Artists Needed!

(This is a postcard advertising last years' event - this year the art fair will be August 11th)).

Hey All!

I am looking for ARTISTS, CRAFTERS, & DESIGNERS to particiapte in SummerFest 2007, an Art & Craft Fair (in coalition with a children's carnival) that my church hosts each year. I am the Art Fair Coordinator for this exciting event, now in it's 3rd year, and we are always looking for new creative people to apply! If you are interested, or you KNOW SOMEONE who might be, please read on...

SummerFest is a lovely one-day (10am-4pm) outdoor event with a reasonable entry fee of just $25 (+ a $5 jury fee) for a 10' x 10' outdoor space. This year it will be on Saturday, August 11th, and is held on the grassy lawn of River of Life Church in the beautiful suburb of Shoreview, MN.

The event is lightly juried to keep the quality up and multiples of artists in the same category down. We are looking for ORIGINAL handmade and/or originally designed product from artists & crafters of all styles.

We have a multi-faceted marketing campaign, including professional signage, ads in local Shoreview papers and the Twin Cities Kids Directory (see it in July!), a door to door drop, and a direct mailing to art & craft buyers, amongst other things.

This art fair and children’s carnival event is free to those who attend, and includes live entertainment, free snacks, a $1 lunch, kids games, and more! (So save the date and bring the kids!)

THE DEADLINE: We need applications in by JUNE 30th! (Some late entries may be accepted if we do not fill all the categories, so if you end up reading this in July, please shoot me an email).

Please click HERE to pull up a pdf of the artist "fact sheet" and an application. If you have any questions, you are welcome to email me at stcollection@juno.com or Debbie at info@findtheriver.net.

Thanks! We look forward to hearing from you!

Introducing: The new "elite petite" baby program!!!

I'm excited to announce my new baby program, designed for the 3-6-9-12 month stages!

The "elite petite" baby program (thanks to all my friends and family who voted on the name - it won by a landslide!) will offer parents of new little ones the opportunity to get 4 sessions in one year at a discounted rate, in addition to elite freebies (such as the onesie pictured - available in blue or pink), free prints, and special discounts.

Please click HERE to see the ever-adorable pdf flyer that will give you all of the exciting details! (which can also be found on my website)

SPECIAL OFFER: Give your friend of family member the gift of photos for a whole year! $20 off any "elite petite" gift certificate or membership purchased in June or July 2007; regular price of $215, sale price of $195! Perfect as a group gift for an upcoming baby shower. :)

Please call or email if you have questions: stphotoanddesign@juno.com, 651.489.8281.

PS - If you have current "baby plan" coupons from the former program, they are still valid through your expiration date (through your child's one year session).

Coming Soon... Custom Framing options!

The search for Custom Framing...

I have been looking to offer some framing options, particularly a custom collage type frame with 4 openings to display a baby's 3-6-9-12 month pictures. This seems to be impossible to find in your basic retail store, so I did some investigating and found a custom framer who can do this at a reasonable price - it will be directly through me, so need to make an extra stop!

Thanks to those of you who voted as I was considering the best possible style! Over 75% of you would prefer a black wood frame with 4 4x6 openings, so that will probably become the "standard" which I can buy in multiples and will be available at a slightly better price. For those of you who have a different preference, other sizes and moulding will be available, for a slight upgrade.

High-quality custom framing is never cheap but I should be able to offer it at a reasonable price (probably the $75-$95 range - yet to be finalized) compared to purchasing it at a custom frame shop on your own. The quality is significantly better than what you would buy retail (though nothing like this seems to exist anyway), as the frames will be actual wood and the double mattings are acid-free archival quality (most retail frames are just plain old paper that will not effect your photos well in the long run and many "wood" frames are actually pressed saw-dust).

I will also be offering a line of assymetrically-matted frames for larger prints, for those of you that want a modern look like me. Samples of both these will be in the studio in the next 4-6 weeks, and once they are I will put images up on the blog!