Wanted. Loved. Cherished. Newborn.

Dear baby Kimball is brother to FOUR older sisters. Mom calls him a "bonus baby" as his arrival was a bit of a surprise. Oh how she cherishes him! Watching them interact was so special for me. He knew when she was near. He responded in the neatest way. Every newborn is different and I'm always amazed at how precious each baby is that I photograph. I wish I could bottle up his sweetness.

CONTEST BELOW! Extended!
Look HERE

Oh What a Night!

This was E and J's first official DANCE date. E was super excited to turn 16...drivers licence, dating. Oh la la.

They wanted something groovy for their dance pictures (instead of the school pics..blecchhh!)

I think we got a bit of "groovy" right?

CONTEST BELOW! Don't Forget to enter for PICKLED PUMPKINS goodness!

Women who ROCK!-Contest Extended!

Remember THIS?

I’m excited to announce a new feature on my blog!




Each month, I will be featuring a local artist…a woman who rocks at what she does….a creative lady who is kicking some trash in her business…a gal with a product you just HAVE to have…a mama who works AND takes care of her family…

You follow?

You excited?

I am.

I’m kicking off this new feature with February’s lady, KATIE CARLSRUH of PICKLED PUMPKINS.

Find her fantastic work HERE

CONTEST BELOW! Don't forget to enter!




I had the opportunity to see Katie in action. She paints. She draws. She colors and gets paid for it! Her creations are so fun. I want to cover Oliver’s walls with her work. I’ve actually commissioned her to create a big huge canvas for his new room…a pirate ship! I can’t wait.

Katie describes her style as “Cartoonish, child-like, silly, playful.”

I just call it awesome. Really… Her work is fresh and fun and unique.



She’s been painting, drawing and creating since she was a little girl but only recently started her business. She’s inspired by her little boy, Noah and she rocks at being his Mama while still making time to create beautiful things for you and me. Her husband, Abe, is her biggest supporter and they make a great team. (Abe helps out with the techie stuff and even dresses up in a cheerleading outfit while Katie paints…”GO KATIE GO!” Okay, this is a lie. But he’s her cheerleader all the same.)

She pours so much love into each painting. Even her packaging is perfection. She ships super fast too! She puts so much time and effort into making sure her customers are happy.

I asked Katie to offer some advice to women who are thinking about starting a business…here’s what she had to say:

1. How do you manage work and home? How do you create balance?
Right now I can only paint and draw when Noah is napping or down for the night (too hard to keep him out of the paint!). When he’s awake is when I fill and package orders. Otherwise, my husband does a lot of the bookkeeping and technical stuff for me when he has a spare moment here and there.

2. What would you say to other women who are thinking of starting a business/side business/business at home?
Go for it! Make sure it’s something you enjoy doing, get organized and realize that it can be very time consuming. And… it will probably get spread all over your house if you’re chasing kids around too. But it can be very rewarding.

3. What mistakes have you made or what would you do differently if you could do it all over again when you first started your business?
Maybe just a little more prep and research before launching the business. I could have saved a lot of time and money if I’d researched more.

4. What advice would you give to women who want to work and be wives and mothers?
I’ll say it again…. Get organized! Get organized! Create a work area and create a schedule. Make sure you have time that is for work and time that is for kids. Don’t short your kids’ time with you or it’s not worth it. On the other side of that, don’t short your “self time” or it’s not worth it either. Be flexible! Kids force that necessity upon us. And most importantly, a happy mom is the best kind of mom! So whatever you decide to do, make sure that your happiness and well-being is your priority and everything else will fall into place.


Katie was nice enough to offer my blog readers an awesome discount, AND a freebie!

Here’s the deal….you have two ways to get your hands on some awesomeness.

Mention my name when you purchase something from Pickled Pumpkins, and receive 15% off!

(Put SARA BOULTER in the "Note to Seller" section in the checkout process and I will refund the discount right back to you. Sale ends March 4th.)

AND

Visit Katie’s shop online and come back here to tell me what your favorite item is (leave a comment.) Want an extra entry? Share this post on your blog (FB, twitter, whatever) and leave another comment with the link. I will hold a random drawing and the winner will receive a FREE print from Katie’s shop. (Contest ends March 4th at midnight, winner announced March 5th.)


You like what you see? I knew you would. Head over to her shop and check out all the goodies.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/pickledpumpkins





Are you a woman who ROCKS? Do you have a creative business that deserves to be featured on my blog? I want to hear from you! Email me at info {@} saraboulterphotography {dot} com.

New Best Friend

Meet Irelynd.

You have NEVER met anyone like her.

I know I haven't. {Though, my son could possibly be her twin in looks and personality but he's only three...so it doesn't count.}

She is absolutely full of it.

IT = everything that is awesome.

I had a mentoring session today, and Irelynd was our model. I have never met her before and her mama was nice enough to bring her up to my studio.

I've never laughed so hard during a session. She is witty, clever, sneaky, smart, funny, outgoing, spazzy, and a natural in front of the camera. This girl can go from serious to hilarious with a snap of my finger. Every pose was hers. I could barely keep up with her! What a dream to photograph! I am still cracking up about her. I begged her to be my friend and to hang out with me. She said yes and I'm counting down the days till we can hang out again. Oh how I love that Irelynd. A whole lot.

UPDATED-Models Needed for Friday {Contest Below}

Found models. Thanks everyone for your interest!


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CONTEST POST BELOW. Still time to ENTER!

Give Oh Give-Away!

I have a favorite store.

I know I'm only one of many who LOVE Anthropologie,

But I REALLY love it. I want to marry it. And then have babies with it.

I want to share some of that love in the form of a gift card to said store.

You want it?

Fine, you can have it.

HOW TO ENTER:
Anyone can enter. All you have to do is become a "follower" of my blog and leave a comment.
(To become a follower, click the link "FOLLOW" in my sidebar on the right. OR add me to your google reader. If you are already a current follower of my blog, just leave a comment!)


This giveaway will end February 20th at midnight MST. Winner will be chosen by random.org and announced February 21st. Winner must be willing to submit their mailing address for shipment of gift card.

PS. Just sayin'.....Anyone who has done one of my contests before knows I'm notorious for giving consolation 2nd and 3rd and 4th and 5th prizes...you've been warned.

Olivia does it again...

The first time I met Olivia I couldn't get over her. When I saw her again today, a year later, it happened all over again. She is so full of personality. I wanted so badly to kiss on her cheeks and take her home with me. How can I remain professional when there is this kind of cuteness lurking about?! Sheesh.

Today is her birthday! How fitting, that dress of hers. :)



I shall post more tomorrow. I have some American Idol to watch. Oh dear.

New

I want one. Uh oh.

Mentoring Session Open

Hey ya'all. I had a rescheduling for Friday February 3rd for mentoring. Email me if you want it!
info {at} saraboulterphotography {dot} com