Giving – Charleston's Premier Boudoir Photographer

2020 End of the Year Events and Updates

Our Community Care Event is going on through Saturday, December 12th. Here’s how to enter to help the community and enter for a chance to WIN prizes from Local Small Businesses.

Step 1- Donate $10 or more to one or all of the organizations listed below:

Lowcountry Food Bank⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Fresh Future Farm⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

YWCA Greater Charleston⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Community Resource Center Summerville and North Charleston (Cash app tag $NCCRC)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀

Step 2- Email us at info@mellbella.com with the screenshot with your donation. We’ll reply with how many entries you have in the contest. You have until Saturday, Dec 12th at 11:59pm to enter. More details on the blog

#MBCommunityCare

Even though Rockabillaque 2020 was cancelled. The 2020 Miss Rockabillaque Pin-Up Contest happening as part of this year’s CODfather Christmas Celebration on Saturday, December 19th. The Pin-Up Contest will be a Holiday/Winter theme. Register to compete in the 2020 Pin-Up Contest here: https://www.rockabillaque.com/contests As usual, we are sponsoring the Pin-Up Contest, AND the winner will receive a FREE pinup photography session with us including hair/makeup styling and access to the mellBella Closet. ($400 value).

The event will also include live rockabilly music, over 20 vendors, a giant Christmas tree, falling snow, Santa, kids activities, a bonfire, and more!! The Pin-Up Contest will be at 3pm on the Outdoor Stage at the restaurant. Miss Rockabillaque 2019, Ashley Kramer will be crowning the 2020 winner!

AND finally, we’re making some fine adjustments and planning for 2021, and we want to hear from you… what you want to see, hear, experience AND as always sooooo much more! Be sure to keep checking the blog and our social media for what’s coming next. Have a Happy Holidays, stay healthy, wear your mask, and look out for each other!

Community Care Event

It’s the time of year … time for our last big fundraiser/giveaway/drawing event of 2020. Community Care is about showing care and support for our neighbors, small businesses, and our local community.

We have chosen the organizations listed below as part of this event. Each organization has been working in the community for several years to do things like fighting racism, empowering women, helping those struggling with food insecurity and/living in a food desert, and so much more.

Please donate and show your support to:

YWCA Greater Charleston

Lowcountry Food Bank

Fresh Future Farm

Community Resource Center North Charleston and Community Resource Center Summerville

(Your donations will reach both the Community Resource Centers faster through Cash app with the tag: $NCCRC)

Here’s how to enter:

Donate $10 or more to one of the organizations listed above. For every $10 donated, you will receive 1 entry into the giveaway.
Just email a screenshot of your donation to info@mellbella.com to enter the contest. All donations must be made from 10/23/2020-12/12/2020 to be included in the contest.
Additional ways to enter the contest will be announced on mellBella’s social media accounts between 10/23/2020-12/12/2020. Be sure to LIKE or FOLLOW us on: Facebook, Instagram, and/or Google Business.
Additional prizes will be introduced on mellBella’s social media accounts listed above.
Winners will be notified by 12/14/2020.

ALL prizes are from local small businesses. The more donations we raise, the more prizes will be released. Here’s just the start of the prizes available:

FREE Boudoir Photography Session including professional hair/makeup styling from mellBella Photography ($400 value)
$100 Gift Basket from Mamasita’s Cloth Diaper Service. Perfect for if you’re expecting or if you want to give as a gift for new mothers and fathers.
45 mins visit to the Salt Room at Under the Stars Massage Therapy. Unlike table salt, pure mineral salt is naturally moisturizing and brings many benefits to our lungs, skin, and bodily health.
Massage from Under the Stars Massage Therapy Their signature massage is designed to improve circulation, relieve muscle tension, and reduce stress.

Caring for the community is all year long, but maybe we can do a little extra right now. We all know that this year has been filled with extra difficulty, but joy can also be a form of resistance and hope for making the world a better place. Not just for a few but for everyone.

#MBCommunityCare

Where To Begin

I don’t know where to start, but here it goes… As you know, the world is battling the pandemic known as COVID-19. AND every state in the USA and several countries around the world are protesting police brutality and standing together to declare that Black Lives Matter. Wow! In my whole life, I have never seen such unity around the world. As some of you, I was in quarantine for several weeks, and in some ways, it’s been a bit of a reset… a time to rethink, listen, learn, and focus.

In Charleston, we’ve also had protests, acts of rebellion, walks against hate, one night of people getting tear gassed by the police, arrests of protesters violating curfew, defacing of Confederate and/or monuments of slave owners or supports of slavery, mask wearing optional, some social distancing, and a lot of what should we do/where do we go from here.

For the last several years, I’ve been researching, reading, listening, and learning about racism, systemic racism, and White Privilege. I’m not an expert. I’m still learning, but I just want to be a part of making the world a better place. I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania until I was 11, and I never met a person of a different race until I moved to South Carolina. And I grew up very white– meaning that my neighborhood, church, school, my mom’s work, and almost all of my friends were white. My family never talked about racism, and for a long time, I literally had no clue there was racism because I was in my little bubble. I thought that the Civil War and slavery had ended, so why is racism a problem? I don’t treat POC any differently. According to our Constitution, everyone is equal, right? Racism solved (NOPE). My history classes in school glazed over the Trail of Tears, slavery, and the Civil Rights Movement.

So what is racism? Being racist isn’t simply not saying the N word and just treating everyone kindly. We have to be more than that simplistic view of racism… we have to be actively against racism in all its forms… antiracist. But what does that mean? “Racism is a powerful collection of racist policies that lead to racial inequity and are substantiated by racist ideas. Antiracism is a powerful collection of antiracist policies that lead to racial equity and are substantiated by antiracist ideas.” –Ibram X. Kendi from How to Be an Antiracist

A dear friend allowed me to share some of her writing, and here’s a quote from her that I’ve been thinking about: “Meditate on how this saturation in whiteness has shaped your thoughts, your beliefs, and the lens through which you see the world. Let go of your belief in white innocence and your need to be *seen* as a good person; become that person instead … This is mostly an inward journey where your mind and beliefs and actions will be challenged and ideally transformed.” –Jada Elata

Basically stop trying to prove you’re a good person and just go become one. Embrace the discomfort, listen, and learn before you speak. You don’t have to do it alone. You will still make mistakes but keep learning and trying. Talking about race can be really intimidating, but not talking about it hasn’t helped at all. But what can we do? Thankfully, there are many different ways we can learn, be an ally, and show support. As a White person, I will never know nor fully understand everything that a Black person deals with every day of their lives. But there is hope, and I can be an ally and do something. You can too! And hopefully with everything that is going on in the world, together we can be a part of the change to make the world a better, more just place. Because lives truly do depend on it.

So what can we do…..This link has petitions to sign, resources for education, places to text/call, links to voter registration, and more: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

Another great way to help is to support Black-Owned businesses. Here’s some just to get started, but I’ll list some local ones first. I tried to list a variety of businesses from food to art–

Fresh Future Farm
Kasada Beauty Supply
Motherland Essentials
Dellz
Swank Desserts
Anaris Photography
DNA Sweetgrass Baskets
Turning Page Bookshop
Kiddie U North Charleston
Marcus Amaker
Ment Nelson
The HoneyPot
SC Division of Small and Minority Business Contracting and Certification
Black-Owned Beauty Businesses

COVID-19

It’s a scary time to be a human. As we face the uncertain future of how great the effects of COVID-19 will be on our lives, the planet, and every aspect of it. We all feel helpless, overwhelmed, and scared. We are all affected by this pandemic… literally every single person.

My 2020 favorite quotes come from Frozen 2. Right after they had to leave the town, Olaf says, “We’re calling this ‘controlling what you can when things feel out of control.” Later on, when Anna is alone in the cave, she sings ‘The Next Right Thing’– ”

“So I’ll walk through this night
Stumbling blindly toward the light
And do the next right thing “

So, what can you control? What is the next right thing? What can you do?

Of course, there’s the standard practices recommend by the WHO and the CDC like washing your hands thoroughly/often AND practicing social distancing.

A fantastic local blogger, Holy City Sinner, recently posted a great blog full of ways to help. From donations, virtual tip jars, volunteering, to petitions, there is something for every one to help.

You could also try starting/joining your neighborhood pod.

Get to know and share contact info with your neighbors from the recommended distance, of course.
Create a Facebook Group or something similar to stay in communication.
Share needs and/or supplies. The only way we get through this is by looking out for each other.

Keep in touch with family and friends.

Check in frequently during the week, especially with grandparents and the front line workers like health care employees, grocery and gas station employees, sanitation staff, etc.
You can Text, Call, Video Chat, Email, etc. My personal favorite is sending images of babies, animals, or gifs.
Support local businesses.

Remember to take care of yourself physically and mentally.

Follow Changes Counseling Center on Facebook for some helpful tools for yourself and families.
Try to go outside at least once a day. Take a walk, ride your bike, stretch, read a book, just breathe, etc.
Try not to eat all those emergency cookies at one time.
Sometimes just surviving is all you need to do.

Hang in there everyone! Sending much love, prayers, healing vibes, peace, and hope to you. Do what you can.

She’s My Hero Event Highlights

What a whirlwind! On Wednesday night at Boone Hall, we had our BIG reveal at the She’s My Hero Calendar Launch Party to benefit the Center for Women. The weather threatened rain(and lots of it) earlier in the day, but we said RAIN or SHINE… it’s on! It turned out to be a warm evening with a cool breeze outside where guests enjoyed the marsh view on the Cotton Dock and the delicious paella, tacos, and noodle dishes from the Dashi Food Truck. Throughout the night, guests enjoyed the music and the magical lighting from Lowcountry Entertainment. Lovely flower arrangements in purple and white from Petaloso decorated the tables, and Justin Wham Weddings and Events helped coordinate, set up, provided the cozy seating area near the fireplace, and made sure the stage and the whole space was beautiful along with the rentals from Eventworks. And who doesn’t love something sweet? Sweet Lulu‘s Bakery, Cocktail Caravan & Pedal Pub brought the wine, sangria, and a mouth watering selection of mini desserts.

Here’s just a quick look at some of the highlights:

It was only fitting that our Emcee was Erin Keinzle of Lowcountry Live, as she helped announced the contest that started it all back in February. At the event after welcoming everyone, Erin introduced Lisa Dabney, Executive Director of the Center for Women, who talked more about what the Center does for women in business and their upcoming conference in November. Then, we (Wanda and Mell Bell) shared some personal stories and the WHY behind this whole event– to celebrate women, of course and tell their struggles and their stories. We also thanked several of the sponsors, such as Skirt Charleston whose mission is to celebrate and empower women with attitude.

And finally, it was the time we have been waiting for ALL YEAR LONG… revealing the hero photos to the women in the calendar and the whole world. Their reactions were heartfelt and priceless as they saw themselves as their heroes for the first time! The calendar sales opened, and the silent auction continued NOW with the canvas portraits of the Heroes as part of it.

100%… yes all of the proceeds of the silent auction and calendar went directly to the Center for Women. And at the end of the night, we raised almost $5,000, and it’s still climbing!

The fund raising continues as The She’s My Hero Calendars will be on sale for $20 each through the Center for Women. Get your calendar at their conference at Trident Technical College on Nov 15 and 16th or contact them for more info.

mellBella Photography, 2018

She’s My Hero- December

As we come to the end of the calendar introductions, we couldn’t imagine a nicer person than Jennifer to end the year with. Meet Jennifer. She will be December in the She’s My Hero Calendar. Jennifer succeeds at two demanding jobs. She is a hardworking RN AND an incredible wedding coordinator. She has been married to her sweet husband, Brian for 4 years. They absolutely love and spoil their awesome dogs! Jennifer’s hero is someone she’s know her whole life and is very close to her heart. Thank you again to Paperdolls Wedding Hair & Makeup for creating the final hair and makeup look in our calendar. It was perfect!

1 2 3

When Mell Bell and Wanda created the She’s My Hero Project back in January, we wanted to raise awareness and funds for the Center for Women, meet and team up with fellow businesses (especially women-owned ones), and tell the stories of local women to bring together, inspire, and celebrate women. We got to meet so many new people and work together to take our BIG idea from a dream to a reality through this year long project. The journey has been difficult but worth every minute. We hope you will join us at the celebration and reveal on Wednesday, October 10th from 6-9pm at Boone Hall.