{Minions of Dominance}

I have met quite a few talented people in my life but no one as talented as my good friend Merri. You see, a few months ago she shared with me the fact that she had been working on a book. But that wasn't all. Not only did she write a book but it's going to be published. I'm so excited for her and I can't wait to read it! So cool that she is gonna sign a copy for me. I was even more tickled when she asked me to take her photo for her book cover.

As I await her books release next month, I thought it would be fun to do a question answer interview and share with you a link to her blog. I think she was being incredibly modest because not only is she a writer but creative scrapbooker/paper artist extraordinaire! She is one of those creative souls who inspired me to start my invitation business. She constantly astounds me with her talent and I always look forward to seeing what she is up to. So here's the interview....

1. Besides the Twilight books, what did you use for inspiration to write your book? Nothing. I made it up as I went along. It's all the things I would like to read in a book I guess...!

2. Have you written anything else? Yes. Minions of Servitude-it's due to be released in a few weeks and is the sequel to Minions of Dominance. I've also started the third book of the series: The Fifth Species

3.You have a great imagination. What other creative skill do you posses? None other than paper crafting. I do have my cards in a local doggie boutique, Bark Place. They are dog sympathy, thank you and congratulation cards.

4.Tell me more about the character who is named after your dog in the book.What are similarities/differences? No difference, other than the name;the character is exactly like Zoe.

5. If you could do 5 more things in your lifetime, what would they be? Win the Lotto, write a best seller, paint, retire, travel to Europe and then stay there.

6. Who is your favorite author? And what type of books do you like to read? Diane Mott Davidson, Anne Rice, P.D. James, Elizabeth George-Mystery, Suspense, Who-dun-it's...

I'm a big "Twilight" fan but I've been told by Merri that her book is more for adult readers or young adult, especially the second book. Click here Minions of Dominance for a look at her blog and information about her book release. I, for one, am looking forward to a signed copy of that book and wish her tons of success with it. I'm so proud of you for following your dreams and ambitions, Merri. Thanks for being such a good sport about all this. Looking forward to that lunch we need to have real soon! luv, T

{Before & After Photoshop}

I get this question all the time by new moms..."Can you edit baby acne?" The truth is, I can just about edit any kind of blemish on a baby's face or body. I also suggest to people that they not let a little skin blemish get in the way of documenting your baby's life. The moments are too precious to pass up. With that said, I do have to say that I charge per file for this kind of editing. A fee of $10 a file or $75 for an entire CD up to 50 images but this is in addition to my session fees which are $50-$75 per hour. The CD you get with your session is only semi edited. I will turn all photos, delete unusable files. A fully edited CD gets you cropping, touch ups, coloring fixes and black and white conversions. So I thought I would show you some examples of before and after edits. The first picture is the original...not bad... in fact I like sweet light coming from the side it's spectacular and it is a look I like but the skin blemish on my nieces chin and scar above my other niece's eyebrow has to go. The following photos are color touch ups and a black and white conversion. Every photographer is different in how they charge and at this point with my photography business, I'm happy to keep my prices low and continue to build my book of business and portfolio. Every session has allowed me to grow in my experience and confidence and I appreciate all the great referrals I have been getting lately. Special kuddos go out to my friend and neighbor, Amanda, and the staff at Hopscotch for sending me some awesome clients my way. You all ROCK!!!! Thank you so much! Luv, T

{Custom Collages by Tonya}

NOW OFFERING....CUSTOM COLLAGES
FOR FINE ART ENLARGEMENTS

A great affordable way to display your favorite pictures

(example is a 16 x 20 Thin Wrap)

Available in Thin Wraps with a Glossy or Satin Finish

Pricing starts at $67 for an 8 x 10 up to 16 x 24 for $135

(mounting hardware also available for purchase $9)

It's easy! You pick 6 of your favorite pictures, I do the rest! These mount right to the wall and have a stunning polished look to them.

My sister ordered one of these and she loves it! I have people tell me all the time that they have multiple pictures they love and want to display but don't have enough wall space. This is a perfect and cost effective alternative to the tradional framed picture plus it looks so much better. Contact me if you would like to put together a collage from our previous sessions. I would be happy to help you pick out the perfect pictures for your photo collage.

{Gorgeous Family Sneak Peek}

Just got back into town. Feels good to be at my own computer...own bed...etc. Spent some fun in the hot sun with our family for the 4th and caught a few pictures of my sister inlaws family. I've always thought they had a beautiful family but looking at them this afternoon in the true imac screen form, confirms what I already knew. H & J, you are gonna have to beat the boys off or carry a shotgun around as your girls are drop dead gorgeous! My nieces are beautiful and even though it was hotter than "H..E.. double hockey sticks," we were able to get some sweet smiles. I'm glad we waited for sunset. The light was spectacular and you guys were great. Thanks for letting me take your family portraits. Can't wait for you to see the rest of them! Give "Pismo" a kiss for me please! Luv Ya! Aunt TEE TEE

{Love Rolls}

Had the pleasure of photographing this 3 month angel today. Like her newborn session, she was a such a sweet pea. Love the image of her yummy rolls on the scale (told you I would use that thing someday.) There is something irresistible about baby rolls. Makes you just want to eat them all up. She is such a beautiful baby. Her mom and dad are going to have a hard time picking just one favorite of our session. Sharing with you some of my favorite and a tease for mom and dad. Happy Monday!

{Favorite M.J. Song}

So I'm back from my mini cyber break. I can't tell you how many times I wanted o jump on and write a post or check my fb page. Well I sorta of cheated yesterday. So it was no surprise that the talk of cyberspace was Michael Jackson. I know...I know...go anywhere on the web these days and people are paying tribute to M.J. It's all over! My kids are too young to remember anything about M.J. but it reminded me of when I first heard of Elvis dying. I was too young to really know or appreciate the legend that he was but I do remember all the hype in the news and being curious about it. I even kept newspaper clippings of his death and vaguely remember sharing this with my 6th grade classmates. Kind of morbid but it was the only way other than an album or radio song hits, that let me experience what Elvis was about. So to my surprise, living in the cyberworld of today, my own kids had no real idea of who Michael Jackson was. I think in part, I sheltered them from all that was tragic about his later life. What I did share with them, thanks to tons of internet videos, was the best of M.J. They watched with the same wide eyes that I did when I watched the videos "Thriller" and "Beat It." And like everyone in my generation, you have a favorite M.J. song. I'm torn between "Rock with You" and "Don't Stop til You Get Enough." They are songs that pull me back into time when roller skating was big...and holding your breath until that cute boy would come up to you and ask you to skate the couple song. Back when I was skinny enough to wear tight Ditto jeans and shirts. Anyways, it was nice to share some memories with my kids and take a walk down memory lane. M.J.'s music will always hold a place in my heart and be a special part of my childhood memories. So here is one of my favorite M.J. songs to leave you with. Enjoy! T

{Taking a little break}

Taking a little break from blogging and facebook and business until next Monday. Family is in town and we are hitting the beach, boardwalk and A's baseball game. Running a great summer sale 50-75% off on some stationery lines/invitations if anyone is interested. Give a call or email and you can come over and take a look at what I have next week. I Will have some fresh images of a 3 month old baby when I return so stay tuned! Hope everyone is having a great week. Here's some Beach Boys...what would summer be with out them? Chow for now! T