This blog is a result of a couple of nights of crafting and it just makes me smile to see how things that are so small can be used for something so great. 

A few weeks ago I posted a picture on my facebook page of the various “nests” that I had made…just as a “hey, this is fun” shot, nothing more. 

 There was an overwhelming response to them along with a great interest for people wanting to purchase them.  I was definitely caught off guard and thought that the only way that I would sell them would be if the money went somewhere of value.  I have heard people, at times, associate the “eggs” with the number of children that they have and so the thought of helping kids was perfect!

One of my close friends, Erin Perry, works closely with fmn ministries and spends a month of her summer holidays in Romania working at the Isaiah Center.  Rachel Ross is an amazing woman who has moved from the United States to Romania and they both have such a passion for these children and this ministry.

The Isaiah Center is located in Tinca, Romania and exists to provide nuturing and education for abandoned, abused, and neglected Roma (gypsy) children.  Through this facility these kids have the opportunity to develop and grow in a loving and secure atmosphere. They are provided daily with education, food, clothing, shelter, love, hygiene and medical treatment.  Furthermore, the families of these children are being worked with and helped as they are provided with parental training and life skills which impact the parents, children and their village in a positive way.  Here are just a few pictures (not taken by me, just watermarked for their safety) of the village and the children….

Please visit the website for more information or further ways to get involved.

As for the necklace pendants, they are all handmade and can be done with specific colors if you desire.  There are large, medium and small beads available.  A picture of the different options is below for your reference.  They are $15 and ALL of this amount is going straight to the Isaiah Center.  Please email orders to info@uncontainedphotography.com

Ohana means family….and family means that no one is left behind : )

I hope that you all have the opportunity to spend time today with your family and that you take a moment to reflect on how blessed you are and what an amazing gift you have been given.  Family is certainly precious and close to my heart and something that I think we often take for granted, yet shouldn’t.

Well the day has finally arrived to announce the winner of the Celebrate Family Contest that was started about 5 weeks ago.  The entries that I received were fabulous and several of them brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much to all of you who took the time to write and share a bit of your family with me and why you love them so much!

Up for grabs was a family photoshoot, the disc of their images AND a canvas print! 

I am excited to announce that the winner of this prize is…….(insert drumroll!)……. Lindsay & Ryan, along with their daughters Jaryn and Emry! (of Sylvan Lake)

This is what Lindsay wrote:

I love absolutely love pictures….especially of my family and friends. In the past 5 years since Jaryn has been born I have been convinced by my friends to start scrapbooking. I am not great at taking pictures but creating memories for my girls and my family has now become very important to me. Ever since I was pregnant with Jaryn I have wanted to actually get professional pictures done but honestly we have never had the money to pay for a session with an actual photographer. Honestly for me, being able to raise my kids and not be out of the house working has been way more important then spending hundreds of dollars on photos with money I could be using to buy diapers and food for my family. We have always taken the girls to Superstore to get their photos done but still have not actually gotten someone who knows what they are doing when taking pictures take a picture of our family. I would love to be able to finally have a photoshoot done of my sweet little family that I love so much and be able to get pictures printed for our Family so that they can also show off how incredible my little family is. 

I’m not sure if Lindsay knows this or not, but her sister also submitted an entry for their family.  This is what she wrote:

I would love love love for her and Ryan to be able to have their beautiful family captured by you! They are such amazing parents and are raising such caring and thoughtful little girls with huge personality and the biggest hearts! I always tell her that she has set the bar pretty high for my brother and I with such great kids!

It’s not very often that Ryan and Linds take the time or the money to do something for themselves, yet they never complain about it. They are simply parents that will always put there kids first and would never even dream of doing things any other way. For them to be able to have the memories of their little family photographed professionally would mean the absolute world to them!

Congratulations to such a fabulous family!! 

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…..and if you thought the contest was over…..it isn’t!  I decided to expand it and hopefully bless two more families on this fabulous Family Day!!  The following two families will get a family session and a disc of their images.  They are…….

Leanne & Duane (and Kallen) of Edmonton! 

Leanne wrote:

I would love to win to bless Duane. He is such a hard working, loving husband and father. He works hard so that way I can stay home and raise our son. His love for both of us is so apparent. He adores Kallen and is an awesome father. Every day we he comes home, Kallen goes crawling to him as fast as he can with the biggest smile on his face.He can say mama and dada, but continues to call both of us dada. lol.  Kallen is growing up so quick and I would love to capture the love we have for each other with your talent, before his too big!

 

Jen (and Aiden, Jacob and Kian)of Fort McMurray!

Jen gets extra points for her creativity!  She wrote:

F -   is for forever; families stick together, fight for each other, and love each other.

A -   is for amazing; despite the many obstacles my boys face due to their special needs, they continually amaze me with their humor, intelligence and love.

M -   is for men; my goal is to raise my boys to be men of God; loving, compassionate, Christian husbands and fathers.

I -     is for interesting; there is never a dull moment when you are raising three passionate and energetic boys!

L -    is for love; during the good, the bad, and the ugly.  My overwhelming love for these boys is a gift from God.

Y -   is for Yahweh; who gives me the patience, the strength and the joy of being a mom.

 

Congratulations!!!  I hope that you have a fantastic Family Day!

Christine

I know that I have been terribly behind with my blogging and so it is time to start catching up! 

One of the fun projects that I was working on in 2010 was a pregnancy progression shoot with Jennifer.  This was shot from 12 weeks until baby arrived!

When we first talked about the idea I thought that it would just be neat to document how a woman’s body changes during pregnancy.   For me, this shoot turned out to be a lot more.  I had the opportunity of getting together with Jennifer every few weeks during her pregnancy, which I looked forward to.  It was interesting to talk about how she was feeling  or what was taking place during the various stages.  I also loved seeing her “glow” get brighter and her beauty magnified as this miracle was taking place. 

As I was putting the finished piece together this week I thought back to this adventure and journey.  To me, this image is captivating and absolutely beautiful.  It speaks of motherhood and the joy and beauty that is. I absolutely love it and hope that it inspires you to take time to see the beauty that is around you. 

Jenn, thank you for being willing to do this and for sharing along the way.  You are inspiring and beautiful.

Christine

With Family Day in the not to distant future, it is time to start celebrating and cherishing those around us!  Now I could go on and on about the importance and value of family pictures and how special my family is to me, however it is now your turn!

This year, Uncontained Photography has decided to give one special family….

 a FREE family photoshoot

canvas print and

a disc of their images! 

All of this fabulous goodness is valued at over $1100!

 

Simply send an email to info@uncontainedphotography.com and let us know where you live and why your family should win.  If you are able to send a picture, please do.

All emails must be received by February 13, 2011.  The winning family will be announced on Family Day : February 21, 2011.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Christine

What an honor it was to be asked to do an updated family picture for the Playfords this year!  Their family has grown since we did their last family picture and their youngest son, Logan is getting to be so big already!

I’m not sure if they know this or not – but the Playfords were the first family that I photographed in Fort McMurray after I moved here.  They hold such a special place in my heart and I love spending time with them!

It was hard to pick, but here are a few of my favorites…..

Christine