 Choosing artwork you wish to surround and inspire you every single day is personal. YOU are the perfect art. Art is supposed to make you feel something and wall art brings life to your home. “She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.” The 9-Up format is one of the most iconic ways to showcase portraits. Think Liv Tyler in the issue of Harper's Bazaar and Marilyn Monroe wearing that classic black turtleneck.
The 9-Up is the perfect combination between a single statement piece in your home and the dynamism of an album, showcasing multiple images. It displays like frames in a movie, giving life to your home. It helps you express your different attributes. Every woman plays multiple roles. She is the matriarch, a daughter, wife, CEO, caregiver, mother. A 9UP conveys that. The 9UP is the luxury version of the old school photo booth strip. Show laughter, your serious side, a goofy face, a sexy pout, a genuine smile, or simply show a variety of dynamic poses from your photoshoot experience.
The 9UP is 9 5x7 prints in a 27.5 x 31.5 archival certified mat. Choose a custom frame to match your home decor. Compliment your folio box with a 9UP Wall Art.   I have been researching for almost a year for a folio box that was the quality and aesthetic that fit my luxury outdoor photography and studio brand. The natural Walnut wood is what sold it for me. It perfectly compliments both your outdoor boudoir portraits and studio portraits. The most common products that I sell are wall art and albums. Everyone is familiar with an album, but not many people know what a folio box is. Short for portfolio box, a folio or “deconstructed album” is a box that stores and displays individual prints. This particular folio box features top quality and sustainably sourced American Walnut with an unbreakable tempered glass window in the lid. There is a reason why #printyourphotos is a viral statement on social media. We live in a digital age where sadly most of our photos die on a hard drive. This is the beauty of allowing your photographer to professionally and safely print your photos. They are matted using professional Archival board, which conforms to the Fine Art Guild requirements for Conservation. The goal of your portraits is to leave a legacy. They are meant to be treasured and passed down through generations. Each matted print is stored inside, but the box works even when empty. The hero image fits perfectly framed in the lid. It can also be easily changed. Display it on a shelf or tabletop. It is designed with a soft close hinge and liner, protecting your precious portraits. Even though I am partial to the natural walnut colored wood. You can customize to properly showcase your images in a white, black, or natural walnut finish with the choice or white, ivory, or black mats. I cannot wait for you to hold this in your hands! FEATURES
 Choose the natural Walnut finish with black Archival mats to beautifully compliment your black and white portraits. Display your photos horizontally on a shelf or tabletop  Choose the natural Walnut finish with Archival crisp white mats. Your photos can be displayed vertically on a shelf or tabletop.  Your photos are matted using professional Archival board, which conforms to the Fine Art Guild requirements for Conservation. Your portraits will leave a legacy. They are meant to be treasured and passed down through generations.  YOUR BOX GROWS WITH YOUYour box can also grow with you. Come back every year to update your portraits and fill your box with additional matted prints. Perfect for maternity and motherhood photography sessions.   For that fresh dewy look it is all about the skin prep! Whether you are wearing a full face of glam or going natural, following these tips will make you glow! Before we get into the following tips I want you to start to… Moisturize. Moisturize. Moisturize. This is key to building a great foundation for your makeup to sit on. Make sure you are hydrating and drinking plenty of water in the weeks leading up to your photo session. Avoid high fat, salt, and greasy foods. Try to stay out of direct sunlight if possible to avoid sunburn and dry skin. FOR ACNE: If you have pimples I LOVE using Mighty Patch. Start using them right when you see a pimple. They have patches for pimples that have already come to a head and those lingering under the skin. These patches pull all the gunk out and help heal pimples faster.  ...but if you are tired here is what you can do to help!
The day of your photoshoot. Before you start your skin prep and makeup NOW would be the time to lose the bra, underwear, and hair tie from your wrist so any imprints will disappear prior to your shoot! Wear a loose button down shirt or robe while doing your skin prep and getting your makeup done. Now onto the glow… I wish I could take credit for this genius routine, but I learned my skin prep from Makeup By Kelli Anne. Ever since I started implementing her routine my skin texture has improved, fine lines have plumped out, and I am never dry. She has a great skin prep highlight on her Instagram that you can follow and she also teaches it in the Skin Prep by Type on her new education platform. You can subscribe to her platform for only $12.99 per month and have access to the skin prep video and hundreds of others to create the perfect look for your photoshoot! No commitment necessary. Subscribe and cancel at any time. She teaches: it is all about the layers. Instead of slapping on a highlighter at the end of your makeup routine it is all about the layers! Each one of these layers will shine through creating a dewy glowy look under your makeup. HERE ARE THE 6 LAYERS TO CREATING GLOWY SKIN:
Now it is time for your makeup! If you are doing your own makeup I HIGHLY recommend subscribing to Makeup by Kelli Anne. Only $12.99 per month. Subscribe and cancel at any time. I do not get any sort of commission for referring her. I just learned A LOT from her to prepare for my own maternity photoshoot. If you are hiring a hair and makeup artist make sure to do the above skin prep before your hired makeup session. Here is a list of professional hair and makeup referrals: https://www.makeupbymichellelanh.com/ https://www.hellobrittanyatx.com/ https://www.meganlopezmakeup.com/ https://www.sharonmariemakeup.com/ WANT SOME ADDED GLAM? I was HIT HARD by an Instagram Influencer with this brand of faux lashes, FlutterHabit. You apply them under the lash line and they will last up to 5 days! Give yourself plenty of time for first timer trial and error and apply them 1-2 days prior to your shoot. Make sure to check out their tutorial videos on their website and Instagram Stories, "Tips and Tricks" and "Application" for help! Questions to consider when doing your makeup: How is your skin? Oily, dry, or combo? Does your foundation start to cake from dryness or do you get greasy fast? Dewy or matte foundation? Dewy foundation is better for natural light and matte foundation is better for a studio shoot. These answers will help the makeup artist know the correct foundation to choose Let your makeup artist know that your makeup is for a boudoir shoot. Since you most likely be showing more skin your neck and chest foundation should match to give an even and streamline look. Make sure to blend your foundation, bronzer, blush, and contour down the neck, across the collarbone, and behind the ears for even and natural coverage. Do you normally contour your face? Do you prefer a dark lip or lip gloss? Do you like your eyes to pop? Start light with the application and build on that. How do you normally wear your hair? Do you curl toward or away from your face? Do you like a beachy wave? Do you prefer straight hair? Where do you normally part your hair?  Interviewing Brittany felt like chatting with an old friend. When I think of a chiropractor a stuffy old man in a white coat comes to mind and certainly not the welcoming demeanor of a modern tattooed woman with gorgeous red hair and a nose ring. This woman is not only a wealth of knowledge but her fast Chicago talk and empathetic nature will make you feel at ease upon meeting her. While Dr. Brittany nerds out and throws down some intimidating medical jargon, she also finds a way to easily explain in an array of analogies to the unprofessional. It immediately made my own experience of pregnancy and postpartum more clear. Get ready because this interview is FULL of information. So sit down with a cup of coffee, rub that pregnant belly, and nerd out to the knowledge bombs Dr. Brittany is about to drop on you! Here is just a smiggen of the information shared and a general overview of what we talked about: The 3 T's of stress our body goes through on a daily basis: Thoughts/Emotional Stress Trauma/Physical Stress - aka growing a baby Toxins/Chemicals Your body goes through 500 changes while pregnant! This information blew my mind - chiropractic care can help conceive! The area of the spine we are constantly bending at while looking at our computers or phones affect our fight or flight mode. If your body is in constant fight or flight mode and you don't know how to turn it off, then your body is not going to care about making a baby. An imbalance in the central nervous system can lead to difficulty conceiving. An adjustment allows your nervous system to communicate to your reproductive organs. Many women are opting for birthing center and home births instead of a hospital during COVID. A chiropractor can help restore pelvic balance, allowing you to birth easier and avoiding an emergency c-section. The analogy she gives using a hot air balloon to describe your pelvic anatomy and how to keep the balance is worth a listen! The consensus of everyone's physical and mental health during COVID is that we are in a constant state of fight or flight mode. We are experiencing a heavy dose of the 3 T's: Thoughts: Our brains are becoming activated now more than ever with 24/7 news feeds, which is causing heavy emotional stress. Trauma: The general lack of physical activity is causing stress. Many people are sitting more or sitting in an non-ergonomic chair while working from home. Sitting is a stress. Toxins: Everyone is using chemicals to clean and disinfect which is killing the virus, but it is also harmful to our bodies. Chiropractic care is not a treatment for pain. It is simply a catalyst to allow your body to deal and function as it should. Did you know babies can be adjusted? Research shows that many babies that experience a traumatic birth can later lead to issues such as ADHD due to the lack of central nervous system communication. Chiropractic care can also help with breastfeeding, colic, and retraining babies how to eat after tongue tie revisions. Chiropractic care is only one peice of the puzzle to your prenatal self-care routine. It is not a treatment, but the catalyst to allow your body to function properly. So find what vibes with you. Find a self-care plan to help bring your baby earth side safely and easily. RESOURCES: Easier birth with fetal positioning. Use this site and videos to improve fetal position (breech, transverse, posterior) and birth. Reduce the chance of cesarean. www.spinningbabies.com Provides emotional, physical, and educational support to those who are under-supported through the birth experience. http://www.givingaustinlaborsupport.org/ VISIT DR. BRITTANY AT PEA POD FAMILY CHIRO and don't forget to join her Live for Stretching Sundays on her Instagram! FIND YOUR COMMUNITY - LEARN HOW TO TAKE YOUR OWN MATERNITY PORTRAITS, AND TREAT YOURSELF TO A DAY OF SELF CARE WITH PRENATAL YOGAClick the button below to find out more information on the Maternity Portrait and Self-Care retreat: a virtual workshop that guides you how to take maternity self-portraits, includes prenatal yoga, a private FB group, and much more!   Today I am sharing an interview with my favorite Austin Doula, MY doula, Jess Edwards of Honey Bird Doula Care. Jess was the first and only doula I looked into for the birth of my daughter, Josephine. I followed that new mama intuition and just knew in my gut she was the one I wanted to jam with! Get ready because right away we start the interview with wondering if we are allowed to say the F word. I have never done an interview before so this is uncut, unedited, pure question and answer! HERE WE GO! Jess is a mama of 3 and a birth and postpartum doula. She is your advocate, she is your support, she is your birthing coach! I share my own experience during birth with her by my side and how invaluable she was not only to me, but my husband..
Visit Jess at Honey Bird Doula Care FIND YOUR COMMUNITY - LEARN HOW TO TAKE YOUR OWN MATERNITY PORTRAITS, AND TREAT YOURSELF TO A DAY OF SELF-CAREClick the button below to purchase the Maternity Portrait and Self-Care Retreat: a virtual workshop that guides how to take maternity self-portraits, includes prenatal yoga, a private interactive FB group, and much more!  As an outdoor photographer, my style is very boho wild, casually-cool girl. I normally recommend loose natural curls and dewy minimal makeup for your shoot. However your preference for makeup and hair, I recommend a professional hair and makeup artist to feel flawless. Here is a guide on how to prep for your hair and makeup session and the questions you should either be asking yourself or your HMUA should be asking you before beginning a style you may not vibe with. The goal is to feel your absolute best, but still feel like YOU! I would hate for you to look in the mirror and feel completely uncomfortable and out of your element when it comes to your hair and makeup. Number One Tip: Moisturize. Moisturize. Moisturize. This is key to building a great foundation for your makeup to sit on. Make sure you are hydrating and drinking plenty of water in the weeks leading up to your photo session. Avoid high fat, salt, and greasy foods. Try to stay out of direct sunlight if possible to avoid sunburn and dry skin. Arrive to your hair and makeup appointment with a clean face. Depending if your hair is dry or oily you should arrive with freshly cleaned or day old hair. Make sure it is fully dry upon arrival, Bring a robe or a button down shirt to wear during your session. This way you will not mess up your hair and makeup when taking it off. Also NOW would be the time to lose the bra, underwear, and hair tie from your wrist so any imprints will disappear prior to your shoot! If you unfortunately have a pimple the day of your shoot poke a hole in an Advil liquid gel and apply it to your pimple before applying makeup. This will reduce redness and inflammation. Another thing to remember Photoshop and makeup cannot fix tired! Get your beauty sleep! Questions to consider: How is your skin? Oily, dry, or combo? Does your foundation start to cake from dryness or do you get greasy fast? Dewy or matte foundation? Dewy foundation is better for natural lights and matte foundation is better for a studio shoot. These answers will help the makeup artist know the correct foundation to choose Let your makeup artist know that your makeup is for a boudoir shoot and since you show more skin your neck and chest foundation should match to give an even and streamline look. Do you normally contour your face? Do you prefer a dark lip or lip gloss? Do you like your eyes to pop? Start light with application and build on that. How do you normally wear your hair? Do you curl toward or away from your face? Do you like a beachy wave? Do you prefer straight hair? Where do you normally part your hair? Start to Pin hair and makeup looks to your boudoir Pinterest board to show your artist for inspiration and guidance. Remember these images are simply for inspiration and that your artist should know what colors and styles would flatter your skin and hair type best. PIN THIS GRAPHIC TO YOUR BOUDOIR PINTEREST BOARD TO EASILY REFER BACK TO BEFORE YOUR SHOOT! Being an entrepreneur is hard enough without having to do the same tasks over and over again. Templates are a LIFE and TIME changer. You can watch the 5 minute tutorial video below or you can follow the step by step guidelines written. 1. Open Photoshop 2. Open Your Stock Image 3. Make a new layer 4. Click the Rectangle Tool on the left-hand side of your tool bar. 5. Make a rectangle inside the area you are wanting to drag and drop your future image. 6. Hit Command + T to readjust your rectangle if needed. Click and hold the command key to adjust the anchor points of the rectangle to be exact with your placement 7. Right Click your rectangle layer and click "Convert To Smart Object" 8. Save As your future mockup template as a PSD file. 9. Now you are ready to drag and drop any image into the rectangle you just made! 10. After you have inserted your image. Click and hold shift while you are adjusting your image to fit. Making sure to hold SHIFT will keep your image proportionate while adjusting the crop. 11. Right Click your image layer and hit "Create Clipping Mask" 12. Adjust as needed by hitting Command + T again. Make sure to hold down shift while you are cropping. 13. BOOM DONE! PIN FOR LATER 1. WATERMARK IMAGESEven though a watermark can easily be cropped out, it might be a deterrent for some. 2. DISABLE RIGHT-CLICK SAVE ON YOUR WEBSITE. Copy and paste this code into the <BODY> section of your web page. If you use a Weebly website, paste this code using the "Embed Code" builder tool onto every page you don't want your images to be saved. This code is from DynamicDrive.com <script language=JavaScript> <!-- //Disable right mouse click Script //By Maximus (maximus@nsimail.com) w/ mods by DynamicDrive //For full source code, visit http://www.dynamicdrive.com var message="Function Disabled!"; /////////////////////////////////// function clickIE4(){ if (event.button==2){ alert(message); return false; } } function clickNS4(e){ if (document.layers||document.getElementById&&!document.all){ if (e.which==2||e.which==3){ alert(message); return false; } } } if (document.layers){ document.captureEvents(Event.MOUSEDOWN); document.onmousedown=clickNS4; } else if (document.all&&!document.getElementById){ document.onmousedown=clickIE4; } document.oncontextmenu=new Function("alert(message);return false") // --> </script> 3. COPY AND PASTE THIS COPYRIGHT TEXT INTO YOUR WEBSITE AND SIDEBAR OF YOUR BLOG© [Full Name] and [Blog Name], [Current Year or Year Range]. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to [Your Name] and [Your Blog Name] with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. 4. GET DMCA PROTECTIONRegister with DMCA.com and embed a badge into your website. PIN FOR LATER 
Last week I wrote a juicy blog post packed full of information and tips on money mindset. If you didn’t catch it, I encourage you to read it here.
Let’s talk about your boudoir investment. When pricing photographers some women may experience sticker shock. I know I did for my first boudoir shoot. I purchased my session through Groupon and when it came time to purchase an album I was NOT expecting the price tag. Like any luxury purchase, a boudoir shoot is a substantial investment. Especially if that photographer is skilled at posing, lighting, editing, etc. There is a big difference between cost and value. It is the VALUE OF A BOUDOIR SHOOT THAT MAKES IT WORTH THE COST. It is important to find a photographer that you connect with, who’s photoshoot style that you love, and see yourself feeling comfortable with. I know I am not just your photographer. I am your teacher. I use nature and boudoir as tools for you to unplug, find clarity, confidence, and strength. That is why I consider an outdoor boudoir shoot a necessary luxury. With a boudoir shoot, you will feel less stress from unplugging. You will feel confident and sexy in your body. You will find strength through pushing past your fears and anxieties about having your photo taken. You will find clarity in what is important to you through breathing fresh air in nature. All these things are of value and far outweigh the cost. A king-size bed for example. My husband and I never anticipated our baby daughter co-sleeping in our bed. He slept on the couch for close to 6 months before we invested in a bigger mattress. I won’t remember my wallet hurting handing over the credit card. What I will remember is building a stronger connection between my husband and myself, waking up every morning together and experiencing our daughters smile first thing, and holding close the fleeting moments before she grows too big to snuggle. A boudoir experience is worth it because YOU are worth it. Some women have told me it is life-altering. They have quit their jobs, relationships, started new adventures and fell in love with themselves. The resulting images, a big piece of wall art is a reminder of that life change. A reminder that you are a badass beautiful woman. If cost truly is a deciding factor upon you booking a shoot, payment plans are available. Some women will book a year in advance so they can budget accordingly. My Struggle Is Real And I Have a Feeling Yours Is Too Money. Eeeeek! It can feel like an icky subject, but why? In fact it is the framework of everything we have in our lives. It allows for us to have a home, eat, go to the doctor, grow our families, etc. It is easy to think negatively about it, mainly the feelings of greed or scarcity. But money doesn’t have to feel that way! Instead of feeling stressed of never having enough or hoarding it out of lack, you could feel gratitude for having it in your life and empowered to make and spend it. Money is neither good or bad. It is simply a neutral form of energy used as a form of exchange. 5 minutes, the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee is all you need to start shifting your money mindset. Keep reading. Money Mindset: We are all familiar with the negative feelings around money, myself included. Stress over having enough to pay bills, counting out change in the drive-thru, fear of running out, anxiety over loans and mortgages. Yes, I HAVE and DO experience all of these feelings. There are ways to overcome all these negative feelings surrounding money. My Negative Money Mindset:Our feelings of money are often shaped by the way we were raised, the relationships we keep, and the career choices we make. I have always struggled in investing in myself, whether that be taking out a student loan, purchasing a newer and reliable vehicle, or even getting my hair cut and colored. I am currently in my journey of overcoming a scarcity mindset. I can happily tell you through A LOT of work in the past 2 years I am more easily and freely exchanging my dollars for things of value that far outweigh the monetary cost. In the last year I have invested in a dishwasher that frees up more time for my family, a king size bed that strengthens our connection as a family and provides better rest, a doula that supported me throughout my pregnancy and birth, an online course to further my business education, a dog trainer that bettered our home life quality, and a birth photographer that captured priceless images of my daughter being born, among other things. All were investments. All were not cheap, but I have never once regretted the cost or suffered because of it. Not only was my life made fuller, but I supported others through my investment. There is enough money to go around. What you emit, attracts. The old me would have done without these things and struggled because of it all because I was living from a place of scarcity and fear to spend money.  So How Do I Change? Journal: write down money goals, big and small. Not just what you want to purchase but HOW that purchase would make you feel. Read: I recently read Jen Sincero’s book You are a Badass at Making Money. It is packed full of hilarity and ways to overcome negative money mindset. Gratitude: Have long term money goals, but also live day to day and appreciate what money does for you now. Catch the negativity: Instead of feeling guilty or having buyers remorse when the bill comes. Flip your thinking of what that money just provided for you. A healthy meal with friends? Feeling sexy and confident from a new haircut or photoshoot? Create Space: Remember money is a flow of energy. If you are all blocked up by a cluttered home, a full calendar, a long to-do list then that energy has nowhere to go. Go outside. Breath fresh air. Clean up your home. Delegate to-do’s. Say no to the things that don’t excite you. Attract Abundance: Remember money is a GOOD thing. It allows you freedom, health, richer relationships, happier lives. There is PLENTY of it to go around so welcome it into your life, give thanks, and believe that you are worth it! This is not a destination, this is a journey. A journey I am still on and will always be on. Investing in yourself whether that be school, a new haircut, or a boudoir shoot, remember that the value of joy, confidence, clarity, etc far outweigh the cost. "The Value Of Joy, Confidence, Clarity, Etc Far Outweigh The Cost."I hope this inspires you to reshape your mindset around money and investing in yourself. Set aside your fear and attract what you are worth! Because you are worth it!
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I'm LauraI am a wife, dog and baby mama in Austin. I am obsessed with saving dogs and this planet earth. I cannot wait to help you unplug and find your calm and confidence through nature and boudoir.
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