{Designer Spotlight: Oh So Sassy!}

Yes, I'm still alive!!  Gosh things have been incredibly busy!!  As you know, we are moving from South Carolina to Phoenix,  Arizona.  My husband started his job two weeks ago in AZ so the week before that we were in Disney World kind of as a good-bye to the south and some fun kid-focused good times.  Gosh, our kids were in heaven!!  Tyler and Brielle agreed that their favorite ride was 'Thunder Mountain' - yeah a big'ole roller coaster.  I was shocked first that Brielle was tall enough to go on the ride and that she fell in love with it!  We have video of each of them on the ride screaming with excitement.  Guess how many times we rode Thunder Mountain.....10 TIMES during our visit.  Anyway, I could go on and on about the kids excitement over everything they saw but I won't bore you with that ;-)  Two days after we got home we  left for Arizona  to check out area while Jeff started his new job.  What a busy busy busy  week and a half!  I must've seen over 100 homes!  I got a feel  for the area since each day was packed with research and exploring, the weather was perfect for it!!  It got me excited for the desert sunsets and the cool photos that I'll be able to capture once I'm there.   We were so busy I didn't touch my camera once (I was going through withdraws, I'm not used to going more than a couple of days without photographing).

 Anyway, while we were away we got news that an offer came in on our house!!  We were shocked since it's only been on the market 3 weeks!  So now it's under contract!  I know the deal can still fall through so I'm not celebrating until the deal is done ;-)  We're excited but that means we'll be moving sooner than we anticipated.  We have a close date of April 15th - yikes!  I'm not mentally ready and that means Tyler won't be here for his 5K graduation (I think I'm more upset by that than he is) :(  But I'm not complaining - I'm just thrilled we won't have the stress of two house payments!!   With a close date so soon, I've had to cancel many Spring sessions which I feel bad about but I do plan on coming back to Florence once a year for sessions and of course to see my friends here in the South :)  More details to come in later posts.

Okay onto my original post...Michelle, designer and owner of Oh So Sassy,   just came out with her Spring collection.  And I love it!! It's fresh and colorful!  I love the sleeves and the sash/belt  that she incorporated in her designs coupled with her fun fabrics.  Briella liked them too and didn't want to take her 'pretty dress' off before our spaghetti dinner after our photo shoot, but I feared orange sauce staining the front so I convinced her to let me take it off until she was done with dinner.   Thankfully she was content with that plan and ate her dinner in just her leg warmers and underwear ;-)  After dinner the first thing she did was grab the dress and put it on and went running to get her 'princess shoes'.  I'll miss these days ...I know my baby is growing up so fast so I'm savoring these moments.  Anyway  check out newest collection at Oh So Sassy and upon purchase, if you enter the code 'karamay' in the comments to the seller, she will give you 15% off one item by giving a refund!!    Thanks Michelle!! 

Olivia dress below - love the punch of yellow with the black and white.

Madison dress:  fun, funky patterns. The box pleat on the skirt portion is a great touch.

Eva dress:  fresh spring colors and again I love that box pleat at the skirt line.

{Designer Spotlight - Ribbies!}

Oh I'm behind on posting to my blog again :(  I really don't like going more than a week without posting but things have been nuts as you can imagine.  I've been doing  some fun commercial projects,  a few client shoots and getting ready to head out tomorrow for Disney World!!!  Since we're on the east coast and in the south we figured we can't leave this area without a trip to Disney World for the kids.  They are at such a fun age for it now, so I can't wait to see the excitement on their faces while we explore the park.  Without a doubt, Jeff and I will turn into big kids ourselves which will make it even more fun.  Of course my kids started to get sick last week, so I promptly took them to the doctors so we could cure any ailments before our adventure.  I want them to have fun and avoid the misery of being sick on such a fun vacation for them.  I'm glad I took them because they both had ear infections and bad colds - now they're loaded up on antibiotics and starting to feel like themselves again  - whew.... ;-)  After we get back from Disney - we're home for 2 days and then we head off to Arizona for a week+  to look for places to live and Jeff starts his new job when we get there!  Did I mention things were busy?   tee hee ;-)    Then the kids and I head back to SC so they can complete school, we can hopefully sell our house (praying)  and I can work with my amazing clients before saying goodbye to friends and our life here in the south.  Gosh that sounds so sad :(  But again, I do plan on coming back once a year for sessions and to see the great friends we have made while we were here.   

Okay, on with my original post!  I'm sooo excited about this commercial client of mine.  Kim from Ribbie's , contacted me recently to photograph some of her new products.  I was excited since I had just seen Ribbie's clippies the week prior at my local Target on one of the end-caps and was thinking about getting some of these hip little clippies for my daughter.  They come in so many fun colors and they actually stay in little one's hair with their unique foam grip.  Anyway, I learned a little about how Ribbie's got started too.   Kim and her sister, Kristen, went into business in 2006 after searching for cute hair accessories for their young daughters and noticed that the selection hadn't really changed much from when they were young.  They  saw the same big bows and plastic barrettes that slid out of fine hair.  They  wanted to design something more simple and proportionate to a baby/child's face.  About the same time, they came across the huge selection of cool scrapbooking ribbon that was relatively new to the market and thought it was a perfect fit. They added clips and their unique foam grip and tried it out.  The clips were a success staying in their daughter's hair all day.  In 2006 they started making them at their kitchen table.  Now they have manufacturer, a fulfillment center and distributors in 4 countries!! Their product popularity expanded at an amazing rate.    You can find Ribbie's at www.ribbiesclippies.com.  { Shipping is only $2.90 for up to 10 pair. Also receive 10% off by typing coupon code:  Kara May on the last page of check out.}  And the Ribbie's 4 packs can be found at target stores and at Target.com  -   http://www.target.com/gp/search/177-9662574-5715568?field keywords=ribbies&url=index%3Dtarget&ref=sr_bx_1_1&x=0&y=0  I found them on the end cap in the baby shampoo section.    This Spring they will be expanding their  line with several new products including pacifier clips and headbands made from Ribbies own ribbon designs.  Stay tuned for more products at their website and on my blog as I feature more of their new products.   

{Designer Spotlight: Kate Emerson & Nuxiemade}

You all know what a huge fan I am of these two designers. I use Nuxiemade hats in almost all my sessions and the kids {and moms} love them!!  She's coming out with some new designs after the holidays - I can't wait!  And Kate Emerson is starting her new Spring line - here's a little sneak peek at one of her adorable knot apron dresses.    Brielle felt like such a princess in this dress - she kept dancing and twirling around during our mini session.  And when we got home she insisted on keeping on her 'flower princess dress'  coupled with her princess crown and sparkly shoes.  I had to convince her to take it off to go to bed.  She's all girl {except for her devotion to 'little creatures' - aka lizards, ladybugs, any bug really}.  Anyway, thanks for stopping by more spotlights to come. 

{Nuxiemade - Designer Spotlight}

Remember Nuximade?  I featured this amazing hat designer several months ago and I am again thrilled to feature more of Nux's amazing work.  She's also in the process of designing other styles and colors so stay tuned. 

I always bring these hats to sessions and my clients fall in love with them asking me for the link and information on the hats.  Some clients even show up to our session with the hats since they've seen them featured and used on my blog with so many clients.  Love that!

My children love the hats and Brielle has gotten a little possessive of them.  I use them primarily for my sessions but if the kids want to wear one I let them - why not?  Well, when Briella sees pictures of my clients in 'her' hats, she says 'Hey, why are they wearing my hat?  They didn't ask?  Was I sharing - no one told me'  - I have to remind her that the hats are for my clients to wear and she gets to wear them when I'm not photographing.  She's got that just turned three attitude and drama.  I'm nervous for her teen years.   Tyler on the other hand will see pictures of clients in the hats and say 'Oh cool they wore our hats, looks good mom'.  And then he'll point out his favorite image.   So funny how the two are so different - could be the age or it could be the difference in gender - who knows? 

{Faith Works 4U - Designer Spotlight}

Lemon print, grosgrain ribbon, and light cotton fabric - that's a small précis of just one of the designs that my daughter fell in love with when we were photographing Faith's great summer dresses. Faith Works 4U is a clothing and handmade goods line based in Florida by guess who... Faith! Her line has varying fabrics and she offers a variety of items - I'm loving her 1970's inspired plush owls.I have to tell you, photographing these dresses was quite an event. I took my daughter, Brielle, out to this abandon school house to take the pictures. It was out in the middle of no-where , tucked back from the street. The session went great - Brielle kept doing her little ballet dance (she does that when she puts on something 'pretty'). Anyway, Tyler and my husband were with us too. We were wrapping things up and headed back to the car (about 15 steps away) got everyone buckled, comfy, and ready to head to Starbucks for a little treat. I turned the key in the ignition and ....nothing. I tried again... nothing. So we thought we'd call our friends Bobby & Mary Beth to see if they could come out and jump our battery. Not so easy....we both left our cell phones at home assuming the other had brought theirs. So we're out in the middle of no-where without cell phones....not smart, I know. Since not many people drive by this area and Jeff was having no luck getting anyone to stop, he decided he was going to walk to try to get help - Brielle hearing this and seeing daddy walk away yells 'Daddy, we love you....' Oh my...then I got panicked and started flagging down any car that I could see in the distance - of course Jeff turned around and saw me and freaked out saying ' what are you doing - you're a girl with 2 kids - you can't do that - you never know what someone will do to you and the kids.' As we're trying to figure out what to do, Jeff decided to push the car closer to the road pop the hood and waive jumper cables by passing cars. A few passed by without stopping and my heart began to sink. Then I notice the last car slowing and turning around in the road - he was heading back our way! I was so excited! Jeff was relieved too. The nice man was disabled and was so sweet to stop and help us. We had no money with us (just credit cards) so I couldn't even give him money. All I could do was thank him profusely for stopping to help us. Anyway, I got the pictures I needed and we got home safe so it was a happy ending and we are laughing about it now! Lesson: Always bring a cell phone with you when you venture into no-where land (and hopefully you'll still have a signal) :)

{Brielle made the Cover!}

My little girl is on the cover of Tot Trends Magazine!! Just thought I'd make a quick post sharing what the cover looks like! And that cute little vintage dress...was made by Monkey & Me one of my featured designers! Thanks for looking!

{My boy...}

So finally, I'm posting a few more pictures from my trip to Arizona a few months ago (I know, you forgot I went there didn't you? wink). I had a little mini session with my son while we were there and he was just a goof - giving me serious 'trying to be cool' looks and then wiping out one of his silly faces and making me laugh and then reverting right back into his so serious trying to be mature looks. The picture of him jumping was so fun and spontaneous - he was standing, again looking so serious ,then he suddenly leaps in the air, arms and legs spread at the top of the hill. I loved it and was so glad I caught it on camera (have to be quick with kids, especially when they are so used to my camera and last about 5 minutes).The bottom set of images are with Grandma Doh Doh and Grandpa May. That's what they called them.... long story behind Grandma's name and my kids say it lovingly (I think Grandma likes it a lot too) ;-) Sorry this post is short - tons of work to do and I'm so behind. Thanks for looking!!

{LPGA Superstar!}

I love my job!!! This past Saturday I did a really fun project for the Country Club of South Carolina. I was asked to follow Paula Creamer around the course while she played golf. So who is Paula Creamer? She's the 3rd ranked player in the world on the LPGA Tour! She's 21 years old and already has eight wins — six on the LPGA Tour, two in Japan. She was in South Carolina playing in the Honda Palmetto Invitational, so she played her round with several Honda Executives (all of which were a hoot, light-hearted and clearly had a blast playing with Paula). Paula even gave one of the Executives a mini-lesson on how to chip out of a bunker! She's very sweet, relaxed and has a fabulous sense of humor (she was high-fiving her fellow players on the greens after some great putts).Paula was super gracious with her fans too. Little girls with pink hats and cute pink golf outfits approached Paula on the practice greens and driving range for autographs. Paula is nicknamed the 'Pink Panther' for her love of the color pink. She sported a pink ribbon in her hair, pink grips on her clubs (pictured below), and even used balls with the pink panther on them. It was cool to see so much pink on the golf course! Here are just a few images from the day ;-)

{Oh So Sassy! - Designer Spotlight}

Has it really been over a week since I've posted?! Oh, I don't like going more than a few days without posting - things have been crazy and I'm way behind on sneak-peeks. Sorry - I'll make it up to those of you who are waiting thanks for being so patient. I'm so excited about this designer spotlight - as I always am ;-) Michelle, designer of 'Oh So Sassy' clothing for children just emanates talent! Her clothing is hip, fun, fresh, full of variety and of course a little bit of 'sass'. She receives inspiration from her own little toddler and her 21 nieces and nephews, including a set of triplets and two sets of twins. WOW! That's a ton of inspiration and a lot of little ones to sew for.I was fortunate to use two models for this showcase, my daughter Brielle and little Lilly. Remember Lilly, the cowgirl in the tutu? She was a great model for these adorable clothes. Thanks Lilly! And of course I love all the details Michelle incorporates into her clothing line. So I couldn't' resist highlighting a few... I'm a detail freak, love and can't get enough of all the little details. ;-)

{PamelaTang ~ Designer Spotlight}

Modern, clean and classic ~ such a perfect combination... that's PamelaTang’s designs. Pamela was relocating from Singapore to Australia when she sent me this gorgeous pinafore. I’m amazed she had the organization to ship items when she was in the midst of moving. Anyway, when I saw this dress in person I was amazed that the detail! It’s a really fine linen, with yellow sewn detailing down the front coupled with thin cream colored grosgrain ribbon. And the button on the back - I know this sounds strange but I loved it – such and hand sewn yet modern touch. I’m a detail girl so I was carefully looking at the great stitching, the lines, and the overall quality of this dress and obviously I can’t say enough. I love it. She makes her items in small quantities, each piece is individually handcrafted. She even makes adult sizes and sells gorgeous silk accents for the home.