Month: May 2012

Categories
Just a Thought...

A Memorial Day Tribute…

I cannot take any credit for the images in this blog post.

All the credit goes to my talented friend, Caitlin Trantham {Oh Penelope Photography}!
She is a Marine wife, mother of two and a photographer in Saint Louis, Mo.

When words are not enough… Images speak what cannot be spoken…

With Caitlin’s permission,
I share these images with you…

These beyond-amazing images honor the heroes of our great nation…
the ones who fight for our freedoms,
the ones willing to lay down their life so we can live.

{btw, you might want to grab a tissue… or the whole box… these images are powerful!}

Thank you to all who have served,
who are serving,
who supported their spouse while serving,
who supported their children while serving,
or who are planning to serve.

What you do matters…
…and it doesn’t go unnoticed!

♥ Thank you! ♥

So as we go about our weekend
gathering with family and friends,
having BBQ’s
and enjoying other festivities…
Let’s not forget the ones fighting,
both at home and abroad,
to protect our freedoms to do so.

Please go view Caitlin’s entire blog post:
http://ohpenelopephotography.blogspot.com/2011/12/heaven-was-needing-hero.html
And Then go find someone who has or is serving in our military and thank them!

 

Categories
Family Legacy Just a Thought...

Silent Words

Ever been hit with news or been thrust into the midst of a situation that threatens to overwhelm you?

Yeah… me, too. Read on and let me share a little of my heart with you…

The house is quiet. I can finally write. But how do I express all that my heart wants to say? How do I put into words the feelings of my heart?

Perhaps I can’t, but I must try.

With so many around me hurting and suffering, my heart yearns to help, to ease the pain, to “fix it.” But over my nearly forty years, I’ve learned that “fixing it” isn’t always the best solution for truly helping. Often going through the process, walking through the dark valley, brings us more blessing and growth than a quick fix.  Often, the struggle is the path to blessing..

But how do I convey that to my heart? My heart that longs to make everything alright again, my heart that so desperately wants to take the pain, anger, frustration and hurt away from those I love.

I can’t… but God can.

El Roi —

One of the names of God in the Old Testament.

It means– the God who sees.

He sees your pain, your anger, your frustration, your hurting heart. He knows what you’re going through and He’s right there with you. None of it catches Him by surprise. And He is still in complete control… even when your world seems so out of control.

And He loves you so deeply. He wants to hold your heart tightly while it slowly begins to mend and heal. He wants the pain or the situation to bring beautiful growth in you.

He will never force anyone to accept His love and comfort…  Yet He willingly offers it to any and all who need it.

Patiently waiting, He listens for our faint cries that we’ve had enough, that we just can’t do it on our own! He listens for the deep groaning, too deep for words, that flows directly from our hearts. When God hears those, He quickly gathers us into His mighty and powerful, yet gentle, arms. His strength and love flooding every fiber of our being.

We are safe.

We are loved… always and forever, no matter what!

Then the peace starts spreading through every part of us and our crazy situation.

Did our circumstances change? More than likely… not.

But our outlook does. We now have hope. We are safe and secure, no matter what comes our way. We know whatever we face, we don’t have to face it alone and we no longer need to be afraid of anything.

We are safe and loved in the arms of El Roi.

Categories
Just a Thought...

A Gift for My Mom

As I sat trying to contemplate what to give my sweet Mom (and Mother-in-love), who put up with me and love me always and forever… no matter what, I created a masterpiece. I didn’t fully intend for it to be a masterpiece, but evidently God had other plans! I simply wanted something beautiful that would reflect how I felt about my moms and the beauty I see in them.

So, what did I create? You’ll have to hold on for a few more paragraphs… tee hee…

First I want to tell you about my Mom! My mom is the kind of woman who managed to always have a clean house (still not sure how she did/does it and am trying to figure that one out) while caring for the entire world around her. Our friends were always welcome to partake in the abundance of goodies she readily had on hand and she was always on hand to lend a listening hear to those who needed one.

How do you get something for a mom like that? Well, since I don’t have the funds for things that she truly deserves… I had to be very creative. Naturally, I turned to my two strongest skills: photography and graphic design to attempt to find a solution. And find a solution I did! In fact, when I showed a few people to get their reactions and check to see if I was on the right track, they were so excited about the gift that they wanted to purchase some themselves. Well, why not?!

So my seasonal portraiture artwork card sets were born. Currently, I’ve only created a Spring set full of blossoms and sweet sayings. Additional sets are in the works for the near future and will be available for purchase. If you’re interested in purchasing a set for yourself or to give as a gift to someone you love, contact me. They are now in my storefront. Simply click on the image below to take you there…

It was so much fun to give these to my Mom (and Mother-in-love) especially when they loved receiving them as much as I enjoyed creating them!!

Happy Mother’s Day to you all!! Stacee

P.S. I realize that for many it’s a wonderful day filled with celebrating a special person who was and is vital to their life. But for so many others… it’s a hard day, even painful, a day remembering someone who’s gone on ahead or those wishing they had a mom or could be a mom.

My heart aches for those of you who are feeling loss on what should be a special day.

Wherever this day finds you… I want you to know you are loved exactly where you are.

If you don’t have a mom or child (even if you do)… perhaps you could consider finding a mom or child that you can bless in some way. Reaching out to bless others (even if it’s in secret) always has a way of healing and encouraging our own hearts.

Hugs to you all!

 

Categories
Contests & Giveaways Just a Thought...

Welcome Giveaway Winners!

Thank you to all of you who entered! You all make my heart smile! It was so much fun to hear what everyone would use the gift certificate for if they won!

I have been sooo excited since I posted about this giveaway! It’s been driving me crazy waiting to see which two people would win the two $100 gift certificates toward Stacee Taft Photography portraiture. Well, I know!!! Squee! And I’m pretty sure you’d like to know, too!!

So without further ado… the winners are:

Marci Hafer — $100 gift certificate toward Stacee Taft Photography portraiture

Jan Turner — $100 gift certificate toward Stacee Taft Photography portraiture

Congratulations! I can’t wait to have the privilege to photograph you and your family! I will be emailing you shortly with all the fun details and to find out what type of session you would like to put your gift certificate toward!

Thank you again to all of you who entered, tweeted, posted on your Facebook wall, shared on your blogs and left sweet comments along the way. You may think it a little thing, but it means a great deal to me!

Hope you all have a wonderful sleep and wake up well rested for Mother’s Day tomorrow!!

Categories
Glamour Just a Thought...

You are Beautiful!

With so much to share, it’s difficult to write just a single blog post. Yet today it’s clear what I want to share: the reason for my photography business.

When I first talk to people about what I do, they often assume, it’s ‘for the money.’ Of course, they aren’t being rude or disrespectful… they just haven’t heard my heart yet.

Originally, I created Stacee Taft Photography simply to capture beauty in the people and settings around me. However, I had not anticipated it capturing me… in a passion for people to see their own beauty.

I firmly believe that you are beautiful and I have the privilege of using my portraiture skills to prove it.

I don’t do this by transforming what you look like, but rather, how you view yourself.

This was my motivation for designing The Glamour Portraiture Experience. Geared mostly toward us moms who are worn out caring for those around us, with little time to recharge or pamper ourselves, this special session is designed to spoil you. My professional hairstylist and make-up artist helps bring out your best features and make you feel incredible. {Thankfully she uses waterproof mascara because most of us tear up when we realize we are so… beautiful.} Then comes the fun part, digitally capturing the moment… stylized to match your style and vision; we capture images that are tasteful enough to share with everyone while still stunning, fabulous and ah-maz-ing! The feedback I have gotten from my clients regarding these sessions makes me happy-cry. By the time they are viewing their images at their big reveal… they get it… they are beautiful! Mission accomplished.

These days we’re constantly bombarded with what beauty is supposed to be; enough so that most of us simply give up with a sigh and assume “beauty” is not attainable – for us. Well… I’m here to tell you, you ARE beautiful… and it has very little to do with what you look like!

Surprised to hear that coming from a professional photographer? Well, don’t be. I firmly believe that everyone is beautiful. I believe because we are created in the image of our Creator we are beautiful. Whether accentuated by physical features, character traits, a sparkle from within or a unique personality… everyone has something beautiful about them. And it’s my passion to stage and capture what makes you beautiful so you can appreciate your beauty.

My goal by the end of every session is for my clients to walk away feeling cherished and valuable… all while having a ton of fun capturing images they will enjoy for years to come.

I realize I get sort of crazy-passionate about this topic. But I want you to know — I mean really, really know — how meaningful you are! It matters so much to me that you believe you have worth and value. YOU matter that much to me…

Categories
Contests & Giveaways Just a Thought...

Welcome and a Giveaway!

Welcome!

Welcome!

Pinch me! {okay maybe not literally} After dreaming so long, I can hardly believe I have my own blog to share my life and business with all of you!

My overall purpose here is to glorify God — even with my blog. Sure, sharing portrait sessions, design projects, my heart, homeschool adventures, everyday life happenings, craft ideas and recipes are all part of why I have a blog, but… the main purpose of this blog is to glorify God through all of my posts.

A big thank you to my dear friend, Lindsey Fratto for helping me build it! With everything I have on my plate, this would not be here without her help! For her patience with me through this process, I am grateful!

So many of you have supported me as I worked to get where I am today and have been so excitedly waiting for this blog to finally happen. Your continual words of encouragement and support mean the world to me!

Well… you can’t start something with this much awesomesauce and not have a giveaway, right!? RIGHT!

There will be two winners,
each receiving a $100 gift certificate
toward Stacee Taft Photography portraiture*.

Each person can have up to 5 entries (simply use the form below):

  1. Like my Facebook page {www.facebook.com/staceetaftphotography} – feel free to look around and say hi while you’re there.
  2. What type of session would you put your gift certificate toward? Baby portraiture, child portraiture, HS senior portraiture, family portraiture or The Glamour Portraiture Experience.
  3. Share the link to this giveaway on your Facebook page.
  4. Share the link to this giveaway on Twitter.
  5. Like this blog post.

{*FINE PRINT: Sorry to any my non-local readers, but this giveaway is just for locals or those who can travel to within 15 miles of Tualatin, 97062. Gift certificates have no cash value and are subject to availability. All regular session details apply.}

BONUS: Since I want you all to be a part the celebration… I’m offering a Gift Certificate sale. All gift certificates purchased from now until 5/12/12 are 20% off. Makes a great Mother’s Day (or Father’s Day) gift idea!

Simply go to www.StaceeTaftPhoto.storenvy.com and use the code BLOG12 when you check out. Just remember it expires at midnight on 5/12/2012, so head on over there right now.


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