Layers of Dignity is a Raleigh, NC based non-profit run by two sisters who are both nurses. When working in the hospital they realized a great need. Sexual assault victims normally have to turn over their clothing to police as evidence. Hospitals would send them home in disposable, paper clothing.  Layers of Dignity provides tote bags to sexual assault survivors within emergency departments of hospitals and women’s advocacy centers. This means instead of leaving in paper clothing, sexual assault survivors will take those steps in brand-new clothes, with a next-step guide, and a handwritten note from a fellow survivor. This is something many of us, including myself,  had probably never thought about before. When my friend Katie asked me to attend and photograph her fashion show benefitting Layers of Dignity, I was honored to help out.  I met Katie a little over a year ago. We've worked on styled shoots together and she is a supportive fellow creative that I'm lucky to have the opportunity to work with and know.  

The LAYERS Fashion Show was on August 31 at Burning Coal Theater in Raleigh.  No detail was missed. The lobby looked gorgeous! There was a flower wall that made a wonderful smelling, pretty entrance and then at the end of the night guests could pluck flowers from the wall to take with them. The event was catered with adorable snacks and desserts, along with a signature cocktail and champagne. Local vendors were invited to share, display, and sell their goods.  Every seat had a little token of appreciation on it and the VIP seats had a fantastic swag bag filled with local goodies.  MC Matt White is a hilarious comedian and he did a great job engaging and entertaining the audience, as well as announcing the designers and models. Everything was perfect! 

Vendors:

Aimee Cuthrell Fine Art

Layers of Dignity

Carroll’s Kitchen

Noonday Collective

Style and Shine

Florist:

Flowers on Broad Street

Food and Champagne:

Sponsored by Highgrove Estates

I started off the day behind the scenes taking photos of hair and make-up being done. I was able to watch and photograph some fabulous hair and make-up artists!

Make-up: Ryann Owens of Bridal and Braids

Hair: Ravon's Talents 

        Adina from Metro Mane

Everyone enjoyed watching the models, checking out the outfits, and meeting the designers. You could feel the love in the room as Katie explained her story about honoring a friend and how she chose Layers of Dignity as the beneficiary of the event.  Katie was able to pair her passion for fashion and art along with her want for giving back to a cause that means so much to her. 

Designers: 

Sew Fancy

Kitty and Rhodes

Aliyah Designs

RIP Designs

Sade Sews

Boutiques:

Scout and Molly’s 

Cousin Couture

Scusset Beach is in Sandwich, MA, which is a part of Cape Cod. It was nice to go there, because it was at the beginning of the Cape, so it wasn't too far from home. There was usually no traffic (usually!!). The coastline is beautiful and the water is often clear and calm. It's nice for children to swim in so I would often go with my friends who have kids or kids in my family. My state beach pass was valid at Scusset Beach as well.

My niece Mackenzie had her first beach day ever at Scusset! My mom was babysitting her and we decided to head down for the day. She was less than a year old. She really loved watching the people and we brought her in the water. About a year later, we went with her again and my dad joined us this time. Typically there is plenty of parking, however this time when we arrived the parking lot was full. We did not want to turn around and make the drive back home, especially with a toddler in the car. Nearby we found a nice shady spot overlooking the Cape Cod Canal. We decided to eat our lunch there and then check back later to see if we could get parking. It worked out perfectly. We ate lunch, Mackenzie loved watching the boats go by, and there was a great breeze. After a while we packed our stuff up into the car and headed back to the beach where there was now parking available. Mackenzie had a blast, she must take after her aunt. She loved playing in the sand, people watching, and swimming in the water. We could barely get her out of the water to take breaks.

I've enjoyed days at Scusset with my mom, aunt Alison, and cousin Paige too. We like to sit where it's not too crowded. My aunt always cracks me up when she sets up multiple blankets and towels around our chairs so our space isn't invaded. We talk, go for walks, and go swimming. Scusset is a the perfect beach for swimming.

Scusset is also one of my favorite beaches to photograph. I've taken some really great photos at Scusset Beach and they have now become some of my bestsellers. I love that I am able to share my love of the beach and photography with others. It is a wonderful feeling to know that people decorate their homes with my photos. The first time I ever went there, I brought my camera with me and was so glad I did. Before I even got onto the beach, I saw multiple sights to capture. Outside of the snack bar they have picnic tables and in the center of each one was a beach bucket serving as a flowerpot full of planted summer flowers. To this day this print still remains one of the most popular. I just love the bright colors up against the earthy tones of the beach grass and sand. Another popular print and also a favorite of mine, is of the walkway leading onto the beach. I actually have two different versions of this photograph, the new walkway and the old walkway. I took pictures of the original walkway the first day I visited. It was a hit with everyone and I loved it as well. A couple of years later we arrived for our first visit of the season to find that they had redone the walkway. So of course on my next trip down there, I had to take my camera with me and get photos of the new scene. I also enjoy photographing the water at Scusset beach. The surf is typically very calm, but I have been there on days when there were big waves and the water was rough. I also find that the tide changes the scene dramatically. Because things vary so much it gives me so much opportunity to capture all different kinds of shots of the same place. I can get high tide, low tide, sandbars, rough surf, high waves, different colors, and the overall feel of the surf is just never quite the same each time. You're never sure what to expect, but one thing that remains is that it is always beautiful. The landscaping there is also very pretty. I find a variety of different hues of blues, greens, tans, and browns in the pictures I take there. It can really create some pretty contrast. Scusset will always be my favorite Cape Cod beach. I am hoping I can visit there again soon, of course with my camera in tow.

During my summers while teaching, I tried to get to the beach as much as possible. If it was a sunny day, I was either at the beach or at my parents' house enjoying their pool. Each summer I would buy a Massachusetts State Park Pass to use at the beaches, mostly Horseneck. I would go to the beach with either a group of teacher friends, my cousin Paige, my mom, my aunt Alison, or some combination of them all.

People often ask me what I do all day long at the beach. First of all, I need to have a good beach read with me at all times. I read many books all summer long. I also enjoy reading magazines. Usually Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, or some sort of cooking magazine. I love going for walks on the beach. It's a great way to fit in some extra exercise. Horseneck is pretty long so it's a perfect place to walk. I could either go to the right and walk over to the next 2 beaches, a private beach and a town beach. Or I could walk to the left and there's a camping area and lots of pretty rocks. I like looking for rocks and especially sea glass. I use the rocks and glass to decorate my home. I have collected sea glass, along with my mom, for years. It fascinates me that every piece has a story behind it and the colors and textures are beautiful. One day I went for a walk with my mom and my cousin Paige. We were looking for sea glass all along the way. We walked down to the camping area and didn't find any. On the way back my mom spotted the most beautiful blue piece of sea glass. Paige and I had walked right past it and did not even see it. It was huge, the biggest piece I've ever seen. I was so happy for my mom that she had discovered this gem. I actually ended up borrowing and taking it back to Horseneck one day for a “photo shoot”. It was just so pretty and I knew it would photograph well. I have a print of it framed in my bedroom. My mom has a print as well, and of course she still has the gorgeous blue piece of sea glass.

Beach chat is also a big part of the day. It's great to catch up and talk about everything and anything. Some of my favorite conversations ever have taken place on the beach. Some the funniest and some of the most serious. There's just something about the beach that makes it the perfect place to talk. Along with these chats, we also lunch and snack.

Chair #11 was the meetup spot during these days. I have photographed many of the lifeguard chairs here. I have a large one of chair #11 framed in my home. There's just something about a lifeguard chair that I love. I have one black and white photo of the chairs all stacked up to be stored for the winter after the season ended. I also have some taken during the prettiest of beach days. And I have taken some during sunset. These are some of my most popular prints, as well as my favorites.

I love going to beach at night. Sometimes my mom and I and sometimes some other family members would spend the day at the beach and then the rest of the family would meet us there at dinner time. We would play corn hole, go for walks, take pictures, and relax & chat. Everyone would bring dishes to share. Sometimes we would have a theme, like Italian or all types of salads. Of course beer and wine go very well with dinner on the beach. I have taken some great sunset and other beach shots during these family dinners.

I recall one day we planned a girls' night at Horseneck. My mom and I spent the day there and then my aunts, cousins, and grandmother met us there. My grandmother was in her late 80s at the time and I am still so impressed that she was able to join us. She walked from the car through the sand to our spot near chair #11. It gets breezy in the evening on the shore and she would get cold easily anyway, so she'd be all bundled up in the middle of July, but who cares? She was there to spend time with her family and we loved having her there.

Those evenings always flew by. It felt like as soon as we carried everything from the car and set it all up it was time to pack it in and trek back to the car. But it was worth it, we had a blast.

Throughout my life I always played sports, gone to the gym, exercised, and ate healthy. As I got a little older I found it a little tougher to stay in shape and I was splurging a little too often. I was going to the gym at the time, but felt that I really needed a boost. I found Doug Bramwell and he changed my life. Doug is a personal trainer and nutritionist. He set me up with an eating plan and weekly check ins and also got me to sign up for boot camp on the beach at Horseneck. The classes were at 6:00 a.m. The first time I went I was so nervous. What am I doing? I hate getting up early. I won't be able to keep up with everyone. Yikes!! Well, I loved it. Everyone was so nice, Doug is funny and motivating and kept our workouts interesting. The beach I had spent so much time relaxing and lounging around on was now my “gym”. We went running on the beach, did tons of crazy circuit exercises, had races, and most memorable, ran in the dunes. Those dunes were so extremely hard but I was so proud of myself every time I conquered them. The first day of boot camp I couldn't run from one telephone pole to another. By the fall I was running up to 8 miles. I even wore my bathing suit under my gym clothes some days and went into the water to swim and cool off after our sessions were over. I shed the pounds and had a blast doing it. I am truly grateful for those super early mornings spent at one of my favorite places while accomplishing my fitness goals. 

I've mentioned many photos I have taken at Horseneck, but one in particular is very special to me. I love taking pictures of walkways leading into beaches. First, because they are beautiful. But secondly because of what they represent. It's the anticipation of a beach day ahead. It's not knowing what you'll see once you get up and over the dunes. High tide or low tide? Depending on the time of day and the tide, what colors will the water be? Are the waves big or small today? Is it crowded? I had not been on Facebook very long, it was still pretty new to me and my friends, when I decided to post some of my Horseneck Beach photos. I posted a black and white one I had taken of the walkway leading in. Many people loved it and one of my dear friends asked me if she could have a copy of it to frame and hang in her bathroom. Of course I said yes! And this got me thinking, hey I could really do this. With some help from my artsy, talented brother and his wife, I set up an Etsy shop selling my landscape prints and then created my first website. One thing led to another and my little business was born! I started selling prints at fairs and shows. Then I began taking pictures of family and friends, which led to more family portrait sessions. That walkway print will always be special to my heart and I take nothing for granted as I continue to grow and build my little business.

I have moved to North Carolina and my summers are no longer spent on Horseneck Beach, but I treasure the fond memories I have, enjoy looking at the numerous photos I have taken there, and it will always be a place to visit when I'm up in Massachusetts.