Santa!

Double click on message to enlarge

New Ad

Anyone who gets the Scranton Times, hopefully has seen our new ad. Yes, we are running ads twice a week now. I am excited about it and look forward to seeing the results it will have until the contract runs out in January. The baby in the photo? Well, it is our friend Lola who you saw in my post last week!

Wanna know a secret? Well we are adding to our baby plans! We will have a couple selections for new parents to choose from AND we will continue to send out periodic special invitations to new moms for our $39 baby plan when we have space in our schedule for new babies!

Not sure what to buy an expectant mom? Ask us about our new Baby Registry!!! We are very excited about this and will be spreading the word soon. We will provide special cards for expectant moms who register with us, to put in shower invitations indicating her wish for gift certificates for items or dollar amounts for the baby's first year of portraits. So stay tuned!

Some of our Seniors

Look who's been here!

Just some of our younger subjects in the last few days. They make us smile every time!

Kids' Open House

It was a beautiful day for an open house! Saturday 9/22 we had a visit from Spiderman and Dora the Explorer. Everyone had a nice time. At about 2:00 Dora and Spiderman hit the streets of Carbondale. They were coaxed into photos with the bridal party across the street, then walked around making people smile, giving balloons to kids they met and generally having a good time around town. You knew where they were based on where the horns were honking! Thanks to everyone who attended and most of all, special thank yous go to Taylor for being Spiderman; Caitlyn for being Dora; Donna, Darlene, Noreen for the activity they brought along; Noelle for bringing her family, keychains for all and her support. Thanks to Cindy and Eva and Josie (from Pizza Man) for helping out all around and walking Carbondale with our superheros! Thank you everyone!

More Kids' Open house

Darlene gets a hug from Dora!

Year End Calender

Look who came for portraits!

Look who was in to pick up her portraits today! It is Miss Lola! Watch for this portrait in our upcoming ads in the Scranton Times!

Know anyone who is expecting? A baby plan gift certificate is the perfect gift for a full year of giving!

Grand Opening schedule

It's September! Time for a Grand Opening!!

We have been busy this weekend trying to get things around the new place finished. My dear friend Noelle helped me get the gallery/framing/reception area set up - some final touches are still needed but just a couple little things. Mostly it is getting the outside spruced up. I've been wanting to do alot of things out there too but time always runs short! So I have kind of set up a country scene until I can get some barnboard backing; and the beach scene is underway - although I'm not looking forward to hauling a ton of sand, by wheelbarrow, from the driveway! But it will be worth it in the end.

Still many things on the to-do list but coming to the conclusion that it will be an on going list, was not easy.

Anyway, here is a tour of the place!

The latest news! Click on each page to enlarge.

We are moving!

We are all going to be under one roof once again! Wait until you see our new location. My husband and I are purchasing a 100 year old home in the heart of downtown Carbondale. The portrait opportunities that this location provides is incredible. The closing is this coming Friday. It is exciting yet scarey.

The Justus studio will be closed by the end of May and I should be moved out of the current Carbondale location within a few weeks. I am keeping the 586 phone number and will be reestablishing a home office for the convenience of the Clarks Summit clients who may wish to arrange order pick up at my home.

I do want to thank my wonderful husband who has incredible faith in me enough to risk this kind of investment. I also would be remiss if I didn't thank my wonderful friends. All of whom have given me the continued support and encouragement to move forward with this. You guys have been incredible friends. Not to mention the offer of help to get me in this place before Memorial Day!

Well, I thought I'd post some photos for you to see.

Our life

I have come around again to realizing my life is running me instead of the other way around. So last weekend I pretty much cleaned out Barnes and Noble of their self help/motivational books. "Getting rid of your bananas" is a good one. An easy read. I have also listend to one of the cd's I won the bid on lately - Key's to Success. It all is the same stuff that every other motivational speaker/writer says but it at least gets me thinking again and realizing how out of control things are. So I feel my motivation as well as my self esteem rise. I realized too that change is indeed uncomfortable - scarey even -but if I'm going to change for the better, I need to be uncomfortable for a while - then that becomes the new "normal".

Speaking of Barnes and Noble - my hubby went on his anual "guy" trip chasing the Norfolk Southern RR. Used to be a camping trip but they are all too old for that and traded in their mummy sleeping bags for the comfort of a b&b set up for railfans down near Altoona, Pa. That left the kid and I for our anual girls' weekend. The scarey part for Bill was that he left us with the truck and took the car - knowing we were headed out shopping! Good thing we had it too - wouldn't have been able to get the new set of wooden tray tables AND the kitty tower into the car along with all our bags! We had a great weekend, shopping, watching movies and shopping again.

That leaves me to talk about the Carbondale Chamber Celebrating Commerce dinner on Tuesday. It was a great time. Almost 200 people attended. Community volunteers and new business owners were acknowledged. There was also a silent auction. Well, I haven't done too much of that - I've always been working these things so I tend to not really bid on anything. WELL - I can say with complete confidence that if there was a prize for the most bids won and the most money spent - I'd get it. But I won lots of great things, tickets, etc. and it was for a good cause so it was money well spent (I just keep telling myself that anyway).

So this weekend is our car club party in NJ so that is where we are heading tomorrow. Have a great weekend!

It's been a while

Wow, I can't believe how time has flown since my last post. Mostly because of the Christmas rush I guess. We have been busy little elves at the studio trying to get everyone's orders and cards done in time for Christmas. As a result, shopping got done late, many decorations didn't even make it out of the box, let alone the attic. This is the first time in my life that the village did'nt get set up. It has been a strange year. The first without my father. That may be part of it. I don't know if you've noticed, but seems everyone I've talked to has said that they aren't really into the holiday this year either.

However, among all the busy-ness we had at the studio, we did find time to celebrate. I love a party and we all deserved it. Celebrating the end of a year filled with change seemed appropriate. We had a company Christmas party. All of us had a good time, enjoying dancing and good food as well as good conversation. We were at Genetti's in Dickson City. Funny about those big parties (and the nature of this area)- we all seemed to know quite a few people who were there with other groups! That made it even more fun, and other people actually learned that I don't always have a camera in my and and working!! I've posted some photos from the evening.

Photos are:
1. Diane (Justus sales and admin assistant) & hubby, Scott
2. Bob (photographer)
3. group of Mom (a KFP supporter!), Diane, Donna (sales in Carbondale), Caitlyn (production) and Myself
4. Diane
5. Mom, Donna & Caitlyn
6. Myself and hubby, Bill

somemore

Holiday Rush

Wow, can't believe where the time has gone! I see it's been a month since my last post. With the rush of the holidays upon us, everyone at both studios are very busy. We are finishing up with senior orders and staying on top of the holiday orders. I thought it would be fun to post some images done lately. What 'dya think?

TGIF!

Exciting today as Adams Cable used my Carbondale studio for filming their new commercials. I was only able to stay for a couple hours before heading back to Justus for appointments - in the flurry leaving some important things on my desk there but that's ok, I'll be back there tomorrow. Big things going on at that location though. My dear friend Donna Zaremba of Art Strands who has made her "home" at the studio since I opened, is working at getting a jewelery and gift store opened up - right in my studio! It is exciting as now we are co-mingling our accessories and talents. She is planning a big grand opening for next Friday, Nov 10th. Stop by at about 5:00 for the festivities - and bring your wallet. She has awsome jewelery -all hand made. I think it is going to be dangerous for me because I love her work and craftsmanship!

Anyway - I thought I'd share with you some of the things that I've done in the last couple days. This is Mikayla's bonus panel from her senior portrait session. Wait until she sees this!

I hope to see you soon! Start thinking Christmas and what portraits you'd like to have done - we have specials running now through December 8th

New news

There will be more changes going on in our Carbondale studio. Well, for anyone who has been there knows the vast retail space in the front. Well Donna (my jeweler friend who runs Carbondale for me) will be transforming our front area there to a gift shop and jewelery store! So now you will be able to have your portraits done as usual but if you are also looking for a gift - we are the place for you. She is planning for a November 10th grand opening. Watch for announcements!

Friday and Saturday is our pumpkin patch portrait special. There is no session fee and we have special packages. Friday sessions will be in Justus and Saturday's in Carbondale.

So everyone getting geared up for Halloween? My daughter decided she wants to be an Encyclopeida Salesman. Not sure which direction we are going with that yet - probably to salvation army store for a suit. We don't get too many, if any, trick or treaters. We kind of gave up on that a couple years ago. If anyone, we see the younger members of the famly of 10 up the street at around dinnertime. That's it. So now we don't worry about missing anyone and take our daughter to a friend's party (the parent party is in the kitchen!). Then the kids go out in that neighborhood. Makes me think of the costumes I had as a kid. But that was a really long time ago! lol

As you know, today was really cold. Well still had one senoir who wanted her portraits taken outside. Well it was 36 degress and sleeting. But we still got some nice poses! It was a speed session though because the last thing we want is that "error" message from a cold camera! Hope this isn't going to be a long winter.

Stuff

Well, we enjoyed having Ryan around the studio last week. Was fun discussing photography as well as music.

Thought I'd post a coupel recent collages done for two of my seniors. Jeremy received this 4 image panel as part of his bonus with his package, and the other is one of the collages that Lauren ordered.