Toes and Grows

Well folks, here it is! I have had many people ask me lately if I had a "Baby Plan" to include sessions from birth to one year old, wrapped up in nice little package. So here it is!


It is so exciting when you are making plans for that sweet little arrival. The linens, the nursery, the overnight bag for the hospital.... It seems like you wait forever to get to the big day. Then, when the baby comes you get home from the hospital and can think of just one thing.....
SLEEP (and when will I get to?) The last thing on your mind is making the call to line up a photographer, who is likely booked at that point.

When you book the Toes and Grows Baby Plan you can make those arrangements in advance. Let me know your due date and keep in touch when you know a possible time for the baby to make the big entrance and we can work together to figure out a date for your first session. Then, you can relax and focus on the layette..

Once your bundle of joy arrives we will shoot your choice of 4 sessions. You may choose from:
* Newborn
* 3 months
* 6 months
* 9 months
* 12 months




You will receive all the proofs from each of your four sessions (usually 35 or 40 images) as well as receiving your choice of panels.

Panel choices are:
* Precious Parts panel
* Grow with me panel with your choice of images, with name and birthdate
Both of these panels are complete with frame, matte and glass.



I am also beginning to do the Arrival Sessions. For those of you who would really love to capture those precious minutes when your sweet arrival takes place.

Nothing graphic, just the intimate joys you would normally never see.

A CD of black and white images are yours to keep to document the day. Mother getting her first look, baby's first cry, and all the tears and laughs that go along with it. If interested let me know and I can discuss the details with you.

my awesome neighbor.... and some saturday fun!

Ok, so not too long ago I posted my blog about the "Saints" cake I did for the Super Bowl. I was so excited to find an outlet for my creativity when I am tired of staring at my computer or heaving my camera around. Everybody needs a good hobby, right!?

Well, in talking to my neighbor before the big game, she taught me how to make the Fleur de Lis look great on top of the cake. She has been making beautiful cakes for years now, and I was thrilled that she freely passed along some good tips.

Well, this time she did something even better! She let me help her with a cake.

A WEDDING CAKE!

You should know that I was very excited to learn that my sweet husband signed me up for a cake class, to learn how to make those fancy fondant cakes. He went to my neighbor to find out where I should go to learn these fun new skills.

So, last night when she was working on her latest wedding cake she invited me to help. (I have not been to my class yet, it's scheduled for next month!)
When I arrived, she put me right to work rolling out the fondant for the top layer (you can see her working on the border, which she added last.) She really taught me a lot and got me excited for my upcoming class.

I went back over today to see the almost finished product. She had it all stacked, with the exception of the top two layers of the 5 layer cake. So, I photographed it for her and figured I would post it here. It looked so beautiful!! If you know of anyone getting married I would highly recommend her. She makes beautiful cakes and from what I can tell she is very reasonable since she works from home.

The final cake had 5 layers with 3 clusters of the red roses stuck in amongst the layers, which she made. You can eat them and they look like the real thing. It was just beautiful!!

So, today being Saturday I decided not to work too hard. The laundry was done, the house was clean. My husband suggested we try out the new skills Donna had taught me last night, and offered to help. So, we baked a simple round cake, stacked it and made fresh frosting. We decided to keep it simple.

Keep in mind, I am NO Cake Boss. At least not yet..... (ha!!)

It was fun, though. We spent some time together in the kitchen (which doesn't happen very often) and came away with a pretty good result.

I won't bore you with too many more cake posts as I develop my new hobby but I was pretty proud of this one. It's just a simple white cake (it took FOREVER to get it that smooth...) with a yellow ribbon of icing around the bottom and some cute yellow and brown polka dots.

What do you think?

Geaux Saints!

Well folks here it is. It is the only day of the year that I will sit in front of the TV and watch football. Ok, I admit I mostly just like the commercials.

I am not what you would call a football fan (or any sport for that matter). However, my husband is. This usually leads us to seperate rooms on Sunday so that I don't have to hear the constant noise and chatter coming from the TV. This year is different.

My husband is from New Orleans....

So, as I was cooking a few pots of chili yesterday he asked me what I was going to do to get fired up for the big game. I was stumped. He and the kids both had their Saints t-shirts washed and ready to put on. But, since this isn't my thing, I wasn't sure what I would do. Finally, I decided I would put that lovely new Kitchen-Aid mixer he gave me for Christmas to some good use. I suggested that maybe I could just bake a "Saints" Cake. He loved that idea. Although, I had no idea at the time what I was getting myself into.....

The perfectionist in me could not just bake a cake and write "Go Saints." I had to go over the top. So, I got to work with my mixer and the ideas began to flow.

First I made an average sheet cake and mixed up some fresh frosting. Then I baked a second, small cake to add some flair to the top.







All the while enjoying my mixer I decided to get crazy and add some color.











8 hours later I finally finished the cake. Yeah, that's a long time in the kitchen. While I am not planning on making a regular habit or new career out of this it was actually a lot of fun. So, while I know this will do nothing to give him the outcome he is looking for today, at least I did my part!


UPDATE:

Well, maybe it was lucky after all! Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints and the entire city for that matter. They are certainly due!