Giveaway Winner! (+ something for the non-winners...)

I'd like to say congratulations to our winner... Lorraine who said:

We used random.org to configure the winner of our En Route giveaway. Lorraine, please email us your shipping address to seiblog(at)shopsei(dot)com. Thanks again to everyone for taking the time to enter our drawing. Heather had a lot to teach us, so I think we're all walking away with great ideas.

So here is my consolation prize to the people who weren't so lucky to win. I think it's amazing. I was visiting my friend Rachel's blog and she had the funniest link. It's a link to an ad campaign for Volkswagon's new car, Routan. It's called the Routan Baby Maker 3000. It's just what it sounds like. You can put in two people's faces and it will predict what your baby will look like. It's so much fun. Mandi and I decided to experiment to see what happened and this was the result:


It was just something funny that we found and thought we'd share it with you. So, we were wanting to see your creations. Click here to create your own baby and when you're done, email us your result. The person with the most creative looking child will be posted on the blog. Remember celebrities and animals are not discouraged from being parents.

Giveaway...

We sent Heather some product from our En Route collection to show us how she would display her beautiful photographs. Her idea was to make a quiet book for her baby. So in honor of having Heather as our guest blogger this week, we are giving away all the materials to make the same quiet book. Here is a little explanation and photos from the finished product from Heather. Aren't the photos beautiful? Not to mention the scrap booking (it was Heather's first time, amazing huh?).

The idea behind this project was to make a quiet picture book for Cole (the baby) for Church. He could look at his family and extended family and see where they are around the US! I really LOVED the En Route line and there were endless possibilities with it!

(I give props to scrap bookers and their creativity! It was SO fun creating this, but it was a bit difficult too just with so much fun stuff to work with. How could I choose which paper to use where, what embellishments to use...etc. I was a little intimidated knowing that "real" scrap bookers would be looking at this!) Thanks again for letting me be a guest blogger this week! I had so much fun coming up with posts and ideas. Oh, and I really love everything you sent me from the En Route collection! I'm seriously OBSESSED with those clear stamps! I feel like a kid in a candy store!

The giveaway includes the following products:
• En Route Assortment Pack
• En Route Chiplets
• En Route Stamps
• En Route Rub-On Words
• En Route Ribbon
• 4" x 6" Black Preservation Album
• Blueberry Alphabet Stickers
• Clear Stamp Block
To enter the giveaway, let us know which one of Heather's post was your favorite and why by Monday the 18th at midnight! Simple as that and good luck. Thanks again Heather for the lovely week full of ideas and inspiration!

DIY Housewarming Gifts

I love making treats look pretty and then giving them away. The process and assembly of projects like this are very therapeutic to me, and also extremely satisfying. And who doesn't like to get cute treats? I've compiled some of my favorite DIY projects so hopefully you'll get into the giving spirit and make something for that neighbor that you haven't met yet!

• Homemade Bread and Jam



• Chocolate Bark and Candied Pecans




• Planted Banana Nut Bread

Spicing Things Up

The baby tie tutorial was so much fun that I almost feel bad posting something new today. Trust me though, I think this tutorial from Heather is worth it. Maybe we can all become fabulous photographers... or at least improve. Thanks Heather! (P.S. Visit Heather's blog to see what else she's been up to this week.)

I've compiled some easy ways to get fun, candid, unique photos! I'll just jump right into them:

Capturing Their Personality:
The BEST way to get great photos of your child is to just let them be themselves! I think that candid photos are the best! Try to pick out their happiest time of day to bring the camera out. Try not to get too pose-y with them because most likely they'll get bored and not cooperate with you. Try to capture you child expressing their unique personality. Follow them around the yard, or put a fun toy by a window inside, let them go at it, and shoot away (with your camera, of course).




What To Wear:
I'm always a big fan of color! Bright, bold colors are always great, especially on kids! If you want to go for a print, choose a large print. Sometime small, detailed prints are too busy and don't look the best in photos. Accessories and layers add a lot to a photo, too. Scarves, fun shoes, hats, and bracelets are just a few ideas.





Props:
A great way to get fun photos is spice things up a bit! I always encourage clients to bring props to use in their shoots. I think it adds dimension and zest to the photo and just brings in the "wow" factor. I've used couches, a big sucker, picture frames, brightly colored chairs...the options are endless!

Baby Tie Tutorial

A few weeks ago Heather needed a tie for her baby. She came up with this ingenious technique and today she's going to share it with us. Hip hip hooray! (p.s. isn't the model adorable?)

For the Love of Light

I believe, actually I know that it's possible to take a great photo with a point and shoot camera. You don't have to have a big, fancy professional camera to achieve great composition and lighting. When I'm about to take a photo, the first thing I do is turn off the flash. When it's the middle of the day and there's pretty sunlight coming through your window, that's the best time to take photos!
I have a mini photo shoot with my 5 month old son every Tuesday to document his growth. I open all of the windows in the room so it's nice and bright, turn off my flash and snap away! Here's a checklist of reminders for taking pictures with window light:

*Don't use direct, harsh sunlight, just the pretty luminosity from the afternoon sun
*Make sure your flash is off
*Hold your camera as still as possible when you're snapping the shot
*Make sure your subject (or your child's face) is facing the light to avoid shadows

Although there are circumstances where flash is necessary (night time, dark rooms, etc.) I try to avoid it at all possible so that faces don't look too washed out and colors are more natural. Experiment with it! Have fun!

(I didn't edit or change anything about these photos. They're straight out of the camera)

Getting Acquainted

Hi friends! I was so excited when I was asked to be a guest blogger at SEI! This week I'm going to touch on some simple tricks to boost your photography skills and also throw in a little craftiness here and there! Before I get into all of that though, here's a little bio to help us get more acquainted.


I grew up in a small town in the mountains of San Diego. I love the outdoors and started taking pictures of nature when I was very young. I have a passion for landscape photography, although I enjoy taking photos of children and babies as well. In high school I took my first photography class and ended up becoming the photographer for the school newspaper.



In college I started taking engagement pictures for friends and my photography business took off from there. Now I shoot everything from headshots to family portraits, to tabletop photos. I thrive on beautiful lighting and love a good sunset. Although I have a passion for photography, I love cooking goodies and getting my craft on!


I'm married to a wonderful man named Matt and together we have a beautiful baby boy, a dog named Wanda and a fish named Tuesdee. We have a simple, yet wonderful life together.

Heather's beautiful family portrait and bio photo were taken by Nicole Christensen. Watch for Heather's lighting tutorial coming later this afternoon.

Guest Blogger- Heather Mildenstein

Next Monday May 11th, Heather Mildenstein will be guest blogging with us. Heather is an awesome photographer and has a blog that is one of our daily inspirations. Visit thecoterieblog.com to get to know Heather a little better. Here is what she had to say about herself.

Heather said,
"I'm so excited to be the guest blogger at SEI this month! Here are some tid-bits about me:
•I'm a full-time mom, part-time photographer, and on Saturday mornings I'm a massage therapist
•I've had an interest in photography my entire life and inherited the love from my mom
•My favorite subjects to photograph are babies, still-life, and landscape
•I really enjoy creating new things and sharing ideas
•I love life!"