DIY Camera Strap | Cost = $3.00

Happy sigh ~ Ah, craft projects. Since my last move, every "non-necessary for daily life" thing I own has been in storage. That includes craft supplies... although if I tried hard enough, I could probably include craft projects in the "daily for everyday life" list. Crafting could certainly be considered stress relief and a happiness/health booster, not to mention it keeps you out of trouble... Oh and if you're recycling it helps the environment... end rant ;)  But really though, anytime I get the chance to make something, my day seems to slip away in the "zone". Being creative and being able to see a physical result of an idea is truly my heart! 

So let's get down to the nitty gritty. Over the past week, I've been looking for a new, unique camera strap. There are a few multi camera straps I've had my eye on at Hold It Fast.com but the price range is a little high considering I'm in the market for a fancy new lens. Maybe after summer will be a great time to splurge on a 2 or 3 hundred dollar leather double camera strap, but for now, I'd love to keep it simple and cost efficient (not to be confused with cheap). Once I started looking for the right camera strap 2 red flags came to mind. #1 - Many of the straps I was drooling over, I knew I could easily whip together something similar with a little creativity & elbow grease. #2 - None of the straps seemed personal or creative enough.  There's some kind of excitement in the story behind handmade goods...

So, naturally, I took off on a thrifting adventure to look for the perfect "strap" to repurpose (aka old vintage belt). I was determined to figure out a way to make my own custom camera strap with a cheap belt. AND IT WORKED! As I browsed through a few leather options, some funky glittery children's belts, and even some floral scarves, one particular material stood out. It was a thick slate gray/blueish sturdy 2" industrial canvas belt marked at $3. I couldn't bare to leave the store without it. Something had to be made with it. It was calling out my name. (Disclaimer: I may be crazy but at least I don't have 10 cats.) 

Here it is! The strap came to life with 2, yes 2 hardy swipes in a sewing machine. It's comfortable around my neck, easily moveable, and extremely durable. The best part? All at $3.00! 

*The canvas belt I started with below*

*Shown below is the belt after using a seam ripper to open each closure and remove the metal "D" rings.

 *Below is after placing the "D" rings at the bottom of each seam, closing the seams, and sewing them in. Last, I threaded extra keychain rings I had lying around onto the "D" rings before stitching 2 tight zig zag closure stitches on my machine in mustard yellow thread. The keychain rings allow me to connect the strap to the strap openings on each side of my DSLR camera. Stitch Settings: 1.8 mm width and 5.0 mm long. 

Project time: 15 minutes
Project cost: $3.00
Project Materials: Canvas belt, seam ripper, sewing machine, scissors for cutting your belt to size or removing excess thread, coordinating thread, & a little love.

Make your own & tag me or comment here with your designs! Let's make the world a more beautiful, place one camera strap at a time ;) 

~ Fantasia McDaniel 

www.littlemisscreativestudio.com
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The Ultimate Wedding Gear Checklist {for photographers}

This post is geared towards wedding photographers interested in hearing my personal planning structure the week before the wedding and also to brides interested to know how photographers plan for a wedding day and exactly why we lug around the ridiculous gear that we do -- Trust me, there's a grand master plan behind it all. 

I would like to preface this collection with a completely open view that each and every photographer works & thinks differently and has their own system & preference for gear, lighting, and organization. -- We are all created differently and I have full respect and admiration for each photographer paving his or her own way! I'm very excited to be completely transparent with you and take a few minutes to document & share my current "Ultimate Wedding Gear Checklist - for photographers, more specifically for me, Fantasia".

This checklist is something I've worked, reworked, and am still reworking to this day. It's an easy guide for me while planning a day out from a wedding and allows me to quickly gather up equipment safely and efficiently without skipping a beat! The planning process, of course, begins almost a year before the wedding upon booking with the client, but this guide is for preparing a few days leading up to the wedding.

Photographers, you and I both know that incredibly gut-wrenching feeling the day before a wedding when there are literally a thousand things on your mind from the low-lighting and tight spaces of the "getting ready" location to the background setting of where the cake will be, all the way to what shoes are you going to wear and will they hurt your feet after 10 hours? Can I get a footrub and an Amen?!

Jokes aside, here's my gear checklist out on the table -- You'll see spaces for a couple fancy new lenses that are on my "get me now" list ;)

If you're shooting weddings please feel absolutely free to share your ideas for ideal equipment and items to have on hand on a wedding day! I want to learn from you and connect to help grow our community! Thanks for sharing your ideas and I hope you were able to gain a little insight from a different perspective! 

To receive a high res 8.5x11 .pdf of my personal wedding photography checklist, simply like Little Miss Creative Studio on Facebook & shoot me a comment or message with your email address (You will not be signed up for any email lists*). 

Happy shooting!!!
Your friend,
Fantasia
www.littlemisscreativestudio.com

Current listening workflow* { I See Fire, by Ed Sheeran } 

Jennifer and Michael ~ Watercolor, FL Maternity Session

Woot! -- Blog number 2 in one week... This is a world record for me! Is someone out there recording this? 

Also, while we are on the topic of world records, I've met my own personal record of doing more than one maternity session a year. Big stuff, I know ;) This year seems to have a few more baby-booming beauties calling me up for sessions. Hooray! Keep - em - coming! Each maternity session opens my eyes to new ideas and ways to celebrate the most incredible chapter in a couple's lives. 

Meet Jennifer and Michael (below), an easygoing couple with the most infectious laughter & the cutest little baby bump around. Our maternity session took place a couple of weeks ago in Watercolor, Florida on a soft-lit cool spring day. Surrounding us were colorful varieties of flowers, flowing water, and the occasional clan of bicyclists.  

Jennifer came with a few ideas for incorporating personalization into her session. Some of them included, a custom chalkboard sign, which read "Oh, boy!" (#favorite), another was a pair of his first shoes, and then a large cardboard letter "M" to represent his name. 

Special thanks to our coordinating crew, Jami (Jennifer's sister) and her mother for their constant jokes, ideas, and support throughout our session. Just like their new addition will be, their session turned out perfectly sweet and just right in every way. 

~ Your photographer, 

Fantasia 

www.littlemisscreativestudio.com

Michael and Shelly - A Seaside Proposal

Before meeting Michael in person, I had a gut-feeling that he was a kind-hearted, sincere young man just from our emails! He contacted me a few weeks before his planned proposal to Shelly to book a photographer who could capture it all. He wanted to propose on our pristine Florida beaches but needed tips for the best location and lighting. Yay! That's where your photographer comes into play ;) I recommended one of my favorite beach entrances in Seaside, FL, and the best time of day (sunset, naturally). It just so happens Michael had booked a rental just across the street from the same exact beach entrance I recommended. FATE? I think so! 

As Michael and Shelly approached the beach, I stood from a distance and basically stalked them as they walked along the shore. Haha, no seriously... There seemed to be thousands of people on the beach that day, but Michael didn't care. We walked along for a few minutes that lasted a lifetime, and as he found a nice, calm, and empty spot on the beach, they stood and looked out into the water taking it all in. Before I could blink, Michael was down on one knee professing his love. I can only imagine the amount of chaos and hope in his mind during that moment. It was BEAUTIFUL! As I watched Shelly wipe tears from her face, my heart started bursting with joy. Michael stood up, they hugged, and I came out of stalker mode to introduce myself and congratulate them. 

If ever there were two people equally gentle with kind-hearted demeanors, it is Michael and Shelly. Their genuine happiness for that moment is something I will never forget. Her ring was something out of a Knot magazine, and Michael had a permanent ear to ear smile on his face. 

As our sun slipped away underneath the horizon, we walked along the beach, laughed, and enjoyed the celebration for just enough time to capture the memory of it all. I couldn't bare to keep these two long as I could tell they had a lot to talk about and enjoy for the rest of the night. 

Congrats Michael and Shelly! It was a JOY to be a part of the beginning of your story as a married couple. Your photographer, Fantasia 

www.littlemisscreativestudio.com 

Daydreams & Sundresses LAUNCH!!!

"DAYDREAMS... (N) A SERIES OF PLEASANT THOUGHTS THAT DISTRACTS ONE'S ATTENTION FROM THE PRESENT."

What do you get when you pair that "series of pleasant thoughts" with your favorite free flowing summer sundress? A moment of bliss, of happiness, of whim, and of beauty! Welcome to DAYDREAMS AND SUNDRESSES! 

These words inspired the spirit of what Daydreams and Sundresses is all about and why it was created for blogger, Karen Smith. Designed by Little Miss Creative Studio/The Weir House.

Being able to team up with Karen and The Weir House to build this platform was a huge honor for me and my team! May this project inspire you to follow your passions, to take risks, to stay up late & DREAM, and to trust your instincts above all. 

D&S began to take shape after a handful of rough sketches, meetings, and notes were consolidated over a period of a few weeks, but didn't begin to take personality until the right combination of people were brought in to build it from the ground up. 

With graphics inspired by our original logo created by Little Miss Creative Studio, we pulled in the team at THE WEIR HOUSE, Kaylyn & Tyler, as well as Kelsey Kelly for assistant graphic design with LMCS. 

The soft color tones play off of the bold black lines to create a modern yet feminine look for the overall feel! Get ready to bookmark D&S and take note on Karen's creative eye for design, color combinations, and overall "series of pleasant thoughts"! 

A word from Karen herself & her recent inspiration! 

"For several years I've been craving an outlet to share so many of my favorite images and articles about chic decor, glamorous editorials, savvy style, news from the art world, breath-taking destinations, and my constant inspirations.  With Daydreams and Sundresses, it's all that and more. It's a place I can finally share my ideas on my own creations as well.  How I would plan a gathering, design a boutique, arrange a room, or put together a style shoot.  While this part isn't evident yet, in the coming year, it will be as D+S matures.

I knew with all the plans I had for this space, I would need a branding and site equally as gorgeous as the thoughts in my head.  I needed a professional.  And not just any professional, but one that shared my excitement for the project and could translate my dreams into a reality even better than I could imagine. That's when I turned to Fantasia at Little Miss Creative Studio because I've always been enamored by her work and knew that her vision and creative touch would coincide perfectly with mine.  Her wistful, carefree style was exactly the feel I wanted to exude with D+S, and it was captured effortlessly. 

Working with Fantasia and Kelsey, along with Kaylyn and Tyler at the Weir House, was a lovely experience every step of the way.  From our initial phone conferences and design boards to previews and launch, it's been a dream come true. I couldn't be happier.  If you get a chance, please do head over to the site (www.daydreamsandsundresses.com).  Take a look around and read a few posts.  I do hope you enjoy it!"

LEAFY GREENS TREND 

 TIME TO BREATH