Meet Bethany- The Gangstress of Tiny Top Hats and Fabulous Accessories

How can you not love a man who will sit like this with his son? AND lets you photograph it?! Winner.

The title is a bit boisterous, no? Oh well, live life to the fullest and all...

Although, I am pretty damn good at it. Tiny top hats are kinda my thing. They're not my thing, but they're my thing. I've made too many to stop now.

The little Mister Odin, our Fussy Gussy

I run Down with Plumes, Mommy-tize all day, and pet-rescue when I can. This house is currently filled to the brim, but each life residing here brings its own love and personality. My husband and I are both pet-people, so we've got quite the collection.

My little boy is also very animal-friendly. He loves his dog "WaWa" (Ranger, our Border Collie, says "Wa!! Wawawa!!" when he barks, hence, WaWa). He likes his cats and bird too, but hasn't found much interest in the gecko yet. It doesn't do much.

Although my son is obviously my real baby, Down with Plumes is my other baby. This blog is my other other baby. Down with Plumes started from my photography hobby. Photos were so boring
 without pretty accessories to go with the pretty models, so I decided I needed to start making them. Well, I really put my foot in it on that one.

One from the old days :) Photo shoot break for baby!

The facial expression of a tough lesson.

Photography melted into the background, and before I knew it, I had more accessories than I knew what to do with. So, away I went to Etsy. I was one of the lucky ones... As soon as I had finished loading my first products, I had already made a sale! I was ecstatic. However, the excitement faded quickly when I realized that one sale quickly did not make an easy road.

I'm more than three years into running my shop now, and as much as the initial excitement faded, my confidence, skill and determination has grown. Some might argue, to the brink of insanity. Every step I have taken along the way has made me stronger and closer to a community of people who support what I do. My husband lit the flame of encouragement, and now he and a great group of crafty folks keep it burning strong.


That's what I'm here to do. For you. Encourage. Light a fire under your ass. Get you to DO something. For yourself, for others... I don't care. Just do. Try and fail. Try again.

Now, this is not just my page. It's Belinda's too. And Kate will be here a lot. Belinda gets a gold star in my book. We've been friends more than 10 years, and somehow keep finding ourselves in similar situations. She's my "sista from another mista", as Kate would so brilliantly phrase it.

Kate's first tattoo. She admits to being a tad dramatic.

Kate also gets a gold star. Yes, I'm biased. She's my little sister. But sisters are the ones who know you best. They know your past, your flaws and what you lie to yourself about. Even still, gold star to Kate. She never ceases to impress me with her rate of growth and understanding for the world she lives in and what she'd like that world to be.

Enough with all the lovey-dovey stuff...


Some warnings (or fun facts?) about me:

We'll never "grow up."

1- I swear like a very rude sailor.
2- I have a habit of putting the cart before the horse.
3- I laugh REALLY hard at things other people don't get.
4- I'm kind of a movie snob.
5- I'm 100% addicted to caffeine.
6- I can be annoyingly positive.
7- I spend a TON of time on the After Midnight Photography Facebook page. I love the models and the photography style!


Overall, I'm a happy person and I love sharing experiences and knowledge with others. Please feel free to comment on this post and tell me about yourself or ask me questions! I'll be around :)