{Local Ladies} Shana Feggeler

I'm so excited to finally begin a new blog series which has been on my mind for awhile now. I believe that small business owners should help eachother out and be eachothers biggest supporters in creating awareness of locally owned companies. I love being involved in my community and hope this may be one small way of contributing!

Onto the interview!

Meet Shana Feggeler- a local designer who specializes in hand-crafted accessories for children.

 Silly Beanz

Bethlehem, Ga

Year Established: 2008 (HOLY MOLY....I can't believe it's been that long)

Website: www.etsy.com/shop/SillyBeanz

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sillybeanz

Do you have a location or are you exclusively online?  We are primarily online but my "studio" is stocked so if someone local wants to make an appointment to shop in person, our door is always open.  We also try to do local shows in the cooler weather (and when we have coverage for the kids)

Tell us about your product-  Our hair candy is hand crafted, designed with multi-functional use in mind, and we like to offer everything from the classic to the trendy.  We're expanding to include young adults and women by including jewelry and purse pretties.  I pride myself in using high quality supplies and I'm always looking for the special or unique items to make our product stand out in a crowd!

What made you want to start a business?  After buying several little hair clips for our first daughter, I said to myself, "I could make that!"  Each item is always an experiment at first which turns into "perfection".

What’s your favorite thing about owning your own business?  Being able to work at home and at my own pace.  I love that my friends come to me for custom items for their children and for themselves.  I recently made a filigree cuff bracelet with a mocha brown cameo for my best friend and I LOOOOVE how it came out.

What inspires you? God, Life, my Children

 

Tell us about yourself, family, interests:  I'm a stay at home mom to three wonderful "babies".  Our oldest, Alyson, just started kindergarten (boo hoo), Paul is in Pre-K, and Ella Jeanne is about to be 3.  Not babies anymore I guess.  My husband and I are native New Yorkers who moved to Georgia a few months after getting married in 2004.  We also have 4 dogs, all rescued through various organizations via Petfinder.com.  I love to cook and bake (as long as it's on the simple side), create when I have the time (which this year I will!  3 mornings a week with all 3 kids in school!), Zumba, Yoga, and a good laugh.  I like to think of myself as perfectly imperfect.  Life doesn't come with a set of instructions, so we embrace the "oops" moments that life throws at us. 

Where can we find you when you aren’t working?  with my husband and 3 kids at home or doing something fun, our church ( The Edge at Bethlehem First United Methodist Church)

Do you have any guilty pleasures? Lol,  of course!  Ice cream would be my number one guilty pleasure.  It's always in the freezer.  And I do actually enjoy watching Phineas and Ferb on Disney Channel.  Oh...and shoes and purses.  Love me some great shoes and purses.....but I'm usually wearing flip flops, crocs, or sneakers....go figure!

Where is your dream vacation spot?  anywhere with a beach!  I miss living on Long Island, NY because you could drive 30 minutes north or south and hit a beach!

 

Ok, I am loving those rings! Vintage is my new obsession!

Thanks so much Shana for being our very first interview! And because Shana is so generous, she is offering ONE headband with your choice of flower and ONE ring to two lucky blog readers!

TO ENTER: Simply fan both Hugghins Photography AND Silly Beanz on Facebook

Leave a comment below showing some love!

Winner will be chosen on Wednesday 8/24!

{Ava} 3 months | Gwinnett County Baby Photographer

First off- is that not one of the most beautiful names for a precious little baby girl? And this girl lives up to it! I met her Mommy when we worked together at a local elementary school. When I recieved an email from her a few months back, I was elated to hear that she had just had her first baby! We decided that, because of the baby's age, it would be best to wait until she was 3 months to do our session together. This is such a fun age because babies are just starting to become more alert and aware and most importantly- smiling and giggling! Ava was such a sweet girl and I fell in love with that head of spiky auburn hair and gorgeous brown eyes! After a while, we wore her out and were able to capture a few sleeping shots. After her cat nap, she got her second wind and we played a bit longer before we ended our session!

{Wyatt} One Year | Gwinnett County Child Photographer

I swear this little dude was just a newborn! Time always flies for the mommas, but when you document children every three months, you get the pleasure of watching them grow and change too! I have adored getting to know this little guy for a year; seeing his personality peek out, celebrating his milestones, and making friends with his family! It is truly an honor to capture these moments for a family, especially this one! 

As always, mom had tons of ideas and great props! Thanks again for getting my creative juices flowing! You guys ROCK!

We finished, as we always do with one year sessions, with the cake smash. I love all the bright, fun colors!



{Product Spotlight} Standouts

Want a new, unique way to display your images? Everyone does the framed prints, so why not be different and have something none of your friends have...yet. I love Standouts because they display your images beautifully, mount flush to your wall, look amazing in groupings, and come to you ready to hang! All you need is nails and a hammer! They are super lightweight and clean easily with a dry cloth. Standouts come in a variety of sizes from 11x14 to 24x30 and are also available as custom storyboards!  

Standouts will make a wonderful addition to your barren walls!



{30 Years of Love} My Mom and Dad

So, us photographers always seem to know the perfect gift for every occassion, so when my parents' anniversary started creeping up on the calendar, I knew exactly what I was going to get them. I was so excited since they'd never had their portraits done, but I think they had their reservations. Dad is always up for anything, but mom is like me. We prefer to be behind the camera capturing the action! She was a good sport and may I say, having an awesome hair day!

I love you guys so much and I hope this is one small way I can thank you for all you've done for us, and for putting up with our crazy antics! (The best is yet to come!) Thanks for showing me that 30 years of marriage is full of happiness and love!

{August Session Special} Get 'Em While Their Hot!

It's almost the end of July which can only mean one thing- a crazy booked Fall filled with family sessions! So get your session booked early and get rewarded! One more thing to cross off the dreaded "To-Do List"!

{Wall Inspiration} Art For Your Home

So, I get people who ask me all the time- "What is 'photo art'?" Our minds are trained to think of photography on the small scale- especially when it comes to photos of our families. Well, custom photographers are on a mission to change that!

"Photo Art" refers to using photographs as art pieces in your home. Paintings, framed landscapes, and abstracts come as 20x30, so why not portraits? 8x10's and 11x14's don't hold a candle to a beautiful 16x24 over your living room couch. Or why not try a gallery grouping?

Here are some ideas to get the juices flowing and you'll see why bigger really is better!

For more ideas, I highly suggest Pinterest.com I found all of these through this awesome inspiration website! Already on? Follow me!