Today may be Black Friday but tomorrow is Small Business Saturday! In lieu of our favorite studio project, Focus on Wallingford, we wanted to remind you of some of our favorite local businesses. On behalf of ourselves and these places, we want to thank you for your business and loyalty! Shopping local not only benefits your town but families and people who are just like you and doing something they love for work. Although it may cost a little more at times, you can't put a price tag on the added customer service and knowledge of these business owners. Enjoy these few weeks of the holiday season and the new year! Don't forget to shop local tomorrow and all year long.

Senior season is in full swing here at Impressions Studio and this year we are excited to announce a new add-on/special we are offering with The Confetti Bar!

From the vintage couch, to the big furry bean bag, gold unicorns and everything in between The Confetti Bar screams FUN!

I was so excited to work with Jess and in this space. Last week's styled shoot took place in The Confetti Bar but it had a completely different vibe to it. Being able to really show off the space in the light (literally and figuratively) it's meant to be seen, was exciting. Jess had some great things to say about her space and her job, take a look!

“Hey! My name is Jessica and I, along with my husband, Clifford, own and run The Confetti Bar - the coolest confetti shop on the block, specializing in unique and custom confetti mixes for events and special projects! While we have been operating online out of our home for about two years, with clients all over the world in a multitude of industries (including companies like Neiman Marcus, Kate Spade, Twitter, Boston Children’s Hospital, the Smithsonian, etc.), we knew it was time to expand and get our first studio.

Since we both live and grew up here in Wallingford, we knew we wanted to be right in the center of town. We try to work with local businesses a much as possible, and we really wanted to bring our company's colorful, creative spirit to our local community. We’re all about celebration, fun, and happiness and aim to spread that around as much as possible! In our gorgeous new loft new space, right above Gaetano’s Tavern on Main, we not only plan to expand out growing online business, but we also want this to be a creative space where people can come to have fun! We’ll be offering our own classes, workshops, and events, as well as offering the space for birthday parties, bridal showers, and special events.”

Jess is such a lovely woman and I've really enjoyed getting to know her, so much in fact, that we've decided to collaborate again! In case you missed last week's announcement, we’ll be offering Confetti Session Add On’s for the Class of 2016. Keep an eye out for some more information on the ad on's and as always, thank you for reading! 

Keep up with Jess and The Confetti Bar at these links!

party@theconfettibar.com www.theconfettibar.com Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, & Pinterest! Be sure to visit our blog for more ideas & inspiration!

If you own a business in town and would like to be featured on our Focus on Wallingford series, comment below or contact me HERE!

I've been dying to share these images from another styled shoot with our friends from Salon Le Rae and The Dressing Room! I have loved each of our collaborations in the past but the edginess and overall idea for this shoot was so different from anything else we had done, I couldn't wait to put it into action! 

We decided to switch things up a bit and went from fancy prom dresses to the complete opposite edgy look with leather, black, dramatic makeup and hair. Our model, Marissa, is not only beautiful but also an amazing athlete and all around great girl. She’s the only girl on her high school's weightlifting team, an amazing softball player, crossfitter AND an Impressions Studio employee! You can find Marissa assisting me on on-location shoots in the summer and fall, carrying lights and reflectors. (Good thing she’s strong!)

I showed Jessica from Salon Le Rae some high fashion hair looks I loved and she pulled the vision together with the braided fo-hawk. Jessica also did Marissa's makeup. We started off doing something edgy but not over the top...we decided to take it to the full potential. This isn't something you get to do everyday, so why not! It was so fun to see Maris dressed in such a different style than usual! 

Now, let's talk location! Once we got the concept for styling hair and makeup down we needed a space. I was wracking my brain trying to come up with a loft type space with big windows, high ceilings and exposed brick. In talking to Chris from the Dressing Room, she said she knew the perfect space…and it was right in the center of town! She showed me a photo of The Confetti Room and I was sold! It was exactly what I had envisioned. When I walked in, it somehow was even better than I imagined, I was in LOVE! The light and overall feeling of this place was a photographers' dream.

Jess from The Confetti Bar was so warm and welcoming and has done such cool things with the space. We can't thank her enough for allowing us to play in Confetti Land for the day! Side note: Jess and I plan on working together more in the future. We will be offering a Confetti Session add on for our Class of 2016 Seniors that is going to be a BLAST! Stay tuned for the date and details on that.

I LOVE these black and white pictures. I really can't pick a favorite from the whole shoot but something about Marissa's expression and the painted radiator against the brick and showing the space makes my heart smile! Love it!!

Below are a few more of our favorites from this session. Keep an eye out for next weeks blog post...a FOW featuring who else but Jess of The Confetti Bar!

Hair and Makeup: Jessica Finn of Salon Le Rae

Oufit Styling: Chris of The Dressing Room

Outfit: Dress; Nicole Miller. Leather jacket; Blue Pearl by Allen B. Schwartz. Pants; Articles of Society. Top; Nicole Miller