10 More Days with Raheem | Elf on the Shelf | Fayetteville, N.C. Photographer

Raheem played it pretty cool the last 10 days he was with us. You can check out his first 15 days HERE.

But here are 10 more ideas for your Elf on the Shelf!

 Help fill out Christmas Cards

Take pictures of the Manger

Be a recon scout

Dress up as Spiderman (this one was a BIG hit)

Tape in your child 

Hide in the fridge 'cause he misses the North Pole (plus we were having unusually hot weather for December!)

 Start an ornament and have your child finish it

Hanging out on our countdown chain to remind your child Christmas is close and good behavior is a must because Santa is still checking his list

Bring reindeer food for child to sprinkle for Santa's reindeer

Don't forget to leave Elf by Santa's cookies and milk so that he or she can leave with Santa on Christmas Eve! In our house, adults can touch the Elf ... so I moved him. Some families let the children hug the elf good bye ... my son was so afraid that Raheem wouldn't have enough magic to go home with Santa that he didn't want to touch him at all. :-)Hope you enjoyed Raheem as must as we do every year! Can't wait to see him next year when I'll have two little boys to threaten with good behavior ;-)
*** Please remember that all images are copyrighted to Sharilyn Wells Photography, LLC. Please do not copy or alter any images without SWP, LLC consent. ***

Peppermint Fun | Creative | Fayetteville, N.C. Photographer

First -- Happy Christmas Eve!

Second -- Lemme share with you a lil' obsession I have ... around this time of year, I tend to float towards red snowflakes ... and peppermint. I dunno if it's the red and white goodness that catches my eye or some psychological pull those two things have on me. Well, my holiday decorations include red and white snowflakes, so it was time to share the love with my peppermint obsession. 

Viola.

Hello?! How gorgeous is Patricia here?! This is a different look than how you saw her in THIS blog post, and I love it. She's very versatile and I dig it and her! She is just a joy to work with. She knows what to do with very little direction from me -- which is good, cause I'm horrible about posing models!

It was pouring rain yesterday ... but that didn't stop us! Heck, I even added snow behind her ... had to get my "snowflakes" in somehow! haha!

The shoot took a turn to cute pin-up and Patricia rocked it. But of course, I had to get in some beauty shots, as I was super happy about the makeup I came up with. Yes, that's real peppermint on her face!

I'm also pretty, gosh, darn impressed with my peppermint hat I made! It's amazing what a lil' doll hat, styrofoam, plastic wrap, candle garland, ribbon, and real peppermints combined with hot glue can do!

And how cute is this Christmas tree? It is always smack dab in the middle of our Market Square and decorated the same way, in the same colors every year. Why wasn't this place first on my mind when deciding on locations for the shoot. For this one shoot ... thank you Mother Nature for screwing up my plans! And thank you Patricia for playing along on the day before Christmas Eve ... even when you had to finish holiday shopping!

Thanks for checking out my blog and make sure to give love to Patricia HERE.

*** Please remember that all images are copyrighted to Sharilyn Wells Photography, LLC. Please do not copy or alter any images without SWP, LLC consent. ***

15 Days of Raheem | Elf on the Shelf | Fayetteville, N.C.

Our Elf, Raheem came back this year on December 1st. Yep. And surprisingly, he isn't getting into too much shenanigans .... just yet. He's been doing good and whipping my eldest son into shape. The closer to Christmas it gets ... the more strict Raheem gets. Maybe, just maybe, these Elf's know a thing or two about parenting. ;-)

15 ideas for Elf on the Shelf:  (I'll have 10 more ideas after Christmas!) :-)

Welcome back!

Helping the branches of the tree relax and making a snowman in the poinsettias 

Riding the train

Ziplining

Congratulating child

Warning child ...

Parachuting in

Having fun with the Rescue Bots

 

Riding a camel and decorating his own tree.

Jenga with Woody

Plays iPad

Makes coffee for mom and dad

For those of you who forget to move the Elf ... yep. It happens... lol

There you have it folks ... the first 15 days of December have been full of fun from Raheem... and an apology note for sleeping in. LOL Here's to another 10 more days! (9 to be exact!)

See what antics Raheem was up to last year HERE

*** Please remember that all images are copyrighted to Sharilyn Wells Photography, LLC. Please do not copy or alter any images without SWP, LLC consent. ***

Holiday Fun | Mini Session | Fayetteville, N.C. Photographer

This year I had my holiday minis in a local tree farm, B&D Christmas Tree Farm. They are just the nicest small business owners I know and gosh ... I love the look of the place. Not to mention the light is just awesome.

This family was just a blast to photograph. They had me giggling the whole time ... it helps that I worked with the mom at the newspaper. ;-) She's a pretty cool chick!

I mean come on?! How cute are these pictures?! This was the easiest 2-year old I've every photographed! All smiles and giggles and willing to play along with "the crazy girl holding the camera!"

And then there was this "in-between" shot. I just love how mom is brushing his hair aside. <3

The families had the choice between some amazing holiday card templates and surprisingly this fun card was the one each family chose! :-) Different variations, but it was a hit! And how cute are they?!

I'd like to thank Chrissy's Creative Creations and 3 Krazies, Inc. for their part in the minis as well! Not only did these families get gorgeous images and holiday cards ... but they also got awesome handmade holiday decor!

Chrissy made holiday coasters for the families while Katrina from 3 Krazies made her awesome hand painted ornaments. The snowman was a hit!

***Do not copy, save or alter these images without the expressed permission of Sharilyn Wells Photography, LLC. All rights reserved.*** 

And of course, what better way to deliver this AMAZING package than at Starbucks?! Each family also got a little "Thank you" magnet for allowing me to spend a chilly, windy December afternoon with them. :-)

Make sure y'all keep your eyes peeled for more fun minis that I offer throughout the year! (Usually around the holidays!) They are the most bang for your buck and oh so much fun!