ashleyannphotography.com » Under the Sycamore
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FireCracker tends to gravitate towards the camera. I don’t even remember what I was actually photographing when she asked me to take her picture. She’ll be four this summer. She seems so much older than four. Maybe it is due to having three big brothers. Or maybe it is just who she is. Either way, she keeps me on my toes.
She wanted some with her sister in their matching headbands. Little One was not so thrilled with the idea.
Then FireCracker decided it would be better if only one of them had a headband. Little One was still not so thrilled.
…and the choke hold hug…never works.
FireCracker tends to start things and then always asks me to bring her sister around. She was holding the chicks alone on the couch…and ‘no’ I did not tell her to cuddle Camo (the chick). This girl likes to play the role of momma to anything that will let her. After a few minutes she realized her sister wasn’t close by and urged me to bring Little One over.
Where there is a little sister…there is usually a big sister trying to be her momma! They are precious. Thank you for your beautiful blog. I enjoy it every day! God bless you! Having a heavy day and the simple beauty of your post just brought smiles. Thanks for sharing your moments – your girls are beautiful. That last photo totally made my morning. Thanks for always brightening up my day with pictures of your beautiful children (and chickens)! this reminds me of my sisters! i am the youngest of three, and the oldest was always a second mama to me. these two are so precious. Their relationship is beautiful…may they always be the best of sisters and the best of friends! I love Firecracker’s personality but she is also a little beauty. I can just imagine what a fine young lady she is going to grow up to be. And Little One – I am loving watch her love and grow within your family. What a difference from when she first came. And Little One’s face – it just slays me – I love the way she crinkles up her nose when she smiles. I have 2 sisters and there is nothing like a sister. I have also loved watching Little One’s relationship with her father. I think she thought that Daddy business was really great right from the beginning in China. I am continually amazed by the life you have created for you and your family. You are doing an incredible job with the Campbell clan. While I love ALL of your photos, the last two really captivated me. When I think of how Little One was spending her time less than a year ago my heart feels like it could burst! To know how much love and life and color and adventure she is now experiencing brings me incredible joy. Happy Easter to you and your family. God bless! These pictures so capture the love between them and the pride Firecracker has in Little One. Oh I have one of those too! Except she’s 16 now. And at times I’ve had to put my foot down to the mothering. (Evidently, as I’ve been told, sometimes I don’t do it correctly!) They do make amazing big sisters! As the mother of 3 girls, I can relate. It is so much fun to watch. Those are great! I was wondering what setting did you use? They are just too cute! Love sisters!! I love your photos and how you capture everyday life and you’re one of my favorite blogs to read. I was just wondering what you’ve found is the best way to upload photos quickly, without bogging down your computer, while making sure your photos are safe from being deleted. I love snapping photos, but this is the step that slows me down and keeps me from sharing them. Any quick suggestions? i’m so happy firecracker got a sister. she’s gonna be a good mom. It’s beautiful watching their relationship develop. Thank you for sharing it with us. Firecrackers closed mouth smirk is the best – she looks so old in that picture! I can’t believe how big the chicks are getting already! Your chickens are growing before my very eyes! They seem much bigger than just a few posts ago. I love all Firecracker and Little One posts I love the last two photos. And seeing the transition Little One has made. As someone who is considering adoption for any addition(s) to our family, seeing your family’s journey warms my heart and gives me such hope for what may come for us. This post makes me so happy, especially the title. I remember in your 100 days of waiting to get Little One, one of your 100 things you were looking forward to was being able to say, “Girls!”. I’m so happy you were able to make that word plural. Your girls are adorable!! Your blog posts always bring a smile to my face. You have the cutest family! Firecracker looks just like YOU! The jeans and the princess dress. Kills me! you are the best the best the best the best. these kids have it so good with a mama like you Ashley, I just got a link from a photo friend of ours to a site called Photo Barn – I think it’s http://www.photobarn.com. When I saw it I immediately thought of you – have you heard of it? What do you think? I dont have any connection to them – just as a reader of yours would love your take Dear chickies mama, Julie – I haven’t heard of them…it looks like a good company, but I don’t know from experience. Beautiful girls!!! Love the one with firecracker without the headband and little one with it. Firecracker looks so much older its crazy!! (I’ve been reading since she was a teeny baby) Love that Firecracker lets you take her picture…my 3 year old has started to refuse and just gives me her ugly faces. stinker! I was curious to know the kind of lighting you had for these (I am assuming large windows?), and what lens and setting were. Always looking for tips when it comes to indoors I loved this post. Firecracker is getting so mature looking. I feel like you can tell what she’ll look like when she’s older. Which is… gorgeous. Her wild hair is going to work for her, I think. And sweet Little One. Beautiful little love. She’s so laid back, isn’t she? So is my Lily. She definitely smiles & laughs, too, but much of the time she’s just taking things in. Happy Monday, Ashley! Firecracker REALLY favors your husband to me…. In the most beautiful girly way, of course! I just love your updates. Always so pleasant to scroll through. these two are the most beautiful, sweetest sisters!! Your girls are completely and utterly adorable. I swear I can hear them giggling from here! Lovely, lovely post. Last December FireCracker and I went on a hunt for a hutch I could use in the studio. Under piles of trinkets and shelves full of stuff, I found my gem. It is that dark brown wood thing if you are wondering… I really wanted to somehow salvage the little sections of retro contact paper, but I just couldn’t make that happen. So I lightly sanded and then painted the whole thing white. I kind of wanted to do it a fun color, but with the red chalkboard wall I thought I better just stick with white.
I also wanted a fun background, but again was stuck trying to find something to coordinate with the red wall. I had some wallpaper that would have been easy to apply, but it clashed. So I waited a bit and one day came across a vintage tablecloth in the perfect red. The studio is very much a ‘studio’…we are creating in there and often that includes a mess. Knowing it was highly likely the fabric could get stained or messed up (and just dirty) in a hutch with no glass, I knew I needed to protect the fabric. So I turned it into oilcloth basically. Super easy. I might be doing this to my kids’ clothes next. Supplies:
First, I ironed the tablecloth to get out all the wrinkles. Next, I followed the vinyl instructions and covered the whole tablecloth with the vinyl (I had already measured and knew I would need the whole tablecloth).
Next, I cut the vinyl into strips to fit on the backside of the hutch. It would have been better if I could have removed the back of the hutch and not had to cut all the strips, but that wasn’t an option.
Finally, I used hot glue to attached the fabric to the hutch. I didn’t want it to be super permanent because I change my mind like the wind changes directions. Case in point…the red chalkboard is no longer red. This vinyl covered fabric worked great, but I am not super crazy about how it reflects light. It will work for now, but since the chalkboard isn’t red anymore…I might be using some wallpaper in the future. After I build a chicken coop. And a potager garden. And do laundry, dishes,…….
I’m filling the hutch with the little things that are nice to have on hand in that room for our family and guests. It is especially fun to watch little boys drink from tea cups – teaching them manners and keeping my hutch cute!
I tried really hard to love the red chalkboard, but I just kept wanting to go back to white. This space is still very much a work in progress. We still need to add a backsplash, cabinets and curtains. Then I will, of course, need to liven up that white wall. We spend so much of our time in this little corner. I want it to be homey and cozy.
P.S. Thanks for all the great advice and insight yesterday! Totally falls under the category of “now you tell me,” but you can get matte iron-on vinyl. But I think the hutch looks great! i think what you need in your life is for me to live in the upstairs of your studio and do your dishes as payment. win win for everyone. I love the little ways you find to feather your nest with bits of vintage happiness. I would love a hutch, but alas do not have the room. What I really want is a pie cabinet with glass doors. I just finished painting a armoire for the dining room and just need my husband to hang the doors. I am not mechanically inclined like that. I love the fabric pattern. So lovely! I too am on a hutch hunt….looking for the perfect hutch to bring back to life. I love how you lined it with fabric. will have to remember that!!! I am the same way – my decor and projects never stay the same for long. I am always rearranging and want to change colors and such. Honestly, I hate change especially major life changes but for some reason creative change is something I urn for. I kinda want to live at your house. In a non-creepy and non-stalking sort of way. I absolutely LOVE this space! Ha! Changing the red wall… that is so something I would do! It took me years to realize that I should just plan on changing my mind. Hence why I don’t order canvas prints anymore and stick to frames. I change pictures every month or two. I love the cabinet! I looks brand new with that white paint! I wasn’t a huge fan of the red chalkboard, hehe what a great idea for the fabric-making your own oil cloth! So cool! It looks great! I’m basically looking for the same piece to house all of our board games! Heading out to Antique Week in Round Top today with my fingers crossed! I don’t know how you do it – it looks amazing. I’d have walked past that hutch in it’s original state and ignored it! I’m waiting to see how your chickens work out too – I really want some too! I loved the red chalk board! Hilarious and sad all at the same time that it’s gone! But, I LOVE how you change things so often….it’s just one of the things that makes you so cool! Your hutch turned out beautiful and I love the things you have put in it!! The tablecloth you turned into vinyl was perfect for the job!! I love white walls adding pops of color with accessories. I think white walls give you a great back drop and makes it easier to change your mind like the wind lol! I’m curious what color white paint you use. I feel like picking the right white is hard! Thanks. Hello, I love your style and creativity! You are so talented with your photography. I hope someday, my photos can be decent! I am so grateful for your heart to adopt a baby girl from china. I also was adopted from an orphanage, but at a very old age. She is a very blessed little girl and you are a good mama! Bless you! Wow, what an amazing vintage tablecloth that is. The ones I come across are never worth saving b/c they’re so stained. I love your cabinet too. Sigh, you inspire me:) You have such great style. That all looks so awesome! Iron-on vinyl? Who knew! I really, really, really, really love your decorating style. From the watercolor header on your blog, to the mismatched bar stools, to the bright and cheery colors all over your home, I dig it! Uh, so what do you call it? There’s a name for every kind of decorating style, right? Oh, I love the hutch! What about using wallpaper for the back but putting some type of sealant over it so that you could still wipe it off? Maybe even something simple like mod podge (not totally permanent but might work until you change your mind… but might still reflect too much light)… I don’t know, just a thought. Great idea! The hutch looks like it came straight out of Anthropologie =) Any chance you would be willing to share your blueprint for the chicken coop? This is incredible! I did not know there was such a thing as iron-on vinyl. FABULOUS! I must have some! Love how this area turned out! Instead of hot gluing to the actual cupboard you could put fabric, paper or wallpaper on some foam core (foam board) cut to size for each shelf, to make changing it out easier! I saw it on Eddie Ross blog (post is called ‘Billy, don’t be a hero’) but have seen it on pinterest too! I think the hutch looks great! If you’re not happy with the shine, maybe taking a fine sand paper over it would knock the shine. Or perhaps brushing on a matte modge podge? GORGEOUS!! |
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Cara Louise - a most blessed Easter prayed with much love for your entire family today!
valerie - Amen!
Annie Page - Happy Easter Ashley – to you and your entire family. God Bless!
Kate - One of my favorite songs! And sooo true! Thankful for a blessed redeemer who has ransomed me. Happy Resurrection Sunday to you and yours!
Jenny - YES!!!!!!!
Praise God for His love and mercy that never runs dry.
Flea - The crucifixion was more real for me this year. Like sobbing when reading Narnia. The service this weekend … sobbing relief when He arose. There was a lot of other heaviness, but it all broke. I’m so glad God is real. And alive.
Kelleyn - Happy Easter!
Kate @ Songs Kate Sang - Happy Easter!
Rosalind - Amen to that, beautiful song, beautiful words x Happy Easter!
MJ Berman - We sang this today at church, too.
Rejoice – He is risen indeed!!
andrea - My absolute favourite! <3 what a gift!
elizabeth H - AMAZING LOVE!!