NEW BLOG ADDRESS as of mid 2007:

http://www.marmaladephotography.com/blog

Please save this for future. This blog is long closed.

Also view my portfolio at:

http://www.marmaladephotography.com

Thanks!
xoxo, Mare

IT'S OFFICIAL

And there is a new Client Q&A there to boot! We have moved the blog to its' new home:

http://www.marmaladephotography.com/blog

Please bookmark this new site for further thoughts, previews and peeks!! ;)

News and Shopping...

Spotted last week: CUTE CUTE CUTE diaper covers/bloomers for little ones. I am not sure if Sofia bought hers here but I loved this little bottom so much I had to Google search for a similar co. Diaper Covers by Stitches So Sweet

They sell other stuff as well, check out this cute little hooded towel with a froggie...gota love this stuff. The bulk of their offerings may be too cutesy for me but these diaper covers and towels are beyond adorable, go check 'em out! I love frogs and turtles, occasionally I wish I had a little boy to share this cool boy stuff with but alas, I live vicariously by shopping for my clients via my blog!!


Last fall, MB's twin girl showed up with an outfit by Matilda Jane. Matilda WHO? you may ask...Matilda Jane I say. They are in the midst of doing their fall line for their trunk shows and while I'm not a big fan of say, home parties, these look like fun! I love their clothes, the outfit I saw in person was well made and just really cutesy girly!! Love looking at their site and they have a pretty cool blog as well. I wish I wish that they had an online store...I can't seem to get that link to work for me...


Now for the NEWS portion: (1) The blog is going to be moving in the next few days to my own server at http:www.marmaladephotography.com/blog which is probably much easier for people to remember anyway! LOL. (2) The next client Q&A will be posted there to premiere the new blog and I *promise* you, Beth is the shopping guru and you will love her Q&A (plus she is such an awesome person, I love photographing her and her daughter, she totally gets me!!) and (3) Starting July 3 until the 24th Marmalade Photography will be taking a much needed vacation with the family. I will have spotty cell service where we're headed so I should be available SOME of the time to be reached however, I cannot promise I'll want to work during my time off!

My Angels, My Pirates

There are two handsome little boys that live across the street from us, unfortunately they will be moving soon...my girls and my husband and I are so sad because they have really gotten to know each other over the course of the past year or so and those really cool playmates that you can be silly with and have fun with only come along once or twice in a lifetime. We're really going to miss these guys.

Anyway, the older boy, L, had a pirate themed party at the forest today. I was so excited and slightly envious of the early summer birthday because well, with winter bdays my girls never really will have that sort of celebration (except I think I *will* do a huge unBirthday party for them instead of the usual parties in the winter, something fun similar to that blog entry I posted awhile back). My girls had a blast picking out stuff to dress like a pirate, they wanted to look like a cross between famous Jack Sparrow (sigh, Johnny Depp) and Elizabeth (the equally hot if I played on that team, Ms. Knightley)...so a quick trip to Hobby Lobby for eye patches, bandanas, faux hoop earrings and fabric for a wrap produced this lovely ensemble when coupled with dresses I bought at Old Navy last year and some cool black boots they wore this past fall/winter from Target.

Tres chic for on the cheap girl pirate outfits. They weren't authentic or anything but they made me happy. So they did some posing with the pirate party boy and his best buds...
Too funny, look at the expression on their faces...I love the interaction. So the big point to all of this is for my clients who have had sessions at the forest. For those that don't know some of the beautiful images sessions there produce there are a number of fantastic little vignettes (for lack of a better term) that are natural, crumbling and just beautiful there. The infamous image of my daughters on the dock is from there (the first image from my childhood is...magical gallery on the flash website at www.marmaladephotography.com is the first that comes to mind). The images from this spot are gorgeous however as all the clients who have been there will attest, the water is murky (at best) and not somewhere anyone with any real sense would want to go in....

Well my oldest, my most "full of life" child was in there, with the boys today on this nasty murky cloudy 65 degreed day. She is so funny, so full of life, so spontaneous and so into having fun. The kids started riding their bikes down this huge hill into the canal and well, the rest is history. Enjoy these real images of childhood and from a day that I hope my daughters will remember as one of the last few days they get to play with some of their childhood friends T & L.

Thanks for stopping in. Oh, Jackie, I hope you had fun at the reunion and that your friends enjoyed seeing your families images. I dug up that link for girls tutus for you, go ahead and link there now, it's under the heading of TUTUS in that area re: clothing discussions for mini sessions and regular sessions. :) Hope this helps.

Also if you are in the beginning stages of planning a birthday party go to this site to check out some awesome ideas as created by other parents. I found this site a few years back when I was digging up ideas for a huge Halloween party our family threw for friends and I love the stuff they have. You do some sifting through the bleh stuff but it's a totally great site to get ideas and inspiration from.

And here is a few for the bday boys' mom for her to look at if she comes to the blog to see her darlings!! :)

Mini Session Sneak Peeks!

In a word, I had a blast today, more than I expected and that's saying a lot. These were incredibly fun and the families who participated will have amazing images to show for their trip to the studio. A big thanks to you for coming out and bringing your beautiful beautiful kids. I loved getting to know each of your families and explore the relationships in your lives.

So, without further adieu (and because after this it's lights out in Marmland), here are your sneak peeks:

Q & A ....with Cliff

I have been brainstorming a bit this past few months about how to uniquely showcase some clients and their sessions but still make it about *them*. So I came up with the idea of the occasional Q&A session from some recent (and perhaps some not so recent) sessions. So thanks to Cliff for participating in my first run at this. Enjoy!

1. If you were stranded on a desert island with a 6 month old baby and only ONE type of product to have on hand, what would it be? (other than the "necessities" like baby wipes and diaper and formula and jarred food...hey wait! That's some desert isle there!)

CLIFF: A mommy. Babies and Daddies can’t live without them. Other than that I guess you would need lot’s of sunscreen.

2. When you go do some stuff on the weekends, what is your favorite kid related activity for you and your family? Alternately, where do you like taking the kids to blow off some kid energy?

CLIFF: I think my favorite kid activity is really just playing any sort of way my daughter wants to play. She is pretty creative and it’s fun to follow her lead. For blowing off kid steam, one of the funnest places to go is the Chicago Botanic Gardens. They have a fun “I Spy” game for kids to play as they walk around the gardens. Lot’s of walking and exploring to do there and Lily loves it.

3. What is the one "dad related" item in your house you can't live without? It can't be a person or thing...has to be an item.

CLIFF: Not sire what the difference in a thing and an item is, but I think everyone in the house would tell you that I spend way to much time with my computer! The thing I personally can’t live without is my camera. Photographs capture a moment in life. Photographs jog your memory and bring a moment back to life every time you look at them. (note: I wrote the Q's in the wee hours of the a.m., and I also have no idea what the difference is between a thing and an item either!)

4. When your wife needs a day off from the kids (which I'm sure happens from time to time), what do you feel she likes to do to blow off some steam and decompress from mom-ville?

CLIFF: Get away and be lavishly pampered from time to time. For a quick recharge, simply getting away from all of us is all it takes – even if it’s just a trip to the store!

5. What was the best Father's Day gift you got this past Sunday?

CLIFF: An afternoon nap with my daughter Lily. What could top that?
(sidenote: I really thought you were going to tell me you got a new lens!! :) I should put the buzz in your wife's ear for next year.)


6. What are your top two fave images from your session? Why?

CLIFF: I have to pick just two? One of my favorites is of Lily in her playroom. She loves playing in there and she will be able to look at that photo forever and remember how much fun she had in that space. I also really like the photo of Lily walking down the hall towards her room. It’s such a great candid photo that captures life in our home at this time. It’s a photo that I will look at forever and remember this time in this home.

"S" is for So Lovely

Today's session was on the North Side with a beautiful one year old, "S". Her mom and dad welcomed me into their home for a late morning session at their home exploring with this busy one year old and then we took it to the park for a bit.

We had a good time and I loved getting to know "S" and her beautiful parents "M" and "F". I had fun, learned that bi-lingual is indeed best (my girls know a bit of Polish and I am continually reminded that they should learn more!!) and also reinforced to myself that tutus are really best in pink!! So Happy Sneak Peek enjoyment from Lady Marmalade!! LOL.

Enjoy.