A few weeks ago I put a call out looking for names of talented small business owners who are from right here in Lancaster County.  It can be hard to make it as a small business, even if you have real talent and a quality product.   I think buying locally is such a fabulous way of supporting our community.  You can often purchase very creative and original products that no one else has seen before!

Well, I’d like to introduce Janell Almodovar – a very talented designer of beautiful handbags.    And, since it is fun to get to know the person behind the product,  I’ve asked Janell some questions so we can get to know her better.  And, just to give you a heads up, she is graciously giving away a FREE handbag!  You will have to read on for more details!!

Website: www.jalmodovar.com

How long have been in business? I started experimenting part-time in 2002, and officially went full-time in 2007.

When you’re not creating and designing bags, where can we find you? With family! I work a lot, so when I’m not working I need that special time with my hubby and 2 boys.

Do you twitter? Facebook? Just Facebook – j.almodovar handmade creative

What is  your:

• guilty indulgence? Coffee, wine, dark chocolate…donuts….did you want just one??

• favorite getaway? MIAMI! I love the heat, the beach, the people.

• favorite family ritual? Any weekend that my husband is off work…. We spend a lot of time with family and love having whole family    sleepovers. This usually includes a big breakfast, grilling in the backyard and lots of noise. Our poor neighbors!

• favorite thing in your closet? I love layering, so my cardigans are a must and since summer is right around the corner – my sandals.

• current reading material? Wish I could say something intelligent here, but I’ll be honest – W magazine, Lucky magazine, Nylon, The New  York Lookbook are some of my favorites.

How did you get into this business? I’ve always been in love with fashion, but didn’t do anything serious with my interest until after I had my first son. (That’s right, I didn’t want to go back to work, even though I eventually had to.) From 2002-2007 I experimented part-time with designing handbags. I had a few home shows, pushed them on friends and family, and eventually set up my etsy shop online.  Within this time period a store in Hawaii started stocking my bags. In 2007 I was able to completely supplement my income from working part-time jobs and go full-time with my business.

My handbags are currently in 11 stores across the US and 1 international store with 8 more stores pending contracts. The workload has become a bit much for 1 person so I have fashion design interns who help out in my home studio for 3 month terms. When things are really busy I bribe my husband and friends to cut patterns. I’m also looking forward to having my first employee (yay, my sister!) this summer.

What do you think makes a business successful? Good, fast communication, staying current and creative, customer satisfaction – most of the stores that stock my handbags came about from word of mouth.  Happy customers are the best at marketing!

What inspires you as a designer? # 1 would be people watching. I love seeing how people put their outfits together and express themselves. I’m also inspired by different cultures, traveling, fabrics, my magazine collection and blogs that I follow.

And, here are just a few bags I pulled from her Etsy shop.  I love the creative patterns and colors!

And now for the FREE bag giveaway that Janell is graciously giving us!  The bag you can win is the patchwork shoulder bag (similar to the one in the image above).  These are the rules:

1.  You must live in the United States to enter.

2.  To enter,  hit the “share” button on Facebook to tell your friends.  Then come back here and leave a comment telling me you “shared.”

3.  To enter a second time, visit her etsy shop and then come back here and leave a comment stating which of Janell’s bags are your favorite.

4.  I’ll use a random number generator to pick the winner.

5.  The deadline to enter is Sunday the 9th at 10pm.  The winner will be announced on Monday, May 10th – a perfect Mother’s Day present to one of you!

Make sure you also “like” my CB Portraits Fan Page so you will find out when we have additional contests and giveaways!

I had the pleasure of taking pictures for this beautiful and very talented lady.   She is passionate about interior design, and shares her inspiring message on her blog Gracious Interiors.   To say she knows what she is talking about is an understatement.  Her Lancaster County home is one of the most beautifully decorated homes I’ve ever seen!  Go check out her blog and be inspired! :)

Hi everyone!  I need your help with something.  I love the idea of supporting local small businesses – and I want to try and do what I can to promote them.  I’d love to feature different small businesses on my blog…show pictures of their work, and an even an interview with the owner/designer.   If you know of anyone in Lancaster County who has started a small business and sells a product that you think people need to know about, I’d love for you to let me know!  I’m looking to promote businesses that meet these criteria:

1)  based in Lancaster County

2) offers a product that is creative and preferably handmade

3) high quality

4) has been in business at least 1 year

5) has a website and/or blog where they sell their items

Thanks! You can leave a comment on this post, on my Facebook page, or send me an email at bonnie@cbportraits.com

I am excited to announce that I’ll be doing several mini portrait session days this spring/summer!  These are approximately 30 min. long sessions where you get beautiful portraits at a lower cost.  More details to come soon!

BUT – I am looking for some new out-door locations to do these mini portrait sessions.  If you have any ideas – please let me know!  The ideal location is somewhere with open space, trees, and  mature shrubbery.  These things would be an added bonus:  a stream, a field (with wildflowers!), little wooden bridge… If you know of a place like this that is public, or a private residence (like a friend) that I could contact – please let me know!  It would need to be within a 20 min. drive of Akron (17501).

As a bonus – I will give a FREE mini-session to anyone who gives me a location that I choose to use!  And, if you can provide any pictures of the place, I might add a print credit on top of that!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving – we sure did!  When I stop and think about everything we have, and all our wonderful friends and family – I can’t help but feel so completely blessed.   Sure, this first Thanksgiving was tough for Ellie.  She basically cried or was close to tears most of the day.  The poor thing just needed sleep, but we are so thankful have her in our family.

My contribution to Thanksgiving dinner this year was scones.  It is a recipe I got from the Ladies Christmas Tea we have at our church, and they are yummy!  My sister said, “I’ve never had scones that were this moist before!”  As you can see below, I had a little helper as I was making these.  I decided to post the recipe also – so enjoy!  :)

Happy Spring Everyone! I wanted to mention a few things you might not know…

The first is that I’ve decided to add a great bonus to every session that I do.  I know most of you are on some kind of social network (Facebook, MySpace), have a blog, or at the very least have email!   So, for every session I do, I will give a complimentary CD (watermarked, low-resolution) of all the images from the session.  You won’t be able to print them (but you knew that was illegal, right) – so as long as you keep the watermark on them, you can post them where ever you like!

I am offering the CD for the benefit of both of us, and that brings me to the next sharable thing…. I’d love the advertising, and you benefit two ways.  1) you have a copy of all your beautiful images to share and 2) you get a $25 print credit for EACH person you refer who books a session.  Think about how fast that adds up!  Encourage family/friends to check out our website (www.cbportraits.com) and email me with any questions.  Those of you who have had sessions done know that custom photography isn’t cheap, but it will be one of the most cherished things you will ever invest in!

Hi to my faithful blog readers!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with those you love – I sure did! We had Christmas 3 different times and my kids got way too much stuff!

Okay, okay…on to the reason you are reading this – the *FREE* part!  I am going to be running a contest. The winner will receive a free portrait session and $25 print credit > that’s a $100 value! The contest is simple – whoever can get the most people to sign up for my blog will be the winner! Here’s what to do:

1. Email your family/friends the link to my blog and tell them to SUBSCRIBe:  www.cbportraits.com/blog

On the right hand side you will see “Subscribe to my Blog” and then a place to put email addresses. Most of you did this already, so you know that once you put your email address in, an email is sent to that address so the person can confirm that they want to sign up. (So, you can’t just put all your friend’s emails in there!).

2. Tell them to Comment on this post to tell me who sent them (i.e. you ) – so that I can give the right person credit. (There’s a blue comments link at the bottom of this post).

3. I will tally up the new subscribers and let you know who won!

The fine print:
1. The 0n-location photo session must take place within 20 minutes of Akron PA (17501)
2. Session and credit must be used by 4/09 (I’m having a baby the beginning of June, after all)
3. This is an excellent way to win a gift for someone (ex. an expecting mom, graduating senior etc). We have beautiful gift certificates we can give you.
4. Deadline – contest ends January 15th, 2009

Have fun!

As a photographer, you hear a lot about needing to find your own “style.” The idea is, you learn a lot from other photographers whose work inspires you, but then you are supposed to find your own “style.” Well, I’ve had a hard time figuring out what that is.

I really haven’t been doing photography for that long, so I am still constantly trying to learn and improve everything I do. There are so many photographers whose work I look to for ideas and inspiration.

Well, just the other day I think I just discovered a piece of my style – it was a very exciting feeling actually! :) In almost every photo shoot I do, I have a favorite picture. And, what I just realized is that there is a common theme in each of these pictures! Let me post a few and you can see if you can guess it (a few of them you will have already seen on previous blogs).

From our recent vacation:

Did you guess it? It’s JOY! I absolutely love capturing joy!

Not the “look at the camera and smile” kind. The kind that you can’t pose, stage, or set-up.

The kind that makes you feel like you are there in the moment with them, and you have an overwhelming desire to laugh right along with them. The kind that makes you ask what wonderful thing they must be laughing at.

I love to capture these precious fleeting moments in time.

I just wanted to put the word out that CBPortraits is now offering gift certificates!

It is really a wonderful gift to give someone! Good photography is priceless. Moments are so fleeting, and to be able to help someone capture those special moments – it really is something they will cherish forever.

Chip in with friends or other family members for things like baby showers, birthday parties, anniversaries, Christmas presents etc.

Contact me at bonnie@cbportraits.com for more information!

To celebrate the arrival of spring, I’m doing an event called “Portraits in the Park.”

Meet me at Lititz Springs Park, Lititz PA on May 20th, and receive a mini portrait session! Sessions will be held from 4-7pm.

It is a great way for you to get some special pictures taken, without having to pay a session fee! I’m requesting that $25 be paid to reserve your spot, however that money will automatically be turned into a $25 print credit!

Anyone is welcome – families, children, couples, individuals!
Feel free to invite friends! Space is limited, so RSVP right away to reserve your spot.
You can email me at: bonnie@cbportraits.com
After I receive your RSVP, I will contact you with more information.

And, because no post is complete without a picture…here you go… :)