{EarthGroovz Designs}

Oh take a peek at my latest featured designer's work! Kerry, the creator of 'EarthGroovz Designs', makes funky, hip and earth-friendly clothes! I love these dresses and I even paired them with some pants for a fun look! My daughter was feeling a little spunky in them too, she was full of attitude when I put her in the dresses. She grabbed her hat, put it on her head and went on her way (in search of ladybugs, what else?). And cutie patootie Kendall, is modeling the 18 month old size. I've already used these during some of my photo sessions. Love them and the many fabrics Kerry offers with her designs. I just can't get enough of the big flower prints- they have such a fun 70's, retro, carefree feel. And Kerry is really wonderful to work with - contact her if you have any questions!

{Gallery Wrap Canvas Wall Display!}

Oh my lonely, boring, creamy white walls are no longer bare. I've been working on this project since late March and a couple of weeks ago it was finally complete! I've had too much going on to post it sooner (not that I have time now... sorry to my clients who are waiting on their galleries to be posted, sneak peeks to be blogged and orders to be packaged - I just needed a tiny break and decided to quickly pop these up here on my blog - then back to work on all the important things you're waiting on.) ;-)

The walls in my entry way are two stories tall and about 18 feet wide and were just screaming for some visual attention and appeal. I couldn't decide on a black & white display or a color display since some images just scream for color and others beg to be a classic black and white. So I did both and mixed it up! I didn't want the images to be lined up perfectly - I wanted more of an abstract, non-linear display so I did some staggering (this will also allow me to add to the gallery if I decide to in the future without feeling restricted to one specific size). The sizes vary from 16x20's to 30x40's. Excuse the images - I'm used to photographing people and not the interiors of homes - the color looks a bit crazy on the images but in reality it's a bit more tame and tolerable {wink} ).

{Pretty Me...}

Oh check out these adorable dresses by my next featured designer Angie of Pretty Me - sweet clothing for hip girlies! I've already had clients see them and say - 'oh, I have to have that dress'!! Can't blame them - they are just adorable!! Brielle of course loves them too and kept dancing in them (like a ballerina -'her' dance...) - she's a hoot when it comes to girlie girl clothes - she's all over them!! Angie's designs are inspired by sweet vintage styles with whimsical and creative details - she hit the nail on the head with that! I love them. Simply adorable clothing - I think I need to do some shopping!

{Kait Emerson Designs}

Wow, you don't know how fun it is for me to do fashion photography and spotlight such talented designers. My daughter and son have started to really get into the sessions too and each day when I get Briella dresses she says, 'Are you going to take my picture in this mommy?'. Today when I told her we were just getting dressed for the day in response to her question, she said - 'but I want you to take my picture mommy'. I wish she was like that all the time - ha!So check out these chic & bold designs Feanna Otta, of Kait Emerson Designs! She's has such an eye for tot fashions that have a fun and relaxed yet hip and classy look to them. Yeah, all of that packed into her designs. I love them! And she hand makes each item she offers; pants, tops, dresses and other clothing and accessories and is a very busy lady - with so many on-line stores featuring her clothing. She lives and creates her designs in Huntington Beach California but sells her items at the following online high-end boutiques: Kait Emerson Designs, Hip & Little, Haute for Tots, Jaela Fredrick, The Refined Cubbyhole, Modern Mommy and Starlooks Boutique. Wow, that's a lot and look at these boutiques!! Anyway, here's just a small sample of her clothing line.

{Kennedy & Friends Co.}

I'm sooooo excited about featuring this next designer - Kennedy & Friends Co.! I love tutus so I was giddy about doing this! My daughter was just as excited as I was and cried when it was time to take off the tutus. She kept showing me ballet moves (I have no idea where she learned them but she suddenly started showing me her two year old version of plié’s & pirouettes). Nathalie, the designer is such and sweet person and has amazing passion for making little girls feel so beautiful in her handmade designed tutus. She has so many varieties - she can even make custom tutus for dogs, cats, dolls, you name it! Oh, my old pug would've loved that (although my pug was a boy so maybe not) ;-) Her tutus are retailed alongside Kaiya Eve, Deux Par Deux, Bratt Decor, Juice Couture, Bugaboo, and other exclusive designers and are found at 'Jellybeans' in Springfield Missouri and other high-end boutiques across the country. {Note: Her tutus are only available at these boutiques or on-line through Etsy}.

{Nuxie Made}

I admit, I have a hat fetish when it come to accessories for my children. I love them, I'm always on the lookout for different, fun, funky, colorful hats. So I was thrilled to photograph and feature these hats for Nux of 'Nuxie Made'!! They fit all the things I love - they're colorful, hand-made, and look absolutely darling on children (and pre-teens). My daughter even insisted on wearing one to bed (yep, that's my stubborn but oh so loving two year old). Aren't these hats adorable?!

{sludge, muck & dreaded delays... sigh}

Yes, the weather here in South Carolina has been wet! This past Saturday we had over 4 inches (at least that's what's being said and not from a reliable source - merely chatter heard at the local Piggly Wiggly). Sooo, that resulted in two more sessions being postponed. I really don't like postponing my client's sessions but I want them to get the best images possible and in these wet and soggy conditions it's the best choice.On another note, I was recently featured in the Country Club of South Carolina's quarterly 'Club Journal'. The cover is my daughter (well her legs and feet anyway -ha! getting on her tricycle in her little white tutu). They did a spread on me and posted samples of my work inside. Pretty fun!

{Nissalisa - monster wear for your lil' monsters...}

Monsters… monsters – what could be more cool on a t-shirt? My son went nuts when he tried this on for our photo shoot. These zany shirts are the creations of Nissalisa. And who is Nissalisa? It’s the sister-in-law duo Nissa & Lisa! Very fitting. J Anyway, I think these shirts are so fun for little boys – and big boys too! Their sizes run really small so I would contact Lisa or Nissa and ask them about sizing (between the two of them they have 8 children so they are pretty much experts in that area). My son is a 5T and he needed a size 8 – wowzah! Personally I love the long sleeve shirts – they are more form-fitting but not too clingy. My son really liked the short-sleeve – 1) it was green – his favorite color, along with orange and 2) he loves short sleeved shirts – he’s such a little furnace. Anyway, they have many different monsters to choose from (Tyler is shown sporting ‘ Blue Bernard’) as well as monster onesies, monster towels and adult size monster appliquéd t-shirts with ringer neck (gotta love the ringer necks)!

{Monkey & Me}

Oh my…here’s another amazingly creative, hip, and fun featured designer, Beth creator of Monkey & Me unique children’s clothing. Little Briella was so giddy trying these clothes on and modeling for me. I’ve never seen her so excited for a photo session. We dressed her on-location so the clothes wouldn’t wrinkle too much and she kept saying ‘Oh this is gonna be fun! '{giggles emanating from her}. I was thrilled she was so into it. Anyway, getting the thumbs up from my daughter was a good sign and I instantly fell in love with the colors, and cute vintage designs. Monkey & Me designs a variety of styles from funky and hip to wild and spunky available in infant sizes all the way up to 6T. And since Beth is the designer/creator she knows all about sizing so if you’re unsure of what sizes you’re interested in just send her your child’s measurements and she’ll help you find the perfect fit! I just love this red and white polka-dot retro animals A-line dress! But I think Brielle felt sassy in all of them. If you like funky, retro, unique clothing you’ve gotta check out Monkey & Me.

{Robin's Egg Pink Boutique}

The first featured designer is Lisa Samartino from ‘Robin’s Egg Pink Boutique’! And oh my gosh…I’ve become such a big fan of her clothing line. Lisa, from Beverly Hills, started her clothing line just last year and is already being featured in National magazines. I love the fabrics in Lisa’s designs – they are lightweight and soft, perfect comfort for children. Brielle liked the jacket too – after I put it on her she whispered to me ‘Oh, am I a princess mommy?’ I don’t know where she got that idea since this is a jacket and not a tutu – but I went along with it and assured her she was indeed a princess. Is that bad? ;-) Anyway, if you have kids check out her clothing line – you can find it at etsy.com and a growing number of high-end boutiques around the country.