On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me. . .

. . . the most adorable ornament from Hint of Whimsy!

That’s right whimsies, this year we’re offering a few extra special products to spread holiday cheer! Whether you’re shopping for yourself or for your friends and family – we have some picture-perfect ideas and we’ll be showcasing them all tomorrow at our annual Holiday Open House & Vendor Show!

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Spread holiday cheer with limited edition handmade holiday ornaments! Celebrate the season for all the right reasons with mini accordion booklets { perfect gifts for moms & grandparents! } And ring in the New Year with custom iPhone cases or phone skins!

You won’t want to miss out – swing by tomorrow, November 17th from 1-5PM! 

#itselevenandthingsarehappening

I’m a night owl, I just can’t help myself! It seems like every evening, I start winding down for the day and quickly realize all of the things I didn’t get accomplished yet! So off I go. . . placing orders, finalizing projects, blogging, backing up data, replying to emails, finishing quarterlies, starting new projects, searching for product packaging. . . and on, and on, and on.

It’s typically late at night when Ashley & I create the most amazing hashtags. #itselevenandthingsarehappening And when we develop the best ideas. And when we realize that the best ideas we’re creating are actually adding about 15 more things to our never ending to-do list.

So. To share with you the crazy Whimsy schedule in which we function, Ashley & I have decided to give ourselves one extra task this Holiday Season. From November 1st-January 1st, we have begun tallying. In January we will share with you some interesting Hint of Whimsy statistics. We’ll then give you some insight into:

  • How many cups of coffee it took to keep us awake through the holiday season
  • How many nights we each were up past midnight
  • How many take out dinners we were forced to order for our families
  • How many emails we sent
  • How many photos were edited
  • How many Christmas Cards were created
  • How many times the UPS man rang our doorbell

We assure that when we deliver the final infographic, you’ll gain some lovely insight into the lives of Whimsy!

 

Guest Blogger: Meet Miss Molly! { Hint of Whimsy intern! }

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First off, let me introduce myself! My name is Molly Guy, previously Molly Kvigne! I recently married my best friend, Mitch, a little under a month ago! I am an Art student at Minot State University and will be graduating this December { Finally! }. My goal is to one day start my very own photography business in Minot, with my dream to open a studio in California.

Part of the criteria for my Bachelors Degree is to complete two internship credits, totally 120 hours! Being a full time student and working part time as well, has proved this to be a task and a half. Luckily, Ashley and Aaron have been extremely helpful in trying to squeeze in hours whenever I am available. { They are two awesome ladies, huh?! }

In the hours I have logged so far, I have learned and experienced so much. The internship requirement offers hands-on experience that the other required classes do not. During the sessions I’ve been a part of, I have been mostly quiet in hopes of soaking in all the experience I can. Up to this point in my education, the focus has been on how I take images, how to improve, and to find my style. Working with Hint of Whimsy, I have been able to gain hands on experiences in the area of starting and having a successful professional photography business in the real world, rather than just in theory.

I have learned so much from the Whimsies and the families we’ve worked with so far and can’t wait to learn more. I hope to one day have such a wonderful and fun client base as all the Whimsy families!

- { molly }  

 

The Fred Five - Helping someone { little } make a { BIG } difference!

Hint of Whimsy is primarily a photography studio, though we do dabble in design projects here and there. And every once & a while, an opportunity crosses our path that we just can’t turn down.

A few months ago, my high school chemistry teacher contacted me in regards to creating a logo for a 5K run she was organizing called The Fred Five. The run was in memory of her sweet boy, Fred, who the family had lost to a liver disease called Neonatal Hemochromatosis. Proceeds from The Fred Five would benefit NH research in hopes of curing the disease.

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She was looking for a simple logo to use for t-shirts and fliers. We ended up with something like this:

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We sent off the final logo and eagerly waited for September 28th to roll around. It wasn’t until a few days later that we received the final tallies. 150 runners of all ages participated in the event and penny by penny, the Boeshans family was able to raise over $13,000!

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Our hearts were warm that evening, knowing we helped someone so { little } make such a { big } difference! Happy 10th Birthday Fred! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of something so wonderful!

Learn more about The Fred Five at: http://www.thefredfive.com/

Take a little stroll down Whimsy lane...

Next time you drive by Hint of Whimsy in the Renaissance Center downtown, you might notice a little somethin’ different! Nope, not a new haircut or a new pair of kicks. . .

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We actually added a little vinyl to the shop! We’ve added some scallops and some teal to brighten up 3rd Street! Our six panes of glass are no longer bare and we could not be happier with the finished product! (Shout out to Craig at Signs2Day for making this lovely project happen!)

If you happen to walk by on your way to Ebeneezers, be sure to peak in and see what we’re up to! If you give us a thumbs up we’ll know you like the window-facelift too!

Hint of Whimsy – We’re not going anywhere!

It turns out that a series of events has caused a little buzz in the Whimsy community! First we decided to discontinue hosting parties and shortly after we put up a Facebook Garage Sale to sell many of our props (including our big party table! ) Almost immediately we started getting questions about the status of Hint of Whimsy… and we wanted to clear it all up!

Hint of Whimsy isn’t going anywhere folks! In fact, we’re here to stay!

At Hint of Whimsy, we like to give each client a unique and custom session – we try not to use the same props over and over and we even constantly scout out new locations for shoots so that no family portrait looks the same! This simply means we shop a lot for the perfect props and that we are in a constant battle with STUFF! Unfortunately… we’re also quickly running out of places to hide things!

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So worry not, we’re not going anywhere. If you see a cute blanket, quirky prop or piece of furniture for sale on Facebook. . . don’t worry that Hint of Whimsy is closing, we’re just trying to thin out our prop closet to make room for the newest finds!

That being said, be on the lookout for cute new items used in our fall & winter family portraits!

We Won’t Say the “S” Word!

Although you won’t admit it, we know you’ve all noticed the slight shift in the air as you head to work in the morning or say goodnight to your littles in the evening… but don’t worry, we won’t say the “s” word.

Of course you won’t admit it, but we know you’ve all smelled the scents of the Pumpkin Spice Latte and tried to ignore the Christmas décor start to fill the shelves… but don’t worry, we won’t say the “s” word.

And let’s be realistic… many of you haven’t even started to think about Halloween costumes!

We’re with ya – it feels like summer just got here! Unfortunately, we have to give everyone a friendly nudge… “it” is right around the corner. You know… the “s” word.

So, if you haven’t scheduled your family portraits, engagement pictures, newborn session, etcetera, etcetera and you adore the whimsical pictures we post with dewy green grass and sun kissed tree tops…

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Well, the days of sessions like these are limited. The chilly nights will soon turn the leaves and the grass will start to fade. Though—some of us prefer the pale landscape and crisp air…

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And although nobody likes that “s” word… waiting until November or December when the fluffy stuff flies isn’t always a BAD thing!

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We love all of nature’s backdrops! But consider this your friendly reminder to take a moment to consider which is YOUR favorite time of year and get your session booked today! 

Sometimes, we get peed on!

On a weekly basis we are blessed to spend time with families, couples, new parents, long time parents, fiancés, blushing brides and all sorts of other whimsies – each coming to us with a preconceived idea of how the session might progress. Parents always hope for the best behavior from their children, brides hope they have rehearsed the perfect smile and families hope we just capture everyone looking at the camera. The one thing nobody expects in their photo session is an “oops!” an awkward moment, or heaven forbid . . . and embarrassing one!

But the reality is. . . sometimes, we do get peed on!

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So this post is just to reassure you. We’ve seen it all. Bowel movements, temper tantrums, and even once and a while a tense moment between a husband and wife. But understand this, Whimsies are humans too! Our personal photo sessions go the same way. If you schedule a session with us and something doesn’t go just quite right . . . don’t apologize! We understand mistakes! We aren’t judging you, but rather waiting for the air to clear, the romance to return, the comedic relief and the whimsy to capture of your everyday life.

The { Party Room } has closed, but our party is never over!

After much debate, Hint of Whimsy has officially made the very difficult decision to remove “party planning” from our long list of can-do’s!  

Don’t get us wrong, we love to party! Whimsy momma’s have ooed & awed over the various birthday bashes we’ve hosted and we’ve received nothing but rave reviews. Unfortunately, it seems as though what we could offer didn’t quite fit the need in the community.

The parties will cease, but the pinning will not! Continue to find cutsie party ideas on our Pinterest boards! We will officially begin focusing on strictly photography and design, effective today!

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DIY Props & Other Cute Things

Hint of Whimsy loves to dabble in the details! Whether you love camping with your sweetheart, flying kites with your kiddos, enjoying a romantic picnic at the park or just simply playing pretend– we love to incorporate DIY props and other cute things with all types of sessions!

Check out our newest Whimsy, Becket, donned in his favorite “outfit!” His momma contacted us a few weeks prior to their family session and filled us in on Becket's obsession with playing superman! We offered to create a cute & custom cape/mask combo and he had a blast!

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DIY mask & capes made by yours truly!

Wanting to incorporate DIY props or other cute things in your upcoming session? Let us know & we’ll whip up some whimsy wonder!   Don't have any specific ideas in mind but still love the stylized look? We'd be happy to chat about possibilities! We whimsies have a never-ending wish list of great stylized session ideas!

Day in the Life. . .

A Day in the Life of Whimsy: Ashley (as seen through the eyes of Aaron) spends a lot of time chasing after one furry and energetic pup as well as interpreting smiles, babbles and shrieks of her (also busy) almost two year old! Aaron works full time at Minot State! She is always busy keeping students busy with daytime and evening events like comedians, craft nights, dances and bingo!

Though Ashley and I have very different lifestyles, one thing is for certain: we’re both busy, being busy! Between diaper changes, full-time jobs, website facelifts, running households and { still} fitting in quality family time. . . we spend a lot of time wondering if our whimsies lead similarly crazy lives! (We’re certain you must!)

We’d love to capture a snippet of your life—candid and natural, whether in your backyard, front porch, favorite park or in the middle of your living room! While we love our stylized shoots, every once in awhile we’ve found that children (and sometimes even dads!) are more eager to crack a smile for us in the comfort of their own environments, with their own toys and on their turf! (And sometimes even in their jammies!) We’ve got a keen eye to find ‘pretty’ in the ordinary—so don’t worry about cleaning your house or mowing your lawn.  

The best part?

Though October 31st, we’re offering a summer sale, Mini Sessions for $185. Wives, bribe your husbands! Grandmas, sweet talk your grandkids! Sisters, borrow a cute top and puppies, come along for the ride! All families, big and small are welcome!

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Well, hello again world wide web!

Ashley & I may be good at a lot of things but the world wide web is NOT one of them! One year ago we eagerly uploaded our first Wordpress blog! We blogged (irregularly!) for approximately four months and were forced into 'under construction' status by never ending spam! The spammers won that battle but we’re ready to give it another shot with this dandy website!

So take a gander! Your feedback is welcome – drop us a note, ring us, or even knock on our door. . . let us know what you like or dislike! But one thing is for sure. . . we’re back for good Internet, and nothing you can do will stop us!

- aaron

PS -- HUGE thanks go out to Miss Amanda Francis for being so patient with us in the first go around and to Mr. Trey Welstad for being the master of the internets and helping us with domains and DNSs and all other jargon associated with the world wide web.  { THANKYOU! }