8 months old

Two posts in one day , aren't I good ;)

I'm even getting these up before we hit 9 months (*shepatsherselfontheback)

Here is our munchkin at 8 months

(note the assistants toes ;) )

This girl is such a delightful child but Man she's busy! I thought I'd include some outtakes so you can see what goes on when we try and take these shots 

ahh good times :)

7 Months old

I'm going to skip the excuses and resign myself to the fact that this is my new Blogging normal

 :). 

Here is Isla at 7 months old

 ( a mere two months after the fact but hey at least I managed to take the photo's) 

This was the best photo I could get on the chair. She had just started standing up and everytime I would Move back to take the picture she would Lunge forward and almost face plant off the chair. I was taking these on my own but from now on will need an assistant *coughhubbycough* to take these pictures

You can see the rest of Isla's Photo Project by clicking here or on the Tab at the top of the page

6 Months old !!!

Half a year!!! Crazy town!!! Below are the normal 6 month pics

 but I couldn't resist sharing a little bit about what we love about our "Cooksie" as she is

 more often than not affectionately known .

Love this face more than words can say :)

4 & 5 Months old

Even though I haven't been Blogging I've been keeping up with our monthly photo, cos in reality those are less about the blog and more about documenting my child's every waking moment (My mom keeps reminding me what I do for the first child I have to do for the second so hopefully I can keep it up :) ).

I'm going to sound like a stuck record here but until you experience it I don't think you can fathom how quickly a child develops and changes. It  at times literally feels like she grows overnight (and I even read an article that said this is possible! YIKES!!) . Isla is no longer a floppy little baby. She is developing into a real little firecracker with a very definite view on the world! I.L.O.V.E.I.T.

4 Months old:

5 Months Old

Its getting harder to take the ones on the floor, strangely enough, as she keeps rolling over to eat the lamb :) the out takes to these shots are pretty funny :)

you can view the previous months by clicking on the links below:

Month 1

Month 2

Month 3 

Or in the new Tab at the top of the page

3 months old

Friends, Life is crazy!

My little blog has gotten neglected as I went back to work and am trying to figure out the new Balance of work & family.

 

here's a quick photo update of our munchkin at 3 months

 

 

 

 

You can check out the previous months posts by clicking on the links : 1 Month & 2 Months

 

 

 

the start of a new project:1 month old

I cannot claim this is an original idea but taking inspiration from many out in the blogosphere I'm going to attempt to take monthly pictures of Isla using the same props to show how much she grows over a year... I am by no means a photographer and have an overly complex camera I have no idea how to use so please bear with me (I am open to photography tips).

Meet Stan (the lamb)... He is the 'yardstick' against she will be measured :)

I can't decide if I like the chair or whether the overhead shot is better ... Thoughts ??

and just cos my baby is cute I added some other pics for your viewing pleasure :)

Pinterest challenge number 2

I know I'm late but hey better late than never right! Back in July I joined in with some of my Favourite Bloggers (Sherry & Katie) Pinterest Challenge. You can check out my previous attempt Here. the first time round I was super new to Pinterest (follow me) and hadn't pinned to much awesome stuff. This time round I'm a Pinterest Junkie with to many options to choose from :)

I decided to do my own take on something that's been floating around for ages!

a Family established sign

(source : 1 ;2 ; 3; 4)

this is something I've wanted to do ever since we got married so this was the kick in the butt I needed to get me going. We have the Huge Mirror that used to hang over our bed in the old house. It was the perfect backdrop to do this project on

I initially tried to take the cheapskate route to make my own stencil out of contact paper and to use a glass etching paint to get the effect i was looking for. Needless to say that did NOT work!! the contact paper was extremely difficult to work with and ended up sticking in all the wrong places. So the mirror was left alone for another few months while I pondered my next move.

Enter TRENDY WALLS. I found this local company who does vinyl wall stickers on face book and decided to give it s try. I measured up how big I wanted the sticker to be and sent off my request and dimensions

My Sticker arrived within 5 days of placing my order!! They even upgraded it without charging me extra!

I laid out the sticker on the mirror (after cleaning the mirror to make sure it would all stick) and followed the instructions

I taped it into place so it wouldn't move around

Basically all you do is peel off the backing paper and press the design down on the surface you want to apply your sticker too.

Once its all in position (i had a little wiggle room her to reposition since I was working on mirror but not much! that Vinyl is sticky!!) then you peel off the top sheet.

I had a bit of trouble with the 'F' in family. the little curly bit would not stay put no matter what I did so i just chopped it off.

To say I am excited about the Final outcome would be an understatement!! it turned out EXACTLY how I imagined it (don't you love it when that happens? :) ).

I tried to take pictures but trying to get a good picture where the flash doesn't glare off mirror is hard!

Can't wait to put it up in the new house :) :)

Speaking of new house we have a floor!!! The concrete has been put down and will be left to dry over the weekend. Monday they start building the walls! The builder wants to try reach roof height by the end of next week!! Whoop Whoop!!!!

Guest Guru : Engagement Photo Shoots

 

 

In keeping with the theme of photography ,in honour of my new camera:) ,this weeks guest Guru Post is by Genevieve, one part of the amazing team that is BLAW Photography.

 

 

I'm on the right , Gen's in the Middle and on the Left is Sarah (who also used Blaw to take her wedding pics :) )

 

 

Gen is a Long time Friend of Mine . My university flatmate,friend and also behind (half) of my Beautiful Wedding pics :D. I can recommend her whole heartedly for any one in SA looking for a wedding photographer :)

 

Take it Away :

 

_______________________________________________________________ 

As a Photographer and even as a Bride-to-be I think there is so much information and tips I'd like to impart to people about weddings, photography and brides but I think its safest if we sort of start some where in the beginning.

 

Copyright Blaw Photography

 

I thought an engagement shoot is a good place to start. engagement shoots are my favourite, its like a wedding but less stress, time constraints and defiantly not highly strung emotionally.
This is where as a photographer I like to have fun, and even try some crazy Photography thingy's out.
:)

If you have booked or are still going to book your wedding photographer, make sure you go for an engagement shoot. It breaks the ice, you get to know how the photographer works, and most of all you get comfortable in front of the lens. This translates well on your wedding day, and means you will have one less thing to stress about.

I send all my brides to be, doing an e-session with me this little E-session tips page.

 

Copyright Blaw Photography

 

(You can download the tips page by Right Clicking on the Picture and selecting Save Picture as) 

 

 

 Its just small, but very effective tips that will help make your e-session that much more amazing, and help insure some spectacular photos that will last a lifetime!

 

keep smiling
 Genevieve
BLAW Photography

  

__________________________________________________________

 

Copyright Blaw Photography

 

Check Out Blaw Photography's Website Or Facebook Page . They are currently running a competition for a free e-shoot session .

 

 

 

Thanks For Sharing your Knowledge with us Gen!

 

 

Back again (with a building update)

 

After a crazy few weeks with many issues and travelling I'm hopefully back now to more regular posting. Remember when I posted here about how awesome my Husband is? Well he proved it again by getting me an awesome new camera :)

 

(me in the bathroom at work ... classy ;) )

 

Its a Fuji Film Fine Pix S2995 and is whats known as a bridging Camera. Meaning It doesn't have the option of changing out the lenses and stuff like a more advanced Camera would but its got more features than your ordinary point and shoot plus the option of shooting totally on Auto or switching to Manual settings and many other options in between :)

Here's hoping I can figure out how to take more professional Pictures :)

 

The one really amazing feature the new Camera has is the ability to shoot a Panorama Shot. You just Line everything up and it gives you a nice guide as to where to turn the camera too and it combines them automatically.

Which Leads me to my next point...

as Our builders arrived yesterday (can I get a hallelujah!!!!!) I thought it would be fun to take some progress shots while we move through the Building process  :)

 

This is what the yard looked like before we started

 

 

and this is what it looks like this morning !

 

 

 

 

Its got to get worse before it gets better right?

 

Regardless it's very exciting!! We'll keep you up to date with the progress! I think I'm going to take a series of pictures from the same spot and when we're done try combine them somehow into a stop motion video (Any tips anyone?). It'll be fun to see how it all evolves :)