Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Inspiration Wednesday: Meaningful gifts, week 4

As homemade as I got this year - paper snowflakes for the tree.

Ho ho ho! This week snuck up on me. Aided by a stomach bug that hit our whole family, I've been off the computer more than I'd like. But I wanted to share my last week of holiday gift inspirations.

Making homemade gifts can help save money & simplify your list. Who wouldn't like yummy truffles or relaxing bath balls? Here are some of my favorite ideas (that you'll still have time to make before Christmas) on the web.

Martha Stewart's Snow Globes

I've seen instructions for making these on several sites but leave it to Martha to have the easiest to follow directions. So break out some old jelly jars and kitschy figurines. Also beautiful with costume jewelry or orphaned kids' toys.

Instructables Bath Bombs

Instructables breaks down even the most complex project into steps with helpful photos and comments. I like the variations on the bath bomb - you can customize different essential oils and colors to your giftee.

Flower Stationery

I am not a fan of cutesy or country, but this stationery takes both and makes a kinda mod finished product. The method Home Made Simple lays out would work with leaves, small pine boughs and even your child's hand-print.

Need more ideas? I love 100 Homemade Gift Ideas and hope to make more of her ideas next year.

Inspiration Wednesday: Meaningful gifts, week 3

 At our co-op lobby tree surrounded by fake gifts

This year we are simplifying our gift giving. Our families aren't over-the-top in general so the holidays aren't completely gluttonous anyway. But add a couple of grandchildren into the mix and the sheer number of gifts tends to grow.

So when I read about the tradition of giving your children only 4 gifts at Christmas, I was intrigued. Want. Need. Wear. Read.

I'm not going to divulged the gifts now,  but it's been a fun way to think about what to give Juliet this year. You would think the "want" gift would have to be the best (and oh baby, it is GOOD), but we've got a budding bookworm on our hands. I'm really looking forward to picking just the right book and adding a personal message for her to look back on each year.

At our co-op lobby tree surrounded by fake gifts

What do you think about giving want, need, wear and read gifts this year?

Keep calm

Oh, I knew I loved that stiff upper lip Britishness

This week has been B-A-N-A-N-A-S (are the kids still using that?) with an art fair, day of photo shoots, tree buying, job interview & general holiday mayhem.

I haven't been posting a lot of the photos I have been shooting lately because my clients are giving some as gifts and the receivers read my blog. Man, there will be a glut of "kids in front of Christmas tree" posts come Boxing Day.

Speaking of Boxing Day, it's a British holiday celebrated the day after Christmas. It was traditionally a day to give gifts to those with less. Hasn't really caught on in America - unless you count returning-crap-you-hate. Since it falls on a Saturday this year, I've been invited to a few Boxing Day parties. Which sounds nice, but after the glut of food, family & frivolity in the weeks leading up to Christmas, I'd much prefer a spa day or at least a couple of hours reading in bed.

Another British tradition that seems to caught on this year (at least in the design world) is the slogan "Keep Calm and Carry On." I've seen it emblazoned on tee-shirts, holiday ornaments, posters. My favorite so far is the baby onesie.

Buy this from ThisBlueBird via Zazzle

I know this slogan was popularized during the London blitz in WWII but the message seems to resonate today. In my own life, both family and friends have had a rough year. So whether it's money troubles, marital woes, general holiday mayhem or poor health, here's hoping a little British resolve will help ease the burden. Until then, there's another British import I can recommend.

Inspiration Wednesday: Meaningful gifts, week 2

On the same animal theme from last week's Meaningful Gifts post, this week I'm plugging Heifer International.

A worthy gift on it's own, but why not make the gift-giving even more fun by pairing one of their animal-based donations with a coresponding children's book? That way the kids in your life will have the added joy of opening a present!

Some pairing ideas:

Flock of Ducks = Make Way for Ducklings

Trees = The Giving Tree

Pigs = Olivia

I'll bet you can match the perfect animal to your child's favorite book. They even offer adorable gift cards to let everyone know you donated in their name. How cute slipped into one of these books!

Santa photos: laughter and tears and everything in between

Poor freaked-out Elisa had no sympathy from my bored daughter - Kristin Burns

On Sunday I took around 100 photos of children with Santa at our local park's holiday fundraiser. It was exhausting of course, but really fun too. A few things helped me enjoy the day:

• Hiring an assistant to handle the money & printing
• Buying a new portable printer
• Taking at least 2 shots per child 
• Keeping calm & positive when the inevitable tears came
• Allowing families to come back later when their kids were ready
• Photos of my daughter with Santa without braving the 2 hour line at Macy's 
• Friends stopping by with their children who were comfortable with me
  

Success! A slight smile - Kristin Burns

There were so many adorable babies and children who were excited, nervous, apathetic or terrified (sometimes all of these emotions wrapped up in one child!) when they first spotted Santa. It's hard to pick just a few, but here are some to brighten your day.

Santa had the patience of a saint. Saint Nick that is - Kristin Burns

Probably the best thing to come out of the day was meeting even more of my neighbors. I've already set up some photo shoots with a few families and I'm excited to keep expanding. After all, when I got on his lap, I did ask Santa for a successful 2010.

Makers Market NYC Saturday

Hope to see you Saturday 12.12.09 for a fun and affordable art fair just in time for holiday gifts. Here's a sneak peek at some of the photos I'll be selling in a few sizes and price points.

Please spread the word!

Recent nursing portraits

 

A bonding snack for Stacey & Owen - Kristin Burns 

I'm a big fan of breastfeeding - nutritionally sound, economically smart & developmentally positive. That said, it's a huge commitment of time and energy when you are low on both. So when a new mom wants me to take a photo of her nursing her baby, I feel honored to document their intimate bond.

Amanda & Elliot snuggle up - Kristin Burns

Plus the babies are blissed out in milky-sweetness afterward, which makes for some beautiful photos.

A full and happy Owen - Kristin Burns 

Let me know if you would like me to capture the fleeting time when you're still literally nourishing your baby.

Friday fun: Crying on Santa's lap

lyrabellacqua/flickr

I have been drafted to photograph the children on Santa's lap for our local Holiday Boutique to support the Sunnyside Gardens Park on Sunday. Stop by if you'd like to avoid the creepy mall Santa and bored photogra-elves.  

Sunnyside Gardens Park Holiday Boutique

Phipps Social Hall 

51-01 39th Avenue

Sunnyside, NY 11104

Sunday December 6th

Open 10-4, Santa from 11-3

So I don't know why these are so funny to me, but they are. Enjoy!

Nathan T. Baker/flickr

 

daveynin/flickr

Of course, like everything in the world ever, there's a website dedicated to children crying on Santa's lap if you'd like to see more. I really love this vintage one Darth Vader posted.

Courtesy of ScreamingSanta.com

Let's hope the children this weekend will have a better time with our Santa. Or if not, that the photos are as funny as these.

December promotion: Give one session, get one 50% off

Why is Connor so happy? He finished his holiday shopping on kristinburnsbabyphoto.com - KB

Everyone loved the special offer for Black Friday so much I've decided to extend it through December. I'd like to think it's solely due to their love of my photography, but I'm sure skipping the malls and finishing their holiday shopping in one fell swoop is a big plus too!

In addition to giving The Little Dozen (a series of 12 mini-sessions for the first year of a baby's life) you can now purchase gift certificates for individual photo sessions. To celebrate, when you purchase a session to give, you receive 50% off a session for your own baby or child!

Personalized & packaged to give - how easy is that?

Bonus: book your family's session for a day during December or January and you'll also receive a FREE 8x10 portrait for yourself and one for the gift-getter. Check out the site for pricing and my portfolio.

Inspiration Wednesday: Meaningful gifts, week 1

Checking out the grubby hands on their way - Kristin Burns

When I first mentioned the Queens Zoo to my husband, who grew up in Flushing, he seemed to remember they had some squirrels and maybe a dog. Ha! Luckily either his memory is bad or the zoo has vastly improved from his childhood.

We have visited the zoo with our daughter and my parents. Walking from enclosure to enclosure, it's a nice little circle with lots of trees and places to rest along the way. I loved watching the sea lions swimming & pumas lazily checking us out. But the real star is the petting zoo.

Curious sheep - Kristin Burns

The staff couldn't be friendlier. I'm hoping to check it out again this year now that my daughter is walking and can terrorize follow the animals better. I love that she can begin learning about the right way to treat animals and how important taking care of our planet is to all living creatures.

Zoos can get pretty crowded in NYC during the summer, but the Queens Zoo is open year-round. This month it looks like they are giving the bears presents every weekend. How cute is that?

Andean bears get Holiday Gifts - Suzanne Bolduc ©WCS

Why not give a zoo membership to the animal lovers on your gift list too? The annual membership includes admission to the Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park, Prospect Park, and Queens Zoos. A family of four can have membership for as low as $120 - a lovely gift that gives back to conservation and wildlife.

December goals & review of bizarre November

Hmm, where to find a skating dress? - Kristin Burns

Hooray! November is over & December is finally here. Peppermint lattes, gift shopping and Baby It's Cold Outside on repeat. Plus it's time to post my goals on Modish Biz Tips for a brand spanking new month.

First a look back at my November goals:
1. Pick new local business to host Mini-sessions - done, shoot at Claret 12/19
2. Schedule Boston shoot for early December - didn't happen due to more NYC bookings, considering Boxing Day though
3. Autism photo shoot - moved to 12/8
4. Compile email mailing list - not really, mainly using Facebook & Twitter
5. Spread word about holiday cards - done 
6. Seek out more photo editing and producing work- technically yes, I did seek

I'll say it, November was kinda weird. I've never had more interest in my photography and yet experienced my first drop in photo shoots and orders. Luckily December is already almost completely booked with shoots and I hope more and more photo print orders. I'm looking forward to a few days of mini-sessions where I can meet even more new families.

On to December!

1. Really enjoy the holiday season with my friends and family
2. Have fun at the chaotic, busy but rewarding days of shoots - be they in-home, mini-sessions or, gasp, Santa
3. Purchase/order/make thoughtful gifts for my favorite people
4. Taxes!
5. Reach out to people I admire for more support & ideas

Wishing everyone reading this a lovely & peaceful holiday season and a productive New Year!

New York City Photo Shoot December 19th 10AM-2PM

Gorgeous memories of their tiny faces - Kristin Burns

So you've been meaning to get professional photos of your baby, child or family but with everything else you've got going on - holiday parties, decking the halls, shopping-til-dropping - you haven't yet.

It is not too late to have prints ready before the holiday season is over. Take a half-hour and wrap up (ha!) all your holiday gift-giving at once. Everyone loves receiving photos of your children for gifts.

I'm super-excited to announce a day of mini-sessions at Claret on Saturday, December 19th from 10-2!

Claret is a beautiful wine bar in Sunnyside but so much more. From the Sunnyside Strings performance I photographed this Fall, to serving lovely tapas and hosting live music weekly, Claret has become a neighborhood institution in the brief time it's been here. I'm so happy now that the cold weather has ruled out photo sessions in the garden of April Glass, I was able to find such a beautiful, bright location with huge windows and gorgeous wood to host in our neighborhood.

Back to the photo shoot, here are the basics if you are interested in joining in:

Sign up for a 30 minute mini-session for $50. Please bring your favorite toys & join your little one for a family shot too if you like. You'll receive your choice of CD or online gallery (password-protected) of the photos within the week. Prints are discounted to 4x6 $1, 5x7 $5, 8x10 $10. Check out the portfolio of photos on my site if you'd like to get an idea of my style.

To book your time slot, just give me a call at (718) 791-0536 or email me. Can't wait to photograph your little ones!

Inspiration Wednesday: Be thankful

Part of last Thursday's Baby Thanksgiving feast - Kristin Burns

 

Today's Inspiration Wednesday post won't so much deal with one charity or group that inspired me, but with a whole host of people, places and things I'm thankful for this year.

• my husband for balancing school, work and fatherhood with still being a kickass husband
• my daughter for only growing more hilarious as she turned into her own little person
  
• our parents for their glow of grandparently happiness when surrounded by the new generation
  
• our siblings & their new children for sharing those grandparents!
  
• my local mother's group for supporting me in way more than baby stuff
• our neighborhood, whose local businesses have been amazingly supportive of my photo work
• our friends for embracing our child as one of the gang - I promise we'll hang out sans bebe more this year!
  
• my aunts for making our first post-baby plane flight vacation painless and relaxing
  
• all my freelance photo editing clients for financing my personal photography work
• my new-found "Say Yes!" attitude
• the internets for connecting me to old friends, new clients and great ideas
• Michelle Obama's advocacy for girls' education and healthy food
• Michelle Obama's arms for making me want to work out more
• Mad Men for all their helpful parenting tips (kidding!!!)

What are you thankful for?

Why wait until Black Friday? Wrap up your shopping today.

A family portrait is much nicer than a Snuggie, right Graham?

 

I know it's traditional to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to have the big holiday sale. But starting today for my loyal blog-readers (Google analytics don't lie), you can do all your holiday shopping and get a special deal for yourself!

In addition to giving The Little Dozen (a series of 12 mini-sessions for the first year of a baby's life) you can now purchase gift certificates for individual photo sessions. To celebrate, when you purchase a session to give, you receive 50% off a session for your own baby or child!

Personalized & packaged to give - how easy is that?

It's that simple. Bonus: book your family's session for December or January and you'll also receive a FREE 8x10 portrait for yourself and one for the gift-getter. Check out the site for pricing and my portfolio. Now isn't that better than braving a crowded mall at 4AM?

Friday Fun: Thanksgiving Family Moments

The first wave of babies - photo credit Ann Price

I'm still recovering from hosting the First Annual Baby Thanksgiving at our place today - 14 babies and their parents (mostly moms) over for turkey and mayhem. Very fun. Since I'm in a Thanksgiving-y mood, here are some clips from TV celebrating the holiday. Whether you spend it with friends or family, I wish you a happy Thanksgiving.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Thanksgiving
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

Inspiration Wednesday: Jumpstart Reading

Morning book time while we get ready for work - Kristin Burns

This week is the first annual New York City Independent Bookstore Week. Check out The Independent Booksellers of New York City site to see the list of events, readings & bookstores. I like Books of Wonder in the Flatiron district for kids books - and they are having a big fall picture books event Saturday if anyone needs an outing.

I love to read, as does my husband. So we were extremely excited when our daughter took to the habit too. She now brings over her favorite books to me on the couch, climbs up onto my lap and flips the pages as we go. For a child who loves to go-go-go, that time is a welcome break for both of us. We haven't pushed books on her, but simply by reading to her before bed and surrounding her with books, she has already shown concentration and patience - 2 traits I hope help her in general as she grows.

Surrounding her with books came natural for us - and our family & friends who gave her most of them! - but what about children who aren't blessed with age-appropriate books in their home? How do they get comfortable with reading? Jumpstart is an organization that brings volunteers into preschool and daycare centers to help young children get a leg up before kindergarten. On their annual Read for the Record in October, volunteers read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to 2 million children and incorporated crafts and other learning activities to bring the story alive.

This holiday season, why not add Jumpstart to your volunteer or donation list? Other ways to help children learn (and learn to love) to read include:

* set up a regular reading time with your own child
* organize a story time at your local library or playgroup
* donate books in good shape to a daycare center in your neighborhood
* give books at baby showers
* support local bookstores and ask the shopkeeper for recommendations

Happy birthday Moses!

Sunday was our nephew Moses's birthday & we celebrated in style.

His mom made adorable (& healthy!) baby-friendly carrot cakes for the kiddos.

Fear not, there was strawberry shortcake for us grownups.

Here's hoping your birthday wish comes true!

Friday Fun: Veterans reunited with their kids

 

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Stephanie Tigner (RELEASED)  071008-N-4163T-141 

In honor of Veterans Day, today's features photos of soldiers returning from war and reuniting with their families. All the descriptions are from the photographers or sites that provided the photos. Get a hanky, folks.

(Photo above) SAN DIEGO (Oct. 8, 2007) - Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Kelley Wood hugs her daughter during the homecoming celebration for guided-missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69). Milius was assigned to USS Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) and is returning from a six-month deployment in support of the global war on terrorism.

Photos by MN National Guard

Soldiers from the 34th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) were reunited with friends and family at Holman Field in St. Paul on May 22, 2009 after a one year deployment support Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Photo Credit: Sgt. Maj. Terry Anderson, 8th Theater Sustainment Command Public Affairs (Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army)

Giannette Toro, 6, prepares to reunite with her father, Sgt. Jaime Toro, early Tuesday morning, Jan. 27 at Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii. More than 180 Soldiers from the 728th Military Police Battalion and the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team returned to Hawaii following 15-month deployments to Iraq. 

 

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class John Suits/Released) 090921-N-2456S-100 

NORFOLK, Va. (Sept. 21, 2009) Sonar Technician (Surface) 3rd Class Frank Diaz assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) holds his four-month old son for the first time following his return home to Naval Station Norfolk, Va. On April 12, 2009, Bainbridge Sailors assisted in the rescue of Richard Phillips, captain of American container ship MV Maresk Alabama after being seized by Somali pirates.

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Steven Khor/Released) 090902-N-4031K-001 

ATSUGI, Japan (Sept. 2, 2009) Lt. Cmdr. Mike Kinter, assigned to the Royal Maces of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 27, hugs his son during a homecoming celebration for Carrier Air Wing 5 at Naval Air Facility Atsugi. CVW-5 returned to Japan after a four-month deployment aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73).

 

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mark Logico/Released) 090821-N-7498L-097 

PEARL HARBOR (Aug. 21, 2009) Gas Turbine System Technician (Electrical) 3rd Class Brent Palmer sees his daughter for the first time as the guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) returns to homeport at Naval Station Pearl Harbor after a seven-month deployment as part of the Mid-Pacific Surface Combatant Operational Employment program. The program calls for all Hawaii-based surface combatants to focus on conducting intermediate and advanced training and regular deployments in the western Pacific Ocean. 

War sucks, but the love these soldiers, sailors, airmen and seamen have for their families sure doesn't. So support our returning veterans - single gals & guys, do more ;) Happy Veteran's Day!