Lisa Carpenter Photography

Carolina Bella

I just had to share about a VERY creative client of mine.  Amy McWatty has been building her blog and business recently and I am excited to share her site with you.  Welcome Carolina Bella!!!  Carolina Bella focuses on clothing recommendations for child and family photography, but her creativity does not stop there.  Amy also designs dresses for girls and is hoping to add her clothing line to Carolina Bella sometime in the future.  You might remember her beautiful daughter from one of my photo session posts, but I wanted to share again.

Amy posts often which is a great way to keep you informed of great clothing ideas.  I have often had clients ask "what should we wear?" or "where can I find something really great for my daughter to wear?"...well, I now can proudly share Carolina Bella as a fun and informational tool! 
Congrats Amy!

~lisa

Great Clothing Ideas For Kids!

Looking for fun clothing ideas for kids?  I am absolutely in LOVE with Mini Boden's line of clothes.  I have yet to try the Boden line for adults, but I am sure it is just as wonderful.  The great thing about Mini Boden is that the clothes are uber stylish, very well made yet really affordable!!  I have been buying their clothes for my boys for a long time and I must say they last and last.   Anyway, here are some creative outfit ideas if you are ever wondering what to wear for that next photo session or just for FUN.

Be sure to check them out here and have fun trying to narrow down your choices :)

Have a great day!!!

~lisa

Happy Groundhog Day 2008!

My 7 year old jumped out of bed at 7:15 am today rubbing his eyes begging me to turn on the news?! He said "It's Groundhog Day and we have to see if Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow!" My first thought was he woke up in the middle of a dream and I smiled and just told him to go back to bed. Well, we ended up turning on the tv and lo and behold within 5 minutes of the news being on, they mentioned Groundhog Day!!! I even learned that there is a Groundhog Club in Punxsutawney, PA.

And the prediction? SIX MORE WEEKS OF WINTER! He saw his shadow :) And YOUR guess?

Have a great day,

~lisa

World Nutella Day - 2008 (YUMMMM)

For those of you who have never had a good scoop of Nutella on multi-grain toast, a bagel, on a banana or simply by the spoonful, you MUST try this stuff! Nutella is a chocolaty hazelnut spread that can be used so many ways and it is yummy :) Sometimes you just have to indulge and let your kids enjoy as well. So, I was amazed to find out that February 5th, 2008 is World Nutella Day. A day to celebrate, have creative fun with, and EAT NUTELLA!!!!

I saw on a website where baked pears were layered with Nutella and my mouth began to water instantly!

Have a great day!

~lisa

"The Coolest New Hair Thingie"

How SUPER cool are THESE???!!!

These cool hair accessories are fabric-covered pieces of wire that add total pizzazz to your hair whether it is short or long! The company is Trash Ties and their product has been featured in several magazines. Check out their site for fun ideas on how to use them. These would be great to use in a fashion shoot or even better, SENIOR PHOTOS!

Now, try to hold your laughter when I show up with my hair full of Trash Ties on my next photo shoot :)

~lisa

Share Time!

I LOVE to share products, websites, other blogs and just fun information. I have a few that I would like to share and you might find you enjoy them as well. But before I do, I wanted to share a cute comic -

So, the two topics of interest are GETTING ORGANIZED and CHOCOLATE :) So first the chocolate. I really do love dark, dark chocolate - 65% and higher! It does take some getting used to as it can get quite strong when you get around 70% and up. I like to call it psycho-chocolate! The great thing is that since it is so strong, you really don't need to eat much to get the chocolate 'fix' because your taste buds start to sing. I have mentioned before just how much I LOVE Green & Blacks Organic bars, especially the Espresso one.

However, I have found two others that I would like to share. The mother of all dark chocolate bars at 91% by Theo.

The other are the cacao nibs by Sweetriot Flavor 70. They pack a huge antioxidant punch!!! So here is to our health through chocolate :)

Finally, I would love to share some links about organization. It is on my list of To Do's this year to get so organized I can't stand it! I am always looking for ways to declutter and do it in a stylish way. I really like the ORGANIZE magazine. I am a visual learner and I like to see ideas on how to do things. Other links:

Organize dot com
Organized Living
IKEA
A cool blog about organization

If my whole house was like this, I would never again look for keys or an important piece of paper in a panic! haha.

Enjoy!

~lisa

Evoke An Emotion - Preserve Time????

YOU BET!!!!!!  This is what photography is about.  I LOOOOVVVVEEE this video.  To think images taken years ago, can still be so very powerful!  Sarah, my dear sister, I wish I was with you in Morocco, North Africa.  I would love to document all the hard work you are doing out there!  I am thinking of you and while you are riding the camels in the sand dunes, remember next time to take your sister with you to document your journey. haha.

~lisa

This Camera Brings New Meaning to "Say Cheese!"

Technology never ceases to amaze me!  Sony has a new camera, the DSC-T200 and it has the ability to DETECT SMILES and then...click!  I know, you are probably wondering why I like this or think it is great because I have always preached "be natural..no forced smiles..relax".  Well, sometimes we just need to have those snapshots of smiling happy faces and we want to be able to capture them easily!  Plus this camera is a sleek beauty -

So, for those of you looking for a good point and shoot camera to give as a gift, this just might be 'the one'.  Hmmm, I might want one as well:)  Here is a video showing how it works.  Now, you probably cannot understand what they are saying but it makes the point on how it works.

Cool huh?

~lisa

A Fun First Dance!

Ok, so forgive me if EVERYONE has seen this already.  This couple even made it to the Ellen show for this first dance at their wedding.  If this does not capture everything about the word FUN, I don't know what will!!!

Ok, I am crying I am laughing so hard:)  I hope you enjoy this as much as I have and probably the world by now!

~lisa

the Elf on the Shelf...A Christmas Tradition

Oh my...this is SOOOO awesome!  Has anyone heard of 'the Elf on the Shelf' book and tradition?  Well, I came home today with two boxes for my boys. Included was the book of 'the Elf on the Shelf' and the plush elf sent by Santa himself!  My boys went nuts over this!  I think it would be great to have them do this until they are too big for Santa and then put it away to pass down to their kids someday.  But who wants to be too big for Santa right?  Ok, so here is how it works.  Inside there is a gorgeous book written by Carol V. Aebersold and Chanda A. Bell.  It tells all about the elf and what to do.  Then on the opposite side of the box is mr. elf himself.

 

So...you read the book with your kids and then they have to quickly name him and then register him online to then get an adoption certificate and a letter from Santa.  Then, the children must agree to not touch the elf, only quietly talk to him.  See, the elf is to watch over them and report to Santa each and every night on whether they have been good or bad.  The elf will be in a new location every morning and they must find him to see if he in fact made it back from the North Pole.  They can tell the elf their wishes for Christmas and promise to be good boys and girls.  Then after Christmas, the elf will join Santa until next year.  Their elf will then reappear around Thanksgiving of next holiday season and watch over them all over again.  Go to www.elfontheshelf.com to find out more and where to get yours!!!  I could almost hear my boys thinking tonight..."hmmm, does he REALLY tell Santa if we have been good or bad????".  LOVE this new tradition:)

Another great book is ''Santa Claus" by Rod Green.  This is cool because there are little notes and maps and such in this book that kids love.  Inside you will see a little handbook "The Wisdom of the Elves" and I happen to love the 5th wisdom.  "Laugh at Work ~ Every job is easier if you are smiling.  Toys especially love laughter and soak it up like sponges, which makes them more fun to play with.  Should you run out of laughs, you might at least try to chuckle, giggle, snigger, twitter, or squeak.  Alternatively, think of the word "knickers", which usually works."

Enjoy your night.

~lisa