Monthly Archives: August 2015

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Years before Tiptoe was founded, Lisa, Jennifer and I had 1 very specific thing in common...we were shopaholics. And I mean, like 3 shopping trips a week, shopaholic! Of course, this was before we had kids and had a LOT more free time on our hands but that is pretty much how we cemented our friendship...by spending copious amounts of money on shoes, purses, clothes, accessories, jewellery...together!

Years passed and we now have 6 kids between the 3 of us so the shopping trips have pretty much narrowed down to NEVER. I can't even motivate myself to get out of my workout clothes most days so I have turned to shopping on the Internet. I shop the Internet a little too much, my husband would say. I say the happiest days are the days when UPS stops at my door!

When I heard about Stitch Fix, I was absolutely fascinated. I honestly wished I had come up with the idea myself and I knew I had to give it a try! Here is how my experience went:

I created my Stitch Fix account and filled out the style profile. It was super fun and super easy! You give them your sizes as well as clothing preferences and can even request specific types of items for your Fix. (For example, I wrote in that I was looking for a fitted, grey utility jacket for this fall. You'll see...) You can even attach one of your fashion Pinterest boards for them to refer to! So, that Pinterest closet that you have been building and lusting over for the past few years? They can make it happen! You can also choose how often you would like to receive a Fix. Since I was just trying it out, I decided to sign up for a single box. You can even set it up like a subscription and receive a new Fix monthly or on dates that you have pre-selected. They charge you a $20 fee when they ship your fix but that $20 is credited toward whatever you decide to keep from your Fix. They send out 5 items that are chosen by a personal stylist picked for you. They even include style cards that suggest ways to dress up the items chosen which is super-convenient.

In the few days before my box arrived, I had a little bit of anxiety about it! What if I hated everything and wasted $20? What if I loved everything? Was I really prepared to drop a few hundred dollars on clothes for myself right after spending a small fortune on school clothes and supplies for 2 kids? Because when it comes to something shiny and new, my willpower SUCKS...but so does mommy-guilt!

When that box finally arrived I am not at all ashamed to say that I was as giddy as a kid on Christmas morning! I have always said that packaging is a huge component to selling a product and have been known to purchase an item based solely on how attractive that packaging is. When I saw the Stitch Fix box, I got a warm and fuzzy feeling; the box itself was so damn appealing, lol!

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It took me all of 5 seconds to tear into that lovely box to get at the goodies inside! So, what did my personal stylist (Allison) choose for me? Check out the first look below...

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Ok, the only things in this picture that already belonged to me are the shoes, bracelets and (of course!) the Fitbit. As soon as I pulled the necklace out of the box I knew it wasn't my style. I prefer more delicate jewelry and this was a little costume-y for me. I loved the jeans and they were a perfect fit but since I have several pairs that are similar, I passed on them and their $88 price tag! I neither loved nor hated the shirt. It was a bit on the conservative (boring) side in my opinion and I am not a huge fan of the Dolman fit. However, the more I looked at it, the more it kind of grew on me.

On to look number 2...

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The first shot is the dress they sent me without any embellishment...not a winner in my book. However, when I paired it with boots and a jacket that I already owned, I didn't hate it at all! Again, this dress fit pretty perfectly (Allison was on her game in that department!) and I loved the detail and color. You can't see it here, but the back had a zipper in the neckline. The one thing holding me back from loving this simple and versatile dress was the neckline. It was a bit too high for my short-necked self!

On to look 3...

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Earlier I mentioned that I had requested a fitted, grey utility jacket for my Fix. This was what they sent me. It was very comfortable and again, fit perfectly, but it was just not fitted enough for my taste! For the right price I would have kept it for a more casual look but at $108 it wasn't worth it if I wasn't totally in love!

Sooooo, what do you think I kept? What do you think I should have kept? I am pretty curious to hear what you think so leave it in the comments for me and I will fill you in after I see what you have to say!

All in all, I loved my Stitch Fix experience and I will absolutely do it again very soon! They say that your boxes get better and better as your stylist starts to become familiar with your style through seeing what you keep and what you send back. The check out process was also very convenient; you go online and tell them which items you are returning and why they didn't work for you. You are simply billed for whatever items you do decide to keep (with your $20 credited toward it!)

So for all of you ladies out there who do not always have the time to head out to the mall, give it a try and let me know what you think!

-T

 

 

 

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hardwood2 hardwoodSo as lots of you all know, we have been in our house for almost 2 years now. When we decided to build, first thing my husband and I did was search the internet high and low for a house plan, I mean we literally spent hours and hours searching for something that was going to suit us for the rest of our lives. We knew the house that we were going to build was going to be our FOREVER house so it had to have all the "things" we needed from a home.  Our main priorities were a first floor master bedroom, so that when we get too old to walk the steps we didn't have to worry how we were going to get to the 2nd floor,  seperate closets for him and I, I don't think I need to explain too much there (LOL), a space for the kids outside of our living room, a garage, and an island in the kitchen.  Not to much right?? Well it was! LOL...  Finally after a long, long time of looking, we found the perfect set of house plans for us! Now a harder part, finding a builder that was going to build a great house and not be over our budget... So after meeting with a few companies we went with Third Day Builders. They are a local company and after viewing several of the beautiful local homes they had built, we decided they would be a great fit for us!  And for anyone who has built a home before you know that just when you think you were getting to the easy part, because nothing should be more difficult that deciding on a home and finding the perfect people to build it, you find that you are spending every waking hour deciding on cabinets, knobs, countertops, doors, trim, colors, ahhh the list goes on and on... And me being a terrible on the go decision maker, I would want to go and see all the options and weigh out how each one would "go" with the other, then wait a couple days to see if it still felt "right", until it literally was driving me nuts... But the one thing that I knew I was sure of was dark oak hardwood floors! The decision for that came so easy!! And now 2 years into that decision, well lets just say, it was not one of the "smartest" ones I made. Don't get me wrong these floors are beautiful when they are freshly cleaned, but with our busy, busy lifestyle, mopping honestly only happens once a week! And even when it does happen they only stay sparkling for about 3 seconds, because here comes baby Tre with his sippy cup that leaks, and goldfish crackers, that are way funner to stomp on when he drops them, than to pick them up and eat them.  Ahh big sigh, there goes my clean and beautiful hardwood floors...  LOL! The best things I can take from my easy decision of the floors is that "we live and we learn" and they won't be babies forever, so enjoy every last goldfish crumb I have to sweep up....

-L

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This is one of my favorite newborn stories to date!!  So months ago one of our favorite clients/people Mary texted me and said she wanted to get her best girlfriend, Tara, a GENEROUS gift certificate for her baby shower. She explained that Tara and her husband Michael had been trying for quite some time to have a baby and how special this pregnancy has been for them: from planning the shower, to decorating the room, to just the overwhelming feeling of having their first baby.  Soon after the shower, Tara wrote in to say how excited she was to be working with us.  I sent her our questionnaire to see what ideas she had for the newborn pictures! She had SO many ideas!!  And... I LOVED it!! We spoke several more times during the 2 months before baby Aubrey got here, working on those ideas and getting a plan together for the shoot!

And then, a little ahead of schedule, I got THE text from Tara (still in the hospital), they had baby Aubrey! We got them right in for the shoot a couple days after they got home. Tara came into the studio looking fabulous, I mean hair done, fingernails painted, jewelry on, first time mommy AMAZING!  Daddy, Michael, had bags of props that he carried in, with a smile, I might add!  I could tell they were uber prepared and ready for this shoot. We sat down and went through the props and planned out how we were going proceed. Tara fed Aubrey and then we were ready to start! We put her in the first "scene" and I could hear sniffles from behind my camera.  Looking at her beautiful baby girl, Tara had started to tear up, which in turn made me tear up! I know how special all of this was to this family. How this was a memory they would keep forever, and how lucky I felt, in that moment, to be a part of it! It makes me remember all of those feelings I had my first time around which only added to my tears.   We spent the next several hours moving and folding baby Aubrey, taking our time to feed, and make sure she was happy!

Here are just a couple of my favorite shots from the day. I hope you all enjoy! This experience, from the gift certificate to the shoot has definitely reminded me of how much I miss all those "first time" experiences. I wish Tara and Michael the best. I am so excited for all their "firsts" with Aubrey.

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The excitement began here. We were finally aboard the plane and heading towards the runway. Then, in what seemed like a matter of seconds, we went up, up and away! Adventure awaits!!

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At this point in time, nothing but the overwhelming beauty of the land filled my thoughts. I love being in the air! My very first flight, which I took out to AZ when I was about 10 years old, excited me to the point in which I vowed to one day earn my pilots licence.  That vow still stands.

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Okay. So enough sight seeing! Let's go!! At this point, my partner was strapped tight to the back of me. If he leaned right, so did I and if he leaned left, I did too.  In this case, all he had to do was lean forward and we would be falling out of the plane, because my legs were already dangling thousands of feet in the air. I couldn't bring myself to look down, so I looked at Chris until.....

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Goodbye cozy comfort box and hellooooo Adrenaline!

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I love this shot because the plane is right above us and the initial feeling of the jump is still fresh. Just wow. At this point, I was just observing how free falling felt.  It felt like pressure on the entirety on your body. Like the driest mouth you've ever had and the most quiet scream that's ever left your mouth. You see the whole world before you, yet you hear absolutely nothing. It was raw feeling and thought; the very first of a kind you've never experienced before. Breathtaking....literally....

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We were about done our fall in this photo so we were most likely plummeting towards the earth at about 120 mph.

P.S. If you plan on doing this, keep your mouth closed. lol It's a lot easier to breathe through your nose than your mouth while falling!!

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By now, my partner has released the parachute, but that didn't mean the excitement was over! We were the third group to exit the plane, but the first group to reach the ground because we spun our butts off!! Check out that angle!!

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Cruising...the ride's about over, but my Adrenaline is still flowing.

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Landing was the easiest part of the process. You simply lift your legs up and (oh, so gracefully) scoot your butt along the ground until you stop. Success! After what seemed like a lifetime in the air, you're finally back on the ground. As soon as I landed, I had to just sit there on the ground and let my brain digest what had happened over the past few minutes. I willingly got into a plane, attached myself to a complete stranger, and threw myself out of the aircraft thousands of feet above the ground.

And I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

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When Maximus turned two I was almost 8 months pregnant with Maverick, so getting him out of diapers was a MUST for me!  I was determined that I wasn't going to have two kiddos in diapers, and by the time Maverick arrived, Maximus was about 90% potty trained.  As silly as it sounds, it was such an accomplishment for not only him but me too.

Well, Maverick turned 2 in April and I got myself into "potty training" mode.  I thought, I've done this before, I'm a pro, I can for sure do this again.  Haha, well our journey the past couple months hasn't been easy...but thankfully there isn't a baby on the way for me to speed up the process, so I've just been taking it at his pace.

First, we started with reading our potty books every night and every time I went to the bathroom I would take him with me and say "look, mommy go potty"  "yay, mommy did it" etc., etc.  After a couple weeks of talking it up, we are ready to start.  Only at bath time while the water was running,  I would sit him on the potty (we don't use a little potty, I just find it confusing to go from a little potty to a big potty, and we bought one for Maximus but he never used it) so, while the bath water ran, he would sit...some nights he would go (not realizing it) and we as a family would cheer, scream and dance as he just looked at us like we were crazy.  Next, I started with every time I changed his diaper I would sit him on the potty.  After months of doing this routine he finally started realizing he was "making bubbles" like daddy.  Gross I know, but the joys of having little boys.  Just recently, I've been hitting it hard, because I know he can do it.  We now sit on the potty first thing in the morning, after breakfast, a couple times before lunch, right before nap, immediately after nap, anytime before we leave the house, as soon as we arrive someplace, before we leave, etc. etc.  It's exhausting!

I feel as if I have a little puppy running around ( I know, awful to relate my kid to a puppy) but every time I turn around I'm stepping in pee (gross) or having to clean up poo! lol I let him run around naked most of the day, this didn't work for Maximus but for Maverick I find he does better on days that he doesn't have underwear on.  Most days are good, but we do have bad ones.  I stay home the majority of the day so that we are close to a potty and at times it's a bit frustrating taking him to the bathroom every 20 minutes or so but I'm hoping that soon it will just click and we will be diaper free.  Any mommas out there going through the same thing?  What worked for you?  Any and all advice is welcome and hopefully this post will help anyone who is getting ready to start this wonderful chapter, I wish you the best of luck and just have patience.

Here are a couple pictures of my big boy and him working hard for those M&Ms!

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I am loving all these Tiptoe senior sessions this year, and Mikayla is one of my favorites! We took her brothers senior photos several years ago, and little did we know the adventure we were in for... Wesley volunteered for the Shepherdstown Fire Dept, so we knew we wanted that to be one of our backdrops, however while we were there shooting, they got a call, and we actually got to photograph the helicopter that ended up landing right in back of the station... It was such a one in a lifetime experience!

I knew that Mikayla's session needed to be just as memorable! We started off in town and got some amazing shots, but then we headed out to the ball field, Mikayla's second home (she is quite the talented softball player)... AND the sunset magic was upon us... Oh and so was Daisy the cow! Who was quite a hit...every car that was pulling out after practice stopped to greet her! "That isn't something we see everyday" is what we got a lot!  I even got messages later that evening asking if it was me at the ball field. LOL... they saw a girl with a camera, a senior and a cow, and OF COURSE they would assume it was me!  I love it! Daisy the cow has apparently been such a part of Mikayla's life for so many years, her parents say she is the friendliest cow ever, that frequently when Mikayla would get home from school as a kid Daisy would meet her at the end of the field and walk with her home, just like a puppy! Aww, if that isn't one of the cutest stories I have ever heard. Also just a little tidbit of information that I learned, Daisy was born a twin, and because of that she isn't able to have babies now (although they are still hoping for a miracle, because Daisy used to play mom to a pig, and would make an amazing momma.)

Here are just a couple of my favorites from the day guys! Enjoy! willingham9 willingham11 willingham19 willingham28 willingham32 willingham33

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Hey y'all... Here is a preview of our Tiptoe school portraits for the fall sessions on Saturday August 29th and  Sunday September 13th!  I had one of my best-est friends come out so I could borrow her kiddos on what could have been the stickiest hottest days this summer, just so I could get our set ups all ready!!  Now, there are a couple more things I have bought to add to the set up but you get the idea on how cute it's going to be!! I can't wait to meet the kids for this weekends shoot! We do have 2 spots still up for grabs if you are interested! Our prices for prints start at just $5 and are so comparable to the schools pricing! Don't miss out on having your kiddos "shot" by us!! Call us at 304-995-6743 to grab your spot!!

Here is an example of what Tara got from school!! I know Maddy is so cute it doesn't matter what else is going on in the photo butttttttttt.... we want better for you!!

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And here is what you could get!!

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Ironically, I met the Mother of this precious baby boy for the very first time in Riviera Maya, Mexico almost a year ago.   This world we live in, really is a small world...and I am so grateful!  I am so blessed to have met Dana, and her husband Ben, who have allowed me the privilege of photographing their first born child.

Life is full of many blessings, and the Ashlock family has one more to count each day... Congratulations, Dana & Ben!

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Hey guys... So we are thinking that we want our blog to be an open forum for you ALL, our audience? What do you want more of? Personal posts, education posts, advertising specials??

Have photography questions for us? Just send us a quick email to tiptoestudios@yahoo.com and perhaps we can start an ask us section on the blog!!

What would a blog post be with out a shameless plug!!

We have a couple seats left for our Tiptoe teaches class... Now that the kids are back in school learning new things, it's time for you to invest back in your education!! You will not regret it!! And also in case you didn't know, we end all our Tiptoe Teaches workshops with us "shooting" you for a brand new headshot ($150 value)! Now that sounds like fun!! LOL!

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