Branching Out and a New Giveaway!

MadiLu Designs continues to grow, constantly looking for fresh ideas and new opportunities. You'll find us as a new advertiser on The Savvy Photographer. Whether you're a seasoned photographer or a beginner, this is a great site for inspiration and ideas. In fact, I was so excited to see that one of my clients recently won one of the photography contests. (More on that to come as soon as we wrap up her awesome logo and marketing kit)

What else … I submitted my first photo over at I Heart Faces. Check out Baby Jack below. What a cutie! This is a big step because I do not consider myself a photographer but so wanted to share this image. The MadiMoo and LittleLu Clubs continue to grow. October's albums are sure to rock … can't wait to send those out :) MadiLu Designs is also participating in MCP Actions workshop. Confused on how templates work? Take Jodie's online workshop and you'll realize how easy it is … plus you get a TON of rockin' cards and storyboards.

I just saw that there are only 91 days until Christmas. How crazy is that?? Let's do a fun giveaway. Leave a comment on this post about the holiday templates. Which one is your favorite? They each have a letter. I'd love to see what you like the best. Check them out here.

Random drawing for a winner will be held the evening of October 4, 2009. What do you get? One lucky winner will receive TWO sets of the holiday templates. Woo-hoo! Easy enough … just enter :)

i heart faces : blue

I spent yesterday with this guy. Meet Jack. He is the youngest son of my friend, Kristy. Kristy and I have been friends since we were three. My house was her house. Her Barbies were my Barbies. I'm sure at some point I even tried to give her my little sister … she didn't take me up on that.

In April, Kristy lost her mom, Jane, to ovarian cancer. I am sad for my friend … Every. Single. Day. A small part of moving forward is finding great ways to remember or honor her mother. Yesterday we participated in a 5K Run/1 Mile Walk to benefit ovarian cancer research. I shouldn't say we … TeamJane had over 75 people there who love and support their family. We were the largest group there! We identified ourselves w/blue TeamJane shirts. I'd love to show the back of the shirt, but this is my I Heart Faces entry :) Everywhere you looked was a sea of blue. I snapped this of Baby Jack (b/c I have Big Jack). He might be too young to remember his grandma, but I know his mom will do as much as humanly possible to share her story so Jack will know how special she was.

MadiMoo Savings!

Special pricing for the MadiMoo Club … only $50 for yearly membership. Savings good through 9/25/09. Enjoy a collection of cards, storyboards and albums. Fresh ideas for your clients. Here's a sneak peek at what the other members received in September. Remember, when you join, you get all templates up to date. Membership runs June 1 through May 31 each year. Please email me for more information: kimdrury@gmail.com

*Senior image courtesy of Portrait Gallery.

Nine Nine Oh Nine

What a fun day! Just thought I'd share 9 random things with you. Some are business related, some personal and some just interesting.

1. Today is one of my best friend's wedding anniversary. Wouldn't you like to say you were celebrating 9 years on 9/9/09? Kristy is an awesome friend. We've known each other since we were three. In April, she lost her mother to ovarian cancer. I still cry about it. I cry for my friend and I've realized how fast life goes by. We're running for TeamJane on September 27 in St. Louis. It's a 5K run … I'm not prepared, but I know I can do it … for Kristy, for Jane and for my aunt, another person lost to ovarian cancer.

2. I enjoy reading blogs when I have time. I met Jodie at a NILMDTS meeting. She's such a nice person and I love her writing. It's so real. Check out Fresh Art Photography here. Jodie and Kim are doing amazing things with newborn and family shoots.

3. I LOVE doing custom design work. I'm currently working on custom marketing sets. I enjoy working with each photographer to show their style. Basically everyone has the same job, but the styles and possibilities to express what they are doing are endless. Super fun. I'll be post samples soon so you can see what we've come up with!

4. I had to include a picture with the post. We had family pics when we were on vacation in August. Pam and Lance of Oh Look! Photography were so much fun to work with. Showing off one of our crazy bunch! Thank you Pam :) My mom secretly wanted all of us to wear white and khaki and my sister and I wouldn't participate. Sorry … we don't dress like that in real life. It's beautiful for some … it's just not "us".

5. Many of you commented on or purchased the album I made to celebrate Ava Rosemeyer's birthday. A donation is being made to Paradise Kids in Ava's name. It's not too late to scoop one up if you're interested. If you held a tea party that day, this is the PERFECT album to display those images. One mom emailed me how much she loved it when she was finished putting in her daughter's images. Hooray!!

6. I've been on the Pink Ink design team for almost 7 months. If you're looking for great marketing templates, album pages, overlays, textures and more, head over to Pink Ink. We've kicked off September with new products and posts. Join the forum … it's free and always a great place to get advice. Hats off to Holly for all of her hard work. If you're a senior in St. Louis, check out her work … magnificent!

7. Today I took Sam and Lucy for their "well" check-ups. Always nice to go to the doctor when you aren't sick. We dropped off a ton of books. It's great to have something to read when you're waiting with kids in a 10x10 room. The books are part of Eliza's Library. Eliza is our friend in Utah. Her mom has got to be one of the best mom's ever. Please read more about Eliza's Library and if you have extra new or gently used books, they've LOVE to have them.

8. I have a NINE year old son, Jackson. He is the sweetest. kid. ever. His teacher emailed me the other day how much she enjoyed having him in class. It doesn't take much to persuade me, but that definitely called for an ice cream celebration!

9. Christmas is coming … yikes … I know! Lots of fun holiday templates available. Designs are shown here. What better way to end my Nine Nine Oh Nine post than with a deal? Choose any three templates for … you guessed it … nine dollars. You can email me the letters of the design you like and I'll happily send your direction. Woo hoo! (valid through 9/19/09)

Ooh La La …

Vanessa and I just wrapped up a gorgeous marketing set for her studio, Ooh La La Photography. She wanted something to match her logo … something beautiful, something shabby, yet chic. Does this not make you say, "Ooh La La"?? Pleasure working with you, Vanessa. Hoping great things come to you and your photography business.

(Funny story … I have another Vanessa whom I think the world of. This is for Vanessa from the States. Both lovely women … must be the fabulous name!)

Random Bits …

Just a little post to say that we've returned from our family vacation and I'm in the process of getting caught up with everything. It was very, very hard to come home. I believe I'm a beach girl at heart. I also didn't realize how much I needed a vacation. It was wonderful to be able to spend time with the kids and my family, just sitting on the beach and soaking up the sun. My mom also taught me to play Canasta which was a lot of fun once I got the hang of it! We also had beach pics taken … so excited to see those. I rented a wide angle lens and realized I'm much more comfortable with my prime. Besides, I get better exercise. I also noticed that my children rarely look when I take their picture. I may be the queen of the walking away shots.

What's in store for MadiLu Designs? I'm working on new products, don't forget to order your holiday cards, remember that August is a special month for Ava Rosemeyer and you can purchase her Superprincess album with all proceeds going to charity. It's wonderful to see how many lives she's touched. Thank you to all who have participated. There have even been some who have been generous enough to buy for others … I love working with such thoughtful people.

I've got new marketing sets in the works and am working on custom sets. How I love custom marketing sets! I enjoy showing off the unique style of each and every photographer I work with.

I'm finishing up a new website for MadiLu … hoping to make the products more visible and simplify the ordering process. I'll share as soon as that is up. I think that's it … better go start making sure the backpacks are organized for tomorrow … wishing summer would never end.

For the Superprincess …

It's funny how life will take you on unexpected journeys. I'm a full-time designer, but about a year ago I was involved in a photography workshop that instantly changed me at the core. I was fortunate enough to participate in a workshop taught by Sheye Rosemeyer. Sheye's an amazing, actually more than amazing, natural light photographer. Her keen eye, subtle images and style of processing warm my heart. When her children are adults, they're going to be able to look back and have a wonderful collection of images that truly tell their life's story. How lucky are they?

If you visit Sheye's blog, you're going to read about her Superprincess … Miss Ava. Be prepared to shed many tears. I think everyone who participated in Sheye's workshops feels a personal connection to both Sheye and Ava.

This month (August 22) marks Ava's birthday. To honor the Superprincess, I've created a 5x5 album … all girly … all things pink … perfect for images of your princess. All proceeds from this album will be donated to Paradise Kids in Ava's memory. The album sells for $10 (US) and is made up of 10 pages, fitting WHCC specs. If interested, please send payment to Paypal: kimdrury@bloomsdale.net.

Thank you for celebrating Ava's beautiful journey. Thank you Sheye … for everything.