Back to School - Rheagan and Reese

My dear friend, Heather, recently asked if I would be interested in doing a back-to-school shoot with her two daughters.  Those of you who know Heather - know that she is immensely talented and creative.  I am in complete awe of her skill with all things scrapbook and paper related.  (If you don't know Heather, trust me, you have to check out her BLOG.  Seriously, do it!)  So, of course, I jumped at the chance.  I knew that a photo shoot with any member of her family was sure to be fun.  And I was not disappointed!  Heather's girls showed up with bright colorful outfits, lots of sweet smiles, and a little bit of sass!  

We started by setting a scene with a school desk piled high with the girls' favorite books...

...and included a few fun props like bright pink glasses.  Little Reese looks both smart AND stylish!  

Big sister Rheagan is a girl after my own heart...

Why, you ask?  Well, not only did she have a super cool book selection, but check out her feet.  That's right, her shoes are OFF!  She was determined to enjoy the freedom of summer and no shoes until the very last second!  I can definitely identify with that!  

She also scored an "A+" using the pink glasses as a fashion accessory.

We made sure we took photos of the girls together.  (Don't you adore their coordinating outfits?!)

And, of course, we took lots of individual photos, too...

Heather wanted an extended photo session with the girls, so we did an outfit change and then it was off to the park...but that is a story for another day...

Don't worry!  I will be back soon with Part 2.

To be continued...

(I am now booking Fall and Christmas sessions, and I am still doing Senior sessions.  For more info, please feel free to check out my website - www.kcmckeephotography.com.  Or you can contact me directly by email at kristinclarkmckee@gmail.com.)

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/

I LOVE ICE CREAM AND...

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!  This Friday is even more happier - that's right, I said more happier - because I get to reveal my layout on the PRETTY LITTLE STUDIO BLOG using the very latest (and my new favoritest) Neapolitan Collection - which just happens to start shipping today!  Seriuosly, this collection falls in the droolworthy category.  There was such a large assortment of cute things to choose from that I wanted to add them all to my layout!  This is what I came up with:

The PLS Neapolitan Collection includes 4x6 journaling cards, including one that had this Ice Cream logo, which was the inspiration for my layout about my sweet eigth grader:

 

Of course, I had to layer things over, under and around it!  And, just for good measure, I sewed on it, too!

 

At first, my layout was simply going to state, "I like Ice Cream and you," which would have been cute and a phrase that certainly fits the Huntress.  But then, I saw word stickers included in the collection.  Many of the phrases were activities that my daughter actually enjoys doing right now, so this layout turned into a current events-themed thing - perfect when paired with her first-day-of-school pic! 

 

I turned the stickers into pennants simply by cutting the ends.  I love finding slightly different ways to use my scrapbooking supplies!

 

And, finally, the one thing that had me jumping up and down and yelling like I had won the grand prize at a county fair raffle - FLAIR!!!  Pretty Little Studio has Flair!  And I luuurrrrrvvvveee flair!  Can I say it again?  Yes, I think I shall.  I.Love.Flair.  I do. I love it. 

 

That's it for me today.  I am off to work for a few hours and then hoping to get in some quality crafting time this weekend!  What about you?  What projects do you have planned???

Back to School with Practical Scrappers

Today at PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS, we are showing off our back-to-school themed layouts.  This was a great challenge for me because I usually struggle with fall-themed layouts and that includes back-to-school stuff - maybe because it still feels like summer when the temperature gauge keeps steadily hitting 100+ degrees here in Tejasland!

The Huntress actually has one more week left of freedom before school starts, so I decided to do a little journaling and create a quiz reflecting her current likes (and a dislike) and what she hopes to accomplish in school this year. 

Just like a real quiz, the categories are on the front and the answers are on the back.  Want to know the answers to my 8th grader's quiz?  Yeah?  Here you go:

1.  Favorite movie (A: Scott Pilgrim)
2.  Fave T.V. show (A: Adventure Time)
3. Favorite New Song (A: Wow by BtoB)
4. Besties (A: Crystal and Kamber)
5. A fun activity (A: Getting crafty with Pearler Beads)
6. Can't stand (A: It's still brocolli)
7. Fave Foods (A: Pizza and Spaghetti)
8. This year I hope to... (A: get good grades, have nice teachers, and improve my singing)

My journaling tag tucks nicely into a pocket sewn into the back of my photo frame.

I used CRATE PAPER'S Portrait Collection to creat this layout - an older collection, yes, but it contained the "back-to-school" colors I was looking for without being overly "fall-y" or in-your-face back to school.  In other words, just the right papers for my project!  One thing I love about Crate Paper is that their collections always include a page of paper die cuts, which are perfect for creating clusters or titles - like mine! 

 

I also used this SKETCH found at Page Maps to get me jump started.  My layout doesn't look much like the sketch at all - but it got me going and that's all I needed!!!  By the way, Page Maps is having a contest with this sketch right now which is open for another few days - be sure to check it out!

 

That's it for me today.  Before I go, tell me, what kinds of papers do you prefer to use for your back-to-school layouts?  Do you go traditional and use themed collections or do you buck the trend and do your own thing?  I'm curious...