Halle's Night Owl Sleepover: A 6th Birthday Party!!

  Last night we celebrated Halle's 6th birthday with a fun-filled Night Owl sleepover party! I have to admit that I didn't start preparing for this party until 10 days ago. I had some ideas but didn't start executing anything until that point. However, this was only really possible because I didn't spend a dime on the party details and instead created everything using fabric and paper from my personal stash, items from my photography prop closet and decor items I already owned! You may notice some items from previous parties here & here! I absolutely love my paper lanterns!! If you don't already own any then you definitely need to get some! They are reusable, super adorable and keep you from having to buy balloons which are a one time only thing. I use mine often! Another thing I use over and over is my fabric tablecloth which is really just a 2 yard length of fabric that I serged around the edges. Get a print that is not theme specific so you can re-use it no matter what theme you are working on. Or have a few that you keep on hand so you can have options. Fabric is way cuter than one of those plastic tablecloths. It really brings it all together!

  This party was a HUGE success! I love the bright & fun colors of the party table! However, the biggest hit of the evening had to be the Owl Pals plush pillows that I made for each party guest! I drew up a simple pattern and created a different one for each attendee! Each owl was wrapped in tissue paper with a number tag attched. Prior to Halle's gift opening I had each little girl (and one boy) draw a number from a special box and one by one I handed out their corresponding owls. This gave each child a couple minutes in the spotlight as everyone else watched them open their gift and waited to see what their special owl looked like!! They all loved them and snuggled them all night long! Definitely worth the one afternoon I spent making them! I am also offering the Owl Pals here in my etsy shop. If they are sold out I can definitely do a custom listing!! Just ask! I will be working on adding more as I have time! In the meantime here are some of the highlights of the party! I'd love to hear what you think. If you have any questions about any of it feel free to ask me. Enjoy!

i ♥ faces: Desserts

This week i ♥ faces is changing things up and the focus is desserts!! Yum! I love to photograph food especially desserts. Each time one of my children has a birthday I make it a point to take a really nice photograph of their birthday cake before we cut into it. I want to be able to look back on that photo and wish I had one more piece b/c it just looks sooo good! This one was from last year when Ella turned 1! Mmmmmm! It was just so cute and it tasted good too!

Sweet Birthday Bash: a photo session

Today I had the fun task of shooting my first birthday party event! Sweet girls Savannah & Morgan turned 3 and 1 and friends and family celebrated with a fun outdoor bash at the park. There were lots of balloons, hotdogs, and cake and the hit of the day were the candy-filled pinatas! Everyone had a great time and the sweet birthday girls really dove into their cake and made a mess! It was a joy to photograph their special day! J&J I hope you enjoy this peek into your little girls' fun-filled afternoon!

Ella's 1st Birthday, 100th Post & a Giveaway! **CLOSED**

We had quite a fun and busy weekend! Friday was Ella's 1st birthday and Saturday was her birthday party (Easter photos in next post)! We kept it pretty simple and had cake, icecream, and let the kids run around and play. Ella looked adorable in her tutu and appliqued "1" tank that I made for her. She loved her cake even though it took a few minutes before she would even touch it. She wasn't quite sure what to do with it until I put a taste in her mouth....then it was ON!!

The Birthday Girl (looking cute as ever!)

The Cake...and no, I didn't make it, isn't it just adorable though?!(the cupcakes are my handiwork, LOL)

The Candle

The Massacre (it was yummy)

Sweet Fingers...literally



And now for the GIVEAWAY! In honor of my 100th blog post, and Ella's birthday, and Easter (they all kind of ran together this year), I am giving one lucky winner their choice of hairclips from my shop. All you have to do is visit either of my shops here or here and leave a comment on this post with your fave item!

For Extra Entries (leave separate comments)
~Follow my blog: 1 extra entry (if you already follow, tell me)
~Tweet about this giveaway: 1 extra entry
~Blog about this giveaway on your blog and leave me a link: 2 extra entries

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry and a way to contact you if you win! Giveaway will end next Sunday, April 19th at midnight eastern time. Open to US and Canadian residents only, sorry.

Happy 1st Birthday Sweet Ella

I can't believe this day has come already! I knew it would happen since I've done this twice before but you can never be prepared for the WHOOSH of your child's first year of life. They come into your world as this teeny, tiny, fragile little being that is helpless in every sense. One short year later they are crawling, eating from the table, babbling words, sometimes walking (though not in Ella's case), playing and expressing themselves in the most amazing ways!

As I look back on these photos my eyes well up with tears knowing that my baby is growing up and I can't stop her...not that I'd want to, but I wish I could freeze time and keep her little for longer. She's grown into such a beautiful and amazing little person in such a short time. Her smile is captivating and I often find myself entranced in her deep steel blue eyes! I thank Jesus every single day for blessing me with her life! I know that HE has big plans for her and I look forward to watching them unfold! Happy Birthday baby girl! We love you!