Fair Trade Networking

Want to make a fair trade?

How would you like your business  or services advertised for free? Ever thought of NETWORKING with other local business?

I know a lot of other photographers who are struggling to keep their business afloat and in today’s economy it’s a difficult task to make a profit.  The key to making more money is advertising, and traditional advertising is expensive.  So I was trying to find a way that I could not only advertise but keep the cost down and I realized NETWORKING is a great way to advertise and expose my business to those who may not normally hear about my photography. It’s my hope that my attempt at this will not only serve as stepping stone to creating successful business relationships, but also profitable to my business long term.

There are tons of businesses or professionals that can profit from our partnership in fair trade networking. It’s all about creativity and thinking outside the box. And as we all know, I’m great at “THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX”.  

Craft Accessories    Jewelry Suppliers      Avon Reps     Boudoir & Lingerie Shops            Hair Salon            Mary Kay Reps                   

      Makeup Artist      Spas     Children’s Clothing Shops              

     Tanning Salons  Shoe Shops          Maternity Clothing Stores  ETSY Store’s

   Bridal Shops             Event Planners

I’m attempting to reach out to our community and local business in hopes that we can work together in fair trade. Rev has tons of ideas on how local business and professionals can make a fair trade with Revflections Photography where both businesses can equally meet goals.

The web has not only become an ocean for social networking but its a portal to unlimited dimensions of advertising and sharing. It serves as a platform and stage to present any service or business we can imagine, and its free. The hard part is drawing attention collecting the audience to view and take advantage of our services offered. By NETWORKING we promote each other, and double the efforts in less time. Time is money!

Do you cut & color hair? Do you own a bridal shop? Do you knit scarfs & hats? Do you own a clothing shop? Have you thought about having a marathon of photo sessions with clients wearing your cut & style, clothing or accessories? Maybe your clothing store could have a runway show  and Revflections Photography could photograph your show and you could use the photos for your website. Clients from tanning, hair and spa salons would love to have a free photo session when they are looking their best! Those crafts you make needs a model and you need a professional photograph to reflect the FAB FACTOR of your work! This is just a few examples of how your business can benefit from our networking.

Anyone interested in a fair trade networking relationship with Revflections Photography please contact Rev by email along with any questions, ideas or offers. Together we can collect ideas and work toward a successful venture.

Thanks,

       Rev         

Candied Covered Birthday Wishes

I cant believe it, my son is turning 18! I've watched my son grow from this chubby cheeked lil boy, froggy deep voice, and chili bowl haircut(ya...ya..I know...lol). But he was my baby boy, and now...he's a man. Well, to get back to point I wanted to make the days special and make a special treat being fall, but also something I knew the kids would really LOVE, so last night me and my niece and her g/f  made candied apples.  This was my first time trying this treat and even though we almost screwed them up from lack of reading exact directions, we still figured it out. I wanted to share a few photos considering this was my first attempt at them. I think we(Kriss ,Paula, and I) did a great job and had loads of fun doing it. Its great you can be as creative as you want with these, and the kids loved them, well the adults did too. Hehe. Happy Birthday James, hope you had a wonderful day.

We used Concord Food Candy Apple Kit from Kroger to make the candied & caramel apples. Below is the link to the product we used.

http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=373208&storeId=10052&langId=-1


At the end of this blog you find a recipe for home made candied apples, I hope you enjoy!

Getting the apples ready to candy

TIP: Granny Smith Apples work best for candy apples



we decided to use the candy & caramel, and white chocolate with peanuts & sprinkles



I think my favorite was the white chocolate covered apples. SO YUMMY!



My neice was LoViN her apple

Lil Bro was diggin his apple, I think he had two or three..lol



Happy Birthday Big Guy(below)...We Love You!

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."
~ Oprah Winfrey



http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/andallthetrimmings/candy-apples/

Recipe: Candy apples

Adapted from MarthaStewart.com

• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
• 6 medium apples

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; butter or coat parchment with cooking spray, and set aside.
2. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine sugar, 3/4 cup water, corn syrup, and food coloring, if using. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-high. Insert candy thermometer and continue to boil until temperature reaches between 300 degrees and 310 degrees (hard crack stage), about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, insert a wooden stick into the top of each apple, pushing about halfway through; set aside.
4. When mixture reaches temperature, immediately remove from heat. Working quickly, dip apples in sugar mixture until completely coated. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; allow to cool.

 

Just Keep Swimming

So our 9 yr old has been begging us to buy him some fish. We've made deals like, you keep your room clean for a month and we'll talk about it. Well of course before the month is halfway over the bedroom is such a mess you can't walk through it. I guess were nuts for thinking he would or even could keep it clean that long, but we were hopeful.
Occasionally while out he'll mention it again, and we'll put it off and bring up how he didn't keep the deal, but today Dad(Chris) decided to go ahead and buy him the fish and small fish bowl with the basic kit. I couldn't believe this kids face, and he has told me 100 times or more already that he is so happy about his fish and thanking us.
We've had our discussions about how long they are expected to live, and how often to feed them. I'm hoping these lil guys do indeed last awhile, but thankfully in case they don't, they are 38cents at Walmart. LOL. I couldn't resist taking a few photos of them considering these are our first fish. I have to admit I'm nervous about their survival, and Aaron's emotions toward them. He absolutely loves animals and there is  no doubt in mind that he'll be heart broken when the day comes that they float. But its an important lesson for him to learn about life, and we cant protect them from everything. Its better he learn how to deal with difficult situations as life brings them and this could be a great experience.

Meet Dialga and Palkia, these fish are named after Aaron's two favorite Pokemon

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Flower, Bubbles and Sidewalk Chalk Art

When I read the following poem, I knew exactly who it reminded me of. Riley! She and I spent this afternoon drawing chalk art on her Mom's back patio. We drew balloon, kittens, flowers and trees. Then we rested and blew bubbles and enjoyed a chat. We had a great afternoon together.

Little Girls

Little girls are made of daisies and butterflies and soft kitty cat purrs
And all the precious memories of times that once were.

Little girls are made of angel's wings and giggles and a firefly's glow
And all the happy feelings, deep inside, that we all know.

Little girls are made of cinnamon and bubbles and fancy white pearls
And snowflakes and rainbows and ballerina twirls.

Little girls are made of sunshine and cupcakes and fresh morning dew,
And these are the reasons, little one, why everyone loves you.

Author: Karen Barnes

We started off alil stiff, Riley is shy but I got a feeling this pretty lil lady is a bit of a tomboy. She had no trouble jumping over the tree trunks and fallen limbs in the areas we were shooting. Its a hidden wooded area behind her house. Very haunted looking from the street, but beyond the entrance, it opened into a mystical place. Very open and airy once inside. It was actually a very cool place to shoot. I liked to using the woods for the backdrop, it gave depth to her photograph. Discovering new sights for sessions is always interesting. You never know how the subject will interact with the space around them, usually it shows on their face and in turn, the photograph. I think we did good with this sight, it served us well today. I'm very happy with the session we had. Riley is a pure joy to be around.

During our adventure to discover new places for photo sessions, we came to an entrance with a sign that stated, private property. I so wanted to continue, but I didn't want to break the law or get into trouble for trespassing so we stopped. I couldn't turn around because we had ditches on both sides and it was a small narrow road, so I parked and turned off the car. We got out and I made the decision to use the gravel road for our next set of photos. I could tell Riley was nervous not knowing where we were. So, I started to brag to her that she was a fabulous rock star and she should rock this photo session with some sass & attitude. I don't know about you, but I think she rocked it ok! Her personality totally switched on and she had her hands on her hips and modeled for me like a rock star.

With Riley's session I have many favorites, but this one really stands out for me because I saw how much fun she was having collecting flowers during the session. She is such a darlin.

we worked really hard on this particular photo...lol. She tried so hard to look up at me, but the sun was out just enough she couldn't do it. We tried closing your eyes for a minute, then popping them open all bright, but it still didn't work. I think its still a cute picture, squinting eyes and all!

Thank you for a beautiful afternoon of bubbles, sidewalk chalk art, girl talk and flower picking my precious sweet girl!

Elizabeth Mitchell

I wanted to share this because I absolutely love her sound and her songs are just buckets of sweetness!

Mad about Madison

Ever see the sunshine in someones face? Well every time you look at Madison, your heart becomes elated and overjoyed. This wasn't Madison's first photo session. I had the honor to capture her once before when only a few months old. Now as then, I was positively wrapped in sweetness as I photograph this adorable lil girl.

 She makes this easy, doesn't she?. LOL Well we had a time getting her to keep the hat(above) on long enough to capture a photo of her in it. Mom will slide it on, and work to distract her from it being there. I guess the fuzzy accessory was what kept her attention on the hat. Obviously we got the shot, and wow..look at that smile!

Madison loved the wooded area we did her second half of her shoot. She was having lots of fun exploring the floor of the wooded hideaway. Carefully, we allowed her to have a few playful moments, rewarding her for doing such a great job during her session. Have I ever mention I love babies?..LOL











As I raided Madison's closet for wardrobe choices, I came across this gorgeous dress. Quickly it became a front runner of dresses because I loved the style of it. It reminded me of dresses that, well Mom used to put on me when I was alil girl(I'm getting old). Dressing Madison, her mom and I discussed the dress and I learned that this dress was made by her Great-Grandmother. I was happy that I got to capture such a sweet photo of Madison in a dress made with LOVE.Sometimes the story isn't in the photo, its in the dress. But this photo will help to share that story and along with the dress, become an heirloom for next generations to share.





This is my favorite of Madison's photo session today. I love all the soft textures against the wooded background. Makes ya wanna pack her up and take her home with ya!

heres the link to Madison's first photo session with Rev

http://revflectionsphotography.blogspot.com/2010/07/baby-madison.html

Enjoy! And don't forget to subscribe to my blog please. Also, share my blog with your family & friends!

Its a Doggie World

These lil furry friends are our babies Diamond & Princess Buttercup. Diamond has been with us since Christmas 2008 and Princess Buttercup joined our family in Spring of 2010. Both of our ladies have completely different personalities. Diamond, much more mature than Buttercup, is coming into adulthood and doesnt run around as much as she used to. Princess Buttercup on the other hand LOVES to make a mess, just like a kid, RUN & PLAY, just like a kid, and SCREAM & YELL, just like a kid. She very much loves to be the center of attention. Diamonds favorite thing to do is sit in your lap and be held like a baby and talked to. She welcomes you to wrap her up in a blankie and rock her to sleep. SHE LOVES IT! Buttercup however, wants to jump and run, her favorite game is throw her squeeker mailbox toy and over and over and over and over again..LOL.
Diamond is a Shih Tzu & Maltese mix breed, and Buttercup is full blood Shih Tzu. We love our babies to death. And couldnt imagine our days without them. They welcome you home each day with overwhelming unconditional love. Its a truly amazing thing to have a creature that can say no words, still show you loads of love.
As I sit here writing this blog I can hear them upstairs running around like craziness. Buttercup is well known for her going into the bathroom and pulling the toilet tissue across the house. Her tiny lil teeth will shred a piece of tissue into a zillion little pieces. It just blows my mind!

Princess Buttercup

 Together they are companions and best friends. Apart they are lost and lonesome. Either will cry for the other if one is gone. They are a pair these two.

 Diamond is a gentle spirit. Very loving and sweet. I've noticed with her growing older she isnt as welcoming to strangers as she was a few years ago. But shes always loved to be held and loved on by her family.

Diamond