Monthly Design Freebie :: June

Super simple. Super cute. Super fun.



With this months download, not only are you getting a set of 2 photo borders, but also a BONUS 4th of July banner. The photo borders are a hi resolution .png file allowing you to size it anywhere from as small as a 4x6 photo up to an 8x10. The banner can be used as an element for your digital scrapbooking, an overlay on top of your favorite holiday photo or when it's resized can even be a fun graphic element for a blog or webpage.

Go download HERE.

REMEMBER... these freebies are of my own creation so feel free to download and use for your own PERSONAL usage... just please don't sell or pass them off as your own.

--Now for the fine print... please note the following before you download--
*All designs are created in either Photoshop CS3 or Illustrator CS3. I do not have access to test these files in older/newer versions of these programs or with Elements.
*It's helpful if you have some experience working with Photoshop (or other photo editing software) in order to use these freebie files.
*Since these are free I will not take requests for modifications or changes... what you see is what you get... why? because it's FREE! ;-)

However, if you ever have any questions please ask away. And as always I'd love to hear your feedback on these design freebies!

Side note >> Just a quick update to all my newsletter subscribers... This month's edition has been shelved pending the business rebrand which should go live mid-July. A million times thank you for your continued loyal support; I'm beyond excited about what the future holds. In the meantime, any new subscribers can go ahead and sign up HERE.

On the road again...

That's right, you heard it here folks! I'm taking the show (and family) on the road! This August we're hittin' the great wide open heading up to NorCal (bay area & central valley/Stockton area)... the birthplace of yours truly. Lots of destinations on the itinerary, but with only one goal in mind... NOTHING!!

So, naturally I thought while I'm there (and it ain't that often, unfortunately) if anyone wants to hook up for a photo session I can definitely make time for my peeps! I'm going to have an awesome travel session package that can't be beat! So call or e-mail me for all the details. Be sure to spread the word if you have any family/friends in NorCal, too.

Ahhhh, I can already hear the beaches calling my name...

How about another go at some OCF...

One of the biggest lessons I learned from this weekends webinar class with Mr. Arias was not to just practice, but to really put into motion some of the techniques he was teaching with regards to lighting setups. He even half joked that if you don't have a subject to shoot then take your vacuum cleaner to the top of some hill and shoot the heck out of it until lighting, shadows and everything makes sense. Well, fortunately for me I have at least one willing participant and my vacuum cleaner is spared any humiliating photos of it floating out there on the internet. ;-)

And by willing participant, I mean this one was all the way, 100%... see below...


I really wanted to get a better feel for that softbox; the photos above are from that small softbox...and who better to shoot then my tiny B.


Now with these photos I switched off the softbox and replaced it for my shoot thru umbrella... just lovely!

Thank goodness I have at least one I can call upon and is absolutely in love with getting her picture taken and wants to help her mama! One guess as to which one it is...

Testing, 123... is this thing on...

That's kind of how I feel about my camera lately. I've been so busy in other areas of my business and life that sometimes my camera looks more like a home decor piece sitting on my bookshelf.

A few months ago I picked up this nifty little softbox for my external flash to experiment more with OCF (off camera flash). I haven't had the opportunity to play with it too much, but after being so inspired by a webinar class I'm taking this weekend with the lighting guru himself I just had to get out and test a few ideas and lessons I've been learning.

Unfortunately, as you can see I had no control over wardrobe or hair... that's what I get when I'm spontaniously inspired after bedtime.




And so this begins my love affair with light... and not the natural kind... anyone wanna come out and play??!!

It's official...

...you can now find me here...


I know what you're thinking... first this

and now this...


...what is going on with this girl?? It is true, technology has gotten the best of me. I'm a techie girl... at a time when I should be simplifying my life - not cluttering it - I go and get me a twitter account. ;-)

So, if you twitter, tweet or whatever the kids are calling it these days let's connect!

There is a light...

...at the end of this tunnel...I can see it now!

Oh blog, how I've missed you! You've been so good to me; always being there when I need you and never asking for anything in return. I've neglected you and for that I will give myself a much needed time-out! Wake me in a few hours... ;-)

For reals though, I've been extremely busy these last few weeks with shooting, editing, creating, brainstorming, oh and being a mom. My sweet family deserves the biggest gold medal for staying strong and letting me go off and do my thing when I need to... love you guys!

OK, so I wanted to pop in and updated ya'll on my summer schedule. Basically I am taking the month of June OFF... well, we'll see if I stick with it. I have a few personal shoots & projects that I'll be doing, but for the most part I'll be working and preparing for the re-launch in July. I will have limited openings in July & August and then, believe it or not September will kick off the beginning of the fall holiday photo craziness...ooooo, I can't wait!!!

Loves to my peeps!

xo

Monthly Design Freebie :: May

Better late than never, right??

This month's design freebie is so much fun...


What you are getting is a set of 3 photo overlays in a variety of sizes. These are .png files so they will go right on top of your photo file... pretty easy. As always, if you have any questions please ask away.

Go download HERE.

REMEMBER... these freebies are of my own creation so feel free to download and use for your own personal usage... just please don't sell these or pass them off as your own.

--Now for the fine print... please note the following before you download--
*All designs are created in either Photoshop CS3 or Illustrator CS3. I do not have access to test these files in older/newer versions of these programs or with Elements.
*It's helpful if you have some experience working with Photoshop (or other photo editing software) in order to use these freebie files.
*Since these are free I do not take requests for modifications or changes... what you see is what you get... why? because it's FREE! ;-)

And the winner is...

My kiddos wanted in on the fun so I let them pick the winners for the giveaway. Everyone's comment was printed out, cut up and added to the box. If you blogged, FB'd or tweeted the giveaway I added in additional copies of your comment.


And we're mixing, and mixing, and mixing...

WAIT FOR IT...WAIT FOR IT...


...the winner of the boys tie is...

Jenn Peterson... I'm serious girl, you won! Congrats!

...and...


...the winner of the girls headband is...

Sarah... congrats darlin'!

For reals though, THANK YOU to everyone who entered... this was a lot of fun. Just remember that My Sweet Sunshine is offering a discount on purchased items in her shop... $5 of any purchase of $15 or more with the mention of this blog.

You say it's your birthday... it's my birthday, too!!

OK, well it's not actually MY birthday, but to this little ole bligity-blog...


I was just looking through my blog archive and realized that this month is the blog's 2nd birthday... I've been posting here for 2 years - although not too consistently, I know.

It all started with this post HERE. I distinctly remember coming home from that shoot with Jamie and loading the photos onto my computer and thinking... 'hot damn I'm good!' ;-) Seriously though, it was a major turning point for me personally in building my confidence and technical skills.

So, now the question becomes... how do we celebrate this monumental occasion? Cake and ice cream? Streamers and balloons? Oh, I know... how about a giveaway??!! I've never hosted a giveaway here let's just give it a shot!

You may have remembered I won a snazzy little headband from a very talented gal a little while back and I literally want to wear it every single day - and I'm sure it was actually made to fit the head of one of my darling daughters... oh, well - it's absolutely the softest and sweetest headband EVER! Well, Ms Alexis of My Sweet Sunshine is ponying up the goods... fo sho!!

Here's the dealy-o... up for grabs are 2, YES TWO, items... a headband for the little gals AND this adorable (brand-spankin'-new) neck tie for the little fellows! And the tie can be made for ages 0 to 9yrs... awesome, right!



All you need to do to win one of these is to simply comment here on this blog letting me know which one you want... easy peasey, lemon squeezey! One entry per person, however you can get multiple entries by blogging the giveaway or posting on Facebook (but leave a link in your comment so I know you're too legit to quit... yeah, I went there!)

Remember, I gotta have a way to get a hold of you, so leave an e-mail address (if I don't know you or have it already) in case you win!

Alright my peeps far and wide...lurkers & stalkers come out, come out where ever you are... leave a comment telling me which one you gotta have... giveaway ends Thursday the 20th @ midnight; winners announced on Friday.

(And PS... Don't sweat the small stuff if you don't win because anyone who is interested in making a purchase can mention my blog and they receive $5 off a purchase of $15 or more in her shop. Nice.)

Oh me, oh my!

You ever have those days where your head will literally explode just thinking about your to-do list?? Well, I'm there! I have 3 photo sessions coming up this week, 2 more to finish editing and 1 much anticipated lunch with a gal I have a HUGE girl-crush on... should be fun!

So, I thought I'd pop in to let ya'll know that I haven't fallen off the earth... just yet! Oh, and be sure to stop by early next week for a little sumpthin-sumpthin I've got up my sleeve ;-)

Peace out.

Busy, busy!

OK, so I'm barely alive these days. I had a little impromptu shoot I did with a friend that turned out completely amazing and oh so beautiful, but I'm keeping it top secret for now. I have some wedding - yes, I just said the 'W' word - photos to post from my time as a 2nd shooter this weekend. And I have a newborn session this week that will hopefully grace this blog ASAP. Not to mention the client orders and meetings and the overdue lunch with my pal RY FOTO. Phewwww, I'm exhausted just listing all the goodies on my plate.

But on a different, yet very vague subject... some BIG things are shaping up for this little business of mine. I can't escape the fact that everyday - literally, everyday - for that last 5+ months I've had this itch for change. Oh how I wish I could be as spontaneous in business as I am in life, but I'm not. Therefore all my moves and ideas and adjustments are extremely calculated and thought through, which really just translates to months and months of internal planning and soul searching. I have this overwhelming feeling of needing to make sure all my ducks are in a row first and that I'm 100% confident in what I'm doing before I commit to anything. See, I told you I was going to be vague; I have either completely lost you or you're completely intrigued... YIKES! Just stay tuned - this is going to be one FANTASTIC summer!

{WANT} this...

Yeah, I'm pretty much in love with this necklace that I just saw is being given away over there on Mom*tog.



Isn't is so yummy... love it!

formspring.me

Go ahead... ask me anything... http://formspring.me/mherrick

{LOVE} this...

A while back I posted another super cute find from this store/business and I'm at it again. When my monthly e-newsletter from Photojojo came last week I just fell in love with the feature item and naturally I wanted to share with you.



[photos from photojojo.com]

These uber-cute chalkboard speech bubbles would make a great prop at a party photo booth, but I think they would be completely hilarious and so much fun in any photo setting... engagements, families, etc... the possibilities are endless.

Go check 'em out here... Chalkboard Speech Bubble

In my shoes...

In my shoes I get to experience sun shine almost 365 days a year.

In my shoes I give my children piggy-back and horsey rides.

In my shoes there is almost never a dull moment.

In my shoes family is always number one.

In my shoes I have the best job in the world.
In my shoes food is always best when cooked by someone else.
In my shoes creative inspirations strike in the most random of places and times.
In my shoes I am loved and adored unconditionally.
In my shoes I am never far from home.

This will only take a second.

I just need to post something here to enter myself into a contest... thank you for your patience!

Win the @designaglow / designaglow.com Studio Look Book – visit Paperie Boutique / paperieboutique.com by @shutterblog to find out how!

Thanks!

If by chance you're looking to laugh out loud...

... then look no further...

Awkward Family Photos

Maybe you've seen this blog before, but I just came across it a few days ago and I can't get enough. I thought it was sooooo funny I actually ran into my bedroom, woke the hubs out of a deep sleep and made him sit with me at the computer while we laughed and cried at each hilarious photo.

Here are a few of our personal faves...

this one, this one and this one... but especially this one

If you have just a few minutes...

...take some time and go visit this blog post by Justin Lyon of Amelia Lyon Photography

Haiti: My Amazing Experience

Amazing photojournalism and documentation of the Haiti earthquake.

{LOVE} these...

I'm all about the simplicity of things and these wall decal photo frames are rockin' my world right now!



[photos from photojojo.com]

Check out the goods here... and if you buy and use them then take a pic and send me the link where I can see, too. I love to see people's creative photo displays!

Need a good laugh??

I guess I find this site unbelievably hilarious because of my former life as a working-class citizen in a hi-tech marketing department and now with my side design business, but I'm pretty sure some of these stories are universally funny... Enjoy!

Clients From Hell

Kudos to the authors of this website and those who actually hear these exact conversations on a daily basis!