Sweaters and Shoulders Winter Mini Sessions (Preview & Signups)

The holidays are over and you could probably use a little "me" time, no? Well ladies, mark your calendars for Sunday, January the 18th, 2015, because for the first time in BlondeShot Creative history, we're offering our first ever set of ladies-only mini sessions just for you! See all of the details below.

The Sweaters & Shoulders Mini Sessions are sweet, feminine, wintry, and maybe even a little sultry. These sessions are just for the ladies (no children under 10 years old please), we'll be debuting a brand new background that we've never shot with before (note that it has a similar color palette to the above images, but is not that exact pattern), and YOU get to customize your theme beyond the "sweaters and shoulders" part. The sessions can be a perfect introduction into boudoir photography, and can be used to create a Valentine's gift for someone special. They are also the perfect option for a maternity shoot, a session with your BFF or sister, or just as an afternoon treat to pamper yourself!

Each session will last approximately 20 minutes, and includes a web album of your edited images for viewing (and sharing), and your choice of two high-resolution digital downloads. Additional images and specialty products like metal prints will also be available for purchase. The cost of one session is $30, and must be paid at the time of booking.

We will also have a professional hair and makeup stylist on hand, that is offering an add-on of $20 for a simple pro hair style, and makeup assistance. Our stylist Lauren Getz, hails from Virginia and has been in the industry for 13 years. Don't forget to bring your favorite sweater or cover-up, or borrow one of ours! We will have a few available options on hand, to fit any size lady.

A portion of all session proceeds will also be donated to a local charity group that aids area mothers and families.

We've assembled a sign-up form online so that it's super easy to choose and book your preferred time slot. Find it HERE. We're really looking forward to seeing you soon!

BSC News and End of the Year Updates!

* We are currently offering a super special New Years discount for any photo session in 2015… it's the biggest discount we've ever offered, and you only have two weeks to take advantage of it! Book any (full) portrait session before January 1st (for any time in 2015) and receive 20% off of that session!! Be sure to email us today to reserve your preferred date and to take advantage of this offer. (P.S. we now have an easy Contact Form right on the sidebar of this blog, so you don't even have to copy and paste our email address into your email system!)

* We also have a brand new Newsletter Sign up option, right on the sidebar as well. We only send out a few emails a year, so it won't clog up your inbox, and starting in 2015 we'll be offering special discounts and deals JUST for email subscribers! So go add your email to our email list, and stay up to date on all the important BlondeShot Creative news and specials.

* Did you see our recent post about the Referral and Returning Client Program? It's a super easy program that earns you FREE photo sessions! Find all the details HERE. 

* Did you also see our most recent article on Smyrna Parent? It's all about fun family-friendly activities in and around Helen, GA, and about where to stay while you're visiting up there. Please take a look at it HERE. 

* Do you "like" us on Facebook yet? If not, you'll want to do that now! We've been posting some special "sneak peeks" of a very special set of mini portrait sessions that are coming up in January. It's the first place to see new photos and hear our updates, see specials, places we'll be traveling to and booking sessions at, and lots more! And on that note, stay tuned for the official announcement of WHAT these special mini sessions are and how to reserve your space for it!

Thanks so much for following us along here, sharing our work, and a giant thank you to all of our clients!! We hope your holidays are wonderful and filled with joy, and wish you the best in the new year!

love, Jenn @ BlondeShot Creative

Ruby Falls Christmas Underground

It's been a holiday tradition of ours that every year we choose a special light display or holiday event to attend, and preferably a new one that we haven't been to before. This year, we headed back to Chattanooga, TN (only about an hour and a half drive from North Atlanta). We visited Rock City for their Enchanted Garden of Lights (we went a few years ago, but it was a first for Gemma), and we also visited Ruby Falls Christmas Underground, which none of us had been to before. It was a great little experience that we'll definitely do again in the future. The Christmas part was separate from their normal falls tour, which was a little deceiving from their site, but it was done quite well. You take the elevator all the way down to the cave tunnels, then walk down one that is lit and decorated for the season. At the end of the tunnel, you'll meet Santa. He gives the kids a "wish" and then on your way back through they get to put their wish into a wishing well, and there are three other stops along the way with little activities to do, all involving gemstones. Since Gemma means "jewel" or "gemstone", it felt a little extra special for us :)

putting her "wish" in

"wishes"

testing her joystone 

joystone testing 

showing off her grade A joystone 

about to "pan" for gems

See our previous holiday Chattanooga posts on Rocky City- Enchanted Garden of Lights, Lookout Mountain, The Incline Railway, and the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. 

Arianna and Family

My final holiday session of the season was with this little sweetie and her beautiful family...

Autumn in the North Georgia Mountains (and beyond)

We recently took a weekend trip to the North Georgia Mountains. It's one of my favorite regions in GA to visit, and we always find interesting and fun activities and places to check out while we're up there. We started our weekend in the Cleveland and Helen areas. We had a wonderful stay at Cedar Creek Cabins the first night, and spent the following day in Helen.

Helen, GA

* Read all about our trip to Helen and our stay in the cabins (+ lots more photos!) in my new article on Smyrna Parent HERE.

Lots of holiday decorations are up this time of year

A carriage ride

Wild bunnies spotted in downtown Helen, GA

Want to see some other photos from Helen? View some older posts on Main Street, Anna Ruby Falls, and the Heidi Motel. 

Hiawassee, GA (+ Young Harris)

The following evening, we headed to Hiawassee, GA for a few nights… We saw a total of three rainbows in a day and a half there! Hiawassee is beautiful any time of year, and it offers both a mountain and lake view. The town is small and restaurants don't stay open late compared to what I'm used to, but we always have a good visit there. 

Playground on the lake

Making s'mores at the stables at Brasstown Valley resort 

Tractor/wagon ride at Brasstown Valley (Young Harris, GA)

Fishing

Cleveland, GA

On your way from Helen to Hiawassee, be sure to stop in Cleveland at the North Georgia Zoo! It's unlike any "zoo" you're probably familiar with, and they have the best animal encounters. I really, really wanted to bring this Fennec fox home with us! Read more about the zoo HERE. 

Blairsville, GA

And between Cleveland and Hiawassee you'll also find Blairsville, and a little area called Pappy's Plaza. In the plaza, you'll find a few different shops and eateries, including Pappy's Trading Post, and Back In Time on Hwy 129, which is a unique memorabilia museum. If you like funky roadside stuff, then you'll enjoy stopping here for an hour or two.

Brasstown, NC

Brasstown is right over the GA/NC border, just north of Hiawassee. It's about a 30 minute drive from there, and is home to the John C. Campbell Folk School. We've always wanted to check it out, so we decided it was time during this particular trip. We spent the entire afternoon walking around the grounds. The buildings were closed up at the time, but we did visit the craft shop, looked at their beehives, and took a hike on the nature trails that surround the property.

Some kind of tree fruit covered the ground in one area.. our best guess is persimmons?

One of the many carved art installations along the trails

Hayesville, NC

Also just across the border (even closer than Brasstown) is Hayesville, NC. Not a whole lot there to do, but we do enjoy stopping at the Best L'il Corner. The food is ok, the service is slow, but the atmosphere is pretty special. It's like an old-fashioned soda fountain meets antique store, meets granny's cabin. They serve you a little basket of popcorn upon arrival and the kids get a few nickels so that they can ride Champion (aka Gene Autry's horse). It's worth the stop even if just for a soda and a horse ride!

Still want more N. GA mountain treasures? Check out our posts on Riding the Rails in Blue Ridge, GA and Hillcrest Orchards in Ellijay, GA.