I did it...

I have been thinking about this for a long time.  Maybe ever since I was in middle school and took a frameable picture of my little brother.

This isn't a full-time job, far from it, but a way to have fun and do something I love.

I started a small photography business.  Yikes!

And, you can see it here.

So, if you're in C-U and want to go play at a park and get some pictures, let me know!

-Meghan

Mei Tai Baby Carrier

First, I would like to apologize for the poor quality of these photos.  I took them over a year ago, before we started our blog.  

Meghan has a really nice Mei Tai carrier that she bought online from a woman who sews them.  My sister tried it out once and really liked it.  I wanted to get her one for her birthday, but unfortunately it was a little bit out of my price range.  I think that Meghan paid around $120 for hers.  So I thought that if the woman selling them online could sew them so could I!

Meghan was kind enough to measure every last side, corner, and angle of her carrier so that I could make one with the same dimensions.  After calculating how much fabric I would need I went to the store to pick it out.  This was actually the hardest part!!  I think I spent hours at the fabric store.  My sister has one daughter, but I still wanted to make it gender neutral.  I figured that made it more versatile for future children.  I also was not sure if my brother in law would want to be seen in public wearing a bright pink carrier!  I came up with dark brown and baby blue solids because they look nice together, and those were my sister and brother in law's wedding colors.  I did not want it to be too boring, so I added the Chicago skyline to each side.  My sister and brother in law are both architects.  (I know, I know, this is the same as the iPhone case, but I actually made this one first).

It turned out better than I thought it would, but it was pretty time consuming.  Someday I plan to make another one, so when I do I will make a tutorial to go with it!

- Laura

Silhouettes in the sun

Before the heat of summer is totally gone and the light starts to disappear way too early, I wanted to capture some of the playfulness we have had this summer.

Last night we created fun silhouettes using some stuff around the house and the evening sun.

It's really simple to do yourself.  I used a vintage sheet I picked up at goodwill for $2, a few garden stakes and a few binder clips.  The ground was too firm to sink the stakes into, so we propped them up using a picnic table at my favorite park.

Make sure to position the people on the same side as the sun and the camera on the other side of the sheet so that you are shooting right into the light. We played around with where the sun hit the sheet to use it as a "prop" in these pictures.

My two year old didn't entirely get the idea of making shadows, so we encouraged him to show us some of his favorite signs.  The one above is "bug" which looks kind of like a cute nose-pick.

I think that using a few different sheets or changing exposures could really be fun with this idea.  We didn't have tons of time because this was already way past bedtime.

I would love to see if anyone else has done things like this!

-Meghan

Berries

My mom and I found a great sale on berries yesterday (blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries)! 

By the way, the freezing trick also works great for raspberries.

- Laura

Happy Monday

We've been busy!  From the White Sox game (a horrible loss, but cute ball players) to a picnic in the fields, Laura and I have had a crazy weekend.

We will be posting more about these adorable outfits this week.  Stay tuned for the details!  (Hint: one has 'h-es-es')

-Meghan