Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Skip the lines and the craziness of the mall and come to the park for a story, cookies, and a picture with Santa!

Introducing the first annual Pictures with Santa in the Park. Santa will be at the Tabby Ruins Park in St Marys on Saturday, December 6 at 9:30. Come listen to Santa read a story, munch on allergy friendly, vegan Christmas cookies, and get a picture with Santa! Children will have the opportunity to warm up to Santa before sitting on his lap and we can try several times or with parents if a child has a bad reaction.

 Price is $30 per family and includes your choice of 2- 4x6 OR 1- 5x7 print. You will have the option to order extras and enlargements as well. Dress in Christmas pjs or favorite holiday outfit. 

Space is limited so don't wait to reserve your family's spot! Full payment is due upon reservation. One image per family.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Kim

Owner/Artist-Photographer, Kimberly Tank Art & Photography


 

*Update: This business has closed as the owner relocated out of the area in 2015.

Meet Brittany Tollefson, owner of K-9 Kutz Studio, a mobile grooming service that comes to your house! I recently took headshots and some business-in-action shots for Brittany and wanted to share them but also a little more about her and her business. I am a big proponent of supporting local businesses and I think it's important for small businesses to support and promote each other as well!

This was my favorite head shot. Isn't she gorgeous?!

The mobile grooming van!

My dog Liby modeled for us for some action shots. 

Her van is big enough to bathe and groom large breeds, not just small and medium breeds!

K: Tell everyone a little about yourself.
B: I'm 28yrs old. Mother of two feisty little mini me's and wife to an amazing sailor. I have a hobby garden and raise ducks.  
K-9 Kutz Studio is a mom-owned, family run business. Everyone has their own special job to make this salon efficient. My son (5), helps me clean up at the end of the day, vacuuming and dusting. My husband helps keep all my paperwork in order and is my biggest supporter. My daughter (21mos) Just sits around and looks cute mostly. When you support K-9 Kutz Studio Mobile Pet Grooming Salon, you are supporting a family... and helping to make dreams come true.

K: When did you know you wanted to be a dog groomer? How did you start out?
B: I started out as many groomers did trying to learn how to groom my own dogs to save money. I would see my mother always so frustrated with her dog's cut and the 6+ hours he was away from home and as any young entrepreneur does, I looked for a way to make it better. I started working as a bather at a Petsmart in Louisiana and over the months worked up to going to their grooming academy in Metarie, LA August of 2005. Unfortunately, hurricane Katrina had other plans and we had to evacuate. We moved to Florida where I joined a new team at Petsmart and went through with my grooming training in Orlando. I am currently a member of the National Dog Groomers Association of America (NGDAA) and awaiting registration with the International Professional Groomers, Inc to further my education and keep up with the latest styles to best suit every pet. With all these new designer breeds popping up, it's best to stay ahead of grooming styles so there are more choices for pet owners.

K: What do you love most about grooming dogs? What is your least favorite thing to do?
B: What I love most is the diversity in every breed. No two dogs are the same even from the same litter. Now that I have pursued this venture as a mobile groomer, I get to see how they live and interact with their families. Why they are named what they are and how much they are truly loved. They start to feel like extended families. I've had many dogs over the years require a mild sedative to be groomed because of the cages, other non-familiar barking dogs and multiple groomers & assistants handling them, have long term stress issues in the salon and days after grooming. Pet owners don't want to take their pets somewhere they have no control over. Now, most of those same dogs happily jump into my van and enjoy being groomed, the best part of that is the majority are completely off sedatives of any kind and that to me is totally worth it's weight in gold. 

I really wouldn't say I have a 'least favorite' thing to do. I truly believe, everything I do is essential to your pet's health, from clearing out dirty ears to better treat ear mites (or catch them early!), to expressing glands on a regular basis to prevent them from becoming impacted and infected. The more regular pets are professionally groomed by knowledgeable groomers, the less you'll have to spend on vet bills to figure out what that random flare up may be. Your groomer can usually spot things early and treat with a good medicated wash for minor skin irritants and show you how to properly clean your pet's ears in between grooming. 

K: How does a mobile groomer differ from a regular groomer? What made you choose mobile grooming?
B: There are so many amazing benefits to being a mobile groomer. My van is completely self contained. I carry 50 gallons of water and have a generator to power all my electrical needs. I have a smal propane tank that fuels not only my hot water heater but my furnace for winter months. I have a full sized RV airconditioner for warmer months so my salon is climate controlled year around. Here is a short list of additional benefits 

• Eliminates separation anxiety & physical stress for you and your dog
• Personalized individual attention and expert care given to each dog
• Special attention given to older pets
• No cage confinement 
• No cage drying
• No exposure to other animals
• No car sickness or dirty pets riding in your car
• No steps (ramps used & lifting when needed)
• No tranquilizers
• Services performed in a clean, climate controlled & safe environment
• Eliminates inconvenient grooming shop drop-off and pick-up hassles
• Eliminates long stays at the grooming shop (our appointments last from 1-2 hours)
• Only all natural, non-toxic plant based shampoo products used
• Same groomer provided each visit to encourage bonding and trust with your dog

K: What are the services do you offer? Where are your services available?
B: I offer everything a brick and mortar shop would offer. My main package is bath, nails, ears (plucked if needed and cleaned) anal gland expression, hand blow drying, no cages or cage drying means no stress to your pets! And a full haircut either breed specific or owner request.
 

K: What are your business goals? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
B: I am currently doing some training to further my education on the new trending style as well as traditional show & manageable pet trims. I'd like to have a new certification a year and try to get into show and competition grooming. I would like to open an accredited school one day when we settle out of Navy life.
Ever since I was little I always looked forward to football season only because towards the end, usually in February, the Westminster Dog Show airs and I love all the breeds you just don't see in the south because it's either too hot or the breed is just better in different regions. I would love to be behind the scenes at one of these shows. Maybe even get into handling as well! One day I would like to own an accredited academy to help new and upcoming groomers.
 

K: Is there anything else you'd like to share?
B: I had so much fun filling this out. Thank you for the opportunity to express myself and share my business & goals.

If you have a dog in need of grooming services, you should go check her out! She's on Facebook too! 

A big thanks to Brittany for taking time out of her busy schedule to complete my little questionnaire! Wishing you all the best!

<3 

Kim

Owner/Artist-Photographer, Kimberly Tank Art & Photography

Need headshots? Contact me to schedule your session!

Family Portrait Sessions are my absolute favorite sessions to shoot. My second favorite are birthday sessions and this was both in one! These two precious kiddos both have birthdays in October so mom contacted me for a family session so we could not only get a great family portrait for them to hang on their wall, but also to document Miss P turning 1 and Mr. J turning 3! We had so much fun out at Crooked River State Park. Mr. J inspired a future blog post on how to get great smiles from your kiddos in pictures. He definitely made me work for it, but it was fun work!

Family & Children's Photographer | St Marys, GA

Happy First Birthday P!

Family & Children's Photographer | St Marys, GA

Mirror Mirror...

Family & Children's Photographer | St Marys, GA

Happy 3rd Birthday J! Family & Children's Photographer | St Marys, GA

Family & Children's Photographer | St Marys, GA

<3

Kim Owner/Artist-Photographer Kimberly Tank Art & Photography

Sweet Miss Charlotte is 3 months! It seems like I just took her newborn photos and here we are with 3 month photos! She was the perfect model and a ham for the camera. Her momma is super stylish, so of course she had the most adorable little outfits and accessories for her to wear. 

Baby's First Year - 3 Months | Baby Photographer | Fernandina Beach, FL

Love these baby smiles!

Baby's First Year - 3 Months | Baby Photographer | Fernandina Beach, FL

Baby's First Year - 3 Months | Baby Photographer | Fernandina Beach, FL

She was really working the camera in momma's pearls! She's bringing back the '20s in this shot.

Baby's First Year - 3 Months | Baby Photographer | Fernandina Beach, FL

And a super sweet one with momma! Two beautiful girls!

Baby's First Year - 3 Months | Baby Photographer | Fernandina Beach, FL

Charlotte is the first of my Baby's First Year Packages so I get to take her pictures again at 6 months, 9 months and then at a year! Contact me for more information on Baby's First Year Packages!

I'm looking forward to watching Charlotte grow and being able to document these memories for her wonderful parents!

<3

Kim

http://www.kimberlytank.comOwner/Artist-Photographer Kimberly Tank Art & Photography

I finally have the go-ahead to share this session with you! This adorable family wanted a fun way to announce Baby #2's gender to their families back home so we did a gender reveal photo session and I created an announcement for them to send to there families. It was so much fun!

We started with a quick family shot before adding glitter and paint in the mix!

Then we tried glitter, which was a little complicated with a two year old soon-to-be big sister, but she's still cute trying to blow it out of her hands!

And lastly we did the paint, and those shots were the winners for the announcement!

I'm so sad this family is moving, but such is the military life. I wish them all the best and hope we'll see them again! Looking forward to seeing pictures of Baby Girl #2 this winter!

<3

Kim

Owner/Artist-Photographer, Kimberly Tank Art & Photography