Now, my son’s dad isn’t really into store bought gifts or cards (at all), so we had to get creative. Enter Pinterest!  A quick search for Father’s Day crafts on Pinterest gave us a plethora of crafty options, but one in particular caught my eye:  A Pad for Dad! (via the creative minds at Spoonful), thoughtful perfection in a quick, crafty minute (or 25ish minutes, rather).

So, long story short, we took that ball and ran with it, giving the project our own little twist, by creating a father-son journal (or, scrapbook?).  The hope is that this little book will soon burst at its rubber banded pencil binding with stories of the good times and adventures they’ve shared.

A mama can dream.

Spoonful offered super thorough assembly instructions, so I won’t repeat them here, but below are a few photos of the finished product, with a couple of helpful tips on our variations.  Next time I promise to take pics of the process!

Our tools:  I used black poster board that had to be cut down to 8.5×11 to fit the paper within, so I busted out my trusty X-Acto knife, cutting mat, and metal edged ruler.  The pencil takes the place of the stick on the the Spoonful version of this project and, in combo with the rubber band, makes for a very sturdy book spine.  So, why the schoolhouse theme on our book?  Well, these were the random supplies I happened to have on hand, but Eliseo’s dad is also a teacher, so it kinda makes sense (right?).

Missing from that tool collection above are chalk and aerosol hairspray (I know, I know… terrible, but stick with me here).  It’s pretty clear how the chalk was used, but a good couple of coats of the hairspray will set the chalk and keep it from smearing.  Start with a light coating of the hairspray from about 18″ away, let it dry and layer on another coat or two. Oh, and don’t worry if the chalk fades a bit immediately after spraying.  It’ll dry and return to the normal look.

I really love the pencil spine  ♥   It’s not only cute, but actually makes it super easy disassemble for adding or removing pages as needed.  Sweet!!

Most of the 20 pages are blank, to be filled by their adventures, but I thought the book needed a bit of an introduction and, of course, a birthday greeting.  Given that we parent pretty darn separately, I have very few photos of my son with his dad.  This is where Instagram and a quick raiding of an auntie’s photo collection (thank you Chaka!) came in pretty handy.  The page was laid out using a hacked version of Hula Party Poster Small from the pre-fab poster collection of Pages (Apple’s native word processing/print design program).

Side note: when I tried to print this out, I realized that my printer was totally out of ink.  Bah!!  It was 6:30pm the night before the birthday and, after spending most of the day in the city with the kiddo, the last thing on Earth I wanted to do was drag him out to Kinkos in the windy cold night.  Thankfully, I’m part of THEE most amazing mother’s group ever — The MOB (Mothers of Brisbane).  I put a short email out to the MOB pleading for someone to print my pdf.  Not only did I get several responses, but one offered to print and deliver it!!!  HUGE thank you to Barb and Luke for their help in making this project happen. It really does take a village.

Lastly, I believe what really makes any project special are the little details.  I usually call my son by his whole first name, Eliseo, or sometimes just “E”.  To his dad and family on his dad’s side, he’s known as Seo or Little El.  I hope by using those nicknames on the book, it might help make it more personal to them.  Lastly, a little hand print is really the only (and my most favorite) way for a wee kiddo to sign a note.  It’s also such a great way to track just how little they were on a birthday way back when.

So there it is!  Our hacked version of a Pad for Dad is ready to be given.  I hope he likes it.

Happy birthday, Big El, and cheers to peaceful co-parenting!

A huge congratulations to Got Light & Classic on a phenomenally successful event. Tons more photos can be found on the Got Light website by clicking the photo below!

Click the photo to view a whole gallery of photos on Got Light’s website! (Opens in a new page.)

xoxo!

Using photos from our session and minted.com, Sierra’s mom, Jenny, created an absolutely beautiful birth announcement, complete with a lovely letter about Sierra’s arrival and the background of her name.  Having recently named someone myself, I really appreciated understanding how they chose her name and the significance behind it.  And, yes, she was born on Christmas Eve.  Best little Christmas present ever ♥  Huge congratulations to the happy family!

By the way, minted.com really is a phenomenal resource for all kinds of printed cards.  Be sure to check them out.

There will be more blogging this week, as I have a ton of sessions to share and can’t wait to get to it!!

xoxo-i

Eliseo was born on Mother’s Day 2011 (best mother’s day present ever!).  Our little photo project started as a simple way to document his growth through his first year, but has become so much more than that in ways that are hard to describe.   At 10.5 pounds at birth, he has always been my big boy, but looking back now it’s amazing to see how much he has grown.  My eyes tear up whenever I go back and look at our earliest weeks and how far he has come.

So, this is my guy.  He’s my whole heart ♥  I hope our little project inspires others to pick up their camera to document and celebrate their baby’s growth & milestones.  Everyone says it goes by too fast.  It’s true, but at least we’ll have our photos to remind us of just how tiny they once were.

Here are all the photos thus far!  He’ll be 7-months old next week, so we’ve got a lot more weeks to add to this collection, and I’m looking forward to each and every one

Sweet love.  Oh! And don’t forget, if you like those details from their wedding, Waz designed them herself!!  Check out her portfolio here.

xo-i

I {heart} baby toes!!

xoxo-i

Anyway, Blanca was definitely working the mama-to-be glow throughout her belly session.  So gorgeous and with the most perfect baby bump.  Too cute!

I’m also thrilled to have recently booked my very own maternity session with the talented Emily Payne.  We’re shooting at the end of March.  Can’t wait!!

xoxo-i

You see, Waz is a graphic designer (check out her portfolio here!).  She designed all the details in the decor from the little bags of jelly beans emblazoned with their monogram, to the custom labels on the wine bottles, and every other printed piece of the day.  So, long story short, Waz happened to see the photos I shot, got in touch, and the rest is photo history.

Below is a quick sneak from our “We did!” session this past weekend at the Legion of Honor (more to come!), followed by a handful of photos from their wedding at the deYoung.

She was a stunning bride and, can I just say, they had the BEST processional music!  Can’t wait to share more from their session.

xo-i

Personally, this year I’ll be welcoming my first born to the world, a bouncing baby boy due to arrive sometime around April 25th.  EXCITING!!  I feel him kicking and moving around in my belly as I type.  It’s a little slice of heaven.  You can bet you’ll see a ton of photos of him right here on this blog.  Oh how I hope he’s patient with my shutter clicking ways.

Until then, I look forward to sharing a wide array of work… weddings, family sessions, newborns, gorgeous events, even a little saucy boudoir… and likely some other fun stuff I stumble upon throughout life.  I’m also always happy to chat, answer questions, or just listen.  So, if the mood strikes you, give a shout! 

Cheers to an amazing 2011!  First ‘official’ post coming shortly!!

xo-i