BlackCatsAngel Designs

Emma & Matthew

2010-05-10T22:45:00.014+10:00

I hope this blog finds you all safe and warm - it's definitely getting colder that's for sure!

I'm still catching up with blog posts slowly but surely, only a few more and I'll be all caught up! Exciting!

Around the middle of December, I was contacted by the lovely Emma-Anne and her fiancee Matthew who were looking to book me to be their photographer at their wedding in late January.

These two are very young, and I'm sure when they first got engaged, they got lot's of sniggers and 'but you're so young!' and whilst they are young, from the moment I met them, there was a tenderness between them that was very honest and most of all, they were happy - with themselves and each other.

Upon on meeting these two, I knew I had an easy job ahead of me - they are a stunning looking couple, and the camera loves them for it, and whilst they briefed me, they asked me to simply 'capture the moments as they happen'.

I arrived at the brides house to find a very nervous bride-to-be with her maids and mother running around making sure everything was just so - I did my best to blend into the background and captured some shot's of the accessories and what was going on around me...

Soon enough it was time for me to make my way to the chapel to capture the grooms last moments as a bachelor, between gulping down glasses of water and having a mum and dad so proud fussing over him the groom was pretty chilled - I think he just wanted to see his gorgeous bride!

The bride arrived and was excited to get down the aisle to her man. I don't think there was anything in this world that could have removed the smile from her face at that moment...

The ceremony was beautiful - even with it's hiccups that made the guests laugh there was nothing that could dampen it for these two love birds.

Matt and Emma decided during their planning to have a candle ceremony - a ceremony where three candles are lit - 2 that signify the individual families, and one that signifies the coming together of the two familes. Their mothers are important people to these two, and they asked them to light the candles for them.

This next photo is one of my faves from the shoot...

There's just something about it... I can't quite put my finger on it... would love to hear your thoughts!

After the ceremony, group shots and other bits and pieces were captured as the couple were being congratulated... this is just a selection from this time...

Just as the ceremony reflected the true nature of this beautiful couple, I wanted their couples shots to also reflect this and so I was able to get creative and get some really lovely shots for them.

I love how her feet are all pointed in - so cute and innocent!

Have you ever seen a bigger smile than in that last photo?

After the bridal party shoot, it was time to head inside where a beautiful meal awaited us. followed by dancing, speeches and cake... Like most cakes it was gorgeous but I especially loved the decorations on it...

This post is becoming pretty big, but it was a big wedding, and as always I wanted you to feel like you had been through the journey also.

I just want to take this chance to congratulate Matt and Emma and to thank them for allowing me the honour of participating in their special day, and entrusting me with this special task. You're a beautiful couple and I can't wait to see what the future brings you!

May marriage bless you with a happy home and plenty of children to fill it!

Stay safe and warm dear readers, and as always, I'd love to hear your comments!

Love and light,

Melani

www.blackcatsangel.com

Jasmine's Make-up Trial

2010-04-28T00:16:00.005+10:00

Just before Christmas, I had a phone call from a past bride Shannon asking me if I would be interested in doing the make-up for her dear friend Jasmine who had one whole month in which to plan her wedding!

Not one to miss an opportunity to help a bride with her big day I organised a make-up trial, and about a week or so later was on my way to Mornington to do her trial.

Jasmine was really excited to meet with me as she had seen the make-up I had done for Shannon and really loved it and was hoping I would be able to make her dreams a reality.

Jasmine is a beautiful young lady, who migrated here from Wales about 12 months ago after falling in love with her childhood sweetheart who moved over here a while ago now. She realised she couldn't live without him, moved to the beautiful land of Oz where he proposed to her and they decided that whilst her family were here from Wales for a holiday over Christmas and into the New Year, they would tie the knot - it was a last minute decision to have the wedding at that time and the wedding was pulled together in just over a month - give or take a day or three!

The day of Jasmine's trial, she briefed me that she loved lipstick and never leaves the house without it, and generally wears make up each day so she was comfortable with a more made up look. She really wanted a glamorous but not over the top look and showed me a beautiful photo which gave me a lot of inspiration.

So enough talk - here's Jasmine Before:

and the beautiful Jasmine after:

Eye Close Up:

Jasmine loved her look, and after tweaking the colours just a little on the big day she was supremely happy with her big day look, and was one very happy bride to be!

Congratulations Jasmine and Ash - may your marriage be a long and happy one!

And there you have it! Another blog - 3 in three days - I'm officially back in the blogosphere!

Tell me your thoughts on the make up or the post in general! I love finding comments in my inbox when I get home!

Love Melani

www.blackcatsangel.com

Catch up from December 2009

2010-04-26T20:43:00.006+10:00

Back in December I left you with a lengthy post which took you up to the start of November with the promise of bringing you up to date the next day - so I might be a few days behind (read: MONTHS!) however I believe the saying goes, it's better late than never!

after the photo shoot with Sugardoll, it was off to Sydney for the beautiful Lil's Surprise Wedding!

The bride was beautiful and full of anticipation on her big day. Lil asked me in July to do the make-up for her special day, along with making the jewellery and of course I couldn't help but oblige!

Lil and Andrew are a beautiful young couple - untraditional in almost every way I can safely say that they are a well suited pair! Lil had been waiting for Andrew to pop the question for an age, when they decided that they would get engaged on their anniversary. They went shopping and got Lil's beautiful ring and after a day or so they bought it back home.

I was lucky enough to have Lil share her proposal story on a forum I frequent, so I hope she won't mind me sharing it with you (let me know if you would rather I didn't Lil!) I just don't think I would be able to do her story justice!
"I got home and took it off and put it in its box, and when Andrew got home, I dutifully handed the box over and told him he'd best keep it out of sight until our anniversary, the day we'd decided we'd like to make it official But he said "no, you should be wearing it", to which I responded, "no, I won't wear it until we're engaged". He just smiled and put the box aside. It was later that evening, after dinner, when I realised he hadn't put it away, it was sitting right behind me in our little desk-alcove, where the computer lives. He was on the phone at the time, sitting on the couch and watching with great amusement while I picked up the box, turned it over and over in my hands, studied it from every angle as I battled with my non-existant will-power. And then... I don't know how it happened, but the ribbon fell off the box... musta been tied too loose! And then, would you believe it, the lid came off! Mustn't have fit quite right or something... By this stage Andrew was off the phone and giggling away as he watched me act like a kid at Christmas, and once again I said to him "baby, I think you really need to put this somewhere out of sight until our anniversary". And again, "No, you should be wearing it." And of course I said "No I won't wear it until we're engaged - when you propose to me I'll wear it." At that point he just smiled and said "Actually, since you're such a modern woman and all that, I'd prefer it if you proposed to me." So I did! I went over and got down on my knee and said "Andrew will you marry me?" and he said "Yes I will"! And the ring went on my finger and that was that!"

The proposal was in April, and the wedding was in November - 7 months to plan a surprise wedding and the day of her dreams!

Having a fairly small budget and a small timeline, Lil decided that she would do a lot of DIY and enlist in the help of friends where she could. She loves to bake, and enrolled into a cake decorating course and baked and decorated her own cake, made her own bouquet and had her friend do her hair. Lil is one patient lady

A big thanks to Lil and Andrew for inviting me to be a part of their day, it was heartfelt, beautiful and definitely a day to remember!

As normal, here are some photos...

Congratulations Lil and Andrew and may married life treat you well!

After Lil's wedding, it was time to travel up to Newcastle to spend a week with Mellissa and Travis as they prepared for the arrival of their little bundle of joy!
Mellissa had just started her maternity leave and was busily rearranging the nursery and new pieces of furniture arrived only to be filled with baby belongings. The anticipation was hard to bear!

It was amazing to see just how much Mell's baby belly had grown, and the look in their eyes is hard to explain other than a mixture of excitement, love and the fear of the unknown!

I have no photo's of Mell's belly as she requested that I not take any as her and Trav wish to remember this special time privately. I promise I'll make it up to you in baby photo's!

After coming back from Newcastle, I was booked for a maternity photoshoot with the beautiful Elise and her handsome fiance Scott and son Hayden.

8 and a bit months pregnant, Elise was looking particularly radiant the day of our shoot and I'd been a bit concerned that Hayden would be a bit camera shy, luckily though he is a ham, and loved every second of being in front of the camera!

Enough talk - more photos!

Elise has since had her little bundle of joy and I am pleased to announce the safe arrival of Izabella Ruby! Mum and bub are happy and well, big brother is pleased as punch and Dad is super proud of his little girl!

Congratulations Elise, Scott and Hayden! May Miss Izabella bring you much joy and love!

Soon after the maternity photoshoot, I had a wedding to photograph. This was an unusual wedding in that the bride and groom were a little alternative.

Cathy and Bruce met on a blind date at the Royal Hotel Mornington, got engaged at the Royal Hotel and so it made perfect sense to get married there too! The day was very overcast and the threat of rain was high. However it held off long enough for the beautiful ceremony and some outside shots too in front of the hotel.

Congratulations Cathy and Bruce. May you enjoy many years of marriage together!

In December I was asked to do the hair and make-up for a friend who was going to her sons year 12 graduation ceremony.

TJ worked super hard to get Kris through high school. I guess it goes without saying that all parents work hard to get their children through high school, but TJ had to work doubly hard. You see, Kris has Aspergers a form of autism and this has resulted in quite severe learning disabilities - read more on Aspergers here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome

It's not often TJ and Kirsty get to go out and enjoy themselves and celebrate Kris' achievements, so being able to help them look their best for such a special occasion.

Congratulations Kris on your graduation! There were a lot of hurdles along the way, but you overcame them and we are so proud of you!

This has become another mammoth post so if you've made it this far well done! I've caught you up to a point where the next post won't be so huge and I will be able to do a series of individual posts to catch the blog up to today!

I hope you're all well!

Love Melani

www.blackcatsangel.com

I'm Back!

2010-04-23T23:05:00.004+10:00

So it's been a little over four months since my last blog post and you're possibly wondering what the heck is going on. I wouldn't blame you - so much stuff has been happening that my own head has been spinning! The days of the week have blurred into each other and remembering what I've eaten for lunch has become difficult!

In short, life got the better of me and my routine became, eat, drink, sleep, work, repeat - and not necessarily in that order! Spare time? What spare time!

Here's a run down of what's happened the past four months or so.....

In December I got a full time job working for Medibank Private (as if I wasn't already busy enough!) - I work with a great team of people and love every second of it!

Dusty and I found a place to live in! It's a lovely two storey town house about 3 years old in a nice Northern Suburb about 20 minutes out of the city! We love it and so do our kitties - it's great to have a place to call home!

I've been interstate a couple of times (I'll update you on the reasons soon!) and I've done some photo shoots and make-up trials all of which have been great fun and photo's will follow!

Now that we are pretty well settled in and I am in a better routine with life in general, I will blog more regularly - just like the old days - and I can't wait to share all the goings on of BlackCatsAngel Designs with you!

I can't wait to read your comments!

Love and light,

Melani

www.blackcatsangel.com

Missing in Action...

2009-12-20T00:36:00.019+11:00

So as some of you have noticed I've been MIA for a few months! Due to life in general getting in the road, travel and work I've had barely time to sleep let alone update you all on the new things I have been up to - I apologise! This will be a relatively long post as I want to try and catch up on some of what you have missed so far, but I'll try to keep it interesting! PROMISE!

Back in August I had a photoshoot with a beautiful little boy and his family. Iremide was three months old at the time of our shoot and gifted me with many beautiful smiles and funny faces. This little heartbreaker has stolen his parents hearts and had I stayed with them for much longer, mine would have been lost too!

In mid September I was privileged to have the job of Make-Up Artist for the lovely Nicole on her big day. It was a wild and windy day in Melbourne, but nothing could dampen this beautiful brides spirit! Looking gorgeous in a pale pink gown Nic and her 3 attendants made the groom's jaw drop open with surprise. A beautiful and heartfelt ceremony was had and the happy couple partied the night away.

Congrats to Nicole and Glenn!

On the 21st September I was lucky enough to be invited to do a promotional shoot with the lovely guys from Disenchanted Photography for the lovely ladies at Annette of Melbourne Bridal Couture. This shoot was a lot of fun, and a lot of hard work - if you can call playing with make-up and tens of thousands of dollars of couture bridal wear hard work!

Mario and Matt did a great job of setting the shoot up, the beautiful models Jenna and Deanna did wonderful jobs holding tricky poses, Fliq who did the beautiful hair and Rose designer and creator of the beautiful dresses went above and beyond to make sure our experience with her dresses was perfect. The resulting photo's are beautiful and fit for a magazine. I still can't believe how lucky I was to be invited along to join in! Thanks guys!

After this session it was time to pack my bags and head to sunny Queensland where a lovely lady and a dear friend of mine, Melissa was to be married. Having been given the honour of making her bridal parties jewellery I set to making some of the most striking and quite challenging pieces I think I've made!

Being that this wedding was a long way from home, another dear friend Tina offered me a warm bed and a roof over my head whilst I was up there and so a huge thanks must go to her and her husband Rob who put up with our discussions about make-up (Tina is also a MUA and is based on the south side of Brisbane - any brides up that way who need a MUA, I cannot recommend her highly enough and yes I am shamelessly plugging her! http://www.tinamathams.com/default.html )

Mel looked gorgeous as every bride should, and after a beautiful ceremony we were all treated to a lovely dinner and a lovely celebratory party.

Congratulations Mel and Shane!

Whilst in Brisbane, I was lucky enough to be asked to do a maternity shoot for the incredibly pregnant Kelly to document this beautiful time. Her beautiful belly and adoring husband and her own sense of humour made this shoot a wonderful experience for me, and I hope that they can one day proudly show their new Baby Boy, Benjamin Lee how beautiful his Mummy was when she was pregnant with him.

Pregnancy is such a beautiful thing and I thank Kelly and Ian immensely for entrusting me with such a special photoshoot.

Congratulations!

After returning to Victoria, the rest of October was relatively quiet, but come November and it was full steam ahead!

November 2nd saw me turn the ripe old age of 24 - It was spent alone due to Dusty's work roster and mum being away, so I occupied myself by watching episodes of Trueblood and eating Pizza and Ice-cream - what else is one to eat when they are spending a birthday alone?!

Melbourne Cup day was the following day (long weekend!) and Dusty and I were lucky enough to have tickets to the race that stops the nation. Bets were put down and races were run - we must have done ok though because we came out with a bit more than we went in with! That's got to be a good sign!

Here's a few pics from the day.

On the 4th November I had a studio session booked with a Melbourne Band called Sugardoll. The lead singer (Nyssa) and guitarist (Travis) are two lovely people that I went to uni with and needed some promo shots for an upcoming gig. I was lucky enough to be asked to shoot them and did Nyssa's make-up too. We had fun, learnt some stuff, and just generally had a good time. Check them out here - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/sugardollmusic?ref=ts

This blog is getting rather lengthy so I'll break it off here and finish it off with another installment tomorrow - who knew that life would get so darned busy! But truth be told, that is exactly the way I like it - I wouldn't and couldn't have it any other way!

Stay tuned!

Love and Light,

Melani

Nicoles Make-Up Trial

2009-09-21T19:29:00.002+10:00

On the 29th of August, I was lucky enough to be invited to do a make-up trial for her upcoming wedding in March 2010.

Nicole is a beautiful woman with gorgeous eyes and wanted to follow a natural smokey eye with understated lips, a look that many brides go for and is timeless - definitely not an 80's tragic with electric blue eyeshadow gone wrong here!

Nicole has incredibly fair skin with very few blemishes - beautiful skin, and stunning to work on! I'll let the photo's do the talking though!

Before...

After...

Isn't she a stunner?? Would love to hear your thoughts as always!

Love and light,

Melani

www.blackcatsangel.com

It's been...

2009-09-01T13:34:00.014+10:00

A long time since I updated this blog - poor form on my part but in my defence I've been FLAT OUT!

As you saw in my last post, I created a stunning head dress for my beautiful friend Chazitha for her wedding. Her big day was spectacular and everyone gave really positive feedback on the comb which made me so happy!

One of the things that always concerns me when I'm asked to "make something I'll love" is that my idea of something someone loves will be entirely different to their own idea, and that they won't love it at all!

Thankfully this has never happened, and I guess that that's because I try to build a friendly rapport with all my clients to make sure that they get what their heart desires and sometimes that means conversing with them many times before I get started, or asking them to show me pictures of what the like and what they love before getting started... This method hasn't failed me yet so I guess until it does I'll continue to use it!

SO, I guess you're all wondering how the beautiful bride recieved her hair piece... It went something along the lines of -

"SQUEAL!!!! OH MY GOSH IT'S SO PRETTY I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!"

My worst fears were laid to rest in about 300 decibels and 1 second of speech! Yay! She loved it, and for your patience, I will reward you with a couple of pics of her wearing it on the big day!

Congratulations to the happy couple! May your future be filled with love and joy!

What else has been keeping me away from blogging? Well, my wonderful partner Dusty whisked me on a well deserved holiday to Sydney and Newcastle where we caught up with friends and family. It had been a while since we went on a holiday where I didn't have to work so it was great to relax and just catch up with those I hadn't seen for an age!

I won't bore you with all the details, but I'll give you a quick rundown all the same!

I got to catch up with my dear friends Lil, her partner Andrew and Melinda for cake and champagne (a girls best friend aside from diamonds!) and we stayed with Matt and Claire who we hadn't seen since their wedding in October last year!

We then stayed one night in the lovely 5 star Sofitel Wentworth and might I just say, if you're looking for luxury and pampering, this is the place to go! Here's a picture of the view from our room...

The ground from level 15...

And up to the top of the Chifley Tower...

One of my fave areas of the hotel (other than the ever so comfy bed that I would have brought home if I could!) was the hotel lobby. There were these exquisite crystal chandeliers and flower arrangements that just took my breath away - they were amazing!

Chandelier...

Floral Centrepieces...

The following day we made our way to Newcastle where we met with my old friend from my university days Lauren, who showed us around the town, and took us to a lookout where we were swooped by paragliders and hang gliders and saw some of the landmarks Newcastle has...

The first glider that tried to swoop us...

Dusty and I about to be swooped again...

And another.....

We then went to Mereweather beach where Dusty encountered his first sea star which he promptly named Patrick!

Meet Patrick...

Pretty cool huh!? I thought so, and I think Dusty looks particularly cute in that last shot, but I might be biased!

Amongst the pretty star fish and other various bits and pieces, we found a few other bits and bobs too...

Another star fish...

A sea urchin...

Lauren's foot with baby star fish... can you spot the odd star out?

Soon after this last photo was taken, we decided that it was time to meet Dusty's cousin with whom we were staying the rest of our trip with, and so we headed off towards the car, where upon reaching higher ground we saw the following...

Can you see it?? Not the surfer silly! Look past him....

See it better now?? No?? Ok how about now?....

Yes folks, that's a dolphin! We were treated to a display by these beautiful creatures in the wild. Jumping and flipping and getting up to all sorts of shenanigans, it made for the perfect end to a great day! The surfer in the first photo had absolutely no idea that there was a pod of around 10 to 15 of these magical creatures, until they were practically beside him, I can't imagine what he was feeling when he realised!

So then we met up with Travis at Newcastle station and journeyed back to the beautiful Anna Bay where him and his lovely (and very pregnant!) wife Mell are lucky enough to live. it was just as beautiful as I remembered, and after waiting for Joel, Travis' little brother to arrive (he somehow managed to get lost on his way from Sydney and was rescued by Mell!) went to the local pub for some good food and good company.

Here I am trying to keep this blog short... I guess I knew it wasn't going to happen as did you I'm sure!

The next few days were spent with Mell and Trav, folding baby clothes (talk about making yourself clucky! Those clothes are so tiny!), cooking, shopping and enjoying the winter sunshine. Come the 17th August, Dusty and I were rested and relaxed, and wishing that our holiday didn't have to end, but like all good things it had to.

We got home and ended up sick (Poor Mell and Trav had been battling the flu a few days before we arrived and we managed to pick it up the day we left!) so a few extra days were added to our holiday and then it was back to work for both of us!

This blog is becoming a mammoth post, so I will put my recent jobs up seperately so I don't bore you all too much!

As always, if you are looking for any sort of portrait shoot, be it maternity, couple, family, glamour, wedding etc, please don't hesitate to contact me. This applies to make up for special occasions, and jewellery also!

Stay well, and enjoy the warmer months that are headed your way!

With love,

Melani,

BlackCatsAngel Designs

www.blackcatsangel.com

Fit for an Elven Bride

2009-07-23T12:11:00.008+10:00

So you may have noticed that I haven't been around too much recently...

Well, it's not because I've not wanted to blog - I really have! But I've had a very important bridal order that I had to have finished as soon as I could so that I could share it with you.

You no doubt remember from my previous blog my dear friend Chaz... Brain a bit foggy? Well here's a picture of the gorgeous girl to jolt your memories....

See? Totally gorgeous right?!

Well this beautiful friend and bride-to-be asked me to make her a special hair comb to wear on her wedding day. I was honoured and took the challenge to make her hair comb something special that she would feel beautiful in.

Now, as always when I make a hair comb, I ask to see pics of the hair trial so I can make sure the width and height of it can work in with the hairdo. So to give you an idea of what I was up against, here is a pic of Chaz's hair trial.

Gorgeous huh?! Well I decided that I was going to go with my gut instinct and do something I've never attempted before with a hair comb. I was going to wire work it.

I have a confession to make. Ever since I first met Chaz, she always reminded me of an elf, a magical creature with mystical powers and a wicked sense of humour. I wanted this hair comb to reflect that. So a hair comb was born - swarovski crystals and glass crystals in curlicues and swirls helped this design happen.

Want to see it?? Silly question!

Before...

Looks pretty boring here doesn't it??

And After...

And from another angle...

And another!

I am really proud of this hair comb. This is something I have never done before, and I am ecstatic with the outcome!

I would love to hear your thoughts on the comb, and as always, if you are looking for something special to wear on your big day, or the races this spring, now is the perfect time to contact me!

I can't wait to bring you more photo's and stories.

Keep warm,

Love Melani xx

www.blackcatsangel.com

Hair Jewellery

2009-07-16T16:19:00.003+10:00

I had an order recently for something small, yet so dainty that I thought I would show you guys on my blog!

A beautiful bride-to-be by the name of Cathy enquired recently about whether I made hair pins and if so could I please make her some for her bridesmaids hair to add just a little bit of sparkle.

Well, loving sparkles as much as I do, I took up the challenge and came up with some very simple hair pins for her special day.

I used fuschia and crystal AB Swarovski crystals to make these beauties. These little sparklers are perfect in both up styles and down styles either hidden in a bun or in amongst some lucious curls.

A big congratulations and all the best to Cathy on her big day this Saturday 18th July and thanks for allowing me to play a small part in it!

If you think these would be perfect for your big day or a special occasion please email me at the email address below and we can discuss your requirements.

Best wishes,

Melani

BlackCatsAngel Designs

www.blackcatsangel.com
melani@blackcatsangel.com

Something a little different...

2009-07-11T01:43:00.005+10:00

So you've seen more photography lately than you have anything else right? Probably getting a wee bit sick of it and wish I was doing more than just taking pretty pictures yes?

I knew it!! HA!

That is exactly the reason why I thought I would share my latest creation that WASN'T photography related! *insert big cheesy grin here*

I was asked by a lovely lady by the name of Sharon if I would make her a beautiful bespoke
I was asked to make a Swarovski Crystal encrusted hair clip that sparkled like mad to sit at the top of her bridal veil. Since weddings are seemingly one of my specialties, I obliged and created a gorgeous hair clip for her big day.

Would you like to see it? Stupid question right!?

Drum roll please........

Ta da!

This hair clip was made using Swarovski Crystals and silver wire. Each crystal is threaded with wire which is more durable and can withstand more knocking around than glue can. I use wire to create all head dresses and combs for this very reason.

I have a few other projects on at the moment - in particular a bespoke hair comb for my dear friend Chaz for her wedding which is on the 28th of July! It's going to be an amazing piece and something I've not tried before so I can't wait to show you!!!

Let me know what you think! I love all feedback as it's the only way I can get better at what I do!

If you know of someone or you yourself are getting married and would like a bespoke piece made as a special reminder of your day, or if you just wanted to add something unique to your collection, please send me a message via my email address and I would be happy to talk to you about it!

Also, don't forget about the Christmas in July Sale! All portraits are 20% off till the end of July! Book now to secure your date for anytime in the next few months!

Sending you all lot's of warm hugs!

Melani xx

www.blackcatsangel.com
melani@blackcatsangel.com

It's Christmas in July!

2009-07-07T14:43:00.008+10:00

Merry Christmas in July!!
Here at BlackCatsAngel Designs Headquarters, we believe it's important to embrace the festive season and seeing as we're feeling particularly festive what better way than to bring you all some Christmas specials!!!

For the rest of July, all portrait sessions will be reduced by 20%

That's right - Baby portraits, maternity shoots, couples portraits, engagement shoots, family portraits, glamour portraits and more - ALL PORTRAIT SESSIONS ARE 20% OFF TILL JULY 31st!!

THIS IS OUR BIGGEST SALE YET!

This is a sale that should not be missed! Email me to find out what is included in the package!

Feeling blue that you're not in the same town as me?

DON'T DESPAIR!!

I'm travelling the East Coast of Australia over the next few months - chances are I'll be in a town near you! Email me for more details!

Be quick! This deal won't last forever!

Best wishes and Merry Christmas in July!!!!!

Melani

www.blackcatsangel.com
melani@blackcatsangel.com

Baby Blake Tiger Russell

2009-07-06T02:34:00.015+10:00

So I've been a bit slack in getting this update up here for you - please forgive me, I've had the dreaded flu that makes you feel like death warmed up and just plain dreadful!

On Sunday 28th June, I was invited to take some family portraits for Simone and Steve and their new baby Boy Blake Tiger Russell! It was a cold and dreary day, but this little man lit up the room and warmed your soul when you looked into his tiny little face. Just a little angel!

It was feeding time when I arrived, so after a quick feed, it was time to get Simone, his very lucky Mummy into pamper mode and turn her into a yummy mummy!
Once make-up was finished, it was time for another feed and then a visit to the land of nod for a quick nap where I was able to get some gorgeous pictures of his tiny features which I am still amazed by!

After waking up from a quick nap, it was time for another feed (a man's gotta eat after all!) and I was able to capture these beautiful shots...

Then it was time to have snuggles and photos with Dad whose adoring gaze barely left his baby boys. The bond these two have is just beautiful and the best part, was that Steve allowed me to capture it all on camera!

Next to have snuggles was Mum, who like Dad is just besotted with her little man! It's a mutual feeling I believe because like with his Daddy, his gaze barely left her! What a beautiful thing it must be to be a parent and have an unbreakable bond with your child...

While we were preparing to shoot some more pictures, I spotted a big teddy bear, and thought it would be cute to capture just how small Blake really was at 10 weeks old. To give you some perspective, the teddy bear when it's sitting comes up to my hip - I am 154cm tall which means the bear is almost a metre tall when sitting...

How tiny is he?! It blew my mind seeing this fragile little life form against a gigantic bear! Amazing!

Next up was time for some portraits of Mum, Dad and Blake, and this has got to be one of my faves...

And last but definitely not least, is this adorable picture of Blake and his gummy grin! His wee little face just lights up the room and reminds you that there is still good in this world...

Thanks again to Simone and Steve for inviting me into their home to meet their wonderful little family and capture these special moments. It was an honour and a pleasure and I hope we can do it again some day!

If you know of a new addition whose families would be interested in capturing these precious moments, please feel free to pass on my details or indeed contact me on their behalf if you would like to purchase a photo session with me as I have gift certificates available on request.

Best wishes,

Melani

BlackCatsAngel Designs

www.blackcatsangel.com
melani@blackcatsangel.com

Please note these photographs have been watermarked to help protect the child and their family - Any persons found stealing these images will be prosecuted.

Make Me Up!

2009-06-29T11:34:00.005+10:00

So this weekend was another busy one - no surprises there!

It started off with a Make-Up Trial for the beautiful Kylee who is getting married in March next year.

After travelling all the way from Werribee in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne, to Frankston in the South East, it was time to pamper and preen this lovely lass and make her feel a million dollars.

We chatted a lot about our partners and her wedding and of course about make-up!

Having already had one trial and not being 100% sure about it, she came to me upon the recommendation of another bride to be and others who know me and what I do.

My belief is that a bride should, on the day, look like a more glamorous version of themself not some glamazon who their groom looks at and goes "where did you put my bride!?"

A bride radiates a natural beauty when she is in all her finery and the make-up's role is to simply enhance this - nothing else - it is not 'making up' the bride at all, it works together to create a creature of beauty that can turn heads and stop traffic! I truly believe this.

Kylee is a naturally beautiful girl - big blue eyes - Check! Long lashes - Double Check! Clear skin - Check!

Here is her before shot - Smile!

I set to work with this lovely lass, using products ranging from Max Factor, to The Body Shop and L'oreal just to name a few and made sure that her eyes were the stand out feature.

After checking out the make-up in a mirror I was given the seal of approval from the beautiful bride to be. I leave you to decide if the idea of "natural beauty" was captured...

I would love to read your thoughts - what you think about the make-up, whether you thought I captured the idea of natural glamour well, or if you just wanted to leave your thoughts on the blog in general I would love to see them!

If you would like to book me to do your make up for an event or night out or your wedding, please contact me on the details below!

Love and light,

Melani xx

BlackCatsAngel Designs

Website: www.blackcatsangel.com
Email: melani@blackcatsangel.com

Chazitha's Family Portraits

2009-06-22T16:19:00.009+10:00

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I was going to Warrnambool on the 20th to see my dear friend Chaz and do some family portraits for her family before her and Ash leave the country to live in Canada, Ash's homeland.

After a 5.45am start for me, I arrived in sleepy old Warrnambool to a warm welcome from Chaz and Ash at about 11.15am and we headed off to collect the boys Jack and Tom.

I knew that this shoot was going to be super fun, and I wasn't disappointed! Not one bit! From the minute Jack and Tom got into the car, I knew we were in for many laughs and mischief!

The weather was overcast and windy as all get out, but we had a blast and I was able to capture some beautiful pics of Chaz and her 3 favourite men!

First stop was at The Breakwater where we climbed all over rocks and played on top of the old aquarium.

These are just a handful of the pics from this beautiful location...

Our next stop was the beautiful Warrnambool Gardens where Chaz and Ash had considered getting married. The boys had fun climbing trees and kicking the soccer ball around - including kicking it into the lake!

Thankfully Ash came to our rescue and the soccer ball was saved from a life of being pecked and mauled by ducks and seagulls!

We also did an impromptu engagement shoot for Chaz and Ash to help them to see how some of their wedding pics will look - I think they are going to get some amazing photos!

I had a wonderful day catching up with Chaz and meeting Ash for the first time, and I can't wait till their wedding day when Chaz will walk down the aisle in her beautiful dress. I know it's going to be a really emotional day not only because she's going to make an amazingly gorgeous bride, but because I know it will be one of the last times I see Chaz before she leaves Australia for Canada!

Thanks to the boys Jack and Tom for letting me put them in front of my lens, I really had a lot of fun and I hope you did too!

A huge thanks also to Chaz and Ash for joining in and being great big kids!

Love and light,

Mel xx

BlackCatsAngel Designs

www.blackcatsangel.com
melani@blackcatsangel.com

Chazitha's Family Portraits

2009-06-21T14:57:00.002+10:00

This weekend!

2009-06-19T15:41:00.003+10:00

June is definitely a busy month here at BCAD HQ!

With Leanne and Noel's beautiful wedding almost a week ago, and a few days rest, I'm gearing up for another big weekend of photography fun!

This weekend I am off to the beautiful sleepy seaside town of Warrnambool for a family portrait session with a dear friend of mine and her family.

Chaz and I met online whilst she was planning her wedding and hit it off instantly! We're both a little zany and she's just a tonne of fun to be around and I can only imagine how fun her family will be to photograph!

I am looking forward in particular to meeting her wonderful Fiancee Ash who adores Chaz and the ground she walks on. I've yet to meet him and it'll be great I'm sure!

I'll be sure to post photo's on Sunday to show you how much fun we had!

The rest of June is full of family portraits and make-up trials so I'll be able to fill your screens with lots of beautiful pics soon!

If you or someone you know would like some family portraits done, please don't hesitate to pass on my details!

With love,

Melani

www.blackcatsangel.com
melani@blackcatsangel.com

Leanne and Noel 14th June 2009

2009-06-15T23:01:00.008+10:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of working on Leanne and Noels big day. It was a big day for me as I was multi-tasking and being Make-Up Artist, Hairdresser and Photographer for the big event!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am no hairdresser - make-up and photography are my loves and most days I just pull my hair back and occasionally will do something different with it if I'm going out.

I will tell you right now - I was SCARED! Luckily for me though I had a bride who was cool calm and collected and trusted me implicitly. I can't help but think this is the only way I got her hair done! Had she been a mess of nerves or tears then I might possibly have gone to pieces myself on that front!

The day was chilly and a bit grey, but nothing seemed to phase Leanne who took it all in her stride. She had her 4 children play a part in the wedding and along with getting herself dressed had to get them dressed too, luckily her mum was there and could help her out!

The blushing bride was finally into her dress and on her way to the ceremony venue (the Tim Neville Arboretum in Boronia in the Ampitheatre) where a nervous but happy groom was waiting for her arrival. He asked me what she looked like and I reassured him that she looked gorgeous and was excited to see him!

The time came for the bride to walk down the aisle - but the cd player decided to play around and in the end a stern talking to by me, did the trick and the bride was able to walk down the aisle to her song.

Noel had tears twinkling in his eyes as his bride walked towards him and as she reached him he caught his breath in his throat - between you and me, I think he was pretty close to losing it, which is really sweet.

The newly weds were congratulated by their family and friends and we then went around the park for some location photo's.

At around sunset, it started to become too cold to continue with photo's and so we decided drinks were necessary and McDonalds happened to be on the way - we took the bridal car through the drive through and got our treats and met up with the rest of the bridal party a few moments later. The bridesmaids and Groomsmen left our meeting point early to make sure the reception was properly arranged, when Lee found that one of the straps on her dress had become unstiched and I became a seamstress for a moment whilst sewing the strap back on - anyone who knows me well will know that I almost failed textiles in year 8 because I couldn't sew properly, but something must have stuck in my brain because the strap didn't come off again!

The reception was a lively event with lot's of children and lot's of adults and I can honestly say this is one reception dinner that no one went hungry from - not even the adult males of the group could finish their serves!

The cake was cut, the dance was danced and last but certainly not least, the bouquet and garter were tossed with much hilarity and side splitting laughter.

The wedding was a success and I can't wait to meet up with Leanne and Noel to give them their wedding photo's which I am sure they will love as much as I did taking them!

So in celebration of a beautiful day, here are some of the pics from Lee and Noel's Big Day!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

With much love,

Melani

BlackCatsAngel Designs

www.blackcatsangel.com
melani@blackcatsangel.com

Sunday 14th June and Beyond!

2009-06-11T01:25:00.006+10:00

Hey there guys and gals!

Just thought I would give you a quick catch up on the goings on of BlackCatsAngel Designs!

I was looking at my diary just the other day an I tell you what - my jaw nearly hit the floor when I saw how busy I am getting!

I have weddings galore, beautiful make-up trials and Make up lessons to dazzle your eyes with, and even a baptism! All in the next 6 months! I'm going to be a busy little bee!

My June Family Portrait special was a hit and there will be lots of family portraits to show you from new born to established families!

My first wedding for the 'silly season' as I have now dubbed the next six months is with the wonderful couple Leanne and Noel who have been planning their wedding for quite a while now.

It's been a bumpy ride getting them to the altar, but this Sunday I will be busily putting make-up on the already gorgeous Leanne and doing her hair (something new and exciting for me!) and then capturing her special day!

I'm going to be majorly busy throughout the entire day, but like with all my weddings I'm excited and can't wait to see her dazzle her groom at the other end of the aisle! She's going to make a beautiful bride!

I'll be sure to share some of the pics from the day with you after the celebrations!

Till then, here's some pics to get you in the mood for some loving of your own!

Stay safe,

Love Melani xx

And then there were 3!

2009-06-08T23:32:00.005+10:00

About 4 weeks ago I recieved a phonecall from Dusty's Cousin-in-Law Mell congratulating me on the business and just to have a chat. Everything was all well and good till she said the next phrase - "Guess what..."

Now all of you will know this will go one of two ways - good or bad and you brace yourself for whats about to come...

After a moments silence, and a tentative "what?" from me, Mellissa told me her and Travis' news....

She's pregnant!!!!

I tried my hardest to squeal but a squeak came out due to the tonsillitis I was suffering from and I'll admit, I even shed a few tears!

I'm so excited for them as is Dusty and keeping the news from our mutual friends was SO hard to do, but she's just reached 12.5 weeks pregnant and they are telling everyone the happy news!

I'm convinced Mell's having a girl, but so long as it's born healthy that's all that matters!

I know Mell and Trav will make wonderful parents, and their baby will be incredibly spoilt and loved, and I've been dubbed "Aunty Mel" and can't wait to hold this little bundle of joy for the first time!

I'm hoping Mell and Trav will let me take some maternity photo's to remember this special time, but we'll see how it all pans out!

Bring on December 15th 2009 where we finally get to meet this little person!

With love,

Melani xox

www.blackcatsangel.com
melani@blackcatsangel.com

The Pink Concert!

2009-06-08T20:48:00.013+10:00

So it's been a week and a bit since I went to the Pink Concert and it was putting it quite simply, the best concert I've ever been to!

She swung from the rafters, she flew across the audience and she did covers of the hits "I touch myself" by The Divinyls (and made it all her own! Check out the video clips on Youtube!) and Queen's crowd pleaser "Bohemian Rhapsody" and whilst keeping it true to Queen's style, made it all her own!

I am so glad I was able to go and of course as always, I had my camera with me - and for those interested in the statistics - I took 1162 photographs from 7pm - 11pm - 1162 photographs - which equates to 290.5 photo's an hour...

SO rather than continuing to tell you how many I took - here's some for you to see!

That's all I will post from the pics I took because I really don't want to spoil it for any of my readers who will see it!

Suffice it to say that it was an amazing show and I want to do it all over again!!!!!!

Love and light,

Melani

www.blackcatsangel.com
melani@blackcatsangel.com

Going to see P!nk!

2009-05-29T14:04:00.006+10:00

Yep! I am! And I am SO, SO, SO excited!

After deliberating over what to buy my for my birthday last year, my dear partner Dusty decided that I had such a good time at her last concert that I would LOVE to go to her "Funhouse" tour!

Well he was right!!!!!! He asked me to look for tickets (what a gentlemen!) and then we realised there were no General Admission tickets left!

CRISIS!

But, being the awesome guy he is (I LOVE YOU!) he told me to look for tickets in the gold section! Eeeeeeeekk!!!!!! *happy dance*

So look I did and the crisis was averted!

So tomorrow I am meeting my awesome friend Bettina in the city for afternoon tea, and then I will head to Rod Laver and take my seat, with my handy dandy camera in tow to bring you pics of her awesome show when I get back!

Have an awesome weekend and I will see you all safe and sound on Sunday when I am back with pics!

But before I go I want to thank my awesome man again. LOVE YOU!

Love and Light,

Melani

BlackCatsAngel Designs

Website: www.blackcatsangel.com
Email: melani@blackcatsangel.com

So now you know a bit about me...

2009-05-28T13:41:00.022+10:00

Let me show you what I do in picture form! I told you about my jewellery first, so I guess I should keep it all in order... All of my jewellery is designed by me. Most people when they think of a designer imagine that they would start their creations on paper. For most designers this is true, for me however - it is not.

I can't draw much more than stick figures and even they aren't very good, so every design I make is created in my mind, and then made - even when people ask me to copy a design - it's different because I don't want to be unoriginal and rely on other peoples ideas to get me through.

I use a variety of materials to create my pieces - from sterling silver, pearls, Swarovski and Czechoslovakian glass and chain through to shells and metal elements and wire wrapping all of which help to create different textures. I've added a few pictures that show a variety of different designs and textures and elements - let me know what you think!

These two pieces were made with rhodium plated silver (stops the silver plate from tarnishing) metal embellishments, and Czech glass and Glass pearls. The bracelet is one of my best sellers particularly with brides as the metal pieces are in the shape of hearts and is quite a romantic piece. You can see that although the designs are similar in the way they are made (the beads are linked in the same way) the texture of the pieces are entirely different, the bracelet is more 'liquid' whereas the earrings seem more 'rough' this next piece is a wire wrapped piece and you'll see it's a stark contrast to the above pieces...

I call this piece my forest fairy neckband... I'm not sure why, but it fits don't you think??

Next up is my photography. I mentioned that I do everything from landscapes to weddings and everything in between - a picture says 1000 words, so I'll let them do the talking!

I mentioned I am also a make-up artist so I best put some photo's up of some of the make up I have done too...

I use a range of products on my clients - from expensive brands to cheap brands - if it works - I use it!
I am not a loyal user to any specific brand and all of my make up is tested on friends and myself and put through tests to make sure it will withstand your special event.

What are these tests?? There is no better test to see if make up is going to survive a dance filled night out, a deb ball where you dance till you drop or a wedding where tears are likely to appear than going for a swim in the make up or going to the gm in it - any make up that doesn't survive the test either gets thrown into my own personal make up collection, or used on models in photoshoots where there's not necessarily going to be strenuous or overly emotional outbursts!

This blogs become a bit of a monster so I'll stop it here, but needless to say, if you would like a piece of jewellery, a photoshoot or your make up done for whatever occasion - you know where to find me!

With love and light,

Melani xx

BlackCatsAngel Designs

Website: www.blackcatsangel.com
Email: melani@blackcatsangel.com

How it all began...

2009-05-27T21:18:00.008+10:00

I've been trying to figure out how to start my blog off... do I write a general "Hi I'm Melani" or do I try and personalise it and give you more insight into who I am as a person. I still haven't decided so what I decided was to let my blog write itself!

BlackCatsAngel is my 'baby' put simply I was sick of being in crap telemarketing jobs (yes I was one of "those" people!) where my team leader didn't care about the company, just the sales, and the boss of said companies didn't give a damn about their employees either. It was a nasty and vicious circle and it was impacting on my health quite severely.

Backtrack to 2006-2007 - lot's of things happened, deaths and illness and trying to deal with my mum being ill and in and out of hospital all the while studying classical voice (I'm a muso at heart) full time at university... I needed something that would allow me to let out my creativity and allow me to have some 'me time'. I discovered beading and soon I was making many a fancy piece of jewellery for family and friends and they were urging me to start my own business...

For once in my life I listened to the wonderful advice I was being given and embarked on what has become a remarkable adventure. My jewellery has become more and more intricate over time, and has even been featured in fashion shows in Melbourne's L'oreal Fashion Week and will hopefully be in some stores soon!

So that's how it all started... However there is so much more to it than that! Yes! MORE!

As a child I would sit at my grandpa's side and look at all of his awesome photography. Photo's of landscapes, flowers and sometimes people. I was always amazed at how he captured the moment and that one moment - that one second told the story even without his words added to it.

I was entranced and received my first camera when I was about 8 and because I was so young and naive I let it gather dust - I didn't see how it would be possible to capture the moment like my grandpa had done so many times!

Fast forward to my 20th birthday where my wonderful mum suprised me with a digital point and shoot - the amount of hours I used that camera in the first year was phenomenal - I think I just about wore it out! I soon grew out of that and the other two cameras I ended up with rather quickly and at 23 years old I now have my Canon 450D with it's various lenses that I use to capture every moment.

So not only am I a jeweler, but I am also a photographer. I photograph everything from landscapes, through to glamour portraits, family portraits and weddings and it was weddings that caused me to take my photography to the next level and making it part of BlackCatsAngel Designs.

The very first wedding I photographed was as a guest and I loved capturing the fairytale as it unfolded around me. I can't thank Travis and Mellissa enough for allowing me to capture their day and use it in my portfolio - without them, I would not have had the courage to try and make it as a photographer in the wedding industry.

So I'm hoping that through all this you are learning a bit about my business and what it's all about, however there is one aspect to my business that hasn't been mentioned yet, and that's that I am not only a jeweller and photographer, but I am also a Make-Up artist!

As a child I was into theatre, acting, singing, dancing - you name it I was in it! I watched the 'grown ups' (who really were just big kids as I've come to learn) apply their make-up, and have sat through workshops learning how to apply it 'just right' and being a photographer I've seen how some make up is just not right for photography and how the wrong make up can really have a bad effect on the outcome - there is only so much photoshop can do!

I started out doing make up for high school shows and university productions and then one day I was asked to do someones wedding... I don't quite know how it became that way, but here I am and most of my make up work is on brides!

Life has been and is an interesting adventure, and mine I'm sure is not about to come to an end anytime too soon, at least I don't plan for it to - however there is one thing left for me to explain to you my dear friends, and that is the answer to a question I get asked all the time - "why did you name your business "BlackCatsAngel Designs"?

Many years ago, I was trying to think up a name for an online art community I was joining (deviantart) and I sat there for a goodly hour trying to think of something to no avail! In the end, out of pure desperation I decided that I would look to my right and use that as the first part of my username and then I would do the same thing to my left side. - There sitting prettily were my two Black Cats and the Angel on the Christmas Tree... And so was born BlackCatsAngel - Designs was added when I started making jewellery and it's stuck ever since!

So, welcome to my blog, please subscribe to keep up with the latest special deals and latest creations and leave any comments you wish! I would love to hear your feedback!

With love and light,

Melani

Website: www.blackcatsangel.com
Email: melani@blackcatsangel.com