I received EIGHT beautiful stories about eight amazing woman/moms/friends/grandmothers.  It truly made me realize how special this giveaway has become to not only those that were doing the entering and winning, but also to those of us that got to do the judging. Wow. I am just blown away by the stories.  I hadn’t planned on doing more than just a first place winner, but after reading all of the stories, I just couldn’t stop there….I had to do a little something for ALL the nominated moms.  So, without further delay, I would like to announce ALL of the winners of this wonderful giveaway:

First Place goes to: Tracy Dean ~ Nominated by Missy Cook

Here is the story that Missy sent in about Tracy….

My friend since 7th grade, Tracy Townsend Dean deserves a makeover and photo shoot as a Mother’s Day gift!!  She has always been such a shy person and had been fighting breast cancer privately without sharing with most of her friends for several months before actually sharing her fight publicly on Facebook.  

Since she has shared this information and received an outpouring of support from her friends that now know of her fight, she has been posting pictures of her gorgeous self with her hairless head and her precious two year old.

She never has complained, well maybe once….but her attitude and smile through this whole life-changing ordeal has made her even more amazing in my eyes.  She is the MOST deserving person I know of this amazing gift.

Missy

Thank you SO much to Missy for nominating Tracy!! We can’t wait to work with her.  Tracy will be receiving a makeover on the day of her photo session.  Makeover will be by the amazing Ashley of Belle Mariee Artistry.  Tracy will also receive a video of her story and experience from the also ever-amazing Nichole of Nichole Christine Photography.  Also included in Tracy’s winnings are a Naked Palette 2 from Urban Decay

She will also receive a $50.00 gift certificate to Ulta, and an OPI Immediate Departure Set

Second Place goes to: Misty Dierschke ~ nominated by Kayla Dunn

Here is the story that Kayla sent in about Misty…

Wow! I am jealous I am in Japan when there are opportunities like this.

I would like to tell you why MY MOMMY deserves this wonderful package for Mother’s Day!

My mommy is not one to take pictures. She is a smokin’ HOT mama but mentally her self esteem convinces her otherwise. I have been trying to get her to schedule a shoot with Shot of Whimsy for a over a year now and as you can see NADA ENCHILADA!

This year has been super rough for our family. My parents separated and are now going through a messy divorce, my mamas baby(me) took her only grandbaby and moved across the world:(, and now she is going to be alone this Mother’s Day.

My dad was never a good gift giver. He was never a “family portrait” kinda guy. He was always discouraging and mean when she would ask about photos of the family. Eventually, she gave up and just got pictures of her children. With her oldest being gone and no one to encourage the little ones to make the day special she doesn’t except a thing this Mother’s Day. It breaks my heart that i cannot be there and show her that she is freakin’ special and loved beyond anyone’s imagination.

I would love to give her the gift of a picture worth a thousand words. Words she hasn’t heard or seen in a long time. She is strong, beautiful, and amazing. She is now a single parent and needs to be shown that, THAT IS STILL A FAMILY.

She is the glue, she cannot be replaced so as long as she is there the family still stands strong. She needs to see all the things everyone around her sees and I think this could be just the thing to let her know how wonderful she is. She gives us her everything and its our turn:) She is my inspiration, my mentor, my life. I love her more than anything in this world and I want the chance to show her!  Though I won’t be there to participate as one of her babies I feel like Tina could totally Photoshop me in;)

So this Mother’s Day please help me give her the most precious gift from across the globe!
A family photo, a photo with her babies, a photo to show her what a wonderful job she is doing- ON HER OWN, a photo of love❤❤

Lots of Love, Kayla Dunn

Thank you to Kayla for the incredibly touching story of her mommy!! Misty will receive a Naked Palette 2 from Urban Decay and a $25.00 Gift Certificate to Ulta and an OPI Immediate Departure Set!!

Third Place goes to:  “Gigi” ~ nominated by Kesa Larson

Here is the story Kesa sent to us about Gigi…

When I found out I was pregnant with my first child I was immediately filled with overwhelming emotions. I already loved this tiny human inside me in ways I could never express. I was terrified I would not know what to do the first time he cried. I was ecstatic that my husband and I were creating the family we had hoped and prayed for. I was nervous that I would never be the kind of mother that mine had been. When I look back on my childhood it was filled with so many amazing experiences, life lessons that you can’t get from a textbook. I can’t think of one single time in my life that my mom put herself before anyone else. Growing up it was one dance competition after another; one beauty pageant to the next – sometimes as many as 3 in a weekend. There were thousands of miles spend driving me from school to dance to trainers to competitions. She never did anything for herself. I always knew by mom was on my side. I always knew my mom would support me. She might not always agree with me, but she would never let it show.

 I moved to the Austin area in 2002 – it was the first time since college that I was away from my family. I was here with my husband. Once we got pregnant I had a heavy heart and a pit in my stomach…my children would grow up knowing their GiGi as someone they saw on occasional visits, major holidays, and cards on their birthdays. I knew that wasn’t the type of GiGi she wanted to be, and I wanted my kids to know and love her they way I do. I was put in a no win situation. My husband’s job is here – my mom’s entire life was there: her job, her parents, her friends. Regardless of those details, the living expenses here were 4 times that of her hometown, she could never afford a life here.

 Fast forward a few months, my son was 6 months old – my PaPa passed away. Little did I know, but that set the wheels into motion. I had prayer warriors praying that something would happen – maybe we would win the lottery, maybe Oprah would call, maybe a miracle that I couldn’t even dream would happen. Just six more months later my phone rang…..with tears in her eyes and a wavering voice my mom said the words I had only dreamed of “I don’t know how else to tell you this, but I want to move there, in fact I have a job interview there next week, is that ok” At that point I had NEVER told my mom of my desire to have her here – I never wanted her to feel guilty. Fast forward, leaving out a lot of details…my mom is less than one mile away from me. I now have three boys, and they think GiGi hung the moon. She is at every ball game, every school awards, every event in their life. She is the GiGi I always knew she would be.

 But…as I saw the contest I initially skipped over it. That is when it hit me…my mom deserves to win a makeover and photo session. My mom has never had anything for herself. She has always given to me. She has always given to my kids. She has always given to any one in need that crosses her path. She doesn’t take the time to pamper herself. As a scrapbooker I document everything in our lives and the thought of having a beautiful portrait of my momma in my scrapbook brings tears to my eyes. I want everyone else to see what an amazing, beautiful GiGi she really is.

Kesa Larson

Thank you Kesa ~ your story brought tears to many eyes. So many of us can relate when it comes to wanting to be just 1/2 the mom that ours were to us!!  Gigi will receive a Naked Palette 2 from Urban Decay and an OPI Immediate Departure Set!

To the rest of the WINNERS!!! You will all receive an OPI Immediate Departure set. I love you ALL and I don’t even know you!!! Happy Mother’s Day!

Story 4

Hi Tina!
I would like to nominate someone for your Mothers day photo shoot. Her name is Kim Frey. I’ve known her for several years. We met at a playdate. She was pregnant with her 4th boy at the time! She now has 4 boys and 1 girl!! She suffers from several medical issues that have forced her to be in and out of the hospital, lots of medications, a leg cast, and surgeries over the last couple of years. We always joke that she is always a mess! BUT somehow through all of her own issues she is raising and homeschooling 5 kiddos! Her daughter is two, and is a little miracle as well! When she was just a few months old she got RSV and ended up at Dell children’s in the PICU for weeks. There were several times when we thought she wasn’t going to make it. Kim was always so strong! She is an amazing person! She is always trying to help others even when she is typically the one who should be asking for help! lol

Jessica Molepske

Story 5

Tina, hi!

I would like to nominate my mother, Tila Blackmon, for the Mother’s Day photo shoot/makeover contest. My mother is my idol, my role model, my absolute hero. She is the most selfless person I know. She does so much for others she rarely gets a moment to herself. On most days she will be doing a combination of many of the following: taking care of my grandmother (her mother-in-law), dropping off/picking up my nephews from school and helping with homework, babysitting my 3 yr old niece, baking and making crafts for her grandchildren or niece and nephews school parties and bake sales, going to one of their games or taking the. To practice, taking grandparents or other family members to doc appts so others don’t have to leave work, doing work for my dad and brother’s businesses, planning and hosting parties and showers for friends and huge family (over 40 nieces/nephews, and she’s hosted nearly every single party/shower since I was a small child – and I’m 30), staying up until 3am to finish “this one last thing for so-and-so” followed by getting up at 6am to go to a track meet 2 hrs away, making jelly/picking veggies/canning food for all of our family to store and use throughout the year, or being a “counselor”/mentor to anyone she knows – she so the One you always go to. I can’t even list it all. That’s literally a small fraction. She does it all, simply out of the goodness of her heart, with a huge smile, and insists on Absolutely Nothing in return. She is the woman who never stops giving, although she’s so tired she can hardly stand up, suffers from chronic migraines, and her back has never fully recovered after surgery. On top of this she has a Ton of new added responsibilities due to us finding out last week that her own mother is terminally ill with stage 4 cancer. Her happiness truly is bringing joy to others. She gives so very much that she literally has no personal time for herself and I believe she deserves a little something special, more than anyone in this world. When asked what I want to be some day, the answer has always been: “I hope that someday I can be as great of a wife and mother and person as my mother is”. She’s unbelievable. She’s my backbone. She, along with my sister, are my very best friends. She deserves some special time just for HER.

I realize this is very long. Thanks for reading if she doesn’t win, I hope that in some way this will allow someone else in the world to hear the great legacy of my hero!

Thank you, TaLonna Bush

Story 6

Hi there!
I wanted to nominate my friend a d co-worker for the free photo session.

I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah Marshall last summer. Since then, she’s shown me what it is to be a true example of a phenomenal mother, friend, and teacher. Not only does she give %300 to her students every day, but she works harder than any parent I have ever met. Sarah, being a single mother, does t have the time to do things for herself and I think she would be more than deserving of a photo session where she, for once, can be pampered and spoiled just a bit!;)
~ Angie de los Santos

Story 7

Hi Tina,
I would like to enter my sister Deanna DeGraw in the Shot of Whimsy makeover and photo session. My sister is a remarkable young woman. She is a devoted mother, sister and wife. She is a working mother of four beautiful and active young girls. She is on the go, taking me nieces to school, then going to work, than after work she takes them to their numerous dance lesson and extracurricular activities.
My nieces adore their mother. My sister is the bond of our family. She in her own right has become the woman she is today. Our mother passed away from breast cancer when my sister was four years old. My parents had two teenage daughters when they informed us they were adding an addition to the family. Unfortunately my sister did not have the privilege of growing up with a mom, and does not remember her. That did not stop her from striving to be the best mother, sister, and daughter. She takes care of her family and always checks in on my family and my sisters. Our dad has recently become ill, and she continues to bind us all together, she never takes much time to tend to herself. She always puts everyone else’s needs in front of her own. She love photographs of her daughter’s and our families. My sister Deanna deserves this makeover and photo session with Shot of Whimsy for Mother’s Day!!! She deserves to be treated like the remarkable young woman she has become.
Thank you, Deborah Salinas

Story 8

Let me tell you a little bit about Carrie.

She’s 34. Cop husband. Nurse by profession. Two littles at home. Normal, working mom running around and doing everything all the other moms in the world are doing.

Except more.

Carrie and I have known each other for a while, but we haven’t always been friends. Mere acquaintances at best. Until Carrie drew me in with her words and her thoughts on her blog, Love One More. In the last few months, Carrie has ripped my heart out on more than one occasion with her vulnerability and her compassion and her honesty. I doubt she even knows that I am a huge fan. But I am. Because Carrie has learned that loving her neighbor and serving her city is a calling- and she, unknowingly, changed my life and showed me that if we can all just do a little more to give to others, THIS world we live in would be such a better place.

Carrie doesn’t have any major struggles that I know of- toddlers and a crazy husband’s schedule and living with rheumatoid arthritis are fairly minor in the grand scheme. But instead of living comfortable, she continues to put herself in others’ not so nice shoes so that she can be real and be GOOD NEWS.

I cannot fathom Carrie spending money on herself. She’s raising funds for a trip to Ethiopia. And the thing is, she doesn’t boast or brag. Or complain. She’s grateful. And I am grateful that I got reacquainted with her. I’d sure love it if she got a chance to have her beautiful family captured by a great photographer, because she is pretty inspiring.

Kim

I also want to take a few minutes to thank ALL of my wonderful friends and fellow photographers for helping me judge this giveaway. Without you guys, I wouldn’t be what I am today. I love you ALL!! Stop by and check out their work when you get a free minute…they are ALL absolutely incredible!!

Amy Scarbrough ~ Al Gawlik Photography

Brandie Kennedy ~ Brandie Lynn Photography

Gretchen Mager ~ True North Photography

Holly Rios ~ Holly B. Photography

Karin Byrd ~ Karin B Photography

Katie Eaton ~ Katie Eaton Photography

Leslie Clawson ~ Leslie Clawson Photography

Nichole Martin ~ Nichole Christine Photography

Sarah Thompson ~ Sarah Thompson Photography

Stephanie McIntrye ~ Stephanie Leigh Photography

Wendy Kravitz ~ Wendy Gail Photography