Category Archives: Products

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Knapp Sacks…

A couple of months ago I photographed a newborn who was wearing this beautiful knit sack when I arrived.  I sent out a little shout out to the maker to contact me, and she did.  I have come across a lot of baby cocoons and sacks like these through other photographers and ETSY,  but non of them compared in quality to these.  I was excited to meet up with Jennifer at my office where Jenn Sullivan, owner of Waddle n Swaddle, and I got to go through her samples and just uhhh and ahhh over them.  Of course, baby Waddle n Swaddle was just born so he was the perfect little model for us to try the sacks out on.  These sacks are perfect gifts for new moms and we encouraged Mrs. Knapp to move forward and take the next step in selling these things to the public.

That weekend we shot some product photos and I asked Jenn a little bit about herself and how she got into knitting her sacks:

Two years ago while pregnant with her 3rd child, Jennifer Knapp, the mom behind Knapp Sacks saw some knitted cocoons online.  Needing a creative outlet as well as a way to pass the time during the end of her pregnancy she decided to make one for her baby to be.  When he was born and the midwives swaddled him up in it they jokingly called it a Knapp Sack and the name has stuck.  So what is a Knapp Sack?  A Knapp Sack is a swaddle blanket and photography prop rolled into one.  Each one is knit on a round loom by Jennifer.  There are 3 different kinds of Knapp Sacks, the Original, a split top and a button down.  Jennifer loves quality products with duel purposes and Knapp Sacks is one of those products.  One of her goals with Knapp Sacks is to be eco-conscious.  She tries to use as many natural and organic materials as possible.  All of the original Knapp Sacks are made of 100% organic cotton.  She also uses biodegradable shipping products.

Jennifer met her husband Jeramie in college and they’ve been together since.  They have 3 children together, Tyler (6), Sierra (4) and Noah (20m).  Not to mention two crazy Boxer pups, Fender and Star.  Jennifer is a stay at home mom to the bunch and is excited to stay busy knitting Knapp Sacks when Tyler and Sierra return to school this fall.

Knapp Sacks can be found at http://www.etsy.com/shop/tylerj1029 and on Facebook.  Her first stocking will be August 1st.  As a grand opening special all Knapp Sacks purchased between 8/1-8/15 will ship for free!

And for those who haven’t met him yet, here is Griffin, aka “Baby Waddle n Swaddle.”

Did I mention I have one packed in my hospital bag!

My New Gallery…

I love helping my clients put together print and canvas galleries for their home.  I have some great tools and layouts that help my clients visualize how their images could look hanging on their walls, even before they are sent to the printer.   Well, hubby and I just celebrated our seven year itch anniversary so I wanted to give him a nice gift.  He is constantly seeing these fabulous canvases coming in and out of our house all the time, just non of them are ever for us.  Isn’t that always the way :)   So on a random free day I took the boys out for a mini photoshoot and surprised hubby with our new canvas pieces.  I opted to only go with 2 images rather than a multi image layout since baby #3 is due in just a few short weeks and I plan on doing a canvas display that includes him.

Here is how I started, I pull up my favorite photos and my 30ish canvas layouts on my projector.  I played with the pictures to figure out what 2 images looked best together, as well as what sizes worked best. I made sure to measure my space first so I didn’t have something too small in too big of a space or something to big in to small of a space.   Here is the layout I picked out:

And here is the final product:

Needless to say, hubby was over joyed and I have 2 beautiful new Gallery Wrap Canvases hanging in my home :)

Open House…

If you have yet had the chance to swing by Waddle n Swaddle’s  new digs at 32 Raymond Ave, we would love for you to join us on Saturday May 22nd, from 1-4pm  for an Open House.   Not only will you get to check out my new Design Studio, and shop at Waddle n Swaddle’s fantastic store, you will also have a chance to learn about the classes offered by Centered Birth.   Light refreshments will be served and there will be some specials for those who attend.

Hope to see you there.  To RSVP online, visit us on FACEBOOK

Split Canvas…

A couple months back I had the pleasure to work with Beth of Elizabeth Boutique, one of my favorite shopping places in Poughkeepsie, and her siblings.  We shot at one of my favorite locations in the City of Poughkeepsie, which I will keep a secret (wink wink).   I always wanted to introduce split canvases, 1 picture split into several canvases,  but needed the perfect image to test it out.   This was one of my favorite pictures from the shoot, and thought it would be the perfect sample image for my split canvas layout.  Want to check it out, well you will have to swing by Elizabeth Boutique.

What’s In The Box?…

For one of my brides, it is the ultimate keepsake, her wedding album.  Fresh off the presses, this beautiful album arrived on my door step this afternoon.  All my wedding albums are done flush mount style, meaning no loss in the crease.  There are a plethora of album cover options to choose from, including leather and Vegan covers.   All albums are custom designed for each bride.

I love the album cover the bride picked.  It has a wonderful texture and feel, and the color perfectly matches their wedding on a tree farm.

This album was designed with a clean and modern layout.

Pictures can run thought the center of the page without the fear of the image being  lost in the gutter.

I love this album so much, I am off to buy one for myself.  Brides to be, come and check it out!

Client Gallery…

This weekend I had the chance to swing by a clients home to take a peek at the the canvas gallery they picked up last December.  I should hire mom to decorate my home for me, we have similar taste, straight out of the Pottery Barn catalog :)   She took advantage of one of my canvas clusters, but broke them up to go into two rooms.  The living room features (2) 16×20  gallery wrap canvases.  The nursery features, (1) 32×20 and (3)  10×10 gallery wrap canvases.  I love decorating the home with canvases. They are not only fine art, but they are fine art pieces of very special little people.

The living room entrainment system also features a nice table top collection of prints from our recent and past sessions.  There is even a print of their cousin, who I had the pleasure of photographing in the past. (See me in the TV :) )

I would love to feature your gallery on my blog.  Help inspire others in how you decorate your home with your custom art.  pPlease send me a picture of your print or canvas displays to melissa@surprisephotography.com

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