MAGGIE HOLMES Photography and Scrapbooking Blog

Way too long...

Seriously a month? I can't stand that I haven't blogged in such a long time! But instead of beating myself up over it I am trying to remember that this seems to happen each year around this time. Not only am I busy doing my normal things - being a mom, wife, studio calico, my online photography classes, etc - but it is the craziest time of year for my photography business. Every year I try to gear up for it and think I am going to stay on top of it all but it seems like something has to give and it ends up being the blog. :)

I do keep up with posting on instagram, twitter and facebook so if you don't follow me and want to keep up with the little day-to-day things that are going on around here you can find me and follow me by clicking on the links or by looking me up on instagram under maggiehdesign.

I have lots of exciting things to share with you today!!

1. Elizabeth is almost 6 months old! Hello! Where does the time go? She is an absolute joy and is the happiest baby on earth! She is rolling around now and her first little tooth just poked through as well!

2. I was featured as the guest designer for Crate Paper this week! You can see the post along with my layouts here on their blog! I'm not sure why my layouts look all pixelated over there though :( They don't look that crazy in real life!

3. Did you see the 2012 Creating Keepsakes Dream Team announcement yet? I will be back for another year and couldn't be more excited about it! 

4. I will be launching some new online workshops at Maggie Holmes Design very soon and can't wait to share the details with you!! I will still be offering my current photography classes which start back up again in January 2012 so no worries, those are not going away! In fact, the first one is almost full so if you are thinking of signing up, do it quick! It might be time to snag yourself an early Christmas present!! :)

And just to tease you I will give you a little hint about one of the new classes - It has to do with documenting December......... any ideas?? Stay tuned! I will be back to announce it soon and link you up to the registration page!

 

 

Colorful Kisses....

Heading back up to Utah for SPARK this weekend! I will be demoing and selling the latest Studio Calico products including the mists, masks and stamp sets!! I hope to see you there!!

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In case you missed it, my NEW WEBSITE is now live!! Please go there to purchase my PHOTOSHOP ACTIONS (for the most current versions) and to register for my ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES! We are in the middle of my last class for 2011 but I have some 2012 classes open for registration already and people are signing up!! It's the perfect thing to put on your Christmas wishlist.... just make sure to give your list to your hubby or mom or best friend early so you get signed up before it fills up!

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It rained a lot and even SNOWED when I was up in Utah with my kiddos for fall break! They sure loved making snow balls and playing in it but I was a little upset that it interfered with my plans for taking LOTS of pictures while we were there at all my favorite Utah locations! I had even scouted out some new ones that I wanted to try but it didn't happen so I guess it will have to wait! Boo!

On our way out of town..... literally...... we stopped really QUICK to take some last minute pictures. I haven't even looked through all of them but I just saw this one and had to open it and do a quick edit. I am in LOVE with the COLOR and the KISSES!! These two are like 2 peas in a pod -- very similar personalities!! When they are not driving me a wee bit crazy with their ENDLESS energy, they are making me smile and laugh and they most definitely always make me feel LOVED!

Hope you have a colorful weekend!! If you need some creative inspiration come see me at SPARK!!!

Life.... and photos of Elizabeth Kate

Hi everyone! Life is in full crazy busy mode right now and it seems like it won't slow down now until the new year! Ha!! Feels funny saying that but it is so true! Doesn't this time of year start to feel like a whirlwind? I know that for me it does..... fall break, fall photo sessions, halloween, thanksgiving and then christmas.... they all tend to come at me so quickly! I often wish there was a little more breathing room in between the holidays this time of year so that I could really savor and enjoy it all! 

I'm definitely one that likes to stay focused on what is truly important in my life and so I try to not lose sight of that, especially during this time of year. Life is definitely a big juggling act -- trying to make time for the fun and crazy times but at the same time balance it with the quiet and still moments because those are super important too. It's funny this notion of balancing all of this because there are many moments when I am grateful and content to be in the middle of the chaos, hearing my kids laugh and play (and also fight of course although I'm not really grateful for the fighting) and then there are also many moments when we are being quiet and peaceful and I am oh so grateful for those times too because they really really make me happy and I feel like we can grow together and learn from each other in a deeper way.

Anyway, not sure where all of this reflectiveness is coming from but in an effort to get back to adding more of my personal life records here on the blog I just went with whatever came to mind.....I thought I was getting on here to post one thing and it turned out to be something completely different. I would love to hear your thoughts on this as well and if you have any great advice or ideas on ways to stay on top of things during these next few months..... or ideas for fun things to do with the family or just thoughts on being more organized as the mom. I love that through blogging we can learn from each other and inspire each other to be better so share away!!

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On the note of photography sessions, I am booking my fall sessions now and I don't have a lot of spots left. It seems to fill up in the blink of an eye and I also won't be doing any sessions in December. If you have already emailed me and I haven't replied, then I do have you on the list and will be getting back to you soon!! 

Also, remember I will be doing sessions in Utah next week and weekend! I may still have a spot or two left so if you are interested in those, email me quick!

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Here's a couple photographs of baby Elizabeth Kate to brighten your day! I know that she brightens our days soooooo much!!! We are enjoying every second of her!!

I can't believe how much she has already changed from these pictures!!! She is so chubby now!! I love it!

Fall Utah Photo Shoots!!

Utah Photo Shoots

It's that time of year again folks!! We are heading to Utah the 1st of October and I will be doing photo shoots that week and the following weekend. Please email me ASAP if you are interested!!! Spots will be filled on a first come first serve basis!

You can find the details and pricing info for my TRAVEL SESSIONS on my new website at this link. Feel free to browse the new photography galleries as well to get some ideas for clothing, props etc.

I am open to new location suggestions or if there is a particular spot I have used that you want to go to, let me know and we can arrange it!

We will go over exact dates, locations, etc once you email me!! Looking forward to it!! I LOVE shooting in Utah!! So many fabulous spots there!!! 

Here are a few pics from years past in Utah.....

 

 

See you soon!!!

New Website: Maggie Holmes Design

I have a NEW WEBSITE!!!

I have been working on this for what seems like forever and am so excited that I finally get to announce it!

Maggie Holmes Design

Along with the website redesign comes a new logo, new branding, new pricing for photo shoots, new photography galleries, new scrapbooking gallery, etc etc. 

I worked with a company called Moselle on this and they have done a fabulous job! I can't even begin to describe how awesome it was to work with people that were able to design what I was envisioning and what feels totally and completely "me."

I am beyond excited and hope you will head on over there to check it out!  

To celebrate I am also doing a giveaway today! One person will receive a spot in my next Photography 101 Online Workshop.... valued at $250.00!

To enter you will need to go to my new site, check it out and then come back here to tell me what you think! Also, you can enter more than once if you share the new site with others on your blog, facebook and/or twitter. After sharing it in one or more of those places you can come back here and enter again by telling me where you shared it! I will be back later this week to draw a winner at random!

Join Me For the Ella Publishing Boot Camp 2011

I am super excited about the upcoming Ella Publishing Online Class which runs from Sept 19-24, 2011.

I will be the Photo Effects "Drill Instructor" for this event and will be sharing three 10 minute photo editing drills for you to try out on your pictures. As you know I am super passionate about everything photography related and I also love editing my photos to make them come to life even more! I will be sharing some of my favorite photo editing techniques within Photoshop Elements and will teach you how to make your images even more beautiful than they already are!

Here is some more info about the Boot Camp:

Your Boot Camp Drill Instructors

Maggie Holmes, Photo Effects Drill Instructor
A professional family photographer, photography instructor, scrapbooker, and blogger, Maggie Holmes also creates and sells her own Photoshop actions and teaches frequent classes through her website focusing on photography and photo finishing.

Nichol Magouirk, Stamping Drill Instructor
Nichol Magouirk has been scrapbooking, stamping, die-cutting, teaching, and inspiring other crafters for thirteen years. A former CK Hall of Fame winner and Scrapbooks Etc. Creative team member, she's currently a twopeasinabucket.com Garden Girl, and also works with Technique Tuesday and kerribradford.com.

Lisa Dickinson, Design Drill Instructor
A professional graphic designer, Lisa Dickinson is also a widely published scrapbooker, eBook author, scrapbook instructor, blogger, and manufacturer design-team member. And she's here to share her design expertise with you. 

Angie Lucas, Journaling Drill Instructor
A word nerd at heart, Angie has been a professional writer and editor for 15+ years and a scrapbooker/journaler for as long as she can remember. The founder of ellapublishing.com, this girl definitely has a way with words.

Wendy Smedley, Daily Lunch Break Inspiration
Professional scrapbooker Wendy Smedley has written three best-selling books about scrapbooking and hundreds of inspiring articles for crafting magazines and websites. She currently spends her days keeping ellapublishing.com and bigpictureclasses.com both inspired and organized.

 

Here's a peek at all the drills that will be covered in the Boot Camp:

The DRILLS

• Connective Journaling: how to make broad or deep connections for writing that really resonates with Angie Lucas
• Scrapbook stamping: cool, custom backgrounds with Nichol Magouirk
• Designing on a grid with Lisa Dickinson
• Visual Journaling: tell your story using charts and graphs with Angie Lucas
• Scrapbook stamping: fun with word and phrase stamps with Nichol Magouirk
• Extracting inspiration for your designs with Lisa Dickinson
• Your Guiding Principles: use this quiz to identify and then write your deeply held beliefs in mere minutes with Angie Lucas
• Scrapbook stamping: Heat embossing and resisting with Nichol Magouirk
• Mixing and combining patterns like a pro with Lisa Dickinson
• Fabulous photo-editing drills (3) with Maggie Holmes
• Daily lunchtime inspiration sessions (6) with Wendy Smedley
• And MORE!

Click HERE (or on the cute little elephant banner in my sideabar) to read all about the event and to register. 

If you sign up before August 31st, you can save $3 off the registration fee. At this price the class is less than $2 per video!!

 

Creating Keepsakes Guest Post & Giveaway

I am a guest blogger over on the Creating Keepsakes Magazine blog this week and wanted to share it with you. It's photography related and I'm sharing tips on how tell a more interesting and dynamic story with your photographs!

Click here to read it!

I'm also hosting a GIVEAWAY for a spot in my next Beginner/Intermediate Online Photography Workshop which starts in October. (Click here for more details on the class.) To enter you have to visit the CK Blog and leave a comment on my guest post. We will announce a winner later this week. Good luck!

 

P.S. The Studio Calico giveaway is still open below so keep reading onto the next post! EDIT: The Studio Calico giveaway is now closed. Thanks for entering!

It's been a while....

I can't believe how long it's been since I have posted here.... lots going on.....

The biggest event that has happened recently is the arrival of our little

Elizabeth Kate!

She is perfect in every way and such a good baby and I have been trying to soak up every minute and enjoy each little moment with her. I absolutely love the newborn stage and I can't get enough of snuggling her! My favorite is to just sit and hold her all curled up like a little ball. This time passes much too quickly and I don't want it to be over yet! 

Needless to say I have taken hundreds of photos of her... sneaking in some more formal photo shoots amongst the day to day and the normal routine which consists of feeding her, snuggling her, changing many many diapers, doing all of her laundry, more snuggling and then repeating all over again. 

All of these were taken at the hospital. I love how fresh and new she looks! Her tiny little feet are all wrinkly and just soooo cute! Love those tiny toes! As I start to sift through the other photos I have taken since I have been home I will definitely share! Although I have to save some for a special project that I just got asked to do and I am super thrilled about!! Can't wait to share it with you eventually!! :)

All of that is on top of it being summer and having all of the kids home, taking the boys to swim team and basketball camps, taking Emily to her dance class, trying to have some fun before they go back to school, and recovering from a c-section! Talk about jumping right back into the chaos!! But it is all good chaos and I wouldn't have it any other way! I feel incredibly grateful and blessed every day that I get to be a mother! I love it!

I will try to get back on here more regularly since I do have even more photos to share now, but if I go missing for a few days, just know that I am most likely on the couch holding my little Elizabeth Kate snuggling and holding her as close and as tight as possible! :) I just can't get enough!

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In other news, I do have an ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS starting very soon.... In fact it is just around the corner! There are a few spots left so if you want to jump in, click here to be taken to my workshops page for all of the information and to register. 

The ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS is also filling up very quickly so if you want to secure your spot in that one, do it now!

To all of the students that have registered already, you will be hearing from me by email a couple of days before class starts so watch for that! Can't wait to get started and to officially "meet" you all!!

Photography Workshops: New Classes Open

I have been getting lots of emails asking about when my next

Online Photography Workshops

will take place and when they will be open for registration....... Here is the info:

 

Beginner/Intermediate - July 11th - August 20th, 2011

Advanced - August 22nd - October 1st, 2011

Beginner/Intermediate - October 3rd - November 12th, 2011

This is all I will have time to squeeze in before 2011 is over.........

Here are a few things that are worthy of mentioning:

1 - If you want to take one or both of the classes, now is the time to register in order to reserve your spot. They will fill quickly and once spots are gone they are gone.

2 - The advanced class always fills up really quickly from my past beginner students and many of them like to jump right into it after taking the first class. Just mentioning that in case you are going to take the July 11th class..... you may want to register for the August Advanced now because it will most likely be full before the July class even starts.

3 - If you are going to take the October 3rd class, I will be teaching the Advanced class again in early 2012 so you shouldn't have to wait too long before being able to follow up with the other class.

Also.........

If you are looking for detailed information on my photography classes you will want to check out the links in the right column here on my workshops page.

If you are looking for some testimonials from past students you can go here.

And of course, as always, if you have any questions feel free to email me using the link underneath my photo.

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And just to spice this post up a bit, here are a few photos that I don't believe I have shared before:

LOVE the colors!! Also you gotta love it when her outfit just happens to match the location perfectly! I PROMISE I didn't plan it this time.... it was just a random day out shopping! 

And here is a foot shot with a little bit different editing....... I love her in those pink converse!

P.S. the Creative Spaces special issue magazine giveaway is still open below so if you haven't entered, you still can!!

Sweet Boy: Newborn Photography

These are from a newborn photo shoot that I did recently. He is just too sweet and I have to say that photographing him made me even more anxious to have my baby!! I simply cannot wait!!

They are only tiny like this for such a short time and it's amazing to capture it on film!!

Priceless for sure!

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Technical/Photography Info for those interested:

I used my Urban action from the Color Mix Set on these (link to my Photoshop actions is on the right).

Also I have a new beginner/intermediate photography workshop starting on Monday. There are a few spots still left if you want to hurry and jump in! This will be the last online photography class I will hold until later in the year after I have had the baby...... so if you don't want to wait until Fall, now is the time to join us. (link to the workshops page is on the right as well).