I have been scouring the local flea markets lately for some fun props and items to refurbish and use in our own home. I was looking high and low for something like this and yesterday…voila! I found it…a pint-sized light green chair. Absolutely perfect for Baby O, and for other adorable toddlers I look forward to photographing this year. Babies who are just starting to stand can easily hold on – the wide base of the chair gives some added support. And, one-year-olds like Baby O, who looove imitating their parents, will think it’s cool to have a little seat all their own (which is low enough that I don’t have to panic when she tries to stand on it).
Resources: Green Chair is from local vintage resale shop. She is wearing a Handmade Tutu, from my oh-so-talented Mother-in-Law! I will have to ask if she can do a tutorial on it sometime (or perhaps she will make them for her etsy shop in the future!). Renee (my MIL) sews costumes for the ballet in Washington. How neat is that?? I feel very special that Baby O’s tutu is so professional…
Resources: Her shirt is just a plain long-sleeved white onesie from Target (I think it is “Gerber” brand). I then sewed on some simple white lace, to make two layers of ruffles. I used some scrap pink fabric to make a “yo-yo” (tutorial here) for decoration. Silver ballet slippers are from Babies-R-Us. The banner was made by me, using Heather Bailey fabrics. The sticks…I just love. They are my favorite funny props to have lying around the house. Baby O loves to play with them too.
She had just woken up for a nap and was a wee-bit groggy…I think her funny spacey face is cute. She was eating pretty much the entire time I was taking these pictures.
Below: She’s doing her “Yesss” movement with her arm (she makes a fist and pulls her elbow down as if to say, “Yesss”), usually when she’s eating something she likes…
I hope to do a post about Photo Valentines soon as well. Here is a little sneak peek…
Hope you’re having a lovely Friday! I hear it’s supposed to rain here this weekend…A perfect excuse to work on some projects for the home…Oh dining room walls…Look out, you’re days of being orange are numbered!
XOXO
I have just become a sponsor for a very cool blog, run by two sisters who, together, create cool things (often for kids). I am excited to be involved. I hear they may do a little spotlight/intro to my blog on Saturday, so I will have to do a quick blurb about that if it happens.
Anyhoo…One of the things I love to photograph is Baby O in hand-me-down dresses that once belonged to my sisters and I. This is a lovely vintage “sailor” dress that we each wore. The afghan blanket was made by my Mom (and I adore it!). The vintage children’s chair was a part of last week’s thrift-shopping bounty, and the dinosaur? Well, the dinosaur was a gift from her Daddy. He thinks she should have one dinosaur for every doll that she owns. She loves this little guy…
(Below) My interpretation of what she means here by, “mama, blarp dubba dubba”: “Here Mom, do you want a turn with the T-Rex?…No? Okay, I’ll push him in this chair (because I love any excuse to push things)…Ah, baby dinosaur is getting sleepy. I think I’ll lay him down here and pet him…”
(Below) Me: “Okay, seriously, honey. I just want a shot of you showing the whole dress. Think you can sit up here like a big girl, for one more photo?…”
(Below) I had to enlist Hubby’s help. I was afraid she’d jump right off the chair. He handed her the bow that is meant to be worn around the neck, in a sailor’s knot. She thought she could wear it as a headband…
Oh, what fun! Here is the original photo, of my sisters and I in our matching sailor dresses…
We certainly are sitting well. I love these types of photos very much though, I have to say, I love our candid photos too. When I do Baby & Children Portraits (examples & information of Portrait Sessions & Wedding Photography at www.janefosterphotography.com), I strive to capture the personality of the subject. Perhaps because I have a toddler myself, I am constantly mesmerized by how she can be part my husband and part me, and yet so incredibly, uniquely her own person. It is awe-inspiring (& endlessly entertaining) to watch! I think every little kid is like this and I love getting to photograph them.
{Hope you’re having a great week!}
XOXO
I found some nifty things at the thrift stores last week, all for under $30; a little side table for O’s room, a vintage children’s chair, two lamp shades, a piece of vintage lace, and a small hand-towel (that might be turned into a pillow at some point). Flea Market-style shopping is greatly rewarding. I really admire when people find creative ways to reuse things on a regular basis…Think of the landfill space we could save by buying things used! My heart is happy just thinking about it.
And, here’s a quick tutorial of how I decorated one of my “new” lampshades, to give it a personal touch;
I got these lamp shades for $6 total (so, $3/each). Unfortunately they came as a set. I only needed one, but I’ve already seen a great idea for how to use the other lampshade.
Note: Feel free to leave it as is…ripples and all…No one’s going to be looking inside your lampshade, right?
The lamp is ceramic. My husband made it a few years ago (he’s a potter), and his artist Mom helped thread a workable light fixture into it. It’s pretty cool! But, it’s been sitting unused for all of this time, mostly because it doesn’t have a shade, and because we haven’t had a nightstand to put it on. Here it is (below). You can also purchase a basic lamp base at Target for around $12 and up.
…and Ta-Da! It’s kinda-cute. I had priced out lampshades at Target prior to this and the cheapest I found was $10, and it was simply plain white. So, I think this is a good option for personalizing your space, and saving a few bucks.
I am having fun dreaming up ways to slowly turn our home into an even more creative/open/happy/light-&-airy kind of space. I want Baby O to feel inspired, and for my husband and I to feel relaxed, in our little home-sweet-home. I have been very inspired by this home in particular. And I’m really enjoying this blog, which features home tours of many crafty, smallish, kid-friendly homes with heaps of charm.
Here’s a quick glimpse (guaranteed to make you feel happy):
{I hope you’re having a great start to your week, and feeling inspired!}
Okay, so I have some things I’ve been wanting to blog about (for instance, the November wedding of one of the most gorgeous Brides I’ve ever seen!, some portraits of my Sister-in-Law dancing – She’s an amazing dancer!, and a few sessions as well), however, I’m just caught up enjoying daily life at the moment. My New Years Resolutions…To better structure my time so that I spend more of my baby’s waking hours hanging out with her, to make healthy meals for my family every day (or almost), go for more walks (the weather is Ah-mazing), you know the drill…anyway, it’s been “so far so good” (though, in fairness, we’re only two weeks into the New Year)! So, more miscellaneous “daily life” photos…
My local Farmer’s Market acquisitions (I must have been shopping while hungry)…
Last Season we were members of a local CSA program. It was one of the healthiest things we’ve done. I found myself coming up with recipes to use up vegetables I’d never even tried before, such as turnips and mustard greens. We’re on a short break before the Winter CSA starts. In the meantime, I’m loving the local Farmer’s Markets. Seriously, it makes me truly happy knowing I’m buying produce straight from the farmers.
And, our Little One, playing quietly with this week’s interests (her comb)…
…toys with wheels…
…and her blinky-eyed baby…
So peaceful (and yet a tad mischievous!)…
(p.s. See those dark leather couches in the background? Don’t you think we need slipcovers? I keep teasing my Husband that we do…And he keeps saying No-Way-Jose. )
Have a FUN weekend! TGIF
If you’re a parent and anything like me, you try to hold on to all of the memories of your Child’s various stages of development and growth. It’s amazing how quickly they grow and change. Baby O is getting close to 15 months…That kind of blows my mind, but it’s also pretty incredible. We love her even more every step of the way, as her own little personality slowly emerges. This is something I cooked up the week that she turned One. I hesitated to post it because I always meant to replace the image with one of her against a solid white background. This photo is a candid and simply something I love, as her Momma. She was eating cheerios at the time. I wanted the bottom to be blurry (for text-space), so I got down low, very close to the kitchen table.
Do you like it? I saw the idea on Pinterest (favorite “healthy” addiction of mine). I thought it looked like a great idea. The week of her Birthday, however, I was busy with Party-Planning and didn’t take an awesome studio portrait as I’d planned to. But, I’m liking it as is.
If you’ve booked a milestone portrait for your Child this year, let me know if you’re interested in a “Baby Likes” photo. If so, I’ll be sure to take some portraits during our session that will work well for this kind of poster. You could do one each year and have them hung in your hallway or stairwell. What a fun way to continue documenting your Child’s growth! {For more information on booking a session, email me and/or check out the information section of my website.}
Want to do something similar on your own? Capture one of your child’s genuine expressions with your own camera. Be sure to leave spacing on the side, top, or bottom, for text. Bring your photo into the editing software of your choice and add text of your own. Try to include 10-15 of your Baby’s “Likes” at this particular stage. Don’t forget to put his/her name and age.
Curious about Pinterest? Well, brace yourself…It is awesome! Here is a link to view/follow my boards: http://pinterest.com/janemarieblog/. You can “Pin” and save all kinds of images that inspire you. Here is a screen-shot:
Hope you’re having a swell week!
XX
|
