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Doll skirt DIY and a note to younger me

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Yesterday, with deadlines looming and work to be done, I spent the morning sewing a new skirt for Beany’s beloved Bunny, the doll whose been the favorite naptime, bedtime, all-time companion for more than a year but whose received affection — and countless trips through the washing machine — was beginning to take its toll on her delicate pink attire.

The skirt itself is nothing too fancy: just a small scrap of fabric, hemmed at the bottom and gathered at the waist with a thin piece of elastic. It’s simple, but Beany was instantly pleased and has since taken to dressing and undressing Bunny again and again and saying, “Uh oh” every time the skirt comes off. Throughout the process though, while sewing a skirt for a stuffed ballerina, I kept thinking about how funny it would be for my younger self to see me now.

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If I could speak to my 17-year-old self and tell her how things were going nearly 10 years later, I suspect that teenage Katrina would be a bit surprised to find how things turned out. She’d be surprised to find she was married already, even more shocked to hear she was a mom and probably stunned to learn that, though she does, as she always planned, spend nearly every day writing and editing for career and for hobby, she does so in chunks of time that come wedged between playing princesses, building block towers and rereading the same Dr. Seuss book until its pages begin to wear.

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My 17-year-old self couldn’t fathom working from a desk in the living room, with toys and dolls running rampant around her, rather than at a fancy office in a big city. She couldn’t imagine scheduling interviews around naptime, and she definitely couldn’t imagine singing the Cat and the Hat theme song a record six times back to back just so she could finish proofing the last two pages of a magazine before she and her leg-clinging co-worker could break for lunch. More than anything, she couldn’t imagine that this work-from-home lifestyle, though stressful and busy and seemingly constant, would be worth every ounce of tough that came along with it.

My teenage self wouldn’t understand breaking from business to sew a doll skirt or working well past midnight because you spent the morning picking clovers. She probably wouldn’t understand any of it — and that’s completely OK. In fact, if I could talk to my 17-year-old self, I might not tell her much at all. I’d say that great things happen, that she should keep dreaming big and working hard and following her bliss because some of the best things in my life have turned up when I didn’t know for sure what I was reaching for.

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So yesterday, I sewed a doll skirt. Today will be another adventure. Fortunately, I have a pretty awesome girl to keep me company.

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Bunny Skirt

Easy DIY Doll Skirt
Or: How to dazzle your daughter with new a skirt for her BFF 

What you’ll need:
• small piece of fabric (for Bunny, who is about 8 inches tall, I used a 4-by-20-inch rectangle)
• thin piece of elastic, long enough to fit around the doll’s waist
• matching thread, scissors, pins and all that handy sewing paraphernalia

How you do it:
1. Start by cutting your fabric into a rectangle. To determine the size, measure how long you want the skirt to be (keep in mind that the fuller the skirt, the higher it will bounce up), then add 1 ½ inches to allow for seams. For Bunny’s 2 ½-inch skirt length, I cut the fabric 4 inches long.

Measuring for the width is a lot more forgiving because you’ll be bunching the skirt around the elastic. I recommended going anywhere from three to five times the width of the doll. Bunny’s waist is about 4 inches, so I cut my rectangle 20 inches wide.

2. Sew a ½-inch hem on one of the longer sides of the fabric piece; that will be the bottom of the skirt. Then sew a 1-inch hem on the other long side of the fabric, making sure to leave enough of a gap between the fold and the stitch so the elastic can go inside.

3. Loop the fabric into a circle so the two short ends meet, and, with the rough sides of the fabric facing outward, sew the two short sides together without closing up the 1-inch gaps  on top where the elastic will be fed through.

4. Cut your elastic to whatever width you need, adding ½ inch for a small seam. Hook a safety pin to one end of the elastic, and, while holding the other end, feed the safety pin through the 1-inch gap at the top of the skirt until it comes out the other side. Sew the two ends of the elastic together so they hold tightly (I did two separate stitches for extra hold).

5. Close up the gaps at the top of the skirt now that the elastic is in, flip the skirt right side out, scrunch and shift the fabric so it’s even around the waist and you’re done!

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Have you done any sewing lately? Any impromptu projects that turned into big hits? What’s the day to day like in your neck of the woods? I’d love to hear about it!

XO,
Katrina

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by Katrina Tauchen on March 22, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on March 22, 2013

http://splashofsomething.com/2013/03/22/doll-skirt-diy-and-a-note-to-younger-me/

For Beany’s cookie jar: DIY felt cookie tutorial

Felt Cookies

In my very favorite episode of Little House on the Prairie, a snow-covered Mr. Edwards bursts through the door of the Ingalls family home on their first Christmas in Kansas. There’s a blizzard blowing outside, and Mr. Edwards looks more like a frosty Santa Claus than his usual grizzly man self. Although I could replay the episode in its entirety at the drop of a hat (poor Jared has sat through both my and the real rendition probably more times than he’d like to remember), the best part comes when Mr. Edwards draws a small sack from his coat and begins pulling out presents for the girls.

A piece of candy for each, a pair of mittens and a cup. That’s it. But the girls are over the moon about their loot. For a family with very little, a little more can feel like so much. “We each got our own cups now,” Laura says. Melts my heart.

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I think of that line often, particularly around Christmastime when money and gifts begin coming and going so quickly. There’s a certain kind of sweetness that comes with the kind of Christmas that boasts an old tin cup as the prized gift. Although I didn’t raid any tin cup stores in the mall for my family’s presents this year, I did decide that I’d like to start putting a little more hands-on TLC into gifts when I can, especially for Beany and her also-bitty cousins.

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So fueled by the mushy mushy, Little House Christmas spirit, I started sewing felt cookies last November. And I got hooked. Seriously, this was such a fun project to do because there’s really no perfect pattern or hard-lined rules for how to do it. I followed a general method and then went to town. In the end, I had three of each cookie for both Beany and her cousin, who’s just seven months her senior. It’s quite handy dandy having two girls so close in age. Just think of all that fun felt food I’ll they’ll get to enjoy. Woot!

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You might notice that some of the cookies are remarkably similar to treats I’ve made on the blog. They are! That’s part of why it was so fun! Now Beany has her own versions of the same cookies she sees coming from the real kitchen. It’s never too early to start refining that cookie palate.

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Felt Cookies

What you’ll need:
• felt, in varying colors
• matching thread
• embroidery thread in varying colors (if you’re adding sprinkles)
• sewing machine (if using), scissors, needle(s) (all the usual sewing gear)

How you do it:
1. Start by tracing the shape of your cookie on a piece of felt. You can trace actual cookie cutters; for circle cookies, lids and glasses work well. Once that shape is traced, cut it out.

2. Each cookie has a front and back panel. For the back panel though, cut it into a rough square or oblong shape that is larger than the front piece that you already cut out. The reason for this is because when you’re sewing the front and back pieces together, the fabric will inevitably bunch and shift a bit (especially if you’re using a sewing machine). This is important and will keep you from running out of fabric when you’re stitching them together and getting super duper frustrated.

3. Now that the front and back pieces are cut out, it’s time to decorate the front piece (the one that’s already cut into the correct cookie shape). This is your chance to get creative. For chocolate chips, cut out small pieces of dark brown felt. Add plum-colored felt for raisins. You could even add buttons! For all of my cookies, I freehanded the decorative details and then hooked them on with an X-shaped stitch over top.

Note: For the iced sugar hearts, I first cut a colored heart shape slightly smaller than I wanted my final heart-shaped front cookie panel to be, and onto that colored heart I looped in stitches of thick embroidery thread in varying colors. Then, I sewed the colored heart shape with the “sprinkles” onto a slightly larger square-shaped piece of cream-colored felt that would become my front cookie panel (I did this for the same reason described in step No. 2). Then, I trimmed the excess from the cream-colored felt until it left a small outline around the colored heart. Then the front panel was complete!

4. Once the front panel of the felt cookie is complete, place it decorated side up on top of the piece of felt you already cut as the back panel, leaving enough felt around the edges to allow for a bit of bunching and shifting. Sew the two sides together using matching thread.

5. Trim the excess felt so that the front and back cookie panels are nice and even. You’re done! Now repeat as many times as you need cookies!

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Have you done any crafting lately? What projects are on the horizon? I dare say I better get back to edible treats over yarn and felt. An oven can’t stay quiet for long!

XO,
Katrina

Interested in the real deal cookies (the kind you can actually eat)? Here are the recipes for chocolate chip, cranberry Christmas, jam thumbprint, chocolate cookies and iced sugar cookies.

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by Katrina Tauchen on February 22, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on February 22, 2013

http://splashofsomething.com/2013/02/22/for-beanys-cookie-jar-diy-felt-cookie-tutorial/

That’s so Mary Margaret: Easy DIY wreath

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While we were back visiting family in Missouri for Christmas, Jared and I started watching the first season of Once Upon a Time on Netflix. Only a few episodes in, I began to develop a mega-size obsession with all things Mary Margaret (Snow White’s “real world” self in the town of Storybrooke, Maine). I loved all of it: her clothes, apartment, hair (I’ve never been so tempted in my life to try rocking a pixie cut). As the season continued and my obsession grew, so began my quest to Mary Margaretize my life. Yep, I verbed it. That’s how serious this was.

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Mary Margaret’s clothes and apartment fall in a pretty similar vein: sweet, eclectic, shabby chic finds paired with tried and true staples. On the clothes front, I did find an adorable cream-colored eyelet top on final sale at J.Crew right before we came back to North Carolina that I happily purchased and dubbed my Mary Margaret shirt. It’s my favorite shirt on the planet, and every time I wear it, I feel awesome — and terrified I might spill something.

Mary Margaret Accessories

As for the apartment, our indoor décor is already built around neutrals, so switching out accessories or changing colors works fairly easily. We picked out a few textured throw pillows in varying shades of off-white (MM digs a pretty mix of layered neutrals) and went to Anthropologie for some fun teal-flecked knobs and coasters. My favorite finds, though, came from an antique shop stop with my mom. Hobnail and jade plates. Swoon!

So far, our little piece of Storybrooke is feeling pretty quaint and cozy, but one can’t ignore the call to Mary Margaretize when inspiration strikes! This easy DIY wreath fits right into the look du jour. And even better? It cost a whopping $7 in supplies (less if you already have yarn on hand). Just grab a foam wreath form, yarn and an old T-shirt, and get ready to get crafty.

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Mary Margaret Wreath

Yarn Wreath with Fabric Flowers

What you’ll need:
• foam wreath form (or you can cut a pool noodle, loop it into a circle and tape it in place)
• yarn (my wreath took about half a skein)
• an old T-shirt
• double-sided tape
• scissors
• hot glue gun and glue

Wreath How-to

What you do:
1. Stick a piece of double-sided tape (about 2 or 3 inches long) lengthwise on the outside of the wreath form. Then, start looping around your yarn. The tape will help secure it a bit, but once you get enough loops going around the form, the yarn should hold itself in place. Keep wrapping the yarn tightly around the form, and add extra pieces of tape every so often for extra hold. Make sure you’re wrapping tightly and pushing the yarn together as you go so the foam form doesn’t peek through the yarn. Once the form is wrapped completely, tie off the yarn in a small discreet knot on the back of the wreath.

2. To make the fabric flowers, cut a strip of fabric off the bottom of an old T-shirt (make your cut about 2 inches from the bottom, and go through the front and back of the shirt). You should have one continuous loop of fabric at this point; cut one end of the loop at the shirt’s side seam so you have one long strip of fabric instead.

3. Fold the fabric strip in half width-wise. Working out from the center of the flower, twist the folded fabric as you wrap it around in a circle. Add a dot of hot glue every so often to help hold the fabric in place. Continue wrapping until you reach the end of the fabric strip, and glue the end to the back of the flower. For extra hold, cut out a circle of fabric (slightly smaller than the size of the finished flower) to glue on the backside of the flower. Repeat with more strips of fabric, depending on how many flowers you need for your wreath.

4. Use hot glue to attach the finished fabric flowers to the yarn-wrapped wreath. Apply a bit of pressure as they dry to make sure they stick in place.

5. Call your gal pal Mary Margaret, and tell her you’ve got a wreath with her name on it (er, wait, maybe that’s just me).

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Mary Margaret Wreath5

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I’m super happy with how the finished wreath turned out, and I’m pretty sure my door is happy about it, too. Sometimes it’s the little things, you know?

XO,
Katrina

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by Katrina Tauchen on February 18, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on February 18, 2013

http://splashofsomething.com/2013/02/18/thats-so-mary-margaret-easy-diy-wreath/

Happy New Year: DIY party hats

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Happy, happy 2013 to all! We’re still busy enjoying the last few days of holiday fun (we’ll be back to the regular swing of things all too soon), but for now I thought I’d drop in and share the homemade hats that helped us ring in the New Year.

Jared surprised us all with his superior newspaper-style hat-making skills (always pulling out the hidden talents, that one), so he folded up a bunch of brown craft paper hats for us to use as bases. After that, we went to town with glitter, felt and tissue paper.

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They’re super simple, but I’d venture to say they’re my favorite hats to date. I mean, does anything say happy New Year like sparkles?

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My sister’s hat is the one with the black heart with white polka dots, mine is donning the anchor (nautical is my jam lately), and my mom’s is the lovely glitter flower that looks like it took lots of time and forethought. In reality, she whipped that puppy up in about five minutes while we cleaned up all the stray glitter. The girl’s got a thumb for hats.

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Beany’s teeny hat was free from glitter but perfect for a happy girl with a love of green and bows. If only she had kept it on her head for more than a few minutes.

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Oh yes, and here’s Jared’s covered in a happy layering of blue tissue paper squares and my brother’s, which appears to be a hybrid between a horse, rhino and unicorn. Hats for all!

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How did you celebrate New Year’s Eve? A party? Hats? Food? Sleeping by 10? I’d love to hear about it!

XO,
Katrina

Looking for more hats-piration? Check out our 2012 hats here.

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by Katrina Tauchen on January 2, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on January 2, 2013

http://splashofsomething.com/2013/01/02/happy-new-year-diy-party-hats/

Wrapping Week 2012: Boy Likes Bike

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As Wrapping Week comes to a close, I thought I’d wrap things up by giving a nod to the sole guy in our house, the one who’s slightly less enthused than the rest of us by (though incredibly tolerant of) the overflowing bows, ribbons and gets-everywhere glitter that have spent the past four days covering our dining room table.

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So enough with the bows! This wrapping idea is all about the boy who likes bike(s). And really, it could be easily tweaked to suit whatever wheel-filled form of transportation your giftee happens to love — be it a car, a truck or a super sweet unicycle.

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What you’ll need:
• white or brown craft paper
• tape
• colored cardstock
• scissors
• glue (hot glue works well — and fast!)
• an inky pen or thin marker
• hole punch reinforcements (optional)

How you do it:
Wrap your package in the white or brown craft paper. Using the pen or marker, roughly sketch the outline of a bicycle or whatever wheeled object you choose on top of the package (a quick Google search for “bicycle sketch” gives a lot of helpful examples).

To make the wheels, cut four 8.5-by-1-inch strips from the colored cardstock. Fold each strip back and forth like you’re making a small fan. Each wheel will take two of the strips, connected together at their ends with tape or glue. To keep the center of the wheel together, add a few dots of hot glue, and hold it in place until it’s secure. Repeat with the other wheel.

Using tape or the glue, stick the wheels to the right spots on the sketched bicycle. To jazz up the edges of the box, string pieces of cardstock with holes punched out (with optional hole punch reinforcements added) on twine, and wrap the twine around the package.

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So are you all geared up for a weekend wrapping extravaganza? Are any other fun things on your agenda? Cookies and decorating and all-around Christmassing perhaps? Do tell!

XO,
Katrina

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by Katrina Tauchen on December 7, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on December 7, 2012

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Wrapping Week 2012: Put a Snowflake on It

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I love a pretty package and will happily sit on the floor of my living room, surrounded by piles of paper, ribbon and tape, until every last present is wrapped, but I realize that spending two hours on a Tuesday night crafting intricate bows out of shopping bags isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time.

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Fortunately, time is not a necessity when it comes to pretty wrapping. Neither are buckets of cash. This wrapping idea is quick and super inexpensive but still has the charm of a hand-wrapped, lots-of-love-poured-into-it kind of gift.

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What you’ll need:
• brown craft paper
• plain white printer paper
• scissors
• twine
• a few white buttons

How you do it:
Wrap your package in the brown craft paper. Cut out a snowflake, as simple or snazzy as you wish, from the printer paper.

Place the snowflake on top of the package, and secure it in place with the twine. String a few buttons on the twine over the center of the snowflakes, and tie the twine around the bottom of the package to hold it in place.

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How’s that for easy? Woo hoo for paper snowflakes making everything feel Christmassy. Now all we need is the real stuff!

XO,
Katrina

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by Katrina Tauchen on December 6, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on December 6, 2012

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Wrapping Week 2012: Martha-Inspired Shopping Bag Bows

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It seems the holidays just aren’t the holidays without a little Martha Stewart-inspired craftiness, and this wrapping idea from the woman in blue was actually months in the making. Back in early spring, I watched as Martha and a fellow crafter fashioned amazingly fancy-looking bows of out stiff paper shopping bags on an episode of The Martha Stewart Show.

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Of course, Martha had super swank sacks from places like Barneys and Bergdorf, but I loved the idea so much, I pledged to start collecting all the pretty carryalls from my year of shopping escapades to be used for Christmas wrapping come December. Well, woo to the hoo because December has arrived, and my happy little bags have been repurposed to their hearts’ delight! Hooray for eco chic!

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What you’ll need:
• paper shopping bags
• scissors
• ruler
• double-sided tape
• brown or white craft paper

How to do it:
Cut your shopping bag into nine long strips, each ¾ inches wide. Next, measure and cut the length. You’ll need three that are 11 inches long, three that are 10 inches long, two that are 9 inches long and 1 that is 3 ½ inches long.

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Using one strip of paper at a time, twist each end toward the center until they meet in the middle and create a loop. Secure the ends in place with the double-sided tape. Repeat with the remaining eight strips, except for the 3 ½-inch strip; loop that one into a circle.

Starting with the three longest strips of paper, begin stacking the loops in descending order of size. Stick each loop in place with tape. Finish with the circle loop in the center.

Attach your bow on top of a wrapped package. For added eco-friendly pizazz, reuse the string bag handles in lieu of traditional ribbon.

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Although my beloved Martha Stewart Show has gone the way of the best-ever-magazine-in-the-world-no-seriously-it-was-the-bomb-diggity Blueprint, I’m grateful for every nugget of wisdom she bestowed during our daily 10 a.m. coffee dates for all those seasons. And thank goodness that maven still has another TV show. And magazines. And websites. And product lines. A girl’s got to get her Martha fix somewhere.

XO,
Katrina

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by Katrina Tauchen on December 5, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on December 5, 2012

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Wrapping Week 2012: Mod Podge Glam

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In high school, I think it’s safe to say that my friends and I would have Mod Podged just about anything that sat still long enough for us to grab our scissors and brush. It was the early 2000s, when paper scrapbooking was still the thing, we made posters by hand instead of by computer and our school planners were canvases for magazine cutouts and collage tributes to celebrity crushes. Ah, the memories. I like to think we were one hip, flare-jean-and-short-shirt-wearing, Justin-Timberlake-loving, collage-wielding band of awesomeness.

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Although those flare jeans are a distant memory (but let’s be honest; you know they’ll be back), Mod Podge still holds a special place in my heart and craft box. After all, you never know when you’ll feel the need to decoupage something, am I right? Case in point: handmade wrapping paper. Working from a base of simple black craft paper and large cutout polka dots of silver scrap paper and textured purple tissue paper, I used a few thin coats of Mod Podge to layer the dots and seal them all together. I sort of love the pulled-together haphazardness of it all. And I love that it’s a little glam, too.

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What you’ll need:
• white, black or brown craft paper
• scrap tissues paper and/or cardstock
• Mod Podge
• small paintbrush
• scissors

How you do it:
Wrap your package in the white, black or brown craft paper. Cut out circles (or any other shape) in varying sizes from your scrap paper and tissue paper.

Brush a thin layer of Mod Podge on five of the box’s six sides (I left the bottom plain to avoid the letting-it-dry-then-flipping-it-over step). Layer your first color of circle in a pattern of your choosing on top of the initial Mod Podge layer, and press them lightly around the edges. The Mod Podge should help them stay in place.

Give that a few minutes to dry. Then go back and add a layer of Mod Podge on top of the circles you just added. Once that’s done, you can layer more circles on top of the second layer of wet Mod Podge, allow it to dry for a few minutes, then cover with another layer. Repeat this process until you’ve used all your circles. (The pictured wrapping paper uses two separate colors of circles, for four total layers of Mod Podge.)

Use the leftover tissue paper to make a matching bow (find instructions here).

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Happy wrapping!

XO,
Katrina

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by Katrina Tauchen on December 4, 2012  •  Permalink
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Wrapping Week 2012!

Wrapping Ideas-Christmas Lights

On Christmas morning, there are two very different kinds of people who gather around the tree. There are those who rip open presents and tear off bows, with a laser-like focus on what’s inside. And there are those who peel off tape, untie ribbons and pry back paper with the care of a professional present wrapper set in reverse. (Those in the latter group are usually also the ones who voluntarily man the bag, bow and wrapping paper collection. Holla, Daddio!)

Really, there’s no wrong way to open a package, but I like to think that even the rip-it-open-fast-’cause-the-good-stuff’s-inside crowd appreciates a present-wrapping well done. And so here we are again, caroling and cookie-ing our way through the most wonderful time of the year, with a week’s worth of wrapping ideas to get you started.

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First up might be my favorite, probably because it says Beany and Christmas all in one. I used a simple pen and craft paints to turn Beany’s tiny fingerprints into a single strand of Christmas lights, but you could take this idea a lot of directions. Fingerprints in a triangle shape could be lights on a tree. Prints in a circle could be sprinkles on a cookie. The technique itself is super easy, but I think that simplicity is part of its charm.

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What you’ll need:
• craft paint in a few colors (preferably something washable if you’re working with kiddos)
• an inky black pen or thin black marker
• double-sided tape
• one piece of simple construction paper or cardstock, in a color that matches your paint
• white or brown craft paper

How you do it:
Cut the white or brown craft paper into a piece large enough to wrap your package. Find the center of the paper, where it will cover the top of your box. Dip your finger (or your little helper’s finger) into the paint, and begin adding fingerprints in a line across that center portion of the paper. Add different colored prints to suit your fancy.

Once the fingerprints have dried, use the pen to turn the prints into lights. Add a sketchy connectors to the tops of the bulbs, and then connect them together with a loopy line.

Keeping in mind where the lights are positioned, wrap the package. Then finish it off with a matching bow made from the construction paper or cardstock (for bow-making instructions, click here).

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How’s your holiday shopping shaping up? Are you all finished and ready to roll? What’s your plan for wrapping? Do you lean fast and easy or slow and detailed? Any fun techniques or supplies? Can’t wait to hear about it!

XO,
Katrina

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by Katrina Tauchen on December 3, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on December 3, 2012

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Beany’s weekly photo project

Last week, our baby turned 1. That perfect little bean who came into the world barely bigger than our bitty-sized poodle, whose newborn cry sounded more like a kitty cat’s meow, who was all eyes and sweetness swaddled snug in a blanket. Yep, that little baby turned 1.

Being the photo-taking folks that we are, I knew even before Beany came out of her cozy tummy spot that I wanted to document her growth through weekly photos. Although I wasn’t sure how I’d use the images at the end of the year, I did have some inclination that I’d put them together in some sort of grid, so I opted for a uniformish look to carry through each photo: sweet baby, white onesie and our white and blue duvet. And after 52 consecutive weekly photo shoots, here’s the finished product:

Maybe it’s because I’m her mom, but I love scrolling back and forth over the images and seeing how much that girl has grown and changed. It’s fun to pick out favorite photos, decide what week she got her “look” and compare all the crazy faces she makes (seriously, Beany’s got some whopper of expressions).

Just for fun, here are a few of my favorite comparisons. First, the bookends to our little photo project: week one and week 52.

And this one just cracks me up. Sometimes a girl’s just grumpy (I promise she smiles way more than she cries!).

And here are a few holiday-week shots: Christmas with Santa socks, New Year’s with her own handmade hat and Halloween with her kitty cat face.

I learned quite a bit about photo editing and baby photographing during this project (hence the shift in photos from week one to 52, though thankfully when they’re all put together, the differences are subtle). In case you’re thinking about starting a similar project, here are a few tips:

• Keep it simple: Using a white onesie is a super easy way to ensure that you’ll be able to replicate the same outfit from week one to 52. And depending on how big your baby is, you might be able to squeak by without buying all the way to 12 months. Beany’s onesies in the latter half of the photos are all 3-6 months. Granted, she’s bitty, but the onesies are surprisingly stretchy and work fine for a 10-minute stint in front of the camera.

• Keep it (reasonably) portable: We don’t stay at our house all 52 weeks of the year, so I needed to choose a background that could travel with us. At least four of the weekly images were taken somewhere else on a matching pillowcase that I packed for the trip. Sneaky, huh?

• Let the poses change as your baby grows: Once Beany was able to sit up, it proved to be a struggle getting her photo taken lying down in the pose I used for her early shots (i.e. the latter crying photo. Yikes!). Don’t sweat it. Let your baby sit up, crawl around and act silly. They’ll be much more cooperative, and you’ll end up seeing their developmental changes as much as their physical growth.

• Don’t fret if they’re not all smiley: I used to stress when I couldn’t catch a toothy grin from Beany in the photos, but now I’m glad they’re not all the same. We have a super happy girl, but we also have a girl who’s grumpy sometimes, shy sometimes and sneaky sometimes. In 52 photos, I think we got a lot of those.

• Embrace props and snacks: At some point, your baby goes from being a reasonably cooperative gem who sits where you put her (or him) to a wiggly, noisy, just-try-and-keep-me-still girl (or boy) who is much harder to photograph. I resorted to bringing out a fun toy or snack (hello, raisins!) on most occasions. Beany was happier and stayed still a smidge longer — at least long enough for a photo or two, then it was off to the races!

• Take lots, choose your favorite: Digital cameras are awesome because you can take five gazillion photos for the one keeper. Do that. OK, maybe not five gazillion, but don’t hesitate to go shutterbug crazy, even if it’s just for one magic shot. The more you take, the better your odds will be.

So that’s it: Beany’s first year in photos. I’ll admit, I think I’m going to struggle with a bit of withdrawal from these weekly sessions. Beany is technically 53 weeks today, and it’s taking all my might not to snap her into that same 3-6-month onesie and take some more photos. But I know her week-to-week changes are slowing down, so I’m going to switch to monthly photos from here on out. Perhaps that makes room for a bit more production and fan fare. Whew, get ready, Beany!

XO,
Katrina

12 Comments
by Katrina Tauchen on November 12, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Baby bliss, DIY
Tagged , , , , , , ,

Posted by Katrina Tauchen on November 12, 2012

http://splashofsomething.com/2012/11/12/beanys-weekly-photo-project/

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