Studio Pebbles

A Muse Studio | Merry Little Christmas

Hey y'all! 

Over the past few months I've been working on a couple of albums using A Muse Studio products and sharing them here on my blog. Today I am wrapping up the series with my latest spread from my Hello December book. (You can find the Holiday album posts here, here and here and my Halloween album here and here.)

Last weekend I took Maggie to a Holiday Tea at the Salish Lodge in Snoqualmie, WA, about 5 minutes down the road from where we live. It might have to become a new holiday tradition, because I'm sure she won't remember (being 3.5yrs old) that we once got dressed up and had a fancy girls luncheon that consisted of 99% desserts. Her sandwich was PB+J on Banana Bread. It was effing delicious. 

Life has brought a lot of change for Maggie this fall, and I think a day with Mommy eating sugar and fat was just what she needed. I mean...just look at that smile.

I'm glad I have this album to work on and add to without the pressure of a daily format (or even weekly for that matter), as just having it as a work in progress keeps the idea of capturing our holiday activities on my radar.

As I mentioned before, having a baby smack dab in the middle of the bermuda triangle of the holiday calendar has meant a pretty low-key Christmas for us. I hate that I've only been able to do a tiny fraction of the crafting that I usually enjoy this time of year...but I love that at least the crafting I did, involved a gorgeous A Muse Studio wood grain stamp and tassels made from baker's twine. 

It's the little things that make the season bright. 

Ho Ho Ho!
-JP

I'll be back to share the winner from the Target Gift Card giveaway shortly, so stay tuned! 

FTC Disclosure: A Muse Studio has provided compensation and project supplies in exchange for this series. All opinions and experiences shared are my own

Holiday Fashion for Baby + Photo Shoot | Target Inner Circle

Hello Friends! 

December is flying by so extremely fast around here, I can't even believe it! We'll be welcoming Santa in less than 2 WEEKS which means we need to get our Christmas pictures done ASAFP and our cards in the mail before we run out of time. 

Thankfully, I don't have to stress much about outfits for the kids because as part of the Inner Circle team, Target asked me to pick out a few favorites and share them with you as part of their #MyKindOfHoliday campaign! I had already pre-shopped a bit for Maggie, but needed clothes for Baby Bodie, so I gathered a few festive choices and styled all of my picks for a "Holiday Fashion for Baby" round-up. 

I found these sneakers in a box of Maggie's old newborn baby clothes, along with a set of gender neutral baby leggings, so I picked up this adorable onsie to match, and a grey and white stripe sock and hat set to go with. This is a total standard baby uniform; perfect for a lazy day at home, or hitting the mall with Mommy for last minute shopping. 

This jumpsuit with suspenders and bow-tie is ADORABLE! I usually balk from dressing Bodie in outfits that are too "adult" themed, but I couldn't resist this. My only hesitation was the colors, because I don't decorate in traditional red and green for Christmas...but I grabbed it anyway.

Then I brought it home and gave it a full color makeover! 

You've cat to be kitten me right meow! I couldn't let Bodie have all the fun...this shirt is everything! I love bright colors and bold graphics so I had to get this for Maggie. I paired it with a silver tutu and yellow leggings already in her closet. 

How precious is this cable knit jumpsuit and matching trapper hat in a beautiful vanilla color for Bodie? I think this will be the outfit he wears for his first fancy Santa photo. 

Maggie will be wearing hearts and sequins for her date with the big man...I picked out a lace-edged cardigan and simple tank top to go with her rose gold sequin bubble skirt, cream and black heart tights and classic patent leather shoes. I can't wait to see these outfits on my kids. 

1. Suspender Suit // 2. Hat/Sock Set // 3. Pug Onsie // 4. Baby Leggings // 5. Baby Sneakers // 6. Cable Jumpsuit // 7. Trapper Hat // 8. Sequin Shirt // 9. Tulle Skirt // 10. Patent Leather Shoes // 11. Leopard Leggings // 12. Lace Edged Cardigan // 13. Heart Tights // 14. Tank Top // 15. Sequin Bubble Skirt

Now that we are set up with all these fancy duds, Target suggested I set up a photo shoot at home and see if I could share some tips with you on how to capture Christmas card worthy photos while dealing with a squirmy baby and a toddler who runs at the sight of my camera... "Sure." I said...why not!

I'm not a professional, but I have spent quite a few years learning how to use my camera (here's one like it) and working with what I've got...so here's my recipe for a successful home-based photo shoot:  

1. PLAN IN ADVANCE:  My house isn't a photo studio, and my camera and lenses are pushing 5 years old. That means that I have to prepare a space in my home ahead of time, one that has adequate natural lighting from a large window, and a blank wall to use as a backdrop. If you can, find a similar place in your home, even if it means moving some furniture out of the way. Decide on outfits and photo props ahead of time, and take some test shots before you get started.
   
   
2. GET HELP + USE BRIBERY:  If you have older kids that can help with wrangling your little ones, or a husband that can lend a hand, use them. Little babies need propping up and toddlers need to be constantly redirected and sometimes physically positioned into place. Have a special treat handy to use as a bargining tool, like candy or TV time as a reward for their cooperation. I let Maggie stay home from school with the condition that she had to be super cooperative and listen nicely. Worked like a charm. Every time she got close to wanting to bail on me, all I had to do was mention school, and she'd be right back at my side, ready to work. 
   
   
3. DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT:  My photos are far from technically perfect. They are grainy, blurry, and the shadows are a bit harsh...but, I caught a few moments that were good enough, and that's all you need. If your photos need brightening or the colors to be boosted up a bit, try using an easy photo editor like PicMonkey. 
   
   
4. HAVE FUN: After taking a lot of pictures that weren't what I wanted, we were all a bit tired and ready to be done, the baby was fussy and Maggie started playing with the tinsel...and then she started dancing! PERFECT! I took as many pictures as I could while she giggled and wiggled, and in the end, those dancing photos turned out to be the winners. Maggie is genuinely happy and smiling and Bodie...well, he's a baby. We're just happy he didn't have a blowout. :D 
   
   

SUCCESS!!

Now it's your turn to join in the fun! I am giving away a $50 Target Gift Card to help you deck your littles with dapper duds for the holidays! You can enter using the widget below, and the winner will be drawn Friday, December 20th. 

Be sure to follow #MyKindofHoliday and #TargetInnerCircle on Twitter and Instagram this month for more festive fun and holiday inspiration from Target and the rest of the Inner Circle Team. 

xoxoxo
-JP

Full Disclosure: I am a member of the Target® Inner Circle, I was provided a gift card to purchase some of the clothing items shown, however all opinions expressed are my own. 

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A Muse Studio | Mint + Red Holiday

December is here my friends, and that means that crafters everywhere are busy working like elves on their Holiday themed projects- from December Daily albums, to pom-pom garlands, and gingerbread houses to advent calendars! 

Me? Well, I'm working on the feeding and caring of a huge newborn baby, which means that so far, I haven't had any time to get into the crafty fun that I usually love to do when Christmas rolls around. I'm not going to lie, it's really hard for someone like me (aka: crafty control freak ocd decorating shopaholic) to be right in the middle of newborn craziness during the holidays. I wanted the decorations up November 1st...but I was having contractions that day, so instead of coasting into the holiday season like I had planned, I am behind on everything and it's killing me. 

I am trying to be practical and let myself off the hook a bit. Thankfully, I've got last years memories to help me focus on the little things about the holidays that I find really meaningful., like these photos from some of the new traditions we started with Maggie last year, that I added to the Holiday Memory album I made with A Muse Studio products. 

We definitely have our hands full this year, but Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without crafting. :D

I really kept things simple with this page, because the photos were so bold and colorful and busy, I didn't want to compete with them. I looked for some of the main colors in the photos and created embellishments and chose papers that would compliment and coordinate, like the soft plum of Maggie's shirt and the mint green in the Christmas cookie. I used my favorite A Muse Studio Bow and Heart Trio Dies and some Heather and Apple felt to add some texture and embellishment to my Vintage Lable ornament tag and stamped sentiment.

I love the bold cherry red against the soft ink colors and the shimmer of the silver ink and tiny gems, and I'm a big fan of the fact that A Muse Studio makes Splash mists that perfectly match some of their cardstock colors.  Here I used a ticket die to cut out the stamped image on mint cardstock, and mounted it onto a misted white cardstock background. 

I know we'll have to be especially choosy this year when it comes to what we can participate in and have lower expectations for decorating and celebrating. This weekend we'll be going to the local Santa breakfast at the senior center like we did last year, and I know we'll set aside time to bake and decorate cookies with Maggie. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time for laughs and fun, no matter how behind I might feel today.

If you want to see more of my Holiday albums with A Muse Studio, you can find more posts here and here. And, if you're looking for a fun get together with your friends over the holidays, why not find a local A Muse Studio consultant and have a craft party? 

xoxoxo
-JP

FTC Disclosure: A Muse Studio has provided compensation and project supplies in exchange for this series. All opinions and experiences shared are my own.