photography

Playgroup Camp-out

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Earlier this month we rented a whole group campsite for our playgroup.  It’s the perfect place for so many small people.  It is a place to run, to get toes wet, to roast things over a fire, to sing songs, to play on pirate ship logs, to stay awake too long, and to make some fun memories.

Two other families ended up joining us for the camping, while two other families camp up for the day.

I have loved watching these kids grow up together.  This fall, a huge number of them are starting kindergarten and that’s sort of unbelievable and really exciting.

 

Seen In Eugene

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andthenthey seen in eugene1Tonight I went to an art show where two of my photographs are displayed.

andthenthey seen in eugene2 I think it’s pretty cool.  I submitted a few photos with #seenineugene to be considered for a month long exhibit.  Two of my photos were chosen to be displayed, as well as to be in a photo book.  The proceeds of the sale of prints and books go to a local art nonprofit.  andthenthey seen in eugene3 We went do to the new Barn Light were they have the photos displayed with our friends.  The kids ran around and played. andthenthey seen in eugene4I especially like the photos they chose because both my daughters are involved.  There’s the photo of Harriet and Elsa playing in Elsa’s playhouse: andthenthey seen in eugene5And one of Alma sitting at Humble Bagel.  When Alma saw this photo hanging on the wall, she was pretty excited.  She recognized herself right away.  andthenthey seen in eugene6I know this doesn’t make me a successful professional photographer, but it sure makes me feel like one.  I never thought that I would have my photographs on display, with a real exhibit opening night.

If you want to see my photos, along with 98 other great photos, head down to the Barn Light East, grab a cup of coffee, check them out, and maybe even buy a print or one of the photo books.  You can even say you know one of the artists!

New Summer Dresses for the Girls

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This is funny! I thought one of the things on my Summer 2015 To Do List was to make new summer dresses for the girls.  I just checked that list and my 35 Things to do Before I turn 35 list, and it’s not on either!  Oh well!

So…. Guess what!  I made new summer dresses for the girls for no reason other than the fact that I love doing it, and they are adorable.

AndThenThey Sundresses1

And it was a reason to buy this fabric I have been coveting for months and years and decades.  I absolutely love Sarah Jane Studios and we have a couple of her prints in the girls’ rooms.  I also used some of her fabric in Alma’s quilt.

This is a ‘pattern’ that I made up last summer for Alma’s lion dress.  It’s a really fun, simple dress to make.  I’ve even helped a couple friends make them for their daughters this summer.  I’m toying with a few ideas about how I could get this pattern out to a broader audience.  Maybe a workshop for local sewists, or trying to figure out how to get a pdf pattern put together for download.

AndThenThey Sundresses2Anyhow, I used two different lines of fabric for the dresses.  I made Harriet’s using fabric in the same design of a print in her bedroom.  The kids on parade are so sweet, and Harriet loves, loves, loves balloons.

AndThenThey Sundresses5We spent the afternoon at the University of Oregon art museum, and I took advantage of the backdrops and lighting to get some photos of the girls in their dresses.

AndThenThey Sundresses4 This was post-naptime, so Harriet’s dress is a little wrinkled.  But that’s life when you’re always on a parade, right?AndThenThey Sundresses3 AndThenThey Sundresses6The museum has an amazing program where the kids can pick up backpacks full of activities for the kids.  They are mostly above our kids’ heads, but it’s fun to go through them and see what we can talk about.

AndThenThey Sundresses9aEach backpack has colored pencils and paper, so aspiring artists can copy the art, or draw what they see.  It’s sweet to see what other museum goers have drawn in the past.  They also each have magnifying glasses which are always a hit.

AndThenThey Sundresses9The backpacks have themes to them.  Alma picked one up and the Asian art they have at the museum.  She found some little figurines and coins in a bottle.

AndThenThey Sundresses8We love going to the museum anyway, but the backpacks make our visits even more fun.  I hope they keep these backpacks so we can watch how our kids grow and change during our museum visits!

AndThenThey Sundresses7

 

 

When the Light is Right, Even if the Attitude is Wrong, Just Shoot

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A few more photos from Coronado.  This was lunch on our last day.  We were all tired and hungry and hot.

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Photos By Alma

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Disneyland is Magic

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A dream of mine came true on Sunday.  We took Alma to Disneyland.  She didn’t know what to expect, which made it all the more amazing.  Seeing her face as we walked into the park solidified my opinion that Disneyland is magic.  Truly.

Just standing outside the gates, she could tell she was somewhere special.  I mean, Mickey’s face made out of flowers?  Magic.

Disney Magic 1 And Then ThenWe got there right when the park opened, so it was really empty.  We got to watch all the horse drawn trolleys, and other vehicles filter into the park.  At this point I thought that would be enough.  Alma would have been happy just having seen this.  She had no idea the magic that was yet to come.

Disney Magic 2 And Then They Disney Magic 6 And Then They Disney Magic 5 And Then TheyWe rounded the corner and she saw the castle.

Disney Magic 4 And Then TheyJesse and I got down to ask her what she thought.  She seriously had no words.  Magic.

Disney Magic 3 And Then They Disney Magic 7 And Then TheyThe day went on.  She usually had a look of concentration.  She was trying to figure out what was happening.  She was trying to take it all in.

Disney Magic 8 And Then TheyShe met Mickey, and, I kid you not – she bowed to him.  Her face was serious.  She put one hand behind her back, and one hand on her tummy.  And bowed.  Magic.

Disney Magic 92 And Then TheyWe were at Disneyland for almost 12 hours, and by the end we were all running on the magic.

Disney Magic 9 And Then TheyWe were leaving when we ran into the parade.  We found a spot to wait for the princesses.  Rapunzel looked right at my girl and waved. Disney Magic 91 And Then TheyCinderella was on the back of the float.  Alma shouted out Cinderella’s name and showed her her own Cinderella dress.  Then Cinderella blew my little Alma a kiss.  I had a lump in my throat.  The magic was too intense.  Alma was in it.  She believed.  And it was magic.

Joy

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Above all else, I wish joy for my children.

IMG_6292 IMG_6293 IMG_6294 IMG_6295 IMG_6296I wish that they will always know the joy of playing with a rainbow scarf, barefoot, in a sunny lawn.

A New Coat for Hattie

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I took my first sewing class a few weeks ago at Piece By Piece.  In the class we made baby coats, so I made a new coat for Hattie.  I used a cute owl fabric for the main coat, a sweet mushroom fabric for the pockets, and a soft flannel polka dot fabric for the lining.  We followed Olive Ann Designs’ Hoodie Baby pattern, but we didn’t really follow the directions.  Our instructor, Celeste just told us, and showed us what to do.  She was fantastic!  I learned so much about sewing clothes from her.  Now for some photo overload:

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Apple Picking

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Adventure: check
Friends: check
Family: check
Apples: check

There you have it.

Hattie’s Weekly Photos

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Back when Alma was born, I was inspired by Clara’s Photo Project to create a photo project of my own.  We took a photo a week of Alma, and I photoshopped the number into each photo.  I loved how it turned out, and knew I wanted to do it again for Hattie.

I love to see how Hattie changed during the year.  The tiny, sleepy baby stage is so sweet and short-lived.

I have my favorite weeks, but to be honest, those are always changing.

One thing I have loved about both projects has been the amazing amount of fabric I’ve been able to collect.  It’s fun to use the fabric for a quilt, or a dress, or something else.  Then when I see the photo, or the dress, I have all these lovely memories of the girls as babies.

This is also something that I offer in my Etsy Shop – H&A Baby.  If you bought this for yourself (or someone else!  Great baby shower gift, don’t you think?), you would provide me with the photos, and I would edit the images and add the numbers and weeks.

I offer this in both weekly and monthly versions.

Once you have the images, they are yours to do whatever you’d like.  I used Picassa to make the collages.  I had both of these printed in poster sizes and hung them in the dining room.

Another thing I’ve done for both girls is make photo books on Shutterfly.  We gave copies to all the grandparents and kept one for us.  In our copy, I wrote down milestones for each week – so it’s kind of like a baby book.

After I finished Hattie’s, I also made a book of both girls with their weekly photos side by side.  This is my favorite thing ever.  I put both girls in the same pose each week, so it’s fun to see that.  I also used the same fabrics when I had them.  Seriously my favorite thing ever.