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Soooo exciting!!  I was recently nominated, and won, in the catergory of Best Infant Photographer by the Austin Birth Awards!

The 2011 Austin Area Mother-Friendly Birth Professionals Awards is a project of the Central Texas Doula Association.  A result of the yearly poll is a list of the best referrals for pregnancy care in Austin, selected and voted on to determine the best and brightest mother-friendly birth professionals the city has to offer. There were more than 2000 nominees and I was in some amazing company! I feel really so honored to share this with some close friends in several different categories!

The winners were announced October 29th, in conjunction with the CTDA production of BOLD: Birth on Labor Day by Karen Brody. The bios of all the finalists and winners can be seen on the Austin Birth Awards website until the 2012 edition of the awards.

I really really love working with newborns. Thanks to everyone who threw a vote my way!!

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I wanted to make another year in review slideshow as I did last year but really had a hard time choosing one image from each session.  So I picked two!
So here they are.  My favorite two images from 50 sessions.
They span birth sessions, maternity, newborns, children, first birthday cake smashes, couples, high school seniors, families, commercial, weddings… and even a session at the end with my own kids. {grin}

I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I had reliving them! I’m looking forward to amazing time in 2011! Happy New Year!!

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My husband and I recently had the pleasure of working with a friend of mine as she launched her new product, The Strawlution Straw! I’ve known Jamie for many years through various playgroups and I’ve watched her creation morph from a budding idea into an internationally sold product! I was so excited when she asked me to take her all of her product/packaging images and photograph during the filming of their commercial video.  My husband built her website, found at Strawlution.com, giving you a convenient place online to pick up your own packages of straws.

If you haven’t heard of Strawlution, read on… her idea truly is amazing!  A straw that goes in, but doesn’t come out!  These are perfect for little ones who are pulling out their straws constantly at home, at restaurants or at the park. You can push them into anything with a foil top such as  yogurts and applesauce, eliminating the need to spoon feed. They are ideal for use of on the go snacks. They are also helpful with the elderly who may have a more difficult time holding and maneuvering a spoon.  They have even proved beneficial for special needs children and adults who are not able to feed themselves. I’d like to share some of the photos as well as a quick interview I grabbed with this very busy Mompreneur.

How did you come up with the idea for Strawlution?

Basically the idea came about because my babies were 1,2,and 3 years old! My kids have always loved yogurt. I encouraged it because it’s a great healthy snack. But, spoon feeding three toddlers yogurt multiple times a day was a pain! And even though the yogurt companies are trying to make an option for parents like, GoGurts (in a tube), crush cups, none of them are a mess free option for young kids! So, I started pushing a drinking straw right through the foil on top of the yogurt. It worked great except I would find yogurt containers around the house and the straw had fallen out causing yogurt to spill on my carpet, furniture and toys. That’s where the first idea of “why is there not a straw that goes in and doesn’t come out”, came from!

What was the journey like taking Strawlution from concept to market?

EXHAUSTING! There are days when people tell me that they have a good idea and I don’t come across very positive! It’s certainly more work than I ever imagined, between the patents, trademarks, manufacturing, engineers, website, marketing, investors, contracts, packaging, bar codes, fulfillment…! I spent my entire life (including my college career) in a leotard and pink tights! This is all completely overwhelming and foreign to me! The hardest part has been the fact that I have created an entirely new concept. The manufacturing process itself is something that has never been done before. Believe it or not it is REALLY hard to make my straw!

What environmental considerations have you taken in creating the Strawlution straw?
The design helps the environment by prevent the removal of a straw and needing another; resulting in less straws being used and less plastic being thrown away! The Strawlution Straw is also FDA approved, BPA Free, dishwasher safe, and 100% Made in America! It’s a mouthful, but I worked really hard to be able to say it!

What’s life like for you as creator of this innovative product?
We are just a few weeks into our launch, and this has been years in the making. So right now, it’s too crazy to even take in! There are several different directions we could go with the company and the products we are creating. Right now it’s definitely, one day at a time!

Visit Mollie Kendall Photography’s Website

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Visit Mollie Kendall Photography’s Website

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♥ Don’t forget to kiss the people you love ♥

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