Mama Profile: Caitlin of SugarSnaps

Caitlin is a friend who started her photography business- SugarSnaps - less than a year ago, and she has been booked solid since! She manages to spend most of her days with her kids, while running her successful business on the side... looking beautiful doing it all! 

What motivated you to start your own photography business? 
My kids' cute faces! I've always loved photography, but it was taken to the next level when my husband got me my first DSLR after Keelyn was born. Keelyn became a part of a modeling agency in San Francisco and I decided I wasn't about to pay for her headshots to be taken by someone else. It motivated me to dive into learning the ins and outs of shooting in manual mode, and to learn how to use Photoshop!

What has been your most exciting business opportunity? 
Right now I'm most excited that we're starting to book and prep for weddings! It's also such an encouragement that I started my business less than a year ago, and I've received such warm response and support from people. It's allowed me to expand from photographing only children to having shoots with graduates, head shots, and now weddings.

How do you balance your work and motherhood?
When I started, I did everything during nap time and when my kids went to sleep. Now business is so busy that I am able to hire a nanny twice a week (she is amazing & worth every penny!). I also hired a lovely assistant to create all my props for photo shoots with her crafty skills. I find that for me it's best to hire people and have set hours to do my own work, so that I'm not trying to get everything done while chasing my kids.

What are your favorite characteristics of your kids? 
Lincoln (3) is all boy and I love that about him! I'm also a big fan of his curly locks-- they make for good pictures! Keelyn (1) is a mama's girl. I love our sweet, quiet moments, and I love that she's a good snuggler.

What is your favorite time of the day?
Bathtime! My kids love their evening baths. No matter how cranky or sick they may be during the day, they are alway happy in their bathtub.

What are some good photography tips for beginners?
Get the guts to take your camera off auto mode! If you have any kind of DSLR, putting the dial on the "P" setting (programme mode) or the "A" setting (Aperture priority mode) will dramatically increase the quality of your photos. Also, if you want to do a photo shoot with kids, dress comfortably! During our shoots, I'll jump around and lay down in the dirt to get the best possible shots.

Visit SugarSnaps to see her amazing work. You can follow her on instagram @_sugarsnaps_ and on facebook ! 

Thanks Cait!

XOXO.

If you'd like to be a part of our Mama Profile series, please email me: stylesmaller@gmail.com 

Mama Profile: Courtney of The Chirping Moms

I'm so pleased to introduce you to the lovely Courtney from the blog The Chirping Moms, which she started with her friend Julie last May. She has been such a supporter and friend of StyleSmaller from the moment we started, and I love getting to read her story and get a little peek into her life and get to know her and her adorable little girls a bit better! Enjoy! xx.

1. What are your favorite personality traits of your kids?

My little Maggie will be three next month. She is hilarious and makes me laugh every day. She has a big heart and recently, her favorite thing is taking care of her little sister. Most of her days are spent singing and dancing. Alex is 17 months old, and never stops running and climbing. She always has a twinkle in her eye and smile on her face. She's also my cuddly one, so when she finally wears herself out from a day of fun, I know she'll stop and snuggle in my arms. 

2. What motivated you to start blogging?

I’ve always loved writing. When I became a Mom, I found I was always emailing back & forth with friends & neighbors about parenting, recipes & things to do with the kids. I would always take pictures of fun activities I did with the girls & one day, while emailing a friend a picture of a craft to try with her daughter, I thought “I should blog about this!” I didn’t think I had the time or courage to start one on my own. Then, one rainy day we were hanging out at Julie’s house & she was sharing her love of blog reading and our idea for the Chirping Moms was born! I’m enjoying blogging a lot. I get a place to write. I have a background in sales and marketing, and I love that blogging gives me the chance to market and work with brands- both big & small- on posts too!

3. What have you learned about balance for life and regular blogging? 
I’m still working on this one. Right now, both girls nap at the same time, but those naps are getting shorter & shorter & that’s when I work on the blog. Everything I don't finish is done at night. I’ve had a few phone calls lately where both girls are running wild, yelling & feeding the dog goldfish – I’m thinking I might need a better work plan in 2013!

4. What is your favorite time of the day?

My favorite time of day is when the girls wake up from nap. They are both well rested & happy (& I feel rested too after a little break!). We never have things to do in the afternoon, so we usually just make a snack & play. During the weekends, our whole family snuggles in bed before we start the day. Having time when we're all together is so wonderful.

5. What are your favorite activities to do with your little ones?

A crib ball pit, cloud dough (both will be on my blog this week!), and our water table during the summer. My trick is to add bubble bath to the water, and it gets their toys clean as they play! 

6. Style uniform & brands you love?

Bright pants, black or navy shirt & statement necklace. If I’m just hanging around with the kids, I’m a lover of leggings & long cardigans or open sweaters. J.Crew and Joe Fresh. I'm lucky that a few of their U.S. stores are close to where I live. For fun statement jewelry, Bridier Baubles is my go-to.

7. Favorite Etsy shops?

Carly Megan, Klzart, Wild Things Dresses

Thank you Courtney! Be sure to visit her Etsy favorites and The Chirping Moms site (they do really fun giveaways too, so go win yourself something)! You can also follow them on Twitter @thechirpingmoms and like them on Facebook. Enjoy!! 

Kate

Blue & Green

For him. || For home. || For me. 

For girl. || For baby. || For boy.

I'm not sure what it is about January, but I love the blues and greens every year around this time. They're bright enough to say "hey, I'm ready for spring!" but not saying "I think it's summer around here even though it's only 40 degrees," you know? Got a few favorites for everyone here today.

We're still battling fevers and stuffy noses here, but I think we're on the upswing (fingers crossed!)... More for ya tomorrow!

XO,

Kate

Mama Profile: Erin of Bustle Events

Today you get to meet Erin Taylor. She's kind of amazing, you guys. She is a stay-at-home mama who also is an event designer, runs a vintage rental company, co-created The Lab Event, and blogs when she has extra time. I've been wanting to know her secrets to success, so here you have it: Erin Taylor!

1. What are your favorite personality traits of your kids?

I have two little ones. Emma (3.5) is such a ham! Every moment of her life, she is performing. She will TALK (and talk and talk) to anyone who will listen- about anything. She is a compassionate little girl and I love watching her genuinely care about people. She'll get worried about people if they're sad or sick. Cohen (8 months) is my sweetheart. He has a smile so big, and his laughter is so wholehearted and genuine... it reminds me to let loose and enjoy everything too. I'm loving watching his personality evolve through his first year.

2. What motivated to create your first business: Bustle? 

Passion! I have always been a sucker for love and I love events, so when I lost my job after having Emma, I realized I could actually make my own hours and be my own boss. It was a natural progression to bring my passion for planning events and turn it into a event design and planning company. There is nothing better than bringing couples dream day to life! I've been doing this for about four years, and I'm still excited about it.

3. What is the Lab event & how did you come up with the concept?

I've always found bridal fairs very awkward for both the brides and vendors, so I teamed up with two great girls to create the Lab Event. The Lab Event is a party, created to immerse brides into a world of inspiration. We invite amazing vendors and photographers to bring inspiration to life for brides and grooms who are looking to define their style and match up with the right people in one big place. It's so exciting to see something that started small and local become an event that will be hosted all over the country!

4. What's your favorite/least favorite part about running businesses from home while being a mother? 

I absolutely love being home with my kids and not having to commute to a corporate job! That said, the balance of life and work is so difficult, and an area I will always be working to better. I have begun setting "office hours," so that work does not sneak into my family time. It's such a good feeling to be able to end my workday, tuck my kids into bed, and kick up my feet with my hubby while we share a dessert and chat about our days.

5. Favorite beauty brands and shops?

I am obsessed with Chanel and YSL lipstick at this moment! Also Khiel's shampoo and conditioner! When out shopping you will find me in Zara, Nordstrom, and Anthropologie.

6. Style uniform?

In the winter, it's my polka dot jeans, a basic top, detailed jacket, statement necklaces, boots, and my Rebecca Minkoff mini mac bag. In the summer, I love wearing skirts and summer dresses with wedges.

7. Favorite Etsy shops?

Everlylane, MoodiChic, and Knotandbow

Thank you so much Erin! Thanks also to Volatile Photography for the shots! 

Readers, feel free to contact us if you'd like to be a part of our Mama Profile series!

xoxo.

Kate

Mama Profile: Kate

I write here all the time, so you definitely get tidbits of life here and there, but here's all sorts of info you never really knew you wanted to know about me- all in one place! It's the kickstart to a new Mama Style & Profiles series I'm starting here on Mondays. Here goes:

1. What are your favorite personality traits of your kids?

Sophie is in her element when she's helping or being creative, and I love the things that come out of her mouth when we have conversation... it's so fun to have chats throughout the day... and she's a big ham. She'll just pose in the craziest way or do "funny dances" at the drop of a hat. Amazing. 

Maggie is one of those kids that lights up a room with her smile. She just giggles her way joyfully through life and I cannot get enough of her. The laughing is nuts in a good way. Crawling after her saying "I'm gonna get you" creates such squeals of excitement I can't even handle it. ADORABLE.  

2. What do you like to make in the kitchen? 

The things I like to cook are the things I want to eat. Generally that means Mexican food. My dad is  Mexican, so we made a family recipe for the red enchiladas ages ago, and it took all.day.long. I mean, they were definitely really authentic and so so good, but I stick with my green (chile verde), American style enchiladas. One of these days, I'll take pics and share the recipe here. They're sooo good. My favorite dessert to make also has to do with my ethnicity, but the other side of the family: Swedish pancakes, aka crepes. My mom is the sweets girl because she's thoroughly Scandinavian, so we grew up eating the BEST desserts. My favorite to eat is Danish aeblaskivers but the Swedish pancakes are way easier, so I generally stick with those. 

3. What's your favorite & least favorite part of blogging?

This blogging thing has been so good for me. It motivates me to come up with interesting things to do with my kids, it motivates me to make my time in the kitchen more fun, and keeps my mind fresh and challenged all the time. My least favorite part is that it is so much more work than I knew. I don't have all the programs that the pros do... no photoshop or illustrator or anything, so I have to figure out how to make things look clean and pretty-ish without and it's seriously trying sometimes! It's also been tricky figuring out how to incorporate posts into everyday life, so I don't have to spend too much extra time working on a post or how-to. It's starting becoming more of a natural flow these days. It's also helped to have the goal of posting every weekday, but not at any certain time of the day so that I don't need to be dictated by a blogging schedule. We let things happen the way they happen. :)

4. Favorite beauty brands & shops:

Almost all my makeup is from Benefit, which I absolutely LOVE. It never looks like the makeup is caked on, it feels refreshing, and the packaging is pretty. I have dry hair that I wash every other day or every third day. I use Neutrogena shampoo, and it really does take away the dryness. My favorite face lotion is Hope in a Jar by Philosophy because it's such a nice, soothing lotion, and not greasy at all. Burberry Brit is my scent; I haven't deviated in years! I wash my face with bar soap... don't judge. :) My favorite lip product is the Honest organic lip balm that feels just right, and doesn't dry out the lips. When I do something with my hair, I use the Bumble & bumble styling creme (the $8 container has lasted a year if that's any indication of my low-maintenance hair regimen), and a very cheap curling iron. It may be time to invest in something better, but eh...

5. Style Uniform:

Always color, always earrings. During the week I do jeans and a cozy sweater and "park shoes," which are usually my basic flats tinged with a sandy colored tint. Evenings and weekends... actually anytime out except to the park, I always wear my suede heeled beige booties (pictured below... I got mine last year; these are similar). I need to find more exactly the same because mine are beat up from all the love they get. For date nights I'm almost always wearing a dress or skirt because I need an excuse to get fancy at least once per month. When I worked daily, it was the total opposite. Dressy daily for work, and total dress-down every date.

There you have it! A glance at my life and favorites, photographed by pretty Kristy from Volatile. Thanks Kristy!

Also, happy Monday! Monday wasn't so bad, right? The workday is basically over at this point, so congrats on making it through. I had some technical difficulties today, so that's why this post is so very late.

XO,

Kate

PS. If you'd like to be a part of our mama profile series, please email me stylesmaller@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you about being a mom, balancing, and style/beauty tips! 

Gift Guide: Pretty Accessories

1. Grand Stone Bracelet. || 2. Tassel Pendant. || 3. Skinny Patent Belt. || 

4. Surrender Pump. || 5. Coin Purse.

It's Friday, YAY!! Anyone have fancy corporate parties to attend this weekend? I love it when I get to get extra dressy for a Christmas party (Brian's, not mine... though the girls do love to get fancy too). The color of 2013 is emerald, so I'd love to get a head start and accessorize accordingly. 

Love,

Kate