Don’t miss out on the chance to get what you REALLY want for Christmas. A fine portrait is one of the most important pieces of home decor; it is a captivating focal point to any room and a conversation piece. A portrait brings joy to the home because it is a daily reminder of our loved ones. Imagine your children in a fine portrait prominently displayed above your mantle. Let your spouse know what you want before it’s too late. Then you can unwrap… just what you wanted and have a gift to enjoy for a lifetime! New furniture and decor goes out of style, but your fine portrait never will. It only increases in value over time.

Stop and think about your family room or living room. We invest thousands in fine furniture, window treatments, and carpet, yet most of us give little thought to what we put on our walls. This is the weakest element of home interior design. Most wall “art” options are purchased off-the-rack at a store and they are chosen mainly because they might match the colors in the room.

Imagine, instead, an adequately sized custom framed portrait with well-coordinated clothing, and expressions that reflect a pleasant moment in your lives. To hang this portrait in your home is much more personal than buying a print of a bowl of fruit from a chain store. Many people frame 8x10s on the wall for their primary portraits and unfortunately the expressions are hard to see from across the room. It’s like putting a postage stamp on the wall. An adequately sized portrait will enable you to see and enjoy the facial expressions of your loved ones every time you walk by the room.

When portraits are taken to a level of fine art wall decor, your guests will spend all their time raving about your portrait and not even notice your new sofa or leather chair. Most importantly, in years to come… a fine portrait is going to provide far more enjoyment than that old sofa which by then has been replaced because it went out of style. Your fine portrait never will. The painting (above left) is mounted on a 40″ canvas wrap and displayed at the top of my staircase at my studio. Everyone comments about it’s beauty; it seems to capture the strong bond of love between this mother and daughter.

I wanted to tell you about some exciting bonus gifts Susie Gilmore Photography is giving away with the purchase of a Painting or Wall Portrait from a previously purchased image. The only catch is that you have to order in the next 10 days (Dec. 3 – Dec. 13, 2010). Then you can choose from 20 FREE  Christmas Cards, a photo key chain or 4 acrylic coasters featuring your images. Things have been busy here, especially now that Christmas is right around the corner. Call me soon if you are interested, and your masterpiece will be ready in time for Christmas! Call me at 662-5541 or send me an email at susiegilmore@usa.net.

Due to popular demand, the deadline to order Christmas Cards from a previously ordered portrait from Susie Gilmore Photography has been extended to December 13th. It’s an economical way to share your portraits. Many family members frame them and enjoy them all year. Here is a Christmas Card example from my dear friend and previous client of the month, Amanda Chambers.

A note from Raleigh Photographer, Susie Gilmore:

Dear friends,

I hope you enjoyed quality time with your extended family during Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time visiting our loved ones in Winston-Salem and in Clayton, NC. There were 22 people at my mom’s house and we had a wonderful reunion. David’s mom taught me how to crochet and I was amazed at how quickly she worked. She was very patient as I awkwardly tried it. It’s truly an art form and one that I need much more practice. I even video recorded her so I wouldn’t forget it.

The autumn leaves are falling and the cooler weather is here to stay in Raleigh, NC. Christmas is right around the corner and I hope during this busy time you find moments to take in the beauty of the season and the warmth of family and friends. These are moments that are truly priceless. Grace and I have been enjoying quick games of UNO together in between retouching portraits and making dinner. She taught me a strategy that is fullproof and now I’m not getting beat so much!

At Susie Gilmore Photography, I want to let you know that I am grateful for the opportunity to help you document life’s precious memories year after year. It is an honor to be in your life and a pleasure to serve you and your family.

David and I went to Blowing Rock, NC for a photography conference and really enjoyed getting away. We hiked (or shall I say RAN) up to Rough Ridge on the Parkway just in time to see a glorious sunset. David and I met in college 18 years ago at Appalachian State, where we spent most of our free time outdoors playing the guitar, hiking, biking, skiing and snowboarding with friends. This landscape portrait was

taken by David as I sat photographing the sunset. He really got into the photo shoot. He sounded so focused and intense, “Stay right there. Don’t Move! Good. Move a little to the right. Perfect.”  He was trying to get the sunset to peek behind me to make a starburst… and it worked. We ended the evening with a great meal at Peppers Restaurant and I got my favorite French Onion Soup which comes with scissors on the side because the cheese is so thick that you have to cut it.

My daughter Grace has learned to knit using a “Knifty Knitter” which we bought at Michaels. She has made beautiful scarves already and I’m hooked too. (no pun intended). If you have a daughter between the age of 7 and 12, the “Knifty Knitter” might be the perfect gift. We are in the process of knitting a pink fluffy scarf. It’s been a group effort, I knitted the first 8 inches and she takes it to school and works on it with her friends after lunch.

I just purchased a ton of  new props, fabrics, and darling headbands for newborns and babies. And I have been having SO much fun dressing up these babies in the outfits and fabric. Here are a few of my favorites. The Babies featured below are Jayla Hunt and Rosy Marie Sykes. They are beautiful!

I wanted to give you a sneek peek at a custom collage I created for Dan and Crystal Crabill’s 11 day old son Eli. I put him in everything a newborn baby boy can wear without dad minding too much. LOL!  The finished size is a 40″ collage with 7 images, which will be DARLING in his nursery. This is a great product when you have so many cute ones that you can’t bear to leave any behind. I can’t wait to get one for me to display in my studio.

My client of the month, Katelyn Hokenberg is working on her story and I will post it with her lovely portraits when she is finished. I know it’s a busy time for all of us!

10,000 was raised to help orphans with cleft palates!

I wanted to give you  an update from Jody Brannon on the walk a thon to benefit orphans with cleft palates that I mentioned in September. They raised OVER $10,000 which will help 10 orphans! Thank you for so much for caring!

I appreciate you taking a moment out of your busy life to visit my blog. In case you didn’t notice, we  redesigned the look of my blog this month. I like the crisp, clean look. Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see. I enjoy staying in touch with you. I look forward to our next photography session. Have a great month everyone!

I’ll close with a Facebook Slideshow of the grandchildren of Anne Winters. Three of her grandchildren recently moved to Texas and she wanted to photograph them before they went. Our prayers are with their family during this transition. Click on the link below to start the slideshow.

http://animoto.com/play/ROlf0VT2AhGoAyGZnqa17w

Love to you all,

To see more of my work, go to http://www.SusieGilmore.com