Monthly Archives: June 2009

Entering the girl world {the nursery}

First, let me say ‘thank you’ for all the sweet comments on the pallet bed we made. I somewhat finished the nursery so I thought I post pictures of the rest of the room. I’m going to add pictures of her once she arrives.  Obviously, there is not a crib in the room. We’ll move her brother into a twin bed in a couple of months and then move the crib into her room…until then I’ll enjoy rocking her by the window, snuggling on the bed and letting her sleep in a cradle in my room so I don’t have to drag myself upstairs at night.  I really like having things in my home that have a significant value to me…not so much a monetary value. I have a treasure of things from my grandmas & great-grandmas, so it was fun to finally get to use those in a girly room. Onto the pictures:

I convinced Chris to tear up pretty new carpet (if anyone local needs carpet…email me) and install hardwood floors. We used pine, which is a soft wood because I want it to get dinged up with time and I wanted to paint it white. I have always wanted painted white floors…now to convince him to do it to the rest of the upstairs!

Details from the pictures below:

1. For the window tie back I used tatting handmade by my Great-Grandma. It is actually supposed to be sewn on the edges of a pillowcase, but I like it on the curtains (which my mom made).

2. A ‘framed’ Cora Pin…it is a reminder to me of how God used a precious baby girl – and how I pray my daughter will impact her world. The framed picture below it is of my Grandma & Grandpa Rankin. They live a mile away from us and I am so grateful my boys get to see them nearly every week. Nothing beats seeing my grandparents on the floor playing with my boys.

3. A quilt made by my Aunt Sandy, my monkey from childhood

4. The fact that my daughter has 3 big brothers will play a large role in the woman she becomes. I am grateful for this and celebrate it. Originally I was going to find some Alphabet cards for the letters of each of her brothers names…then I decided that was too much. So, I convinced my sister to design a poster that says, “B is for brothers”. I wanted it to have paper cut out people in pink and then 3 (for each of her brothers) in orange. I love how it turned out…my sister has crazy talent.

1. The framed picture from the local newspaper is of my Grandpa & Grandma Corbett in their massive garden. I have so many memories with them that center around their garden and food. The nursery overlooks our garden and the flowers in the vase are from our flower garden. My grandma passed away last year and we spend most Saturday nights with my grandpa. On the birdcage are more flowers made from paper. These were hanging from a wooden platform that Chris and I stood on when we got married outside. The two ceramic figures were painted by my oldest two for their sister…they love seeing them displayed on the dresser (which was mine as a little girl).

2. The hankerchiefs were my great-grandma’s and my grandma’s. The shoes are the first thing we bought when we found out we were having a girl.

3. The top quilt was started by my great-grandma and then finished by my aunt. The bottom quilt was made by my grandma..she makes all the kids quilts.

4. The framed pictures include our Dresses for Africa dresses, my pregnant self (will be replaced with a pic of her), a vintage poster my grandma gave me as a little girl, a fun poster from Etsy seller PaperRelish, and  a mirror given to Chris and I as a wedding gift.

A few ‘before’ & ‘after’ pictures:

Thanks to all my family who handmade precious treasures for her room: my husband, first son, second son, mom, dad, sister, aunt, Grandmas, Grandpa, Great-Grandmas

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Lisa - Oh my goodness. I love how it turned out. So many little treasures. What a special room and a special little girl.

bopha - Wow, what an amazing room. She will love hearing about all the special things and all the great stories behind them.

Rachel - It’s beautiful. It is a perfect combination of your eclectic style weaving in vintage DIY with family treasures, social justice, and of course, those crazy big brothers. It reminds me so much of you. I love how the room is a picture of the wonderful legacy passed down to your little girl. She has no idea what amazing things lie ahead for her……

Carrie Sowell - Wow! Wow! Wow! You are one busy girl whose imagination must never turn off! The room is amazing and perfectly you! We also can’t wait to meet this special little girl! Hope you’re doing well!

Katie - This room is perfect! Thanks for the inspiration :)

Courtney Connelly - The nursery is perfectly done as it reflects your family in every detail! Can’t wait to hold sweet baby girl!!!!

sheridan - Love it! You’ve created a beautiful room that holds very dear memories for you…how fun to walk in there each day!

patti - it’s just beautiful. now i want to redo my girls’ room! thanks for sharing!!

Jess - Megan told me about your blog a month ago or so. I have been reading ever since. I love the nursery. So beautiful and full of meaning and memories. And the Cora pin in the frame is awesome. It made me cry. I love the idea and may have to frame one somewhere in my house too. Thanks for sharing with me. Praying for a healthy little girl!

Shannon Phillips - I LOVE, I LOVE, I LOVE!!!! I didn’t think it was possible but it looks even better than when I saw it in person. She is one blessed little girl and she for sure has the coolest room I have ever seen!

crissy - I love this nursery! I think it’s great that it’s not like the cookie-cut nurseries that you normally see. I love the originality and just looking at your pictures…oh! that room just looks so inviting and lovely. Your baby girl is a lucky little thing. amazing.

Lauren - What a blessed little baby! Love the room! And, I love you!

erin conrad - so i’m not a big fan of nurseries. i can never get into the pastels of pink and blue and storks and noah’s ark. just not my thing. and i don’t have any kids yet but i like thinking about what i would like to do someday…anyway, this is hands down the MOST AMAZING nursery i have ever, ever seen. i am in love with every part of it. it is perfect. job well done! i can only hope someday that mine could be half this beautiful and wonderful.

Lisa JM - Oh my goodness! What an inspiring room. You are so fortunate to have so many talented people in your family. How special for your daughter that they have all contributed to her room! Did all the paper lanterns come from Michaels?

Lisa JM - sorry – i see that the lanterns came from the Martha Stewart Collection at Wal-Mart! So Fab!

tanya - Simply stunning. She will be the happiest little girl in the girliest of rooms. Precious.

Sarah - You have to share where that awesome light fixture came from…or at least how you took the seperate items and put them together! :)

This baby has an amazing room!

meg duerksen - amazing ashley.
serioulsy amazing.
i want to paint my floors too.

Emily Beaty - Loveeeee her room!!! WOW! That pallet bed is amazing; you are so creative. I love your style. :)

ashlee - a.m.a.z.i.n.g!!! thats all i can say!

Chrissy - This room is absolutely gorgeous! I love what you have hanging from the ceiling!! What exactly is hanging from the ceiling?? It’s so pretty and girly … my daughter would LOVE something like that. The bed … how smart! And awesome looking. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that the things in the room have such special meaning and came from people you love. Just wonderful … congrats on your little girl! Hope you go into labor soon!!! :o ) (I was the 4th child … three brothers first … then me … my parents tried for another girl and ended up with another boy. So, one sister, four brothers. They were awful to me growing up but I’m so LUCKY I had them looking out for me during our teen years. Threatening any guy that wanted to date me. I hated it then but now I realize they save me sooo much heartache. So, good luck! Your little girl is a lucky girl!!! :o )))

Su Ling - absolutely gorgeous and inspiring

melanie - that is an AMAZING nursery you have created! i love the colors, the eclectic mix of vintage and whimsy and I especially LOVE that bed. my husband is under strict order to bring me home some pallets asap :)

Lori Danelle - I stumbled across your blog via Design Sponge. Love the palette day bed and may have to steal the idea.

I’m commenting though because I love how you framed your Cora pin. I went to high school & church with Cora’s parents and continue to be shocked at how far their story has reached. I just might have to borrow this idea as well as a reminder for myself.

Thanks for the peek into a beautiful room.

Gina D. - I absolutely LOVE this room. Thanks for sharing!

casey - Ashley,
I look at your site all the time I’m addicted to it! YOur amazing! I love the decor of this room. Where did you get the cute chair!

Becky @ Farmgirl Paints - I’m in love. The bed is the coolest and the ceiling of adorable flowers and lanterns…just enchanting:)

Iris - Hi Ashley, lovely room! Could you perhaps post some explanations of that fantastic thing hanging from the ceiling? BTW, did you know you have a reader from Israel?

SpiderWomanKnits - Oh golly. So much to love here! I really adore the old frame with the hankies. I am a vintage seller/collector and that is just a sweet way to display a collection! Thanks so much!

Terri Conrad - your room re-design is positively fabulous. love your site and your photography. blessings to you and your precious baby

Silly Acorn - Darling! Did you use a twin mattress for your bed? So lovely.

pallet daybeds are all the rage… | pia jane bijkerk - [...] wrote a great post about how she made her pallet bed! Please check it out here. Also photos of the full nursery here. So. Beautiful. 2 Comments « thank you for the mention: selvedge! « » [...]

ten on tuesday » Kuntz Family - [...] little girl, but still finds time to blog?  What!?!  You MUST check out her daughter’s nursery.  If I could pull this off in my house (Ryan would never agree) I’d do it in a heart beat.  [...]

The New Nursery « Laurenmakes’s Weblog - [...] new little girl. Not sure on if I’m allowed to share her pictures, so I’ll give you the link. Go look, I promise you won’t be [...]

Finishing vs. Starting « Ad Astra per Aspera - [...] lantern chandelier for dining room (like this one) [...]

WEDDING NOUVEAU « Wedding Inspiration Board | Dream in Color – PINK « Dream Palette Wedding Inspirations « - [...] All images ©.  Lanterns by Ashley Ann Photography;  Bride in pink veil by Kelly Herring via Sarah Kaye; Flowery Invitations by Ashley Ann [...]

Dream In Domestic – The Best of Inspiration – 2009 « - [...]  Ashley Ann Photography [...]

Get Back Inc. « Salvaged Grace - [...] reminds me of the awesome bed/palette in Baby Sister’s Nursery (which I’m just crazy [...]

Happy Site Friday - [...] This girl’s room was featured a while back here and I am in love.  Her blog is amazing and check it out [...]

SnapShops Round 4 Student Pics

I am excited to share some of the pictures the girls from the last SnapShop took…I ask them to send me 1-2, usually I weed them down if they send more. However, I didn’t do much weeding this time….(these are in no particular order…)

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Charissa - Thanks for a great class Ashley. I’ve been having a lot of fun practicing.

I am anxiously awaiting pictures of your baby girl!

megan nix - had a blast, as i knew I would!!! THe pictures look great. Everyone did so well!!

Where did you get that?

There were lots of emails and comments asking for information on some of the stuff I used on the bed…so here you go:

The quilt was made by my Aunt Sandy using Amy Butler’s Midwest Modern fabric and pattern

All of the lanterns are from the Martha Stewart line at Walmart:

White Eyelet Lanterns

Orange & Pink Lanterns

Pom Pom Flowers

The Polka Dot garland was also from WalMart, but I can’t find it online.

To attach it to the ceiling I made a rectangle frame from dowel rods. I then tied each lantern to the dowel using fishing line. Finally I found 2 ceiling studs, drilled holes into the beams, attached 2 eye hooks and tied the frame to the eye hooks using twine.

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DIY {pallet reading bed for the nursery}

UPDATE: For those following a link directly to this post, you can find pictures of the entire nursery HERE
UPDATE: I recently found out the owner of the bed that inspired mine, check out her incredible site HERE

When we began planning the nursery I really wanted a spot I could read with our kids and snuggle with them. Since I won’t be working as much, I have great hopes that maybe every once and a while I could cuddle down for a nap with one of them. So in working on the nursery, I began working on a ‘reading bed’ for us. Granted this will be a great bed for naps and for kids, but it is not designed to be an adult bed. I was inspired by this picture and then made it my own.

Materials:

Wood pallets (ours a bit smaller than the standard size)

Palm Sander

80 grit, 200 grit sandpaper

5 large caster wheels

4 hinges

Thick foam for the ‘mattress’ – mine is from a fabric store then covered in a down comforter and soft bedding

The instructions are a simple as can be: Sand the pallets good and smooth. Bolt the two together on the tops and bottoms. Add caster wheels to all 4 corners and one in the very center. The wheels on mine are locked, except for the center one. I used an old door to sit behind it – just because I liked how it looked. Simple enough.

Before & After

I began building it when Chris was in Egypt. Before he left he told C to help me out while he was gone. I was in the garage sanding and C said, “Mommy I don’t think you should be doing that. I can do it.” Thus, he had his first experience with a palm sander. He did a great job. My dad helped me attach the hinges and wheels. Thanks dad.

The quilt was made by my Aunt Sandy, the monkey was mine when I was a little girl, the pillows are from Amy Butler fabric and the white blanket is from Ikea…

Thanks Sandy for the quilt! My mom made the cute stacking rings in the basket by the bed. Yes, I come from a great family.

A few close up shots. I choose not to sand all the markings off the pallets. The last shot is a reflection, not a framed picture.

I also need to thank Tom & Weston for finding me pallets and delivering them. Those suckers were heavy. Thank you!

Now I just need a sweet baby girl to cuddle up with on it….

Eventually I’ll get pictures of the rest of the room posted…

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Jenny - So cute Ashley! Where did you find the round lanterns?

Aunt Sandy - WOW, WOW, WOW. The room is amazing, I love it. I can’t wait to see it in person with the sweet little baby girl in it. Love the reading bed, what a great idea. It’s so neat to see Corbett in there working on the room with you. He’s such a good helper.
Great room and great pics. Love it, love it, love it.
Aunt Sandy

leslie - wow, so pretty ashley! i posted about your room today. thanks for letting me share!

Carol - Everytime you create something, I’m just blown away by your talent. You are proof that breaking all the “rules” works just beautifully. Love the room and can’t wait to see the baby in it and me preferably holding her!!!Love you!!

Jeannette - I expect amazing things from you!! This is so awesome, I love it. Everything is wonderful!

christina larsen - So creative. My oldest is wanting a platform bed in her room. We saw pics in pottery barn and I said, surely you could make one on your own, it couldn’t be that hard. Well, you proved to me it’s not. Not sure when that project will get started, but thanks for the directions and motivation.

Lauren - As I look as this, I can see the talent goes deep in your family! I love the quilt from your Aunt and the ring toy from your Mom! And your bed is awesome, of course :) You guys are very gifted!

kayla - freaking adorable! what a beautifully wonderfully DIYully fantastic idea! baby girl will undoubtedly love it.

Natasha Perryman - Super cute.
I have been on the lookout for some cute bedding for when Avi Joy moves to a big bed. Did you make your quilt or where did it come from? If you have a minute I would love to know.
Thank you for Always inspiring me to be a better and more creative mommmy!
Natasha
(natasha.tobefree@gmail.com)
or facebook Natasha Perryman

Cate O’Malley - Ok, in the great minds think alike category, love it! But no, not the bed (although I love that too!), but the pink tissue paper pom-poms over the bed. Martha Stewart yes? I used those exact things (love them!) as decoration for my daughter’s first birthday party in February, and after the party, I couldn’t decide what to do with them… then I had the brainstorm to hang them over her crib, like a much prettier mobile, or just something fun and girly and swirly for her to look at. The problem? I can’t get those suckers to stay up! They’re strung on fishing line – tape to the ceiling (even lots of it) didn’t work, and I hate to use something more permanent or less pretty than the poms themselves. Help!

jill - VERY neat…this belongs in a magazine! :)

Natalie Jane - LOVE! It makes me want to do my new baby’s room all over again!

meg duerksen - you are amazing ashley. this is so industrial and pretty.
i love it.
the prettiest room around. it’s gorgeous!

Laura Casey - I stumbled across your blog through a link. Such a beautiful room – and I LOVE the lanterns and paper flowers above the bed. Inspiring. Please share where you found those great white lanterns and the others as well. Thanks – and congratulations on your baby. My fourth babe just turned 16 months and I am sad I won’t have great nurseries to decorate anymore.

patti - love this idea! i saw your link posted on “whatever”. you have a beautiful nursery! thanks for sharing!

Jesse - Super cute Ashley, I love it!

ashlee - amazing!!! i also love your painted wood floors! what kind of paint did you use and how does it hold up to so many little people?

bopha - you never cease to amaze, it all looks awesome.

Lisa - wow. it’s perfect! this is like something out of a dream. you are so stinkin’ talented. I do think the reflection picture SHOULD be a framed photo :-)

Melissa - I adore what you have done here – It is sweet, and girly but in an elegant, sophisticated way – the door was a great idea. And the painted floor – I want to do that so bad at my house.
Melissa marie

Ryan - I just saw your bed made it onto Design Star! Awesome! Congrats! :)

Rachel - Wow-this is gorgeous! I just found this via Design Star. I’ll be linking to this post if you don’t mind. What a stunning room!

Rachel - Oh how funny! I got swept up in your photos and kept reading. A few pages in, I remembered I’d been here before. I linked to your gorgeous organizers! Your blog is so, so beautiful. I think I’ll put on another cup of tea and read the entire thing this afternoon.

Stacy - I would like a little more detail on the hinges. How are they used and where were they placed? This is such a cute idea! Would be a great solution to the cruddy futon in our office.

GABRIELA CARO - WAT KIND OF HINGES AND WHERE CAN I BUY THE STUFF AT MY BOX SPRING IS RETIRING THIS IS A GREAT PROJECT IM IN LOVE WITH IT IM USING IT FOR MY BED

apparentlyjessy - Gorgeous reading bed, and I love the art work on the wall, and the paper lantern arrangement above! You have great style!

wendy - Holy Toledo! I love it! Where oh where could I put that?…

sonal - Love the reading bed pallet – we actually made one for our nursery – just a bit smaller since we didn’t need one quite as big. We made our own pallet since we couldn’t find one that was in good shape. BUT, I love the white blanket you have – you stated that it’s from IKEA but I can’t find it at the IKEA we have here. Do you remember the name of the blanket? THANKS for the idea!!

nadia rezende - Dear Ashley
I’m brazilian and don’t speak english…
Your photgraphys are lovely, congratulations.

Nadia

Kristy - this is so great. i love the look, the colors, everything about it. i love the frames, LOVE IT!!!

Jan Niekamp - Amazing room, I am working on a room for my young son, he loves the outdoors. So thrift shops and garage sales for me because we are very broke and its better to recycle anyway.

Ruthie - I stumbled on this post from Apartment Therapy! I love everything about this room (esp. the picture of you taking a picture of yourself). I was trying to find your IKEA blanket on-line. Is it the OFELIA throw? http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30139623

Also, what kind of camera do you shoot with?

Thanks!

Becca - After seeing a coffee table made from palletts I decided to make my son a bed as well and finding this has made me sure that it will work – our variation will be to put 3 high (a total of 6 pallets) for more height and I play to paint them, and put a piece of trimmed out plywood on top just to finish it off before putting the mattress down! We plan to use the cubby holes for books and school supplies!

Sammi - Sooo pretty!!!

pallet daybeds…sigh « Design*Champagne - [...] Be sure to check out the gorgeous before and after photos on her blog! [...]

Artesanato e reciclagem- cama feita com palete | Cacareco - [...] idéias criativas, e essa de ashely ann foi ótima.Sabe aqueles paletes de madeira muito usado no Ceasa ou mercadão de frutas? Veja que [...]

Framboise rules ok! « Lepetitcoquin's Blog - [...] Ashley Ann child’s nursery. She created the gorgeous reading bed from storage pallets. Click here to view more [...]

Wow, I love these! « A Beautiful Abode - [...] Was working on a writing assignment about making a DIY pendant lamp from a coffee can when I ran across Ashley Ann’s great nursery room reading bed made from a couple of pallets. [...]

BlueBell Taste of Summer 2009 – tomorrow

I am not bashful about my love for BlueBell ice cream. In fact, as I write this it is 100 degrees outside and since hot coffee doesn’t sound great I am snacking on a bowl of BlueBell coffee icecream while I type. If you mix double stuff Oreos with BlueBell Coffee ice cream – incredible. Chris used to work for BlueBell when Corbett was one. Corbett and I would go visit him for lunch once a week and get ice cream straight off the line…words do not describe how good it is. In fact, that was my one request of him for my 30th birthday…figure out how to give me that. Each year BlueBell hosts Taste of Summer. It is pretty much an all day event. For a small admission price ($4.00 over age 6) you get all the ice cream you can eat – and there is all kinds of games, entertainment, etc. We’ve gone since Corbett was 3 months old…all my pictures before 2007 were on film, but here are a few from the last two years:

2007 Corbett & Hudson (I think Hudson and Rett look so much alike)

2008 – crazy how much older they look than the year before

Taste of Summer is this Saturday. You can find information on times and admission here.

I know I said I post pictures of the nursery this week, but I didn’t get around to it. I will have a post on Monday on the reading bed we made for the nursery…so check back then. sorry.

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christina larsen - We have a love for BlueBell in our house, too. Yummy. We so wanted to go tomorrow, but aren’t going to be able to. Have lots of ice cream for us.

meg duerksen - if we didn’t have ball tourneys….we may have made the drive. my husband loves blue bell. :)

Abigail Smith - LOVE, love, LOVE BlueBell ice cream. There is nothing like it on a hot summer day. Nothing.

Cate O’Malley - Sounds like great fun – love the pics, as always!

Julia Leinen - So, we took your advice and went to the Bluebell Taste of Summer this weekend. We loved it! We had a great time and will definitely go again next year. Thanks!

Ashley - I just found your website thru d*s – great daybed btw.I was born in TX and love Blue Bell ice cream. Unfortunately you can’t get it in NC. I am so jealous!

DIY {various free printable projects}

So here is a little collection of free downloads I have found online…too many cute stuff available out there!

Thanks You’re Sweet labels for cookies by Blissfully Domestic

Printable Popcorn bag by Mushy

Super cute Bookplate labels by Orange You Lucky

A variety of cute printable labels at the Container Store

Cute Pet ID Tags printable onto shrinky dink paper by Martha Stewart

Craft Calendar by Canon Creative Park

Vintage Trims Gift Tags by doe-c-doe, found at Craftzine

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bopha - very cute, i love the cookie bag labels. Thanks for showing us these great ideas so we don’t have to look for them.

Kari - Thanks for the ideas! I spent over 2 hours on Blissfully Domestic- Creative site!!! Found lots of neat ideas for Christmas gifts- thanks Ashley!

Developmental Milestones

Rett reached a major summer milestone….on his own he figured out he could drink from the hose while we tried to fill up water balloons.

We are so proud.

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Charissa - I think you guys need a dog!

lesley - way to go Rett!!!

entering the girl world {forever}

I remember as a child (and quite frankly as an adult) thinking about the concept of eternity and forever. I could try to comprehend it and try to make sense of it, but it really just made my head hurt. I can approach it very rationally and make logical assumptions on what that concept could be, but still my head just hurts and I don’t get it. One day I will. For all those that keep asking me if I am so excited about a daughter…it feels kind of the same as how I feel about ‘forever’. Having a daughter just seems so strange and I just can’t comprehend it. I can look at her closet and watch little girls and make logical assumptions about what it will be like….but my head hurts and I just don’t get it. So for all you close girlfriends that laugh at me because I buy clear pacifiers instead of pink and still avoid the girls section at Baby Gap – well, I just don’t get it yet. Soon I will and soon I will be totally smitten with a tiny one covered in pink….until then, it feels like thinking of forever. Come to think of it pregnancy in general feels like forever! :)

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amanda torres - It will be enlightening to see how much this little thing changes your life, and your boys for that matter. Not only because she’s a girl, but because she’s #4 as well. You will be an excellent mother to a girl. You will have a bond with her like you couldn’t possibly have with your boys. You will readily understand how she ‘works’ because you have once been there yourself. What an exciting time for your family!

meg duerksen - it will come.
and maybe she won’t be one of those COVERED in pink girls.
i mean she has 3 brothers…she’ll probably want to wear superman clothes and spiderman costumes so they will play with her. talby was desperate to play so she would finally just play star wars to have playmate. :)
it will be over before you know it. and you’ll have a fresh baby that you can’t imagine how you ever lived a second without.
best wishes ashley!

Chris Campbell - All I know is that “dad” is not pregnant and knows for certain that I am going to be an emotional basket case in the coming weeks. I am the overly emotional and sensitive father that grew up going to disney movies with his older sis as a favorite childhood past time. I also was that guy in those movies that cried at the most unusual moments such as in little mermaid where king triton kissed his daughter at the end of the movie giving her his “blessing”. Why as a 9 year old boy did I freakin cry at that. I don’t know… but I do know that I love being a dad to three wonderful boys and many times just know that I was “created” for that. I also know that this little girl already has my heart just like my wonderful beautiful bride does and I am pretty secure in being a little smitten.

amanda torres - Ohhhhh Chris…you’re going to have it bad!!! My husband started crying at Father of the Bride once he found out he was having a girl and it has only gotten worse. Good Luck!

bopha - Chris & Ashley, you guys are such great parents already and I can’t wait to see how this little girl rounds out your family. By the way Ashley, you have the sweetest husband who is about to forever be wrapped around that little girl’s finger. I was telling my husband about something nice that Corbett did for Hudson at Easter and how I hoped our boys would be like that. He replied, “How could he not be nice with super nice parents like them.” What a compliment on your parenting skills!

SnapShop {round 4}

The last scheduled SnapShop came and went over the weekend.  For those wondering, ‘No’ there are no more SnapShops currently scheduled. I fully intend to do a couple in the fall, but I have not picked dates or confirmed that is the case – I have no idea what life will be like with 4 ages 5 and under. So, if you are anxiously awaiting a SnapShop announcement – it won’t be happening anytime this summer. Last time I posted on SnapShops I got a lot of feedback that you liked seeing the pictures of me shooting and then how my pics came out, so I tried to do some more of that. I will say this SnapShop was lot harder during the shooting sessions because it is just a bit harder to climb on things to get the angles I like. However, I did see some that the other ladies took and I can’t wait to see more. They got some really great and creative shots. Hopefully I will be able to share those on the blog soon….

The first spot of our outdoor practice session. I try to pick places that don’t necessarily pop in people’s mind for a location…

Our models were a set of 3 beautiful sisters.

On this one I was at such a distance and didn’t feel like yelling to get her to look my way. I imagine the shot M got here is a great close up with those cute glasses.

The girls did so great….that is a lot of cameras to have pointed at you and up very close at times.

Incredible eyes.

I was shooting these with an 85mm lens – hence why I was so far back to fit them all in the picture.

One thing I touch on VERY BRIEFLY during SnapShops is photo processing. The last picture is an example of:

1. The picture in color

2. The picture converted to B&W using basic software and just selecting it to automatically change it to Grayscale

3. What most of my B&W’s look like after I tweak the contrast & add warmth

When converting a picture to B&W, I recommend playing with the contrast to give it more ‘pop’ and less flat looking. Depending on your computer monitor, these comparisons might not look as intended (could have too much ‘pop’).

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Christina Larsen - Ashley, I love seeing these. I know you don’t have any more snapshots scheduled, but I would love to be put on a waiting list for whenever you have more.

Lisa - I had a great time and learned a lot! It is fun to see everyone’s photos.

alayna - great pics! ashley, it looks like you have a super cute camera bag…is that what it is or did you convert just a normal bag…or maybe it’s not even for the camera….just wondering! i can’t seem to find any cute ones!

Jeannette - Awesome pics!! Denise – do you love the pics of the girls? They are great!! Once again, I’m so glad others got to enjoy your amazing class.

Charissa - Ashley, I really enjoyed taking the class and I’m thankful to have been the last one squeezed in!

Why can’t I see the other gal’s photos on the flickr page? Do I need to have some kind of special access? I can see my own and only a couple of others.

Thanks again, I enjoyed it and have had fun practicing! Looking forward to seeing all the photos.

meredith - I just want to say again how much I enjoyed your class. Thank you so much for sharing your passion for photography and creativity with us! My creative juices are going again!! YEA!

DIY {stationery set}

A few dear friends hosted a dinner for me in honor of our coming baby girl. They went to great effort to make it super girly, but also very me. Little touches like all my favorite desserts instead of a cake, several making gifts instead of purchasing them, an incredibly girly location and awesome food. I wanted to do something handmade as gifts for them, but it is always hard for me to think of what to make people…so I opted for a very practical stationery set. Everyone can use paper, right?!


Some detail shots of what was included:

Notepads: cute paper glued to the top and back using spray adhesive

Matchbook Notepads: I cut blank white paper into 4×4 squares then stapled it inside more cute scrapbooking paper…folded like a matchbook

Magnet Post-it Note holder: I covered 4×4 pieces of chipboard with scrapbooking paper then covered in Mod Podge. I spray painted paper clips for the top, glued magnets to the backs and added the Post-It Notes.


Flower cards: Just picked petals off a silk hydrangea and glued them to blank cards. Simple enough.

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christina larsen - I love this idea. Too CUTE.

Jeannette Swan - This would make great teacher gifts…I’ll have to remember it. Love it!!

Lisa Keen - What a cute idea! I bet they loved them.

Melissa - These are fantastic ideas – thank you so much for sharing them.
I can’t wait to try these

amy stamm - soo cute!!! super cute! bet they loved them..the party seemed nice for ya too…Dont cha love friends!!!

Yvonne Jacobson - I am continually inspired by your blog EVERYDAY!! Always giving me great & new ideas…I so can’t wait to see the baby’s room!!! Thanks for sharing your DIY projects!

lesley - These are so cute. Can I commission you to make some for me!?

scrapbooking ideas - Carried away with, dont just write?With the articles, weekdays and hence.The term fixed, difficult times You.Selected categories If scrapbooking ideas, fairly free of lost a job.TABLE This always, Behandlung beim Arzt.,

Jen - I have looked through about a zillion of your ideas & i am just sitting here witih my jaw dropped. All of these ideas seem SO cute & simple. I want to try every single one I click on. As if I weren’t craft obsessed enough…I hope mine turn out 1/4 as precious as yours. I’ll send pics if that happens!

Thanks so much for sharing your great ideas-
Jen

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