custom coffee table books

I get so many questions asking "exactly what is a custom coffee table book?" Well- I just got in one of my new samples and thought I'd snap a few quick photos to give you an idea. The quality of these books is AMAZING (nothing like the comsumer ones they have out there!) These photos do not do the book justice - I obviously DO NOT have a career in product photography ahead of me!!!


(edited to add - they posted out of order, but you can still get the idea!!)

Ames is Adorable!

Hi peeps! I'd like you to say hello to my new friend Ames! He is so sweet and adorable -a dn he has the biggest baby blues :) Girls are going to swoon over this one in about 15 years! Ames' mommy is a VERY talented writer - you can read all about *how he came to be* her article here!
Now on to meet the little man - check out his curl!!

Happy Birthday Billie!!

Hey everyone - meet John! Isn't he the cutest little guy you've ever seen? I happen to know that it's his Grandma's birthday tomorrow (Tuesday) so - HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILLIE!! your grandson is pretty darn cute - I hope you have a great day :)

meet Julie & Randy (and *almost* Riley!)

I had such a great time photographing Julie and Randy as they await the birth of their first child! They are both so sweet - and so in love - it was awesome to be able to capture these moments for them!

I was a little nervous after I discovered that their wedding was photgraphed last year by the AMAZING John Michael Cooper - he is one of my VERY favorite photographers - so I knew I had some pretty big shoes to fill :) Lucky for me, these two are not only sweet and adorable - but the best-looking couple I've seen in some time! Made my job pretty easy....

Meet Julie and Randy - and *almost* Riley :)

just my kids....

for grandma....

my new outlook...

Okay - so I was reading over my last post and I didn't want to to come across as a downer :) What I MEANT to say is that I now have my priorites straight!

#1 - Put my family first...too many times has my son come in to see me sitting at my computer and said "mommy - can you PLEASE come play with me now?" I don't want to be THAT mom - so better balance between work and family... (remember the song "Cats in the Cradle"???)
#2 - Provide exceptional customer sevice to my clients. I LOVE my job - it is my hobby and my passion - but I need to remember that I am a business nad not just an artist. Treating my clients like GOLD has just moved to the top of my list (okay - not the VERY top - that is still my family! LOL)
#3 - Say "NO" more often. Focus on the things I really want to do - get rid of/outsource the rest. I am cutting back to 8 clients a month TOPS! (so call NOW if you want to reserve a session)
#4 - Relax. Take care of myself. Take care of my family. Take care of my business.

That's it...

jen :)

what i've been up to lately....

Good morning!

After waffling back and forth for a while, I have decided to talk a little bit about *what's been going on with me*. I have been kind of distant and out of touch, slower to respond than I normally do, etc... you guys sort of deserve to know why...


So - anyway - my friend Gwen had this $350 laser thing done to her face and she swore it made her look 5 years younger - I thought *I want some of that* and promptly made an appointment with a dermatologist! :) Well, after viewing my skin cancer history, the doctor refused to even discuss *cosmetic* stuff with me until we discussed *health* stuff. She ended up doing a full-body check on me and did 5 biopsies of *suspicious-looking* spots. (i have had skin cancer (basal cell) several times before - so although unpleasant, wasn't really worried) To make a long story short, 2 of the spots did indeed prove to be skin cancer, (squamous cell - worse than I've had before) but more troubling, one of the biopsies was diagnosed as Paget's Diesease, a form of breast cancer. I was refered over to the Breast Care Center at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, and began consulting with a breast cancer specialist. I was assured from the beginning that this was NOT life-threatening, we had caught it early - so that was great - but still, anytime you hear *CANCER* you start to freak out a little! Blah, blah , blah - you guys don't want all the details - but I ended up havig surgery the week before Christams, then another surgery the week after Christmas. Unfortunatly, my *margins* still were not clear and I had to begin a 4 week treatment of radiation. Every day (well M-F) I had to drive down to Cedars - this was about a 4 hour roundtrip ordeal every day. The medical staff at Cedars is the best in the world - so I was in great hands :)
I came away with a whole new perspective on *customer service* they are SO amazing there, unlike any other medical experience I have ever had. I figure, if a great big medical facility can still put people first and focus on the little things - than I certainly have no excuse! Customer service has been an *area of opportunity* for me in the psat - but no more! I am going to be a rock start in the service dept!!

Fast forward to now - I have been done with raditaion now for several weeks - I am finally starting to heal nicely (YAY!) and have actually come out of this ordeal with some great new perspectives about ...oh....everything! I had lots of time to be *introspective* and really get to know myself a lot bettter - I will be making some changes this year, I vow to treat my family better, my clients better, my self better - I've turned over a new leaf!

I will be participating in a walk to benefit breast cancer this summer - I will be having some great promotions to raise $$ for breast cancer - stay tuned for more details!!!

thanks for listening...

jen :)