occasional occasions

new sets!! :)

2011-08-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

aww, yeeeeh...we have made two new sets that are a little cheaper than most, AND...you can get it within a month. there is the molly set: a 6x6 pretty little background..in blues, aquas, purples and sea greens. it comes with a 13ft ribbon banner...hand made by tammy kribs. it is $200..15 for shipping.

and then there is the new 'sawyer set'.....suuuuper sweet for little baby boys. well, actually, it could be for anything...baby boys, baby girls, seniors, etc. it also is a 6x6 background, with a 7 ft pom pom garland that is hand made and soooo sweet. it is $220 with 15 for shipping

im so excited about these sets...and honestly..they are so much fun to make. a huuuuge thank you to tammy kribs for making the little garland. she totally puts up with my messy, messy creative mind and i love her for it :) xoxoxo have a look under the 'prop shop' to buy the garland individually, or look under the gallery page for the complete sets. thanks so much! :)

mr and mrs myers!

2011-07-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

holy cow..i havent blogged in waaaay too long. what will i blame it on? getting married. :) june 4th, greg and i tied the knot!!

it was the most amazing day ever. my colors were the dreamy colors of hydrangeas. i wanted everything to be white except for the ribbons, flowers and chair sashes. and it all worked out beautifully (you know how freaky i can be about colors??) i was SOOOOO excited when the flowers arrived--they were drop dead gorgeous.

we hung vintage birdcages from big, fat satin ribbons in the trees, and made a really cool ribbon canopy with ribbon and little circle, paper garlands...sooo sweet. and at night, we had candles hanging from just about everywhere.

it took place at my parents house, which overlooks the mississippi river, so the setting was amazing in itself!! molly was my beautiful little maid of honor ..and matthew was gregs best man :) we are so blessed to have those two kids in our life. they are amazing little souls :)

AAAAND...the biggest surprise ever happened. my good friends, scott and kelly crosby did our photography. i reeeeally was hoping that my other good photography friends jennifer nace, and angie kalthoff could come, but they *said* that they couldnt.....they totally tricked me, came to surprise me, and i made an awful scene at the hotel..hahahaaa...they are amazing ladies, mommies...friends. thank you so much to kelly, scott, jen and angie for making my special day over the top. i love you guys!!!! <3

ok!! on to some of the pics::::::

the matthew stump!!

2011-05-07T06:42:00.000-07:00

oooooOOOo how i LOVE this stump. it is the magnificant 'matthew' stump. it is unbelievabley realistic, sturdy, and lightweight. i happen to think that its pretty perfect :) xoxo

we are now selling this stump, the background of course (its called 'cranberry and walnuts'-its a gorgeous background) and the new fuzzy rugs! super soft, and a good small size of roughly 21x21 inches. just big enough to bundle up and lay your little sugar on. :) we felt like it was a perfect, soft accessory for the stump. :)

i hope that you love it!!!!!

theres a new stump prop available!

2011-03-27T06:05:00.000-07:00

ohhhh how i love these colors!!
its the new 'REBECCA' stump

rebecca is such a popular gal--she is one of the top sellers and can be used for boys, girls, children, maternity, family...
so it was one of the very first backgrounds that i thought about making a stump to match. the coppery and turquoise colors are so perfect. (can you tell that i named this bg after myself because these are my favorite colors together??) :)

people have asked if the stump is strong. they are!!! it is extremely sturdy. i stand on them all of the time & greg does too. here is the link, if you are interested in buying one--
http://www.intuitionbackgrounds.com/#/photography-props---rebecca/

just a thought on rainbows....

2011-03-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

'somewhere over the rainbow'.....
i have sang this song to my 10 yr old daughter every night before bed since she was born, but i have changed one thing in the song...
'somewhere over the rainbow,
way up high...
birds fly over the rainbow,
why, oh, why cant i?"

i cant stand that. of course you can fly over the rainbow!!

this is how i sing it:
'somewhere over the rainbow,
way up high,
birds fly over the rainbow,
soooooo can i"

i have never understood that song..how beautiful, but depressing. anyone can fly if they put their mind to it. go for it. attack that dream. be who you want to be. love and be loved. :) the world can be a beautiful place :)

jennifer :)

2011-03-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

a new background!!!

i really am in love with this one. i keep going back to its picture and looking at it again --lol. the colors are like summer sorbet... fresh. it was made for miss jennifer nace with lots of love...and it will be available as a new background, as soon as i get some sample shots on it. i hope that you like it! xo

stumps in the studio!

2011-03-11T20:35:00.000-08:00

look at the stumps that are overtaking my studio! :) they are all of the little 'bradley' stumps that are waiting to be painted and shipped out. and we just got another batch of 15 of them! yay!

i have to mention my map---its my very favorite thing in the studio. :) if you have ordered from us, then there is a little pin on your town! xo

the stump named 'bradley'

2011-02-19T06:59:00.000-08:00

i am SO proud to introduce 'bradley'---named after my good friend brad, who makes these little lovelies. brad is a good friend of mine, who has put up many exhibitions in natural history museums all across the nation. we came together and got the idea of making a sturdy baby/child prop that is gorgeous and realistic.
he molds a tree and then makes the stumps out of a mix of resin and fiberglass ( i think--im sure there are other things, but im not an expert at this stuff..lol) --quite an amazing process. they are then passed on to me to handpaint.
this is the first in a series....
it is amazing and baby tested by miss jennifer nace (who i call the 'baby whisperer') it is a perfect size of 14"x12" on the top (which is flat) and 14'' high. as always, a mom or dad should be near incase the little one wakes up or is startled for some reason. the top is a wonderful size...just big enough to curl a little muffin up on...there is not a ton of extra space on the sides, which helps showcase the baby.
it can also be used for toddlers or children to sit or stand on. (perfect for fairy pictures!!)

it is suuuuuper sturdy, and an excellent quality peice. i stand behind it 5000%! :) it will last forever.

i will be adding this product to my website for sale very soon....if you are interested in purchasing it before i get it onto my website, just write me and we can set it up, and get you on the list. the current wait time for it is 4 weeks. it is $160 and $25 for shipping. i can take full payment, or 1/2 now, 1/2 at the time of shipping. canadian orders might run $30 for shipping. we can ship overseas too....i can give you a quote if you send me your address. here is my email: becky@intuitionbackgrounds.com

thanks so much---i hope that you LOVE it :)

bg giveaway!!

2011-02-11T03:53:00.000-08:00

greg and are proud to be featured on prop insanity this week!! and there is a little bit of a giveaway going on! :)
one person will win a 6x6 of your choice from the 'not so traditional' or the 'not so traditional too' galleries. yay!
here is the link to get all of the details...
http://www.propinsanity.com/intuition-backdrops-feature-giveaway/
thanks so much!! i cant wait to see who wins <3

3 new designs go to serendipity backgrounds

2011-01-30T06:44:00.000-08:00

people are so confused about intuition backgrounds and serendipity backgrounds! i thought i might take some time to explain.. :)
i own intuition backgrounds...they are handpainted, on a heavy weight muslin and they can be made in whatever size that you need.

serendipity backgrounds is my friend kellys business. they are printed backgrounds on a heavy duty paper. i offer some of my designs there. not all of them! :) i keep my very special backgrounds..the better sellers, to handpainted only. this is why you dont see all of them there.

if we are friends on facebook, i have a separate album to show which designs i offer over at serendipity bgs. :)

i just added 3 new ones for the spring. here they are:
this is 'JULEEN'....it is a background that i had a custom order for, from aileen treadwell and julie delmissier (from baby dream photography) and we blended their names together to come up with the name for the background..lol :)

this one is called 'beth'..it was made for beth forester

and this is 'robin'...made for robin purington :)

i hope that you like them :)

color is bliss

2011-01-21T05:18:00.000-08:00

i think that one of the most special things about artists is how we can get so inspired...so moved...almost overwhelmed!!! ...by just looking at other images.
when i am really into a grouping of colors, or a single color, i will search it, and wow!! there are some amazing things out there. this morning, i searched 'peacock images'...and i spent 30 mins just staring at these colors, while it totally filled my artist soul!! ....and now..just like that, i am ready to paint a new background.

this is what inspired me this morning....what an unbelievable mix of coloring!! it makes me want to dive into it! lol

its a new year!!

2011-01-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

happy happy new year to all of my clients, friends and family!!! i know this will be a very special year, and i wish you all much love and happiness!! <3

headbands to match the backgrounds

2010-11-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

i am selling some headbands that i have made that go with some of my backgrounds!! it all started when i went to hobby lobby with angie kalthoff and jennifer nace....yes...thank you girls..lol!! i was hooked. i just had to try to make a headband and i looooved it. i have a huge box of buttons that my mom is letting me use--they are her antique buttons and they are AMAZING. there are some really, really gorgeous ones. and finding the perfect one to go on the headband is my favorite part. it adds a little depth to them..a little history. one of these buttons were on some ladies coat at some point...some little childs sweater long ago...and i love thinking about who they were and where that button traveled.

i sew my headbands...that way, i figure they will last quite a while and no worries about things falling off so easily.
i hope that whoever buys them, loves them!!

i sent them to jennifer nace to shoot them for me...here are a few of my favorites...

a workshop is in the plans!!

2010-10-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

ive never been out west before.... i have been to every state, east of the mississippi (except maine--which i will!!) and a few on the west side. but never out 'west'. WELL...now i get to :) and i'm so excited!!
i am doing a workshop with aileen treadwell and julie delmissier, from baby dream photography. (who i cant wait to meet!!) i hope that i get to meet some of you out that way, too! xoxo
its not too early to sign up..infact, its probably a good idea, because there is limited space. its going to be fanstastic! backgrounds, photography, wine and food....yay!!

the studio map

2010-10-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

i just thought this picture was so cute...its my daughter molly and greg, updating my beloved map...its where i keep track of where im getting orders from. i heart it more than anything else in this studio...besides greg and molly..hahaaa...xo

maybe you can see your pin??? i'll have to do a flat shot of the map sometime so its easier to see xo

2 new custom backgrounds are in the house

2010-09-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

i have two new backgrounds that im really excited about. here is the first one:::::

i adore it! it was made for aileen treadwell and julie delmissier, of baby dream photography, in seattle. they do a lot of children and babies and make/sell headbands and yummy stuff like that. i was asked to make some bigger, fall colored flowers and this is what came out. i was thinking about headbands and pettys and sweet little babies.... <3 we named it 'juleen' which is a fine blend of julie and aileen's names..lol! i was also thinking about how funny life is....and here is why....i used to work at a florist and LOVED it. but you know how you look back at life and wonder what the whole purpose was for working there? well, now i know. i was painting and realized that i knew where to place flowers, because i felt like i was making an arrangement. i was painting an arrangement! the whole concept was really exciting to me!! so thank you, 'artistic floral' in newark, delaware for hiring me, long ago!

and here is the second one:

this is 'beth', made for beth forester. i absolutely LOVE these colors together...its earthy, but bright and light all at the same time. the lime color is super pretty...its not obnoxious, but its like a warm lime sherbet color. and the yellows and browns...it just made me feel so happy painting it. beth seems like a happy person too, so im hoping that it fits her just right!! again, i did the whole 'florist experience' thing with this one. i got a kick out of being a floral designer all over again..lol :) i cant wait to see all of this pretty stuff behind a model.

they will be available, and placed in the higher price category, because of all of the detail and time that goes into them. :) and thank you beth forester, julie delmissier and aileen treadwell for giving me a fun challenge or two!! <3

de-fusing

2010-09-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

i am going with another company for the 'printed out backgrounds'. i am saying farewell to fuse and going with serendipity. my designs will not be available on fuse any longer. BUT the old ones and some new ones will be found with the new company. here is the link to the new backgrounds....some are designed by me, some are designed by kelly crosby. :) http://www.shop.serendipitybackgrounds.com/
i hope that you love them!!
they are $95, and for the first week (until sept 11th--midnight) they will be 25% off. please make use of this discount, because it will be the only one offered, ever! the coupon code is 'dipity'
10% of all proceeds will also be donated to charity :) xoxo

here is a sample of a new one, called 'transcend' ---i love it :::

background auction time!!

2010-09-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

i am auctioning off a background to go towards scott & kelly crosbys charity fund. the highest bidder gets their choice of an 8x8 rebecca or an 8x8 sherry blossom!! the best part about it, is that it will be shipped out on monday!! holy cow....that beats my current 3 month ship out time..lol.
so, if you are interested, please go to scotts blog---www.seniorportraitblingbling.com and that's where the bidding is happening.
it runs until monday, at noon, etime.

http://www.seniorportraitblingbling.com/

a new background for the cooler months

2010-08-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

i wanted to do a warm and yummy background for the fall...something that was pretty, and makes you feel all warm and cozy.
jennifer nace, angie kalthoff, scott and kelly crosby and i all met at sherry reicherts and i figured that it was a perfect time to make it. something in browns and cranberrys and cream..hence the name 'cranberry & walnuts' came naturally :)
here are some new samples that i got from angie and jen...i think they are just beautiful. <3
ps--the new background falls under the 'not so traditional' catagory and is available. it will be put on the website in a day or two.

here they are::::

new custom background

2010-08-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

oooooook. so, hope brown, from louisiana, had an awesome idea...
she ordered a custom grafitti to use for LSU (louisiana state university) ==== brilliant!!
she warned me that it might trigger lots of ideas for other photographers--other universities, other high schools... she was right. its a great idea to customize the grafitti for your local school.
how fun is that??!
all that is needed is some slogans- some catchy phrases or symbols that will make the background even more fun. i can look up the exact colors online, so that i get it right.
there is no custom fee for this, unless you need me to do some crazy emblem that will take quite a while. you can write me an email or facebook me if you are interested! :)

thank you, hope, for thinking it up! little smarty pants :)

my home away from home

2010-06-30T05:48:00.000-07:00

i wanted to share some pictures with you of my studio! :) its a small place, but i love it. i love the smell when i walk in, in the morning ..lol. (seriously) this is taken from the back of the studio--that is my front door through the arch. and thats a shabby fairy on the wall. :)

here is a shot of gregs office. see my old dinosaur monitor?? hhaha...he dropped his phone on his macbook screen so, we had to use this monitor. now, i think he loves it. we keep a wipe off calander on the wall where greg tells me everything that i have to do. i just keep painting. :) the painting on the wall is gregs first attempt at a background. not bad!! ;)

and here is a shot standing in the arch, looking towards the back of the studio. for some reason, i use step stools to get up onto my scaffold, rather than climbing up the side. i find it quicker

THIS is my beloved map. everytime someone orders, i put a pretty little push pin to mark where you are from. i have a thing with travel and maps and i entertain myself wondering what its like to live where the person does, while im painting their background. hhhaha..is that weird?? and that is my messy, messy desk. i like to think that i keep everything in order, but really i just pretend and pass it on to greg. the wipe off board is the little calendar that is there to remind me where i'm at on my schedule..and the painting above it is a masterpeice painted by my son, matthew. it will be a bg someday. :) in the cup:: i am addicted to unsweetend tea. and that is my favorite red chair ever...that now is getting paint all over it, just like everything else. i feel blessed to have carpet in my studio, that i can treat like a concrete floor. who gets to do that??! :)

i finally have a bride..or two

2010-06-14T04:53:00.000-07:00

so, i was kind of bummed...i didnt have one bride portrait on any of my backgrounds and was hoping that someday....
well, the day has come! !

paul ernest had a clever idea----take a background outdoors, and shoot with a reflector...and i am so grateful that he did! this image is so pretty...deep and rich, yet bright and airy. it is the background called 'eastwood'.

and then i recieved these bride picture from julie klaasmeyer on the background, 'shabby fairy'. they are just gorgeous. miss julie has a way with colors, and they turned out perfect. i am absolutely thrilled to add them to my sample collection <3

numb finger

2010-06-02T06:44:00.000-07:00

so...this is a "muah!" background that i just finished for vicki taufer and josh blick, at V Gallery (which i am very excited about sending out) (aaand, if you look in the bottom left corner, it says 'v.t. rocks and blick is the bees knees) lol...i hope that they someday notice that :)
i had not done a grafitti background of this size yet, and i have learned something. number one...masks really are important unless you want a raw spot on the back of your throat..and number two, they have spray can accessories that you will need--a spray can holder with a trigger. and i will be getting one asap and i'm pumped about it!! i still today have a numb finger from too much spraying--i guess i squished my nerve endings.
for the record..if i ever drop out of background making, i think i'll go for grafitti artist...i know why they get addicted--its a blast!

here is a picture and you can see a tiny bit of the studio. yes, i have green carpet that is slowly getting covered by overlapping paint can spills :) its actually an old funeral parlor --you can see the old mauve and blue border still up..that somehow went with the green carpet? hmmmm..... :)

its a good day

2010-05-19T06:38:00.000-07:00

i think about how blessed we are in our industry.
im sure there are many yucky things that might make your days annoying, but really, i have found photography people to be amazing.

i cant tell you how many times that i have been in awe that people just sometimes want to give of themselves. i think about who helped me when i first started my business...who are still helping. and all of the people i have met so far along my way, with ideas, orders, samples, advice, support... i feel grateful <3

if you can do one nice thing for someone today, go for it. chances are, that they will feel loved and it will make you a better person :)

what a great weekend!

2010-05-17T07:44:00.000-07:00

SO...we went to avon, indiana and had a blast. what a great group of people! (not to mention our outings and a fantastic house to stay at!! )

~~~bad news...i am very upset with facebook. while at scott and kellys, i logged into my page with gregs computer. well, they noticed that this was abnormal and quizzed me on verifying 7 photos..what i mean is that they gave me 7 random pictures from 7 of my 4,200 friends. i was supposed to know whose picture is whose and only get 2 wrong. well, im failing miserably and cannot access my page. so what to do?? i have peoples orders in my inbox..unanswered questions in my inbox and tons of valuable comments :( i dont know how to fix it (besides hoping that i somehow get 7 peoples pictures right ) i think i'm going to have to make a new page....so, please keep your eye out!

ok..back to the good news..here are some pictures of the weekend. i have a ton of awesome scott samples too..so, those will be coming shortly.

i hope that you guys all have a great week ahead!! xo

goin on a road trip!

2010-05-13T07:01:00.000-07:00

this weekend we are heading to avon, indiana to hang out with scott and kelly crosby and 15 of their friends :) its the new studio workshop and i cant wait!! not only will it be a mini vay-K, but it is one more opportunity to get out there and meet some of the people that i have worked with on backgrounds. and i am so excited about that!
im giving a sneaky peek at the new 'boy' grafitti. muuuuah.. is definatley girlie, kissy lip. this one is a little more guy friendly, with no pink..or lips..or x's and o's :)

i hope that you like it!

how does intuition and fuse FUSE?

2010-05-12T04:05:00.000-07:00

its a conFUSEing issue...whats the deal with intuition backgrounds and fuse backgrounds?
here is the story...
sherry reichert, kelly crosby and i all decided to put together our designs and make a new company, that prints out excellent quality backgrounds. it is headed by terry short (who is sherrys brother) he does all of the orders, printing, and shipping
so, sherry, kelly and i all make designs and get a cut for each one that we sell. and not only do the 3 of us get along eeeeeasily, we also have a good, healthy competition going to see who can sell the most designs..lol! it has been a blast so far. friends and business CAN mix!!

some people wonder why i am doing this? and do i really think that printed backgrounds are as good?
well...trust me...i have struggled with this one...
painted backgrounds:
i think that background making is an artform. one that not too many people in this world can do. there is something about a large painting that can overwhelm you..inspire you...it can create a new environment, and a certain mood that small ones cannot.  it can change an entire room. and i will always be more partial to the traditional method...i love everything about it. i love starting a new painting for someone. focusing on subtle details..even ones that no one might notice. i can put all of my heart into a peice of work for someone. and i know if i do this, it will turn out beautiful. :) if you grab a client at the site of a background, i figure that you are setting a mood.. for sales!
printed backgrounds?
i give the thumbs up for fuse backgrounds. i was leary about the quality, the color...those things are very very important to me and i didnt want anything less than excellent if i was going to go this route. and i can assure you that they are great. some people dont like the small size of fuse backgrounds (44x60), but i can tell you that i've seen them in action and it is so easy. easy to shoot, easy to manage, and easy to store. these are perfect for head shots and 3/4th shots. and most of all, they are so afordable! if you need a fix..if you neeeeed to buy a background that you dont want to spend a ton of money for...one that is pink, one that is not your normal conservative self (go wild!), one that you think would be perfect for that one good clients' eyeballs, then go for it. they are cheap enough and they wont let you down.

what do i think is the best idea?  i would do BOTH.
this is what people are doing:
my ship out date is currently 3 1/2 months out.  which some people are like, what??!! some people know that they want that specialty background and dont care how long it takes to get it. soooo, what some people have been doing, is they order that big background, and then they order one or two fuse backgrounds to play with in the meantime. (fuse has a 2 week ship out time---hooray!!)
i think its a brilliant idea!!! :D
to go to fuse backgrounds

hooooly cow....my first blog ever

2010-05-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

hello to everyone! i'm so excited..my first blog. :)

i am so excited to have a new site. my old one was so....old.

the prices were old..the pictures were old..i cringed when people said that they looked at it. time for a change.

and i love it! a special thank you to greg myers. he did it all for me and i changed everything atleast 3 times. i like to think that we grew closer during the experience...lol..

thank you for checking out my blog. i'm pretty excited about it --i can post fun pictures and things of inspiration... my addictions to things like colors, and spray paint..haha.not really, BUT grafitti is too much fun!! it is like therapy, and i think everyone should try it atleast once in their life. the picture above is my new love. and a great new seller, titled 'muuuuah!' (kissy noise) it was still on the wall when i shot this, and as you can see on the left, i had to practice spraying lips a couple of times before i got the nerve to go for it and possibly RUIN the entire painting. haha!

enjoy your weekend!