Vendor Love: thirty-one

Are you familiar with thirty-one? I'm sure you've either seen or heard about it by now, or maybe you've been invited to a thirty-one party. The first time I went to a 31 party I honestly had no idea what to expect. Inviting me to a party like that is "bad news bears" because I LOVE to personalize things. Bags, shirts, wall decor, pillow shams, and much much more have been branded with our initials. The above tote is the latest. We went to the beach yesterday and I put our drinks and bubbles inside. There was room to spare. So, if you're a mom on the go this is the perfect little tote to carry along with you. You can keep it in your car. The rim is hard and the body of the tote is soft. It is collapsible. It won't take up any room at all. I've got lots of odds & ends in my car, so this is a great place to pile it up and keep my car relatively neat. I'm so glad I decided on this one.

Happy Spring!

 Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

Song of Songs 2:12 

Pansies & Giveaway Winners

Did you know that flowers have a meaning? When I was a cheerleader in my senior year of high school we had a very special luncheon for all the girls and their mothers to celebrate the ending of a great season. Our cheerleading captain had a huge bouquet of flowers. As she spoke about the victories of our cheer season she began to read off the names and characteristics of each member calling them up to the podium to claim their flower. Along with the flower and characteristic she announced the meaning of each flower we were getting, which corresponded to our characteristic. I felt so special that day. I had no idea that flowers had meanings until that day.
A couple weeks ago I randomly picked up some pansies that were on clearance at Wal-Mart. I bought just enough to line the sidewalk to our front door. They're not perfect, but I so love flowers. The purple and yellow that color the petals of these pansies are just the right amount of contrast. It was a windy day as I sat shoveling dirt and planting flowers. Pansies are so delicate; it surprised me that the petals didn't just fall off with each blow of the wind. I was so proud of my planting job. It's amazing what some flowers can do to the aesthetic of a front yard. I called my grandma to tell her. My grandma used to own a flower shop; she loves flowers too. When I told her what kind of flowers I planted, she sighed. {It was a good sigh.} I asked grandma what she was thinking and she shared such a sweet memory of her grandmother who would always pick pansies and lay them in the pages of her Bible. I am so glad she shared that memory with me. After I got off the phone with grandma, I looked up the meaning of this dainty flower. Pansies mean "loving thoughts".  How fitting. This reminds me to write down the memories and stories my grandma tells me so that I can one day share them with my boys and God-willing, my grandchildren. Thank you for reading. I hope your day is filled with Loving Thoughts.

P.S. Giveaway Winners: You ALL win! Be expecting a little package in the mail by the end of next week. Thank you for entering and thank you for your support. xoxo.

KDP {Giveaway}

Hey, hey, hey. It's a giveaway! Kim of Sassy Girl Originals has created these beautiful flowers that are perfect for spring. Each flower is made out of up-cycled sweaters and hand crafted into a lovely fashion accessory. All three have an alligator clip and a pin fastened for versatile wear. These pretty spring flowers can be clipped in your hair. They can be pinned to a coat, a purse, a diaper bag, or a camera bag {for photographers}. If you are looking for a cute little gift, they are perfect to place in a little girl's Easter basket too. I am so blessed to have such a talented friend. I will be giving one flower away to 3 winners selected by random.org.

How to enter:
1. Like my page on facebook {Karrie Drake Photography}
2. Like Kim's page on facebook {Sassy Girl Originals}
3. Leave a comment here on my blog letting me know you completed both 1 & 2
4. For an extra entry post on your status: "KDP Giveaway! with featured vendor Sassy Girl Originals. Go enter for a chance to win!"

Giveaway will be closed Thursday, night at 9:00pm eastern time. Winner will be announced on Friday morning, February 17, 2012! And to end with a little quote from The Hunger Games, "May the odds be ever in your favor!"

New Spring Special!!

Happy Spring! Flowers are blooming & vibrant. Children are wanting to run outside barefoot and play in the sprinklers. Birds are chirping and flitting everywhere. It's a lovely time of year.

I've been thinking about updating my portfolio, so I've decided to offer a Spring Special.

The *Spring Special includes 30 minute session, Image CD w/ print release, and a small print package. *(See first image for full details). I will be offering this special for a very limited time. Please call for available days and times  (252) 571-1557.   Thank you for your love & support.

{ABOVE IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT KARRIE DRAKE PHOTOGRAPHY. PLEASE DO NOT COPY}

Spring Mini-Sessions

Please contact me if you are interested in scheduling a time in March for a session. This is the perfect time and the perfect weather to update your family picture. I've been out and about scouting out fun places for pictures in case you need suggestions. {The Spring Mini-Sessions will be on-location.}
Take advantage of this great deal!

Easter Baskets & Bunny Rabbits (take two)

I am so very thankful for today. The Lord provided lovely weather and smiling faces to capture. Here are the remainder of the sneak peeks from this afternoon. Hope you all enjoy! Thank you so much for being a part of this event.

Blessings, Karrie

Easter Baskets & Bunny Rabbits (take one)

Hello there! What a gorgeous day it was today. Thank you, Lord for providing such a beautiful Spring day :) Well, the following are my first 3 mini-sessions of the day. Unfortunately, you will only see Thumper in two sessions. She hurt her poor little paw this morning and had to be rushed to the vet. Harrison & Mia got to see Thumper and pet her until it was time for her to go. Thank you mommies for helping out this morning with smiles, songs, and funny faces. Hope you enjoy your little sneak peek.

In His Love, Karrie

A Taste of Spring!

How beautiful the past few days have been. Spring is beginning to show herself in the warmth of the sun and the coolness in the breeze. It is one of my favorite seasons. I am so passionate about color and Spring blooms so many colors. Its magnificent.
Julian just loves to play outside. I took him to the park yesterday and we ate lunch outside with our friends today. I know the rains are supposed to be starting tomorrow, but we seized the moment and had to take advantage of the excellent weather.
I am trying out my new lens that I purchased as a birthday present. I will be using it more often with portraits. Looking forward to the Easter shoot next weekend!

God Bless!
Karrie

This is the 1st Annual Easter Baskets & Bunny Rabbits spring mini-shoot.
Thumper the bunny rabbit will be visiting with Karrie Drake Photography on Saturday, March 20th from 9am-12:30pm. Thumper is a live lop eared rabbit. Please come join us for the fun!

The time openings remaining are:
9:40am
10:20am
10:40am
11:20am

Contact me via webite. I will provide additional information and directions to the photo spot. Hope to see you there!

In His Love, Karrie

Spring Photo Shoot

Hello All!

March 20th is the official first day of spring in 2010. I am very excited to be offering KDP's very first Easter Photo Shoot, Easter Baskets & Bunny Rabbits. The name is inspired by my first ever spring shoots from last year with Isabella, Gabriel & Isaac (shown above).

The shoot, weather permitting, will be outside in one of the Providence common areas. This Spring Special is $75 and includes a 20 min. photo session, Online Photo Gallery, and a sweet little picture package that you can customize with your choice of images taken during your session. Come dressed in your Sunday best or in bright casual wear. The kids can bring their Easter Baskets, favorite stuffed animal, or your family pet. Let's have some fun with it!

Please contact me for your scheduled time slot.

In His Love, Karrie

An Afternoon With the Girls...

This afternoon's session was with Ruby Grace and Della. These sisters are the cutest! Just take a look at their sweet faces. Ruby Grace was great at posing for the camera. At 11 months, Della, was cruising all over the place. She wore a pale blue dress that was once her sister's. Mom wanted to get a special shot by the window. I hope you enjoy the sample pictures. The rest are on the way. Thank you for the opportunity to photograph your beautiful girls.
In His Love, Karrie

Beautiful Bella!

This morning was such a sweet session with Isabella and her family. Lots of smiles and laughter filled the air as we watched Bella do her thing. She was a natural. Our morning consisted of bubbles, stuffed bunnies, flowers, and pink sunglasses. I can't wait to edit the rest of these priceless moments. I do hope you enjoy the preview. It was a delight to work with you. God Bless and Happy Easter! In His Love, Karrie

Brotherly Love

What a gorgeous Spring day! Today's session was with my friend's beautiful boys, Gabriel & Isaac. With my own son in tow, we packed up our red Radio Flyer and headed toward the neighborhood common area. I am so pleased with how well the boys did with their impromptu posing that it was difficult to choose which photographs to post. Brooke, I hope you enjoy this sneak peek. I'll be working on getting the rest to you very soon. Thank you for your love and support. You and your family are a blessing to us! In His Love, Karrie