Fridays with Fin :: Family Photo Shoot

We recently had our family photos taken by the lovely Jenny Duffy, of Jenny Duffy Photography. I was worried about our photos this year because my previous photographer and friend, Tracie, of {tsj} photography, had gotten up and moved on me! She had taken every photo of Fin since he was in the womb! So what was a girl to do... well, one of my amazing neighbors {I live on a really great block with lots of young mamas} offered to have a "photography party" when her talented sis-in-law, Jenny, was going to be in town, for all the families on the block. How awesome is that! We even got a little "froupon" {friend + groupon} rate, as we signed up for a time slot on the weekend.

Our shoot didn't start out with a "happy Fin" {check out the scowl on the pics to the left}, but somehow Jenny managed to capture our family beautifully...

I am always amazed by good photographers who can pull off shooting gorgeous pics of a TODDLER!! That is some serious hard work, and Jenny wowed us with her skillz! We loved how our family photos turned out in front of our house...

We had to pull out all the tricks with Fin to make him happy for the camera. We started with his tricycle... The pic on the right is my absolute favorite! He may look a little "cheesy" but that is my Finny to a T! Thanks for capturing, Jenny! :) {Yes, Scott, aka my biggest Fridays with Fin Fan, these are the pics of Matthew and me frolicking lovingly in front of your house!}

Next, we got out the wagon! I love the idea of a non-portrait shoot. This is real life. Mom and dad doing all we can to put a smile on our kid's face! ;)

The wagon proved to be pure success... These next pics are my "second favorites"!

 Love that boy and his rosy cheeks!

A little game of "on your marks, get set, go!" helped bring on some smiles too!

Love my family... AND the baby girl growing in my belly... {yes, as a woman, I had to put that in so you'd not judge the "pooch" too much!}

 All boy...

What a great experience we had with our new photographer! I wish she lived closer to us {she's in Michigan}. We might have to see if we can work out another photography party for next year! ;) Check out her blog, too. She writes about her family, her beautiful faith and the photos she takes!

Merry Christmas everyone! Here's our holiday card we sent out this year, two of my favorite photos...

In demand :: Camping Party Invites!

Ever since this blog post, I've been getting some major action for the invite below...

And, I've had a couple customers change up the colors/ideas a bit! Take a look at some of the new ideas we came up with for the same invite!

Looking to have your own camping themed party and want to customize this invite for yourself... check it out here! Complimentary color changes + text personalization! Also, I'm working on some party printable pieces to match these invites, so stay tuned for those!

Need some camping party inspiration... check out the party this invite was originally created for!

Fridays with Fin :: d.i.y. bowtie

A friend of mine forwarded me this blog post saying it was a MUST DO for Finny! Its a DIY tutorial to make the darling bowties shown below!

 

Well, she was absolutely right, unfortunately, me and the sewing machine that I bought solely to make my ring bearers pillow over three years ago {and hasn't seen the light of day since}, don't mix very well! {I mean, you all saw my hand stitching, right?} Looks like I might need to take that "Everyday sewing with YOUR machine" class offered by our Rec Department! ;) Seems I'm not the only one with this issue!

Anyway... How adorable would my little guy look in that bowtie! Love it. And hey, for all you DIYers, here's the bowtie tutorial...

But, since I'm not a "sewer" just yet, I might just have to buy this one from JCrew!

Why is it soooo cute to dress little people as adults!? And now, just for fun, since I wasn't blogging at the time, here's a peek at Fin from his 6 month photo shoot by {tsj} photography! Quite the stud in his tie, hey?!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Willy Wonka Inspired Birthday Party Printables

I do not even know where to begin with this one, guys! Take a look at the Willy Wonka inspired birthday party that my friend, Tracie, put together for her daughter! It is out of this world! And I am proud to say, nellie*design provided the party printables! So go ahead, copy this party like its your job and order the printables here!

Below is what set the stage for the party... it's like you're right there, at the actual chocolate factory! Feels like an oompa loompa to pop out!

And here's a little tour of the chocolate factory...

To personalize the table centerpieces, I designed a favor tag to put in the top of the lollipop towers.

Each place setting was beautifully put together with chíc orange, rectangular-shaped plates, vibrant colored napkins, some sugary sweets, forks and a custom napkin wrap!

The goodie "bar" was filled with tasty treats... and a hint of hygiene care! From favor boxes with custom hang tags, to blue soda with personalized bottle wraps, to a toothbrush{!} for each friend... every detail was met! The toothbrush boxes were customized with their own wrap to go around each, with a note to remind each girl to... "enjoy lots of SUGAR, but keep a clean SMILE"!

Next, the candy "bar", below, was a great place to display the invitation design and personalized sign!

Here are two fun ways to use the personalized pennant banner from the party package... for a birthday sign and a chocolate fountain sign...

and here's what started it all... the invitation! Each guest was given a small box with their very own "Piper Bar" inside! Each chocolate bar had a "golden ticket" inside, which invited them to the party! Can you imagine being a 9 year old receiving this invite... This 28 year old is giddy just thinking about it!

And here's how to DIY! Just order, print and have fun! :) First up is the invitation and thank you note printable package.

Next, is the party printables. From the banner to food label tags, this has everything you need to create the perfect Chocolate Factory birthday party!

St. Patty's Printable Party

With St. Patty's Day right around the corner, now is the time to start thinking about throwing a par-tay! I mean, you don't really have to be irish to party like it, right!? Take a peek at my new printable party for a festive St. Patty's bash! This one is geared towards adults, but would be just as cute for a kid's party! {Just omit the vodka from the jello "treats"!} I teamed up with my girl Tracie, of {tsj} photography, to provide some nice visuals for you all! {We had some fun in the process, check out her side of the story here!} Enjoy!

Below are all the pieces to this printable party package. For a total of $40 you can have an entire party decorated and personalized just for you! You can order the entire party here.

This package includes customizing of all text by nellie*design and digital PDF's for you to print as many pieces as you need at the printer of your choice {including your home ink jet}! And you can "go green" by emailing the invite as an E-vite! Convo me if you're interested in ordering items individually. All printable party prices are listed individually here!