While browsing online for some fun creative things to do with my son, I came across so many wonderful ideas that I just had to share with all of you.  There are so many ways to tell someone you love them without buying a pound of chocolates.  Though chocolates are always appreciated! 

Have fun!

Say ‘I Love You’ with Candy

Use purchased candy bars as a starting point. Personalize them with wrappers you can make yourself with scrapbook papers, ribbons, buttons, beads, and stickers. You can use decorative-edge scissors to create fancy details, and cut out embellishments to top them off. Sew a red button on one and tie it up with string.

Cute Card Kit

Planning a Valentine’s Day Party for kids.  Why note let the kids make these adorable card kits that they can assemble themselves at a party. Place a sheet with instructions plus all supplies needed for each child to make a card. In each kit, you’ll want to include a pink or red crayon, about 18” of  red ribbon, a red brad, a piece of white cardstock (folded and cut to a standard size), a piece of pink cardstock to layer on top of the white folded piece, and a cutout heart shape. To add some 3D effect to the Valentine, include some foam adhesive squares so the heart can have dimension. Place all the supplies in small plastic bags. The kids will have a blast creating these cute little cards.

Cup of Love

You’re kids love art.  I know I have many art pieces from my kids.  Why not share their creativity with loved ones by creating personalized coffee mugs. All you need is your computer and some transfer paper, to make one of a kind art pieces from a child’s own artwork.  Click here to get the directions:  http://www.bhg.com/crafts/kids/craft-a-gift/personalize-a-mug/

I Love You Notes Jar

I did something similar to this several years ago for my sweet heart.  Make a jar of love notes for that special someone. On pieces of pretty patterned paper, jot down things you love about that person or special memories you’ve had together. Make a handwritten label to adhere to the front and tie it all up with a bow.

Quick I Love You Gift

Need a last minute quick gift?  Try this recycled bottle project. Wrap a tall jar in patterned paper and add chipboard letters to spell out "for you." Layer pink buttons and wire them together to form small flowers for your bouquet. Fill the jar with some sweet treats, twist the finished flowers together, and insert them into the jar. Finish with a pretty bow.

Cute Heart Frame

This is a great idea for dressing up a rather plain picture frame.  Paint a ready-made frame with a few layers of spray paint. After the paint is dry, lightly sand the edges for a worn look. Paint wooden hearts red and a darker shade of pink. Drill two small holes for wire to be threaded through. Shape wire into curlicues, and glue the hearts to the frame.

Heart Bookmark

The gift of books is made extra special with a handmade bookmark. To make this bookmark, cut a rectangle from cream-color wool felt and trace a heart on the back; cut out the shape with scissors or a heart-shape punch. Glue the bookmark onto red wool felt and trim the edges with scalloped-edge scissors. For the stitched bookmark, use disappearing ink to mark stitches and then stitch along the lines using embroidery floss. Cut or punch a heart from red felt, and glue it on the front.

Gifts From the Heart

Dreading the Valentine Exchange at school.  Here’s a super simple craft you and your child can do together to make in multiples.  Cut a heart shape from construction paper. Using double-stick tape, fasten a photo in the middle of the heart. Punch a hole at each side of the heart and slide a pencil through them. Super easy and fun to make.

Blooming Valentine Pots

Show your friends and family how much you love them by making this sweet gift.  http://www.bhg.com/holidays/valentines-day/crafts/blooming-valentine-pots/

Secret Messages

Cut hearts from white paper and write love notes on them with a white crayon, then hide your hearts in strategic morning locations. Place a box of watercolors at the breakfast table, and brush paint over the hearts to reveal the messages.

When I was looking for a Non-Profit Charity to Partner with for my Operation Valentine Promotion, I envisioned helping a Military Charity.  Think about it, you hear and see the word “Operation” in front of something, your mind automatically goes to military.   But I also wanted to help raise funds for a local charity as well considering I live in the Morongo Basin, home to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) located in 29 Palms .  After doing some research through Charity Navigator I discovered Homes For Our Troops.  They are a National Charity that has helped several families in California.

The easiest way to tell you about Homes For Our Troops is with one of their 147 videos they have featured on YouTube.

I am a firm believer in supporting our military and their families.  Look at all the sacrifices these men and women have made!  It’s the least we can do to pay them pay for all they have done for the United States of America.  My Goal with Operation Valentine this year was to make a donation of $300.  So if you are local, there is still time to schedule your Operation Valentine Session.  $25 of every Session Fee paid is being donated to Homes For Our Troops. 

Within China, customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely based on the various regions in China.  People will spend their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing, much like we do here in the United States for Christmas. It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red color paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity".

19th Century Dragon, Photo Credit Wikipedia

This year the Chinese are celebrating the “Year of the Dragon.”  The Dragon, is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac and Mongolian zodiac related to the Chinese calendar and Mongolian calendar, and the only animal that is legendary. The Year of the Dragon is associated with the earthly branch symbol 辰 and is considered the luckiest year in the Chinese Zodiac.

If you’re a homeschooler like myself, its days like today that give us the opportunity to teach our children how different cultures celebrate different holidays.  So here are some fun crafts and treats that you can share with your children this

Celebrate the year of the Dragon with these fun crafts and treats! Perfect to share with your little ones.

Thumbprint Dragons

All you need is a few colorful inkpads and blank paper. Embellish with a pen to add eyes, ears, legs and a pointy tail!

http://funhandprintart.blogspot.com/…nt-dragon.html

Egg Carton Dragon

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/egg…ese_dragon.htm

Colorful Fortune Cookies!

Yummy and fun to make your own fortunes too.

http://diyweddingplanning.blogspot.c…l#.TsbN4j3NmN4

Paper Lanterns

http://crafts.kaboose.com/lantern1.html

Happy Chinese New Year! Don’t forget to wear something RED for good luck!

Then I ran into an old friend from when I worked for the Sheriff’s Department.  It was great getting caught up with Bianca.  And then CJ’s stomach took over and lead me to where the food was. 

Also made a new friend as well.  And we have more than photography in common.  Her name was Patricia.  I tell you, there are many Patricia’s in this world.    This Patricia prefers to go by Pat, and she is currently the President of a local artists group called Chaparral Artists. 

CJ and I didn’t stay but an hour at the Opening.  You know how kids are, short attention span for boring stuff.  And to be honest, I was ready to go crawl into bed.  It was an honor though to see one of my images hanging in a public place for all the world to see and to talk with guests there about how I created my night image.  But to be honest, I prefer seeing tears in the eyes of my clients when they first see their images.  That means more to me than anything else.

And I can’t celebrate a moment like this without a picture.  So here’s one from my cell phone…

I am pleased to announce that I will be hosting a classic Pin Up-style Valentine Portrait Mini Sessions to benefit Homes For Our Troops the first Saturday in February. I will be offering Valentine Portrait Mini Session for $40 on Saturday, February 4th from 10am to 4pm at my Studio in Yucca Valley, with $25 of every Session Fee will be donated to Homes For Our Troops.

Homes For Our Troops is a a national non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2004. They have been helping those who have selflessly given to our country and have returned home with serious disabilities and injuries by raising donations of money, building materials and professional labor and to coordinate the process of building a home that provides maximum freedom of movement and the ability to live more independently.  The homes provided by Homes for Our Troops are given at NO COST to the Veterans who have served our country.  Four missions alone have been completed in California with 2 more in progress in Hanford and Corona.  You can read more about these stories of military families who have been helped by Homes For Our Troops and many others on their website.

I have also partnered up with Tanya of Hair & Makeup by Tanya Marie to offer hair and makeup services for this event.  She is currently a Hair Stylist at the Bourbon Street Hair Studio here in Yucca Valley.  And I can tell you she does beautiful work.  This past Saturday we got together with some Models so that I could create some images for the marketing materials for this event.  I think the images speak for themselves and we had such a blast.  And you will too!

So, not only will you be supporting a worthy cause when you book a Mini-Session, you will also receive a custom designed valentine postcard that you can download and send to the one you love. I will also have Specially Priced Print Packages available for this event so you can give your loved one a beautiful print to frame. 

There are only 12 appointments available and they are sure to fill up fast. Call to reserve one today! (760) 218-9714 or email me at patty@pkphotography.us

Saturday night is the Opening Reception for the Joshua Tree National Park 75^th Anniversary Photo Contest Exhibition.  And one of my images is going to be on display.  My very first Exhibit actually.  I’m really excited! 

The Exhibit is being sponsored by the Joshua Tree National Park Association in the Visitor’s Center in Joshua Tree and the Reception begins at 5pm till 7pm.  Over 40 of the photographers who participated in the contest are featured in the exhibition, which showcases their passion and personal vision of Joshua Tree, including my friend Raini Armstrong who actually made it into the Top 3. 

So if you are local to the area, I hope you will come on out for the Opening Reception Saturday Evening.  And if you can’t make it then, I suggest you plan a trip out to the desert to experience Joshua Tree National Park for yourself (and take advantage of the cooler temperatures) and swing by the Visitor’s Center why you’re at it.

And remember….

Celebrate Life and Capture It!

Patricia Knight

Sizes

8×12 Mounted Print $33.12 USD 10×15 Mounted Print $48.63 USD 16×24 Mounted Print $128.79 USD

If you are not familiar with Dane Sanders or Fast Track Photographer, Dane Sanders is the author of Fast Track Photographer: Leverage Your Unique Strengths for a More Successful Photography Business as well as The Fast Track Photographer Business Plan: Build a Successful Photography Venture from the Ground Up – both published by Random House.  I first met Dane while attending the Inaugural Cypress College Photography Expo in April 2010.  He was one of the speakers along with Jasmine Star, Jeff Jochum and Becker to name a few.  While sitting in Dane’s lecture, I was moved to tears by his story, which is similar to my own reason for getting involved with photography.  Meeting Dane and reading his first book, Fast Track Photographer, has had a huge impact on my photography career. 

Anyways, back to the Conference I attended last week…

I whole-heartedly agree with the first part of that statement.  “Life is not fair!”  Life has taught me that on more than one occasion.  Even at a young age, when life handed me lemons, I figured out a way to make lemonade.  And then you look at the second part of that statement, “Its what you negotiate.”  I have to say at first I was stumped.  I was thinking to myself, “What the heck is Dane talking about when he says negotiate?”  My interpretation was, “Negotiate equals how I navigate my way through my life.” 

Little did I realize at the time that I was going to learn the art of negotiating and how to apply those tools to my life and more importantly my photography business.  And there is an art to negotiating.  I wish I had learned some of these skills years ago before my daughter hit the “teenage years.”

Some of the things we worked on is how to manager ourselves during a negotiation and how my behavior can affect the outcome of the negotiation. Mindset, mindset, mindset.  I learned how to engage others and build trust.  Engaging others has not always been one of my stronger skills until I became a photographer.  Being a photographer has forced me out of my shell.  And the last skill we developed is how to integrate resources into our negotiation to make sure that the interests of all parties sitting at the negotiation table are met.  Not always an easy thing to do.  The key factor here is to do your homework before coming to the negotiation table.

There was more to this Leadership Conference than just learning the art of negotiation.  There was the food.  If you happen to follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you may have seen the images I was posting as we dined at various locations in and around Newport Beach. 

Tuesday night we got together at a restaurant in Fashion Island called True Food Kitchen.  If you are looking to eat healthy this year, this is a great place to start.  I savored every bite of my meal, especially my dessert.  Flourless Chocolate Cake in a caramel source topped with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.  It was divine!  Wednesday for lunch I was introduced to a place called Chipotle.  I love mexican food and their tacos are yummy.  Later that night we got together at a place called Gulfstream for Happy Hour.  And then we sought out a place called The Sidedoor for dinner.  While the service has plenty of room for improvement, their Mac-n-cheese is to die for.  I’ve never had it so good! 

The food was not the only thing I enjoyed while in Orange County.  I miss the beach!  You see, I grew up in Orange County.  I lived in Anaheim but whenever I got the chance I would head for the beach.  I can recall a few times I rode my beach cruiser from my home to Newport Beach Pier, like 26 miles one way.  So first thing Wednesday morning, I got up early and headed to the beach, which fortunately for me, my parents live 1/10 of a mile away.  I was seriously making all my friends back home jealous with all the photos I was posting online.  It was indeed a beautiful day on the beach.  The one thing I do not miss about Orange County is the traffic.  Thursday night I made my way to Fullerton from Newport Beach and it took forever.

And with that, I bring this post to a close.  Thank you for walking along with me as my journey as a professional photographer continues. 

Not exactly the first thing you want to do in 2012.  I remember well.  My daughter just graduated in June 2011 and I remember her preparing for this exam.  Fortunately she is self motivated to study on her own (so proud of her).  But I know not everyone is self-motivated.  So here are a few easy tips and tricks to help you ace those college entrance exams.

PREPARATION

• Use Collegeboard.org’s SAT daily question email to get one sample test question in your inbox every day. It’s a simple, less overwhelming way to get your brain warmed up for the real thing. It’s also available as an iPhone app!  http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice…ion-of-the-day
• Speaking of iPhones. If you have one, there are a slew of Apps to help you prepare for the exam.  You can find it here in the App Market.
• Take a test prep class. Kaplan offers courses that are tailored to the SAT or the ACT. Check out their website: http://www.kaptest.com/College/SAT/index.html
• Use a tutor to help you target your weakest subject.
• If you’re a gamer, there is also a Game you can purchase for your Nintendo Game Systems called “My SAT Coach” to help you prepare for this exam.  I actually purchased this one for my daughter.

TESTING

• Make sure you bring a watch, and don’t linger on one question longer than two or three minutes.
• Answer the easier questions first and go back to answer the hard ones last. • Use the process of elimination to give yourself better odds on each question. If you know two answers aren’t right, that gives you a 50% chance of getting the right answer instead of only 25%.
• If you have to guess, the answer with the most information is usually correct.
• Never leave an answer blank. You should at least guess one of the options, because leaving it blank guarantees that you get it wrong.
• If you read the question and come up with the answer before reading the multiple choice options, this will help you avoid getting confused by “all of the above” or “none of the above” type of situations.
• Trust your first instinct—it’s usually correct!

Happy Testing!

A time for New Beginnings and a New Look for PK Photography. While I loved my old look with the cute moon and clouds, I felt it was limiting me. Let’s face it, when you saw my logo, you probably immediately thought babies and small children. And while I love photographing children, I do more than that. And so the search within myself began as to where I wanted to take my business. I scoured the Internet for stuff I loved and pulled it all together on Pinterest. I saw a color palette start to emerge from the images. I started looking at logos. Discovered what I don’t like and that’s when my logo began to take shape. So here are just a few of the changes I’ve made to begin 2012.

The new logo:

My new Cover Story on my Facebook Page:

The Profile Picture on my Facebook FanPage:

And last but not least, my new Website:

I would love to hear your Feedback on the new direction of PK Photography.  So if you have a few moments, you can click on any of the images above to check it out and let me know what you think.  You can leave our comments here, on Facebook or even send me an email.

Here’s to 2012!  Wishing all of you much happiness in 2012, a year of good health, and success in all you do!

Celebrate Life and Capture It!

Patricia Knight