Faerie Wings and sunshine

This blog is my own personal domain these days. I hope by the end of the week I shall have the divide established between business photography and more personal mom-as-a-photographer-blog. I seem to be having a few issues figuring out the little details on my new blog. It shall be done though!

And so on this note why note celebrate summer with a most dazzling faerie party hosted in my very faerie backyard on a beautiful sunny day.

These very yummy cupcake pops were courtesy of Something Sweet for You, a local bakery run by the lovely Kristie. I asked for no dyes or artificial colouring which she accomplished wonderfully with green tea coloured icing accenting the white chocolate cupcakes.

The children devoured them!

With my husband in charge of the faerie wings we were all set.

Magical snakes, crowns, running unicorns, were just some of the crafts on hand to keep the little ones busy.

My child flying through the air as she does most days, practising her arial ballet.

Bringing my child's life alive in a book.

I attended my first parent teacher conference last night. My husband was able to come too which was great as he could finally meet DD's teacher and see her classroom.

I will admit that I was a little hesitant putting DD into full day kindie as she is only 4, being a December baby and all. I absolutely love her teacher. My daughter amuses her. I like this.

The first few weeks of school Mrs. W. took photos of DD's class all over the school and with various teachers and staff. She then created little story books with the photos that the kids take home to read. It is a great way for us to see her little world and for her to be encouraged to read stories that have more of a connection.

When my 2nd daughter was born she made a lot of funny snuffly noises. I made up a story of how my older daughter was a faerie who finds a baby snuffler in the woods. I decided to take this story a litte further. My cousin helped me shoot the scenes and we made the story into a book. This story we have forever now. Baba soon stopped making the noises and they both grew, but we have that one moment held in time. We took a story that unfolded in those first few months of siblings adjusting to one another and turned it into a visual memory.

I would like to offer this service to my clients. I need to work on the details though as it can be quite time consuming and I would like to make it affordable.

A visit to the outback....Imagine them BIG.

My garden is in a state of decay. The grass in back section hasn't been mowed in.... I don't know how long. The daughter's garden is an eclectic graveyard of found objects, overgrown weeds and the last of the fall flowers. Gardening this summer was a bit of a luxury and the space was let to go wild. I abandoned my flowers. It is quite established so I just let it go.
This afternoon I reconnected a little bit. I am trying out a new lens on loan from Beau Photo for a job that I have next week photographing bioplastics. My brain has been in overdrive the last few days trying to figure out how to make the products look more dramatic that what I have seen out there.
And then I got distracted. I screwed the new ( to me) lens on to my camera and then went exploring... out to the 'back 40' as I like to call it.
Wow, it is pretty cool back there now. As nothing has been cut back the dead and dying flowers are offering up their seeds for next year's crop. And this lens ..... I think I need one for my own. It is not as if that is going to happen anytime soon so I must enjoy it to its fullest before I need to return it.
I want to blow up all these unadultered images into massive portraits that I will hang all over my home and absorb their images of decay and celebrate the amazing colours and textures that nature offers. Wooohoooo!!!

Ah, this one still has life. I imagine the anther and stamen parts as little faeries dancing around the faerie ring.

These next three can be a series perhaps.

I have not retouched them although I think a little brightening in photoshop would help, but when to stop?? I started playing and was overwhelmed by the subtleties of each change.

To have completely creative time to myself is like gold. I so enjoyed indulging myself in some play time. I did that recently on a one night-overnight with two girlfriends. I felt as I had been freed. I need more time like this.

I have been given the all clear.

Now, I may have gone a little overboard, but if I could I would post all the birthday party photos. Two parents responded to my request to put a few pics up so here are a few. The above photo is most certainly my favourite.

The above picture so reminds me of my childhood. It is odd actually. I wonder if I had a dress similar to this.

The birthday girl!!

Fantastic Birthday Ideas

We were at a birthday party this weekend, hosted by the amazing Mandy Hodge of 'the Barefoot Nutritionista' and as soon as we arrived the kids were given their goodie bags. Mandy had made simple faerie wings and skirts out of beautiful sari material. The boys had little capes in the same material. She stated that why wait until the end of the party to give out the goodie bags? Let the kids play with them and then take them home. The park was filled with beautiful running children and the colours streaming off of them. You can imagine how much fun I had with my camera. ( I am waiting to see if any parents let me post photos...come back and check it out again in a few days.)

The wings were looped around their wrists, like most waldorf wings, which allows kids of all sizes to have their wings fluttering without worrying about wire frames knocking things over.

I was also pleased to see Dana Miller there, of Its Party Time, painting faces. She does such an amazing job. (http://www.itspartytimebc.com/ to contact her).

Mandy is an amazing mom and such a wealth of health and nutritional information. She is always posting very healthy meal ideas and organic options for children and pre/post natal moms. Check her out at: http://barefootnutritionista.com/ or fan her at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Burnaby-BC/The-Barefoot-Nutritionista/69714219170

A new faerie entrance

I decided to completely take the day off today to spend it with the girls. It has been a bit hectic lately so this time was overdue.

We decided that a craft morning was in order so we constructed a new welcoming gate for the faerie garden. I had a lovely piece of beach wood that I have been saving for way too long and I picked up a few beautiful sounding bells from Maiwa yesterday at Granville Island.

It is low enough for the kids to just sneak under and any adult now has to ask permission from the faerie princess to enter and she announces your coming by ringing the bells.

I sat out there this afternoon while my oldest was at preschool and my youngest was asleep. The little bells are so gentle sounding as the breeze catches them.

We will have something special to show Dad when we comes home tonight.