I had the immense pleasure of shooting the editor of the new and AWESOME magazine Mn-Ups!! Mn-Ups is Minnesota’s premiere PinUp magazine, the best part? It’s FREE!!!!! You can find them at local coffee shops, salons, tattoo parlours and breweries! Dawnfelice was was so much fun to work with and an absolute doll!! Orley Anderson from Classic Cherry did hair and makeup. We had a blast! Here’s the proof!

I was so excited when Steph decided she wanted something different for her engagement session. She is a creative, she makes clothing and jewelry and throws a party like nobodies business! We had a blast in the studio last weekend doing a couples PinUp e-session. Don’t believe me? Here’s the proof!
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If you know me at all, you know how much I adore coffee! Well, I just found more reasons to love it! Coffee grounds can and will become part of my beauty regimen. You can use it for a facial scrub!
So what makes coffee probably one of the best facial exfoliators in your cupboard? For starters, coffee that are grind into fine particles actually remove dead tissues and cells that our bodies need to shed. You cannot keep all that dirt hanging on to your face forever. Coffee may be a good source of anti-oxidants, which will help keep cancer at bay, but it is also antibacterial. This antibacterial property should be useful to stop unwanted growth of other harmful microorganisms. Pores should feel tight and the face, clean by the time you finish.

Aside from its exfoliating properties, coffee is not expensive. Well, this depends on the type of coffee you are using but if you have got that unwanted coffee grounds you probably want to dispose of, follow these instructions and you will have an extremely effective exfoliator to use.

WHAT YOU NEED:

Coffee grounds
Olive Oil
Container

First, grind the coffee finely and mix it with the olive oil. The ratio is 2:1. For every 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. The final product should look like mud but it does not have to be perfect. After all, mud isn’t. For an added treat you can add Vanilla or Essential oil to the mix for an intoxicating facial!

How about a complete body scrub?

Give your skin a buzz with used coffee grounds. Simply scrub the crumbly goodness all over your body for a natural exfoliant. Rubbing grounds into your skin will slough off dead skin cells and leave your skin feeling refreshed. For a smoother scrub, add a bit of olive oil to the grounds.

Or…Get rid of cellulite??

Directions:
Make a homemade mix of olive oil and warm coffee grounds. They don’t need to be used as soon as they’ve brewed, refrigerate until needed and then microwave for about 30 seconds or so until they’re toasty warm (not hot).
Mix them with enough olive oil to make a thick paste then rub into problem areas to stimulate the blood flow.
Massage vigorously in a circular motion for a few minutes then shower to wash it all away. Treatment can also be intensified by wrapping the applied mixture with plastic wrap and leaving it on for up to 15 minutes before showering.
Repeat procedure 2 to 3 times a week. May take several months of consistent treatments for significant results to appear.
Another recipe: 1 cup fresh grounds with a 1/2 cup each of brown sugar, sea salt and almond oil. Seal in a jar and store in a cool, dry place (shelf life is about 4 weeks). Massage in for at least 5 minutes each time.
Is it ok if it’s decaffeinated? Apparently it’s not as effective, the caffeine is an important ingredient that can’t be skipped.

And finally YES it can actually give you beautiful locks!

Before lathering up your tresses with your favorite shampoo, scrunch a handful of coffee grounds into wet hair. It may feel a tad strange at first—like rubbing sandy grit into your hair—but that coarse stuff is actually good for them. Once you’ve worked the grinds into your mane, rinse thoroughly. The grounds will remove any product build-up and leave your locks glossy and smooth. Beauty disclaimer: You may not want to use this method if you have bleached or light hair, as it may darken the color.

How’s that for beauty on a budget!! Talk about being greener! Coffee is a gift from heaven that much is for sure!!

I had the pleasure of hanging out with the Veurink’s on Friday and got to meet a very precious little girl and see another one that has gotten so big!! We had so much fun! Thank you for letting me come in and pretty much tear up your home for the sake of art!! Here’s a slideshow of our time together!
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So, I was just scolding a friend of mine for not updating his blog for awhile and thought to myself, I wonder when the last time I blogged was? Holy smokes…it’s been too long! I have been busy! Thats not a good excuse, so let me show you all what I’ve been up to for the last couple of months! I’ve been shooting more and more PInUp for one thing! Here’s a couple so you get the gist!






That last one is my absolute favorite image ever!!
I’ve also been busy with other work! I took photo’s of the Verbout family!!






I’ve been shooting with LaMadness too! Here’s some from a show I shot back in November!!




I worked with Help-Portrait again this year and we shot photo’s at Mary’s Place in Minneapolis! It was amazing!! here’s a sneak peek of that!




And of course I had to capture Elliott’s 18 month birthday photo’s!! Here’s a couple of favorites from that!!



Elliott and Mommy sing a duet!! <3
Well, that pretty much brings you up to date! I worked a booth at The Minneapolis tattoo convention this last weekend with my nieces, trying to get some ladies interested in doing some PinUp photo’s for their guy’s for Valentines, it was exhausting , but so much fun! You’ll have to check out my facebook for those photo’s, as they were taken with my iphone!