Super Hero Birthday Party

Paper Goods

Invitations, Thank You Cards, Favor Bag Tags and the random “Superhero Carsyn” papers, etc all came from Peartree Greetings line called Searching for Super Heros.

Decorations

The Ka-pow!, lighting bolts, the little pop, zap, pow signs and Happy Birthday Carsyn signs were made Meagan Musing. The circle paper garland is actually made from old comic books. Sarah at Smiley Wileys sent me those. They are so cute and really added to the party.

The Happy 3rd Birthday Carsyn banner is from Two Birds Design. The rag garland is from Our Holly Days. All I did was send them both a link to the invitations I was using and they made it happen. I LOVED that they brought all the attention to the main table. It really looked great.

I made the buildings using old boxes, black table cloths and blue wrapping paper. Then took some windows that Meagan had cut out for me using her silhouette.

Food

I made a “C” to look like the superman symbol out of pineapple and strawberries. I also did “POP” Corn. Kenny had an old gumball machine that we sanded and repainted. We had gumballs, some super hero “POP” Rocks and Taffy. Cupcakes were made by my friend Kimberly. They were so adorable and delicious!

The super hero plates came from Dishable Designs.

Photo Booth

The photo booth signs I made using the superhero stuff from Clementine Digitals. I bought the super hero masks that Dustyn and Carsyn are wearing from Target. I then took them and made a template for the photo booth masks. The background was a fabric black shower curtain and my DIY PVC Pipe Backdrop Stand. I also used her Build your own Super Hero for our craft. Though only the older girls were interested.

Apparel

Shirts are from Sweet Feet and Little Tweets. Though she is closed right now, but she will be back soon! Capes are from Pip & Bean. I LOVE these. They are so well made and were the hit of the party! Carsyn’s bib came from my favorite place to get bibs Summer Lee Quilts. I am serious when I say that all of  his drool does not leak onto his shirt when he is wearing her bibs.

The people that made this Super Hero Birthday Party possible!

Invitations & other Paper Goods – Pear Tree Greetings

Ka-pow & other sayings – Meagan Musing

Circle Paper Banners – Smiley Wileys

Happy 3rd Birthday Carsyn Banner – Two Little Birds Design

Rag Garland – Our Holly Days

Super Hero Plates – Dishable Designs

Cupcakes – My friend Kimberly

Photo Booth signs & DIY Superhero – Clementine

Shirts - Sweet Feet and Little Tweets

Capes - Pip & Bean

Bib - Summer Lee Quilts

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Well there is a solution BabbaCo. has come out with a BabbaBox for Summer Survival.

 This article is sponsored by BabbaCo. All opinions expressed are my own.

The BabbaBox include things like puzzles, hands on activities, books, games and imaginative play. I just know that Dustyn would have an awesome time with these. He loves doing fun activities like that. I need to act quickly and order my Summer Survival Kit!

Summer Survival Box Themes

June: Deep Sea

Take a voyage to the bottom of the sea, enjoy a colorful book about some of our favorite creatures, make and plan an adorable fishing game, plus so many oceany activities.

July: Camouflage Animals

Where’d who go? Not only is camouflage on animals totally cool, but it also services a purpose – to help protect them. This month we will learn about all the amazing kinds of camouflage, play a little hide and seek ourselves and other well disguised fun!

August: Pirate Treasure

Bring your sea legs! This will be aarugably our most fun theme yet, as we set out on an adventure, pirate-style. We will sing songs, meet famous pirates through an amazing book and become experts in life on the high seas!

Buy Summer Survival Pack

Use “SURVIVE” at checkout to save 10% on any Summer Survival Pack. OR you can sign up for their newsletter and unlock a 15% off coupon!
• Digital ($4.97)
• BabbaBox ($56.97)
• Premium Summer Survival Pack ($119.97)

What are your plans for this Summer? Do you have any tips for Summer Survival?

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Newborn Posing

I used all the tips that Kelly Brown shared during her Newborn Posing Course. I learned soooo much from this course. Never thought I could learn much from an online course but so many things have just clicked. It is awesome. I have been going back and watching several of the parts over and over again.

She had an awesome turn out over Mother’s Day weekend. Over 45,000 mothers from 137 countries tuned into her Live Course. It is available for purchase for $149. I definitely think it is worth it. Kelly is really inspiring and I love listening to her talk with her Australian accent. Throughout the course, Brown is demonstrating skillful posing techniques with more than 40 in-studio infants and providing professional advice for new mothers interested in capturing these precious moments with their newborns.

The tieback, pixie hat and pink wrap above are all from Beautiful Contrasts on Etsy.

I love her little kissy face in this shot. It is so adorable and Somer says she make this face a lot. I had so much fun with Olivia and I am looking forward to my next newborn session.

What have you been photographing lately? Link up your Wordful or Wordless Wednesday below.

The post Olivia Beth – Newborn Posing {WW # 93} appeared first on In The Moment With.

Here’s what you’ll need:

One cup of unsalted butter, softened

One and one half teaspoons of lemon extract (or your favorite flavor)

Half a cup of powdered sugar

One quarter cup of cornstarch

One and one half cups of all purpose flour

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Whip the softened butter with a mixer until fluffy. Add the extract and beat 30 seconds. Then add the dry ingredients and mix well, about 2-3 minutes. Drop by tablespoonful onto a cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are very slightly browned. Remove from trays to cool. (Tip, I like to use a cookie scoop as it makes the easier to handle).

That’s it. Easy peasy! We like to smoosh the tops and add sprinkles before baking. You can also add food coloring to the mix for St. Patricks Day, Valentine’s Day or whatever suits your mood.
These are buttery and delicious and they never last long at our house. Enjoy!

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Kenny was so excited because Big Foot was there. He LOVED monster trucks growing up, especially Big Foot. Since they are more midwest Kenny was never able to see the truck in person until this past Sunday. His eyes lit up when he saw it and heard that his favorite driver was driving it.

It really was an awesome show. They did motocross freestyle instead of the quad wars. I loved it so much more. The quad wars got to be boring because it was always just a “show” and was set up. We had the perfect seats for the motorcross jump. I was able to capture some great silhouettes of their tricks.

Monster Trucks on the Beach

I think we will be going again next year. I really want to get a balcony room in one of the hotels. That way we can just watch it from the balcony. Would be a nice little vacation too.

All these photos were taken with my Samsung Note 2. I seriously love the camera on my phone. So nice to just grab photos with it instead of lugging around my big girl camera.

By the way if you missed my post earlier I did a tutorial on how to make your own backdrop stand.

Carsyn’s birthday was Saturday so keep an eye out on my blog. I will be posting all about his party soon!

What did you do this past weekend? I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day!

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PVC Pipe Photography Backdrop Stand

I went to our local Lowes and purchased my materials. It came in a over $20 because I bought the bag of clamps.

Here is what you will need:

{3} 10ft of 3/4 inch PVC Pipes

{2} 90 Degree Slip on Elbows

{8}  T-Shape Slip on Connectors

{8} Slip on End Caps

Hacksaw

Bag of Clamps to hold backdrop

I didn’t ask a store employee to cut my PVC pipes because I could fit the 10ft lenghts in my van but if you need them smaller to transport here are the cuts. When we got home we did the cuts in the same order listed here.

You can ask an employee for these cuts:

{4} Five-foot lengths

{2} Three-foot lengths

{1} Four-foot length

When you get home make these cuts:

{2} Five-foot lengths {done}

{2} Three-foot lengths &  {2} two-foot lengths {cut these from the remaining five-foot sections}

{4} 18-inch lengths {cut from the two three-foot sections}

{8} 6-inch lengths {cut from the four-foot section}

Assembly:

It is very easy to put together and take apart.  This is one part of the base. You will make two of these.

Next take the 3 foot sections and connect to each part of the base. Then finish the top part like this.

Extra Notes:

Make sure you get the slip on connectors not threaded.

Second part of that is to make sure you get the same size connectors as your PVC Pipe.

Buy some clamps while you are there. I just grabbed a $12 bag off different sizes and there are plenty in there.

Here is my PVC Pipe Photography Backdrop Stand in use this weekend at Carsyn’s 3rd Birthday Party. My black backdrop is just a black fabric shower curtain. I bought it a few years back for really cheap.

Voila! That is it. So easy and cheap to do!  Go today to the hardware store and make this now.

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Ever since I became a mom, I have a new respect for Mother’s Day. My family doesn’t usually do expensive gifts or anything of that nature, but they DO take the time to spend with me– and honestly, that’s all I really want.

What I love most about Mother’s Day is just reflecting on those moments when I became a mother. When the words “you are pregnant” were first spoken to me, that’s when I knew. I knew I was a mom. And having those feelings culminate when I got to hold each of my kids for the very first time. I was mom. And never did a job seem more daunting or rewarding.

And for those of you that are adoptive moms or in any sort of mom role– we celebrate you as well. Because just because you were never pregnant with that child, doesn’t mean you aren’t a mom.

quote and art found here

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I can not believe it has been three years since you came into the world and made me a mom of two boys. My life since you came along is not how I pictured it, it is better. You may not be able to do all the things a “typical” three year old can do, but you make me so happy. Your smile and laughter are contagious. Carsyn you are the sweetest little boy I know. You are so empathetic, if another child is crying, you cry right along with them. You just have the most gentle disposition. I know that you are made just the way God wanted you and I was chosen to be your mom and your advocate.

Your favorite thing right now is your iPad. You can manipulate it so well. It really gives you some independence while playing. People that see you work it are so amazed how well you do.

You love food. Any and all food is your favorite. You really have been eating soooo much food lately. Seems like you never get full, but when you do it makes you so calm and sleepy. It is pretty hilarious and cute.

I just want to let you know your dad, brother and I love you so much. We are thankful to have you in our life.

Happy Birthday Carsyn!

Love,

Mom

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If you are interested head over to Creative Live for more information. It should be an awesome class.  Here are some  top tips from Kelly.

Newborn Photography Tips

• Make sure the room is warm. I set my studio thermometer to 84 degrees Fahrenheit, but keep an eye on the baby to make sure they don’t get too warm, as newborns can’t regulate their own body temperature.
• Make sure the baby is well fed, so they don’t become fussy or distracted during the session.
• Play white noise.
• Have firm structural support for the baby — such as a firm bean bag or basket — when it’s settled into a pose.
• Always have a spotter nearby (a parent serves as the perfect spotter).

Newborn Photography 5 Best Props

• Baskets – Any type of woven basket (that is sturdy enough!) is great to put babies in. The rustic texture looks great in photos.
• Wooden Crates – I like crates because of their vintage look, and babies look great either in or on top of them.
• Buckets — I like to put babies upright in buckets. I tend to go for a more rustic look and line them with different colored fabrics.
• Metal tubs – Large metal tubs are great for photographing two or more babies, as they are nice and sturdy and look great lined with beautiful soft blankets and fabrics.
• Wooden bowls – I love anything wooden, and, again, layering a mix of textured fabrics in natural tones in a wooden bowl looks amazing.

Newborn Photography Tips for Posing With Siblings

• Lay them down on a bean bag. Then, make sure the baby is wrapped.
• If the toddler is not keen on laying down, get them to sit next to the baby while he/she is supported in a prop.
• When working with siblings over three years old who are comfortable holding their new brother or sister, sit them on a soft rug and position the (wrapped) newborn in their lap.

Hope you love these tips and enjoy the course.

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This past Saturday I had a maternity session. I am in LOVE with the photos. It may be one of my favorite sessions to date. Here is my favorite but you can see more on my website.

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