory that absolutely must be included in this photo.  Is it that scarf your grandma knitted for you freshman year?  Maybe that ridiculous hat your 2 year old loves?  How about the adorable sequined dress your daughter insists on wearing everyday?  Whatever that item is, that’s your starting point.

Tip 2: Now that you have your centerpiece, you need to design your color palette,
this means you determine 3-4 other colors that compliment your centerpiece.  Once you know your palette, you build!  Comb your closets first, looking for pieces that you currently own that fall into that color space.  Mix shades and textures, if you stick to your color palette all the colors will work together.  If you can’t find everything for the family at home, then go shopping.  It’ll be so much easier knowing you’re looking for specific items in specific colors vs going in blind. 

Tip 3: Accessorize!  Don’t forget to use your accessories- scarfs, shoes, hats, cute jackets, jewlery- it all counts.  You can have a relatively ordinary outfit but throw on an
accessory that fits with your color palette and boom everything is all in sync!

Still stumped?  Wondering around aimlessly in the stores? I can help! Just send me an email!

Halloween Pumpkin Carving Project

This is always how these projects get started...my kids. On Friday I took my kids to 7th Generation farm, here in Louisville, Colorado to go pick out some pumpkins.  This little farm is awesome. They have chickens, horses, pigs, sheep, cows, yaks, goats...just about every farm animal imaginable. Not only do we get a little tractor ride to and from the pumpkin patch but my little animals get to commiserate with other little (and some big) animals, it’s a children’s paradise!  If you’re in the Denver or the North Metro area, there’s seriously something for the whole family, definitely take the kids and support this local family run business.

When we got there my oldest proclaims that he wants to find the ugliest, nastiest, grossest looking pumpkin of all.  This is a new twist.  My kids have never really been into gore, or super scary costumes but I rolled with it.  After looking around the patch, my kid was not happy with the lack of super gross pumpkins because “they all just look like regular pumpkins”.  He finally unhappily settled on one super average and clearly sub par pumpkin.  We go to pay and they have all their pretty gourds out by the register displaying in oranges, yellows, greens and reds.  There were plump friendly white pumpkins sitting next to oddly shaped gourds, next to something fairly hideous and bumpy.  He nearly dropped his previous selection while walking over to a hideous beast of a gourd, almost entranced yelling “brains, BRains, BRAINS!  MOM BRAINS!”.

Naturally I bought it.  Along with its buddy, an acorn shaped green gourd and a pale pink squatty bumpy friend.  They were a motley crew but as I sat there staring at them I had already decided which fate was destined for the gourds before we even made it back to our car.  

Before I can begin to show you what I did, I must first show a little video...

I think we can all agree that any kind of carving whether it be pumpkin or gourds is better with power tools.  In this case it was mandatory because guess what?  Gourds are way thicker and more dense than your regular pumpkins!  My little brainy friend, was up to 2 ½ inches deep!  My husband used a combination of a drill, a dremel and about 4 different types of bits and attachments.  To say I was commitment to this project is an understatement. Begrudgingly my husband, who is never one to back down from a craft challenge, was too.  He didn’t want to do it but I always seem to rope him into my art or craft projects.  

Once we got him emptied out (surprisingly a lot less gooey than pumpkins) and his face cut out the next step was to make the brains look real. All it took was thin layer of peach paint and little clear mod podge to make that gray matter glisten.  Next, the final piece...as in hair piece.  Of course my cranial friend needed hair, specifically dark, curly hair coupled with dark curly eyebrows and a porn ‘stache because at this point, why not?  I give you Carl. 

Now on to his friend Frank.  I took one look at this little green guy and in about a nano-second envisioned exactly what I was gonna do with him, Frankenstein of course! This guys was the most dense out of all them but he really has won my heart.  The best part is when you puncture the green skin with a knife it gets even greener and looks like a real cut, which turns out really plays nicely with the whole “stitched up a monster made from scratch” theme. I didn’t have to worry about any imperfect cuts because they just looked like real stitches.  I painted the top and literally screwed in some bolts on the side, and I’ve got my little smirky Frankenstein!

Lastly, I worked on my pink little pretty.  This one had the most perfect shade of pale pink.  When I picked it up and saw all the bumps, they reminded me of roses.  And the idea of rose gold popped in my head. My husband calls this the disco pumpkin.  This one was the easiest to carve and make because it didn’t require a face and was more of a fun design.  I drilled little holes all around it, then put hot glue all over the bumpy parts and poured gold glitter over them.

Before I did this I made what I called a “glitter station” and it’s perhaps one of my most genius ideas ever.  Just take a box large enough that you have space to work in put a big garbage in it and over the sides, then glitter away!  Has to be the cleanest and easiest time I have every used glitter in my life.  I’m not saying it isn’t still all over my house somewhere because we all know that glitter is insidious but I can’t see it...which to me means it’s not there.  

We had some strips of LED lights that change color and we weren’t using  them so I plopped them right into my disco pumpkin. There she is, isn’t she fun?

The colored lights make it look like it's gilded jewel encrusted pumpkin, the light blue being my hands down favorite color.

Here's what it looks like when the colors fade in and out and change colors.

Have you done some cool Halloween pumpkin styling and designing this fall? Made or created some fun Halloween kids craft or art projects? Share in the comments below- I want to see them (and so do Carl and Frank)!!!!

Have a fun and safe Halloween!

Have questions about the materials or tools I used? Drop me a line, I'm happy to help!

Creative Kids Portraits, Artist in Residence Bio: Jack, age 3

Creative Kids Portraits

Young Jack is one half of an artist duo sweeping the town of Golden, Colorado. He partners with his sweet sister Lucy.  The two styles have never been so different.  His sister, many times lost in her own art, barely recognized the camera being present.  While Jack, in the presence of the camera, mastered an entirely new performance work subtly, yet appropriately titled “My Tongue is Out”.  

Critics speculate if his performance piece is a commentary on society’s ability to just accept what they can’t understand or if there is a more complex meaning relating to his rejection of the status quo and unwillingness to conform.  When pressed for an explanation about his choice of artistic expression he simply replied with, “I made this”.

So simple, yet so complex.

Whatever the thought process behind making the final masterpiece the results were primal, earthy, raw, conjuring up textures and compositions similar to the manes of horses and buffalo fur.  

Jack will continue sharing exhibition space with Lucy.  Upcoming shows are slated for: Downstairs Play Area and the ever controversial space: ½ Bath on the First Floor.

Interested in booking a session? 

Kids craft project: Robot tintypes

A few weeks ago I discovered a cool new art project to do with my kids, it started off with making a custom nameplate but it was such a cool technique that I wanted to apply it to another project theme.  I call it a tintype.  And I suppose I like calling it that not only because it somewhat resembles one but I am, after all a photographer, and all things about this industry, young and old fascinate me.  If you want to know more about real actual tintypes that were made around the mid 1800s, click here for a brief but interesting History of Photography 101 lesson.

Now on to my tintypes...I start off with 2 Ribba square shadow box frames from Ikea.  I love these frames! They work so well because it gives you one of the supplies that you need in addition to giving you a great way to display the artwork when you’re done.  Kills two birds with one stone!  They have a very sturdy back with a hanger on it, and it’s perfect for this art project.  Open up the frames take out the brown back and have your kids draw a robot (make sure metal hanger is on the back), they can make mistakes and draw it until it’s just as they want.  No one will see the mistakes so they can take their time with it.

When they’re happy with their drawing, get out the glue and have them trace over their robot design. Wait for the glue to completely dry, you’ll know it’s dry when it’s hard and translucent.  Then take some aluminum foil and attach it to the back of the board so it covers the dried glue.

Gently rub your fingers over all the hard glue surfaces of the design and you’ll start to see the robot form around the foil.  Be careful not to press too hard or you’ll make a hole in the foil. If you’d like to add small details, you can take a blunt pencil and carefully add some lines or dots on top of the foil.

After you’ve imprinted the robot design on the foil, get some black shoe polish, and gently swirl around and over the design. It’ll have some neat swirl patterns that only adds to the character of these tintypes.  Let the shoe polish dry and then place back in the frames.  

If you want to do a custom nameplate (or any other cool design!) follow all the instructions listed here and instead of drawing a robot have them write their name.  I could do these all day, they are so fun to do and the end result is so cool!

3 ways to reuse plastic Easter eggs

If you celebrate Easter then you probably have the same dilemma I do...here’s how Easter plays out at my house. About two months before Easter, I see decorations filling the store and I proactively buy Easter eggs trying to prevent what happens every year:  It’s the night before Easter as soon as the kids go to bed, I start going to work as the Easter bunny, filling up baskets.
 

First step is of course, retrieve those plastic eggs.  And every year when I can’t find where I put the eggs I bought 2 months ago, I send my husband to find whatever plastic eggs are left in the stores.  Then, Murphy’s Law comes into play and I find said eggs purchased 2 months ago usually no more than 7 days after Easter.  I swear I’ll store them away and use them next year but let’s be honest...this little nasty forgotten Easter egg cycle has been going on for the last 6 years.  Instead of making myself feel bad about this habit I decided to create some art projects you can do with your kids to reuse those damn eggs!


Kids Art Project #1: Egg Maracas

Get two plastic spoons, fill the plastic eggs with anything you think will make a nice rattle.  Here I used, rice and dried beans.  Have your kids look for things to put inside the eggs and experiment, different things will make different sounds.  Once you’ve got your "rattlers” tape up the spoon handles.  Make sure those spoons are securely taped because they will get flung around and dropped!  After they're taped together you can decorate them. I found using scrapbook decorative tape an easy simple way to jazz them up.

 

Kids Art Project #2: DIY Bath Bombs

Plastic Easter egg shells make great bath bomb molds, you can find a zillion different bath bomb recipes online, find one that you like, my favorites are the ones that combine just a hint of some kind of essential oil in them, mix up a batch and put them into your molds.  Here’s another tip, if you’re the type that likes to incorporate some type of homemade gift for your kids teacher, this is one they will probably be pretty grateful for; hold onto your eggs so you can use them for end of year teacher gifts! 

Kids Art Project #3- Mini succulent planters

I think succulents are just so darn cute and better yet, they are very hard to kill, that makes me like them even more!  You can make these little planters and have them sit on a window ledge, shelf, desk, dresser, bathroom, nightstand all over the house and (like me) you can pretend that you have a green thumb that nourishes and grows plant life indoors.

I painted my eggs white first, then “painted” glue on the egg after the paint was dry.  Then I sprinkled different types of glitter on them (if you do this, definitely use some sort baking or cooking dish with raised edges, because glitter…).  Then I cut 3 floral wires the length I wanted, while holding the wires, separate them evenly and bend the floral wire over the edges of the egg. Then grab the wires on the bottom of the egg and twist all 3 wires together. Spread the wires in different directions to make legs so it can stand. Now you can have those little succulents everywhere!

Do you have an idea on how we can reuse or recycle these little eggs- let me know!  I'd love to hear other ideas (because I've probably got at least another 10 years worth of eggs coming at me!).

Artistic Kids Photography- Artist in Residence Bio: Lucy, age 4

Artistic Kids Photography

Miss Lucy hails from the hills of Golden, Colorado.  What really sets her work apart from other 4 year olds is her unorthodox painting techniques.  She has invented and perfected a technique so daring and unique that few other artists dare try: the dive head first approach.  This is no figure of speech or idiom, she quite literally dives head first; hands stretched out front, entire body skimming through a puddle of paint. 

She does this with the skill and acumen of an Olympic diver.  Such precision and wide brushstrokes, add texture and movement unlike any other known painting technique.  As she wraps up her masterpiece she completes every work of art with another signature move: the paint push up.  She adroitly hovers her body on all fours over the painting until she finds the exact right place and moment to drop and give a little belly imprint coupled with two partial rolls on each side. 

Her technique, unusual.  Her motivation and determination, inspiring. 

While painting she is completely engrossed, hardly looking up for a moment from the work that sits in front of her.  Her work is currently being shown by the Dining Room wall gallery, which operates in the same hometown of Golden, Colorado.  Upcoming exhibitions include: Living Room above the Sofa and The Room I Share with Jack.

 

Interested in booking a session?

Kids craft project- Custom nameplate activity for kids, Part Two

Kids craft project

Piggybacking from my other blog post, if you haven’t read about the salt painting name plate activity, you can click here.  This time I wanted to a do name plate that was sort of vintage looking.  Once again it involves glue and tracing.  

I went to Ikea and bought 2 Ribba square shadow box frames.  I love this frames, so versatile. That have a very sturdy back which is perfect for this art project.  Open up the frames take out the brown back and have your kids write their names. Make sure they write on the opposite side of the hanger.  They can make mistakes, start over and try it as much as they want.

When they’re happy with their names, get out the glue and have them trace over their names. Wait for the glue to completely dry, you’ll know it’s dry when it’s hard and translucent.

Then take some aluminum foil and attach it the board so it covers the dried glue.

Gently rub your fingers over all the hard glue surfaces and you’ll start to see their name form around the foil.  Be careful not to press too hard or you’ll make a hole in the foil.  After you’ve imprinted your design, get some black shoe polish, and gently swirl around and over the name, being sure to keep it on the foil.  It’ll have some neat swirl patterns that only adds to the character of these name plates.

If you’d like to add small intricate details, you can take a blunt pencil and carefully add some lines or dots on top of the foil.

Let the shoe polish dry and then place back in the frames.  

Jacob on top, Nicholas on the bottom- I love how his little 'N' is backwards and he wrote his name going from bottom to top, in true 4 yr old fashion.

I love this kids art activity for several reasons:

1. My kids want to put their name on everything

2. It’s gives them a chance to be super creative with it

3. It’s a nice multi-layered approach and the end result looks nothing like how it begins.  And if you know anything about what I do as a photographer you can understand why I like it!

4. It looks so freakin’ cool when it’s done!  I bought two more of the RIbba frames and have hand molds from each kid, hanging next to each of their names in my stairway.

Now I want to see what else I can create with this!

Unique Kids Portraits- Artist in Residence Bio: Lincoln, age 1

Unique Kids Portraits

Born Lincoln Allen, he operates under the nom de plume, Honey Bear in order to maintain his anonymity and privacy.  He shares a co-working art studio space in the rural mountains of Golden,CO with his Mother (photographer) and Father, Sir Bisquik (partner in crime, inspiration/motivation, fur brother), Keva and his 3 monkey pals: Polk, Kennedy and Millard Fillmore. He most recently completed his first year residency at the school of hard knocks, where he will continue to grow and refine his artistic abilities indefinitely.

His current project called: Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk, Mama! is a modern contemporary performance piece exploring the ephemeral existence of childhood where the milk only exists briefly before being cleaned up by mom, dad or the dog.  While Honey Bear hasn't specifically mentioned his reasoning for this public art display, those who have witnessed it say its a social commentary about the fleeting existence of life itself.  The milk is there, briefly, then it's gone...

Performance art seems to be young Honey Bear's forte, in addition to "Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk, Mama", he is also showing, "Jeopardy!" an interpretative modern dance to the Jeopardy theme song while simultaneously reciting his haiku (inscribed by his mother because he, of course, is 1 year old and cannot write):

Yeah ah ah ma ma
Uh oh uh oh ha ba ba
Yeah yeah da da da

Honey Bear is trying to secure funding for his next performance piece titled, "...The Door...".  During this performance he will close the bathroom door, open the bathroom door, close the bathroom door, open the bathroom door while repeatedly saying "uh-oh".  This can go on for mere seconds or many minutes. Again, no explanation was given to understand the significance of this piece but one could speculate he may be trying to prepare and forewarn society from impending doom. 

Or...he just likes doors.

Whatever his intent, we are anxiously awaiting what new exciting things this emerging artist will bring to the art scene. Price of admission for all public performance pieces: one snack bowl full of Goldfish crackers.  Monkey bowls, preferred.

Interested in booking a session?

Kids craft project-Custom nameplate activity for kids, Part One

Kids craft project

If you have twins, triplets...scratch that...

if you have many children...wait...

if you have children close in age...ummm, hang on...

if you have multiple children...trying again...

okay if you have a singular child. 

Yes, if you are in close proximity to any child roughly from about the age of 18 mos to let's say adulthood you are acutely aware of the importance of having your name on things.  It's of utmost importance, their name must be on everything, and once they learn how to (sorta kinda) write it, they must do it.  Names are very important.  Especially to my two boys, Jacob and Nicholas, ages 7 & 4.  The name game is strong in our house, being boys and sharing a group of friends and a room to boot.  "Names" define fierce boundaries around here. 

Over our spring break last week we did two different nameplate kids art projects that were both easy to do, captured their attention and ended up looking pretty cool in the end.

First we did salt art. 

I started off with a color palette that I found pleasing...lets be honest, kids need some guidance in the color department.  As parents we need to look and enjoy these pieces it might as well be something I can stomach looking at over and over again! I just these colors because I'm 1. obsessed with them and 2. this color combo naturally induces peacein my brain (and many times, my boys do not) so it's like a little constant dose of Xanax.  Who couldn't use that?

I used my watercolors to paint 2 whole sheets of watercolor paper.  1 sheet I left whole, the other sheet I tore in half.  I hand tore all the edges of the paper bc I think it looks better than a straight edge.  I also made sure to darken the edges all around the paper to really highlight the texture.

When the sheets are dry, I glued the half sheet on the whole sheet, right in the center.  Next, with pencil I wrote their names and then went over it again, with a darker water color paint color so it would be really easy for them to do the following step. 

Then I had them trace their painted name with glue.  Once they're done, I let them cover the whole sheet with salt- normal cheapo kitchen salt variety is fine. Best to do this step in a baking sheet with raised edges to keep the salt contained.

Give the glue and salt a few hours to dry.  When it's ready, mix up your food coloring, keeping a color palette similar to the colors you painted with earlier.  Then use an eye dropper to apply the food coloring on the salted letters.

When you're done, again wait for it to dry a bit and then use some adhesive spray to make sure everything stays intact once it's hung up.  And there you have it- a customized nameplate for your little(s) to hang and stake their claim (and it's easy on the eyes!).

Creative Children's Portraits- Artist in Residence Bio: Devyn, age 5

Creative Children's Portraits

Devyn is currently exploring two themes with her current work: Old with New and Re-purposing.  She practices this by using traditional methods and tools like markers, chalk, crayons and scissors and combines them with dry erase markers/boards and cardboard.  The result is an eclectic mix of houses, cars and spaceships.  Often times she is so engrossed in her work she does not realize it turns into a public performance piece, as she narrates while she creates.  Audiences are amazed by her ability to formulate a screenplay incorporating inanimate objects nearby, complex mysteries involving shampoo bottles and wooden beads are not unheard of.  She pulls inspiration from older media attributing Magic School Bus, original Scooby Doo episodes and Nancy Drew stories to be major influences in her work.  

She’d like to thank her Mom and Dad for continued support and encouragement; BFFs: Abby and Annabelle; and family friends, Aunt Wendy and Grandpa Will.

Interested in booking a session?

Kids art project perfect for Valentine's Day

Kids art project

Looking for a simple handmade kids craft idea to give to someone for Valentine's Day? This is the perfect kids project, that's fun, easy to do, not time consuming and ends up looking great.  A perfect gift to give to your child's favorite teacher or Grandma/Grandpa for this upcoming holiday (or any day!). 
You will need:
1. 1- 5x7 canvas, you can usually buy two of these at a time, great for siblings!
2. 1- black or brown oil based Sharpie paint marker
3. 2- different colored ink pads
4. 1- heart shape stencil
5. 1- piece of card stock, any color

First draw your tree with your Sharpie paint marker,  lay the heart stencil down so you can visualize where the branches should go.  You don't want branches under the stencil or touching the sides.

Next, using your stencil and card stock, draw and cut out your heart so you're basically making another heart stencil.  Technically, you can just use your heart stencil but I didn't want my original to get ink all over it, so I made another one.  Lay the stencil on the canvas and tape it so it stays in place.  Then break out the ink pads and get them ready.

My son knows I like blue so whenever he gets the option to pick a color he does his Mama proud (que the collective internet sigh)!  Once your stencil is taped down, it's time to start "stamping" with thumb prints.  Continue until all the white space in the heart is filled with different colored fingerprints.
 

When you're done you have a cute little heart tree canvas suitable for hanging up and one really proud kiddo.  Look at these smiles, art makes everyone happy!  Try different color combinations for different kids and give someone a whole forest of heart trees.  If you try this at home show me what you made, I'd love to see it!

Creative and Unique Children's Portraits- Artist in Residence Bio: Davin, age 7

Creative and Unique Children's Portraits

Hailing from the hills of Aurora, Colorado, Davin started his career in the arts at a young age.  Armed with pencils and paint, he'd sketch on canvases or paper at home.  Soon he traded in his pencils and paper for a different kind of artistic expression: dance!  He continues to explore this new avenue by experimenting with different types of dance, countless auditions, rehearsals, competitions and performances.  During his down time he enjoys watching Adventure Time and Suicide Squad and can replenish his creativity with a timeless favorite childhood activity:  playing with Lego.

Davin would like to thank the special people in his life that help him to fulfill his creativity destiny: Alex, Danny, Ian, Karson & Hayden (school entertainment), Abby, Madison & Gabby (dance partners), Nana, Noni, Ariah, Sofia, and most of all Mom and Rob for helping him to pursue his dreams.

On a serious note: I typically take a pretty campy approach to these write ups but keep your eyes on this kid.  He's driven and dedicated and one day we'll all be watching him on stage!  Keep up the hard work, buddy!
 

Interested in booking a session?

Winter Kids Activity- Freezing Bubbles

Winter Kids Activity

Winter is here and every mom is faced with the same problem: boredom.  When the weather is nice the answer to the "Mom, I'm booooooored" complaint is usually the same, "go play outside" but now we're in the heart of winter and our go-to answer isn't so reliable anymore.  So here's an activity you can do outside even when it's cold out (in fact it only works when it's cold out!) and will mesmerize both kids and adults!  I know what you're thinking, you don't want to participate in cold weather activities.  But this doesn't require you to
A) get wet or
B) climb up sledding hills
You don't even need to leave your house or wear boots.  You do, however, need to bundle up!  If nothing else, you show your kids something cool, get their brains working and then you've earned that cup of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows.

What is freezing bubbles?  It's exactly that, you blow a bubble using regular plain old bubble solution, the same kind we all have laying around our houses from last summer.  Blow a bubble when it's cold out, and watch it freeze.  It's magical when it starts to freeze because you can see the snowflake patterns the ice crystals make on the surface.  You can actually SEE them being created! When it freezes, it can stay that way for just a few seconds or minutes, I had one stay frozen once for about 15 minutes. Then when it pops it looks more like a tiny explosion happened and kind of resembles a cracked eggshell.  

Here are some helpful tips:

1. Outside temperature should at least be 20 degrees Fahrenheit (the colder the better)
2. Pick a day when there is no wind or pick an area that is sheltered from the wind (in my video I'm in an alcove on my front porch)
3. When blowing your bubbles, first trying blowing them onto flat surfaces.  Once you get the concept down, try experimenting with your kids and make observations and predictions about which types of surfaces will work best.  You might be surprised!
4. If you blow a bubble and it pops right away don't try again on the same spot, it works best on dry surfaces.
   
   Here's a video tutorial I made to help show you how to do it ; )
    

Since I am photographer and I clearly have a love affair for abstract contemporary art and my macro lens... here are some photos of bubbles that I froze on different colored metallic paper.  My light source= front porch light.

If you try it at home with your kiddos (there's still plenty of winter cold temps left!) share your photos. I want to see what you make and all the different surfaces you try!

Having trouble- drop me a line!

Fun Children's Photography, Artist in Residence Bio: Maggie, age 2

Fun Children's Photography

Young Maggie began her work in the tactile arts from an early age.  Her preferred medium includes colored beads and a pliable clay like substance commonly referred to in the industry as “Play Dough” That name is deceiving because Maggie is anything but ‘play’ when it comes to her artwork.  She literally immerses herself, exploring texture and form, by squeezing Play Dough through and around her feet and toes.

While she hasn’t announced an official artist statement in regard to her bead work it’s apparent she has been influenced greatly by today’s political climate.  Try to catch one of her weekly interactive installments where she sorts beads by color and size, only to mess them all up and start all over again.  Though young, this is clearly a statement about the current political challenges facing our divided nation.

Music may be the next area of artistic expression with her revival of some of the great hits from the past.  Her renditions of Wheels on the Bus, ABCs, Five Little Monkeys and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star are inspirational.  Currently she’s also influenced by the classics, particularly the Beat Bugs, who feature Beetles hits. 

Maggie would like to thank Lucy Goose (family dog), Grandma and Pa, Nubby, and Bear for their continued love and support. 

I’m happy to introduce to you, our first Artist in Residence: Maggie.

Interested in booking a session?

New Year, New Website, New Direction -Welcome 2017!

If you’re a past client of mine you’re probably thinking things look a little different.  And you’re right!

2017 brings new things for ABP.  New logo, new website, and most importantly a brand new direction.  In the past 13 years as a professional photographer I’ve shot travel, commercial, events, weddings, food, high school seniors, newborns, families and babies.  That’s a lot.

I can honestly say I really do still enjoy shooting all those things.  I love shooting travel because I have incurable wanderlust that has driven me to shoot in all different corners of the world.  I love commercial because I get the opportunity to meet and make connections with people in different industries that I’d otherwise not meet.  I like shooting events because I get to experience some incredible things that I normally wouldn’t get invited to!  Weddings…oh weddings.  First, I shoot weddings with my BFF Denise and when we work together magic happens.  I’m blessed I have such a great working partner that just 'gets' how my brain works. Second, we both feel honored that we’re chosen to be a part of such a momentous day. 

Food photography- one of my secret passions, is all about the details for me and details are sort of my obsession.  High school seniors are fun because I’m capturing these young adults on the cusp of starting a new exciting chapter in their lives.  Newborns – who can resist chunky baby thighs and squishy cheeks?  And families and babies, it’s all about growth- families growing, babies hitting milestones. 

I truly LOVE, all those things. I will continue to love all those things.

But I discovered there was one aspect of my business that lit a fire in my belly, which made me lose sleep at night from excitement.  It would cause me to talk about it endlessly with a big giant grin on my face (probably boring my friends- sorry!)  What you see now, on this bright shiny new website, is it; I introduce to you, my painting sessions.  I’ve been contemplating changing directions with my business ever since I did my first painting session and over the past 4 years the sessions have evolved to what you see here.

The concept is simple but messy.  Help kids create art, let them have fun and document it from beginning to end.  This is more than your standard kids art project. I let kids go bananas with paint on a huge (9x9 feet) sheet of paper, their “canvas”.  I photograph all the fun that unfolds with it.  Then when everyone is cleaned up and leaves the studio, I go back to the masterpiece.  I study it, walk around it.  This is where MY creating begins.  I find just the right compositions to make into a contemporary large art display for their walls at home.  When I’m doing this, every worry, every doubt, every insecurity I have melts away and I’m free.  Nothing else fills my head except what I see in front of me.  

It is bliss. 

It’s so incredibly fun giving kids this memorable experience, and being able to watch and capture it.  I love that it is a true artist collaboration. We can’t exist without the other.

Without me there would be no experience.

Without them there would be no painting.

Without me there would be no photograph.

Without the photograph, there would be no art.

It's sooooo meta : P

Going forward it’s my goal to be known around town as “that children's photographer in Denver that does that paint thing” that’s totally cool with me.  If you’re a past client of mine and you’re not interested in the paint session, that’s also cool! I’m not abandoning you- I still love you and will continue work with you when you reach out to me. 

And if you think you might be interested in having your kiddo make some really cool art and huge wall displays, I want to hear from you!  Just click here to get in touch with me.  I'm now booking paint sessions for February.

I’d also like to say thanks to fellow photographers and other creatives that have helped me to take this scary and exciting leap.  To friends and family for the encouragement, proofreading, and acting as official idea bouncers, all of your input was so valuable.

Check out below to see a little video I put together of 2 recent sessions.

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