One of a Kind - Back to School Session

My daughter is her very own unique person, there is no doubt, with her own sense of style and her own ideas.  And, at age 14, she is a little bit pouty and a little bit stubborn (on her good days) - LOL!  So, the day before school, we had a conversation that went something like this:

Me:  School starts tomorrow.  Let's get some photos of you today while the light is still good so we won't have to worry about it in the morning.

Daughter: *rolls her eyes*

Me:  C'mon.  I'm serious.  You are starting high school.  I want to get some pictures of you.

Daughter: *letting out a long suffering sigh*

Me:  Seriously, let's go.

Daughter:  Okay, but can I just wear the clothes I already have on?

Me:  Yes, if you promise to smile in at least a couple of the pictures.

Daughter: *another eye roll* Okay...

(This is why photographers will often pay other photographers to take pictures of their own children.)

So, we went and took photos in a location close by; and I even got a couple of genuine smiles (along with a genuine pout or two).  But I love them!  They represent my teen girl in her sometimes moody, sometimes angsty, sometimes goofy, sometimes happy glory - and isn't that the point of a photo session?

Have you had your child's photographs taken recently?  Not posed portraits, but everyday lifestyle portraits that really allows his or her personality to shine through?  If you live in the Houston or San Antonio area, I would love to create those portraits for you!  For more information, please check out my website: http://kcmckeephotography.com/

Be You

The Huntress - she's got her own style.  It's quirky, it is definitely anime-inspired, (these days it is often a little pouty-faced), and it's all her own.  Some days she is a rock star, and other days she is the ultimate teenage drama queen.  There may be a lot she still has to figure out in life, but she knows who she is, and that is a huuuggge start!  

I took her out to do a fun little photo shoot recently, and I got a memory card full of photos that capture her in all her pouty rocker/anime glory perfectly.  I knew I needed papers that captured the love, optimism, and hope I have for her - so I went digging through my stash for my HEIDI SWAPP stuff, which turned out to fit the bill perfectly.  I primarily used the Mixed Company line, which had the clean, simple graphics I wanted.  

To help me get my mojo kick-started, I also used the SKETCHABILITIES SKETCH #115.  I know a lot of ladies on the Sketchablities design team take a more vintage, mixed media approach to the sketches.  However, I think they work well for any style!

I love the way my layout turned out!  I was a little worried, since I haven't scrapbooked in so long, that I had forgotten how to glue together two pieces of paper, much less create a complete layout.  But, I guess it is just like that old saying about riding a bicycle...(thank goodness).

Here are a couple of close-ups:

A lot of layering and some symbolism, too...

My girl is a superstar to me, so of course I had to include a star and then, for good measure, layer it with another star.  I guess that makes her a super superstar...

Here are a few other photos from our little shoot that I imagine I will be creating layouts around in the near future:

You Are So Loved

Boy does it feel good to be back -  I feel rejuvenated, revitalized, reinvigorated!  Maybe my crafty mojo will decide to stick around for a bit...

I often joke that my youngest is the one who will end up giving me every gray hair on my head.  Lately, those "gray hairs" are caused by worry when I see my daughter struggling.  Being a teenager is hard, much more so today than when I was one way back when.  And being a teenager with severe ADD can make things so much more complicated.  So, this layout was created as a visual reminder - to her, to me, to the world - that no mater what, forever and always, I love her.  (Of course, Bailey-Boo, the Huntress' faithful companion is in the pic, too; because wherever the human one goes, the little furry one follows!)

So, let's talk about this layout.  Mojo gone and left you in a pickle?  Then head over to a good sketch site such as this one by CREATIVE SCRAPPERS.  I used this SKETCH to get started.  This past weekend (after my little scrapbooking hiatus), I literally printed out a couple of photos, grabbed my paper trimmer, scissors and glue, and picked up a bag of scrapbooking goodies I had purchased a month earlier but never even opened before heading over to my BESTIE'S house for a little creative therapy.  Luckily, it contained papers and parts by GLITZ DESIGN, which were pretty much perfect for my layout.  

Wanna see the entire layout?  Here you go...

Yep, this layout has all the ingredients to make it a favorite for me:

Hearts - check.
Stars - check.
Arrows - check.

I found some cool Glitz transparencies (I think from the Color Me Happy Collection).  I really liked a garland of circles included in the pack, but I couldn't get it to "fit" on my layout.  Finally, I just cut several of the circles apart and sewed them individually on my layout.  I outlined the edges of my stars and hearts with a black marker to help keep them from getting lost against the patterned paper.  

I LOVED the You.Are.So.Loved sticker but thought it was too small to use as the title, especially since my layout included rub-on phrases.  So, I sewed it next to my photo instead and then repeated the phrase with my title letters.

And that is it, no extra journaling needed.  "You are so loved" says it all.  No matter what issues we face, no matter the hard times, I love this child fiercely.  And I am humbled that God gave her to me.

Playing with Pebbles (Sketchy Thursday)

I know I have said this at least a hundred and five times but...wait for it...I LOVE sketches!!!  And when I saw the BECKY FLECK sketch up at PEBBLES for Sketchy Thursday, it was definitely love at first sight!  So, I raided my Pebbles stash and created this layout from a combination of the Seen and Noted, Sunnyside, and Basics collections. 

This picture is the ONLY one I took on little Huntie's 13th birthday!  Such a big banner day and she only got one photo (a fact that she is most likely immensely thankful for!)  But in my rush to get out of the house and get Huntie and her bestie to the water park, I forgot my camera.  And since cell phones and water are not a good combination, this one lone shot away from any H20 was as good as it got.  But the layout captures the mood of the day and I have a very detailed letter to my daughter added to the back of this.  And we had FUN, which is what birthday celebrations are all about!

 

I am really pleased with my clouds and sun, which I created with my Silhouette Cameo.

I did a little stamping across my clouds to match my stamp-turned-splatter that I "deliberately" created in the background (you totally believe me, don't you???)  And I machine-stitched around my sun (this time it really was deliberately messy, I promise) to add a little bit of movement and fun to my layout.  Pop dots to add dimension behind a cloud and my "hello" were the perfect finishing touches.

 

I love this cluster - it's not too much and not too little but j-u-u-s-s-t right.  I used flower stickers, with pop dots behind the two smaller ones; a life is good sentiment cut out from a sheet of banners and sentiments in the Sunnyside collection; and a large journaling tag that anchors the entire cluster down.  My 13 was quickly cut out using my Silhouette.  Because I used so much white in this layout, I accented everything with doodling to help it stand out.

 

That's it for me today - but stay tuned!  A Pretty Little Studio project and a Practical Scrappers Blog Hop (with a cool grand prize) are headed your way!!!