Families at Reflections: The Edwards Family on What Matters Most

This beautiful family has a very special place in my heart.

You see, Christine Edwards is my beloved hair and makeup artist. Not only that, but over the years, she’s become an important part of Reflections Photography. Christine is warm, kind, and extremely talented at what she does. I consider her to be a good friend of mine.

When her family experienced a house fire earlier this year, I was heartbroken for them. Luckily, her family is okay. Sadly, they lost a lot almost everything after the fire, including beloved family portrait wall art. Of course, as soon as they were ready, we did a family photography session so their family could have new portraits and make new memories. She was able to save a few things from the fire, which she shares more about below.

Christine was gracious enough to share her story and what she’s learned from this experience. I know you’ll love getting to know her and her beautiful family. (Some responses were edited for clarity.)

Meet Christine Edwards  

1. Can you introduce and tell us about your family? 

My name is Christine, and I have two boys, Tysen, who’s 12, and Luca, who’s 11.  My husband Josh and I have been married for 13 years. We’ve lived in Grimsby since 2010.

2. Can you share what you do for work and why? 

I'm a Mobile Makeup Artist & Stylist specializing in Airbrush, Bridal, and Natural makeup.  

How I got started is kind of a funny story. My dad is old-fashioned, and I’m the only girl with three brothers. So my dad said if I was going to wear makeup, I needed to learn how to apply it properly. So I went to a tween makeup class offered at the community center, which got me started!

 Growing up, everyone has the friend who does everyone’s hair and makeup, and that was me! After high school, I didn’t know what to do for a career, and I didn’t want to waste my money on college, so I was a server and bartended for almost 10 years. My mom encouraged me to pursue a career in the beauty industry. I ended up taking the program at Sheridan College. I started working in spas after that as an Esthetician and Makeup Artist.

3. How did you start your business?

I was working at a 'Premier Spa' and doing makeup here and there before having kids. After my maternity leave with Tysen, I went back to work. But not for long before I was put on bed rest at 18 weeks pregnant - with a 1-year-old,  with full placenta previa. Luca was our pleasant surprise. I had no idea I was pregnant for almost 3 months because it was such a different experience than with Tysen.  After my premie was home and healthy,  I was back to work but freelance and only weekends and evenings so Josh could be with the boys, I was now a stay-at-home mama. It didn't make sense for me to go back to work - I'd be working to pay for daycare. I've done contracts from A Mobile bridal company since before Luca was born. Over the years, word of mouth and referrals have kept me busy - busier every year.

A few years ago, I saw Karen Byker had a post on Facebook looking for a makeup artist and stylist. I decided to apply and got the job. Over the years, my role has evolved. Now I help out in her studio in other ways, like crafting and assisting. I love it!

3. What happened with the house fire?

On April 12th, at approximately 12:45 pm, I came home from work. My kids were at school, and my husband was at work. I pulled into the driveway and noticed a weird smell. I honestly thought it was something to do with my car! I got out of my car and opened the hood, like I knew how to fix an overheating car. 

I realized that there was black smoke coming out of the top of my neighbour's garage. I quickly ran to the neighbor’s front door. I was ringing the bell frantically while opening the door and yelled for them to get out. It's a large blended family. Luckily, it was just the mom, with 2 teens home at the time.

They quickly ran outside. Minutes later, there was an explosion! It was just like what you see in the movies. The garage door blew off. Their roof blew off. My windows blew out. It was crazy. The reason for the fire is still inconclusive.

Between the fire and water damage, we lost almost everything meaningful in our home. They were very thorough in stopping the fire. Because of that, our home experienced lots of water damage. Our basement had 6 inches of water from putting out the fire. Both of our houses are down to the studs, still waiting to be repaired.

4. What was the aftermath? What did you lose? 

Sadly, I had lots of pictures on the walls, and they were all destroyed. I had multiple gallery walls with photos that were all lost. Karen had done a family session for me several years ago and gave me a wooden box with the printed images. Somehow the box was damaged, but the pictures were all fine! During the walk-through to ensure the fires out, a firefighter found two scrapbooks. My step-sister had made them for me when my boys were babies. The plastic over the top of my scrapbooks protected the photos and survived. 

I love taking pictures, and I even had an old laptop in the basement that I was holding onto for the pictures of my boys that was destroyed. I learned that having some of your photos in a keepsake is a good idea.

5. How has this changed your perspective? 

Before, I had a lot of stuff. All that stuff is gone. So this had kind of put a twist on living minimally and focusing on what’s actually important. My husband and my boys have always been close and like spending time together. But I’ve noticed that my boys are spending more time with each other now than before. We’re all a little more grateful for what we have. They’ve realized that it was just stuff and that we have everyone that we need right here.

6. How was your family session with Karen?

Karen offered to do a family session with us when we were ready. She wanted to help us heal and make some new memories. I’ve seen her work all the time, but I also know my family, you know! I didn’t think my family would go along with all her interactive games. But they did! They played along with her and actually had fun. She makes it really fun for everyone. My husband actually enjoyed the experience so much that he wrote the review for her.

7. How can readers connect with you?

To see her beautiful work, you can follow Christine on her Instagram page or the Reflections Photography page. You’re welcome to message her on Instagram or email her at beyoutifulwithce@gmail.com to inquire about makeup and styling services. 

Holding Your Loved Ones Close 

I’m so grateful that Christine and her family are okay and were able to save baby pictures and a few other photos from the fire. While their recent session doesn’t replace the other family wall art that they lost, I hope they were able to make new memories to cherish. Family photography is more than taking a few photos; it’s about holding your loved ones close. 

I hope you enjoyed hearing Christine’s story. If this story prompts you to have family portraits taken, we’d love to help you. Please send me a message here.